Pilates rocks!

Still loving the pilates. I simply must follow up on this when I get back. Rejoin some of Betty's classes if I can? Try the studio on Frederickstraat again? Do the Shape Pilates app exercises? Certainly when I get back to Calgary I need to find a nearby studio, preferably with some of the equipment.

For the first day, I had a private lesson. I instantly got called out on all sorts of cheats that I didn't know I was doing and what muscles are permanently tight, which aren't working enough. All good.

The last two classes I've had with Natalie which has been good. Mealanie easily goes back and forth between the two of us tailoring our exercises for my tight quads and her sore back. They're an hour long in the room overlooking the pool and the rolling hills in the distance. You couldn't ask for a more inspiring place to do something good for your body.

I'd only ever done mat classes before but I've done quite a few new exercises with the reformers. Those I can't easily do upstairs on my exercise mat at home but I'm trying to take notes on new exercises I can bring back with me.

I'm always eagerly awaiting instructions for the next exercise, even if they are killers and I end up shaking as i complete the last rep. My brain often starts to overwork: lats engaged, core strong, shoulders down, quads OFF. The hour goes by quickly and then as the day progresses certain muscles start to make their presence known. I went to shoo a fly off my back yesterday and could hardly reach back. Ah, but it's such a good kind of sore and I'm furthering my goal of popping the bubble wrap covering my six-pack...if only I could stop eating those gorgeous French pastries Melanie picks up for us and the bread and wine which is in endless supply here.

When I went to town yesterday I asked how much I owed Melanie for the extra night and was surprised to hear 200€ until I remembered that I'd made the original transfers in sterling. Hmm...200€? It sounds steep but when you consider a (semi-) private pilates lesson at what? 50€? Three meals, with at least a 4 course dinner, and limitless wine, coffee, fruit and snack that might run you another 40-60€. Then there are the incredibly cozy and large rooms with everything you'd need plus the pool, the scenery, the tranquility? Yep, that is worth the money and it's been such a find that I'm thrilled that no one else's is coming tonight so I could extend my stay by one extra night.

My definition of a retreat.

Hmmm...where did those muscles comes from?! I do believe I feel sore from yesterday's pilates session. Excellent. Bring on the next one.

Debate over term 'retreat'. Melanie doesn't like it. She worries that implies something it's not. Interesting. I think when she hears that word she's thinking more of a monastic retreat, perhaps even a silent one, with limited food or alcohol, meditation or prayer time, that kind of thing. I use the term to mean escape from my real world where I can disconnect, focus on myself and my thoughts, do something healthy be it pilates, hiking or swimming. It's great to be in the country where I can recharge my batteries and disappear from the noise and bustle of a city. I want to observe what phase the moon is in, not just read about it. Can I find Cassiopeia? Can I spot a deer? Can I find time to sit and read a book? This is what I mean by retreat.

It's also interesting that there are women who come here to get some time alone. Ladies with the demands of a family and a job looking to check-out and do something they want to do. This place is perfect for them. And yet here I am, with all the time in the world to myself, always doing what I want, still looking for the same kind of escape.  It's a bit of a contrast and yet I think that in both cases it has to do with what you have and what you don't.

I'm reading this book called "Tales of a Female Nomad". After twenty some years of marriage, as it starts falling apart, she goes on a trip and discovers who she really is. That she can explore the world and go and do things without a man. Ironically, I have been doing that for the last fifteen years or so and have been looking for a man to share these adventures with the whole time. A variation of her story in reverse?

Here at the non-retreat I am as alone or social as I want to be. There aren't very many people here. Liz, the new arrival, has gone walking today...in 38'C heat. Yikes. Natalie and I just had pilates together and are chilling separately with our books. Melanie is doing work. But still, should I choose to go and chat, I could. I don't. Not now. Maybe later. This down time is brilliant and moreso because it's a choice. I can see, however, that this place isn't for everyone. Those who want complete solidude can't really get it because the meals are communal...and that is so nice, even if the conversation is occasionally stilted. Those who want people, people, people, won't get it either. There are only 4 rooms therefore, at max, this place will only accommodate 8 people. I feel like Golidlocks, for me this is just right!

