Eric Mack On-Line

The Count of Monte Cristo has to be one of my all-time favorite novels. I have the book as well as a large collection of movies which have been made based on this story. My favorite version is the 8 hour French miniseries (in French) with Gerard Depardieu.

On our honeymoon, my wife and I stayed in rented castles in France. (Think bed and breakfast, only these happen to be castles where you can rent a room or a wing for the night).

Back to Dumas, I took my new bride to the Chateau D'If just so that I could show her the room where a young and innocent Edmond Dantes spent so many years of his life.

Of course, Kathy has a completely different take on the whole experience - that of having to suppress bodily function for hours,  for lack of proper "Western" rest-room facilities on the island. I explained that the holes in the ground had been used for centuries and that they were authentic. She said that they looked and smelled authentic and managed to survive until we got off the boat in Marseille to more civilized facilities.  She has no desire to return.