As we wake up on a sunny but cold Central California Christmas morning, we have become French home owners. The ten day cooling off period ended yesterday, and unless they throw something else at us, the only thing we need to do is make the final payment by the end of January. While it seems exciting, it is a little scary. I'm sure nothing is going to go wrong, but we have watched and read enough to know that the unexpected should be the expected. It isn't Bella Tuscany or A Year in Provence, it will be our own adventure with with a happy ending.
Between now and our first visit home, we have to arrange for the property taxes, the electrics, home insurance and the Internet. Most can be done with the help of our realtor, but for some of the tasks we will be on our own. We are planning on being there for Spring Break, March 14 through March 29.
Friday, December 25, 2015
Friday, September 4, 2015
les derniers jours de l'été
I'm not sure what happened to the last week. We were busy with a trip to the beach, a day at the lake and a day seeing castles/chateaux of Richard the Lion Hearted. On Tuesday, we drove Evie and Kevin to Poitiers train station so they could head back to Paris for the last few days of their vacation. This gave us a chance to wander around the historical city before returning home to an empty house. Some wise poet once wrote that you don't know what you've got till it's gone. While the chaos of a full house was sometimes overwhelming, the peace and quiet of an empty house can be the same. We have begun to get used to it again, and are spending the last few hours seeing just one or two more picturesque villages and church steeples.
On Friday, we have the clean-up and packing. After two months, we have our stuff spread across all 4 floors of the house and the car. Some laundry and some gardening will also help us fill our last day. Dinner is a hamburger in the local pub down by the river. A great way to end our summer.
We also just found out our connecting flight from Toronto to Vancouver is "delayed" by 30 minutes. Not sure how Air Canada can forecast this type of delay so far in advance, or is it a schedule change? Which ever, it adds 30 minutes to our journey, which is long enough.
....
Well now it is Saturday night at 22:30, and I look out our hotel window and watch the planes take off from Charles De Gaulle airport. It has been quite the day. We were up early to finish cleaning and then packing up after an incredible 8 weeks in the House With Blue Shutters. We had arrange to meet up with the caretaker at 10:00, but he was late so it was a twenty minute delay before Gary arrived. Someone had parked in front of his garage, and he had to scour the neighbourhood finding the culprit and get them to move their car. It didn't seem to be an issue as we had more than enough time according to the GPS to get to the airport and drop off the car by 17:00, we thought 15:30 at the latest. In fact I was planning a dip in the hotel's swimming pool before dinner. Well that all changed as we neared Paris. Firstly the GPS suggested a route change due to traffic which we ignored. There seemed to be an air show that was occurring near the expressway and this may be why she suggested another route . This was no problem for us so we continued on the original route with little or no traffic problems. As Paris approached the traffic got worse and worse, and the GPS kept telling us that there was no alternative route that could be suggested. We kept moving forward like a slow moving army, and kept our eyes on the GPS, the map, and a downloaded route I had on the i pad. With only one mistake, getting off the E15 at Port Vincennes which the navigator, me, thought for a split second was the way to the airport, we were able to quickly get back on the E15 as we made our way across a wide open plaza style intersection with no lines on the road making a maneuver that really wasn't planned for and continue back to the A3. Then the A1 and then finally to the gas station just before Charles de Gaulle airport to top off the tank before we returned the rental car. We had started getting confused around Orly airport where the road varies from being the A6a to the A6b to the D126. I finally decided that we needed to get on the Blvd. Peripherique heading east. This is known as the E15, the E5 and the Blvd. Perpherique, depending where you are on it, not that maybe confusing to anyone. We were treated to a nice view of the Tour Eiffel, but with 4 lanes of traffic, we couldn't enjoy the view to its fullest extent. Finally as we crossed the rivière Seine, we began to see CDG on the destination signs. Through persistence and a bit of luck we finally found the A1 and then finally to the gas station just before Charles de Gaulle airport to top off the tank before we returned the rental car. It was quite easy to follow the signs to the parking garage at Charles De Gaulle terminal 1 and the rental car drop off location. The parking lot office was closed, so we were lucky that a passerby, probably a worker getting off shift, told us to go down the the office on the Arrivals level. We had taken pictures of the car, just in case, and when asked where we left it, we were able to show the agent the picture with the parking stall number on it. Within minutes we were on our way to our hotel. Seems unusual to complete a major transaction such as renting a care for 57 days with a "That's all". I guess we await the final invoice. Quite an end to a 6 hour ordeal.
We knew that the Hilton at Charles de Gaulle would be a nice treat after the summer and it was. The air conditioned room with a view of the runways of the airport was what we needed. As we had been driving through the Paris traffic, we were imagining sipping a beer in the hotel's bar, but instead on arrival the bed won out for a while. One of the problems of a four star hotel are the prices in the bars and restaurants, but being a captive audience so it was just one of those things. Dinner and drinks were expensive, but at least the food was good, but should have been great at the prices. After dinner we took a walk around the area. We found that at the Ibis hotel complex right next door had a couple of restaurants and a take away snack bar. We stocked up on after dinner drinks and snacks all for less than a second beer at the hotel.
We did have breakfast as part of our rate on Sunday morning. The buffet was very good with lots of choices. The one very strange item was the scrambled eggs. It appeared very runny, but I went ahead anyways. It seemed to have hard boiled eggs chopped up and then added to a sauce. While it wasn't awful, it was interesting. After breakfast it was over to the airport to catch our 12:30 flight to Toronto. It was a good flight with the best airplane food we have eaten in a long time. So much better than the bland, tasteless food on the flight over to Paris. Even the snack just before landing, a spicy Thai chicken wrap was good. The 3 bottles of red wine didn't hurt either.
The arrival and transfer to the domestic gates in Toronto was quite easy, with the exception of the luggage drop off. An elderly gentleman was working there, having troubles with conveyer belt, and the luggage wasn't going anywhere and the line up was growing. He didn't have any support, and didn't have the people skills to explain what was happening. Surely the managers should be near by to help out in situations like this. The last time we connected in Toronto to the US, we were herded into a chaotic hall to attempt to find our luggage and then had to find out where to go. Someone in Toronto needs to design a much more human system of transfers from one flight to another.
Arriving at our gate, the sign said the departure for our Vancouver flight was at 5:00. We had just been notified about a delay to 5:30 via email, and even our boarding pass printed in Paris stated it was at 5:30. On asking the agent at the desk, she was confused and thought the flight was at 5:30 so she went off to get the to the bottom of it. Strange way to run an airline. As it turned out the flight was to leave at its original time at 5:00. This meant a quick phone call home to alert our pick up of the changed time. On boarding, it was noticed that one of the overhead panels containing the air mask had descended. Hopefully not a sign of things to come. They called maintenance to fix the problem but watching the two men fix it with nothing more than stuffing them back up into the compartment and the quickly shutting the panel before they could drop back out.
------
Well we survived the 5 hour flight which seemed like an eternity. Arriving back in Vancouver, we were greeted by my brother to drive us the final leg. Parts of the city were still in darkness after the big storm on the previous day. As if BC Hydro knew we were on our way, our power was restored just before our arrival. Now our last thing to is to over come the jet lag. We are still trying to sleep at least till 5:00 am, early in the week it was 2:30 am. With a little luck, all will be back to normal by Tuesday as we return to work and real life.
