Nancy and Doug Trips

Nancy and Doug Trips

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.”
Our lifelong travel bug has given us our most prized ‘possessions’ - the many memories from business and especially family trips.
“Take only memories, leave only footprints.” Read more🇨🇦British Columbia

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SW Europe 2023 Traveler
Day 41 Provence Day 1
June 1, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C
A driving tour of the Luberon region east of Avignon. Easy driving conditions and so much to see in only 100km: An agricultural region with many farms, orchards, vineyards and roadside produce stands giving way to beautiful scenery in foothills and mountains.

Left the car in the public lot by the Rhone just outside the city walls and walked back to our apartment.Read more
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Fontaine-de-Vaucluse
June 1, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C
This village of about 600 people is the location of the largest underground spring in France and is the source of the river Sorgue. It once had several paper mills powered by the water flow, but is now a pretty tourist town. It also has an very ancient and austere church in the Romanesque style dating back to the 10th century called St. Veran.

The water in the fast flowing river here was unique. The water plants growing at the bottom with the clear water flowing atop and the sunlight filtering through gave the river a green iridescence that we had never seen before - very memorable. We decided to enjoy a drink in a riverfront café to enjoy this bucolic scene of the town buildings, bridge, ruins from the mill, water and the striking granite cliffs in the background. Unfortunately, our break was cut short by approaching thunder. Would have definitely liked to have lingered here, perhaps for dinner.Read more
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Royere Museum of Olive Oil
June 1, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C
La Royère by the village of Oppède is an organic wine and olive oil producer
with visits & tastings. The museum is very educational about all aspects from picking to production, old presses to modern technology.

The domesticated Olea Europa olive tree adapts very well to dry and sunny climates. Pruning is performed at the end of winter to maintain open space in the center of the tree, which enables sunlight to reach all the branches. Harvesting is performed with rakes that literally comb the branches and begins in November when the fruits become ripe.

There are around 30 different pressing units, cultivation tools, transport and storage equipment, miller tools, etc.

This private collection of Olive Oil making tools was really quite extensive and an interesting stop. This was one of the highlights of Provence.Read more
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Abbaye Notre-Dame de Sénanque
June 1, 2023 in France ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C
The Provençal Abbey is a Cistercian Abbey which is best-known for its lavender production. The abbey is still in use today and seven times a day, the monks who reside there gather to pray together in the church. The monks make their livelihood by selling lavender and tending to honeybees. It was founded in 1148 and the church was consecrated in 1178.

We viewed the Abbey from the outside, as the opening times did not fit with our visit, but Rick Steves advised it was nothing special on the inside. It did have a nice gift shop and we bought some sable cookies made locally.

It was pleasant on the grounds, so we were able to enjoy our picnic lunch on a bench under a shade tree.Read more
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Gordes
June 1, 2023 in France ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C
After breakfast, Doug and Nancy went to pick up the rental car at the TGV station. This time a stick shift Renault. Odd gear shifting meant a few stalls as Doug got used to things in the parking lot before heading on to the highway. Soon we were out into the country side.

Gordes is an all stone town with a spectacular setting that has been occupied since Neolithic times. It was picturesque from a distance; but we did not get out to explore the town.Read more
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Les Halles Market
June 1, 2023 in France ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C
Doug and Nancy started the day at the local market where there was a good selection of everything we needed plus. Nancy decided on a local cured sausage and a local olive and anchovy tapenade; the later which no one was fond of. Somewhat expensive but excellent produce and after you get used to having fresh bread you never want to return to the sliced frozen we have at home.Read more
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Travel to Avignon
May 31, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C
A 1530h Ouigo high speed double decker from Nice with a change in Aix-en-Provence. Stress point was when it was feared Nancy got on the wrong train as she had been assigned a different car than Doug and Janet. However, all was well and we caught a taxi to check-in in our two bed apartment in the centre of Avignon: Hotel Garlande Le Madeleine. It was drizzling and this historical centre on first glance appeared rather deserted. The apartment cheered us up as it was spacious and nicely appointed. Jan decided she would use the next day to catch up on some rest.Read more
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Massena Museum
May 31, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C
Doug and Janet took this in while Nancy got caught up on a few things at the hotel. The museum is a nicely presented exhibition of some of the historical images of Nice and of paintings of battles of the Napoleonic Wars and portraits of generals including the namesake of the museum

The villa and museum were named after Victor Masséna, grandson of Marechal Andre Massena, Prince of Essling, Duke of Rivoli, one of Napoleon’s generals. After its completion, the villa initially served as the winter residence of the Masséna family for many years. After the death of the father, the son inherited the villa. He sold it in 1919 to his hometown Nice. The latter converted the villa into today’s museum and made it accessible to the general public.

