CAROLYN

Moncks Corner, South Carolina: Mepkin Abbey Crèche Festival

Local Notes, US /

Moncks Corner, South Carolina: Mepkin Abbey Crèche Festival City and local notes: Line on Travel’s vignettes of larger cities, well-known attractions, and short trips. Monck’s Corner isn’t far from Charleston, SC, and if you’re there generally mid-November to early December, here’s something unusual you might enjoy – the Mepkin Abbey Crèche Festival. Monck’s Corner Mepkin Abbey is a Trappist monastery on the Cooper River in Monck’s Corner. The Abbey is on property that was part of a rice plantation founded in 1762. In 1949, a large part of the plantation grounds was donated for the purpose of founding the Abbey. A crèche is essentially a manger scene. For three weeks in late November – December, the Abbey holds a crèche festival, displaying some of the 800 or more crèches in its collection. Donated crèches continue to grow the collection. Several thousand visitors descend on the Abbey during the Festival. Volunteers assist with the parking and I found them good humored and a bit of a tease. Somehow, they’d learned from a friend that on the way to the Abbey, I had needed a Triple-A winch-out from a ditch and might be past the time on my ticket. Thanks to those who told on me, the parking volunteers made loudly sure I didn’t park near any dips in the lot. The ditch incident was a whole other travel story that led to new friends and had a happy ending. But back to the crèches.   Mepkin Abbey One thing to like about the Abbey’s collection is its diversity. Crèches come from artists in all parts of the world and are reflections of their lives and environments. Some are extraordinary in their size and detail. Some are large outdoor sculptures and others are flat art. They show traditional scenes, people of color and women, the nurturing side of men. The artist Janet McKenzie said about her painting “Jesus of the People” that it “pays homage to people of color and women, two groups traditionally underrepresented or left out of iconic images of Christ.” She said her painting wasn’t intended to create controversy (although it did) – “I simply hoped my then-15 year old nephew, a young man of color, might find renewed joy in seeing a version of his beautiful, dark face reflected back in my interpretation of Jesus.” The creativity and inspiration underpinning each crèche is coherent to me, the same way the intricate handwork in garments sent to the Holy Infant of Prague is understandable. Visitors vote on their favorite crèche each year, and I could pretty much tell who would “win.” It would be deserved, too. I voted for another crèche that it turns out was by one of the same artists who worked on the eventual winner. But as I left that evening, the image that kept appearing to me was a simple, beautiful scene by a Palestinian artist. It was a desert scene with the three kings, animals, Mary, Joseph and tiny Jesus. What I kept seeing was the joyous Joseph, usually just a supporting actor but here the most memorable to me of all the figures. You don’t have to be religious to enjoy the festival. It can be mind-expanding. And the grounds of the Abbey are serene, with beautiful camellias, giant and dwarf, blooming in the Low Country autumn. Live oaks with Spanish moss, spider lilies, American white ibis all over the place. Alligators too, so mind the water. Visit the original owner’s family graveyard and take heart that one of the sons was an abolitionist. I grant the graveyard’s a little somber on a late afternoon (I’m not directly saying creepy). Maybe visit the graves earlier in the day. There’s an Abbey gift shop where I bought fruit cakes (I love them!), golden rice, and Father Joe’s “Food for Thought” cookbook. Simple fare from the Abbey kitchens. There are plenty of good places to eat in the vicinity. It’s the Low Country, after all. Trip date: November 2015

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Sydney, Australia: City Notes

