May Day in Europe! Viva le France is not so Viva today, with protesters interrupting trains and planes schedules. Most of the writers got out without too much trouble, except for hubby Bill. He is still in Marseilles, France, hoping to get out tomorrow. Thankfully, the airlines set him up with a hotel outside the airport and a food voucher for dinner.
I got a get-away car at the Marseilles Airport to drive up the French Riveria (Nice) with Katy Dalgleish and, coincidentally, Wendy Coad, who was also headed to Nice, so she joined in on the fun road trip - French style.
The three of us can barely speak French, but Katy took this romance language in junior and senior high school, which helped us read road signs and go through toll booths - all in a Citron 5-speed automobile (and rented through my local Costco - er - actually online).
The sunny skies broke away the closer we got to Nice since it rained most of the afternoon once we arrived. It was all right with Katy and me. We are sharing an apartment in Nice for the next few days and needed a nap plus some decompression time after the glorious writing retreat high before meeting up with our get-away-car partner and writing buddy Wendy and her husband, Steve, for dinner.
Oh, and let me add that the French take their bank holidays seriously. Not much was open today - including restaurants. We found one within walking distance of our hotel - an excellent perk for a day that got more interesting with various learning about protests in Paris and the air traffic controllers who wreaked a little havoc with canceled flights.
On a positive note, my dinner companions and I witnessed a beautiful rainbow over the restaurant to the Mediterranean. I’m taking that as a good sign that flights will go out tomorrow, trains will run in all directions and fast, and the world will go on as usual, especially in France, where protesting is a way of life.
bSoleille!
Terri
More slow WiFi like some trains in France today. I'm barely able to load one photo (but grateful for the one).
