ON THE ROAD IN THE HEART OF IT ALL

HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT?  When I started to plan a road trip from my home in the Washington suburbs of Maryland to visit my family in Grand Rapids, Michigan, I looked at the possible routes, all of which would carry me through Ohio.  I decided I would break up my trip with a few overnighters in this state of more than 11 million people densely inhabiting a historic and verdant land between a Great Lake and a namesake river.  Of course, I had driven through and across Ohio several times on my way somewhere else, and that was just the point of this adventure.  I wanted to give Ohio its due.

So, I started planning my journey and went on Amazon in search of a current Moon Handbook or Lonely Planet or even a Fodor's or Frommer's.  Nothing.  I was really surprised and somewhat disappointed to learn that there currently is not a single statewide travel guide in publication for the 7th most populous state in the nation.  This seemed like an obvious oversight.  With all due respect to the Garden State, I would have thought Ohio would be in line ahead of New Jersey for a few travel guides.  I mean, it has Lake Erie, which even has islands and ferries and a lighthouse or two.  Ohio has the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame, two NFL teams, major league baseball, three big cities and lots in between. 

Well, having just returned from spending two separate weekends in the Buckeye State, I can assure you that it warrants at least one updated travel guide.  Ohio is a worthy destination for a variety of reasons.

THE HEART OF OHIO: Despite the lack of - or maybe because of the lack of - available travel books, I decided in planning my Ohio pilgrimage to include several criteria that reflect some of the superlatives of the state.  It's home to several small, well-regarded liberal arts colleges that feature beautiful campuses.  Ohio also ranks behind only Virginia in Presidential sites.  Finally, while the state is crisscrossed with interstates, I wanted to make my way via Ohio's many designated scenic back roads whenever practically possible.  Ohio delivered happily on all counts.

In choosing my stops, I also decided I would take a southern approach going out and return via a northern route.   So, I left my home in Maryland on a Saturday morning and drove west across the Alleghany Mountains headed toward central Ohio.  I entered Pennsylvania just west of Cumberland, Maryland, and, four hours later, admittedly mostly via I-70, arrived at my first Ohio destination, the gorgeous college town of Granville. 

Granville is a village in Licking County established at the beginning of the nineteenth century by New England settlers from Massachusetts and Connecticut.  It is located about 25 miles east of the state capital, Columbus, which itself sits almost exactly in the center of the state.  Although the village today serves increasingly as a wealthy exurb of Columbus, Granville's historic role has been home to Denison University.  Denison is one of those small, prestigious Ohio liberal arts colleges.  It was founded in 1831 and is a member of the Five Colleges of Ohio, an academic consortium of private, renowned liberal arts colleges.  Before this trip was over, I would hit two more of the five. 

I have no connection to either Denison or to Granville, but I sure wish I did.  This would give me an excuse to return often.  The Denison campus, with about 2,100 students, is lovely, perched on a hill overlooking the town and surrounding countryside.  And, Granville itself is an amazingly beautiful small town of tree-lined streets and well-manicured homes.  The village center features a sweet few blocks of shops, galleries and restaurants, all trying to lure you in from the sidewalk.  There are several lodging options in the village center, including the Buxton Inn, which claims to be Ohio's oldest continuously operating inn, but I chose a newer-old option just a few miles outside town.  Located along the Columbus Pike, the Orchard House Bed and Breakfast opened a few years back in a renovated 1850s farmhouse on 12 acres, complete with llamas, goats, pigs and other farm animals.  It features three large rooms that are a perfect mix of history and modern style.  I stayed in the Barbizon room, located at the front of the house.  It offered an enormous bathroom with views out to the barn and fields beyond.  Although it's a nineteenth century building, modern necessities like air-conditioning and wireless access worked like a charm.  There are great sitting areas downstairs and, each morning, I enjoyed co-owner Andrew's delicious breakfasts after my runs along nearby, scenic country roads.