On Friday, we have the clean-up and packing. After two months, we have our stuff spread across all 4 floors of the house and the car. Some laundry and some gardening will also help us fill our last day. Dinner is a hamburger in the local pub down by the river. A great way to end our summer.
We also just found out our connecting flight from Toronto to Vancouver is "delayed" by 30 minutes. Not sure how Air Canada can forecast this type of delay so far in advance, or is it a schedule change? Which ever, it adds 30 minutes to our journey, which is long enough.
....
Well now it is Saturday night at 22:30, and I look out our hotel window and watch the planes take off from Charles De Gaulle airport. It has been quite the day. We were up early to finish cleaning and then packing up after an incredible 8 weeks in the House With Blue Shutters. We had arrange to meet up with the caretaker at 10:00, but he was late so it was a twenty minute delay before Gary arrived. Someone had parked in front of his garage, and he had to scour the neighbourhood finding the culprit and get them to move their car. It didn't seem to be an issue as we had more than enough time according to the GPS to get to the airport and drop off the car by 17:00, we thought 15:30 at the latest. In fact I was planning a dip in the hotel's swimming pool before dinner. Well that all changed as we neared Paris. Firstly the GPS suggested a route change due to traffic which we ignored. There seemed to be an air show that was occurring near the expressway and this may be why she suggested another route . This was no problem for us so we continued on the original route with little or no traffic problems. As Paris approached the traffic got worse and worse, and the GPS kept telling us that there was no alternative route that could be suggested. We kept moving forward like a slow moving army, and kept our eyes on the GPS, the map, and a downloaded route I had on the i pad. With only one mistake, getting off the E15 at Port Vincennes which the navigator, me, thought for a split second was the way to the airport, we were able to quickly get back on the E15 as we made our way across a wide open plaza style intersection with no lines on the road making a maneuver that really wasn't planned for and continue back to the A3. Then the A1 and then finally to the gas station just before Charles de Gaulle airport to top off the tank before we returned the rental car. We had started getting confused around Orly airport where the road varies from being the A6a to the A6b to the D126. I finally decided that we needed to get on the Blvd. Peripherique heading east. This is known as the E15, the E5 and the Blvd. Perpherique, depending where you are on it, not that maybe confusing to anyone. We were treated to a nice view of the Tour Eiffel, but with 4 lanes of traffic, we couldn't enjoy the view to its fullest extent. Finally as we crossed the rivière Seine, we began to see CDG on the destination signs. Through persistence and a bit of luck we finally found the A1 and then finally to the gas station just before Charles de Gaulle airport to top off the tank before we returned the rental car. It was quite easy to follow the signs to the parking garage at Charles De Gaulle terminal 1 and the rental car drop off location. The parking lot office was closed, so we were lucky that a passerby, probably a worker getting off shift, told us to go down the the office on the Arrivals level. We had taken pictures of the car, just in case, and when asked where we left it, we were able to show the agent the picture with the parking stall number on it. Within minutes we were on our way to our hotel. Seems unusual to complete a major transaction such as renting a care for 57 days with a "That's all". I guess we await the final invoice. Quite an end to a 6 hour ordeal.
We knew that the Hilton at Charles de Gaulle would be a nice treat after the summer and it was. The air conditioned room with a view of the runways of the airport was what we needed. As we had been driving through the Paris traffic, we were imagining sipping a beer in the hotel's bar, but instead on arrival the bed won out for a while. One of the problems of a four star hotel are the prices in the bars and restaurants, but being a captive audience so it was just one of those things. Dinner and drinks were expensive, but at least the food was good, but should have been great at the prices. After dinner we took a walk around the area. We found that at the Ibis hotel complex right next door had a couple of restaurants and a take away snack bar. We stocked up on after dinner drinks and snacks all for less than a second beer at the hotel.
We did have breakfast as part of our rate on Sunday morning. The buffet was very good with lots of choices. The one very strange item was the scrambled eggs. It appeared very runny, but I went ahead anyways. It seemed to have hard boiled eggs chopped up and then added to a sauce. While it wasn't awful, it was interesting. After breakfast it was over to the airport to catch our 12:30 flight to Toronto. It was a good flight with the best airplane food we have eaten in a long time. So much better than the bland, tasteless food on the flight over to Paris. Even the snack just before landing, a spicy Thai chicken wrap was good. The 3 bottles of red wine didn't hurt either.
The arrival and transfer to the domestic gates in Toronto was quite easy, with the exception of the luggage drop off. An elderly gentleman was working there, having troubles with conveyer belt, and the luggage wasn't going anywhere and the line up was growing. He didn't have any support, and didn't have the people skills to explain what was happening. Surely the managers should be near by to help out in situations like this. The last time we connected in Toronto to the US, we were herded into a chaotic hall to attempt to find our luggage and then had to find out where to go. Someone in Toronto needs to design a much more human system of transfers from one flight to another.
Arriving at our gate, the sign said the departure for our Vancouver flight was at 5:00. We had just been notified about a delay to 5:30 via email, and even our boarding pass printed in Paris stated it was at 5:30. On asking the agent at the desk, she was confused and thought the flight was at 5:30 so she went off to get the to the bottom of it. Strange way to run an airline. As it turned out the flight was to leave at its original time at 5:00. This meant a quick phone call home to alert our pick up of the changed time. On boarding, it was noticed that one of the overhead panels containing the air mask had descended. Hopefully not a sign of things to come. They called maintenance to fix the problem but watching the two men fix it with nothing more than stuffing them back up into the compartment and the quickly shutting the panel before they could drop back out.
------
Well we survived the 5 hour flight which seemed like an eternity. Arriving back in Vancouver, we were greeted by my brother to drive us the final leg. Parts of the city were still in darkness after the big storm on the previous day. As if BC Hydro knew we were on our way, our power was restored just before our arrival. Now our last thing to is to over come the jet lag. We are still trying to sleep at least till 5:00 am, early in the week it was 2:30 am. With a little luck, all will be back to normal by Tuesday as we return to work and real life.
Friday, August 21, 2015
And then there were four......
It is now Friday morning, the sun has returned, and we have a week to go. This past week we have bid farewell to 3 more house guests. Thespina went on her way south to Toulouse and then Barcelona, while Donna and Cindy flew back to Canada leaving just Evie and Kevin here with us. It is quiet and a big change from the hordes we had just two weeks ago. As the end of the holiday draws nearer, we began to think if we missed anything or want to discover another part of France, but all it takes is a glass of wine and to sit on our terrace and look out over the village, and we find ourselves quite content to stay here till the end. Evie and Kevin have planned to leave us on Wednesday to re-visit Paris before their return to Vancouver next Saturday. It is tempting, but the peaceful village/rural life has a powerful hold on us.
We did break away yesterday and drove to the beach. The closest beach town to us is Royan on the Atlantic coast. The drive took us down into the wine and cognac regions. The countryside evolved from sheep and cows to vineyards and sunflowers. We passed right through the town of Cognac and saw the Courvoisier distillery. I had no idea that it was produced from white wine and as with champagne, there are many requirements for it to be officially called cognac. On now to the beach through the bouchons. Bouchons are traffic jams, (bumper to bumper traffic) I was assuming it comes from the word bouche which means mouth, (mouth to mouth traffic), but on further research the computer says no, it means cork, float, jack, log jam, plug, stop, stopper, traffic jam, wad, not quite as colourful of an expression as I had hopped. While most people think of the Mediterranean beaches, the Atlantic coast has kilometres of beaches from Spain up to the English Channel. We picked the Grand Conche plage because it was right in the town and had access to the facilities we would need to enjoy a day on the beach over one of the plage sauvage or wild beaches. We got very lucky to find parking less than a block from the beach, and things were looking up. The water was warm and the beach was very sandy and lots of space.
