Day 17 Nice to Home

It was a long ride home but we made it with no real problems. It was a really nice 17 days and I would not have changed much except to have spent 3 or 4 more days in Nice and taken day trips by train to Monaco and several of the towns on the French Riveria. After driving more than 1500 miles in Provence, I did not see any other town that I would rather have stayed. Lourmarin was the near perfect place and for that we thank Larry and Roxanne for the suggestion. If anyone's planning a trip to Provence I would suggest that they bone up on their French.

Day 16 Lourmarin to Nice

Got up early to get a good start for the drive to Nice. It was kind of sad to leave the apartment. After 12 days in Lourmarin it was easy to become somewhat attached to the area and the people. They were so nice; and we couldn't even speak the same language. We were packed up and ready to go at 9, but it was friday, which is market day and we did quick walk around and picked up a few things before leaving. The drive over to Nice turned out to be a both great and awful. It was supposed to be a two and a half hour drive that turned into a six hour mess. It started when we decided to drive through the French Riveria on the 50 mile stretch of coastal road from St. Tropez through St. Raphel and Cannes to Nice. It was a beautiful ride over very scenic roads, but the traffic is slow and tedious. I could not imagine what it would be like in the summer - I would not even think about doing it. Once in Nice, we returned the rental car at the airport and walked to the Novatel Hotel where we spent the night. They gave us a great room with a fantastic view of the Med. There was an 8am flight to catch so we ate some junky food before crashing early.

Day 15 Lourmarin



The Sheriff

As today was to be the last full day in Lourmarin, it was spent mostly walking around the town and taking in the atmosphere. The whole town, including every street and alley, could be walked in 20 minutes so several walks were taken. We have spent 12 days in Lourmarin and the one local we could count on seeing everyday was "The Sheriff " (picture). He kept watch over one particuliar corner and would be on one side of the street or the other, although we never actually saw him move. He was never bothered by any of the other cats and dogs that inhabit the neighborhood, of which there were plenty. Anyhow, several walks throughout the day were pleasant, including one up to and around the Chateau and through some vineyards and  olive groves. Lunch was on the terrace at L'Insolite where Sylvia had a pizza and I tried les andouillettes. It is a tripe sausage that I managed to eat about three quarters of when it fell apart and I could actually see what was inside. Sylvia, thinking it couldn't be that bad, tried a little piece and almost had to leave the table. I suppose it was worth a try, but I doubt I'll do it again and I can eat anything. In the evening we met up with Barry and Willa who are tending to some properties (including ours) for some friends of theirs who are away for a couple of months. We went up to the house where they're staying and had wine, cheese, pate, and good conversation. This was really nice since they are Canadians and I didn't have to make of fool of myself slaughtering French. There was also another couple there from Norway and I'm pretty sure among the six of us we solved the immigration problems of the world. Later in the evening Barry, Willa, Sylvia, and I went to La Louche de Buerre for dinner. It was just up the street and we hadn't even known it was there. Even though the place was fairly large by Provence standards it was very cozy and intimate. Their speciality was crepes and that's what we all ordered.  For dessert Sylvia and I each got our own chocolate crepe due to a mixup in communication with the server (yes, my fault). It was a very nice ending to our stay in Lourmarin and we hope to get together with Barry and Willa in the future. Tomorrow morning we leave Lourmarin for Nice and will spend the night near the airport.

Day 14 Avignon

Pont St.Benezet (sous le pont),

Today we decided to go to the big city of Avignon. It only took an hour to get to the outskirts of the city, but forever to get inside the wall and get a parking place. We managed to find a spot at Les Halles which is an indoor market that is one of the must-see places in Avignon. Like most markets in France, it's only open until one o'clock. We took a walk on Rocher des Doms, a well-laid out garden on a bluff overlooking the Rhone, Pont St.Benezet (sous le pont), Mount Ventoux, the Luberon hills, and the Alpilles - an exceptional view and well worth the climb to get there. It was a short walk from there to the Palais des Papes (Palace of the Popes) where the Popes resided in the 14th century. Although it was interesting, it was a tedious hour and a half audio tour through the galleries, chambers, chapels, and passages. It also required climbing a million stairs. Exhausted, mostly mentally, we looked for a place to have lunch. Now I'm a big fan of the Rick Steves tour guides, but Sylvia uses it as her bible. So when looking for a place to eat, she started to say "Rick Steves says:" and grumpy ole me says "$#@!, Rick Steves, lets just find someplace ourselves". Great, so I spot this little place called Le Caveau du Theatre (pictured). In we go and have a pleasant meal, and just before dessert, Sylvia pulls out the Rick Steves book and damn if it doesn't have this joint listed - she just smiled - I didn't. After that, we walked over to the Musee Angladon which claimed to have Cezanne, Sisley, Manet, Picasso, and Van Gogh, which it did - one of each and none of which would be considered their better works. Anyhow, it didn't take long to get through the museum before starting back to Lourmarin where we performed the almost daily ritual of wine and Pastis at an outside table at Cafe L'Ormeau. This place must have been a favorite since I later went there for dinner by myself (Sylvia wasn't hungry) and watched the soccer match while chatting with the locals. We of course, couldn't understand a word each of us were saying (Pastis will do that to you).

Avignon Lunch Spot

Day 13 Lacoste, Bonnieux

Today was an easy drive around some of the smaller villages that we had passed through on our way to someplace else and had somewhat ignored. The day was pleasant and the scenery beautiful. One of the more interesting villages was Lacoste, a very small town on a hillside where the Marquis de Sade built a castle in which he lived for 30 years and wrote about many of his escapades  Pierre Cardin has bought the old castle and is in the process of renovating it. He also bought several other buildings that he's upgrading, and seems to be making Lacoste a destination. For lunch we drove up to Bonnieux and ate at La Flambee. They had a great old wood burning pizza oven so I ordered one and it was the thinnest crusted pizza I've ever seen; Sylvia had another omlette.  That was pretty much it for the day as we skipped dinner and just had a little wine and Pastis at Cafe L'Ormeau.

Day 12 Uzes and Pont du Gard



Pont du Gard

The weather today looked a little better, still marginal, but OK. We started early for the two hour drive over to Uzes in the Languedoc region. It was number two on Rick Steves' list of places in Provence to see. After walking around Uzes for an hour or so, it was difficult to see what was so special. Maybe because it was a holiday and most things were closed that made it seem rather drab. There appeared to be no special sights to see either. It was definitely not worth a two hour drive, except maybe to have a Pastis (which I did) and a glass of wine (which that woman with me did). Like I said it was a two hour drive. Trying to salvage the day, we drove over to Pont du Gard, a Roman aqueduct built in 19 B.C. A very impressive 30 mile structure that delivered water (100 gallons per second) to Nimes by a slight decline that drops one inch for every 350 feet. Pretty great stuff for 2000 years ago. Actually pretty great stuff today. It was a long walk to the top of a hill to get a good picture and we ran into the first people we've met from the U.S. They had been traveling for 4 months and were thrilled to talk to someone from back home. The only other English speaking people we've met were a couple from London and one from Canada. I guess we're somewhat immersed in the French culture. On the way back to Lourmarin from  Pont du Gard we drove back to St. Remy to see if any shops were open - they were closed for All Saints Day. Back in Lourmarin we hung out until 7:30 when we went to dinner at Bistrot Lourmarin. It was a cozy little 20 seat bistro that I thoroughly enjoyed. I started with a delicious Roasted Bone Marrow, followed by some very, very good Veal Kidneys - I was a happy guy. Sylvia had Poached Fish with vegetables over a sticky rice. She said she liked it and I didn't pay much attention - I was too busy with the kidneys. We finished with an ice cream, chocolate, apple, and nut dessert that was OK. Stuffed, I went to bed almost as soon as we got back to the apartment.