Australia, City Notes /

Sydney, Australia: City Notes City and local notes: Line on Travel’s vignettes of larger cities, well-known attractions, and short trips. Sydney is big, well documented and full of options for travelers. There are easy day trips (such as the Blue Mountains), beaches and beautiful hikes all around the city. There are good restaurants and nightlife, but I’m usually already sleeping when the nightlife ramps up. Here are some spins on Top 10 sights and a few just-off-the-beaten path things I’ve enjoyed in Sydney. There’s so much more – check your favorite guidebook. Spins on Sydney’s Top 10 The Sydney Harbour Bridge is definitely Top 10. Why not climb it? I don’Bridge 8t like heights much but paid the sizable fee to do the Bridge Climb. They give you a breathalyzer test, a good-looking jump suit, a belt with a safety cable, a hanky with a wrist band and croakie for your glasses (up on the bridge you can’t wear or hold anything that’s unattached), some climbing practice and coaching. Then up you go, to the very tip top of the bridge and Sydney Harbour. It is way, way down. Don’t worry about having to leave your phone behind. Bridge guides take plenty of pictures of you with a variety of dramatic views. A photo of your climbing group comes with the package but the individual shots are available for purchase when you leave (through the picture-purchase line of course). I bought all of mine which they gave me on a thumb drive. When I said that I wanted them all, the cashier asked again to be sure. Maybe that’s unusual. Anyway, I’m glad I bought them. It might be my only climb. Sydney Harbour Bridge Walk. Take the street-level pedestrian walkway. It’s not as exciting as the climb but it’s free. You’re still high up over the water so it’s exciting enough, and it’s a nice walk over to Kirribilli where you can wander around and look at houses, have a snack, sit in the park and see great views of Sydney before you head home. Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb Opera House Backstage Tour. Opera House. Top 10. Of course. Everyone has to do something with the Opera House if only a selfie with it behind you. I’ve gone to performances there (including opera – how fitting). But I especially liked the backstage tour. You get to poke around pretty much everywhere, stand in Joan Sutherland’s dressing room (for you opera fans) and have a chance to sing on stage (to an empty house). I immediately clammed up. Darn. But great fun, breakfast in the green room, and you learn a lot, too. Don’t forget to set your alarm – the tour starts very early in the morning so you’re out of the way before it’s time to set the stages. Hike to North Head. The Sydney Harbour National Park is a Top 10, but I wonder how many people take the nice long hike from Manly to North Head. There are dramatic views and lots of flora, fauna and geology to observe. Depending on the season, you might even find yourself alone a lot. If it’s whale watching season, take binoculars and look for where the whale watching cruises are circling. Do keep an eye out for directions. Maybe you won’t, but I got lost twice, was re-directed once by a nice man and his daughter, and got lucky the second time when I wound up at the Q Station just as a Manly bus arrived. As I said, watch the path. You can enjoy lunch in Manly, too, on the right day. I found it horribly crowded on a nice weekend day at summer’s end, but just perfect other times. Hike to South Head. This is a beautiful (and popular) walk along the ocean cliffs and around South Head. There’s a historic lighthouse, and the views of the ocean and Sydney Harbour are gorgeous. I have not gotten lost here. It’s a different and easier walk than at North Head. I suggest avoiding weekends in good weather. Way too crowded. I like getting there by ferry to Watson’s Bay, and I can grab a snack at Doyles on the Wharf or just have some ice cream and watch other tourists before I go walking. Leave the crowds behind at Circular Quay Take a night photo tour. I enjoyed day and night photo tours with Alfonso Calero in Sydney. Otherwise, the opera house picture here wouldn’t exist. Opera HouseThe people I met on the night tour were all from Sydney if I remember right and had taken Alfonso’s tours and classes before. We had a good session on the harbor and then doing light painting at the Observatory while listening to fruit bats forage in the Moreton Bay figs. Elizabeth Bay House. Elizabeth Bay is a pleasant (and expensive) neighborhood around a pretty bay, and Elizabeth Bay House is right in the middle of it. The house was completed in 1839 and is a neoclassical house as beautiful as money could buy, except that the Colonial Secretary who built it ran out of money and hardly lived there. It was originally surrounded by magnificent gardens (I think that’s what broke the bank). I was there on a beautiful day. A wedding was starting in the little park just across the street. After the visit, I had a good lunch in the nearby Café Two Ants. It’s tiny and popular. I was happy to get a table. Sydney Opera House Vaucluse House. An odd, neo-gothic, hodgepodge of a house started in 1805 but built onto and rejiggered for years. It’s kind of two houses in one, connected awkwardly, and oddly without a front door. But so interesting for its quirky design, pretty rooms, views and history. Vaucluse is a nice outing. The grounds are pretty and it’s not overrun with crowds. One of the most pleasant things to do while you’re there is have tea or a meal at

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Riding the Ghan: Small Kitchen, Good Food

Australia /

Riding the Ghan: small kitchen, good food Our ride on the Ghan from Darwin to Adelaide took the best part of three days. And we all had to be fed, starting with lunch on Day 1, through to our beautiful brunch on the last day. See my post on the trip here! Train Chefs How do train chefs turn out meals like we had? My foodie credentials are pitiful but I know when food is good, and it was good on the Ghan. Each meal offered meat options and a vegetarian choice. The popular and innovative choices – including native Australian ingredients – were cooked perfectly, plated attractively and served quickly. Am I overstating this? I don’t think so. I’ve put a sample menu here – just look at the options. And remember that all this food came from one of those skinny, stainless steel train kitchens. I chose a fish main course three times and once opted for the kangaroo filet and crocodile boudin blanc. Maybe you’ve had kangaroo – the texture is similar to beef, but the flavor is different. It’s low fat and tasty. Just don’t expect it to taste like beef. Another time I chose rack of lamb, a perfect, tender medium rare. Served as cutlets, and beautiful to look at, too. I always chose the sweet dessert instead of the cheese plate, but sometimes the people I ate with let me taste. The cheeses were all local and were good. I’d have liked the sweet dessert AND cheese. Along with beverage options, they served good Australian wines. Breakfasts also had choices for a starter and main course. On my trip, the Ghan served delicious Brookfarm muesli which I always started with. I chose a different breakfast main course each day. Ghan Menu on Wednesday Meeting the Chef As we got closer to Adelaide, I joined a friend I’d met on the train to do a carriage-to-carriage hike to see as much as we could that last day. Along the way we happened to meet the chef in a now-empty dining car. Another crew member took a picture of us with him. We were thrilled. And that gave us the chance to tell the chef how much we enjoyed the food. It had made us happy. Trip date: March 2016 Ghan Chef

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Riding the Ghan: Off into the Outback

