Wed 11 Nov. In the air. We have booked business seats on Aerolineas Argentinas and have access to the lounge when we arrive about 8pm for our flight. It reminds of Coolangatta airport facilities but we have a ham and cheese sandwich with a glass of wine and the toilets are clean. The lounges are so low we have trouble getting up from them - great for the young, fit and people with shorter legs than ours. We feel we are on a movie set with the people around us. There is the long moustache man in torn jeans and leather vest, the crowd of (sub-continental) Indians who are talking so loudly we cannot hear each other speak, the over the top glitter girls with their old men and the glamorous young things with the trolley who only do half a job but chat to every member of the air crew. After a long day we board and note that the captain does not look comfortable when he finally arrives and tightens his tie and tucks his shirt in. The Airbus is new, the champagne good and we go to sleep after enjoying Buenos Aires "by night". Two hours later we can smell the hot food being handed out but keep our eyes shut. It disturbs me that each time I open my eyes I can see through to the cockpit controls. It is a very busy doorway all night with staff moving in and out of the cockpit. There is turbulence for about 10 of the 12 hour flight and it only stops when we have crossed the Atlantic and pass over Casablanca. In the early morning I am concerned when the man in the seat in front wraps his head and arm in a leather strap. The box on his head has a menorah engraved on it and his yamulka gives me the clue; he says his prayers. (He has left the biggest mess across two seats I have ever seen. Obviously taught his prayers but did not learn to pick up his own mess.) No service overnight unless you press the call button. Most of the attendants asleep. We wait for the plane and the air bridge to connect. It takes nearly half an hour and although people are standing the plane is reversed and brought forward again. We are reminded that Occ Health and Safety is of a different standard here. This airline not recommended.

Thurs 12 Nov. Barcelona, Spain. We enter Spain with no security check although our prayerful man has his case opened. The 50 min drive from the airport is refreshing as all buildings in good shape and the whole is clean and tidy. Our apartment is excellent - 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms- and close to the Sagrada Familia. It is late afternoon and we can call family and use the internet. A few purchases at the supermarket and we cook "in house" and sleep for 12 hours.

Fri 13 Nov. Barcelona, Spain. We purchase a 2 day ticket for the hop-on hop-off bus and start our first ride near the Sagrada Familia. An amazing view of soring spires and sculptures. We spend about 3 hours sitting on the top of the bus viewing wonderful buildings, massive boulevards, the harbor, the fabulous architecture of many centuries and learning the history of Barcelona. We take a lunch break near the port and have paella and beer - delicious !! As the sun is dipping we return to Gaudi's basilica and it is awe inspiring both within and without. He wanted people of all faiths to come together in harmony, respecting each other and the animals and plants. The exterior is quirky with birds nesting on branches growing from stone walls, ducks mingling with figures from the bible, coloured balls arising from the spires and extraordinary stone sculptures telling the stories of the gospels. The inside is pure magic with the soaring pillars of tree trunks, massive petals on the roof and everywhere a beautiful sense of peace and calm. The coloured windows in the east and west wings are pouring amazing light into the whole basilica but it filters down to white light as you look higher. There is a lift and many staircases to allow visitors, who are not challenged by heights, to explore the roof. A New Zealand forensic architect has worked for over 21 years helping to complete the build. He is a professor at RMIT and they have also had a big role in interpreting the design and achieving a cohesive result. We leave this monument to peace and hear via Emma of the disaster unfolding in Paris. How frustrating that man has evolved to produce such an icon to peace and co-existence in one era and be so backward and evil in another. Vive La France.

Sat 14 Nov. Barcelona, Spain. Like most people we wake with heavy hearts after watching the turmoil for hours during the night. We hear that France has closed its borders to speak to Carol and Phil whoa are already in their apartment at Juan les Pins and they let us know that flights to Nice have not stopped so our plans are not changed. We take the next Hop-on Hop-off bus tour (two routes available) and enjoy more of this city. They have valued added to their 1992 Olympic Games by keeping all the venues and we are able to see the stunning views from the stadium (façade from the 1929) and many of the other sites and we see many of these on Montjuic - one of two mountains forming part of the city. The Football Club of Barcelona is almost a city within the city, with thousands visiting the complex of shops and restaurants on this beautiful sunny day. As we continue around the city we admire wonderful monuments and buildings - the Arc de Triomf built in 1888 at the entrance to the Universal Exhibition, the old chimneys from the Industrial Revolution, the two Venetian towers built in 1929 to mark the entrance to the World Fair. We walk the Ramblas - a massive boulevard connecting the port to the main square 3 kms away and we have plenty of company. Thousands of promenaders on this fine day. A visit to the food market results in some take home prawns for our dinner but the fish smell comes with us on the bus home. Great flavor and worth the effort. There are armed police at every major site and square today but the city is peaceful and beautiful. Just on dark we revisit the Basilica to check if the lights illuminate the exterior but it is no better than what we enjoyed with the setting sun.

Sunday 15 Nov Barcelona, Spain. Double glazing and external shutters work their magic and we breakfast at 10am. We decide to test the tube and lunch at another sea side area. We are replete with sightseeing and happy to enjoy the cold beer and seafood lunch at El Diques before returning to pack again before our early start tomorrow. We need to be more careful as we do not have any extra baggage allowance on this flight. I have suggested to Neil he wears his suit and his extra thick jacket. Will try some tapas and wine tonight. France tomorrow.