Day 11 Lourmarin

Got up this morning and did what I've done every morning since we got here - walk up to the Boulangerie and pick up bread and something a little sweet. Granted it's not a lot of exercise, but it is almost 50 yards from the front door. There's not much better than a baguette and a tartelette to get the day started. And the day was a do nothing day as there was a consistent downpour all day. So we just mostly sat around the apartment and read with a rather long lunch excursion down to Cafe L'Ormeau. To get there we didn't even have to go out in the rain. For lunch I had calves liver and french fries, but Sylvia made the big score with a Pot-au-Feu , which is a traditional Provence dish of boiled meat and vegetables. This was chicken, beef, and lamb with a clear broth, and it was sooo good. We sat around the cafe for awhile before going back to apartment to wait out the rain, which never stopped.  Tomorrow's another day and the rain's supposed to let up. We had plenty of time to decide what to do tomorrow, which of course we didn't.




Lourmarin Boulangerie







Breakfast

Day 10 Les Baux, St Remy

It was supposed to rain today, so after the morning coffee and baguette we headed directly to Les Baux. It's a town with an 11th century castle that sits on top of a rock 650 feet above a valley floor of olive groves and vineyards. We wandered around for almost two hours. It really gives one the sense of what medieval times were like. It's like visiting a moonscape and it is a big tourist attraction - well worth doing and I would go back again. I couldn't get any pictures that did it justice. From Les Baux we drove up to St. Remy and had a great lunch at Bistrot des Alpilles. I had a lamb and vegetable stew over couscous with a very spicey tapenade that was delicious. Sylvia had Niciose salad that had no green beans or potatoes, but it did have anchovies (thank goodness I married someone who hates anchovies). Therefore, I had anchovies for dessert and Sylvia had something really tasty. Of course a Rose sort of came with the meal. We then walked the town and admired all the excellent art shops. It was before three o'clock and fortunately they were still closed for lunch. St. Remy's a neat town and I want to go back again, both to shop and have lunch. We got back to Lourmain after stopping at the grocery store for some pork and cabbage which I made later for dinner. It was raining and we didn't feel like going anywhere. Tomorrow looks like rain again.

Day 9 Lourmarin

My Lunch

Buying bread by the pound

Garlic

Today was market day and we decided to stay in town, go to the market, visit the cemetery, and check out the Chateau de Lourmarin. The market is from 9 to 1 on Fridays only. And since Lourmarin is a small village, I thought there might be 10 or 15 little stands from which they sell produce, cheese, and maybe some breads. I could not have been more wrong. There must have been at least 50 stands, some of which were an oyster stand with nine kinds of oysters, sea urchins, and snails; a mushroom stand with 20 different types of mushrooms; several fish stands;a garlic stand; herb stands; olive and tapenade stands; 5 or 6 sausage stands each with 20 or more types of sausages; meats of all kinds; many bread and cheese stands; clothing racks everywhere. Plus wines, knifes, pottery, pastries, hats. I can't remember all of them. As we left to go to the market, I asked Sylvia "Why are you taking a bag? We won't buy anything." Obviously I didn't start off the day batting 100 percent. We bought cheese, wine, tapenade, sausage, pate, etc. What a great market and everything was gone and cleaned up by two o'clock. I don't know where all the people came from, the town was packed. Afterward Sylvia went up the street and did the laundry while I had to stay back at the apartment and sample some of the food we bought (top right) - of course you can't eat any of that stuff without a little wine. When we were done with our afternoon chores we walked up the road to the cemetery where we thought Albert Camus was buried. And we did find him. From there we walked over to the Chateau de Lourmarin, a 15th century castle that has been mostly restored and converted into a music research library and venue. It's worth seeing. We then partook in a little refreshment at Cafe L'Ormeau. I started researching the benefits of Pastis, a traditional Provencal beverage. I think I'm beginning to understand why the locals like it. Maybe Fitz and Jerry could have some available whan I get back (hint). We decided to have dinner at Restaurant l'Antiquaire, a Michelin rated restaurant that's just around the corner. It was interesting, well thought out, and pretty good, but it's not a have-to-do. One dish was particularly unusual was a Boudin Noir (blood sausage) over an Apple Tart, and it wasn't bad. That was the end of the day. Tomorrow looks like rain.  

Day 8 Mount Ventoux, Seguret, Gigondas

 

Got up this morning and it was a perfect day to go to the top of Mount Ventoux. I was determined to see one of the major climbs in the Tour de France bicycle race, and Mount Ventoux is considered one of the best. It's a 13 mile ride from the base of the mountain to the top and it's awesome from a bicyclist's point of view. We probably passed 50 cyclists riding towards the top and they were in various stages af exhaustion. I have riden over 5,000 miles this year and I know I could not possibly get to the top. Fortunately, I was in an automobile today and could enjoy the drive up to an incredibly scenic view of which pictures do not do it justice. You can see both the Pyrenees and Alps. We decided to go over to the Cote du Rhone wine region and possibly have lunch in the town of Seguret. It turned out to be the prettiest little village we saw except that you have to park at the bottom of the hill and walk up through an archway into the walled town that, at least today, had no place open for lunch. It was still worth it though. It's a tradition to wash your hands in the fountain pictured, and we did. Getting a little hungrier - after all we've been starving ourselves - we drove over to Gigondas where there were vineyards and tasting rooms everywhere. The Restaurant L'Oustalet looked to be good, so we tried it out. We were very lucky - it was excellent. The wine list was so extensive with Cote du Rhone wines (a favorite of mine) that I didn't know where to start. So I ordered a Gigondas, who's name I thought I could remember, Chateau Longue Tonque. It was terrific and went well with both the fish and pork that we had. For dessert Sylvia had a poached pear in a wine sauce and I had three small pieces of different chevre cheeses drizzled with olive oil. The food and service was impeccable. Anyone who enjoys wine should stop in Gigondas for an afternoon of enjoyment The ride back to Lourmarin was a long one on a full stomach, but we made it. After arriving back at the apartment we walked around a bit before sitting at the Cafe Gaby (just outside our door) watching people. We went out for a late snack at the Pizzeria Nonni where we shared a small pizza and some wine...Oh I forgot, some ice cream too. One thing of note, if you travel to the smaller towns in Provence it's good to know French because there are virtually no menus in Frwnch (oops I mean English), nor do most of the people speak it. In fact, most of the menus are daily blackboard menus that are difficult to read well enough to figure out what the heck anything is. I do a lot of pointing. Tommorow's market day in Lourmarin and we're looking forward to seeing who shows up.