The only issue was as the day progressed the tide receded and the walk out to the water was much like Spanish Banks in Vancouver at low tide. Steve also learned to stay between the lifeguard signs or they will whistle at you and get you to move into the safe zone. It was a lovely day, and after we had had our fill of sand, sea and sun, we thought we would enjoy a late lunch at one of the beach side restaurants. Well we discovered that only desserts or drinks were on offer at 3:30 in the afternoon. We set off from our section of the 2 kilometre beach and drove along the promenade which would have been nice for stroll or bike ride if we had more time, towards the centre ville, to search out a restaurant that had continuous service. Here we discovered a plethora of people, souvenir shops, bars and cafés but a dearth of parking. Before we knew it we were on the road back home. Entering a roundabout, we noticed a McDonald's and we were loving it as they say. It turned out to be a nice lunch on their terrace and not only did they bring out our meal to our table when it was ready, I enjoyed a beer with my burger. How civilized.
On the drive home, we were on the lookout for a chateau that we had noticed from the highway on the drive down. The Chateau Rochenfoucaud was perched above the village of the same name. It was begun in 980 AD as a fortified camp on a rock
overlooking the stream by Fucaldus, the younger brother of the Viscount of Limoges. In 1453, Jean de La Rochefaucauld built 3 angle towers and heightened the keep following the victorious battle of Castillon which put an and to the 100 Year War. I will have to do some reading and research on that for Social Studies 8 next term. Later in 1520, François II de La Rochenfocauld's wife, Anne de Polignac, built the galleries and the grand staircase in renaissance style. All it was missing were the formal gardens like the chateaux of the Loire
Valley that we have visited. What it did have was the opportunity to dress up in costumes which we all too full advantage of.
So enough of the history lesson, as we try to write our own history here in Bellac. Thinking that only a lottery win would allow us to move forward any possibility of an early retirement, we bought some lottery tickets. We started small with 4 €1 scratch tickets. Even though one of the tickets was a "gagnant", a total of €2. So now we are €2 farther from our dream than when we started. Also a dose of reality arrived as the home owner sent out a contractor to look a the leak in the roof that has been causing some rain in our bathroom during windy/wet weather.
These are old homes that need lots of work and I'm sure each time you try to fix one thing, several others pop up as well. We are still waiting on an electrician and a plumber to fix small problems, one of which may be the language or the difficulty of finding reliable English speaking contractors. We were told the electrician would be here this morning and it is now 3:30 pm and no sign of the "électricien", not that we are hanging around waiting for him. It is a beautiful afternoon here on the terrace and we are enjoying a quiet afternoon. Evie and Kevin have driven off to Limoges for the day, and now there were two.....
We did break away yesterday and drove to the beach. The closest beach town to us is Royan on the Atlantic coast. The drive took us down into the wine and cognac regions. The countryside evolved from sheep and cows to vineyards and sunflowers. We passed right through the town of Cognac and saw the Courvoisier distillery. I had no idea that it was produced from white wine and as with champagne, there are many requirements for it to be officially called cognac. On now to the beach through the bouchons. Bouchons are traffic jams, (bumper to bumper traffic) I was assuming it comes from the word bouche which means mouth, (mouth to mouth traffic), but on further research the computer says no, it means cork, float, jack, log jam, plug, stop, stopper, traffic jam, wad, not quite as colourful of an expression as I had hopped. While most people think of the Mediterranean beaches, the Atlantic coast has kilometres of beaches from Spain up to the English Channel. We picked the Grand Conche plage because it was right in the town and had access to the facilities we would need to enjoy a day on the beach over one of the plage sauvage or wild beaches. We got very lucky to find parking less than a block from the beach, and things were looking up. The water was warm and the beach was very sandy and lots of space.
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| View towards Royan |
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| Our crowed beach |
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| Make sure he gets some sun screen on his back. |
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| Sand surfing |
The only issue was as the day progressed the tide receded and the walk out to the water was much like Spanish Banks in Vancouver at low tide. Steve also learned to stay between the lifeguard signs or they will whistle at you and get you to move into the safe zone. It was a lovely day, and after we had had our fill of sand, sea and sun, we thought we would enjoy a late lunch at one of the beach side restaurants. Well we discovered that only desserts or drinks were on offer at 3:30 in the afternoon. We set off from our section of the 2 kilometre beach and drove along the promenade which would have been nice for stroll or bike ride if we had more time, towards the centre ville, to search out a restaurant that had continuous service. Here we discovered a plethora of people, souvenir shops, bars and cafés but a dearth of parking. Before we knew it we were on the road back home. Entering a roundabout, we noticed a McDonald's and we were loving it as they say. It turned out to be a nice lunch on their terrace and not only did they bring out our meal to our table when it was ready, I enjoyed a beer with my burger. How civilized.
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| Salut! |
On the drive home, we were on the lookout for a chateau that we had noticed from the highway on the drive down. The Chateau Rochenfoucaud was perched above the village of the same name. It was begun in 980 AD as a fortified camp on a rock
 |
| Chateau Rochenfoucauld |
Valley that we have visited. What it did have was the opportunity to dress up in costumes which we all too full advantage of.
So enough of the history lesson, as we try to write our own history here in Bellac. Thinking that only a lottery win would allow us to move forward any possibility of an early retirement, we bought some lottery tickets. We started small with 4 €1 scratch tickets. Even though one of the tickets was a "gagnant", a total of €2. So now we are €2 farther from our dream than when we started. Also a dose of reality arrived as the home owner sent out a contractor to look a the leak in the roof that has been causing some rain in our bathroom during windy/wet weather.
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| Evie as a damsel in distress. |
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| View from the bridge below the chateau. |
Thursday, August 13, 2015
Apres le orage
Well the storm is almost over (figuratively and literally, in a good way) and things here are settling in for the final few weeks of the summer. The storm being that of Maureen, Irene, Sharon, Dennis, Paul, Sybil, Sari, Celine, Donna, Cindy, Evie , Olivia, Thespina, Evie and Kevin.
We were crammed to the rafters with the 13 at the height of the storm in a house designed for 6. The kids left Tuesday for Paris, and now we are back down to the 7 of us. And now we are left with just a few showers with Kevin willing to drive, the group 5 are off discovering the same villages and towns that we did back in July. The weather varies from very hot and sunny some days, to cloudy, cool and stormy on others, which is a nice variety. Even without the kids, I made the trek over to the pool for a swim and a chance to cool down the other day. There are still no pictures of me in my suit, and if any exist, they won't be published here..... We are spending our time playing House Hunters International as we arranged to see a property just down the street. We have been looking at A Vendre signs all over the village, and even in the window of the Agences Immobilières. When we discovered the house 3 doors down, with the same view as ours was for sale, we thought at least it was a place to start to see if French living was the life for us.
