A drive through the Jura

It's been a while since I talked to/with you.

In the meantime I finished the work at Montmeyan and left there last Saturday.

Good thing that the bookings were stopped, because everything was already shut down. No more hot water at the new toiletbuilding, every now and then some hot water at the old building. Bar closed, swimmingpool closed. What to do anymore around here?

I was lucky that on Thursday there was still a Dutch couple with their own tent staying at the campsite, because I got locked up in the toilet!!! The first two toilets: not cleaned, no paper, the third toilet locked, so okay then I will use the last toilet, of which I know the door doesn't close....., ah there is toiletpaper, so why not....

Why not??? Because one windblow DID close the door and this was one of the doors with no doorhandle on the inside!!! Help, will somebody open the door from the outside to get me out? One of the rare moments I was not having my mobile with me....

Oh well, let my think: today it is Thursday late afternoon; Gert Jan is coming Friday late aternoon, so in the worst scenario I will be locked up in here untill Friday afternoon. Hmmm, well at least I have enough toiletpaper if I need a whee during those 24 hours....

But then, about 15 minutes later, I heard a car coming: the Dutch couple passed by coming back from shopping: Help, help, I am in here, it's Rita, I'm locked in the toilet. And there Esther came to open the door: 'I straight away saw your shoe under the door and because I also was locked up in that toilet I understood what had happened'. Thank you Esther.....

Friday afternoon GertJan came and he saw that most of the work was done, so he said: you can also leave tomorrow afternoon, after you've finished up with the last few tents.

Around 16.00 it was: Goodbye Danielle, Serge, Belle and cat, That was it than........ Montmeyan...

I drove to Castellane, to the campsite where Pierre and Petra are couriers and I had a lovely weekend over there. A nice warm welcome, staying in a mobile home, a hot shower, my own toilet, what luxury those little things are suddenly after a few months without the most simple things around you. Having a coffee in the morning and a chat, having dinner in the evening all together, for sure I did reload my battery for the last few weeks of work.

Tuesday it was time to start work again, so I made the drive to Clairvaux-les-Lacs in the Jura where Pieter and Miriam are the couriers and where also Suzan and Alan were there, to pack up the tents and make the mobile homes ready for winter.

Working steady on, but in a relaxed mode, a few hours work, coffee brake, a few hours work, lunch brake, another few hours work and then shower, short sleep, dinner all together and early nights, because around 21.00 it's getting humid and chilly. Reading a little and catching up with some sleep.

On Sunday, a day off, I went with Alan for a 'little tour' in the area.(at the end I think we made 100 km).

First we drove to Baume le Messieurs, which is known for the abbey and the special nature around it..

Baume-les-Messieurs is a picturesque village eight kilometers to the north-east of Lons-le-Sauniere in the Jura department of France-Comte. In a splendidly scenic setting, Baume-les-Messieurs is surrounded by steep wooded slopes rising to high cliffs - the Cirque de Baume, the meeting place of three impressive valleys.

Exploring Baume-les-Messieurs

Within the village itself the benedictine abbey of Saint-Peter is the main monument of importance. The abbey dates from the early 11th century (and replaced an even older abbey in the same location - the village was founded around 869).

The 13th century abbey church is a mix of roman and gothic elements, and also contains some remarkable decorative highlights. You can also see the chapel, and various of the other buildings associated with the abbey.

Given the isolation of the location we can well believe that it was a suitably quiet spot for monks to meditate - can well imagine how peaceful it was before the advent of roads!

The village itself is small and contains a perfect ensemble of unspoiled, not too renovated, streets and houses winding quietly into the baume gorges, and a small river runs through the centre of the village.

Baume-les-Messieurs is also classified as one of the 'most beautiful villages of France

The Abbey

Upto the French Revolution, the little village, next to the Baume-Abbey was called 'Baume-les-Moines', as there was not much more than that. With the revolution it changed to 'Baume-les-Messieurs' - and now, since it is one of the most beautiful villages in France ('Les plus beaux villages de France') - it could be changed to 'Baume-les-Touristes'.

Baume-Abbey is really old, going back to a settlement of irish monks around Saint Colombanus within the 6th century.

732 Saracens destroyed the monastry, that got refounded in the early 9th century during the reign of Louis the Pious by Saint Eutice, a disciple of Benedict of Aniane (see 'Aniane', 'Sélestat', 'Marmoutier'). End of the 9th century the Normans raided the whole of Burgundy - and Baume-Abbey was in ruins again. Berno refounded the abbey a second time - and had success. Actually he had such a wow, that in 910, William of Aquitaine asked him to be the first abbot of the new monastry in the village of Cluny, so by now he is known as 'Berno of Cluny'.