Day 7 Roussillon, Gordes, Menerbes, Bonnieux

Took a local road trip today through some of the little villages in the Luberon area. The first was Roussillon (left picture) which is a hilltop village that sits on an enormous ochre deposit that gives the earth and buildings beautiful shades of orange. It's small enough that we walked it in less than an hour, and most of that was taking pictures. It's an extremely scenic place that must be crazy with tourists in the summer. The second town we visited was Gordes (right picture). another striking hilltop village. The whole damn town is made up of rocks - walls, steps, houses, everything - really quite beautiful. It's another place that must be nuts during tourist season. I'm really glad we travel when we do; you get to see so much more. It was getting close to two o'clock and lunch time so we drove over to Menerbes which didn't seem quite so touristy. It's also on a hill and overlooks the Luberon mountains. It had a few small cafes and seemed like a working community that would be a good place to stay when visiting. We had lunch at a little cafe with a beautiful view called Le P'Tit Bouchon. The Pasta with truffles was outstanding, as was the bottle of Rose. The Rose's in Provence are so good that it's just about the only wine we've been drinking. On the way back to Lourmarin we drove around another hilltop village called Bonnieux . We did not spend much time there as it has no real village pedistrian center. It too seems like a very pleasant place to live. For dinner we just went to one of the cafes next door (L'Ormeau) and tried to eat light.

Day 6 Aix en Provence

 Today was market day in Aix en Provence so that's the direction we decided to go. Somebody had left directions to Aix in the apartment that used back road instead of main highways. They were not simple directions, but we used them anyhow. It's a 40 minute drive that took us quite a bit longer, but we eventually got there after several dozen wrong turns (all of which were my fault). Once there we found good parking close to the center of town. The first stop was the Cathedral of Saint Sauveur, a 17th century church which had some very impressive murals and paintings. Next we walked the markets and although they were good, they were not as grand as some others. We spent most of the time just wandering around the city marveling how European cities remain so vibrant and alive. For lunch we stopped at Cafe de Verdun, a place recommended by the same people who provided the directions to town. Sylvia had Escallop Milanese and I had Daube De Marine, a beef stew with onions and potatoes cooked in a anchovy based broth...interesting. We continued walking around town checking out Paul Cezanne landmarks. It was four o'clock when we decided to go back to Lourmarin. On the way we circled the Paul Cezannes' studio several times but could not find a place to park, so we left Aix behind somewhat dissapointed. On the way back we stopped at Chateau Beaulieu for a tasting and got another bottle of wine for the apartment. I think we may have to extend our stay just to finish the wines. We had no dinner this evening, but we did go up the street to Cafe L'Insolite and had coffee and dessert. Still trying to figure out what to do tomorrow. There are so many places to go and things to see. The picture is an early morning view from the apartment.

Day 5 Lourmarin and Cucuron

I got up early, made coffee and went up the street to the boulangerie and got a chocolate croissant and a baguette along with some homemade fig preserve. We had that for breakfast and it could not have been better.Later in the morning we drove up to the local Supermarket and picked up some stuff for the apartment. The available meats, cheeses and produce would make a Wegmans or Whole Foods look sick by comparison. Afterwards we decided to visit a vineyard called Chateau Val Joanis. It is suppose to be a medium to good Chateau and is on 1000 acres (not all of them under cultivation). We had to drive a mile and a half from the entrance gate to the winery. We tasted and bought some wines for the apartment and walked around their sculptured gardens. After leaving the vineyard we drove through the villages of Cadenet, Villelaure,  and Ansouis. No matter what you imagine the villages of Provence might be like, they're not. There's so much more to them. They're truly special. We ended up in Cucuron, parked the car and walked up the hill to the tower and admired the views before heading back down and stopping in the village center at a small cafe and having light lunch. Sylvia had an unbelievably tender omelette and that's my light lunch of duck and Pomme Frites in the picture. The rest of the day was spent in Lourmarin walking around the shops. A salad and a plate of Corsica Ham in the evening at the Cafe de la Fontaine pretty much completed the day.

Day 4 Nice to Lourmarin

We left Nice this morning, rented a car and did the three hour drive to Lourmarin which is in the Luberon area of Provence. It was a fairly simple drive so we're still kind of talking, but it's never fun driving the autoroutes. We arrived around two in the afternoon and had lunch in the Cafe L'Omeau on the right of the picture with the red chairs. We met the people there who gave us the keys to the apartment on the second floor above the cafe with the blue chairs. Our apartment is very old and very french - we like it a lot. Plus there are Three cafes and a brasserie within 20 yards of the place. Lourmarin is a very small village centrally located in Provence and calls itself "The most beautiful village in Provence", and it can't be far from the truth. Albert Camus is buried here, but you have to find the cemetery by yourself because nobody will tell you where it is. Peter Mayle, author of a series of books about Provence, lives here and again nobody will tell you where. Last night we had pizza next door at L'Insolite Brasserie-Pizzeria and met some people from London who use to live in DC. It was nice talking to someone in english, since most people here don't. It's somewhat entertaining listening to me attempting to communicate with someone in french. Sylvia doesn't seem to have a problem watching me make a fool of myself. Tomorrow we will be driving around the area, so I suppose the only one's either of us will be talking to are french, since we probably won't be talking to each other.

Day 3 Nice

Slept late again. This is working out well; instead of waking up at 5 every morning and crashing at 9, now I'm sleeping until 8 and still semi alert at midnight. Hooray for the old guy (that's me). After the morning expresso we headed up to the Marc Chagall Museum hoping to get some culture. The walk through some interesting neighborhoods was worth the walk and the museum was impressive. I sort of liked it, but artistic interpretation is not something my simple mind can comprehend. A little farther up was the Matisse Museum but that was way beyond my capabilities. I had seen enough of Matisse at the National Gallery. After the Chagall we walked through a middle eastern neighbood (falafels everywhere) on our way to the Russian Cathedrale (don't do this at night). This Russian Orthodox church  is reputed to be the finest outside Russia. It almost makes me want to go to Russia. It's a "Probably Should See" if you're in town. A walk back to the hotel to get reoriented was followed by a long walk on the Promanade around to the Port. Once there we had a few drinks at an English pub prior to looking for someplace for dinner. We had hoped for something rather light, but instead we landed in a restaurant called La Cambuse in the Old City. We started with a Petites Farcis Nicois - a traditional dish of meat stuffed vegetables of roasted pepper, onion, and eggplant. What was interesting was that the stuffing in each veggie was the same, but what made each one taste significantly different from the other was the vegetable. Sylvia followed that with a fish and a five vegetable dish and I had roasted Lamb rib chops...both were good. Dessert was an excellent Nougat Glace and was unlike anything I ever had. I was glad for the excessive walking today. Again walking back to the hotel, we were amazed at the number of people out and about. Tomorrow it's checkout time and off to a little village town in Provence called Lourmarin. Nice is a fabulous city and I can understand why people like Sean Connery and Elton John have homes here--well maybe not Elton.

Day 2 Nice

Slept late and felt good after seeing pictures in the morning paper showing the mess at the Nice airport--we were very lucky to arrive early yesterday morning. We had Crepes and Croissants for breakfast before heading for a walk up Castle Hill, which was the original Nice in the 12th Century. It must have been a well defended city because there were 352 steps on the stairway portions of the walk; all's well though because there was a beer shack at the top. It's really a beautiful place and from it you can see Nice proper on one side and the Port of Nice on the other. It's was definitely worth going. Then we walked down the hill to Old Nice to the Cours Saleya market. It's a very nice ourdoor market, especially the flower stands. There must have been a dozen olive vendors. We stopped for a mid afternoon break at one of the outdoor cafes and had a nice bottle of Rose. A little more walking and sighseeing ensued before heading back to the hotel around six. We had picked up an international phone card for $7 that allowed for 300 minutes of international calls. Called home and everything was fine. Around 8 we walked over to Old Nice and had dinner at Oliviera, a small 7 table restaurant run by an ex husband and wife team. Their speciality is olive oil and they pair it with every dish, including Tiramissou. The owner, Nadim is a fun guy who is absolutely in love with olive oil and food; he never stopped talking about it. Nadim had jugs of 15 or 20 olive oils. It was a fantastic experience as we met most of the other customers; one of which was the man who grows all Olivieras' vegetables. Among other things, we had Raviolis Nicois and Lapin sur pates (rabbit). Everything was very, very good. It was after eleven when we walked the mile or so back to the hotel and we were amazed at how active the city was with street shows, open shops, and people dining and drinking. Nice has everything: beach, weather, good food, night life, and stuff to see. The lesson for the day was that Nicoise is not just a salad with olives, tomatoes, and tuna fish, but means "in the style of Nice" and it's basic ingredients are olives, tomatoes, garlic, and anchovies.