Australia /

Riding the Ghan: off into the Outback Riding the Ghan was something I’d waited six months to do, after buying an advance purchase ticket. My chance to take a long train ride through the rugged Outback. What a great trip – for more on the ride see my post about the end-to-end ride. Australia is Dry It’s the driest continent on earth. But it does rain, and late on the second afternoon an electrical storm spread dark across the entire eastern horizon. During dinner we watched repeated ground strikes and pulsing lightning inside the clouds, glad we weren’t under the storm. Not far from our start in Darwin, we crossed the pretty Elizabeth River on the route’s longest bridge. Later we crossed the Finke River. A river in name only it seems. The Finke is a river-width stream of sand (with occasional waterholes) but it can rage in rare rain. I mention the rivers and the Finke in particular because the Finke has a claim to being the oldest river on the planet. Is the Nile older? Not necessarily. I’m cheering for the Finke. Outback flying by Nitmiluk Gorge We had a choice of off-train excursions, one each day. For my Day 1 excursion, I elected the Nitmiluk Gorge cruise where we traveled in flat boats between fractured red sandstone cliffs along the Katherine River. We saw wildlife including a colony of fruit bats fanning themselves iKathering gorgesn the heat and a white bellied eagle keeping an eye on them. I didn’t see crocodiles. But they are there. The freshwater crocs (freshies), native to Australia, live in the river year-round. The giant, aggressive saltwater crocs (salties) get into the river during the wet season floods. It takes wildlife officials a few weeks to remove the salties when floodwaters recede below natural barriers. The guide on my boat said his company doesn’t offer canoe trips until they get the all clear from wildlife authorities. Well, that’s a relief. I didn’t see a croc, but I saw the big saltie trap by the dock. You could trap a small car in it. Kathering Gorges Alice Springs Desert Park The next day I visited Alice Springs Desert Park. They say, “Get red sand in your boots,” but I didn’t because my clay-colored Palladium desert boots, well-matched to the red sand, kept it out. (I love my boots.) There in the red sand at the foot of the MacDonnell Ranges, we observed and learned about Australia’s disappearing native flora and fauna. Does that sound familiar? The Park’s mission is dedicated to restoration of native habitat and reducing threats to native animal species. The van driver who took us to the park said that 3,000 Americans live in Alice. They’re there as part of a joint defense facility. I’m sure she tells this to every group she takes, but she was amusing, so here goes. You have to love the Americans, she said, because they bring along their cars with left side driving. Australia has right side driving. Sometimes she looks in her side mirror and has a moment of panic because it looks like no one’s driving the car behind her. That would give me a fright too. The Milky Way Late the second night we stopped in the desert to look at the stars. Deep in the night, moonless, still and clear. We used the train’s telescope to see Jupiter and four of its moons. Stars and planets swarmed over us, the Milky Way’s densest and bushiest side rising over the Outback. Brilliant white, “close to the light seen when looking at spring snow in the early morning, shortly after dawn,” said University of Pittsburgh astronomers. Our cosmic homeland. The Southern Cross was up there sideways. Orion was upside down. In the dark, the silent train behind us, it felt like the stars were singing. Before the railroad company turned loose a train-full of tourists in the night desert, a crew had placed small lanterns 20 or 30 yards from the train. We had to stay inside this limit, like swimming inside a shark net at the beach. The staff were meticulous about procedures, gathering us in our assigned lounges, briefing us and ticking off each name and cabin number as we got off and then returned. And as we pulled away, I saw the eerie silhouette of hands as they reached out of darkness to pick up the lanterns. Then back to our cabins for our last night on the Ghan. Trip date: March 2016