I slept well at the Orchard House, so I got a late start my first morning.  My destination was about an hour due north, the campus of Kenyon College.  Located in the tiny village of Gambier, Kenyon is the oldest private college in Ohio.  Kenyon was founded in 1824 and today it ranks as one of the most prestigious liberal arts colleges in the country; it's been dubbed a "hidden Ivy." From my perspective, it also is one of the most beautiful.  The school's architecture has been described as "collegiate gothic," but the campus also features some striking new architecture, including the Gund Art Gallery, a new home for special exhibits and showcasing the work of Kenyon students .  As I strolled the leafy blocks on a brilliant, early summer Sunday, I thought how hard it must be to graduate and leave such an idyllic place.  Could I really justify a degree in African Diaspora Studies at this point in my life?  Do I really need any justification?

THE BIG CITY: All this time, I had assumed that either Cleveland or Cincinnati were Ohio's largest city.  While historically Cleveland was, Columbus today holds the title with a city population of just under 800,000 (Cleveland and Cincinnati still outrank Columbus on a MSA basis).  Staying so close to Columbus, I decided to spend at least an afternoon checking out the city and concluded that I should return for a longer weekend visit to this very dynamic Midwestern metropolis.

Named for Christopher Columbus, the city did not exist until the Ohio Legislature created it in 1812 as a compromise location for the state capital.  In addition to serving as the seat of state government, Columbus today is a corporate headquarters town, a regional medical center and a diverse city of historic neighborhoods, good shopping and dining and a renovated riverfront, all wrapped up in a friendly, welcoming vibe.  It also is home to Ohio State University, the largest single campus in the country with more than 56,000 students.

I started my afternoon visit with the nerd's obvious choice - the statehouse building.  The capitol was designed and built between 1838 and 1861 and features a mix of classic Greek architectural elements, but also includes an unusual, flat conical roof instead of a classic dome typical of most statehouses.  The statehouse sits a few blocks from the Scioto River, which now offers runners and amblers a renovated stretch of pathways and landscaped parkland.  From the state capitol, I made my way past the art deco Ohio Supreme Court and down along the riverfront and past several new or renovated bridges to the patio seating of Milestone 229, a waterfront restaurant serving up a great Sunday brunch and a reasonably priced menu of new American fare.  Fueled up after a great lunch, I made my way to the Short North, which is a hip area of shops, galleries and restaurants along a stretch of North High Street - a main drag in Columbus - between downtown and the Ohio State campus.  It was here that I found Grandview Mercantile Company-Revue, one of the best combination consignment-antique stores I've ever visited.  In fact, while some take home t-shirts or fridge magnets, I shipped home a lovely, used Baker buffet that cost a fraction of what it would have been priced back home in Washington.  I also found a small tile piece of art in a gallery featuring artists from central Ohio.   The Short North has several good dining options, including the Northstar Cafe and Barrel 44 Whiskey Bar.  I headed back to Granville and the Orchard House for my last evening in the area with a promise to myself that I would return soon to Columbus and spend more time.

BACK ON THE ROAD: The next morning, I bid farewell to the Orchard House and got back on the road to Michigan.  Just north of Columbus, I passed through Delaware, named in 1808 for the tribe of native Americans not the state, where I noticed the sign for the birthplace of President Rutherford B. Hayes.  I held off, planning to stop later in my road trip at his home and museum in the northwest Ohio town of Fremont.  I did stop, however, a short distance north in Marion to visit the tomb of President Warren and First Lady Florence Harding.  Their home in Marion also is open to visitors; it was from this front porch in 1920 that Harding unconventionally ran for President.

Continuing north from Marion through Upper Sandusky, I picked up the Old Mill Stream, an Ohio Scenic Byway that follows the Blanchard River along U.S. Route 224 and Ohio Route 37 through Putnam and Hancock counties.  A perfect antidote to interstate travel, this part of the trip featured more pretty small towns, tidy fields, manicured homes and, in Findlay, the beautiful 19th century Hancock County Courthouse, which is still in use.  Later that day, I crossed into Michigan just south of Hillsdale and continued on to Grand Rapids.

I just knew Ohio would make for a great road trip and I was right.  Maybe I should write a travel book.  More about Ohio later, on my return from Michigan.

