Thursday, May 29, 2008
Christian
The team was invited to Christian's home for lunch. He is part of the exchange team that visited District 6920.
Olive Festival
The team attended an olive festival in Nimes. This is a picture of Bridget and Ellen with the maker of award winning olive oil.
Exchanging of Banners
Jean is exchanging banners with our hosts from Nimes. Above the door to the restaurant, you can see the symbol of Camargue which is seen frequently in the area.
Tour of the Perrier Factory
We learned about the history of Perrier and toured the factory. This is the site of the original spring where Perrier comes from.
Tour of the Perrier Factory
The team was treated to a tour of the Perrier Factory. Here members of our group pose for a photo with our host Jean-Frances to advertise a new product.
Food
Marinated in white wine, bull beef along with rice is a traditional dish served in Camargue. (Note the bull on the top of the plate).
More flowers
These flowers were in Anne Marie Frances's garden.
In Southern France, roses are planted at the end of the row of grape plants. Bugs which would harm the grapes are attracted to the roses instead!
Our presentation
Before a lovely dinner with Katia and Marc, Ellen and Jea
n presented information about District 6920 to our hosts and Rotarians.
After horseback riding
This is a photo of the team and our guide after the horseback riding excursion in Camargue. The horses we rode are pictured filling up on water. We were pleased that we loaded up on the sunscreen before our trip because the sun was blazing hot!
Camargue
The team took a horseback riding excursion through the marsh area of Camargue and had lunch on the beach. We saw snowy egrets, great blue herons and tons of flamingos.
This is a photo of the horses in Camargue which are born brown and after 5 years turn white.
Wonderful dinner
The team was treated to a wonderful dinner at Marie France's home in Sommieres. The sunset from her porch was incredible!An Olive Cooperative
While visiting Boisseron and Sommieres, we visited an olive coop. We were given a tour of the facility and later tasted several varieties of olive oil.
Do you know the difference between a green olive and a black olive? The black olive has been on the tree longer and is riper than a green olive.
Host Families+their pets
During our stay in France, the team has been hosted by many families. This is a photo of one of the pets that team members have encountered while staying with their host families.
Bonjour to Dominque and her cha (that is French for cat) in Marseille.
Festivals
We are learning quickly that Provence has many festivals. This is a poster advertising a festival where the local merchants in Aubagne display flowers outside of their shops to celebrate the yellow flowers that are currently in bloom.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Jean with Rotary Club President
Jean exchanges banners with the President
of the Orange ARAUSIO club. Orange is a very historical city with Roman roots.
Rotary Meeting in Orange ARAUSIO
The team met with the Rotary club of Orange ARAUSIO. We enjoyed many finger-foods with terrific local wine.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
The markets
The markets are plentiful in Southern France. You can purchase flowers, veggies, fruits, soaps, etc.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Exchanging of the banner
The team exchanged banners with the members of the La Ciotat Rotary Club at a wonderful restaurant overlooking the Mediterrean.
Bandol Winery
Tuesday we visited with the La Ciotat Rotary Club. In the morning, we toured the Chateau Salettes winery located between Marseille and Toulon. We were given a tour by Jean-Pierre Boyer the owner and operator of the facility.
Dinner with our host families
After a great day of visiting Marseille's redevelopment efforts, we all enjoyed dinner with one another.
Marseille's waterfront redevelopment
This is the new headquarters of CMA-CGM which is an international shipping company. The structure is situated on the waterfront and was designed by the architect Zaha Hadid.
Monday in Marseille
The team had a great visit to the area of Marseille that is currently undergoing major revitalization to include a private development referred to as the Rue de la Republique. This is a major street in downtown that connects the new port to the old port. The redevelopment will provide additional residential and commercial opportunities.We also got a great tour of waterfront development activities being lead by an organization called EuroMediterranee. Through their work in downtown redevelopment, they will strenghten Marseille's position as a Euro-Mediterranean port city. Pictured is an old warehouse which is being converted into a cultural arts center.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Exchanging of the banner
We were fortunate to stay in a lovely inn near Martigues. Yngve is exchanging banners with Mama-Rosa in the courtyard of the inn.
Free Day in Marseille
On our free day, Remy took us to the beach. The water was a little too cool for the guys to enjoy.
Free Day
Remy took us to the North African section of town where he purchased some yummy pastries for us to try. David is checking out the options.
Free Day
On our free day, we were shown around town by Remy. He participated in the GSE Program and visited our district. This is us at an antique market.
Paella
For lunch we had a typical meal for the area called paella. Although it is popular in Spain, it is also eaten in Marseille.
Our hosts
This is a pictures of our hosts at the Marseille Club. Here you can see Ellen and David having a good time.Meeting the local Rotary Group: Marseille
For lunch we were hosted by one of several Rotary Clubs in Marseille. Here Jean is presenting the Skidaway Island banner to the president. The meeting was held at a wonderful restaurant called Club du Vieux Port.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
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