Looking across the nave from the aisle. Massive round and rectangular columns.

After the visit to the Abbey and the village we went to the View Point where you could see the village and the mountains surrounding it.

Then a drive along the small village roads ending up in Champagnole, where we had a coffee and a sandwich and a walk around.

??? Did we take the wrong turn, did we end up in London??? Big Ben Cafe....

and even the 'Big' Ben with a London cab....................

From there the road to Heronissos, the waterfalls, but the road was blocked, so we never saw the waterfalls.....

Around 17.00 we were back in Clairvaux-les-Lacs where we sat down on a terrace in the sunshine for a drink. When we wanted to order a second drink it was: Non, excuse moi, we are closed!!! The whole village shut down at 18.00.

So, back to the campsite, where we had pancakes made by the Pancake master Pieter and again an early night. Just a few more days left here, then I think it will be with the nose of Tweety into the direction of Holland again.

Another season gone..... wonder what will be the next thing/happening/event coming on my road, but for sure I will let you know. Also later I will put some more stories on the site, which are still waiting in my diary. Keep in touch, hope all of you are healthy and happy.

And -as you may know by now - if you click on the button foto's, you can see all the pictures of the Abbey and the villages in the Jura. Enjoy......

Salut for the moment, Je t'embrasse

Rita xxxxxxxxxx (miss Pea)

the new travellersite, use the link at the right of the page

Hello everybody,

I've been busy fingering out how the new site works and I think I got a bit the hang of it. You can read/see/judge it by a click on the link on the right side of the page (a bit down) saying: Rita's english travelblog.

Still have not figured out yet how I can send the link straight to you, did find out that IF you are on the travellerspoint.com site you can subscribe, so you will automatically receive a message when I added something to it.

The link to the new site is: http://miss-pea.travellerspoint.com.

It is nice that on that site I can upload many pictures in thumbnail, if you move the mouse over it it says that you can click on it to see the bigger picture.

Have fun, speak to you soon again,.

Love,

Rita (Miss Pea)

Also an English site now for my English friends

I hope you ycan still manage to open this message, in which I want to let you know that I started a new travelblog on the English managed site: travellerspoint. You can see the link on the right site of this page, click on it and I hope it will work.

Still I have to figure out how I can automatically let you know that I've written something on that site, gave me some time. Facebook-users will get a message through facebook, that is a help to start with.

Now I will continu playing with the new site and will update you soon about what I am up to at the moment.

Take care, have fun

lots of love

Rita

I gave myself an upgrade and moved to Ottawa de Luxe

Today I have been busy with cleaning out my tent after spending there almost 4 months. What a mess, time to sort things out, box up what I don't need anymore and move to an Ottawa de Luxe. The weather forecaste is giving rain soon and I am not in the mood to end up mopping up mud again AND at the end of packing up the other tents I know I will also not be in the mood anymore to sort my private things out.

So, today was the day, tossing out a lot of things I 'collected' the last few months, boxing up what I don't need anymore. A peaceful feeling, if necessary I can move out in two hours or less.

A good thing I did not move in an Ottawa at the beginning of the season, because What a luxury. Big fridge, open kitchen, cosy living room, office, a big bedroom, a closet to hang up my clothes and a dressing room. And so easy to keep it all clean!!! I could live in an Ottawa, maybe with in my 'back yard 'garden' a toilet/showerroom, but still .... I am going to enjoy spending my last two weeks in this new sjatootje. The pictures will speak for the rest for itself.

open kitchen area, with big fridge and freezer

dining room

office

hall way to bedroom, closet, dressing room

bedroom with window!!!! (fresh air.........) lightswitch above my head and a bed-side table.

kitchen/bedroom area

my new sjatootje with big 'sliding' door. Oh yes, I am going to love my last two weeks. A pitty I have to go out to pack up the rest of the tents.........

Salut, je t'embrasse

Rita

Pictures been sent of the pancake party.

Family de Vos sent me some pictures of the pancake party, which of course I want to share with you. It was a good, nice evening, still in my mind.

I hope soon I will receive more pictures sent by you, so I can share them.

Take care, hope to meet again with all of you,

Love

Rita

'Miss Pea in France: a very SPECIAL WEDDING'

Probably, hopefully, I slowly will have more time to write again my short funny stories, captured under the title: 'Miss Pea in France'.

Here is one I don't want to keep to myself, I have to share it with you. Have fun reading:

A very SPECIAL wedding.