Day 1 Nice,France

• We left yesterday for a 18 day trip to Southeastern France mostly to visit Provence and the nearby cities. We weren't exactly looking forward to the flight to France seeing as there is a major stike going on and there are many shutdowns. The initial leg of the flight to Paris was fine except we didn't sleep as planned, instead I watched a couple of movies which I knew was a dumb idea since I knew I had to stay awake the whole next day. The second leg of the trip from Paris to Nice went fairly well except that the plane was late to take off since the De-icer workers were in a slowdown strike as were the Baggage Handlers and support staff at Nice. It took almost two hours to get our bags and we were pleased to get them then. It's amazing, nobody was at all upset with the delays, it's as though the French are so used to it that they just accept it as part of everyday life. The french call a work slowdown "escargot mode".  We took the express bus from the airport along the Mediterranean Sea to the Les Cigales Hotel in downtown Nice. It was still early afternoon so after checking in we had a substantial lunch at a pleasant bistro. The rest of the day was spent walking the town and learning the area. It was a beautiful sunny 65 degree day. We could not even think of spending any time in the room for fear of falling asleep and suffering the effects of jet lag. Nice is on the coast and has a beautiful walking promenade along the gulf. The town has more outdoor cafes than any place I've ever been. We had a botttle of wine at a little cafe right on the beach which consists of rocks, no sand, just smooth rocks, and people somehow manage to lay on them. Topless is also the norm and that's ok by me. We had an early dinner down the street from the hotel in a winebar called Caves de L'Origine. It was booked up for the evening but seeing as we were so early they thought they could accommodate us. We were tired and not very hungry so we just had a cheese plate and terrine of Fois Gras, Lentils, and Duck all accompanied by the recommended wines of course. While dining we noticed that the wait staff seemed to know everybody that walked through the door so it must have been a locals' favorite. I think I would love to try the place again. Crashed early (9 ish) and hoped to feel good for the next day.

Day 51 Home Again

We finally made it back to Solomons and it's nice to be home. We spent last night in Waynesboro, Virgina right at the intersection of 81 and 64. I expected to stop, check in some cheap motel, grab a beer and eat at some indescribible chain restaurant, like Outback. We got lucky and found a very pleasant new Residence Inn at a reasonable rate and across the street was a terrific sensibly priced restaurant with well thought out food and wine menus called the South River Restaurant and Wine Shop. If you're ever traveling 81 or 64 and looking for a good stop, stop here. I know I will.

Quick thoughts on every place we stayed:

Richmond,VA - The Carytown area is a fun place to eat, drink, and walk. A little off the highway though.
Greenville,SC - Wonderful little city. I could live there. I always stop here when I'm on 85.
Destin,FL - Busy resort town with lots to do. Good for families.
Grayton Beach,FL - Very small old beach town. We got a place there next year for two months.
Rayne,LA - Good people, good fun. Would like to go there every Mardi Gras, if I could handle it.
Hot Springs,AR - Don't bother unless you like gardens or horse racing.
Tulsa, OK - Nah
Wichita,KA - Nope.
Louisville,KY - Definitely worth doing with a family or solo. Many things to see and do.
Waynesboro,VA - Nothing there except the South River Restaurant which is worth the stop.

Day 49 Louisville, Kentucky

 Yesterday we arrived in Louisville mid-afternoon and after checking in took a drive over to Bardstown Road which has a two mile strip of old small stores, restaurants, shops, pubs and tattoo joints. We managed a stop or two and thought it was a pretty neat area so we made reservations there at a semi-famous restaurant called Jack Fry's for the next day (today). We weren't very hungry so we skipped dinner and called it a night. The next day (today) we got an early start and headed downtown to take a tour of the Louisville Slugger Baseball Bat Company and Museum. I enjoyed watching them make Louisville Slugger bats for the major leaguers like Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez. For me it brought back old memories of playing baseball as a kid. For Sylvia, I don't know, but she didn't seem to mind too much. Or, maybe she just wasn't talking to me? Anyhow, after that we walked around downtown, which we discovered was a much bigger city that we thought. It's also undergoing a major revitalization and has quite a few museums and things to do. We wandered around and admired the old Brown Hotel before having lunch. Sylvia ate the innards out of a Chicken Salad sandwich and I was forced to try a Louisville tradition, the “Hot Brown.” The Hot Brown is an open-faced sandwich of turkey and bacon covered in Mornay sauce and broiled until the bread is crisp and the sauce begins to brown. It was a real stick-to-the-ribs lunch. I wonder why I'm getting fat and Sylvia isn't? The next stop was Churchill Downs and a Behind the Scenes Tour of the track that they only do on non-racing days.. Sylvia and I were the only ones on the tour and it was a real treat. We got tours of the Jockey's Quarters, Silk Room (picture), Board Room (picture), Press Box and TV area, Turf Club, Millionaires Row ($68,000 for a Derby Day table for 8), and other areas not normally seen. It was very impressive. If you get the chance--do it. Jack Fry's restaurant was packed and fortunately we had a reservation. The food was good and fairly expensive. They do a good job and wouldn't mind going back. The locals really support it. We're getting closer to home and expect to be in Solomons by Saturday. Tomorrow we want hope to get to Charlottesville,Virginia, but the snow might slow our progress.

Day 47 St. Louis

It was a busy day that started off with a trip back to the Hill to check out the little Italian grocery stores. We first stopped at Volpi's Salumeria where we bought Coppa and Salami and then on to Digregorio's for Poval, Locatelli, and pasta. We went in several others but resisted the urge to buy too much. They have so many things we can't get at home it's hard not buy more. I know I'm going to regret not picking up a few more things.  Afterwards we drove downtown to the Arch and I took a ride to the top in a little oval device that looked like an ostrich egg. Sylvia, not being a fan of small spaces, opted out. We then walked down to the LaClede's Landing where there's a bunch restaurants, bars, and a casino. We stopped in the casino and made a quick deposit in the slots before leaving to go uptown to a neighborhood they call Central West End (as recommended by Rosa). We walked around for an hour or so before having lunch at Culpepper's where I had a burger with a smear of garlic cream cheese on top. It doesn't sound very good, but it was brilliant. Gotta' try that at home. The next stop was the highlight of the day, the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis. The mosaics are incredible. It took over 80 years to complete (83,000 sq. ft. and 41 million pieces) and much of the design was done by Tiffany's. We've visited many churches in Europe and this one does not play second fiddle to any one of them. It's definitely worth the time to stop and appreciate. For dinner we decided on Bartolino's over Lorenzo's; probably a mistake, it was good, but not up to expectations. Tiny Calamari over Flash Fried Spinach with a couple of sauces on the side was the best thing we had. Overall, it was a good day. St. Louis has a lot to offer and wouldn't mind stopping here again.