BONNE ANNEE DE FRANCE

I might have been more disappointed to be leaving Paris after just two days last month, having spent so little time in the City of Light with my family, were we not bound for exciting new territory (to me) - Provence and Languedoc in the south of France.  We did not accomplish all of our planned itinerary on this our first visit to Paris with our son, but I understood that, as with most amazing travel destinations, one always runs out of time in the City of Light before running out of things to do or places to see.  Plus, I confess that riding in first class on one of France's high-speed (TGV) trains was an additional lure to make our exit from the capital in the final days of 2012.

And, after two rainy, cold days in Paris with leaden skies, we were ready for warmer temperatures and the sun.   As if on queue, we awoke the morning of our departure to bright sunshine.  After breakfast in the hotel, our driver, with whom we had pre-arranged our transfers while in Paris, took us from the 5th Arrondisement along the Seine past the Jardin des Plantes and across the river to the packed Gare de Lyon, from which all TGV trains to the south depart.

SOUTH TOWARDS THE SUN: On board, we found our assigned seats and grabbed lunch from the dining car, which was delicious like every meal in France.  We then settled in for the comfortable, 2.5 hour trip from Paris to Avignon, covering 689 kilometers (about 428 miles) traveling at speeds of up to 200 miles per hour.  As we made our way south, the Paris suburbs quickly gave way to verdant farms, medieval towns with castles and, later, to our first glimpses of the Alps. 

We arrived in Avignon, one of Provence's main visitor destinations, just after lunch, exiting the modern TGV train station (which is separate from the main train station in the center of town) and grabbing our rental car.  A pleasant surprise came in the form of an upgrade to a black Mercedes C-class sedan.  Once my spouse had switched the navigation voice from French to English, we crossed the Rhone River that separates - administratively at least - Provence from Languedoc and drove for about 30 minutes until we reached our home for the long New Year's weekend, the lovely and beautiful medieval village of Uzès.

Arguably, there is an endless number of contenders for the title of the most beautiful village in France.  Undoubtedly, Uzès would rank high on such a list.  This ancient town of about 8,000 is compact, leafy, prosperous, walkable and full of great, small-town shopping and dining.  The town was a major center of religious power from the sixth through the eighteenth centuries.  Today, you can get a sense of its historical importance by taking the circular walk along the city's main boulevards.  Physically, Uzès is a town of red tile roofs and cream-colored stone walls that overlooks a valley of forests and vineyards.  And, while it's the closest location to one of the most visited examples of Roman architecture in southern France, and also a place where English is widely spoken, Uzès seems remarkably un-touristed and feels more like a great travel secret.

We discovered Uzès as a result of our first apartment rental experience using www.airbnb.com, the worldwide service that allows travelers to live like a local by staying in privately owned apartments and houses.  After searching for apartments in and around Avignon, I hopefully selected a "two-bedroom, sunny flat in the charming village" of Uzès.  I had read other travelers' reviews and then traded emails with the owner of the flat to assure myself that - hopefully - this would be a legitimate handing over of my Amex card number (rentals through airbnb are basically non-refundable absent extraordinary circumstances).  Happily, absolutely every last detail of our rental was just as represented by the owner, Michel, who lives in Paris.  Because he lives out of town, Michel had arranged for his friend in town, Monica, to meet us and get us settled.  At the appointed time, we met in the parking lot of the gothic Uzès cathedral, from where Monica led us around the circular main artery to an underground car park and then to our flat, which was, in fact, a spacious and sunny, two bedroom apartment with a full kitchen and washing machine just off Place aux Herbes, the town's main square and home to a bustling, all-day Saturday market.  Thanks to Monica's suggestions, we learned that just out the door were several good restaurants, as well as "super marché," a great wine store and Dechamps Phillipe, a patisserie with amazing coffee éclairs among its sinful offerings.  The apartment was clean and comfortable with wireless Internet and cable tv.  All of this, including the underground parking, for about $150 a night at the current dollar-euro exchange rate.