After the museum, we all reunited at Bar des Chauffeurs where we had a pleasant lunch before departing to catch the train to Avignon.Read more
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Nice Old Town
May 30, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C
We dipped into Nice Old Town to find a place for dinner. There was an atmospheric plaza avec accordion minstrel to add to the ambiance. We sat down at a Le Clocher and had a memorably unimpressive meal that did not match the lovely setting in any way. On looking at the sea bass fillet with béarnaise sauce, Nancy asked Doug if he though it might make him sick and he said "it could". He ate it anyway but didn't get ill thank goodness. In any trip there's going to be accommodation or meals that are less than you hope and this was one of those times. The rest of Old Town seemed rather run down so we did not feel it was a highlight of Nice.Read more
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Promenade des Anglais
May 30, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C
On arrival back in Nice after visiting the Rothchild estate, Nancy and Doug picked up some fixings for lunch which we ate on the patio of the hotel with Jan then we all headed out for a walk along the promenade. Jan was not impressed by the cobblestoned beach thinking the 'famous French Riviera' should at least have fine sand. but the views and walk were lovely.

Starting in the second half of the 18th century, the English aristocracy took to spending the winter in Nice, enjoying the panorama along the coast. In 1820, some of the English proposed that they could work on the construction of a walkway along the sea. It was funded by the Reverend Lewis Way and members of Holy Trinity Anglican Church. The city of Nice, intrigued by the prospect of a pleasant promenade, greatly increased the scope of the work. It extends from the airport on the west to the Quai des États-Unis ("United States Quay") on the east, for a distance of approximately 7 km.Read more
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Villa & Jardins Ephrussi de Rothschild
May 30, 2023 in France ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C
The Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild was built on a promontory on the isthmus of Cap Ferrat overlooking the Mediterranean Sea between 1907 and 1912 by Baroness Béatrice de Rothschild (1864–1934). a member of the Rothschild banking family and the wife of the banker Baron Maurice de Ephrussi, The gardens are classified by the Ministry of Culture as one of the Remarkable Gardens of France, whilst the villa itself has been classified as a monument historique since 1996. Upon her death in 1934, the Baroness donated the property and its collections to the Académie des Beaux-Arts division of the Institut de France. It is now open to the public.

Doug and Nancy caught the bus for a 30 minute hill top climb from Nice to visit this Villa and gardens which was very interesting and had beautiful views over the bay to Nice. Doug was a bit unsettled by this "playground of the wealthy" ; Nancy said she liked it and could fit right in.....Read more
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Travel to Nice
May 29, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C
Italrail at 0655h from Rome to Genoa to Ventimiglia along the Italian Rivera then French TER along the French Rivera to Nice arriving 1700h A rather long trip; the Italian trains proved challenging, especially when we got off walker, luggage and all and realized at the first of two downtown Genoa stops 2-minutes apart and quickly clamored on again hoping everything was aboard before it took off. As soon as we passed into France, we noted the polite formality of the French people who offered us help getting off the train. Best Western Brice Garden is a nice modern full service hotel, so a nice luxurious change of pace.Read more
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Day 37 - Rome Day 3
May 28, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C
Janet was booked for the Borghese with Nancy while Doug headed off to explore a Roman seaport with a bonus on the way home. A sublime 'best day ever' mix of history, art, architecture, and music!
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St Paul Outside the Walls
May 28, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C
Doug had a major double surprise delight. He noticed he had to change trains on the way back at "St. Paul" and checked the map to find that is the location of the last of the papal basilicas he was trying to get to. Then, a sublime moment when a twenty person choir started setting up for a concert of classical chorale works.

Erected during the fourth century AD, the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls (Basilica di San Paolo Fuori le Mura) is one of the four major basilicas of Rome, and the second largest after St. Peter's Basilica. It was founded on the burial ground of St. Paul after his execution in the first century. The entrance is via a lovely courtyard with a statue of the Saint and a golden mosaic over the façade. Inside are enormous marble columns and above that, a row of portraits of every Pope to the present. There are only four empty places left though, so legend is the Judgement Day will be when the fourth Pope from now dies. I wish them all long lives.