An afternoon car trip to Cenac and Domme was a good escape from my 'escape'. I was excited to come back to the Dordogne after all, why not see some of the scenery? I'd been a sloth for pretty much 48 hours by then, time to stretch my legs.

It was a pretty meander through all the hamlets in the area as I took the back roads there. I thought I might get some 'intel' about canoeing tomorrow but couldn't really be bothered. Unplanned is the flavor of the holiday thanks very much. Instead I tested my stick shift driving skills, the clenched jaw was unavoidable, and drove up, up, up from Cenac to Domme through an old stone archway barely wide enough for a car and through an adorable little town. I didn't get to really enjoy it the first time through as I was scanning for a parking spot - as was everyone else. I didn't want to stop lest I need to make a hill start and roll back into the Mercedes behind me but before I knew it I was again pointing downhill, out through another gate and down to the main, larger parking area.

I walked back up the hill which suited me fine only I was roasting. I had a hat, my sunnies, and my paschmina wrapped around me in lieu of sunscreen. I'd put out my MEC thermometer in the shade and it read 36'C. A time & temperature sign in the sun in Cenac read 43'C. An average of 39'C was still more than double the average temperatures of the Netherlands in all of July! Good thing I had a water bottle with me.


Domme is a cute town with typical touristy shops which I quite like poking into. Jewelery, ceramics, clothing and food speacialties like foie gras (no thanks!) were everywhere. The ice cream shops were making a killing. There was a church I popped into to look at, they're always fascinating to go into, and briefly escape the heat. There was a cave that I opted to skip and instead went to a restaurant with a cafe on the town's cliff edge and ordered a glass of white wine (2.50€). I was dripping with sweat by the end of it but it was shaded so I could take off the paschmina and hat. The view was spectacular and I was quite content.

I arrived back at Les Tilleuls in time for the tail end of happy hour with our new arrival, Margaret - a teacher from London. I think we'd reached critical mass with English ladies and I let them discuss the English school system and TV shows I'd never heard of. They're all lovely but I think the heat had taken a lot out of me and I ended up excusing myslef and going to bed right after dessert was served.

For the record, tonight I tried duck for the first time. It was okay but I doubt I'd seek it out again on purpose. This place does seem to be playing up to my food dislikes. Melanie has commented more than once that she wished I'd been more specific on my food-form. Maybe I shouldn't move to France after all!

Bliss...

Just had my first pilates class with Melanie. It was so good! If seeing the farmhouse and countryside where Les Tilleuls is located didn't give me that frisson saying "Oh yes!", today's class locked in the feeling that I have come to the right place.

It's obvious that I've been able to cheat in Betty's classes. One-on-one means no cheating! I had no idea I used my hip flexors and quads so much when engaging my 'power-house'. We used the machines which I'd only ever tried once. I like them. Yep, I feel good. I feel like I've earned my day.

It also strikes me that this is a classic case of me liking what I'm good at. Okay, I'm no great pilates star but I'm far more capable of doing pilates than yoga. I'm drawn to what I'm good at. That makes sense but I'm aware of how limiting that can be. You can't instantly be good at everything. Many things need work and practice and then they become more rewarding. Am I really a instant gratification kind of person? Or am I just never going to like yoga?! And why am I trying to force it?

     

True, I need to stretch more and work on my flexibility. Running forces that issue. If i don't stretch, i don't walk properly the next day. The added bonus with running is that it burns the calories I eat in Haribo gummies!

True, yoga allows the mind to relax and helps you disconnect from the outside world. I can get that with massage. In a good massage session I can have an almost out of body experience. My breathing slows, my mind wanders and I'm present, I feel all the muscles being worked, and yet I'm elsewhere. I say I go to 'la-la land'. That is the zen I seek.

