JANUARY NEWSLETTER FROM EZE

VIEW FROM EZE

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Eze Bord du Mer, France
January 20, 2006


Dear Family and Friends, old and new, near and far:

Due to the complexities of email on the road, it’s been awhile since I’ve communicated. I am still in southern France where I am continuing to write and collect interviews for my book, An Unrealistic Life, which features people who are creating unique lifestyles by following their passions outside the nine to five “system.” Since leaving home in early November, I have been in London, Paris, the Cote d’Azur, Munich, Austria, and back to the Cote d’Azur.

As some of you know, the pattern of my travels has been determined by the generosity of friends and even remote connections, who are lending me their apartments on this venture. The Paris chapter was made possible by Marie-Laure Ilie, my artist friend in California who also has an apartment on the Left Bank. In Munich and Austria, I shared a traditional Christmas and Sylvester (the Austrian name for New Year’s Eve) with the Hiebls, the family of my former housemate, Petra. Besides eating every type of Kekse (cookies) in sight, I even learned how to make Knodeln and Schnitzel. Here outside of Nice, I am the beneficiary of Dr. Robin Van Der Molen’s generosity, as I write from the balcony of his apartment with a view of the Mediterranean.

I was supposed to leave here on January 10, but once again, serendipity ruled. The honeymooning couple who were due to arrive changed their plans, and simultaneously after an amazing string of connections, I met and began an interview with an English producer, Jon Acevsky. Originally from Macedonia, Jon is a man of vision, accomplishment and dogged determination. Stone by stone, all imported from Portugal, he is currently restoring an ancient fortress between La Gaude and St. Jeannet, north of Nice. Last Wednesday, he gave me a tour of the work in progress. Portuguese sculptors were just finishing the carved stone stairway. I came away totally stunned. It has taken 4 years, and will open this summer. The full account will appear later.

Rather than clogging up your email with my stories and photos, I have finally figured out how to post them on the Net. For my latest adventure, a trip to the medieval town of Triora, Italy, where “witches” were tortured in 1588, read the account below.

EZE VILLAGE FROM THE NIETSCHE PATH



I am tantalized by these ancient villages perched on the cliffs, by the light that inspired Monet and Chagall, by the amber and coral houses in Vieux Nice, and by the unique individuals I continue to meet. But most of the time, I sit on the balcony, write, and revel in the sea. I am living in a world of blue and gold.




MORNING SUN ON THE MEDITERRANEAN


Elena
The Wandering Artist

All photos by Elena Hiatt Houlihan
2005-2006