Day 46 St. Louis, Missouri

Last night brought a light sleet and snow storm that must have caused very slippery conditions, because the highway was littered with cars that spun off the road during the night. Fortunately the roads were clear by the time we left for the seven hour drive to St. Louis. There was still ice on the trees and grass so the prairie was sparkling...a spectacular sight. Around two 'clock we checked into a hotel located in Italian section of town called The Hill and immediately went to the restaurant next door called Bartolino's. We ordered a quick lunch of Roasted Ravoli's that were as good as they were unusual. It was hard not to order a second helping. The Bartender Rosa, who had lived in The Hill for 37 years and knew everybody, was quick to recommend Bartolino's, Gian-Tony's and Lorenzo's as the best restaurants for good Italian food. Around seven we drove around The Hill to decide where we wanted to eat. The Hill is St. Louis's answer to Little Italy, and is a fascinating eight block by eight block residential area with either a restaurant, market, or bakery on practically every corner. The difference is that it's not made up of row houses, but is suburbish in that it's all small houses on small lots mostly built in the 20's and 30"s. Since Lorenzo's was closed on Mondays, and Bartolino's was next to the hotel, we selected Gian-Tony's for dinner--thankfully, because I was starved for pasta. Walking in I thought "this is exactly the kind of place where Tony Soprano would be a regular". We started with an Involtini, Spinach and ricotta cheese blended and stuffed in very thin grilled slices of eggplant, served in a marinara sauce with melted mozzarella. There wasn't even a tiny morsel left over. Any restaurant, anywhere would love to have this on their menu. For an entree I ordered Cannelloni, homemade egg crepes stuffed with ground veal and vegatables served in marinara sauce and melted mozzarella. Although very good, it didn't come close to what Sylvia had; Pollo Spedini, chicken breaded and rolled, stuffed with broccoli and provel cheese, served in a peppercorn cream sauce with more broccoli. I don't know what made this dish so extraordinary, but it was unique. Maybe it was the locally produced provel cheese (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provel_cheese) I don't know, it was just great. There was no room for dessert. Oh, I almost forgot, it all came with a good bottle of Valpolicella.

Day 45 Wichita, Kansas

Well we've spent two whole days in Wichita. We originally intended to be here only one day, but the same stuff  we left Maryland for came back to haunt us here...that's right, sleet and snow. So we spent an extra day wandering around this sensational town. Wichita's another weathered old city that's undergoing a revitalization. We stayed in a renovated area called Old Town. There really isn't any other place you would want to stay. Old Town has lots of things to do, but there's nothing actually worth doing, so there's not much to report. We did hit the usual local spots and everything was ok. Tomorrow we're starting to head east and toward home. I've had beef for the last three days and it was all good, but I've had enough for the next month and I'm ready for pasta.We're thinking the next stop is St. Louis and they're famous for Italian food. So we're off again.

Day 43 Tulsa, Oklahoma

It was a pleasant drive through the rolling hills of Arkansas to Tulsa. The first thing we did was head over to the Gilcrease Museum and wandered around. The Gilcrease houses the world's largest, most comprehensive collection of art of the American West. It has a bunch of Bierstadt's, Remington's (18 of his 22 bronzes), Catlin's, Moran's and many others. If you're into Cowboys and Indians, this is the place. It's just a terrific museum and well worth the trip.We checked into a newly renovated downtown twenty story la-te-da boutique hotel called the Mayo.  Downtown Tulsa is undergoing a revitalization and in a few more years should be pretty great. Its many 30 and 40 story buildings are architecturally ornate and hopefully restoreable. We walked the downtown and didn't find much at all to do, but we did manage to locate James E. McNellie's, a good old Irish Pub with 75 beers on draught and 500 in the bottle...not a bad stop. We were going to have dinner at whatever was suppose to be the "Best Steakhouse in Tulsa", but we stopped in Trulas, the hotel restaurant, and met the chef who just left the Willard in DC to start up this place. For dinner Sylvia had Pork Belly and I ordered a NY Strip. The sides were very good as were the meats. We'll be heading to Wichita, Kansas tomorrow and I guess I'll have to try their steak too. I sure would like a good old bowl of pasta.

Day 42 Hot Springs, Arkansas

I went to the track and it was a beautiful day, the races were exciting, and the whole experience educational  (i.e. I lost money). After the track I took a cab back to the hotel and we had to figure out where we wanted to go for dinner.. Except for a couple of burgers we hadn't had any beef since we left Maryland. We decided since we were in cattle country it was time to test the beef. After checking the internet and asking around (including the cab driver), The Back Porch was the restaurant of choice. Sylvia had a Filet and I had the Ribeye. Both were very good. We'll try more tomorrow. We got back to the hotel early and packed. We're heading to Tulsa, Oklahoma. Why not?

Day 41 Hot Springs Arkansas

Yesterday's drive from Rayne to Hot Springs, Arkansas was pleasant but uneventful. After checking in we just drove around town to get a feel for things and realized that Hot Springs had every chain restaurant ever conceived. However we did manage to find a little Mexican joint and it was just what I needed...refried beans. After a good night's sleep we went over to the Garvan Woodland Gardens for what was advertised as the Daffodil Days. There were exactly zero daffodils in bloom, nevertheless it was well worth the trip. We walked three of the four miles of walking paths and as far as woodland gardens go, this was the best I've ever been to; and it's only eight years old. In another four weeks it will be unbelievable. I would highly recommend that if anyone happens to be in Hot Springs, especially in late March, they should definitely go to Garvan Gardens. Tomorrow I'm going to Oaklawn race track to play the horses. It's a well known track and I'm looking forward to the excitement. I called Skip, an old high school pal, and asked for his picks and he gave me plenty. I'll play his picks for sure if the silk colors are green, yellow, or pink. If the silks are blue, I probably won't. Purple's a definite no-no. Sylvia's not interested in going and it's probably a good idea. Our “lively” discussions have slightly deteriorated.

Day 39 Rest Day

Finally a rest day. Fred, Mica, Hillary, and Jason headed back to New Orleans so Sylvia and I decided to take relaxing sightseeing ride around the countryside--there's not much to report. We stopped for lunch at Rockey's in Eunice and shared a light lunch of Shrimp, Alligator, Catfish, and Oysters...all fried. I don't know where to check-in first; the Alcohol Rehab Clinic or the Cardiac Center. After lunch we drove through the towns of Opelousas and Crowley, which is the "Rice Capitol of America" (only America?). Tomorrow we're leaving for Hot Springs, Arkansas, a drive of about 400 miles. I'm really not sure why.

More pictures from yesterday
Top - Cracklin's, Pork Rinds, Fried Sweet Potato Chips
Left - Sylvia, Mica, and Hillary
Right - Three generations of Mardi Gras revelers. The outfit, including the pants, on the girl holding the baby is made entirely out of Crown Royal bags.

Day 38 Courir de Mardi Gras

Today was the day of the Church Point Courir de Mardi Gras which is a Cajun country and Medevial tradition of ceremonial begging;bands of masked and costumed horseback riders roam the countryside "begging" for ingredients for their communal gumbo. "Le Capitaine", a caped unmasked rider leads the riders from house to house where they dance and sing for donations. Often the owner will throw a live chicken into the air that the younger costumed men will chase like football players trying to recover a fumble. In addition to the Mardi Gras on horseback, some ride on flatbed trailers pulled by tractors. The courir starts early in the morning and and returns to town by mid afternoon for the parade downtown.