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Warsaw, Poland

City Notes, Europe /

Warsaw, Poland City and local notes: Line on Travel’s vignettes of larger cities, well-known attractions, and short trips. You see the slogan “Fall in Love with Warsaw” with its cute logo all over town. And I did, for a lot of reasons. But when I first got there, I was curious instead of enraptured as I rode into the commercial center on a late summer weekday rush hour. What was the look? What kind of city was this? An architectural mélange where tall modern buildings overlook the enormous Stalin-gothic Palace of Culture and Science. Communist-era architecture sidles up to blocks rebuilt in the old style. There are big parks and Chopin’s music somehow figures into everyday life. All this in a city that had ceased to exist in 1945.There was so much to see and figure out, and I still have things that I’ve left undone. More to learn in this welcoming city that came back from World War II’s total destruction and depopulation. Warsaw Impressions This is an account of some of my experiences. It’s not a travelogue – there are loads of guidebooks, and a lot more things that I could include here. But I also want to share more than I might for a similarly well-documented city. That’s partly because while I’ve read plenty of articles about Warsaw as an up-and-coming destination, I still don’t know many Americans who think of Warsaw when it comes to picking European cities to visit. We should. Don’t speak Polish? No worries. English is pretty much a lingua franca, so with adequate English getting around is easy. Don’t think you’ll like Polish food? Well, it’s delicious and diverse and besides, you can find every cuisine you’d expect to find in any other city this size that has a growing food scene. And there’s no need to pack the kitchen sink. There are shopping malls where I found everything I needed but hadn’t thought about, like wool socks and tights when I came back in late October. Plus all the brands you know from wherever home is. Palace of Culture and Science What else to do? I found some great museums, good food, a good public transportation system and enough palaces and gardens to keep me happy for days. I heard two piano recitals by winners of the 2015 International Chopin Piano Competition. There’s lively night life, too, but night life for me was usually total collapse after a day roaming around. I do think it’s important to get into Warsaw’s history to some extent – it’s essential to know some recent history to appreciate what you see. But it’s not all about history class. Enjoy the flavors of Poland, stroll in the parks, visit museums, visit the shopping malls, and keep a list of things you want to do next time. There’s so much I still want to experience and learn. Some background and thoughts about a few of the top sights I suggest going early in your visit to the excellent Warsaw Uprising Museum, because it gives us visitors a context for everything we’ll see in Warsaw. I went near the end of my first trip and wish I’d gone earlier. Here’s a little background. In 1939 Hitler invaded Poland from the west. The Soviets invaded from the east not long after. Hitler broke his pact with Soviet “allies” and went on to invade the USSR and occupy all of Poland. After years of struggle, in 1944, Warsaw’s underground home army tried to seize the city from the Nazis. After 63 days of fighting the home army surrendered, and in revenge, Hitler personally ordered the city razed to the ground, leaving only about 15% of greater Warsaw standing. From a population of about 1.3 million in 1939, in 1945, there were only about a thousand people living in the ruins. The Museum covers the events leading to the uprising and its aftermath. Be warned. This innovative museum is a warren of galleries and gets crowded, so ask around (for example, your hotel’s concierge or local friends) about slower times, or just get there early. An audio guide (available in many languages) will help a lot. The destruction of Warsaw isn’t the whole story, but for a preview of what that destruction was like, you can watch “The City of Ruins,” Warsaw in 1945 on YouTube. It’s a montage of still photos made to look like a flight over the city. The 3D version that the Museum shows seems shorter and if I remember, spares you the music. Or you can also turn off the sound. Old Town and Royal Castle Everyone is probably drawn first to the Old Town and Royal Castle. I was. What you’ll see was scrupulously rebuilt according to pictures, photographs and documents. In the Castle, don’t miss the Rembrandts but also be sure to look closely around you in the Canaletto Room that contains 22 townscapes of Warsaw painted by Canaletto between 1767 and 1780. You can see what a fine city Warsaw was, and these pictures among many other resources informed the rebuilding of the old town. If your Castle Museum ticket includes the Tin-Roofed Palace, visit this too. I don’t know if everyone does. When I visited in August, there was only one other visitor there. This fine house has also been restored. The upper floor contains the apartment of Prince Józef Poniatowski which I found pretty and intimate, even cozy. I’d be happier living there instead of in the Castle, not that they offered. The helpful docent guided me back to a piano with knee levers that I’d missed seeing, and I likewise guided the other visitor to it. He tolerated my mini tour well but must have wondered, “Who is this woman and what is she saying to me?” Downstairs, there’s an exhibit of rugs and tapestries which I confess to skipping. Sigismund Column and Castle Square rooftops It’s important to understand Warsaw’s Jewish history, even if you’re not Jewish. The

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Discovering Poland

Europe /

Discovering Poland I wouldn’t try covering a whole country in one blog post, but I’ve enjoyed discovering the cities of Poland and I want to share a few experiences. I’ve also posted notes about most of the cities I’ve visited. As with all of my trips, the idea of visiting Poland was a sudden inspiration On a trip to Newfoundland in spring 2016, I met a man on a boat excursion whose parting recommendation for me was to visit Warsaw and especially, he said, Kraków. That put Poland in my head. A little later, when I was pondering a trip to commemorate a family member’s birthday, Poland turned out to be the perfect choice because of a thesis he’d written in grad school. It was a good trip. I left Poland after the first visit feeling like there was much more to see. Then, while I was in France in the fall, some travel plans changed and I had 10 days on my hands. So I quickly booked a trip to Warsaw with the intention to see more of that city and then go north to Gdańsk. After these two trips, I still have more to see in Poland. I feel like it’s about to be “discovered,” and before long I’ll find myself seeing more American tourists along with the Polish, other European and Asian tourists I saw. And, before I left I bought Polish Doesn’t Bite with the intention to double my Polish vocabulary (from, say, 20 words to 40) and learn enough sentences to check into my hotel in Polish next time. I got that challenge from a woman at my hotel reception when I came in with the book. I can’t wait to try. Warsaw Palace of Culture and Science Warsaw as a Base Warsaw is one of the easiest destinations to get to by air, and it’s pretty much in the middle of Poland. So, unless you have a targeted plan, such as Kraków or Gdańsk only, Warsaw is a great place to start and end a trip. And I enjoy being in Warsaw. I decided to use the train to get around on both visits. The intercity train system is easy to maneuver and the longest time I spent on a single trip was fewer than three hours from Gdańsk to Warsaw. Then, you conveniently wind up right in the center of Warsaw at the Warszawa Centralna train station. As for driving, it wasn’t a consideration because I planned to stay put in towns with relatively few days on the schedule to move from place to place. Besides, I read in the Warsaw In Your Pocket Guide that Poland has one of the leading rates of road fatalities in Europe. Enough said. It was the train for me. New Warsaw Food, lodging and getting around Food. After my first trip, a friend asked me if it was all cabbage soup. No! Although I like cabbage soup. Poland has by all accounts a thriving food scene and I had more recommendations than I could use. And I was seduced by the milk bar. Before I arrived, I’d looked at TripAdvisor and Like a Local where I found cascades of high ratings and recommendations. There’s such a variety of restaurants that you can go in almost any culinary direction. And if your bliss is pizza, it’s a great favorite, so no worries there. I didn’t worry much about food in Poland. I generally had good luck. All of the places I stayed offered breakfast and I usually alternated between cafés and bakeries for other meals. I dined from the grocery store, too, where I got mostly fruit and packaged salads. Some of these are not for the faint of palate. (I am known to eat “meals of desperation” now and then but usually stick to my café-a-day meal plan.) Without chronicling every meal, I’ll just say I ate very well when I wanted to. In Kraków I ate dinner out at three hotel-recommended restaurants (I got pierogis at one but the pricey pierogis in Warsaw were more luscious). All of the meals were good. I had a fair number of sandwiches from kiosks, too. In Gdańsk, I enjoyed a bakery / tea room and small café, plus the inevitable sandwiches. But my real surprise was at La Petite Fleur hotel in the smaller city of Toruń, where I bought room and board, and had three wonderful meals a day. Polish inspired with a French flair, prettily served in the hotel’s cozy Gothic-era cellar. Lodging. I like hotels for shorter stays, and the larger cities in Poland have all the big hotel brands. My home away in Warsaw is the InterContinental but there are other choices like apartments and Airbnb. In Toruń, hotels in the old town took some looking into and I was very happy with La Petite Fleur. In Gdańsk I chose the Mercure for its predictability and location. In Kraków, I stayed in the charming Cracowdays Hotel, just a short walk from the center of the old town. For this trip I looked at but didn’t choose Airbnb, and didn’t look for apartments otherwise. When I was picking up something for supper one evening in Gdańsk I met a woman from Taiwan who told me about the nice apartment she’d rented for a few days. Strangely enough, this woman and I had met earlier that day on the way to Malbork castle, an hour by train from Gdańsk. Imagine running into each other several hours later in a Gdańsk bakery. That’s one of the great things about travel. Getting around – train. Warsaw’s main train station, Warszawa Centralna, is easy to navigate, and it’s right in the middle of downtown. Skip the information window and the long queue at the ticket windows. The Intercity office is across the terminal. Take a number and an agent will help you. The two times I used the office my agents were helpful, spoke pretty good English and

