Wrapping Up Continental Europe

Hooking up with Justin and Ivan was a hoot.  I am going to claim the family card on this one too.  Justin's mom is my niece's godmother.  That counts, right?  He and Ivan are shooting material with a Red Epic camera – which I am sure is very cool, it just don’t know enough about cinematography to truly appreciate it.  I discovered in an odd way that filmmaking and archaeology have a lot of similarities.  There are issues with logistics, tight schedules, team dynamics, weather, private landowners, public involvement, etc.  I haven’t been working for several months so it was good to be reminded of what it’s like: generally rewarding, with associated stress.  I’m not rushing back to it.  I’ve got another three months to adventure before I start thinking about rejoining the workforce.

The guys and I managed to hit Switzerland and the south of France, chasing shots all over the place.  Highlights: the H. R. Giger Museum; the village of Grignan in Provence, gorgeous in the late afternoon light; and a random dinner at the delicious Toit pour toi in Orcet culminating in a chocolate mousse puck filled with pistachio cream.  Lowlights were the usual navigation trauma, strong sidewinds making driving a challenge, and one special night begging a bar to let us run our power cord through their window overnight.  Retrospectively, that was pretty hilarious tho.

Back now in Paris and prepping to launch myself at Iceland.  I’ve done virtually no planning for my time there, so it will be interesting to see what I manage to pull off.  There aren’t a lot of touristic activities and tours this time of year, so I am going to wing it and try busing around the country.  I have managed to finish my Parisian chores (toothpaste for Alan, stamp for my letter to Gigi) and spent the evening wandering about the Tulleries and down by the Seine.  There was a bagpiper playing on the Quai Francois Mitterrand at sunset.  The juxtaposition of the kilt and the Eiffel Tower in the background was delicious.