The house had two bedrooms, a kitchen/living area, an unfinished attic which would make a great room, and 2 bathrooms. The layout did not take the best advantage of the view, so we began to make plans to gut the main floor and move the kitchen/living area to the back so we could enjoy the view all the time. We were getting a little ahead of ourselves, but now we have an idea of how the system works, and we have a contact here in Bellac who knows our price range and some of our boxes that need ticking. As we return to reality, it will be a few more years before we can even think about buying a second home or trading in our life for a full time life in France. We would be interested in selling shares in the house if you are interested.....
We are continuing to discover more trails and walks around the village. This morning, we walked down along the river to the west. It was a nice peaceful, shady path until we got to a gate, which at first we thought was keeping us out of someone's property, but we discovered that it was keeping us in.
Through the gate and up the road we went. On the way back home through the village, we stopped into our boulangerie, but they were out of croissants, so we tried a small one that we had never been in before. The pain ordinaire and the croissants were delicious, and the best part was there was no line up to wait in.
As we approach the weekend, we will be back to just the two of us, as our five guests are taking a road trip up north to the beaches of Normandy. They drive up on Friday, take the tour on Saturday, then return on Sunday. It will be a very quiet time here with just the two of us and no car. Maybe get some reading and more village walks in. I feel a visit to the pub is in order this weekend. Also there is an artisans craft fair in the village on Friday evening. So we will not be bored..... and even if we were, its a great place to be bored in.
As always, check out our pictures at:
France Pictures
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| The morning after..... |
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| Our New House....? |
We are continuing to discover more trails and walks around the village. This morning, we walked down along the river to the west. It was a nice peaceful, shady path until we got to a gate, which at first we thought was keeping us out of someone's property, but we discovered that it was keeping us in.
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| Sheep across the river |
As we approach the weekend, we will be back to just the two of us, as our five guests are taking a road trip up north to the beaches of Normandy. They drive up on Friday, take the tour on Saturday, then return on Sunday. It will be a very quiet time here with just the two of us and no car. Maybe get some reading and more village walks in. I feel a visit to the pub is in order this weekend. Also there is an artisans craft fair in the village on Friday evening. So we will not be bored..... and even if we were, its a great place to be bored in.
As always, check out our pictures at:
France Pictures
Wednesday, August 5, 2015
Quand en France....
One of the goals of this summer in France was to learn and experience French culture first hand. Well this lesson was one step removed from being first hand, but a lesson it was. One of the attractions of Bellac was the public swimming pool. We had been planning to visit it shortly after we arrived to escape the heat, but the weather quickly cooled and beating the heat was not a high priority. But this week the heat arrived back in Bellac as well as Steve's nephew Paul, his wife Sybil and the two girls. They were off to the pool for the afternoon,
and we were to join them later that afternoon, mainly due to the fact that we can only get five in the car. Steve drove them over to the pool, and waited until they were safely in the water. The lesson we were all about to learn, and it does involve the age old question, Why do so many European men like wearing "speedo" like swim suits?" The fashion faux pas that Paul committed, and paved the knowledge highway for us was that men can not wear anything into the pool that might be considered worn outside the pool, such as the North American hybrid bathing suit/short. Paul was pointed out by the life guard and it was explained that he couldn't wear his shorts into the pool. The pool fortunately or unfortunately had a spare pair of approved maillot de bain for him to change into. This meant a shopping trip for us to buy a pair of the approved maillot de bain for ourselves. The family clothing store did not carry any, and our next stop was the Eco Gem. It is a mini department store. The other part of French culture, or commerce is that Monday is still considered a day off for many, especially here in smaller towns, and the Eco Gem was shuttered, as were our dreams of a cool dip in the pool. On returning home, I did some research into this dress code rule, and found that we are not the first tourists to find that our perfectly good bathing suits were not perfectly good in France. The rules only apply to public swimming pools and not private pools or hotels and resorts.
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| Bellac Piscine |
In actual fact, this is a law harking back to 1903 when longer swimming shorts were banned by the Government and despite this rather tricky subject being raised numerous times in the French Parliament for an update, so far its a firm “non”.
So we thought that maybe that the pool wasn't for us, and unlike wine and brie, it would be a part of French culture that we just weren't ready for, or they weren't ready for us. When we found out that Paul had purchased a book of 10 admissions to the pool, we thought that maybe we would have to live up to the traveler's moto, When In Rome...., so the next day we were off to Eco Gem to hunt down the perfect slip de bain or un boxer, and Eco Gem had both. We thought that we would ease into this fashion, so the boxer was the choice. It reminded me of bathing suits that I had as a kid, but that was a long time ago and a few changes have taken place. The next hurdle to cross was the size. Holding up my first choice, large, to my waist, I thought that there was no way....., and after Steve tried on the xxxl (7) he found that it was too large. We decided that a xxl (6) would the the size of choice. Thank heavens that they were only €12.50 so it wasn't a big investment to be a real France nageur. Also the cashier assured us that if it doesn't fit, we could exchange or refund as long as we had the receipt. He was a nice guy, and asked if we wanted him to speak English to us. The whole process of buying a tight fitting, all revealing swim suit was way out of my comfort zone and I was happy to complete the transaction in English. He seem surprised that we would even want to swim in Bellac's pool.
So as our heat wave continues again, it will be off to the pool this afternoon and a chance to go European.....
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| Bellac Piscine |
So as our heat wave continues again, it will be off to the pool this afternoon and a chance to go European.....
For those of you following the comings and goings of the house, we are now over-flowing. Tuesday brought the arrival of Donna and Cindy, forcing the youngest 2 on to air mattresses, and later today, Evelyn and her daughter Olivia arrive, and her air mattress is already inflated and Olivia can have the love seat, (two hours late thanks to a last minute change at the airlines). Saturday brings Thespian (Spin), the cot and then Sunday, the final arrival of Evie and Kevin. They get to toss Paul and Sybil out of the Master Bed room on to either the last remaining air mattress, couches or where ever they can find. I am feeling a bit like Basil Faulty trying to keep this place running smoothly.... If I only had Manuel to help.
Sorry for the formatting inconsistencies but Blogger is not a very intuitive program, and the minute you try to drop in pictures it does strange things to the text. Ce n'est pas de ma faute.
Sorry for the formatting inconsistencies but Blogger is not a very intuitive program, and the minute you try to drop in pictures it does strange things to the text. Ce n'est pas de ma faute.
Saturday, August 1, 2015
All Is Right With The World (for now)
It feels like a bit of a confession, as it has been over a week since my last blog entry, but life here continues at a nice slow pace. We have gotten into the rhythm of a late breakfast, a tour to a village or two/a walk around our village, a trip to get some groceries for dinner, prepare dinner, after dinner drinks, a walk around the river park just down the street, and then a good book and bed. The preparing dinner is an adventure in itself. We are using a Laden electric stove. We can't read the labels on the function dial of the oven, so not sure if we are baking, broiling or self-cleaning. Even the burners can be a challenge as there is little difference between 1 and 6. A simmer takes on a new dynamic on this stove. On the days we give the stove a break and bring out the bar-b-que leads us back into time. We do not have a propane grill, charcoal, and not even the old briquets that I remember. Here they use burnt pieces of wood as charcoal. They heat up quickly by using the solid lighter cubes, but burn out the same way if your aren't using the special bbq fan to keep the coals burning. The learning curve was steep, but I seemed to have mastered it now, as we have moved from burgers to kebab to sausages. The grocery stores make up great bbq packages full of a variety of meats in one package. We just need to stay away from the tongue and the feet....