We were invited to Jean and Mattie Mouille's party in downtown Church Point, the self proclaimed "Buggy Capitol of the World". Fred and I arrived at 8AM to do what we could while they all cooked. There were two very large tents set up with cauldrons for cooking Gumbo, Cracklin's, Pork Rinds, Boudin, Jambalaya, Venison Stew, and Rabbit Stew(bottom picture before adding additional ingredients). Additionally there were pits to cook a whole pig and several beef briskets. The vegetable of the day was deep fried sweet potato chips. Around ten o'clock the rest of the guests started to show up, probably at least 200 in all. We ate, drank, and partied until three o'clock when the Courir de Mardi Gras showed up. They came down Main street and we all walked up the street and joined in the celebration. There were about 200 riders (top left picture), 100 chicken chasers(top right) and at least 50 trailers filled with costumed people all throwing beads. The parade lasted more than and hour and a half. What's amazing is that the total population of Church Point is less than 4,000 people.Things quieted down by early evening and we went back to the hotel, and not being very hungry or thirsty called it a night. The people, food, and parade were awesome.

Day 37 La Grande Boucherie

This is going to be very challenging, but here goes. Eight of us met up in the hotel lobby at 6:30 this morning so we could be at the Cafe Des Amis in the town of Breaux Bridge (Crawfish Capitol of the World) by 7:15 in order to stand in line when they opened the doors at 7:30 for breakfast. This, I thought, was crazy. My thinking was that it would make more sense to go to Fred's Bar in Mamou for their 7 o'clock Happy Hour and their celebrated Zydeco band. My disappointment was short lived. The Cafe Des Amis was great. It started with a plate of Beignets, followed by a Tasso Ham Omelette and Grits with Andouille. Sylvia had Crawfish Etouffee over a biscuit. Everybody ordered something different and all were happy with their food especially since it was accompanied by four or five pitchers of Mimosas. But, the breakfast wasn't why people lined up at seven o'clock in the morning. The real attraction was the Zydeco Band that started playing at eight. The first note was barely played by the time the smallish dance floor was absolutely packed (picture). We drank and danced for a couple of hours and as we left we saw that the line waiting to get in was still a half a block up the street. What a breakfast party! Afterwards we took a ride down to the levee and made a couple of required stops; first at Pat's Fishermans Wharf in Henderson, and then at Red's Levee Bar, a tiny little hole in the wall joint right on the levee. After a few beers Fred thought it would be a good idea to head down to St. Martinville for the La Grande Boucherie des Cajuns (a festival of the butchering of pigs, Cajun style). What I'm going to tell you now is the absolute truth. Besides having the standard four different Zydeco bands, there was first a Squeal Like a Pig contest, second a Cracklin Throwing contest, third a “Battle on the Teche” Arm Wresting contest, fourth the Louisiana Ice Gator Dancing Girls, and then the highlight of the afternoon, they slaughtered and butchered a pig. The pig thing wasn't all that great, but the food was totally different from that of any other festival I've been to. The best was the crispy fried alligator. Normally you just get small alligator bites. These were large chunks of juicy, tender meat. We also had Boudin Balls (remember-a pork and rice sausage), Cracklin, a Fried Pork Chop sandwich, Jambalaya, and more beer. This was a good stop. Ok, you would think by now we were done...nooooo. Fred, Hillary, Jason and I drove up to Church Point where 40 or 50 friends of Fred were partying in an old machine shop shed and boiling tons of crawfish. We did not need more food, but we also didn't want to insult anyone, so we downed a couple of pounds. This party was just practice for the big day tomorrow “The Church Point Courir De Mardi Gras”.

Day 36 Grayton to Rayne, Louisiana

Started the 400 mile drive to Rayne at six o'clock in the morning. It rained all the way except on the way through Mobile, Alabama it snowed. The snow doesn't seem to affect the people down here since they continued to drive seventy on the interstate. Fortunately it stopped raining just before we arrived. Rayne's a small town and calls itself "The Frog Capitol of the World". I'll wait until tomorrow to ask someone why. We checked in and Fred told us to meet them at the City Bar in Maurice, which we did. A dozen people showed up and we had a few beers before heading up the road to Jeff and Marisa's house for their weekend warm-up. The party started around four and there were about 50 people there at any given time, although it was never the same people. They just kept coming and going all night. They served boiled shrimp, oysters on the half shell, "Fried" short ribs, and Boudin (pork and rice sausage). They had one guy boiling shrimp all day, one guy opening oysters all day, and one guy frying short ribs all day. The Boudin was cooked in a big pot and kept warm. Boudin can be very good or horrible. Fortunately this was the former. Five of the local women treated us to their annual Beauty Parlor Skit done in their best Cajun accents and dress...hilarious.I don't know how late we stayed, but we drove back to the hotel with Fred, Mica, their daughter Hillary, and her fiance Jason (both from Colorado). We were all in good spirits and luckily Jason was able to drive.

Day 35 Last Night in Grayton Beach

We've spent the last few days trying to hit all the spots we missed and saying so-long to many of the good people we've met. It really was a good time and we will be back next year. Here are some of our thoughts about the Grayton Beach/Route 30A area. Most of all we really liked the down-home, quirky and friendly people. We felt like locals almost from the first day we arrived. 30A is 20 miles of artsy villages, funky bars, good restaurants, and unbelievable beaches. In case anyone gets down this way, here are some of our favorites, realizing that there are many, many places we never got to:

Fire - It's hard to call it fine dining because it's so casual. Our favorite menu.
Mitchell's Fish House - Best restaurant chain.
Pizza By the Sea and The Pickle Factory - Tie for the best pizza
Santa Rosa Beach Club - Best ocean view. Plus good food.
Shorty's - Best Ceviche, Best local bar and consistently good music.
Red Bar - Best Local color and most fun. Best bands.
Beach House Bar and Grill - Best geezer bar.
Hurricane Oyster Bar and Grill - Best oyster bar this side of Apalachicola.
Stinky's Fish Camp - Best Gumbo.
Great Southern Cafe - Best breakfast.
Gravel Road - Best country cooking.
Donny Sundal - Best non-band music.
Dread Clampitt - Best Band.
Redd the Singing Bartender - Best singer.
Sally's Backside - Best "Have to try" place.
There are many more that I'm sure I missed. Tomorrow we're heading to Rayne, Louisana to meet our friends Fred and Mica and spend four days celebrating Mardi Gras in several towns around the area. We were there 13 years ago and it was crazy. We're expecting no less this year.

Day 31 Super Bowl

Jolene and Cal arrived on Thursday and after picking them up at the Pensacola airport we began to make the rounds. Over the next four days we spent a significant amount of time at the Red Bar and Shorty's, plus one time visits to the Hurricane Oyster Bar, Hightide, Stinky's, Gravel Road, Rum Runners, Great Southern Cafe, Sally's Backside, Beach House Bar and Grill (Geezer Bar), and probably several others that I don't remember. We ate and drank a considerable amount including; oysters, Gumbo, Ceviche, Grits, Biscuits and Gravy, etc. They also got to see Donnie Sundal, Dread Clampitt, Redd the singing bartender, the Red Bar Jazz Band, and Howlin' Jack. We had a grand time but they were a little upset about leaving since they would be heading back to that 25 inch snow with 10 to 20 more on the way. Cal was whimpering on his way out the door and muttering something about not leaving until May. And, oh by-the-way, we did see the Super Bowl and the people down here are extremely pleased, to say the least.

