Provence, Part 1 - Aix to Orange

After two days reminiscing of the times spent in Cannes so long ago, we embarked for 5 days in Provence, to see some familiar sights from years past as well as some new ones! Complete with our trusty but almost to detailed map of provence and a list of the most beautiful villages in the region, courtesy of the official website, we were set, taking off on a one tank of gas, six day journey. One tank of gas courtesy to the Renault Megane, which gets 68 mpg; most impressive. 

Our journey began at the towns of Cotignac and Villecroze, where we picked up a picnic and wandered around the narrow lanes and popped into antique shops. One of the best picnic snacks were the sausage sticks in the market. Not quite your average beef jerkey stick, this is the real deal! It washed down well with an Orangina. 

After the towns, we made our way to Aix en Provence. I had been to Aix during my stint abroad, but it was literally for 2 hours and we didn't get to see much. Aix is a great town with LOTS of little shops to keep you occupied for a day. Lots of fountains too!

After going into the church in the old town, Saint Sauveur, we walked around for a couple hours, grabbing a couple beers at Brasserie les Deux Garcon, where Cezanne and Matisse used to mix it up.

We had dinner that night at a thai restaurant - it was decent but not worth recommending, so I won't include the name. Most of all, it was to change it up after French and Italian meals for so many consecutive nights. We stayed at Hotel du Globe, which is moderately price and very central. They even have a small parking lot that you can stash your rental in for the night. A good option for EUR80 a night. 

The following morning we were up at the crack of dawn to explore some more villages before our wine tour and tasting scheduled at Beaucastel in Chateauneuf du Pape. We went to Ansouis, Lourmourin, Roussillon and finally Gordes, before getting to Chateauneuf.

All of these villages are on the Plus Beaux listing that is linked to above. Our favorite was Gordes, mostly because of the stunning situation of the town, hanging on the side of a cliff. All were nice, but if you time to do only one, go for Gordes.

Following Gordes, we treked to where we thought was Beaucastel, incorrectly directed by a google map search. We showed up right on time for the tasting, but it was just the wrong estate! If you are on google maps, there is a point on the map called Beaucastel, just follow to that point, not trusting other suggestions! As we finally made it to the estate 30 minutes late, one of the Perrin brothers allowed us to re-book for the following day, joining a couple who owns a vineyard in Paso Robles, California.

This freed up the rest of our afternoon so naturally we crammed in a trop to Pont du Gard, perhaps the best and most in-tact roman aqueduct in the world. I visited this in 2001 with my CSB/SJU group, canoeing from a couple miles away for 30 minutes before concluding at the aqueduct. The weather was nice enough to splash into the water a little. I always had such a great impression of this UNESCO site, and returning just reinforced that impression as one of the coolest sites I have ever seen. It is a must see if you are around Provence. 

We then ventured to our accommodation for the next four nights, Domaine de Rhodes. The Domaine is situated on Ile de Barthelasse, a surprisingly undeveloped island between Avignon and Villeneuve-les-Avignon that made a great base for exploring Provence. We got a gite so we could cook a couple meals ourselves. Our gite was EUR400 for five nights, which is pretty good for that area.

The main house on the property is extremely beautiful, dating back to the 16th century. It is a nice tranquil oasis to return to after a long day of touring the region and we recommend to all. We made dinner three of the four nights we stayed, highlighted by a mussel and prawn pasta.

The following morning we went to Orange, to check out the Thursday market and the Roman amphitheater. Orange is a nice city to wander around for an hour or two in addition to checking out the roman sights. One doesn't need more than an hour or two to do this however.

The amphitheater itself is fabulous and worth the EUR8 admission. Your ticket includes an audio guide which is helpful to explain the significance of the site and its place in history. After the tour, we had a nice lunch before heading to the second attempt at a tour of Beaucastel!!

Cannes, France - (almost) 10 years later

Back in Cannes, nearly ten years from the memories that has prompted a decade of traveling, what should I expect? Surely it won't be the same, but hopefully the times engrained in my mind will come alive again, albiet sans 6am train rides home from Juan Les Pins!

Returning to Cannes to show Erin where my passion for travelling began has been a goal since we started dating nearly 9 years ago. When I was a junior at SJU, I studied at the College Internationale de Cannes for a semester, falling in love with Europe and travelling in general. If you do the math and that suggests its been almost 10 years since studying abroad. MAN WE ARE OLD!!

That said, it was about time to return to Cannes, check on good ole’ room 100 to see if the Tuesday Champagne parties are still on the menu, and see whether the beach, Quays, La Frigate, students hanging out at the picnic tables etc. is still status quo. Hopefully all my classmates in Cannes get a chance to read this and smile when they hear not a lot has changed over the years and many of the spots we enjoyed are still around. Now it was a different experience to experience Cannes with the wife, much different with more disposal income and also with less friends to stir up mischief with.