And, when we were ready to venture out, our apartment made for a great base of exploration in this part of France.  Located roughly equi-distance between Avignon, Nimes and Arles, Uzès lies about 50 miles inland from where the Rhone delta empties into the Mediterranean and not far off the busy A9 motorway that connects Lyon, Montpellier and Barcelona.  From this vantage point, we were able to pick a different direction each day and explore some of the highlights of this beautiful region. 

After a good night's rest, our first destination was the world-famous UNESCO sight at Pont du Gard, the Roman aqueduct bridge across the River Gardon.  Constructed around 19 B.C. to provide water to nearby Nimes, an important center of Roman administration, the Pont du Gard is the highest of Roman aqueducts built and today is considered by many to be the best preserved aqueduct after its urban cousin in Segovia, Spain.  This structure is, well, breathtaking to behold.  Amazingly preserved and intact, you can walk across the main span and climb up and across the upper span.  Back down on the ground, there is an excellent, start-of-the-art museum and, during warmer weather, swimming and kayaking are available.  Although my spouse and I were suitably blown away, generally, it takes a lot to impress our jaded, nearly-12-year-old son.  But, in this case, the Pont du Gard managed the task very effectively.

The next day was New Year's Eve and we headed south to check out the city that had earned such a magnificent source of water.  After driving through the spectacular Gorges du Gardon, which tested the steering precision of our rented Mercedes, we arrived in Nimes, the 2000-year-old capital of the Gard department of the Languedoc-Rousillon region.  During Roman times, Nimes was an important stop on the Via Domitia, the ancient road that connected Italy and Spain.  Today, this city of about 140,000 claims two of the finest examples of Roman Empire architecture anywhere.  The city boasts a still-functioning amphitheater and it also is home to the Maison Carrée, one of the best-preserved Roman temples still in existence.  After exploring both of these ancient sites, we strolled through the center of Nimes, which features a warren of pedestrian-only streets and alleys filled with shops and cafes.  After a quick break, we spent the last afternoon of 2012 enjoying the Jardins de la Fontaine, Nimes' 18th century park built around the ruins of Roman baths.  A highlight of this beautiful and elegant park is a ruined tower that now features an observation deck, which rewards climbers with a panoramic view of this sophisticated and interesting city, often overlooked by tourists who flock instead to nearby Avignon and Arles.  Pleased with our "discovery," as the late afternoon sun began to set, we made our way back "home" to Uzès and to what would turn out to be a very quiet ringing in of the New Year.  If there was partying amongst our temporary neighbors, we heard not a peep.  For us, New Year's Eve 2012 involved a quiet dinner cooked with ingredients from the local market, accompanied by bread from the boulangerie down the street and some delicious wine from the nearby "magasin de vin," topped off by some of those éclairs.

THE CITY OF POPES: After saying au revoir to 2012, New Year's Day 2013 started off on a gloomy note.  A quick walk around the rainy, deserted streets of Uzès the next morning confirmed that, at least in this corner of France, New Year's Day was all about staying inside.  Virtually no one else was out and nearly everything was closed.  What to do?  Well, after a late breakfast of baguette, eggs, local preserves and chocolate, we checked online and confirmed that at least one major visitor sight in Avignon was open.  So, we grabbed our umbrellas and headed north, back to the City of Popes.

Avignon today is one of Provence's most visited cities, and it features lots of hotel choices with good shopping, dining and nightlife.  It sits on the left bank of the Rhone River and is one of the few cities in this part of France that retains its ramparts or ancient city walls.  Much of the city's key visitor sites, including several museums, lie within these walls.  But, Avignon's main claim to fame dates back several centuries to a break in the rule of the Roman Catholic Church.  It's a rather complicated story involving kingdoms that no longer exist, but  - as a result of a schism - the church was ruled for more than a century not from Rome, but from Avignon.  Between 1309 and 1423, a series of popes (and their contenders) held court from this scenic location.  Their legacy is the gothic Palais des Papes, an imposing castle that looms over the city and offers commanding views.  Less palatial and more monastic, it's a rather cold and austere place and certainly bears no resemblance to the church's other, lasting seat of power in Rome.  But, it made for a very atmospheric visit on a cold, January day.  Adjacent to the palace is the imposing, Romanesque Cathedral of Notre Dame des Doms and, next door, the Rocher des Doms, a beautifully landscaped garden perched above the Rhone and overlooking Avignon's other signature landmark.  The Pont Saint-Benezet, or Pont d'Avignon, was built in the 12th century as a series of stone arches across the river.  But, repeated flooding destroyed more than half the span.  And, since the 17th century, it has stood un-rebuilt, not as a means of transport, but as an iconic symbol of Avignon.  In fact, the bridge inspired an old French nursery rhyme that sings of dancing on this, the original bridge to nowhere.

