Spring 2024 Part 1

Toronto to Tresques

A safe trip, but not uneventful. This time, we both had prepared packing lists and followed them – mostly. We each cheated but the bags weighed in at record lows. Next time I will also make sure to list the prescription meds. Explanation to follow.

The flight to Amsterdam was pretty smooth, except for the lightning strike during descent. It looked like someone was taking a picture with a 50’s flash camera. None of the crew appeared concerned, and we were pretty dozy.

After a layover in the lounge, we were escorted to the gate to board the Marseille flight. It required hopping on a bus to be transported across the tarmac and then climb the stairs to the plane. Not a chance. Once again, we rode the maintenance lift to be escorted to the back door of the plane, along with a lady who had a vacation accident and was crutch dependent.

These buses are used to transport cleaners and maintenance staff to the planes in an efficient manner. They work well for the mobility impaired, as well.

We picked up our Renault Clio at Marignane, the Marseille airport. It’s a hot little red four-door with lots of room and improved technology from the one we had last fall. The Renault purchase program is very efficient and economical. So is the car.

Regular gas here is now about €2.00, or $3.00 Cdn per litre. Don’t see many pickups or large guzzlers. On many parts of the A7 autoroute, the limit is 130 km/hour, but cars kept passing us. Unlike in Ontario, truck speed is controlled and they max out usually at 90 km/hr. And they stay in the right lane, unless they are passing an even slower transport.

After a rainy drive north, we deposited Judy in the boudoir so I could haul in the luggage. In the parking by the church, I met Aka Akoi, our neighbour who maintains the Tour de Guet and is the resident Patron Saint of Cats.

I asked about Maurice, the little ginger tabby who has greeted and mooched for the last few years. “Il est disparu”.

Not good. Aka hadn’t seen him for a few weeks and concluded that he was, sadly, a goner. I will miss getting up to feed him at dawn. Life in a little French town.

The farce

Nobody told us that May 1 is a holiday in France and Europe in general. It is Labour Day and just about everything is closed. Plus, it’s like family day. It looked like everyone was visiting relatives at the chateau, so I could not find a parking spot anywhere near our place. The only option was to go down to the area where our own parking is, behind the security gate.

From there, I would have to climb about 50 steps to get to our terrace. But our terrace shutter doors were all closed, and they don’t open from the exterior. I would have to take the footpath around the chateau to get home.

Somebody was already using our parking spot. A white Ford. Nuts! So I parked at the one for M. Coquille. He died a few years ago and the Bigots bought his apartment, and the parking is now theirs.

Tresques goes back to the eleventh century. It is doubtful if the remote controlled gate was installed then. There were no cars.

Thursday morning I decided to go shopping, and there was a note on our windshield from Mary-Alice Bigot, who is generally pretty nice. When Judy had Covid, Mary-Alice, MD, made a house call. But she was plenty ticked at our using her spot. (They have 4!)

I hadn’t parked close enough to the wall for Serge to get his Porsche out that morning. Their bikes were blocking me from getting closer to the wall. Fortunately there were some delivery guys who came and lifted the back of our car so he had room to go. They could have stolen it!

He called this afternoon and apologized when it turned out that it was Patrizia’s Ford in our parking spot.

May Day!

Nobody was dancing around the maypole here. The mayday expression originated in 1923, as an internationally recognized term for reporting distress. It is the anglicized spelling of the French m’aider, which means help me. Mayday move Patrizia’s Ford!

Whither the weather?

The first two days here were good for jet lag recovery, what with almost continuous rain. As I one-finger type, it is Friday, and this morning was beautiful with a warmer wind and abundant sunshine. Serge said that after ten days of rain, the Canadians brought good weather. We wish.

Prescription Meds

We did bring all of our respective prescriptions. However I have a new script for glaucoma. Oops. Left it in the fridge in Toronto. So Plan A will be to ask Shoppers Drug Mart to email a copy of the original prescription. According to Connexion, an online publication for expats in France, French pharmacies may, at their discretion, fill prescriptions written elsewhere.

There are two other plans, but we shall see how A pans out.