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Page 8-Saturday, April 19, 1980-The Michigan Daily
Riviera offers 'the real thing'
The Midgan Daily-Saturay
andd riving thru the
00
If the whirling pace of Utah is not
your speed, you may want to consider
something a little more sophisticated.
It may cost you a bit more, but where
else can you get good croissants these
days?
Well, all right, there is a pseudo-
french bakery or two in town (the kind
run by little guys in beanies, who, if
they were in Paris, would be wearing
baseball caps). But you sure can't get
that Mediterranean sun in Ann Arbor.
ALL THIS COST no more than a
plane ticket and my parents' hospitality
for part of the summer. It was after
twenty seconds of mature reflection on
my part that I accepted the offer from
my great aunt in Belgium who said she
knew of an African family that sum-
mered in France, who wanted to send
their daughter to the United States for a
month in exchange for which they wan-
ted an American to stay with them in
their villa on the Riviera and was I
interested?
So, armed with my textbook French
(courtesy of 231), off I went. Having
spent a night in nervous anticipation,
and another in hopelessly cramped
quarters, I could barely speak English
when I stumbled off the plane.
"Fatuigee, je suis fatiguee, " I mum-
bled to my hosts. I awakened about four
hours later to the mid-afternoon sun,
my sense of time thoroughly disorien-
ted.
It was like waking up in another cen-
tury. By French law, buildings in cer-
tain historical areas cannot be erected
in anything other than the traditional
style of that area. Provence, the
Julie Selbst says she is not an
uncultured slob and has since mas-
tered French and topless sunbath-
ing. She covers Labor for the Daily.
By Julie Selbst
province in which the Africans' villa is
located, is pulled straight from the
travel posters ("See Europe This
Summer"), with its stone buildings and
earthen red tile rooves on narrow, win-
ding streets.
AND OF COURSE, the Riviera is
known for another thing, something
unmistakably twentieth century-
topless sunbathing. It is everywhere.
No one thinks twice, not even women
your grandmother's age. After
managing to tackle the French, I
realized they'd been telling me for two
weeks that they'd thought I was slighly
neurotic in clutching my already
minimal bathing suit top to my body for
the first two days I was there. Typically
American, they said.
Basically, anything goes in the south
of France, though, so you needn't worry
if your wardrobe isn't up-to-the-minute.
The people are relaxed and congenial,
so much so that their countrymen in
Paris describe someone with a level
head as "not from the Midi."
An additional thought--if you re
anywhere along the coast on Bastille
Day, July 14, which is their version of
Independence Day, you will almost cer-
tainly see the fireworks. In fact, they
are worth going out of your way to see.
Now you may say, "Fireworks? I didn't
come three thousand miles to see
fireworks," 'but these are unlike any
you've ever seen. If you make your
plans far enough ahead of time, you
may be able to dine at a sidewalk cafe
in Cannes, where the official
celebration is held, and watch the
passers-by. That may sound rude, but
its part of the festival. Everyone
dresses as outrageously as possible,
and watches everybody else. The
people who live in the apartment
buildings along the water gather on
their balconies to see it all.
PARIS, IN CONTRAST to the Midi, is
a city of utmost propriety. Women,
watch out-it isn't considered proper to
be walking unaccompanied there at any
time, not even 3 p.m. Sunday. Even if
the assumption that you are looking for
business doesn't bother you, it will be a
dead giveaway that you are American,
and nobody who's anybody wants to be
associated with that image, right?
But by all means, don't pass Paris by
just because you are a tacky American
and proud of it. The Musee Rodin,
primarily sculptures by the French
genius, is worth a trip by itself, and of
course, most people want to visit the
Louvre, even if only to say that they've
been there.
Bon Voyage and don't forget Gene
Kelley.
Granite State calls
for survival tactics
By Alan Fanger
In the Granite State, where skiing
and voting in presidential primaries
are considered sacred activities, sur-
vival is far from a cakewalk.
Survival. Taking the brunt of nature
and dodging its every obstacle. Then,
and only then, can you truly appreciate
the magnificance of the tiny state of
New Hampshire.
A THICK BLANKET of snow covers
the tops of the White Mountains--the
state's contribution to the Appalachian
system-from late November through
May. Springtime signals the massive
runoff of melting snow down the moun-
tainsides and into the Swift-Saco river.
If you've ever submerged any portion
of your anatomy into the Swift River
during midsummer, you know all about
numbness. It is COLD.
But it is survival-survival of the fit-
test-that characterizes the successful
New Hampshire voyeur.