So we can get our bliss in many places. For a vast number of people, yoga seems to be that one-stop-shop for flexibility, strength, relaxation and an inner journey. For me, I seem to prefer mixing and matching several activities to get that benefit. I'm okay with that!

En route to Les Tilleuls...

The walls were thin in the hotel. Turns out I wasn't the only one staying there. They must have gotten in late. At some point after I'd turned off the light and gone to sleep I could hear them talking, turning on taps, walking around. Bah!

I woke without any alarms. I lay there for ages awake but not thinking of anything in particular. It was a lovely way to welcome the day. My first day of holiday on my own. My first day of me not being at the office when everyone else was. Didn't miss it a bit!

I handed my key in to a real person in the morning although they were just wrapping up from breakfast and getting ready to leave again. I've never seen such a automated hotel system before. It's interesting. It's efficient, but it's somewhat cold and soulless. I wonder if they have one of those robotic maids that they advertise in Skymall?!?!

I set out to look for breakfast and it proved to be no trouble whatsoever. Overnight, the quiet town centre had transformed into a huge market. I only discovered later that Monday the 15th was a bank holiday. Ah ha!

There was the usual clothing shops (from bohemian to old-lady styles), butchers, bakers, (no candle stick makers!), cheese, fruits and vegetables, olives, spices, toys, jewelry and hat vendors (apparently Caussade is the hat capital of the area). Hundreds of locals and tourists pushed their way through the crowds buying their wares on this gorgeous sunny day.

     

I bought 3 peaches, 3 nectarines and 1 pear for 2.60€. I bought a small wedge of Brie for 0.60€. I bought a baguette and and pain au raisins for 1.50€. I bought a sunhat for 5€. I already had a bottle of water so that was all I needed for the road. I made sure to stop for a cafe au lait at a cafe in the middle of the market and had a large for 2.20€. We saw grand cafe au laits going for upwards of 5€ in Paris. Ridicule!!!! And on my way back to the car, sucker that I am for picking up pieces of jewelry as I travel, I bought a funky bracelet for 18€.

And then I hit the road. I was plugging in towns into the GPS as I worked my way to Les Tilleuls. Turns out there are several towns in France with the same name! When it said the journey would be 5 hours, I figured I might have chosen the wrong one. When I chose one that appeared nearby and drove out of town in the opposite direction I'd come, my spidey-senses kicked in and I tried another town that took me in a more sensible direction. GPS's are great but they can make you stupid, reliant on them and can cause you to forget to look at signs. As someone once said, they're GPS's, not auto-pilots!!!

I went up and down many hills, past gorgeous forests and fields and through several quaint villages. It was a pretty drive and I didn't mind taking the scenic (read:long) route. I stopped and had a bite to eat in this small town that was nearly deserted save for a group of young hikers nearing the end of what looked like a pilgrimage of sorts as they stopped and gathered at the town church. I ate my fruits, bread and cheese and watched them for a while feeling a bit guilty that I had food as they searched in vain for a store that was open so they could buy something to eat or drink.

As I approached the last town on the map I'd studying and pre-loaded in my iPad Map app, I figured it was time to look at Melanie's written instructions for the fine tuning of my route. Hmmm...no mention of the town of Cazals on my route. The GPS told me it was 20mins in a direction I didn't expect to go. The next hour took me down roads I wasn't supposed to go down beacuse I'd misread the next line of the instructions. My spparent lack of common sense and the heat were making me frustrated. I wished I'd plunked her instructios into Google Earth prior to arriving. I'm so much more of a visual navigator and without a co-pilot to read the instructions to me, it took twice as long as it should have. Still...it was pretty countryside....it's the journey, not the destination...can I be done driving now, please?!?!?

