Nous Sommes Arrivés en France! – UPDATED, June 16
When we left Mas Lluerna we essentially took a weeks vacation although we were busy every day with planning or travel. We took our time and spent one night at Jordi’s house (our first host in Spain) and the next three nights at Carmen’s lovely home with her and her daughter. Thursday morning we bid farewell to Balaguer and took a three hour bus ride to Girona in order to take a thirty minute train to Figueres, birthplace of Salvador Dali and home of Gemma: “Awesome First-Time Couchsurf Hostess”! Gemma is somewhere in her late 30s and lives alone in a flat her grandmother left her right in the heart of Figueres, a lovely almost-coastal town in the northeast of Spain, roughly twice the size of Balaguer. Her livelihood consists mainly of being an expert in the ancient and well respected art of olive tree maintenance which involves artistic pruning skills. Her flat is lovely and decorated heavily with treasures she’s brought home from her ten years of annual pilgrimages to India. Jon and I took a lovely walk about town before returning to join Gemma and a friend for a late supper. The next day we decided immediately that we were going to accept Gemma’s offer to stay an additional night so that we could spend the better part of the Friday enjoying the splendid and fantastic Dali museum.
On Saturday morning it was time to leave, but not before stopping by the open air market on the way to the train. We bought fresh fruit and olives to have with our picnic lunch. As our train ticket (only €2 to get to France) was only date specific and we had plenty of daylight, we decided to pay our first visit to the Mediterranean Sea at the small border town of Portbou (still in Spain). The trains run frequent enough that we had a three hour window until the next train to the French side – perfect occasion for lunch by the sea. Needless to say, it was wonderful.
On the French side we encountered our first sticker shock – things in France are way more expensive, especially travel. To get to Perpignan by train, roughly the same distance to Girona in Spain (which is €4 each) the fare was €7.25 – almost double the price! Granted, this is still not that much but we were really happy with the transport costs in Spain. Alas, our fears of higher prices was confirmed when the 40 min. bus ride to Amelie was about the same price.
from Jonathan’s journal, Saturday April 19:
Having negotiated the French city of Perpignan, we are both having some anxiety around this transition into France – where French is to be my forté and Christine is now coming to terms with being uncomfortably unfamiliar with the language. This is a role-reversal situation where we are both having to learn new forms of patience. On this bus to Amelie-les-Bains, there is a “no cellphone” sign which pleases me. Heading towards our next farm, Mas de la Fargassa, I’m hopeful we won’t have to deal with too many language barriers…
Well everyone here speaks English, even the French and German couple (Marie and Samuel). When we arrived at Mas de la Fargassa, after a winding, twisting haul up into the valley of our local stream, it was a birthday celebration time for a 20 y.o. American from Kentucky, Mariah. The salad was super delicious with lots of herbs and sunflower seeds and my month-long prayer for pizza was answered with a whole-grain dough topped with goat cheese and lots of yummy veggies. We also had a bit of leftover lasagna to boot. For dessert there was fresh strawberry ice cream that our host Madhu had made and Apple-crisp cake topped with magic candles that had everyone laughing at Mariah’s attempts to extinguish with her flustered breaths. I was just in 7th heaven to be experiencing the joys of great food and great company.
Afterwards we all pitched in to wash the dishes and put things away. The dishwater is heated by a wood stove and the kitchen is more commercial in function (which has me excited). We chatted with Franny who was leaving for Paris the next morning to see an old friend of 2 years. She and Mariah had both read Off the Map* and the four of us shared a moment of solidarity in that corner of our collective philosophy.
Later Madhu showed us to our quarters, a really awesome caravan on the other side of the stream from the main house (there is a causeway and a raised footbridge which link us and the road to the other side). The camper is perfect, just cleaned by Samuel, with electricity for lights by which I’m writing this.