Day 27 Grayton Beach

Picture of this morning's sunrise over a tidal pool in Grayton Beach. I wish I could say that I took the picture from our front porch, but I had to walk a good 40 yards. Not much happening today. Tomorrow my sister Jolene and her husband Cal are coming down from Pennsylvania for a few days, and just in time. The past 28 days of "togetherness" is taking it's toll. Lively discussions are becoming a bit more numerous.

Day 26 Sally's Backside

Well we stumbled into another place we had been eyeing up the past few days. It's an old two pump gas station with a little convenience store up front and a bar in the back called Sally's Backside. It was Tuesday so Redd the Singing Bartender was working. We were early, the place was mostly empty so we talked to Redd for awhile and she told us we might want to order something to eat because it will soon be packed. She said Meatloaf and Bar-B-Q ribs were the specialties. That's what we ordered and neither was very good, but it didn't have to be because by the time we got our food, the bar completely filled up and Redd started singing. She was unbelievable. She seated people, waited tables, and tended bar all while singing, and singing very good. I know this is probably sacrilege, but she sang Patsy Cline almost as good as Patsy Cline. She reminded me of Rusty Warren of Knockers Up fame. As she said, "If you don't know why I spell my name with two D's, you must be blind". It was good fun and the crowd of mostly older people (my age dammit) had a great time. With a lot of coaxing (and tipping) Sylvia and I asked her to sing Whitney Houston's I Will Always Love You. She said it was a very hard song to sing and took a lot out of her but if we waited until the right time she would sing it. When she came back from a little break she announced that she was going to "sing a song for the guy in the back with the orange shirt." The place went quiet and she sang to an absolutely awed crowd. It was well worth it. Everybody around thanked us, and one woman asked Sylvia if I had a brother.

Day 24 Sunday at the Red Bar

Today was to be the last day Sam Bush would be in town as he was heading back home to Nashville. Dread Clampitt was playing at the Red Bar from noon to three so we kind of expected him to show up for a last gig. Not wanting to get trashed too early, we waited until almost two o'clock to walk up there. We couldn't believe it, the place was nuts. I got us a couple of drinks and Sylvia wormed her way up front to get a better view of the best music session we had ever witnessed;better even than the week before. The band was totally into it and the crowd knew it. They played off each other non-stop for over an hour and a half. Sylvia didn't move except to sip her drink and wipe tears from her eyes. I don't know how to describe the music except that it was bluesy-country-jazz with a little reggae thrown in and it rocked. The bar was full of other musicians (they obviously knew this would be a great day) and several of them would sit in for a song or two. Donnie Sundal was one of them and he was really good. Also, an old local legend named Duke Bardwell, who played bass for Elvis in '74 and '75. When it was all over people just milled around and shook their heads. Word was passed that one of the locals was having a birthday party up the street at Pandora's and it would be a party. I didn't think we would make it so around five o'clock we went across the street to Shorty's and listened to a small group called The Steeno's with Smilling Fritz. Smiling Fritz was a pretty good guitar picker, but after the Red Bar it was hard to get into. After talking to some people there, we thought dinner might be a good idea and headed up the street to Pandora's for a bite. Walking in from the parking lot we met up with Donnie Sundal and his wife Jennifer. They suggested we have dinner with them and we accepted. It was a totally enjoyable meal all the while listening to them talk about his music career and their 18 years of traveling around the country looking for gigs. After dinner we went into the bar where the party was going on and listened to a band that came down from Alabama to play for this guys birthday. They were a geared up big sounding Alabama country group that I suppose were good (I really couldn't tell) . After a listening to a couple of songs we headed home all music'd out.

Day 22 Odds and Ends

Not much to report the past few days. Things have been mostly uneventful. There wasn't much sun today which, I suppose was good, since I was beginning to get sunburned...why am I smiling as I write this? Like I said, not much happening here, so just a few thoughts about the few things we have been doing. Obviously we've spent some time at the Red Bar and Shorty's. The good news is that we're now considered "locals" since both places are charging us local prices for drinks which are significantly different than tourist prices. We've also been to the Hurricane Oyster Bar and Grill several times and had delicious oysters. For their happy hour you get a dozen oysters for five dollars and a beer for a dollar. Imagine, a dozen great oysters, four beers, and you get change back from a ten dollar bill. Another place right next to the Hurricane is the Pickle Factory, which is a pizza, beer, and wine bar that an older guy from Chicago/New York/Thailand opened a couple of months ago. He makes one of the best thinnest and lightest crusted pizzas I've ever had and since it's a small place and is mostly empty, he's been kinda trying to teach me how to duplicate it...I don't think I can, but I WILL try. He enjoys us stopping by and chatting.

Day 20 Apalachicola

Unable to agree on what to do today, we compromised on a 200 mile round trip drive over to Apalachicola. Eleven years ago, on a drive around the Gulf coast, we spent two days there and thought it was pretty neat. It's an old oystering town that doesn't appear to have changed very much over the last 90 years. Highlights of that trip were the Gibson Inn and a restaurant with a massive oyster menu called Boss Oyster. Well, after a two hour drive we found Boss Oyster and although changed somewhat--you used to have to walk through the kitchen to get to the dining room--it's still an old rickety waterfront building. We sat on the deck and dove right in with: Oysters on the half shell, followed by Citrus Jewels - chilled with citrus and ginger salsa (oranges, lemons, limes, tomato, onion, ginger, balsamic vinegar), Oysters Sashimi - chilled with siracha, seaweed, wasabi, and fish roe (pictured), Oysters Rockefella, and Oysters Boss Gouda Gouda - flame broiled with carmalized onions, spicey creole soy sauce, and smoked gouda. Sylvia liked the Citrus Jewels best and I most enjoyed the Sashimi, but both agreed the oysters on the half shell were unbeatable. We also had to try a fried Grouper Basket and the Grouper chowder. The table next to us had the Gumbo and it looked great, but alas we had no more room. On the drive home we stopped in Toucan's Bar and Grill in Mexico Beach which is worth a stop if you're in the area.

Day 19 Birthday

Today was Sylvia's birthday and thinking that after spending yesterday panic shopping, and knowing that tonight would bring a major dinner, I needed a pretty major bike ride. Fairly early in the morning I rode up the road daydreaming the whole way only to realize after 15 miles that I had been riding downwind in a half a gale. Turning around and riding back into the wind I pedaled as hard as I could just to stay upright. Halfway back I decided sustenance was required and stopped at Angelina's Pizza Cafe and ordered a small anchovy pizza and a beer. One beer wouldn't hurt. But as usual, I ended up in a discussion with the bartender and had a few more than one. What a dope! It was a very challenging ride home. The good thing is I was sober by the time I got back. Meanwhile, Sylvia had been at the gym enjoying her new heart rate monitor (I'm such a romantic). We spent the rest of the afternoon walking the area looking for a place we might rent again next year. For a birthday dinner every local we talked to suggested we go to Cafe Tango for a nice meal prepared by a locally renowned Spanish chef. The way everyone hyped the place it had to be good. It would be the first real dinner we had since we got here and promised each other that instead of splitting an entree we would each order our own. We found Cafe Tango with no problem which was surprising since it's so tiny. It had only nine tables and 28 chairs. Immediately we each thought "How can a place this small make any money?" After reading the menu we understood. We started with a glass of champagne and split an appetizer of Serrano Ham and Chorizo Croquette served with fried onions on a brochette...very very good. Since we each had to order our own entree, Sylvia decided lamb chops and I ordered a bone in rib eye with chimichurri. This was unusual for us since we usually opt for something more out of the ordinary. Of course we had a bottle of Temparillo wine. There was way too much food; Sylvia managed to finish one lamb chop and I one-third of the rib eye. We were very full but had to order dessert since we still had wine left. Bread Pudding with ice cream seemed to go well with our wine so that's what we ordered and it was a good decision. We had a very pleasant waiter and our overall experience was good, but not good enough to go back or recommend. Once we got home I was sleep before walking in the door and Sylvia wasn't far behind. She enjoyed her birthday.

