Nous partons aujourd’hui. Nous prenons les dernières photos de Pam et de nous trois.
Nous allons dans un restaurant prendre un "american breakfast". Une amie de Pam nous y attend. Quel choix! Toats, œufs sous toutes les formes, saucisses, pommes de terre sautées, pancakes, crêpes, pain perdu … Nous prenons un bon petit-déjeuner et Pam nous conduits à notre limousine! Il n’y a pas de bus d’Eau Claire à Minneapolis mais un service de limousines. Ce sont en fait des minibus qui ont une remorque pour les bagages. Nous faisons nos adieux à Pam et la remercions bien pour ces trois jours si agréables.
Nous arrivons à l’aéroport de Minneapolis sans problème. Embarquement à 4 h pour Memphis, Tennessee. Nous survolons une grande rivière et je pense que c’est le Mississipi. Nous l’avons passé sur un pont en voiture en venant de et en allant à Minneapolis. Il marque la frontière entre Minnesota et Wisconsin. Et nous le retrouverons à Memphis.
Nous arrivons à Memphis à 6 h. Très beau temps, les arbres sont verts, il y a beaucoup de fleurs. Taxi que nous partageons avec une autre sismologiste qui va aussi à la conférence. Nous sommes au Marriot Hotel. Nous montons dans notre chambre et, bonne surprise, il y a un fer à repasser dans un placard (et une table à repasser). Je repasse en deux minutes mon chemisier et ma jupe et on va vite, vite à la réception d’accueil qui a déjà commencé. Nous retrouvons avec grand plaisir Steve et Linda Malone de Seattle. Nous avons habité quelques jours chez eux en 1986 et ils nous ont visités en 1990, il y a vingt ans! Avec eux est Luciana, une ancienne étudiante de Jens à Mexico. Elle nous raconte que sa fille a fini l’université! Que le temps passe vite. Jens connait beaucoup de monde. C’est relaxe, certains bien habillés d’autres en shorts. Une jeune femme m’aborde et nous discutons un peu. Elle est iranienne et ne connait personne ici. Mais elle connait Jens de réputation et a utilisé certains de ses cours. On nous sert des coupes avec trois grosses crevettes sur du « grits », des crudités et des fruits. Le grits, cela ressemble à de la semoule mais c’est fait de maïs. C’est un plat typique du sud des Etats-Unis. Ça n’a pas beaucoup de goût. Je mange bien surtout des fruits (melons, pastèques, ananas), Jens aussi pensant que cela fera notre diner. Mais Linda n’a presque rien mangé parce qu’elle a été au téléphone avec sa fille Kristin longtemps. Quand elle est revenue, il n’y avait plus grand-chose. Ils veulent aller au restaurant. Nous y allons donc aussi. Je prends seulement une soupe et Jens une salade. Mais la carte des desserts nous tente et nous craquons. Ce n’est pas raisonnable, je sais. Surtout que je prends un cheese cake … aux peanuts, pas léger, léger et Jens un gâteau au chocolat. Très peu de monde dans la rue. Centre ville aux grands gratte-ciels et au milieu de la rue, un vieux tramway circule. Il fait encore très doux, tard le soir.
We're leaving today. We take the last pictures of Pam and of the three of us.
We go into a restaurant to have an American breakfast. A friend of Pam awaits us there. What a choice! Toast, eggs in all forms, sausages, fried potatoes, pancakes, french toasts ... we take a good breakfast and Pam drives us to our limo! There is no bus from Eau Claire to Minneapolis, but a limousine service. These are actually minibuses which have a trailer for luggage. We say farewell to Pam and thank her for three days so enjoyable.
We arrive at the Minneapolis airport without problem. Boarding at 4 pm for Memphis, Tennessee. We fly over a big river and I think that's the Mississippi. We passed it over a bridge by car coming from and going to Minneapolis. It marks the border between Minnesota and Wisconsin. And we'll find it again in Memphis.