Earlier, I’d stepped out to enjoy the full moon rising over the valley. It’s light was draping the western side of the valley in a crisp luminescence while our camper was still firmly in the darkness. I joined the campfire with my new friends and the two dogs, Gita a newly adopted stray, and Mira an old sweetheart.
We passed around the guitar and sang songs, while telling of our stories and travels. I’m really appreciating the camaraderie. Now as I drift off to sleep, above the sound of the wind and the babbling brook, “Let the sun shine, let the sunshine in!”
(I think we will like it here)
* Off the Map is a very inspirational book originally published as a zine. We both consider this recommended reading to go along with this blog. Please request it from your local library, or better yet, buy a copy for you and your friends. It is available from Crimeth, Inc. publishing. The author is Hib Chickena.
Tags: Second Month, Travel, Tag Index
seeingspain
April 27th, 2008 at 6:55 am
The book is ordered, can’t wait to dive into it. OBTW the publisher is Crimethinc ( not Crimeth).
April 27th, 2008 at 8:58 am
hey you crazy cats,
just finally caught myself up on a month of your travels after tracking down this webpage again and must say that I envy your spring compared to mine.
there, you are reaping the benefits of cooperative living, here, all different political ventures are making sure it is very difficult for me to operate the one I am organizing.
The self empowerment in the air must be inspiring to the max. It is great to read the excitement in your blogs. I remember that feeling, and after being home for over a year now, your stories from afar are just what I need to taste the travel again. Thank you for being so thorough and descriptive.
Hows the music your listening to?
do these farms have any adversaries? any politically driven forces opposing them?
Keep up the good work.
look forward to the next post.
much love,
d
May 3rd, 2008 at 6:16 pm
Hey kids,
Just finished reading the last two installments and I am so happy and excited for you. We found the blog and read it with the Petties a few weeks ago. They have the link and are enjoying your adventures. Seth and his wife Liz stopped by today. We showed them pictures of you and Christine from the trip and before.
Take good care of yourselves.
Love
Dad
May 3rd, 2008 at 8:59 pm
[IMG]http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a125/dustonlarsen/pics2128.jpg[/IMG]
May 3rd, 2008 at 9:00 pm
OOps guys that didnt work….!damit
June 14th, 2008 at 3:55 am
In Response to milwaukeedave,
Thanks for asking such a great question! Yes indeed the farms we’ve been to DO have politically driven forces opposing them but not in the way you’d think. As far as the WWOOFing goes, it’s technically illegal in France because the room and board is considered compensation but it’s only really a problem if they’re hosting French helpers because then the State is missing out on tax revenue – it all comes back to money doesn’t it?
Speaking of money, on the Spanish side of the Pyrennees, the province of Lleida, where we stayed for five weeks, will be missing some of their irrigation water thanks to the Socialist bureaucrats in Barcelona. They decided that the exploding population and tourism industry is worth more than the crops that will be lost once they start piping water from the Rio Segre over hundreds of kilometers to the thirsty city. The Segre, like most northern Spanish rivers, originates in the Pyrennees, not far from here at La Fargassa actually, and Barcelona will be tapping fairly close to the border which deprives nearly all of the farmers in Lleida of the water that is necessary to their livelihood. They say there’s enough for everyone but that remains to be seen.
On both sides of the Pyrennees, the people everywhere are fighting a proposed high-tension power line to cut across the mountains from France to Spain (potentially to sell power to Morocco). Of course this again comes back to money but for the people in the mountains who won’t see a penny – their concern is health and safety – something that money doesn’t relate to very well. It’s encouraging to see the signs, stickers and grafitti everywhere that firmly says “Non!” or pictures a Catalan donkey kicking over an electric tower. It’s also nice that local authorities are firmly and even actively opposed, in one instance, expanding a park boundary to block a proposed route.
In the end, it seems, the same battles of capitalists versus human rights are playing out everywhere but it’s nice to be in a place where the people stand in solidarity with each other against the fat cats. – Thanks again for your comments and keep ’em coming!