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Néris-les-Bains: Some Things to do For a Short Stay

Europe /

Néris-les-Bains: some things to do for a short stay One thing I like about staying in the French spa town Néris-les-Bains is the “total immersion.” You go about your daily business along with people who live there or who are there for the cure. Stock up before you leave town Go to the grocery store. The homeopathic pharmacy (I’m a frequent visitor – they have all kinds of other products along with the meds). Breathe deeply while standing on line at the bakery – the aromas are delicious and very low calorie. The bread, pastries and cakes are delicious, too. Stop by the wine store (La Cave des Toqués) and have a chat with Marie that will segue from English to French and back (and don’t forget to buy some wine). Take walks in the countryside. Walk around town and see the architecture. Go to Mass at the ancient St. George’s church if you’re of a mind to. Take day trips to see heritage sights in France’s center. Start your stay at the tourist office. The last time I went, the staff were pleasant but no one working that morning spoke English. However, I got on fine. Visit the tourist office website here. Sign in Néris Around town in Néris-les-Bains In the center of town, there’s a theater, casino, a pretty little park, and Les Thermes and Les Nériades spas. I’ve been to both spas, and recommend a visit to Les Nériades which opened in 2014. Les Nériades is oriented to the general visitor rather than the curiste. Also in town there are tennis courts and a covered municipal swimming pool. I’ve never gone to the casino (which seems usually to be open) or used the pool and tennis courts. I walk by them a lot – that’s about it. I tend not to be in Néris during theater season, but you can also go to Montluçon for theater (it will help if your French is pretty good). The rail bed trail – walking and biking. For just a few years, a train brought people up to a grand train station for the town’s spas. Arched viaducts carried the tracks across deep valleys. The train service didn’t last, but now the rail bed has been transformed into a pedestrian and biking trail – about 4 miles (6.4 km) downhill to the edge of Montluçon. I’ve walked the trail on sunny days, rainy days, warm and cool days. From the viaducts there’s a view of Montluçon in one direction and farmland in the other. Depending on which field a farmer has opened for grazing, you might meet Charolais cattle close up across the fence, or see them as white specks on a hillside. The trail is part of the national trail system and is marked accordingly. It’s an easy walk. This cat speaks French The lake walk and town perimeter Another easy walk is along the trail around the local (artificial) lake and through the adjacent park. I’ve also walked around parts of the Néris perimeter. You can’t get really lost if you orient by the church tower. At worst, you have to retrace your steps, and that’s not at all bad. Another walk I like is going straight through town and out the other side. Walk away from the Visitor Center, then past Les Nériades spa and walk uphill for another view of town and the church. The countryside is so close on this walk that you’re soon out of town at a small farm where you can stop at the fence and say hello to the black and white cows. Lunching in Néris. During the spa season you can get a nice lunch at several small cafés and restaurants. I’ve enjoyed lunch at both La Brasserie and La Compté. There’s also Bistro Chic near the casino, but I haven’t been there. Check the Néris Tourism website or TripAdvisor for other recommendations and note opening hours which vary and don’t always coincide with your expectations. If you’re self-catering, there’s a small grocery store in Néris that meets almost all needs. You can also buy bread, cheese, meat, charcuterie and wine at the shops on the main street, which is one of the pleasures of being there. Montluçon has a lot of dining options and larger grocery stores if you’re down that way. Countryside from the rail bed trail Going to the Spa I have visited the spa in Néris. After all, that’s why the town’s there. I suggest Les Nériades which opened in 2014 and offers several massages and treatments along with a natural spring water pool, a Hamman and sauna. After an emergency run to Decathalon in Montluçon to buy a swim suit, I signed up for a gommage peel and a California massage. Plus 90 minutes in the pool. Les Nériades’ pool is not large, but pool sessions are timed so you won’t be crowded. The water was warm but I’d have liked it to be hotter. I expected to feel like a lobster in a pot. The 90 minutes in the pool went rather speedily. There are zones to try – the giant Jacuzzi, bubbly massage platforms, a shallow pool with underwater sound, and beyond some plastic verticals, an outdoor area that must be nice on the right day, and would have been nicer on a cold day if the pool water had been hotter. There is a Hamman and a sauna – I skipped the sauna and went straight for the black-tile Hamman’s hot eucalyptus-scented steam. The first couple of breaths were stifling, but once I could breathe again, it was sort of intoxicating to be immersed in vaporized eucalyptus.  Les Nériades spa Feeling very cleansed, I awaited my massage in a pleasant room that viewed the pool. Some guests relaxed and sipped flavored water. I practiced all the things I expected to say to the masseuse, like I was going to take a French exam. Both gommage and massage went well in spite of