We arrive in Memphis at 6 pm. Very nice weather, the trees are green and there are many flowers. We share a taxi with another seismologist who attends the same conference as Jens. We are at the Marriot Hotel. We got into our room and a pleasant surprise: there is an iron in a closet (and an ironing board). I iron my shirt and my skirt in two minutes and we go fast, fast to the welcome reception which has already started. We meet again Steve and Linda Malone of Seattle with great pleasure. We lived a few days at their home in 1986 and they visited us in 1990, twenty years ago! With them is Luciana, a former student of Jens in Mexico City. She says her daughter has finished college! Time passes quickly. Jens knows many people. It is relaxed, some are well-dressed and some are in shorts. A young woman approaches me and we chat a bit. She is Iranian and does not know anybody here. But she knows Jens by reputation and has used some of his courses. We are served three big shrimps on grits, raw vegetables and fruits. The grit looks like semolina but is made of corn. It is a dish typical of southern United States. It has not much taste. I eat well especially fruits (melon, watermelon, pineapple) and Jens also, thinking that it will be our dinner. But Linda had almost nothing to eat because she was on the phone with her daughter Kristin a long time. When she returned, there was not much left. They want to go to a restaurant. We go also. I take just a soup and Jens takes only a salad. But the dessert menu tempts us and we're cracking. It is not reasonable, I know. Especially since I take a cheese cake ... with peanuts, not very light, and Jens a chocolate cake. Very few people in the street. In downtown skyscrapers and in the middle of the street, an old tramway runs. It's still very mild, late at night.
We go into a restaurant to have an American breakfast. A friend of Pam awaits us there. What a choice! Toast, eggs in all forms, sausages, fried potatoes, pancakes, french toasts ... we take a good breakfast and Pam drives us to our limo! There is no bus from Eau Claire to Minneapolis, but a limousine service. These are actually minibuses which have a trailer for luggage. We say farewell to Pam and thank her for three days so enjoyable.
We arrive at the Minneapolis airport without problem. Boarding at 4 pm for Memphis, Tennessee. We fly over a big river and I think that's the Mississippi. We passed it over a bridge by car coming from and going to Minneapolis. It marks the border between Minnesota and Wisconsin. And we'll find it again in Memphis.
We arrive in Memphis at 6 pm. Very nice weather, the trees are green and there are many flowers. We share a taxi with another seismologist who attends the same conference as Jens. We are at the Marriot Hotel. We got into our room and a pleasant surprise: there is an iron in a closet (and an ironing board). I iron my shirt and my skirt in two minutes and we go fast, fast to the welcome reception which has already started. We meet again Steve and Linda Malone of Seattle with great pleasure. We lived a few days at their home in 1986 and they visited us in 1990, twenty years ago! With them is Luciana, a former student of Jens in Mexico City. She says her daughter has finished college! Time passes quickly. Jens knows many people. It is relaxed, some are well-dressed and some are in shorts. A young woman approaches me and we chat a bit. She is Iranian and does not know anybody here. But she knows Jens by reputation and has used some of his courses. We are served three big shrimps on grits, raw vegetables and fruits. The grit looks like semolina but is made of corn. It is a dish typical of southern United States. It has not much taste. I eat well especially fruits (melon, watermelon, pineapple) and Jens also, thinking that it will be our dinner. But Linda had almost nothing to eat because she was on the phone with her daughter Kristin a long time. When she returned, there was not much left. They want to go to a restaurant. We go also. I take just a soup and Jens takes only a salad. But the dessert menu tempts us and we're cracking. It is not reasonable, I know. Especially since I take a cheese cake ... with peanuts, not very light, and Jens a chocolate cake. Very few people in the street. In downtown skyscrapers and in the middle of the street, an old tramway runs. It's still very mild, late at night.
Jens, Pam, Jeannette
Pam prend une photo de Jens
Pam is taking a picture of Jens
Notre limousine
Our limo
Minneapolis
Nous arrivons à l'aéroport de Minneapolis
Arriving at Minneapolis airport
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