Paris, encore

Bonjour!

(I started this three weeks ago...I'm giving up and finishing it tonight-no matter what!!)

To continue my wonderful winter of travel-to really warm and really cold places...Skip and I took advantage of a great offer and spent Valentine's weekend in Paris-yes, as in, three nights sleeping-in the Holiday Inn Montparnasse! Now, before anyone thinks I've really lost it-this was an offer from an educational tour company, and as they pointed out-there are rather limited options when you're trying to put up 45 people in the center of Paris! 

After our flight from Seattle via Chicago we arrived Friday morning to snow on the ground-again! Lucky for us, it didn't stick around, in fact, Saturday and Sunday were gorgeous days with blue sky, although with the wind I'm guessing it was below freezing. After checking in and a short rest, we explored the area around our hotel-and found (surprise, surprise) a creperie nearby, where we treated ourselves to an afternoon snack of sugar crepes...mmmmm yummy!

Saturday morning we had a bus tour of some Paris highlights, followed by a guided tour of the Opera Garnier-what a showplace! to stop and imagine all the drama that has taken place there-on and off-stage-was amazing. 

Afterwards Skip and I explored the "Passages"-small alleyways filled with intriguing shops and stalls-great fun, even in the cold. Followed it up with a warm onion soup lunch. We enjoyed seeing the Scottish fans there for the Six Nations Rugby games-and yes, even in the bitter cold they were wearing their kilts! The rest of the afternoon included wandering along the banks of the Seine and seeing the variety of boats, and finding the Musee d'Armee which Skip was interested in visiting-but too late for a Saturday visit. On the way back to our hotel we did stop in the garden of the Rodin museum-wow, is it something to actually stand and see a statue like "The Thinker" in person! The garden is filled with some of Rodin's works and was a delight, even in the cold. 

Our Valentine's dinner was at a creperie near our hotel-very cozy and very delicious-especially dessert!! mmm

Sunday found me at a meeting but Skip was able to visit the army museum and see the dioramas that he'd heard about-very enjoyable. After I finished my meeting and visited an outdoor market, we met up to explore the Canal St. Martin. 

The canal and locks date from Napoleonic times, and it is possible to take a boat from a few places in Paris and travel up the canals-unfortunately we missed the boat, as the saying goes. But the canal is lovely to walk along-we had lots of company since it was a sunny, albeit cold, Sunday. 

Sunday evening we were treated to dinner at Le Train Bleu, a very nice restaurant overlooking the Gare de Lyon. Wonderful food, wine-and fun watching the traffic in the station. 

We left Paris Monday morning for our return home, via Chicago. It was a great trip-and short enough that I didn't really feel any jet lag-yay!! A great introduction to Europe for Skip as well.

Noqhekwane village (Poenskop on maps)

This village is located near the Ubimvibu River, across it from Port St. Johns. A friend of my guide’s, who lives here, was our guide for the visit (this is how he earns his living). The village is situated in the hills (looking very much like the glens of Ireland!!) and has a population of about 4000-although you would never know that because they are spread out over such a large area-some homes are accessible only by foot.

 

Many homes here are the traditional rondavel style, made with dried-clay bricks and thatched roofs. The home where we parked the car was putting up a new rondavel, a woman was in the yard bundling grasses for the thatched roof. These are one-room homes, sometimes with dirt floors that are polished using cow dung, while others have cement floors. Sleeping might be on a bed, although more often a grass mat that is rolled up against a wall during the day. The “kitchen” would comprise some shelves-perhaps a paraffin stove, although cooking could also be done outside on an open fire.

 

While many homes have water tanks to catch rain water, going to the river to collect water if there is no communal tap is also common-indoor plumbing is NOT available here. Some farming is done both to raise food for eating as well as to sell. (The roadside stand selling steamed ears of corn is fairly common in the area). In villages like these, the simple jobs of providing water and food can take up the day’s work.

 

As we arrived, the primary school had let out-our first sign was the “taxi” full (and I mean crammed!) of children being taken home-this would be people who could find the money to pay for the service. We also encountered a group of children (likely ages 6-9) walking home-carrying their brightly colored plastic chairs, which they bring to and from school each day. The primary school is in the part of the village we visited-but because of the size and spread of the village, some children may need to walk as much as 1-2 hours each way to attend school-the state which provides the education only up to age 13 does not provide transportation. Parents are expected to purchase uniforms, books, and any other necessities for school.

 

While in the village we visited with an “Herbal Doctor”-a traditional healer who uses herbs to cure your ills. This is considered a calling-the women (or men) are called in their dreams, they will then attend a school for several months until they have learned and demonstrated their abilities. After explaining the process of being called and educated, she took us to the rondavel where she does her consultations and keeps her herbs and the gowns she wears when she is working. One consults the doctor, but does not present a list of symptoms-the doctor is expected to visit with you, make a diagnosis and treat you appropriately.

 

After walking through the village, we drove down to the nearby beach on the (Indian) ocean. As we left the car and walked down toward the beach we encountered a group of village boys heading for an afternoon at the beach with their “cars”-wheeled things on a stick. These cars ranged from the single rubber wheel to the most elaborate wire mesh jeep and trailer. I watched the boys running near the water’s edge with these, then later saw them swimming in a sheltered cove. The boys were probably about 10 years old and were definitely having a great time.

 

On our way back to the main road, we saw a group of older (probably high school age) students walking across the hills on their way home from school. They had would have walked a good two hours each way-and recall that they live in the hills! Fortunately there are groups and individuals who are working to set up bicycle projects and other initiatives to make it easier for the kids to get to and from school-thus encouraging them to stay and further their education. Unfortunately, for many the value of education is lost in the efforts to get there and lack of support at home. One can only hope that this will improve in the future. Tourism is the primary income generator in this area (most people work in one of the resorts or guesthouses that dot the area around Port St. John’s). There are volunteer projects working to support education, especially at the primary level-much like the Head Start initiatives here in the states.

 

It was a good visit-I felt privileged to have a peek into another way of life.