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Néris-les-Bains, France: Patrimony and Architecture

Europe /

Néris-les-Bains, France: patrimony and architecture Néris-les-Bains, one of the spa towns of central France, is full of sights. Some, like the church, are right in front of you. Others take walking around. (For more on Néris, see my post “Néris-les-Bains: off the tourist trail in France.” The church of St. George I doubt that the town’s venerable church is in many – or any – guidebooks, but it should be. It has Roman roots (part of one wall is Gallo-Roman) and most of the building dates from the 11th and 12th centuries. The center aisle has been worn to a trough by a millennium of parishioners. Until 2015, I’d been inside a few times but had never really seen the inside well. It’s early Romanesque with tiny windows, and it’s pretty dim. Sunlight stops just inside the open doors the way it would stop at the mouth of a small cave. I’d walked around with an ineffectual flashlight, following an old guide, “Eglise de Néris-les-Bains” that I must have bought at the old Visitor Center or the church itself. Interesting, but the church’s history was still hiding from me. And then a parishioner told me to come for Saturday night Mass. (Mass is on Saturday night because the priest serves several parishes. I wonder who gets him on Sunday morning?) I could see the inside lit. What a transformation! The light made the ancient walls dance in gray and taupe the way water poured on stones makes them glisten. The sweetness of antiquity. People in the church made it seem bigger and happier. Worth going, even if you’re not Catholic. After Mass, the church goes to sleep again, so if you don’t go to Mass, take a bright flashlight. Church of Saint-Georges For something more modern, outside the church by the parking lot there’s a structure that looks like a baby version of I.M. Pei’s Louvre pyramid. This covers a modest, visible portion of the Merovingian cemetery. You can see a few sarcophagi carved out of stone blocks from the ruins of the Gallo-Roman city. Maison du Patrimonie – small but nice archaeological museum On the other side of the church from the pyramid, there is an interesting archaeological museum in a 15th century house. The museum collection is small but exhibits are well displayed and all locally connected, covering from Roman times to the Middle Ages. On my most recent visit to Néris, the museum seemed short staffed. The same friendly woman watched the doors, greeted guests and gave tours. When I arrived, there was a handmade sign on the door saying she was giving a tour. Two other patrons and I waited outside in the autumn chill until the tour finished. I think we all nearly gave up, but I’m glad we didn’t. The museum was pleasant, instructional, and warm. If you’re into motorcycles, you might recognize the name Labre. Paul Labre lived in the house from about 1920 until he died in 1961. Paul and his brother François were motorcycle pioneers, developing their first version in 1897. Paul’s daughters were the last to live in the house. The living spaces of the house (now the museum) seem cozy and relatively modern. A local artist was exhibiting in the cellar, which is where you can see the 15th century bones of the house. Other sites, ancient and modern Gallo-Roman pools. The three Gallo-Roman swimming pools behind the Visitor Center and modern swimming pool are from the 1st and 2nd centuries. Archaeology tells us that they were originally covered with marble and surrounded by porticoes. Amphitheater traces. Where there were Romans, there was an amphitheater. Across the road from the pools and Visitor Center, the streets run in semicircles and the terraced earth of a park recalls the basic shape of the 315-foot (96-meter) diameter building. Baths. Les Thermes baths aren’t Roman but they’re built on the site of Roman baths. The first stone of today’s Les Thermes was laid in 1826 by the Duchess of Angoulême. It’s here that the curistes go for the cure, and Les Thermes may also offer non-medical treatments. (I suggest going across the square to Les Nériades.) There is a small neoclassical Caesar Pavilion built over the source of the thermal spring but it’s not in use. Learn more about Roman Néris at the Maison du Patrimonie Gallo-Roman pools Casino and Theater The Belle Époque building was competed in 1898. Neris casino and opera houseThe 300-seat theater was restored in 1987 and offers a variety of shows during the season. But I seem never to be there when a show’s on so I admire the building from the outside. The adjacent casino seems like it’s always open, but I haven’t tried my luck. Train Station. The pink sandstone and granite train station with its colorful tile roof was built between 1929 and 1931. The idea was to provide for the influx of spa visitors. The rail experiment didn’t last long. Now, the impressive viaducts and bridges that carried tracks over the hilly terrain carry the rail bed walking and bike trail with its pretty views. Pretty Houses. Along with the train station, the town has appealing houses from the Belle Époque and later. There are a couple of odd houses, too (a kind of enormous Pyrenees chalet for one). A walk around town is pleasant; the houses are all different. One of my favorites faces a small flowery green space and in its back yard, there’s an enormous, breathtaking cedar, which I’m glad isn’t leaning over my house. Trip date: Most recent October 2015 Belle Époque building

