old tiger's Blog

Paris..is huge..but a marvelous place..if you know how to discover it..
during my stays in Paris...I went to stroll around day after day..
I made my visa's for Mauretania...and other African countries..
but inbetween..i took time to visit the classics..Eiffel tower..
impressive architecture really..I loved Montmartre,Notre Dame..
use this link for a visit to Paris... http://www.paris-tourisme.com/atoz/index.html
mus?e de l'Homme is an etnological museum which needs a good visit..
so does the Louvre..Champs Elys?es..the little roadside brasseries..
i went one day with Cathy and her dude to Porte the Clignancourt..
a flea market...good strolling..Paris is divided in 20 arrondissements..
I was staying in the 11th..Rue du Folie M?ricourt..just a side street..
just around the corner a bakery(boulangerie)a grocer store...
i bought a piece of bread..some cheese..and set off for the vast Paris..
it needs planning really..it involves subway(m?tro)as well..
one day..we went to Noisy le Roi..a suburb of Paris..
where Cathy's parents were living..her Dad was Vietnamese..her mother French...
loveley people they were..they even served Vietnamese food..
i recall nuoc mom(a smelly fish sauce??)by 6 p.m..both Cathy+Christian
finished their jobs..and we spend some time listening to music..
or just talking...but..my days in Paris were ending..
I was gonna go and start my trip towards Barcelona (Spain)
had to cross the whole of France..and some very funny thing happened..
the second day..after I left Paris..will tell you all later....
I intended to cross via Ceuta into Morroco towards T?touan..
but..it did not work out that way..pity...hair too long...bwaaah..rules?

So..let me tell you all..grape picking can be fun..
but it's not an easy thing to do..the owner signs you in..
you get a sleeping accomodation,usally most people used their
own sleeping bag..it was a bunk bed system..comfortable enough..
because in the evening one really gets tired..
in the morning it's early rising..breakfast..baguette(French bread)
with jam or cheese..and coffee..then it's starting towords the place
of action..a tractor took us there..now..everyone got a small curved knife..
and a basket..to put in the grapes..one starts at the bottom
of the hill upwards..in the beginning it's big fun..a dude with a huge
type of basket called *la hotte* in French..walks around to collect
our filled baskets..we all had a joke about an old grandpa...in short
trousers..who picked with us at the start...at the top..we did not joke
anymore with this dude..he finished his row 15 min..before any of us..
he picked grapes for 25 years....so..we learnt our lesson here..
at noon..we were taken back home..for a meal..it was nice to talk to
all these folks of all walks of life..they were tramps..travellers..or even
professional pickers..like the old dude..I guess we all did it for the little
extra money..food at noon..was French..good..the bottle of wine..
was heavy...and went to my head at times...wooohah..red wine..
made me lazy..and we still had to pick the whole afternoon..
we all came back tired..it's working in a bended position whole day long..
the grapes..pick allright..but if it had rained at night..
the bunches became slippery..and picking was no fun then..
we all spent our evenings talking..or going to the one and only local pub..
for a beer..or another glass of wine..
I would suggest to you all..
if you ever get the chance to do a *vendange* please try it out..
it's great fun..you meet people who really enjoy doing this..
after about 8 days picking..well..I had enough of it..
I got payed my wages by the vineyard owner..
and I returned by hitchhiking..to Paris..
where I stayed again in Cathy's flat..for 8 days..
the big adventure towards Africa..was just beginning to take form..
I guess..i was ready for it..it was a big adventure trip anyway...
Tiger

I worked every day..from 08.00h to 17.00h..
i got payed all right..and got a decent amount of money..
i wrote a letter to Cathy in Paris..she wrote back..
i knew Cathy from a Scandinavia trip..met her in Rovaniemi(Finland)
i was welcome to stay at her flat in Oberkampf district..
she got married to a dude who had been in Afghanistan..
he worked for air France at Paris airport..
i wanted to prepare all my Africa visa's for different countries..
so one fine day..it was in september..i travelled to Paris..
I've always loved Paris..big city with lots of charm..
I easily found Cathy's adress..got my own key..to get in even..
nice little flat..she loved Crosby,Stills,Nash&Young..
now Paris..is allright..but it involved subway travell..
i visited embassies of Senegal and Mali..
and got info on vendange...vendange is grape picking..
i got an adress in Beaujolais regio..Chiroubles..
and Cathy told me..leave your stuff here in Paris..
and go and earn some extra money in the vendange..
so I did..I left Paris...after 6 days..reached Dijon the first day..
and Chiroubles the next day..the vineyard owner payed 35 FF=
French francs+3 meals a day+1 bottle of wine+free sleeping..
I left my passport in Paris..I did not need a passport for France..
I will tell you all how grape picking is done..and what happened..
i worked 8 days..hitched back to Paris..stayed another 8 days
in Paris..i recall my Paris days..got free food/lodging..great...
on the way back from Africa...again went to Paris for 4 days..
i recall it was beginning march...and damn cold..in fact I was broke..
300Kms south of Paris..on my return from Tunisia via Marseille..
Cathy payed my train ticket to Brussels..from Paris..great folks..
Tiger

Next day..I crossed the German-Dutch border at Denekamp...
Dutch is my mother tongue..got picked up by some youngsters..
who drove towards Arnhem..all the way in 1 go..great..
Arnhem towards Nijmegen-Eindhoven was a piece of cake..
from Eindhoven it's about 45kms.to my village..via Valkenswaard..
reached home in the afternoon..my brother returned from work..
he told me the sad news..my grandfather had died 1 week earlier..
nobody knew where I was exactly..so they could not send a message..
my grandfather reached the blessed age of 91 years..
he died of natural causes..just old age..next day..went to pay..
my honours at his grave..he was a nice fellow...a real joker..
now..he was no more..I felt bit sad really..
i had to find some work to get money for my Africa trip..
it turned out..that a friend of my Dad wanted his house painted..
outer walls..doors..the whole thing..lots of work..and cash..
these days...one had to be careful..it was work in the black..
if they caught me with it..it meant a fine..damn system..uhuh??
Tiger

so Aabenraa(Denmark)is a short distance to the border crossing
called Padborg Krusa..busy border crossing..I took the highway
entrance direction Neum?nster-Hamburg..it was not easy to hitch
in one go over Hamburg city..it's huge..I got dropped in Norderstedt...
which is north of Hamburg..Hamburg is situated on the Elbe river..
and is a very busy seaport..it had even in these days a reputation
of bars..hookers..and crime..but the people itself..are real nice..
got a ride which took me to a rastst?tte before Hollenstedt..and that
was O.K..because it's over Hamburg city..direction Bremen..
in these days..Germany was never a problem for getting a ride..
a huge net of highways..and lots of traffic..one could really do some
distances..i reached Bremen..and later on Osnabr?ck..
from there I tried to reach Hengelo(Holland)but I didn't make it..
slept overnight on a parking lot in Nordhorn..directly on Dutch border..
tomorrow..I would reach home..that's for sure..