Day 17 Rest Day

After several fairly uneventful days of exercising, eating, drinking, and driving around from town to town; we decided to spend the day close to home. This really isn't much of a problem, since if you walk out our front door, turn right and walk 20 yards, you're on the beach. If you turn left and walk 60 yards, you're at the Red Bar and Shorty's is right across the street from that. So our day was set. I had visions of vegetating on the couch and watching the football games. But first, since the Red Bar opens at 7AM for breakfast we decided it made sense to just start the morning there. Nothing heavy, just something light. I had a seafood omelette with grits and a great biscuit. Sylvia had a two and a half pound burrito. We waddled home and after two hours became bored. A group called Dread Clampitt was playing at the Red Bar from noon to three and Donnie Sundal and Friends were playing at Shorty's from three to six. This seemed a little more interesting than the games, so off to the Red Bar we went. Dread Clampitt is a group of four guys including Keith Ogle, who we had heard previously, and we hoped that maybe Sam Bush might show up and sit in...he did. The Red Bar was packed. What a great place, it was amazing how many families and small kids were present (see picture). It was the most casual venue I've ever seen...just a terrific afternoon. Though Sam Bush is best known for jaw-dropping skills on the mandolin, he is also a three time national junior fiddle champion and Grammy award winning vocalist and today he played the fiddle. It was just hypnotic. Afterwards we walked across the street to Shorty's to see Donnie Sundal and Friends...Donnie had no friends today. Donnie plays the keyboard and sings, and is more than good, but for some reason he takes of his shoes when he plays and puts them back on during breaks. I think everyone down here marches to a different drummer. By six o'clock we had enough music and ordered a ceviche before a gingerly walk home. It's astounding that two small bars like the Red Bar and Shorty's have good live music every night of the week...in the off season.

Day 14 Rainy Day

Storms all night convinced us to stay inside today. We decided on a movie and headed over to Destin. Naturally we each wanted to see different movie, hence Sylvia saw Sherlock, which she liked, and I saw Avatar in 3D which I thought was technically very good. I just think that for a quarter of a billion dollars they could come up with a better story line than the old trite plot of cowboys (white guys) trying to steal the Indians (Avatars) land and a white guy falls in love with the Indian maiden. Ten minutes into the movie you knew the ending. Still, it was fairly interesting. Afterwards we stopped in a large wine and liquor store that had a modest but well stocked cheese shop and a wine bar that had a small simple menu. Of course we had to try the place out, so after a couple of glasses of wine and a very nice cheese tray, we headed back to Grayton Beach and a final drink at the Red Bar. The pictures are my attempt to show the view of the beach and the Gulf. They were taken just a few steps from our front door.

Day 12 Geezer Bar

On Monday we took a ride along the coast toward Panama City. On the way through Laguna Beach we passed what looked like an interesting little bar on the beach called the Beach House Bar and Grill. On the way back we stopped and had a beer and by the looks of things a definite redneck bar, no refrigeration, just coolers with beer and ice. The bartender told us that on Tuesdays at three they have group of guys that get together that call themselves the Snowbird Band and it's always a lot of fun. So today we showed up at four o'clock to a packed bar of geezers. No one in the place, except the bartender was under 65. The Snowbird Band was a group of (8 to 12) geezers who randomly show up to play what must be considered country. They weren't particularly good or bad, but they had a blast as did everybody in the place. They played pretty well together and had a little trouble finishing a song all at the same time, but nobody cared. And when they took a break it took awhile to get them back together. I think some of them got lost and others got stuck in the bathroom. It was a lot of fun and it all stopped at six o'clock so they could still get to the Early Bird Specials.

Day 11 A Special Evening

We decided to walk down to Shorty's for an early dinner and were surprised to see two guys setting up to play, one had a guitar and the other a mandolin. Shorty's downstairs bar is very small with only four tables and maybe a dozen bar stools, but this is where they were setting up. There's normally somebody playing there, but this looked to be a little more serious, since I noticed Donnie Sundal, a music writer/performer that we had met earlier in the week. When these two guys started to play we just knew this was something special. It was an unbelievable session that had everybody nuts (including Donnie). After a great, great first set I asked Donnie who thes two guys were and he said the mandolin player was Sam Bush from Nashville and Kyle Ogle a locally well respected guitarist. These two guys used to play together in the area many years ago and just got together for this little session. They played off each other unlike anything I ever saw. Donnie said that Sam Bush was probably the best mandolin player in the country and he was right--I later checked the internet and he was Mandolin Player of the Year in 2007 and was nominated for Instrumentalist of the Year by the American Music Asssociation. Kyle Ogle obviously played a terrific guitar. They played a great mixture of songs; blues, bluegrass, reggae, country, and rock and roll. And this was in a tiny little bar. It was the best thing like this I ever witnessed. I also had some very good Shrimp and Grits with okra and tomatoes while Sylvia had a waste-of-time salad. An unforgetable night.

Day 10 Still in Grayton

It was a fun weekend in the area around Grayton Beach. Unknown to us, it was this weekend there was the Route 30a Songwriters Festival. About 50 songwriter/artists from around the country came to the South Walton beach area and performed at 15 or so different venues (mostly bars). This was the first festival of this type they had tried and it was a tremendous success. Unfortunately we were unable to get tickets since they were sold out a few weeks ago, but we still managed to be places where we could hear good music. There were musicians all over town and they would show up to listen to whoever happen to be playing. It seems as though every bar and restaurant has music most every night. Grayton Beach has no more than 100 houses and one of them is belongs to Sheryl Crow. We didn't see her, but her house is a half a block up the street.

Day 8 Stinky's

Got up this morning and did the gym thing before going for a little bike ride through several smallish beach towns. It was the first good weather we've had since leaving Solomons. For lunch we went to Stinky's Fish Camp (that's right Stinky's). It was actually vey good. Sylvia had a nice piece of grouper and I had as good a gumbo as I ever tasted which was followed by baked oysters with bacon, horseradish, and a small amount of smoked cheese. Everything was excellent. We highly recommend Stinky's. In the late afternoon, as the cocktail hour approached, we walked over to Shorty's to discuss the evening plans over a liquid refreshment. It was a long discussion...too long. We decided it would be best to go back to the house and skip any evening events we might have discussed. Dinner wasn't required after lunching at Stinky's. We crashed very early.

Day 7 Grayton Beach

Not a very exciting day. We joined the gym and rented a bicycle for a month, after which we went for a walk on the beach. I think we're settling into a routine. Late afternoon, we walked up the street to a little Bar/Restaurant called Shorty's. The theme of the place is about dogs; dog pictures, dog posters, dog menu, dog tee shirts, dog everything, and dogs are even allowed in the joint. Anyhow, it was a neat little place with live music. It seems as though every bar or restaurant, no matter what size, has nightly live music. I suppose it's the New Orleans influence. We enjoyed a few drinks at Shorty's and had some very good Lime soup. Next time we'll try their Sushi.