Let's raise one to Orangina, a loaf of french bread at every meal, "wine" with plastic wrap tops, crepe nights, late nights, Tuesday nights, easyjet flights, Geneva death freights, "a demande a telephone sil vous plait", volleyball tourneys, paninis, scandanivian country clubs, Murphy's Irish Red, get out of class at noon and walk 100 feet to the beach, absinthe, Dann, Willy, Claude, Trash bitch, Helge, Hansson, Sarah, Tanya, Wicker, Adam, Julie, the rest of the CSB/SJU class, the 213 click, the black eyed peas "weekend", the Norwiegan girls, and everyone else at La College Internationale de Cannes!!

Erin and I were in town for two nights and a day and a half, just wandering all the streets, checking out the castle, exploring the market, walking through the marina and spying on the fancy boats. It was really great to return.

Not only did we visit Cannes, but as a former student, you can stay at the College for €30 a night, which is naturally what we did. Here’s the lowdown on things Cannes 10 years later.

Still strong – Quays, La Pizza, La Frigate, the market, the Petanque players, the little grocery store on the shortcut to town, 100 foot yachts, lots of expensive shops, beer at McDonalds, cold water.

Room one double O ain't rockin like its duce double O one.

The room interior definitely hasn't changed, though the desks have been upgraded.

Gone – the beach outside the college, the Moonlight café (now a gay club I believe – we didn’t try it out), the Panini shop, Tuesday night Champagne parties, Nutella and made to order items at the College Sunday brunch.

I was expecting my perception of Cannes would be completely different from reality, but thankfully it wasn’t, Cannes is about as I imagine it, a beautiful holiday spot with fast cars, expensive clothing, luxurious boats and lots of Sun. It was really great to return to the roots for a couple days and I poured a little for my homies in rememberance for a great semester abroad.

Cinque Terre, Italy

After years of trying to make our way to the Cinque Terre, we finally made it during the most recent bank holiday. We had initially booked flights to the Cinque Terre in July 2007, from our DC apartment right when we found out we were moving to Ireland. Due to a work trip we had to rearrange the trip and ended up going to Riga for a quick night versus a long weekend in the Cinque Terre. Alas, we made it. The pics we had previously seen and those you’ll see below do not begin to the villages justice. You’ll have to go yourself!

The area, Cinque Terre represents the five villages that are all connected only by footpaths and a railroad. As you'll see below, the villages are all perched on the side of the mountains amidst vineyards, lemon and olive trees and lots of woodlands.

To get to the Cinque Terre, its not too easy, but much easier than it used to be. You can fly to either Pisa or Genova and then get trains to the villages. From Pisa, you get the train to Pisa central and switch to a train that takes you to La Spezia. From there you have to get on the Cinque Terre regional train, which stops at all the villages. trenitalia.com allows you to plan your journey and even will give the trains you need and transfer times at all the stops. From the airport, it was about a 2 hour journey to Manarola.

We choose to stay in Manarola to stay in as it has the best recommended restaurant, it’s away from the more touristy Monterosso del Mare and Vernazza, and its beautiful! Manarola is the second city from the south (with only Riomaggiore more south).

We found a great place to stay called Vandiris (info@vandiris.com), which just opened (€120 per night, discounted based on number of nights). We were literally the first ones to stay in the hotel. There is currently only 2 rooms I believe, but they were working on the top floor units when we stayed. The view is spectacular and is perched right on the cliffs, overlooking the trainstation on the back side of Manarola. The view from the bed looking out over the terrace was incredible, definitely the nicest place we stayed on the trip. See the sea from our balacony, the first taken from the bed! There is a terrace below our room that the owner was working on when we were there and is expected to open in the next year. It will be amazing once it gets finished (the rooms need no more work as they are great). The shower in particular is great and is exactly what you need after a long hike. If you are looking for a place in Cinque Terre, book here and book early as there are only a couple rooms. I envision this place being sold out nightly once word spreads.

We stayed two nights in Manarola, doing the hike between Riomaggiore the first afternoon then the other hikes the second day. All of the villages were beautiful, but in particular we thought Vernazza was the prettiest, followed by Manarola. However, Riomaggiore is pretty close as you can see below.

