Chapter 33: (Guest Post) Frolicking in France

Barcelona, Catalonia and Avignon and Voiron, France, May 8-18

Sep 18, 2024

Crystal/Mom here.

When you travel with other people there is always give and take. Most of the time you want to do things together to create those memories. And it works best if everyone has input in the planning. The best part of the various inputs is that you end up seeing and doing things that were never on your radar. Do you know what Chartreuse is? I don’t mean the color. Well neither did I. And now I know a lot about it. Al can tell you more later as he is a Chartreuse fanboy.

When you go to a new place it is hard to know where to start in planning where to stay, what to do and what to see. There’s a lot of info about what tourists should see but what if you don’t want to just hit the “highlights”. That takes some work and investigation and a lot of dumb luck. But that dumb luck is really what you remember the best!

We really wanted to catch up with Camille and Al in Europe. Just about anywhere was game for us. Looking at our schedule and theirs it seemed three weeks in France worked the best. The plan was to meet up with Camille and Al who would already be in Barcelona. They were staying in a hostel and we found an Airbnb near Plaza de España. (When it’s just the two of us we don’t book with Airbnb as much but it is very convenient for four people. Plus it is fun and more economical to cook for ourselves. More on that later.)

Wednesday, May 8, 2024

We were on a trip cross country in our camper van when this convenient time to go to France occurred so we began our trip out of Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Thursday, May 9, 2024

We arrived in Barcelona and took a bus to Plaza de España and our Airbnb. The description said there was a view of the plaza but WHAT? It was a glass wall with a view of the plaza, a museum and Olympic Hill. We were pretty tired and hungry but managed to find some really good paella at a little local bar.

Friday, May 10, 2024

Today we did the Rick Steves walking tour of Barcelona. It also happened to be the Festa Major del Gotic 2024. Lots of local musicians playing at different locations throughout the city. The Rick Steves walking tours are audio tours you get through his app. They guide through the city and give you insights to different sites as you walk. It’s a really cool way to learn about culture, history, architecture, etc. And you aren’t walking around reading a guidebook looking like a tourist. Instead, you are able to pay attention to your surroundings, enjoy where you are and keep any eye out for pickpockets. (True for any city, not just Barcelona.) Jay and I had lunch at a very old restaurant where Pablo Picasso hung out with buddies. Later, while Jay and I were listening to a fabulous flamenco guitarist we met up with Camille and Al.

As we walked we could hear some music that sounded interesting so we followed the sound. Upon finding it, we realized we were listening to a protest song along with the rest of the crowd. It was a rally for Catalonian independence: “Un altre pais es possible” read the banner on the stage. It is usually recommended that tourists avoid being at protests but this was more of a rally and very interesting. This region was independent at one time and fiercely so. During the time of Francisco Franco’s dictatorship the language of the area was banned but since his passing the people have reasserted their independence from Spain. It would be a difficult split as Catalonia is an economically strong region for Spain.

Saturday, May 11, 2024

If you want to see La Sagrada Familia you must make reservations. We did not, so Camille found the next best thing for us - Casa Vicens, also by Gaudi. Built by the architect of Sagrada Familia as a country home, it was such a cool place to see. I think he was a genius.

Sunday, May 12, 2024

Driving day! We went back out to the airport to pick up a rental car. The car assigned to us was not even close to accommodating our luggage and we were all traveling relatively light. We ended up with a Volvo station wagon which was very nice and familiar. (We have a Volvo at home). We had lunch on the way at Doner Kebab in Hostalric, Spain. Delicious and very cheap.

Our stay in Avignon was an apartment within the walled city which meant parking in the car park and walking, luggage in tow. We were on the top floors. The rooms to our apartment were arranged off a stone, spiral staircase. Up a few stairs from the entry to the living room and kitchen, a few more stairs up to the bathroom, a few more to the laundry, a few more to the first bedroom and finally a few more to our bedroom at the top. We had to pay close attention walking, but it was a very comfortable, old place.

My lucky day - Mother’s Day in the US but celebrating here! We went to dinner at a restaurant 3 doors away and thoroughly enjoyed our first French dinner topping it off with a delicious chocolate lava cake.

Avignon, May 13-15, 2024

The nice thing about staying in walled towns (there are lots of them in Europe) is their walkability. The only cars are locals with permits. And everyone frequents the small businesses. One of our favorites was L’Epicerie de Ginette. They are known for their tartines which some describe as open face sandwiches. But the real star of the meal was the lemon meringue tart. Already Jay’s favorite dessert, theirs will live on his taste buds for a long time.

A stop at the local Les Halles (farmer’s market) was also in order to pick up local treats, including fois gras. And a grocery store for coffee and wine. The wine selection is amazing in every little market. And since we were in Provence we had to get a rosé or maybe 2 or 3.

School kids were on a field trip learning about the different breeds of chicken.

Camille and I found a cute little vintage clothing store. I found a polyester duster from the 60’s and a crystal and stone necklace to go with my black dress. Very chic lol. Camille found a groovy silver and black striped sparkly shirt. Ooh lala!