It is hard to believe that it is the end of July. Where has the first month of the summer gone. Since returning back to Bellac almost two weeks ago, we have enjoyed visits to various villages throughout the area. It is surprising just how much history and French quaintness there is in the area. We still sit on our deck looking out over the village and can't believe what we see. We have also had the arrival of Sybil and the two girls, Selene and Sari joining Sharon and Dennis,
filling up the house. The weather has cooled off and we even have had some needed rain. It hasn't dampened any spirits, and we look forward to the warmer weather forecast this weekend. Just like a busy hotel, Sharon and Dennis left yesterday for Paris as they head to Paris, to prepare for Evie and Kevin's Parisian arrival on Sunday. Here in Bellac, Paul arrives to reunite the family on Sunday, Donna and Cindy on Tuesday, Evie and Olivia on Thursday, Thespina on Saturday, and finally on next Sunday, Evie and Kevin. I am gaining some insight into the running of a bed and breakfast, along with a tour guide service and laundrette.
With Sharon and Dennis's departure, it occurred to me that you really don't need to sweat the little things, and that life will work out some how. Their travel tale began as they realized that they had not heard from the landlady of their Paris rental apartment with the address and check-in details. She was not responding to their e-mails and there was less than a week before check in. This was a big issue because not only had they paid in full before leaving Canada, they were hosting Evie and Kevin. With an few emails to the web site help desk, and then low and behold an email from the landlady, the all important details were in their hands. All was right with the world. Not only did she come through with the details, she gave them two extra nights at a great rate so they could cancel their hotel that they had booked for the weekend.
Even though the first act concluded happily, the drama continued at the train station. Their local train to Limoges was running late and this made the quick change to the Paris train even shorter. On further questions to the station agent, he explained that the way the tickets were booked as two separate tickets and not a through journey, if they missed their connection in Limoges, the second ticket would not be valid for travel on a later train. So there were some anxious moments waiting for the train and making arrangements to dash to find their connection. We were so relived to hear from them a short while later that the connection was just across the platform in Limoges and they were on their way to Paris. Even later that evening, we got the follow up text to say they were in their apartment and all was still right with the world. Who knows what the third act will bring, but I am sure there will be a happy ending.
Don't forget to check out our pictures at:
France picture file.
It is hard to believe that it is the end of July. Where has the first month of the summer gone. Since returning back to Bellac almost two weeks ago, we have enjoyed visits to various villages throughout the area. It is surprising just how much history and French quaintness there is in the area. We still sit on our deck looking out over the village and can't believe what we see. We have also had the arrival of Sybil and the two girls, Selene and Sari joining Sharon and Dennis,
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| Dennis, Vern, Celine, Steve and Sybil |
With Sharon and Dennis's departure, it occurred to me that you really don't need to sweat the little things, and that life will work out some how. Their travel tale began as they realized that they had not heard from the landlady of their Paris rental apartment with the address and check-in details. She was not responding to their e-mails and there was less than a week before check in. This was a big issue because not only had they paid in full before leaving Canada, they were hosting Evie and Kevin. With an few emails to the web site help desk, and then low and behold an email from the landlady, the all important details were in their hands. All was right with the world. Not only did she come through with the details, she gave them two extra nights at a great rate so they could cancel their hotel that they had booked for the weekend.
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| Sharon and Steve, view from the church. |
Don't forget to check out our pictures at:
France picture file.
Wednesday, July 22, 2015
Notre Petite Escapade
Well we have returned to Bellac after a four day escapade away. Last Friday we drove up to Chartres not only to visit the cathedral, but to meet up with our friends, Sharon and Dennis. After rolling through the bus lanes at the train station to pick them up, we were off. Its great to travel and even better meeting up with friends to share the adventure. Sharon wanted to walk the labyrinth in the Chartres Cathedral, so that was our goal. In dealing with old buildings such as the cathedral, you always run the chance that they will be under repair, just like the leaky condos back home. Well that was the case for the cathedral. They were nearing the end of a lengthy cleaning and repairing of the stain glass, the walls and the ceilings. This meant the the floor of the nave where the labyrinth is embedded was covered to protect it from the construction. If you are interested in the labyrinth, I have provided a link and a picture.
Chartres Labyrinth
After visiting the cathedral, we wandered around the charming town before heading back to our hotel located on the motorway on the outskirts of town. We were lucky there was a seafood chain restaurant right next door, so we enjoyed a lovely dinner with more mussels in one plate than I have ever seen. After a quiet night, we were up and out the next morning heading to the Brittany/Normandy coast for our next adventure at Mt. St. Michel.
I had seen pictures of the abbey on the island mountain, but never really knew much about it. ( as I am writing, the bread truck has honked, and is seeking bread and croissants along our street, just another cute aspect of our village). Getting back to Mt. St. Michel, there are a few hotels on the actual "island" but most of us tourists stay on the mainland. Our Le Pommeray hotel was about 10 km from the parking lot/shuttle station. After parking, you board a shuttle bus to take you across the causeway to the island. If you can time your visits right, you can witness the fastest and largest tide range in Europe. Occasionally on very high tides, the island is totally cut off from the mainland.
Once on the island, you walk up through the village to the abbey which is precariously perched on the top of the island, almost defying gravity. It is a testimony to Medieval architecture. The village consists of restaurants, souvenir shops and private museums. The tour takes you right to the top of the abbey, and then you decend down through the magnificent structure. Some of the highlights were the west terrace with incredible views of the coast line and the English Channel, the cloisters, the Visitors' Hall and the Knights' Hall. The large feather sculpture in the Monks' Refectory added a lightness to the hard stone and wood room. It was a mystic place, a cross between an amusement park, and a church.
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| Chartres Cathedral Labyrinth |
Chartres Labyrinth
After visiting the cathedral, we wandered around the charming town before heading back to our hotel located on the motorway on the outskirts of town. We were lucky there was a seafood chain restaurant right next door, so we enjoyed a lovely dinner with more mussels in one plate than I have ever seen. After a quiet night, we were up and out the next morning heading to the Brittany/Normandy coast for our next adventure at Mt. St. Michel.
I had seen pictures of the abbey on the island mountain, but never really knew much about it. ( as I am writing, the bread truck has honked, and is seeking bread and croissants along our street, just another cute aspect of our village). Getting back to Mt. St. Michel, there are a few hotels on the actual "island" but most of us tourists stay on the mainland. Our Le Pommeray hotel was about 10 km from the parking lot/shuttle station. After parking, you board a shuttle bus to take you across the causeway to the island. If you can time your visits right, you can witness the fastest and largest tide range in Europe. Occasionally on very high tides, the island is totally cut off from the mainland.
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| Mt. St. Michel at high tide (not when we visited) |
Once on the island, you walk up through the village to the abbey which is precariously perched on the top of the island, almost defying gravity. It is a testimony to Medieval architecture. The village consists of restaurants, souvenir shops and private museums. The tour takes you right to the top of the abbey, and then you decend down through the magnificent structure. Some of the highlights were the west terrace with incredible views of the coast line and the English Channel, the cloisters, the Visitors' Hall and the Knights' Hall. The large feather sculpture in the Monks' Refectory added a lightness to the hard stone and wood room. It was a mystic place, a cross between an amusement park, and a church.