Cappun Magru is the restaurant I mentioned before. It is in the little hamlet of Groppo, about a 20 minute gruelling walk up the mountain. We got the local bus up the hill to the town before dinner. The restaurant is an old house that has about 8 tables over two floors. The food itself was cooked great and the wife of the chef is the server and sommelier. What a great meal. After dinner I got a couple nice night shots of Manarola, the villages are equally pretty in the twilight. I suggest enlarging this one!

We got to Vernazza at about 10:30 the second day and tinkered around the town for a couple hours, having a picnic lunch on the pier before embarking on the hike to Cornigila. Vernazza is really amazing.

Once you get to Corniglia, you can see Manarola from afar. This pic is using a 200mm lens at dusk to scope out our base from afar. You can actually see our hotel, the very last building on the right, perched out on the cliffs, in redish colour (you may need to enlarge as well)!

The second day we had a great dinner at a restaurant in Corniglia - Cantina de Mananan. You need to make a reservation at this all-Italian speaking place that has it menu scribbled on a chalkboard (in Italian of course); you should probably bring your English-Italian dictionary as well, however, if the people next to you (generally Italians) speak English, they may be able to help! It makes an interesting meal when you are trying to figure out. We were seated at a table for four next to a nice Italian couple which added to the experience.

All in all, the beauty of the cinque terre and the accompanying amazing landscape exceeded all expectations and was worth the 3 year and 5 month wait!!

Picnics in the park

With so many great spots in London to picnic in, one would have a hard time to have to travel far to enjoy one of the great parks in the city to picnic in. As the weather has gotten better, Erin and I had two recent weeks with great weather, allowing for some great picnics. We did everything to make these picnics good except one thing, we forgot suncscreen.

Primrose Hill
This is a great spot to have a meal, some Pimm's or bubbly and let the hours go by while overlooking the city. Primrose Hill is very central, just off the north part of Regent's Park. We grabbed some fruit, bread and cheese, a bottle of champagne and our shades and headed for the park, meeting Desie, Sam Kate and Zeus.

This park is a little smaller than most but can easily accommodate hundreds of people and as mentioned, affords amazing views of the city.

Hyde Park
The following weekend we went to Hyde Park. One of the city's biggest and most central parks, home to the weekly American football game, acres of trees and paths and a public lawn bowling space that is perfect for an after-picnic match!

We went with Cam and Emily, had lunch in the Diana memorial park just south of the Serpentine, then headed for the lawn bowling pitch. Its really cheap to do at only £6 an hour to rent the balls. I highly recommend this activity for visitors and locals alike. You can also rent the entire pitch for a party or work function. I think Erin's money pasta salad prompted Cam to pop the question!

After work watering holes for Number One Dave Petersen

In an attempt to continue to explore new parts of the city, Erin and I have recently taken advantage of the greatly improved weather around the city to have a couple after work pints. One of the joys about England (and Ireland for that matter) that separate it from the US is the pub culture, where many people go from work for a pint or two, even on a Wednesday or Thursday night. Logistically, its much easier than in Minneapolis because people aren't driving, so I partially understand its hard to replicate in the US. One that the US doesn't allow though is on a nice day, allowing the patrons to spill onto the sidewalk to enjoy their beer while catching some rays, giving the vibe at the pubs great character!

I am also compiling this list for some good options for visitors coming to London to have some good local pubs up their sleeves, so hopefully this is helpful, Number One.

There are countless areas and pubs to do this in London. Erin and I recently have ventured out to the following areas for a couple drinks:

Farringdon
There are a couple unbelievable post work spots here, one worth mentioning for the crowd and one for the beer. First is the Crown Tavern, which is on a square that has a massive area for spillage. Tons of people, but the wait in line for a good range of Czech beers is rewarded by a great vibe.

Also in this area is the Jerusalem tavern (closed on weekends). While its situation doesn't benefit from the sunlight, the beer (and food I hear) are great. The Jerusalem tavern is in a really old building in one of the oldest parts of London and is the only pub in London serving the quality St. Peter's beer on tap. If you are a fan of good beers, you should check this place out.

Pimlico
Another beer lovers mecca, the Cask Pub and Kitchen, has perhaps the most appealing range of beers in the country. The beer bible they have for drinkers to browse has a great description of all the breweries and beers it has on offer, well over 200, with another 20 or so on tap. It is right on a corner and allows for great streetside drinking after a long days work. Most of the rare beers are Belgian or US beers, so there is no shortage of highly hoppy options.

Notting Hill
Perhaps our favorite pub in England, the Windsor Castle is also a great outdoor drinking locale (although its hard to want to sit outside when the character inside is so great). They have a massive beer garden but on nice days that packs up quickly, forcing revellers to the streets in front of the pub, making it a great lively atmosphere. Also close to the Windsor Castle is the Hillgate Pub, which is a local favorite as well.