Back at the apartment that evening, I spent our last evening in Uzès studying the map of this region and wondering how soon we could plan our return.  More directions and lots more destinations await.  In the meantime, we were getting excited about the next stop on our holiday: the gorgeous capital of Cataluña that is Barcelona.

 

TWO DAYS IN PARIS WITH A 'TWEEN

That my family and I actually made it to Paris two days after Christmas 2012 was a real accomplishment to end a challenging year.  The gods conspired a bit last year.  The trip itself was a re-booking of January 2012 airline tickets to Madrid, which were cancelled after I experienced a cranial emergency last New Year's Day.

Following that recovery and several other twists of fate and life, what had been planned as a museum-filled weekend in the Spanish capital for my spouse and me was reborn as a post-Christmas family holiday in France and Spain with our almost-12-year-old son.  We would now begin our holiday in Paris and end in Barcelona.

We spent Christmas day at home in Baltimore with family and prepared to fly the next evening from Philadelphia to Paris.  As it turns out, we live not quite half-way between Washington and Baltimore, which ends up giving us 4 major airport choices: BWI, Reagan, Dulles and Philadelphia.  Thanks to the ease of parking, customs and immigration, we often choose Philly over Dulles for flights to Europe.  But, we awoke the morning of our trip to snow and ice.  The roads were bad - well - bad for Maryland, which is not the toughest of winter weather destinations.  So, we decided at the last minute to skip the drive and instead dashed to the Amtrak rail station at BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport and hopped a crowded train to Philadelphia 30th Street Station, from where we grabbed a cab to Philadelphia International Airport and boarded our evening flight to Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport.

LES ENFANTS: Paris with children?  It's a city with many adult offerings, of course, but Paris is a wonderful city for people of all ages.  It's especially magical for kids and particularly so during the holiday season.  There are lots of museums and parks and other attractions to entertain and occupy children.  But, you do have to make some adjustments for the younger travelers in your party.  Although it's hard for someone like me who wants to see everything, less really is more in this, the most-visited city in the world.

I've always appreciated that the French, in general, and Parisians, in particular, dote on their little ones: children, small dogs and cats.  Visiting Paris during the week between Christmas and New Year's only served to underscore that point.  While we met very few fellow Americans on this visit, we ran into or, more accurately, stood in line with, thousands of French families on holiday with their kids.   As it turns out, this holiday week is a popular time for French families to take their children and visit their capital.  The city was mobbed with families and everywhere we went there were long lines and lots of strollers.

For us, traveling with a sixth-grader involved our own set of adjustments.  We got a later start each morning and we also scaled back what would have been my normal death march through Paris' endless list of world-class museums.  We spent more time just walking around this amazing city and, importantly, stopping whenever we were hungry instead of looking for the latest "it" restaurant.  As it turns out, such an approach to dining is not risky at all in Paris because there seem to be no bad dining choices in the City of Light.   Speaking of light, there was very little of it during our brief visit.  Being late December, it was dark and the weather was cold, rainy and overcast, but who cared.  We were in Paris, walking along the Seine with Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower in view.   

MAKING THE MOST OF TIME: Thanks to a colleague who had just returned from Paris, our transportation from Charles De Gaulle was pre-arranged with a friendly tour guide/cab driver who was waiting just outside baggage claim. We had emailed the details of our flight and hotel before leaving home.  Vijay, who studied engineering back home in India and is married to an avocat (lawyer), whisked us into town and to our hotel in the 5th Arrondisement.  Of course, we could have saved the 70 euro cost and taken a much cheaper train, but we were tired, my minimal French had not kicked in and we wanted to maximize our time.