I initially felt frustrated at the lack of signs. Come on? How hard is it to put up a few breadcrumbs? Then I got here. I was greeted by Melanie and shown around. I saw this place and got it. There is no need for signs. There is no place for signs. This is a retreat. Somehow even advertising it on the road seems to take away from how special a find it is.

I settled in to my gorgeous room, did a little happy dance at my luck in finding this place and joined Melanie and Natalie, the only other guest tonight, up on the balcony at the pigeonerie for a welcome drink. It was so warm in the sun and I didn't last long before feeling drawn in by the lure of the swimming pool.










A swim, the cracking open of a new book, a happy-hour drinks/nibblies and a 4 course dinner outside from sunset to the twinkling of the first stars made me a happy girl.

     

There's no internet here. There's only going to be about 4 other guests. There's inspiring scenery and peace and quiet. This is even better than I'd thought it would be. The words 'score!', 'unplug' and 'bliss' went through my mind. I'm going to be very happy here for the next several days!

Technologie!

Our last day in Paris was short as I flew to Toulouse and Andrew and Sherrin had a mid-afternoon train to catch. We started the day with the obligatory french breakfast complete with pastries and coffee. We then wandered around and went exploring and found parts of the city we'd never heard of but enjoyed very much.

We only managed to check out of the hotel then check our bags in to left luggage at Gare du Nord. We grabbed some fuel in the form of coffee, freshly squeezed orange juice and one of the best croissants any of us had had in a long time! Instead of Sacre Coeur or a mouche boat trip we opted to keep it simple a walk around near the Gare du Nord. In the end we wandered down a lovely canal and over to check out the Stalingrad memorial and the city canal which proved to be a great find, even before the sun came out which made it even better.

One glass of wine later and I had to get moving back to la Gare to hop a train to the airport. I was a bit ancy about it for some reason but I lucked out and caught a direct train to Charles de Gaulle. There are 2 terminals there and it didn't say which I needed on my ticket so I gambled and chose wrong but there's a free shuttle between the two terminals. The only problem was that my back teeth were floating and I was SO uncomfortable. Not a fun feeling. But...I made it and once I got checked in I had some time to make enquiries for Saturday's 'no-time-for-mistakes' trip from Toulouse to Split with 1 checked bag, 2 different airlines and 3 hours (in theory) between the flights.

Landing in Toulouse necessitated me shaking off the fatigue induced stupor I was in from 2 late nights and all that walking in Paris. Right...time to get behind the wheel of a car. Remember how to drive?!? Have I ever mentioned how glad I am that I know how to drive a stick shift?! Yeah - pretty much all cars here are sticks. Well, it has been a while but it came back very easily and I did well except for one flash of a speed camera. CRAP! Busted!

This is pretty country. I passes a couple of fields of sunflowers which I hope to find another one or two of to photograph tomorrow. I've seen several apple orchards and vinyards and signs for cherries. I'll be on the lookout for more tomorrow!

For now, I am content to have an early night. Two late nights in a row and I'm pooped. I have just settled in to my hotel in Caussade. It appeared to be about halfway between Toulouse and the pilates place. I didn't have a reservation for a hotel though, I decided to play it by ear...and what an odd tune it turned out to be.

I pulled into town and spotted the main hotel right away. When I walked up to the reception I dutifully noted the "tirer" sign and did not push the door. But it didn't budge. I tried again. I peered through the glass. All closed up. Nobody home. But the sign that said they were open 24h/7d. Huh? And they had signs out on the sidewalk.

Looking a little closer I noticed that it said that on Sundays the office was closed but you could use 'the machine' to pick up your keys. This was new so I looked more closely and discovered that I could use this machine in the front foyer of this hotel to make a reservation on the spot. It was just like checking in to my flight today.

How many adults? Kids? Nights? What kind of room? Breakfast? What kind of credit card? Please stand back while we print your receipt and drop your key...and not a credit cardy type key, but rather a small silver grooved key. I wasn't sure if there wasn't a hidden camera there...it was so unusual and I was shaking my head and grinning the whole time.