Then, to my delight, a 45 minute concert of voices in this perfect setting. Goosebumps as a single soprano sings Pie Jesu and fills this massive space without microphones.Read more
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Via Veneto
May 28, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C
After the tour of the Borghese Gallery, Nancy and Jan got off the bus on Via Veneto, one of the most famous and expensive streets of Rome and where the classic 1960 La Dolce Vita was set. They enjoyed a somewhat overpriced piece of cheese cake in a sidewalk cafe.Read more
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Ostia village
May 28, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C
After a full morning in the ruins, Doug exited to the nearby village which was a tiny Medieval village with an old fort, and even a good shawarma for a cheap lunch.
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Galleria Borghese 2nd Floor
May 28, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C
More masterpieces at the Borghese. Raphael's Deposition which had a very interesting acquisition story and Titan 's Sacred and Profound Love which was a customary prenuptial portrait of a bride and many symbolic meanings in the painting. Bernini's earliest known work at age 9 The Goat Amalthea with the Infant Jupiter and Faun. The second bust that Cardinal Borghese demanded be executed when the first marble had a flaw in it.Read more
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Galleria Borghese
May 28, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C
We managed to get a ticket for Jan to join a tour of Villa Borghese after we accidentally booked for the three of us on the wrong date. Doug decided to go to Ostia Antica and Nancy went as a "companion" with Jennifer (City Tours) who arranged for her to enter free of charge. Nancy concluded she got a lot out of her second visit there (having gone in 2019), in part due to familiarity and review and also due to the excellent guided tour by a PhD in Art History.

Cardinal Scipione Borghese, nephew of Pope Paul V, commissioned and collected masterpieces of art into his private palazzo which became an art gallery and was sold to the Italian government in 1902 along with the estate.

On the tour, we heard of the history of all the major pieces. Bernini's sculptures were a highlight. He started carving Apollo (god of music and poetry) and Daphne (a virginal nymph) when he was 23. Through the Vatican approved depiction of mythological characters; this contemporary theme of unwanted desire was considered to push the limits of acceptability, leading to the added inscription commissioned by Pope Urban VIII: "Those who love to pursue fleeting forms of pleasure, in the end find only leaves and bitter berries in their hands". David with the intense forward looking profile of the "Renaissance Man". Pauline, sister of Napoleon lying reclined in Roman style.

Also a highlight were a number of masterpieces by Caravaggio (1571-1610): He was a controversial, popular and influential painter for the technique he used which used shadow to emphasize lighter areas and his use of "common people". His subjects were often from the poor or outcast populations of Rome placed within the context of accepted biblical scenes.Read more
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Ostia Antica
May 28, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C
Took the Metro, then train (very easy) about 40 minutes out of town. Ostia Antica was an ancient Roman city and the port of ancient Rome located at the mouth of the Tiber River, near modern Ostia, 25 km southwest of Rome. Due to silting and the invasion of sand, the site now lies 3 km from the sea. Today, the site is a giant, 100-hectare archaeological park with many excavations.

The entire site is open for exploring and wandering, with a few general information signs about the "districts". The trees and the abundance of wild poppies make it all very peaceful. It was so wild that you can just walk into all these old buildings and even on the 2,000 year old mosaic floors!Read more
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Santa Maria della Vittoria
May 27, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C
Doug was able to get to this church which was missed on our last trip due to the thunderstorms on the day planned. This is considered the best example of Baroque church design. Saint Mary of Victory, was built from 1608 to 1620, as a chapel dedicated to Saint Paul for the Discalced Carmelites. After the Catholic victory at the battle of White Mountain in 1620, which was attributed to a miracle of the enemy blinded by light from the Chaplain's medallion, the church was rededicated to the Virgin Mary and fundraising allowed for a much more elaborate design. When the Borghese Hermaphroditus was discovered in the excavations, Scipione Borghese, nephew of Pope Paul V, appropriated this sculpture and in return, funded the work on the façade and lent his architect.

The vault was frescoed in 1675 with triumphant themes within shaped compartments with feigned frames: The Virgin Mary Triumphing over Heresy and Fall of the Rebel Angels executed by Giovanni Domenico Cerrini in 1675.

The masterpiece here is Ecstasy of St. Teresa by Scipione's favored sculptor, Bernini. The statues depict a moment as described by Saint Teresa of Avila in her autobiography, where she had the vivid vision of a Seraph piercing her heart with a golden shaft, causing her both immense joy and pain. The flowing robes and contorted posture abandon classical restraint and repose to depict a more passionate, almost voluptuous trance. to much controversy among Italian versions of the Puritans.Read more
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Palazzo Massimo alle Terme
May 27, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C
It was very hot and crowded along Via Corso after leaving the Colonna Palazzo so Nancy and Jan bailed out of trying to get to the top of Capitoline Hill for a good view of the forum. After a lunch, Nancy and Janet went to the Massimo as Doug had been before and felt it was one of the top three museums in Rome.