Avignon is known for being the seat of Western Christianity during the 1300’s. The Palace of the Popes is two huge buildings that are considered some of the best examples of Gothic architecture. Today the palais welcomes art exhibits, musical performances, conferences and visitors from around the world. It was quite rainy the day we went but it didn’t detract from our visit.

French food is fabulous but France is very cosmopolitan and welcomes people from all over the world. We enjoyed our leisurely coffee in the mornings maybe with eggs and bread. Or bread and cheese or another pastry. While in Avignon we ate French food, Moroccan stews (tajine) and Japanese ramen. All were so good!

Voiron, May 15-17, 2024

Remember when I said traveling with other people takes you places you wouldn’t have picked?

Voiron is one of those places. Voiron is a small town in the French Alps only half an hour drive from Grenoble, site of the 1968 Winter Olympics. Our stay here was in Hotel Mille Pas, a very elegant, old but recently renovated hotel next door to the Chartreuse visitor center. When Camille booked this hotel she and Al knew that Voiron is the home of Chartreuse but it wasn’t until later they realized we would be there for the beginning of the Chartreuse Festival! We were there for only one day of the festival but we got to see the town decorated in the Chartreuse colors of yellow and, of course, Chartreuse! (The color was “coined” when a sports commentator said skater Peggy Fleming’s outfit at the 1968 Olympics was the color of the local liqueur, Chartreuse.)

Again, the lovely part of staying in smaller towns is the walkability. We had a car but it stayed parked the entire time we were here. Jay and I went for a walk in town while Camille and Al hung out. Looking for a place to have lunch, we came across a place that looked interesting: l’Absinthe. Although they weren’t serving lunch yet we were able to make a reservation for two. We walked on and decided to ask Camille and Al if they would like to join us. YES! We walked back quickly and changed the reservation to four people. With a flourish of his pen, the maitre’d declared lunch reservations closed! Boy were we all happy we got that reservation. It turns out this place was a locals’ favorite. The French food was delicious, and we were made to feel very welcome! After lunch, we visited a local chocolate shop and were treated to a “sample” of their chocolate. Some people say the French are not welcoming to visitors but we have not found that to be true in our visits to this country. I love France.

Hotel Mille Pas also has a highly rated restaurant and bar. Upon arrival we enjoyed our Chartreuse cocktails and booked a dinner reservation. Of course we had le menu which includes an entree (appetizer), plat (main course) and a dessert (dessert). The restaurant was busy and interesting and fun. The food was delicious and oh so French!

Please note the color of the curtains and the booth seat

Of course, one of the reasons for coming here was CHARTREUSE! This is where Al takes over.

Chartreuse is the liqueur of the gods. All the other amaros come from this meager mortal realm. To taste Chartreuse is to glimpse at the world beyond.
To witness the Chartreuse factory is to dance around ancient secrets. Literally, no single human knows the whole recipe; even the monks of the highest order only each know a third. What does a bee know of the pollen it cultivates? Or the magic within that turns it into honey? Maybe it really does make you immortal, if you’re pure of heart.
We took a tour with a big group through the Chartreuse museum. We learned the real magic happens at the monastery at the top of the mountain, where less than twenty souls are allowed entry in any given year. I felt like we were getting shown around the corporate offices of a séance. I so enjoyed learning about Chartreuse's thousand year history, how the elixir has changed with the botanicals and climate over that time, let alone the politics of the day (e.g. the birth of Tarragona Chartreuse). We also got bought a bottle of Chartreuse that’s only available in Voiron from the gift shop.

Voiron to Lyon, May 17, 2024

After several days of rain, we got a beautiful sunny day and a good thing we did because this was our hiking day. Camille scoped out a few trails up in the Alps outside of Voiron. We packed our bags, left them at the hotel, picked up items for our lunch and took off. Camille had signed up for the AllTrails app and we followed that to a trailhead. There was a trail map there but no information on elevation gain. And for some reason that was a closely guarded secret from Mom! I had my hiking poles and hiking shoes and was ready to go. And yes we hiked up and up and up. (We were in the Alps!) The views over the valley to the Isere River far below were fabulous (We were in the Alps!) And we hiked up some more (Alps) until we came to the end of the trail which had a 270 degree view of the valley below. To say it was breathtaking did not do it justice. You just sit and try to take it in. Then we sat there and had our little French piquenique with cheese (Saint Marcelin, my newfound favorite soft cheese), bread, fruit and, of course, wine. We weren’t the only ones there enjoying this place and moment.

The hike down was a different route and equally enjoyable. We wound through forests and through villages. And lo and behold, there was a barn with cows! And these cows provide the milk for …… Saint Marcelin cheese!! No wonder that cheese tastes so good. Local and sooo fresh.

We had hiked a long way up and it was a long way down. I think we went up about 1500 feet? Camille had the trail map and turned onto a ‘shortcut’ instead of walking along a road. Her instincts were spot on. We passed through a fairytale grotto with ferns and moss and dripping water off the rock walls. What a way to end this amazing 8 mile hike.