Checking out the room I'd have to say, 'well, at least it's clean'. And quiet...because there's NO ONE here. How odd it was to walk into this big hotel and not see a soul. How odd to be the only car in the parking lot out back. How odd to just show myself in. And if I'd planned ahead, I never would have had this odd experience. That's serendipity twice in the same day!!!

Quote of the day: I am thankful for many things in my life. Today I am particularly thankful that I don't have a gluten allergy!

The search for a caramel sundae!

After a poor sleep, I'm not used to the noises of the city and another person in the room nor going to bed so physically exhausted at 2:30AM, we got up and ready and went to find Sherrin and Liam. We were eager to swap stories from the night before.

Breakfast was pain au raisin from a boulangerie down on Avenue des Gobelins before deciding on a rough plan of attack for the day. Given the logistical challenges of getting Liam on to the underground, although there were 3 of us, we opted to do as much walking as we could. While we were on our way to Les Jardins de Luxembourg the skies opened up signal ing that it was time for coffee. Hey - when Mother Nature gives you a sign, you listen!

We hit the gardens a short time later and they proved to be a real find. I love green spaces wherever I travel and this was an oasis in a concrete jungle. What pleased Andrew and Liam most was the fountain where they were sailing mini-sailboats that you could rent for 2€/30mins. Andrew was in there like the big kid he is but we kept having to watch the little kid as he tried to climb over the edge and get to the boats!

We stopped for crepes, candies and toys on the way out at one of the old-fashioned and adorable little kiosks. While waiting we heard, then saw, a cat caught up a tree. I actually got a video of it working it's way down the tree which was pretty cool. Too bad no pompiers had to be called...I would have enjoyed the 'scenery'!

There is an incredible variation in prices of things in Paris and the first restaurant we inteded to have lunch at had 5€ cokes and coffees. NEXT! None were great but we found one a little bit more reasonably prices just as the skies opened up once again. It turned out at those two sets of showers, for coffee and for lunch, were the only ones of the day and it turned into our first collective nice, summer day.

The afternoon had Sherrin on a mission to find this amazing little tea shop she'd been to before. iPhones are quite the inventions! It had moved from before so we wandered around on a hunt and found it. Success. Then on to hang out at the grounds of Notredame. Once again the lines were ridiculous and we opted to just sit and people watch. By that time I was sleep walking anyway and I was desperate for a nap. Fortunately so was Liam!

We had dinner at Le Manufacture, not our hotel but the restaurant across the way. What is it with the French wanting their meat so rare. COOK the hamburger please! Ah well, the service was good and quick (!) and when we left it was Liam's bedtime and time for Andrew and I to make our way to the Lido for the 21h30 show.

Only...it wasn't enough time. We tried to take the metro but went into an entrance where you couldn't buy tickets. Crossing the street to another entrance and looking at the time, we opted for a cab ride. It turned out to be a very expensive cab ride, 30€, but she got us there with little time to spare before the show and she was quite entertaining to speak to and practice my French with.

The Lido show was quite something. I'd heard it was a classier version of Le Moulin Rouge. Sounded promising despite my initial gasp at the price tag of 100€. I let Andrew make the call if he was game for that and he said okay, so off we went.

We were seated moments after it had started on the balcony at the very back in a little booth with a bottle of champagne chilling. While I don't normally like champagne, I have to say that this was actually pretty darned good. The show was enjoyable though it was obvious the chorus dance performers didn't really have their hearts in it. Perhaps the toll of two shows a day has taken the sparkle of it from them. And the main star, I hate to say it, was a bad singer. I'd expected more from a principle character but the 'more' came in an unparalleled way with the set design.