Do you wanna mallie me? (Japanese boy asking his French girlfriend).

Oui, but only if the wedding is at a castle, I want it to be SPECIAL.

And SPECIAL it is, at least for the spectators, at least for me.

Almost being at the end of the season some are trying to get me confused (not very difficult anyway), but..... French people, German people, English people and some from Holland. Walking to one tent speaking French to the German, English to the French and all mixed up. Right: only English please from now on.

Probably my guests think it is part of my 'act', because they think it is funny, but it is not.

First this morning checking out some guests, breakfast at Rita's with Hanneke and Peter, coffee with the rest of the 'crazy mad creative with leftover diners club' and then they left me here behind. Not all by myself, but I can say left with the Babylonian rest.

The Crazy Mad Creative with Leftovers Diners Club (Peter, Hanneke, Barlien, Rita, Puck & Stendert). De Dol Dwaze Creatief met Kliekjes Eetclub.

Puck's 'birthday'.

The Crazy Mad Creative with Leftover Diners Club at work............

Preparing some tents for my last arrivals for this season and then I started to de-montage tent nr. 39, so I was around for my arrivals AND for the wedding guests who will sleep in 4 tents tonight. In between rain and thunder, cleared up again, but still not sure whether it will stay dry tonight.

While working in tent 39 a lot of Japanese people are passing starting to talk to me. Well, okay folks, that's it: French okay, German okay, English okay, a mix of all okay, but Japanese trying to speak French: I give up, I give in!

I took one lady by the arm and guided her to tent nr. 41, because in 40 were already 4 boys from the music. No, no, she said, waving her arms like a Kungfu fighter: D said the tent with the table in front. (= nr. 43). Yes I am taking you there. No, no, pulling me back to nr. 39, table in flont! Okay, but that table is in front of the door, to block it, because it is half emptied, I bring you to the tent with the table in front of the window.

Stubborn little Japanese woman: Zipps open tent nr. 41, oops a man standing there changing his clothes. Probably she said Sorry in Japanese to him, zipp tent closed.

Zipp nr. 41: Oops, Japanese people inside. Solly, zipp tent closed. Finally she can see nr. 43 with table in flont of windows, but: Can I have nr. 42? Of course dear, whatever you want. There is no table at all in or in front of that tent, I took them already away, but your wish is my command. I think she was happy because I believe she said Harrigato. I said Konichiwa (good evening - or good night?) and went downstairs to find D.

D was taking care of putting down the pillows and sheets in the 4 tents for the wedding guests, but.......... yes, of course, around 18.30 I went down to the bar, where she was serving horse d'oeuvres to ask one more time for the pillows.

In the meantime S was saying to D that she had to stop running around, because poor doggie could not follow her so quickly..... (S please go home) ........

Ah oui they are in my car..... I come with you, can we put them together in the right tents? Of course, let's go.

On our way up the grandfather of the bride tries to come down with a bended back, his walking stick and almost falling down. D rushes towards him, holds his arm and is guiding him to the rest of the crowd, meanwhile Grandpa shouting: Beatrice, where are you? BEATRICE BEATRICE. Ring ring, D's mobile ringing in her pocket, but on the side where Grandpa is clinging to her arm. BEATRICE BEATRICE. All the guests are just passing us, no one takes over Grandpa. D mouthing to me Zut Alors......Ah, there is Beatrice, standing behind a tree on the phone........ Can you get to her Grandpa? and off we go, towards the car to get the pillows.

Every tent needed 6 pillows, but with 12 pillows: okay every tent gets 4, one tent (nr. 43) nothing, perhaps nobody will use that one anyway D said.

D rushing back down to the bar, because this wedding there is no catering with staff to serve: D, G en J are taking care of this.

Am I happy not to be on the guests-list, I stay put at my tent, not getting near the bar tonight, sharing this story with you and read a book later.

Wonder what time I will wake up when the Japanese are coming up to go for sleep and maybe tomorrow we will know the answer on the question: how many Japanese will fit in 1 tent!!!

Konichiwa, Dormir bien, Sweet Dreams, Schlaf gut, Slaap zacht.

Miss Pea

With my feet back on the ground, but still feeling like an angel, in high spirits.

I said I was scared to death with the para penting, but afterwards I liked it and I was in high spirits. And still I am.

Still busy with my tents, cleaning them, preparing them for new arrivals, on the other hand started at the top level to pack up and demontage tents. And this with temperatures of 38 degrees and more!!! But the job has to be done, so better get on and done with it.