Mon 16 Nov Barcelona to Nice. All good with weight. Check in man suggested putting an extra bag in the hold would cost 90 Euro so we puffed up our coats and managed to sort hand luggage into 3 respectable sized pieces. On board Neil had his knees splayed as the space between seats was minimal and he could not even sit with his knees in front. Met by Carol and Phil and back to their 2 bed apartment in Juan les Pins. It is all apartments in this part of France and we are very comfortable. We visit Antibes in the afternoon and enjoy walking around in the off season. Dinner in town then home for a big sleep after having only 10 mins the night before.

Tues 17 Nov. Juan les Pins. Phillip to the bakery by 7.00am for THE best baguette and croissant which we savour. We drive to Nice and wander the fresh food & art market in the old town then the alleys where small shops have been for 300 years. Crazy thought. Carol and I sample the Italian leather shop wares. There are some men with tiny black piglets & really good cough lozenges made of natural herbs. The pigs are there to pull you into the circle so that he can explain how good the lozenges and how the funds raised would then be used for animal vaccinations. This part of (really old) Nice is new to both Neil and me and it is charming. We enjoy a fabulous lunch (calamari, veal scallopine and tarte aux pommes for me) before purchasing our first scarves for the week. There have been some arrests over the Paris murders and the streets have many uniformed police on most corners. We have the chance to sign the condolence book which seems personal and breaks me up when I think of how many families have been affected and how good France has been to migrants over the years. We move on and enjoy the Promenade des Anglaise and the multitude of super expensive and super large yachts in the harbor. Carrefours has a mega store near Antibes and we stop there on the way home. It was a bad move but we split into pairs and then had trouble finding each other half an hour later in this huge space. A lovely dinner and a few laughs before falling into bed. I start reading an excellent book, "A Thousand Years of Annoying the French" and we sleep well.

Wed 18 Nov. Juan les Pines. Carol to the bakery and we again linger over a breakfast of good coffee, croissants and bread. We head to Cannes and park under the Palais des Festivals where the film festival is held each year. We looked for George Clooney (or his wife) but there was rather a lot of security, a pink carpet and maybe a thousand people attending a real estate congress there on his occasion. Another market, a fabulous selection of very large, very white waterfront hotels - many from the 1920s or thereabouts- and a great turnout of expensively dressed women. More million dollar yachts in the harbor and another excellent lunch. We find another market and are tempted by the stalls. Many people now speak English and Phillip is a very good negotiator in both French and English so we have a lot of fun. In the afternoon we drove to Mougins and Grasse, both villages in the hills behind Cannes. Mougins has many artists painting and exhibiting in the village and it was delightful wandering the cobblestone streets and viewing the art. Grasse was the centre of the perfume industry in the past but was looking rather run down on this day. Many Moslem families are now living in this area and it was all a bit sad. The children and old men were congregating on the only flat paved area we could see, near where we parked but although Grasse is a large town the hillside it is built on is so steep it limits football grounds and parks. The local cathedral dates back to the 14th century and does not have much decoration but certainly has our attention when we think what catastrophies it has survived. Our turn to cook but Carol has spoilt us by making a fabulous lemon meringue pie. Did I mention that we are also enjoying plenty of the local wine? More laughter over dinner before bed.

Thurs 19 Nov. Juan les Pins. Another beautiful day - they have all started cool and then warmed up about lunch time but we can feel the autumn air and see the leaves falling. Today the main market is in Antibes and we arrive early and it is the best market we have seen ever. I "decline" the fabulous mink coat but find a decent leather bag and other goodies. Neil would have bought some boots but they were 5 sizes too small. Another excellent lunch (Neil has veal kidneys but I have a risotto made with the delicious local mushrooms and a thin slice of fois gras). The regular food market has an extensive array of fresh food and freshly made terrines, pates, marinated garlic cloves, tomatines (minced sundried tomatoes, olive oil, garlic and herbs), cakes, breads, meringues, chocolates etc. After a short siesta we walk from the apartment to the beach at Juan les Pins. It takes about 10 minutes and we see the sand piled up close to the sea walls where it will stay until summer when it will be spread out to extend the beach. There are people sitting at white clothed tables in the sand enjoying the sunshine and the wine but many restaurants are closed at this time of the year. There are little black squirrels up and down the pines (pins) and people feeding them nuts (Carol) and bread. I speak to a lady walking her dog and she is ….. Australian (from Cairns). She had worked on the yachts but married and has lived in Juan les Pins for 6 years. Sunset viewed from the balcony is spectacular and we wait until dark before spreading the "picnic" treats we had purchased in the market earlier in the day and feasting.

Fri 20 Nov. Juan les Pins. Phillip is now eating Vegemite on his morning bread. Another day, another beautiful Provencal town, Saint-Paul de Vence, which is nestled in the hills of Les Alpes Maritimes. Brilliant views from the battlements, another very old church (13th century) and about 30 excellent art galleries. Le Colombe d'Or was closed for the off season but this is a restaurant that has an extraordinary collection of art donated by the painters themselves - Picasso, Chagall, Matisse, Monet, Kadinsky, Lautrec- it is reputed to have the best collection of art outside the Louvre. We also enjoyed watching the game of Petanc where the only woman was smoking her pipe while throwing the boules down. This afternoon the Mistral came in and the airport was closed at Nice due to the strength of the winds. We have been totally spoilt by Phillip and Carol these past days and we have given them a 5 star rating. Address and contact telephone number to follow! The champagne is slipping down rather well and the aromas of dinner wafting around us as I close the Blog. We are very lucky people.