This was our second stay in the St. Germain de Pres neighborhood  and we really loved - again - our small, perfectly situated hotel.  Le Clos Medicis is just around the corner from the northern entrance to Le Jardin du Luxembourg and just off Boulevard St. Michel.  The English-speaking staff is friendly and the triple room just off the central courtyard met our needs perfectly.  After dropping our bags, we made our way towards the river and took a left.  Soon, we found ourselves in front of the Musee' D'Orsay and stepped into the first of many lines.  It took about 40 minutes to gain entrance to one of the world's finest museums of Impressionist art.  In addition to its amazing permanent collection, we had the good fortune to visit during a blockbuster exhibition: "L’impressionnisme et la mode," which featured paintings by Caillebotte, Manet, Monet, Renoir and others focused on the fashions of the day.  The museum, which began life as a train station, includes a cafe on the top floor with grand views of Paris looking north.  We fed our jet lag here with a Coca Cola Light and a pistachio pastry.

An hour and a half generally is the outer limit when it comes to art museums and our son.  So, we made out way outside where a rain squall began.  We bought a cheap umbrella and headed along the Seine towards the Eiffel Tower, stopping to inspect all of the locks attached to a pedestrian bridge across from the Musee' D'Orsay as part of some ritual.  But, the rain intensified along with our fatigue, so we turned back and made our way to the hotel with a detour through the Jardin de Luxembourg just as the skies cleared and the sun came out.   This really is one of the most beautiful city parks anywhere in the world.  And, I had read on the flight over that French intelligence forces are headquartered beneath the Luxembourg Palace, so the presence of lots of stern looking French soldiers only convinced me this was true.

Back at the hotel, we violated a rule of travel to Europe and took a late afternoon nap.  But, we managed to get showered and out the door for a late - for us - dinner at one of the cafes across from the Jardin, which was delicious, of course.   The next morning, we headed out to our first destination of the day, Paris' natural history museum or, as it is more elegantly titled in French, La Grand Galerie de L'Evolucion.  Located in the lovely Jardin des Plantes near Gare D'Austerlitz, this museum is a great place for fans of dinosaurs and other early inhabitants of the planet.  Our son may have moved on to an iPod Touch and Minecraft apps, but he's still a big fan of T-Rex.  After waiting in line for another 40 minutes or so, we wandered up and down the three floors of this enormous museum, which is well-designed and cleverly lit.  All of the information is in French only, but it didn't matter; our son really enjoyed the displays and you definitely get the gist.

As we left the museum in search of lunch, our son experienced another travel dividend: exposure to others.  The museum is across the street from one of the large mosques in central Paris and so we got to explain the exodus of hundreds of men only from Friday services.  We headed towards Notre Dame and found a cafe full of other families having lunch.  Fortified with another delicious meal, we made our way past the Insitut du Monde Arabe, an amazing building with panoramic views that my spouse and I enjoyed on a prior visit, and crossed the Seine to the Isle St. Louis and then to Notre Dame.  The line to enter the cathedral was - of course - long, so we continued our walk to the Right Bank and headed towards shopping central along and near Boulevard Haussmann. 

Paris has several famous department stores or "grand magasins."  Our stop was Galleries Lafayette.  It's actually comprised of two buildings, one for women and home, and one for the guys.  We were duly impressed with the 6-story Swarovski Christmas tree but freed ourselves from the in-search-of-sales crowds as soon as we could.  Passing the grand Opera House, we walked to elegant Place Vendome, which was beautifully decorated, like all of Paris, for the holidays, and found a subway station to head back to our hotel for some rest before dinner. 

Our last night in Paris involved a quiet meal near our hotel.  We were up and out the next morning and Vijay was waiting for us.  He delivered us to the very busy Gare de Lyon, from where we caught a high-speed train (TGV) to the next chapter of our holiday adventure, the South of France.