South Kensington / Gloucester Road
Perhaps the best Mews Pub in London (with stiff competition from the Grenider in Belgravia) is the Queens Arms (30 Queensgate Mews, SW7 5QL). Situated in a quiet Mews, it allows for a large, boisterous post work crowd. This place is pretty hard to find so you don't see too many tourists with a Nikon in one hand and a pint of good ale in the other. The selection on tap here is very good with lots of independent breweries on offer. Its pretty close to the Natural History Museum, Royal Albert Hall and Hyde Park.

London Bridge
Other areas to outdoor pub include London bridge, where the many of the city's oldest and best pubs can be found. The Rake has the best selection south of the river (they also own Utobeer in the Borough market, which is one of the best off-sale beer grocers in the city) and always has rare, powerful tap options, including BrewDog and Stone. There is also the George Inn, which was formerly a coaching inn and has been a pub for several hundred years. The rake is connected to the Borough market so it makes a great post work Thursday or Friday spot. The George Inn has a massive patio so you can always get some fresh air at the George.

Mayfair
Great spots here include the Punch Bowl, the Coach and Horses, the Guinea and several pubs in and around the Shepherds Market area close to the Green Park tube. All of these places are very central and great for a post work (or post touring) beer.

But my award for the best post work pub goes to none other than my favorite pub in Dublin, Kehoe's. Nothing beats the outdoor scene on a Thursday at 6pm on a sunny evening....

Belgrade, Serbia...a hockey tournament!

Belgrade - not quite as known for its plethora of hockey talent as Minnesota or even Finland for that matter, but nonetheless, it recently served as the location for the annual London Spitfire hockey club weekend "tournament", which I had the pleasure of taking part in!

I have been playing hockey in London for the last 7-8 months just steps away from the Queensway tube station at a combination bowling alley hockey rink. The rink is about 1/2 the size of an NHL rink, but given the cost of real estate in London, the fact that any rink exists in Central London (8 minutes on the bus from our place), is amazing! The club, a great group of guys ranging from 23 to 50 and originating from Australia to Norway to France to Germany to the US and Canada, takes an annual trip to an exotic Eastern European location that includes a some good hockey, but mostly getting to know the local hot spots and restaurants.

I am not familiar with the names of all the places as for once I took a backseat to let some of the others do the planning, but I snapped a few photos to capture some of the highlights.

We arrived to some serious rush hour and after making it to our hotel, which I presume used to be an Intercontinental Hotel but is now shortened to the "Continental" hotel (simply by taking the "Inter" from the top of the hotel), we had a couple beers in the bar before making it to the first restaurant.  The size of the olives at the restaurant are nothing to shake a finger at (golf ball sized?). However, they were well outdone by the size of the steaks they brought out thereafter, big enough for the proudest tuscan man... perhaps big enough to make grown men cry. However, when 18 grown men in the form of a hockey team are dining, food doesn't stand a chance.

Following dinner we got a good glimpse of the old town on our way to a couple bars, followed by a club that had the top Serbian singer singing at it in front of a well-heeled crowd. Funny enough, this was the same singer that Joel, Erin and I saw at an over-the-top performance in Montenegro in August 2009, which included pyrotechnics that would never meet code in a fully industrialized country! If it wasn't the same singer (which I am 95% certain it is, I'd be surprised if someone reads this that knows enough Serbian pop to correct me).

The following day after a good nights sleep ;-) we did a bit of touring around town, seeing the castle/fortress, which is pretty much one of two sights in the city, the other being the orthodox church. If you aren't here for a sporting event, I would lean towards the other, more prominent cities of eastern europe (Prague, Riga, Krakow, Tallinn, anywhere in Croatia - if that is even eastern europe). See Antoine below trying out one of the old tanks.

After some sightseeing we made it to the rink, even getting in a round of synchronized some pre-game stretching amidst soviet-style housing.

The games went well, we won all four games against varying competition. We definitely were a bit woozy on the second day, but ended up winning all four games. The last team we played was the best, and they took us out to a good dinner spot that night, which ended at a great club called Stefan Brown's. The main pedestrian street in the city provides a great stroll and was nice to eat on for 2 of the 3 nights. 

The last night was a blow out night for the team, celebrating our success in Serbia on many levels, being the ice, at the dinner table, and at the bars! These are poor pics but it looks like DDS is about to do some breakdancing for the crowd. 

That pretty much sums it up, a little touring, a couple sentences about hockey, and no memory of most of the bars and restaurants we went to. So please don't use this a a guide to Serbia, because you won't get very far; mostly this is to share with you all back home that there is hockey in Belgrade!