Our friends Mitzi and Alain gave us the best Valentine's Day present ever... a week in their apartment on the Mediterranean while they were in Egypt. We also enjoyed the time we were able to spend with them before and after their trip. February may not seem like the ideal time to visit Provence, but in fact it is really wonderful. It feels as if we are on the cusp of Spring, a delicate edge of gentle but decidedly cool breezes which balance the heat of the sun, which in Spring and Summer might become too hot.

This morning, as we walked down the path to the boulangerie, I was struck by the softness of Provence. The only sound was the soft cooing of doves. Delicate almond blossoms have started to bloom, giving the leafless branches a cushion of white and pink. Even the pine trees look soft as if their needles would feel more like feathers than needles. The warmth and light of the sun is soft as well as the blue of the sky. All the colors are soft as well: dusty blue, lavender, pink, cream and beige. Even the red of the roofs seems softer than red tile roofs elsewhere.




Today we hiked on a trail that went above the highest cliffs of Europe, the Calanques. Even the cliffs were softened by the trees and haze.










It is all such a contrast to the boisterous energy and colors, noise and dirt of South America... kind of like being shot out of a circus canon and landing in a fluffy feather bed.

La Ciotat is a pretty Mediterranean town.





The downtown has winding streets and stone buildings with boutiques and boulangeries, most of which see, only to be open a fez hours in the morning. Alain and Mitzi's condo is in the East end of town. To get to the center we walk down a pine shaded trail then through a residential area with pretty Provencal houses, cream colored with red roofs and yards with blooming trees. Stone walls and cast iron gates separate the owners' little paradises from the mundane street. Past the bakery where we get fresh baguettes and pain au chocolate, the street leads down to the long waterfront.




Often when we walked, it was almost empty. On Sunday afternoon, however, there were lots of children in the parks, mothers pushing prams, and couples walking hand in hand. There were numerous courts where people played boules, or pettanque, which is probably the favorite game of Provence.




I was pleased to learn that La Ciotat had been the home of the Lumiere family, and the train station there had been the subject of one of the Lumiere brothers' first films.

As we checked in at the airport, the ticket person casually mentioned we'd be stopping in Brazil for an hour. We wouldn't be getting off the plane(we need a visa for Brazil anyway). It was kind of an odd thing to hear at the last minute but I'd read Air Comet was known for delays and we were actually relieved since this would bean we'd arrive in Madrid at 7-7:30 AM instead of 5. We hoped we'd stop in Rio so we could at least see the huge Jesus statue from the plane. As it was, we stopped in a city I'd never heard of and it was dark so we couldn't see anything anyway. We both managed to sleep a little on the plane. Once in Madrid, we went directly underground from the airport to the Metro station to the bus station. By the time we'd stored our luggage, checked our bus tickets for the evening and taken a Metro ride to the center, we'd been in Madrid for 2 and a half hours without actually seeing the city.

Madrid was a lot prettier than I remembered it. The buildings were decorated with statues and carvings and there were cobblestoned pedestrian streets.













We had a light breakfast: coffee, orange juice, croissant, then started exploring. It was a beautiful day with a cloudless blue sky. Although there was a bit of a chill in the air, it is winter here after all, the sun quickly warmed us. As we walked by statues and fountains, we noticed musicians were already appearing on the streets: classical, jazz, flamenco, and gypsy swing.




We walked by the palace (closed for a private event), then followed narrow streets past buildings with wrought iron balconies.




Eventually the narrow streets passed under an archway




which opened into Plaza Mejor, a huge square surrounded by cafes and ornate buildings, my favorite of which looked like it had been decorated with pastel or chalk drawings. (Though I'm sure it was something more permanant.)







After a lunch of sandwiches, we visited the Prado. Rowshan commented how the quality of the art was amazing compared to many of the paintings we'd seen in South America. I was impressed by a carved marble bust of Queen Isabelle with her features showing through a veil. At first I'd thought a fabric veil had been draped on the sculpture but it was actually all carved in marble. There was a special exhibit on large historical oil paintings as well. We also got to see Goya's Saturn Eating His Children as well as my favorite painting, The Garden of Earthly Delights.

By the time we'd finished, we were beginning to feel the effects of jet lag and minimal sleep. We headed back to the bus station, bought some crackers and cheese and a couple eclairs, then boarded the bus which was nowhere near as luxury as the Argentinian ones.

There was a dinner stop where we bought a couple small Spanish tortillas. As we were waiting for the bus to leave, Rowshan announced our spending for the day (not including the bus). Our metro tickets, food, museum and luggage storage had added up to 75 dollars! We realized we were definitely not in South America anymore.

For our last day in Buenos Aires, we took a train to Tigre in the river delta area. For me, the words "River Delta" conjure images of the deep South, New Orleans, and the swamps with Spanish moss dripping off the branches.









Here the river delta is full of vacation homes and complexes. The river terminal area has cafes and some nice areas for walking. We signed up for a boat tour. The ticket seller gave us 2 choices. One was leaving immediately but she said it was like a bus, making numerous stops. The other, leaving in an hour, was a tour so it didn't make stops but included a guide. Since both were the same price we opted for the guided tour.

We came back in an hour and boarded the boat. As it slowly pulled away from the dock, we realized most of the time we wouldn't hear the guide over the sound of the engine. I did catch her saying something about boats being the main form of transportation, like buses, for years and years and therefor, to demonstrate this, we would be making a few stops.

About 200 feet away from the dock we made our first stop. Many more followed. As we were leaving Tigre, we moved past an elegant museum and a shoreline full of restaurants.




The river we followed was very civilized. Houses had been built on the banks with docks. Lawns had been cleared from the forest and inhabitants lounged in bathing suits. Occasionally we would see a water bird or a patch of uncleared forest. The area had definitely been a place where wealthy people from Buenos Aires had escaped and set up vacation homes for quite a while. One old house, a museum, had been completely enclosed in glass.




The boat trip was relaxing with the water cooling the heat of the sun.

As we returned to our hotel, we encountered a street full of dancing costumed people. "Is it carnaval today?" I asked Rowshan. It was Tuesday which is the wrong day for a protest according to the Rowshan theory of South American Protesting. It turned out to be a protest to restore Carnaval as a national holiday.