And then the evenings and my guests and children are giving my all the energy I need to move on with the work the next day.

One evening I went with Stendert, Bardien and Puck to Le Terrasse in Regusse. It was the one year anniversary and Jean Luc - the Belgium chef - organized a Greek evening with Karaoke. A lovely meal, real Greek mezedes, and a lot of fun with Olivier, the karaoke master.

Typically narrow-minded French village people: on the other end of the road they had organized the same night a cabaret and music! The policemen were walking up and down between the two parties, hush here, back to the other end, hush there, but at Le Terrasse we all had a great night.

At one point Jean Luc sang a duo with his wife Deborah and I had goose bumps.... wow, what a duo. Deborah was over actif, going out of her mind, dancing, joking, serving and taking great care of all the guests.

At one point I even ended up dancing (or something like it) with the village idiot, of course, it had to be me. Luckily Jean Luc ticked of and then we had a proper jive on the square.

A few days ago I organized a plat du jour at the restaurant and all guests came down and we had a lovely evening.

My guests = read friends are taking good care of me. First I was invited for pancakes at Stendert and Bardien with their daughter Puck. Already I had many coffees at Peter and Hanneke and at the plat the jour evening they met each other and ever since that night we are all having dinnerparties (bits and pieces all scraped together which makes the most fantastic dinners) together.

One evening (a day with no arrivals) I cooked my Nasi Goreng, which was a challenge, because Peter and Stendert love their meat, while Hanneke and Bardien are vegetarians. So I used the tent next to me, where I had a four pit cooker, and double inventory and the space to cook. I loved to try out a vegetarian Indonesian rice and it turned out very tasty.

In front of Stendert and Bardiens tent we are now eating ever since every evening all together.

Yesterday I took a day off to give my hands and arms a rest, after carrying all chairs and sunloungers to the store tent with a heath of 38 plus.

In the morning I went with Hanneke and Peter to BARJOLS. I only passed through it once before, but what a beautiful village it is.

It is known as the village of the fountains (there are about 42 fountains and lavoirs and four rivers) and it was like walking back in time.

The old houses, with the pipelines outside the houses, or even more times: no sanitary in the house at all (we think). We saw people getting water at the fountains, washing in the basins.

The history of the village of Barjols, also called the Tivoli of Provence, has been shaped by water, as illustrated by its fountains, wash-houses and old tanneries.

We had a coffee on a square where there is a bar/cafe that could be Renee's Cafe (Allo Allo). We were waiting for Renee to come out..........in front of the Portal of Ponteves.

There I needed a toilet and it was as expected: a whole in the floor, BUT with a door, a sink to wash your hands and toilet paper, so not too bad after all.

Then a strawl through the village following a bit the trail of fountains.

Fontaine du Champignon: this fountain became its form af a mushroom by the mush formed into a masse of travertin.

There was also a little market, not much, but I found the perfect gift voor Ineke's delayed birthday present. No, I will keep it as a surprise, but I am sure she will love it, I saw it from a distance and Ineke's name was written all over it.

We visited the church and although I have visited many churches: this was one of a kind.

You will see at the pictures all the statues, the Maria Magdalena in a window, with all little angel heads curved out of the rock.

Even the music was perfect, very light, very Zen. I could have spent hours there, listening to the soft music, watching around and around, no thinking, just feeling.

And of course we light a candle for all our loved ones:

On our way again and then Peter 'found' a very old Atlas for Children.

It has drawings inside from which animal is living in which territory. Fantastic: THE perfect gift for Puck. So, we decided that today it was Puck's birthday, bought a coundle for 10 years, some donuts to put the candles in, drinks and when Stendert, Bardien and Puck came back at the campsite we came up with the gift and the drinks. Nothing else to do then to celebrate a birthday, scrape all food we have together and cook together again. Another beautiful evening.

Tomorrow they are leaving. It will be so quiet around me, but as a last night for the last time we will put together again all the left-overs from the fridges, cook and eat and drink together. Then it is time to detox a little bit and a few early nights.

Tomorrow my last big change over: 6 guests leaving, 2 guests still here, 3 new arrivals and 4 tents for yet another marriage tomorrow evening at the campsite.

It's gonna be a long day tomorrow, but Sunday I will have a lay inn, like probably all the rest, because the music will go on till late and then Monday continuing packing up the tents.

A long story this time, if you like to see all the pictures click on the link in the banner of foto's; will keep you posted of any happenings occuring,hope you are all healthy and happy, like myself, bless you all

Lots of love, Je t'embrasse,

Salut

Rita

ROCNVOL: I did it again: flying like an angle

I DID IT AGAIN!!! Flying high above the Gorge du Verdon.