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| Feather Sculpture in the Monks' Refectory |
Thursday, July 16, 2015
Souviens-Toi, Remember
Today is the change-over day. Our first set of friends, Maureen and Irene, have come and gone to their river cruise, and now we prepare for a weekend away. Tomorrow, Friday, we meet up with Sharon and Dennis in Chartes to see the cathedral. Then from there we travel to Mont St. Michel and return to Bellac on Monday.
Over the past few days with Maureen and Irene, we toured our village and then took a day trip out to the Loire Valley to see the Château de Chenonceau. The château dates back to the 1500's, and was the home of Henri III and his wife Catherine de Médicis. It stretches romantically across the River Cher and is considered by many the loveliest of the Loire châteaux. It is surrounded by formal gardens and wooded grounds, this pure Renaissance building was transformed over the centuries from a modest manor into a palace designed solely for pleasure.
The self-guided tours allows you entry to many of the rooms including the kitchens and the bedrooms. The Grande Galerie, is the ball room that crosses the river, which started its life as a bridge from the original château to the opposite bank of the river and Catherine de Médicis transformed the bridge to this elegant gallery. One of the outbuildings was transformed into a self-service restaurant for a nice late lunch after the tour. The Château also has its own vineyards, wine, farm, maze and donkeys. We had taken the minor roads through the French countryside on the way to the château, but after the tour, we decided to pick the fastest route home from the GPS. The tolls were worth the 130km/hr speed and quick arrival back home. We did stumble upon a Bastille Day celebration in the small village of Bonnes on our drive up to the Loire Valley. We pulled into town to find their public W/C, and found ourselves in the middle of the band warming up. The one remaining parking spot in the community centre was front and centre. We all piled out of the car, past the band and the villagers waiting for the festivities to start and into the W/C seeking relief. After washing our hands, we were back into the car leaving the villagers to their celebrations.
We were treated to an amazing display of fire works on Bastille Day eve. The fireworks were set off from the park just below us. We had the best view in the village as they exploded just at our eye level. No straining our necks to look way up. Almost 30 minutes of Oohs and Awes! A great way to kick off Bastille Day.
After touring the decadent château, we changed gears yesterday to visit the village of Oradour-sur-Glane. Life for the village ended on Saturday, June 10, 1944 when the soldiers of the Der Führer Regiment of the 2nd Waffen-SS Panzer Division Das Reich, without giving any explanation, killed a total of 642 men, women and children, leaving only a few survivors. They then destroyed the entire village and to this day there is no universally accepted explanation for the massacre. General de Gaulle wanted to preserve the ruins of Oradour, in order to bear witness for the rest of mankind to the consequences of the barbarity of war. It was an eerie feeling walking along the streets with only shells of the buildings and lives left behind after the massacre.
In the memorial, they have on display personal items of the villagers. The most moving were the watches which had the time between 4 and 5 that afternoon when they believed the men were executed. Scattered through the rubble of death were metal items, cars, and sewing machines. Little else survived the fire. We had arrived late in the afternoon, and as we were finishing our tour, we were the last ones left in the village, which intensified the eerie feeling and sense of disbelief that horrors like this can happen. I am sure this is not the only village in Europe that was destroyed by the war, but it was had no military value, and was not a threat to the Germans at the time. It felt strange to leave the village, and head back to life in Bellac for our last meal together at our local pub/cafe.
The lamb burger was even better than the beef burger I had last time, while Steve's pork burger was improved with the caramelized onions which they ran out of last time we were there. Maureen and Irene also enjoyed their lamb burgers. Not very French, but delicious none the less especially since it is all made at the right there in their kitchens. And where else can you enjoy a meal on the banks of a river, looking up at a 13th century church on a hot summer evening.
This morning we were up early for a train station run, and now back home to do laundry and catch up on our pictures and this blog. It is too quiet around here now......but very hot.
Over the past few days with Maureen and Irene, we toured our village and then took a day trip out to the Loire Valley to see the Château de Chenonceau. The château dates back to the 1500's, and was the home of Henri III and his wife Catherine de Médicis. It stretches romantically across the River Cher and is considered by many the loveliest of the Loire châteaux. It is surrounded by formal gardens and wooded grounds, this pure Renaissance building was transformed over the centuries from a modest manor into a palace designed solely for pleasure.
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| Château de Chenonceau |
We were treated to an amazing display of fire works on Bastille Day eve. The fireworks were set off from the park just below us. We had the best view in the village as they exploded just at our eye level. No straining our necks to look way up. Almost 30 minutes of Oohs and Awes! A great way to kick off Bastille Day.
After touring the decadent château, we changed gears yesterday to visit the village of Oradour-sur-Glane. Life for the village ended on Saturday, June 10, 1944 when the soldiers of the Der Führer Regiment of the 2nd Waffen-SS Panzer Division Das Reich, without giving any explanation, killed a total of 642 men, women and children, leaving only a few survivors. They then destroyed the entire village and to this day there is no universally accepted explanation for the massacre. General de Gaulle wanted to preserve the ruins of Oradour, in order to bear witness for the rest of mankind to the consequences of the barbarity of war. It was an eerie feeling walking along the streets with only shells of the buildings and lives left behind after the massacre.
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| Oradour-sur-Glane |
The lamb burger was even better than the beef burger I had last time, while Steve's pork burger was improved with the caramelized onions which they ran out of last time we were there. Maureen and Irene also enjoyed their lamb burgers. Not very French, but delicious none the less especially since it is all made at the right there in their kitchens. And where else can you enjoy a meal on the banks of a river, looking up at a 13th century church on a hot summer evening.
This morning we were up early for a train station run, and now back home to do laundry and catch up on our pictures and this blog. It is too quiet around here now......but very hot.
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| Château du Chenonceau |
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| Oradour-sur-Glane |
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| Oradour-sur-Glane |
Sunday, July 12, 2015
derniers jours de solitude
It is a lovely sunny Sunday morning here in Bellac. The radio has some classical music on, the gentle breeze, while not whispering Louise, is keeping the house cool. It is now the end of our week of solitude. Friends start arriving today, and will keep us company now right through to near the end of August. Over the past few days, we have refined the art of relaxing. We took another hike on Friday starting in a cute village, St. Junien Les Combes. This hike/walk took us through farms and some woodlands. We had a nice break next to un étang, (a pond).
Near the end of the hike we passed a château. Not as grand as the ones in the Loire Valley, but a château none the less. The day ended with a delicious dinner sur le patio. We started our shopping trip to the supermarket with one thing in mind, and as we checked out the various departments, dinner plans evolved into something totally different than originally planned as we discovered new and interesting foods up and down each aisle. We spent more time putting things back. We feasted on pasta with a oil/garlic/pesto sauce and muscles. It was great with the white wine and the view.
Saturday was a day spent here in the village because we had seen signs talking about a spectacle. Well it was not as spectacular as we thought. The international Festival was in its last day, so there were some free performances around the village. We sat in the park by the river watching a crew set up for the evening's performance by a traveling show. It was a nice relaxing day peppered with a few walks around the village, and some reading time on the patio. The park down by the river is a nice shady place to sit or lay out on the grass. The day ended with dinner in the Café le Pont de la Pierre. It is a five minute stroll away, and it is right on the river. Under new ownership, they have a limited menu, 5 different hamburgers and lasagna. I had the Limousin Beef burger while Steve had a pork burger. Both were excellent and we will be going back again. After dinner we made another circuit of the river park, catching a glimpse of the theatre production that we saw being set up.