I've never been to a show that had a mock up of a Thai temple revolving up and out of the floor with the lowest level of statues actually dancers. While that was impressive, I wasn't expecting the Lippizaner stallion (aka the prancing ponies) to hippity-hop across the stage, the ice rink to come up a couple of numbers later and get treated to a mini pairs figure skating routine, nor the acrobat in the tighty-whities swirling and spinning on two curtains. Amazing! All in all it was a really good night out and a great show.

After the show we wandered up and down the Champs d'Elysees to see the Arc de Triomphe and across the Seine to get a better look at the Eiffel Tower. We'd planned on taking the metro there but it was closed for repairs. So we walked to the next station to take us to the Place d'Italie. In the end we took the metro 6 stops and walked the rest of the way back to the hotel with one important side-trip. The acquisition of the coveted caramel ice-create, sundae was only complete at 01h30, and our thrid McDonald's stop and just before closing. It tasted so good. ..as did the fries and Andrew's burger that we ended up adding to the order since we'd certainly earned it.

Pari-Roulant!

I had to work today. My heart wasn't in it but my to-do list was long. I spent all morning getting through about 80% of them, after that I would pack, work, shower, work, dry my hair, work. It was good that the morning was so prodcutive because the afternoon sure wasn't!



And yet...with all that time to prepare and pack it is BY FLUKE that I happened to look in my wallet by the door when my shoes were on and I was ready to go that I thought to have one last, unsuccessful look for my PADI card and found my driver's licence just sitting there. OOPS! I kinda need that! Cripes, if I had forgotten that, renting cars (which is the plan for nearly 2 weeks!) would have been niet mogelijk!!! Phew!

Met Sherrin at HS, met Andrew in Rotterdam. We hopped on to car 18 and Liam had a mini meltdown. It proved fortunate in the end since we initially just tried to stay out of people's way and find places to put our luggage. In the end we found the quiet and out of the way customs car. It was rather private - by design! Shaded doors and handcuff hooks on the wall suggest this isn't a place you want to HAVE to sit but it worked out well for us because the conductor let us stay and it was our own, very comfortable private car. Hurrah!

Andrew and I didn't have much time between arriving in Paris and the start of the Pari-Roulante start time of 10PM from Gare de Montparnasse. We managed to all cab it to the hotel, ditch our stuff, change and cab it over to the station.

We knew we were in the right place because we started to see more and more people with roller blades. It was so exciting to be a part of this. They have had crowds of up to 20000 people before. I'd say that the 12th of August, and the full moon no less, started with maybe 1000 and filtered down to 300ish by the end at 1AM.

I was initially quite cautious. I hadn't bladed in a while and wasn't used to the crowds. There were hot shots weaving in and out of the crowds and just givin'er! I had to watch the people around me and the pavement which varied in quality from recently resurfaced patches which were so nice to skate on, to pot-holes, to cobbles that had been paved but the pavement was coming off to no-getting-around-it, serious-foot-numbing cobbles. When we got off the first patch of cobbles it was funny as everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief!

It was amazing to tear through town like this. I originally though we might skate around Paris, but no...we skated through Paris. What a great way to be a tourist! We went past the Arc de Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower, Notredame, and many other places I want to trace on a map. We had many little breaks through the night as they gathered the skaters prior to blocking off traffic at the more major intersections. The longer break took place at the Place de Vendome.


It was around that time, an hour and a half in=halfway, that Andrew and I were both feeling quite tired. It would have been okay to stop then. I'd loved every minute of it until then, despite the appearance of a few ambulances along the way...not surprising really! In any case, as we both pushed each other to keep going for one more break, we got to the point that the 3hour mark and 30km finish line were so close that we figured we might as well finish. And we did! Hurrah...now for celebration drinks!

       

Before drinks, though, I had planted the seed about a McDonald's caramel sundae. We were both fixated on that and terribly disappointed that they were closed at 1AM and we'd missed them by 15mins. So a beer for Andrew and a piña colada for me to toast our fabulously fun night had to suffice.