IF YOU CHOOSE to tent down in one
of the lovely state parks, take along
about five or six blankets and a thermos
of hot tea. The mercury has been known
to sink to disgustingly low levels, even
in July and August. Forty-degree nights
Daily' Sports Editor Alan Fanger
promises to stay in Washington,
D. C. once he is elected to Congress.
are not uncommon, particularly in the
more northerly, mountainous areas.
The Kankamagus Highway, a 35-mile
long two-lane road that winds its way
through the heart of White Mountain
National Forest, is a scenic and
recreational focal point.
START YOUR JOURNEY along the
Kankamagus at the city of Conway on
the east. About seven miles westward,
pull your car to the side of the road,
climb the rocks lining the Swift River
and find a spot where you can jump in.
Let yourself get carried along the bot-
tom of the gorge as 4,000-foot mountains
appear to stand right on top of you.
Nearly halfway between Conway and
the end of the highway at Lincoln is a
view unmatched in all of New England.
On a clear day, one can look northward
from the top of the National Forest
plateau, and see the entire Presidential
range, one of the White Mountain's
principal ranges.
The highest in this breathtaking
series of peaks is Mt. Washington, a
6,288-foot beauty that stands as the
tallest peak east of the Mississippi
River. The runoff from Washington fin-
ds its way to Glen Ellis Falls, which lies
at the bottom of a narrow gorge to the
southeast of the mountain.
Find the platform of rocks five feet
above the pool at the base of the falls,
and jump in. If you can escape
paralysis in the 48-degree water, you
have survived New Hampshire.
By Mitch Cantor
If Ann Arbor is the city in which the
pedestrian and biker are king and
queen of the road, New York City is its
antithesis: a bustling metropolis in
which trotting civilians, dogs, and
mobile hotdog stands are all fair game
for frenzied motorists in search of wan-
dering targets.
The name of the game is survival of
the fittest. Those not fleet of foot often
find themselves nicked by car bumpers
and the recipients of not-so-kind words
from city residents.
BUT WHILE THE streetwalker is
certainly in a tenuous position, the
motorist is probably no more at ease
among his or her rushing companions.
Often stuck between the leadfoot cabbie
and the limousined jetsefter, the
visiting motorist in the Big Apple must
be constantly on his or her guard.
There are several key strategies
useful to keep a step ahead of the op-
posing drivers:
" Never cut off a New York cabbie.
Most of them would rather-hit you than
let you get ahead of them.
" Remember that with few excep-
tions, which are deliberately thrown in
to fool visiting motorists, the odd-
numbered streets in Manhattan run
west, while the evens run east.
* If you don't want to get caught
behind the rest of the crowd and badly
abused by annoyed, horn-blowing New
Yorkers, start acceleration at an iiter-
section when the signal for the cross-
street hits yellow.
* Don't try to go from 34th Street to
67th via the Avenue of the Americas
(6th Ave.)-you'll end up in the lake in
the middle of Central Park.
When cruising south down the Hud-
son Parkway (West Side Highway) at
night, under no circumstances should
you take a right-you'll end up in water
again (another 2 strokes).
Daily Managing Editor Mitch
Cantor wants to drive away and be
a rock musician.
Have a bite
while in the
Big Apple
(Contnued from Page 4)
of the most popular: Museum of
Modern Art, Metropolitan Museum of
Art, Lincoln Center (home of the
Metropolitan Opera), the public
library, South Street Seaport.
SHOPPING
Saks Fifth Avenue: If you have lots
of money . . but even if you don't,
check out the bathrooms on the fourth
floor. 5th Ave. and 49th.
Macy's basement: Boundless
variety and cheap, too. Great snack
bar. Herald Square.
FAO Schwartz: World's largest and
best toy store. You could spend days
just browsing. Many locations; the
mnheit"'7'4Iat345 MiAve."
" Never drive behind a bus. Most city
buses stop every single block. If you get
caught behind one of them, it's more
than likely the drivers on your left will
effectively box you in between the
traffic and the curb.
* The recent transit strike served to
illustrate the necessity of public
transportation. The typical bus or
subway trip is not as bad as rumor has
it. Just remember not to use the subway
after dark, and to have exact change
for the bus.
Driving, of course, comes with the
difficulty of parking. With 99.99 per cent
of the city either metered or prohibiting
parking or standing at any time,
abandoning a car for more than ten
minutes can end up as either very
expensive or very illegal. (And "very
illegal" can soon transform into very
expensive tickets.)
Parking structures, the lone
alternative, cost about six dollars per
hour.
BARE
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Boston Globe
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