The full crowd seemed to be enjoying themselves, though we couldn't understand what was going on. It was the end of another great day.
This morning I spent blogging while Steve went off exploring more. He came back empty handed as his favourite boulangerie was closed and the other boulangerie was lined up out the door. He will have to find a new dealer for his new found habit.
Don't forget to check out the updated pictures at our Paris picture file
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| Our étang |
Saturday was a day spent here in the village because we had seen signs talking about a spectacle. Well it was not as spectacular as we thought. The international Festival was in its last day, so there were some free performances around the village. We sat in the park by the river watching a crew set up for the evening's performance by a traveling show. It was a nice relaxing day peppered with a few walks around the village, and some reading time on the patio. The park down by the river is a nice shady place to sit or lay out on the grass. The day ended with dinner in the Café le Pont de la Pierre. It is a five minute stroll away, and it is right on the river. Under new ownership, they have a limited menu, 5 different hamburgers and lasagna. I had the Limousin Beef burger while Steve had a pork burger. Both were excellent and we will be going back again. After dinner we made another circuit of the river park, catching a glimpse of the theatre production that we saw being set up.
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| Theatre in the Park |
This morning I spent blogging while Steve went off exploring more. He came back empty handed as his favourite boulangerie was closed and the other boulangerie was lined up out the door. He will have to find a new dealer for his new found habit.
Don't forget to check out the updated pictures at our Paris picture file
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| After a great meal. |
Thursday, July 9, 2015
Je suis malade.
It was Thursday morning here in France when I started this entry. Great friends, Sharon and Dennis were just 4 hours or so away from Paris. (They have since landed and are enjoying Paris.) We meet up with them next week for a weekend away in Chartes and Mont Saint Michel. Before that I have two friends from work visiting starting on Sunday. Before any of these visits, I need to get over this stomach bug I have caught. It's not to serious, but just enough to be
to be uncomfortable and .....
Wednesday
we ventured into Limoges to check it out before we do a train station pick-up on Sunday. We thought it would be a quick and easy drive. We discovered that Limoges is bigger than we had thought, and missing one sign can change the whole drive. We eventually found the train station to find that we had no change for the parking. In an attempt to find free parking, we drove around the city, and across La Vienne River. Not only did we find a parking space just up from the river, we discovered the Pont Saint-Etiene. Built in the 13th century, it is one of the best preserved in France. Across the bridge is the Medieval section of the city, with the Cathedral Saint Etienne (St. Steven). The construction of the Gothic cathedral began in 1273 and finally finished in 1888 when the nave and the bellower were connected. The central core of the city is near, with many narrow and winding medieval streets now turned into a shopping area. There are many ceramic stores selling the famous Limoges pottery.
As I continue this on Friday morning, where does the time go. We made it out for our second hike yesterday. This time we were equipped with the local hiking map downloaded on our phone, so we did know where we were and where we were going. We have found evidence of some wild creatures on the trails other than horses, we are sure it isn't bears, but we will have to get the app for that some time.... The country side here is rolling hills, fields, and farms will little clusters of homes scattered about.
We did walk up into the village yesterday afternoon, only to find our supply of croissants sold out... need to get there earlier... there is always tomorrow...
In case you were worried, my stomach issues seem to be on the mend. I am feeling better, but will continue to be careful of what I eat....
With two days left before we start entertaining visitors, we plan a hike around a pretty village we discovered yesterday, a quick dip in the local pool (the temperature is on the rise again for the weekend), some grocery shopping, a trip to the local pub for a burger and a beer (it is Friday after all) and one last concert which is part of the Festival here in Bellac. So a busy couple of days, but I'm sure we will find time to kick back and relax and do nothing, which we do so well.
À bientôt.
Check link below for all photos
to be uncomfortable and .....
Wednesday
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| Limoges |
As I continue this on Friday morning, where does the time go. We made it out for our second hike yesterday. This time we were equipped with the local hiking map downloaded on our phone, so we did know where we were and where we were going. We have found evidence of some wild creatures on the trails other than horses, we are sure it isn't bears, but we will have to get the app for that some time.... The country side here is rolling hills, fields, and farms will little clusters of homes scattered about.
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| A beautiful farm house. |
We did walk up into the village yesterday afternoon, only to find our supply of croissants sold out... need to get there earlier... there is always tomorrow...
In case you were worried, my stomach issues seem to be on the mend. I am feeling better, but will continue to be careful of what I eat....
With two days left before we start entertaining visitors, we plan a hike around a pretty village we discovered yesterday, a quick dip in the local pool (the temperature is on the rise again for the weekend), some grocery shopping, a trip to the local pub for a burger and a beer (it is Friday after all) and one last concert which is part of the Festival here in Bellac. So a busy couple of days, but I'm sure we will find time to kick back and relax and do nothing, which we do so well.
À bientôt.
Check link below for all photos
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| Me on the Pont Saint-Etiene |
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| Medieval Street in Limoges |
Tuesday, July 7, 2015
Au jour le jour vive
As we try to beat the heat here on a Monday afternoon, we are listening to CBC 1 Vancouver and hear all about the fires and the smoke in Metro Vancouver. We hope the weather there changes soon, to blow the smoke away. Here, it is hot today, but we have had a few thunder storms over the past few days to keep it cool. Last night it was downright cool. Today we headed out on a hike across some of the hills and valleys of the area. We did this without any idea where we were headed. The countryside is more a farming area than the vineyards of Provence. We past cattle, sheep, goats and horses on our wander. After getting home, we discovered the web site which had maps and details of the hikes. If only we had continued just a bit further, the trail we were on would have turned left and headed back to town, but we didn't know at the time. All was well and we enjoyed our first day out. On return we laid out on the lawn down by the river by the pub (only about 2 minute walk away). Even better back at home where we discovered the lawn chairs and our lower deck. We had lunch outdoors and then a nap in the new lawn chairs. We are quickly learning how to do nothing and do it with style, not that reading is really doing nothing. Looking forward to sharing out beautiful house and village with visitors that start rolling in next weekend. Even our quick run to grocery store took a different route just to learn more about the village. After 3 daily trips to the Carrefour, we are beginning to stock up our pantry. Now that Tuesday is coming, and the village opens up, we hope to use some of the local shops instead of the large grocery store. It is just a nice quiet, slow pace to life here, that you can't help relax. Even when a bus dropping off some special needs adults at the pub was blocking traffic in both directions, we all just waited until they were unloaded and the bus left. No horns or angry words were shared.
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| On our hike. The River Vincou |
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| Our lower patio... |
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| To bad the kitchen is one floor up... |
As of Tuesday morning we had finally discovered the church that is the major part of our view and the soundscape of the village. The 12th - 15th century church dominates the village. It began its life as Romanesque, but as construction continued through the centuries, it took on the Gothic architecture of the time. It is not a pretty church, but impressive all the same. It houses a treasure chest adored with jewels from the beginnings of the Limoges decorative arts period. The chest is the oldest testimony of the craftsmanship of the Limousin goldsmith enamelers. It is a copper-gilded-enamelled chest of the 12th century. It is adorned with semi-precious stones and with 14 medallions of inlaid enamel representing Jesus and the four evangelists. The older homes near the church date back to the 15th to17th century. There are parts of the defensive wall still to see, and the city hall also dates back to the 17th century, with two small towers on its corners.