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Néris-les-Bains: Off the Tourist Trail in France

Europe /

Néris-les-Bains: off the tourist trail in France The small towns and pretty countryside in France’s center have all the history, churches, cheese, wine and bread you desire, but most aren’t on prominent lists of places to visit. And yet you can have a lovely time, with plenty to do for a long weekend before you move on to your next stop. Or stay even longer if you want to settle into the rhythm of a place. One of my favorite towns is Néris-les-Bains, not right smack in the middle of the country, but close enough. Néris is three or more hours from Paris depending on where you start. Another four plus hours and you can be in Montpellier, after a drive through some beautiful, desolate country and across my favorite bridge, the Millau Viaduct. I probably wouldn’t have found Néris I probably wouldn’t have found Néris if friends hadn’t moved there from Nevers a long time ago. The first time I visited, I arrived at night after we drove from Paris. I’ve loved it since that first morning when I opened my shutters and looked across the park and rooftops to the mairie on the hillside opposite. As a foreigner, I felt unique back then. Even now, it’s likely that not many foreigners visit Néris. The French are another matter. Néris-les-Bains is a spa town that attracts people from around France who come for “the cure” during the half-year cure season. And while Néris might not be a major destination, it’s well worth a stop. The town itself has attractions and the area around Néris is loaded with sights that will entice visitors looking for more than the usual “must-sees.” It’s a quiet place to relax, go to the spa, and immerse yourself in France off the beaten trail. A fountain near the spa Néris-les-Bains – a thermal town in France’s heartland I find Néris pretty and unpretentious about its long history. For a start, the church in Néris-les-Bains is going on 1,000 years old. The little Romanesque church is across the street from the bakeries, charcuterie, butcher shop and wine store. A miniature of I.M. Pei’s Louvre pyramid covers Gallo-Roman graves by the parking lot next to the church. Down at the municipal swimming pool, there are Roman swimming pools alongside a pretty park. As the park continues across the street into the center, the Belle Époque theater and casino face small hotels, guest houses and shops. The park ends at the spa where people come for “the cure.” Néris is also in the midst of rolling farm country with walking trails, and day trips galore to places that will amaze, partly because you might not have heard of them. Get a list of all the Romanesque churches in the area and go for it! And driving south, you quickly start climbing until your ears pop, up through some grand wilderness scenery toward the Massif Central, France’s dramatic central mountainous plateau with its extinct volcanoes. Spa architecture There’s been a town here at Néris for over 2,000 years because of the hot springs. The water is 127 degrees Fahrenheit (about 53 Celsius) when it emerges from 15,000 feet down. Local Gauls settled around the hot springs a long time before the Romans showed up and built their baths. For a while, Néris was a prosperous Roman settlement. And while the town’s fortunes have cycled up and down over time, the town has never disappeared. Now it’s a pretty place of about 2,700.  Néris’ population grows during the April through October spa season when curistes come to the springs for therapies. There are spa options for recreation and relaxation along with the therapeutic treatments for rheumatology, neurology and anxiety conditions. Relax and pretend you live here. Sometimes I just sit in the park, and if it’s the cure season, a lot of curistes will say hello. They probably think I’m there for the cure, too. There are worse things to do on a pretty afternoon. But I have found plenty of other things to do, too. Getting to Néris and staying there – the basics If you’re driving from Paris to the Mediterranean down the middle, you might drive through Néris. And yes, you need a car to get here without taking a really long walk or an infrequent local bus. The train reaches only as far as Montluçon, 5 miles (8 km) downhill and the closest airport is a little over an hour away in Clermont-Ferrand. If you’re exploring France’s center or heading south, stop in Néris and enjoy the pretty countryside for a short stay, or use Néris as a base to see the lovely – and probably under-visited – sights in the area. Language. You don’t have to speak much French but it helps loads if you brush up on any French you’ve forgotten, or take an online or audio course. I was advised that while French helps, you can make yourself understood without it, although speaking French is part of the fun. But if you don’t know French, there are people in Néris with English skills, such as at Les Nériades spa and the wine store (La Cave des Toqués). I haven’t stayed in a hotel but I expect hotels have English speakers, as they appear from TripAdvisor reviews to have occasional UK guests.   Belle Époque theater If you need serious translation help, or want an English speaker to show you around, ask at the nice Tourist Office. A local English speaker may be available for a reasonable fee. On the subject of speaking French, I saw a short article in the Wall Street Journal about the power of “bonjour.” If you can say nothing else at least make a practice of greeting people. It’s the nice thing to do. (“From the Expat Blog: The Power of ‘Bonjour’”, Wall Street Journal, February 2, 2016.) When not to go. Locals say don’t come in November. I’ve been there in November, but I was staying with