It is a reasonable size and has some very nice Greco-Roman sculpture, the famous frescoes from the Villa of Livia (3rd wife of Emperor Augustus) and intricate mosaics.Read more
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San Giovanni Laterno
May 27, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C
Doug was wanting to get to this major basilica which was 'washed out' on our last trip.

Although being rebuilt a few times due to earthquakes and fires, this is the oldest church in Europe. Founded during the fourth century in honour of St. John the Baptist and John the Evangelist, St John Lateran (Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano) is the Cathedral of Rome, in other words, the 'home' cathedral of the Pope, and therefore the most important of the four 'papal' basilicas. It is known as an Archbasilica, as is it considered the mother church of the Roman Catholic faithful. It is huge, and in fact was the largest church in Rome until St. Peter's. The interior is magnificent with colossal statues, built into the impressive columns. The mosaic in the apse was partly destroyed in a fire, but reconstructed to the original appearance.Read more
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Pallazo and Galleria Collona
May 27, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C
Nancy and Janet visited Galleria Colonna in the morning. This palazzo was established by the Colonna family with roots to the 12th century and the 20th generation heirs reside there today. The Callona family were prominent in the social, political and religious leadership of Rome with one pope (Martin V who was the first pope in Rome after the exile for 70 years to Avignon ending the Western Schism in 1417). He lived in the Palazzo while things were prepped for official return to the Papal Palace. They visited "Isbelle's Apartments" on the first floor; she was the last person to live in the Palazzo with aristocratic status as aristocratic titles were removed from everyone in 1968. She came from a wealthy Lebanese family and married a Colonna prince. She was a socialite, interior decorator and art collector. She died in 1986. Very beautiful decorating and art collection. The 2nd floor was only opened to the public a year ago; the family having moved objects from their private collection for public viewing. The family (4 "princes" and families) have apartments on the 3rd and 4th floors and also rent out part of the palazzo which seemed to take up at least two city blocks. Of interest, there was a cannon ball embedded into the marble staircase from a shot fired in 1749.Read more
The sisters look pretty happy to see each other. Enjoy!! [mom]
5/28/23Reply
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Rome Day 1 Travels
May 26, 2023 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 21 °C
Golf Cart Tour, with "My Best Tour" that covered a lot of ground in four hours with an excellent and accommodating guide/driver. Trastevere neighbourhood and St Peters Basilica.
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St Peter’s Basilica
May 26, 2023 in Vatican City ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C
We took a taxi over to St. Peters for the afternoon. Hot and very long line. Luckily due to Jan's walker we were treated to front of the line status again which was very welcome as it was mid afternoon and hot. Spent about 1 hour in St. Peter's and it really is huge (largest cathedral in the world). We then left to catch a taxi home.....along with everyone else! Taxis were quoting a flat €38 instead of the 10-15 it should have cost. So we found out you could now pay for a bus ticket by tapping your credit card and we caught the next bus which went quite smoothly. Nancy had gone out early to get some makings for dinner so we gladly went back to the apartment and to sleep.Read more
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Golf Cart Tour
May 26, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C
Jan woke up with us feeling much recovered. Great looking day for our activity blue sky, no rain. No problem meeting our Golf Cart Tour driver for the 0930h start time. It is really the only way for Jan to navigate the Rome streets so she can see the main sights. Adrianne is originally from San Diego, studied in London where she met her Italian spouse and now lives in Rome, a son in the temper tantrum stage. She really wanted to impart as much information about Rome as she could.

We got off to look at Trevi Fountain (fountain not on as they were vacuuming some of the 1.7 million in change that is thrown into the fountain each year, Piazza Navona, high baroque at St Ignatius Church, a fine sculpture by Michelangelo at Peter in Chains Church and finally Aventine Hill with its great view of the city.

She suggested going to Trapizzino-Trastevere for lunch and dropped us off there. These are yeast doughs with various stuffings. Also had a taste of suppli (Roman rice balls deep fried, some of them with cheese inside). After lunch we walked a short distance to Church #3, Santa Maria in Trastavere, noteworthy for being one of the oldest Christian churches and made of repurposed Roman columns.Read more
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