Oh yes, I did it again, but I think this was the last time I will do something silly like this.

Not that I didn't like it, but enough is enough and I believe after flying over the Grandcanyon no other flight can ever match this.

Some guests asked me if I was nervous for the jump and I said: no, I am more nervous that I will not be on time at the take off. How well my intuition was working once again. I left friday morning at 10.00 (it should be a drive of 45 minutes, so I would be on time and even have time for a coffee I thought) and yes, I managed to take the wrong turn and got lost. At the end I ended up swirling my tweety on the parking, slamming the door, cross the street and straight I jumped into the van that was already moving...........

We drove all the way up to Aiguines (which I passed half an hour before), they parked the van and we got all (4 other young kids and me) our harnasses on our back and we started walking/climbing for about 15 minutes to the take off platform.

Well, platform, I think it was not more than 10-15 paces of long footsteps where the mountain stopped. Philippe was my pilot. He picked me because of my weight, he said the weather condition were that good that he might make his fourth attempt to reach 1.500 meters high. Was I happy with that????

We took off as first tandem, which afterwards was lucky, because the other jumps landed in the trees, or did not reach a high altitude. Was I happy with that????

One of the other instructors helped with the take-off, he was pulling me back to the ground because otherwise after two steps I was allready of the ground and then we could not make enough speed to get up in the air. So, pulling me down at my harnass and then suddenly a push and up we went. Oh my God, was I happy with this????

We came into a hugh turbulence, Philippe happy as a bird, wheeeeheeee a new record, he was shouting. Me: whohow, why do I think I want to do this. I closed my eyes, the wind was pulling us up with shocks, this was nothing at all like my flight I did in Nepal, where it was just a jump and gliding................ My stomach went up and down, Philip told me to open my eyes, otherwise I would get sick, so I opened them just a little bit, looking at a far distance.

Why am I doing this?????

Rita, look down, look how high we are........ Oh yes, Philippe I believe you, but I will see later on the pictures how high I was.

Finally when we reached the maximum of 1.500 meters we came in a smooth air and finally the gliding started. I slowly let my shoulders down, I unfolded my hands from the strings and put my hands on my legs and slowly I started to relax and looking around.

You can't really describe the feeling again of flying this high, that we could see the total length of the Grand Canyon. At one point Philippe said to me: look, there is a small airplane flying under us, I looked at the plane, I looked at the canvas seat I was sitting on and I said to myself: how stupid, silly, foolish one must be to be in the sky higher than an aeroplane just attached to some strings sitting on a canvas seat. Next I said to myself: stop thinking or else you will panic, just switch your brain off and enjoy the feeling being an angle, so I did.

Philip kept talking (I wonder why :)) and he told me that in the winter he always goes to Pokhara, Nepal, flying with Blue Sky. That is the same company I did my two flights earlier and the pilot I had the last jump was Philippes best friend.

(you can see more pictures if you click on foto's).

The flight took 25 minutes and we had a perfect landing. So slowly, so smooth, only two steps on the ground and we were standing still. This time I was not, as last time, shaking for about half an hour, but very calm and still a bit high of the sensational feeling of being an angel.

We walked back to the parking, Philippe checked his camera and then he found out that the camera was not set on filming, but instead he made pictures every 5 seconds, which resulted in about 165 pictures. He gave me the minidisc, said that if I will be in Pokhara next February I have to come and see him at Blue Sky and he will take me for yet another flight, but I think I will pass. Three times I did it, and I think that is enough. Ca suffit, the French would say. That will do. I sure don't regret that I have done it, but I am not sure if I could handle another time such a turbulent take off, such a high altitude, and after this flight over the Grandcanyon all the next flights would be kind of boring, not so sensational.

Back at the campsite I did something wrong with the disc so I still have the pictures, but unfortunately only in black and white. But still you can see the altitude we were at. I do confess I took some pictures out, where my face was really horribly scared, but I did leave some in it where you can see my mouth is saying: Oh f................

Enjoy the pictures, (click on foto's to see more), try to imagine how it feels to be this high, how it feels being an angel.

Luckily I was yesterday still full of adrenaline, because there was a wedding on the campsite, the music stopped at 5 o'clock this morning, so not much sleep. I will catch up later in the afternoon, because now it is too hot (already 35C at 12.00), many guests left, so slowly time to start packing up the top level. Still feeling like an angel, still my 'wings' are on....... in high spirits I will finish this season.

Salut for now

Rita