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Incomparable Petra

Middle East /

Incomparable Petra Jordan! Petra! At last! It was time for my day in Petra. I had returned to my hotel from last night’s Petra by Night experience hot, sandy and flushed. It was late but the shower was good, the room comfortable and sleep sound. I got up early to pack – it was off to Wadi Rum after Petra – eat, and be at the turnstile as soon as the gates opened. Down in the Mövenpick hotel’s large, cool breakfast room I ate well to fortify for another 100-degree day wandering around outside, and made a few careful selections to take along for snacks. By this time I had learned how fast my chocolate and peanut butter granola bars melted in this heat. User error. I didn’t appreciate exactly how hot it would be when I packed my favorite flavor back home. Dusty tail end of history So here was Petra. I had the most part of a day to spend there. I had read guides and had a map. I had seen the pretty pictures. I had marked places on my map that I wanted to see. I wouldn’t have time on the ground to see everything I wanted to. That would take endless visits, certainly more than one. But I had the time to get a sense of the place. In the end, that sense was of stepping in at the dusty tail end of history. Vast and empty, with the remains of a powerful past all around me. The Nabateans had built their great city hidden in a rift valley along trading routes, sculpting the environment to suit their needs. Grand red sandstone façades were carved, rooms hollowed out. Other structures were built. Watercourses and fountains served the entire city. The city covered 102 square miles and yet it was hidden, entered only through its narrow slot canyon or by traveling over desert and mountains – if you knew it was there to find. The city thrived on its control of trade. Business was good. Socially, women were equal to men and played important roles in business and politics. But trade routes changed. The Romans eventually appeared around 106 AD. Part of Petra’s valley As Romans would, they added their buildings to the mix and although Petra remained important for a while, its decline had begun. In the 12th century European Crusaders came from Jerusalem to establish a defensive outpost but withdrew. Saladin (Salah al-Din) took over the Crusaders’ abandoned fortification, and the western world lost awareness of Petra until Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig (or Jean Louis) Burckhardt came on the sly in 1812. Picking sights miles apart doesn’t work 102 square miles. Reading the history, looking at pictures, picking out what I wanted to see. That was the easy part. I was ready. But it turned out I could not come close to fulfilling my plan. I had picked some sights that were miles apart, so I reset goals and stayed within the city center, walking as far as I could, and seeing everything on the map along the way. I also took time to slow down and rest, wander around, poke into places and follow trails I thought would lead to interesting things but often didn’t. It was tough underfoot, sand and stones, only a stretch of Roman pavement to make it easier. I read that it takes only an hour to reach my farthest point. That depends on what you do along the way. By the time I emerged, I had spent five hours inside Petra. Petra facades Going through the Siq Going through the Siq that early morning, I wasn’t alone but there were no crowds. It was already heating up. Along the carriageway I fended off opportunities to ride horses the few hundred yards to the Siq. You don’t have to refuse, but I did. Finally at the Siq, it wasn’t cool but at least shadowy. The first thing you see when you come to the end of the Siq is Al Khazneh, the Treasury. This is probably Petra’s most famous sight. This was it. I was here – in daylight now. People come from all over the world to see this. I actually saw some people enter from the Siq, look at Al Khazneh and turn back into the Siq. Maybe it’s all they cared about, or they’d been before. Maybe they didn’t know you have to exit that small canyon and keep walking. Camels lazed around waiting for tourists but no one approached me (yet) to sell me a ride. On beyond Al Khazneh, the main road’s eroded façades seemed to be melting away. But I hadn’t seen anything yet. Around another turn – and there the valley spread out. This is when I knew I wasn’t going to finish my plan. You can find the Qasr al-Bint on a map. It’s as far as I got. That’s where I read you can walk to in an hour but with all my detours, it took me much longer. Al Khazneh, Petra Forlorn, arid, beautiful. The city was beautiful in a forlorn way, arid, with its enormous eroded façades, decorated with veins of tan, brown and mauve rock, some fantastically. Oleanders bloomed in pink. A pistachio tree said to be over 450 years old grew by a wall. I kept the vision of a sizeable city of around 20,000 people with watercourses and fountains, beautiful buildings, gardens and lively commerce. City life more or less the way we know it. I went by all of the noted monuments, past the Roman amphitheater, the famous façades, the Great Temple that Brown University in the U.S. is excavating. It was hot and hard going underfoot. At mid-day, I rested and had my snacks in shade that I shared with a few local tourists and some goats. But the day passed and I failed at one place I really wanted to reach, the High Place of Sacrifice. Half way to sacrifice There

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