We also discovered the local train station, the swimming pool complete with water slides, (can't wait to take a dip) and Steve's new favourite patisserie et boulangerie. Since the village in on a hillside, and we are on the opposite hill side, we walk down to the river and then back up to the village. There is on path called the 105 steps, so it is a good way to work off the breads and croissants and wine......
So we are working into the slow paced life of nothing to do...just like we planned. Tomorrow we will get energetic and drive into Limoges to scout it out before we need to meet Maureen and Irene on Sunday midday, as they arrive for a short visit before they take a river cruise. Also we need to take back a toaster to the Carrefour as we found one in the cupboard just before I was about to put in some toast for breakfast. This should be a good use of my French as we try to explain why we need to bring it back. Wish us bonne chance, if not anyone wanting to buy a grille-pain, never been used... only 15€. On the other hand it might come in handy when the population of this house goes from 2 to 11 or even 12 later in August.
Well now back to.......without even feeling guilty.
Saturday, July 4, 2015
Paradise.... (Coldplay was just on the radio)
Not to go on too much, but it is hot here. The heat has slowed us down and limited our excursions around Paris. I started this blog on Saturday morning while we were cleaning up the apartment and waiting the arrival of the caretaker to return the keys. Even in our court yard, there was no breeze and it must be in the mid 20s°. Our day will be to cross town on the metro, and then pick up our rental car and drive to Bellac.
While the Friday wasn't busy, with some wandering around the Marais, Les Halles and Le Bastille, we did have two great meals. Lunch was at a small sidewalk café in the Marais. Le Voltigeur was quiet and cool and just what we needed. The quiche and Croque Monsieur were served with salad and a cold vegetable soup. Later we discovered that it was a highly rated restaurant on Trip Advisor. Our last night in Paris, we found another nice café/restaurant for dinner right in our neighbourhood. The waiter was a bit of a jokester, but it made for a fun evening. We both found local "craft" beers after we started with a refreshing cider. La Goudale and Saint Omer were very nice. We went back to the apartment to finish our wine and try to get some sleep. It was actually cooler inside than in the court yard.
Travel days can always bee a bit hairy as you try to navigate unfamiliar ground with your luggage in tow. Of course Saturday was no different. The metro to the car rental location was crowded until after passing through the heart of Paris, then as the tourists and residents dispersed, we had room to sit down. On arriving at Place d'Italie the Europar location was right there. Things seem to be going our way. After a discussion about insurance, that dreaded car rental discussion..., our upgraded car was waiting for us right out front of the office. The only problem was it was facing the wrong way. Our first adventure was to get into the Place d'italie traffic circle and go once around to get on to Avenue d'italie to head south out of Paris. Unlike the Griswold's Traffic Circle Adventure, we made it out the first time around.
The drive down from Paris was relatively uneventful. Steve drove well and I think my navigation skills were great, but signs on the freeways were sometimes hard to comprehend. Roads will have many different numbers and a list of cities in that direction. A10, N17, E5 D2020, and you mainly just pick a city on your way, and follow the signs. We were on a toll road for about €15.80 (we had no idea how much the toll was until you put in your ticket as you leave the toll road) and decided to get off and enjoy the backroads. Our car is a Volkswagon Golf, a free upgrade from our original booking and it came with a navigation system too which we didn’t expect, and it was able to get us to 2 houses away from our final destination. Not sure why number 8 was not in the system, but number 12 was. The drive down was uneventful except for torrential down pours from passing thunder storms, nice that everyone puts on their hazards to warn everyone to slow down, even the oncoming traffic flashed lights to warn you. The great roads rocked Steve to sleep and we pulled over in a few of the aires (rest stops) and once he even needed a short cat nap. But all ended well, as we found the local grocery store to stock up for at least Saturday night and Sunday morning, called Gary and met him at the house and what a house it is.
Alors, as I sit here, the bells of the church are ringing out, it is just past 7:00 am on Sunday morning. There is a breeze blowing through the house in it is a bit cool. It looks like a lovely village and can’t wait to get out to explore today. We need to get back to the grocery store before noon when it closes on a Sunday. Our view is priceless and it will be a treat to wake up and enjoy our coffee, baguettes and croissants to this view for the next two months.
We are currently working on a photo sharing web site with this link:Our France Photos. Don't mind the duplicates, we are working on that problem.
Enjoy
While the Friday wasn't busy, with some wandering around the Marais, Les Halles and Le Bastille, we did have two great meals. Lunch was at a small sidewalk café in the Marais. Le Voltigeur was quiet and cool and just what we needed. The quiche and Croque Monsieur were served with salad and a cold vegetable soup. Later we discovered that it was a highly rated restaurant on Trip Advisor. Our last night in Paris, we found another nice café/restaurant for dinner right in our neighbourhood. The waiter was a bit of a jokester, but it made for a fun evening. We both found local "craft" beers after we started with a refreshing cider. La Goudale and Saint Omer were very nice. We went back to the apartment to finish our wine and try to get some sleep. It was actually cooler inside than in the court yard.
Travel days can always bee a bit hairy as you try to navigate unfamiliar ground with your luggage in tow. Of course Saturday was no different. The metro to the car rental location was crowded until after passing through the heart of Paris, then as the tourists and residents dispersed, we had room to sit down. On arriving at Place d'Italie the Europar location was right there. Things seem to be going our way. After a discussion about insurance, that dreaded car rental discussion..., our upgraded car was waiting for us right out front of the office. The only problem was it was facing the wrong way. Our first adventure was to get into the Place d'italie traffic circle and go once around to get on to Avenue d'italie to head south out of Paris. Unlike the Griswold's Traffic Circle Adventure, we made it out the first time around.
The drive down from Paris was relatively uneventful. Steve drove well and I think my navigation skills were great, but signs on the freeways were sometimes hard to comprehend. Roads will have many different numbers and a list of cities in that direction. A10, N17, E5 D2020, and you mainly just pick a city on your way, and follow the signs. We were on a toll road for about €15.80 (we had no idea how much the toll was until you put in your ticket as you leave the toll road) and decided to get off and enjoy the backroads. Our car is a Volkswagon Golf, a free upgrade from our original booking and it came with a navigation system too which we didn’t expect, and it was able to get us to 2 houses away from our final destination. Not sure why number 8 was not in the system, but number 12 was. The drive down was uneventful except for torrential down pours from passing thunder storms, nice that everyone puts on their hazards to warn everyone to slow down, even the oncoming traffic flashed lights to warn you. The great roads rocked Steve to sleep and we pulled over in a few of the aires (rest stops) and once he even needed a short cat nap. But all ended well, as we found the local grocery store to stock up for at least Saturday night and Sunday morning, called Gary and met him at the house and what a house it is.
Alors, as I sit here, the bells of the church are ringing out, it is just past 7:00 am on Sunday morning. There is a breeze blowing through the house in it is a bit cool. It looks like a lovely village and can’t wait to get out to explore today. We need to get back to the grocery store before noon when it closes on a Sunday. Our view is priceless and it will be a treat to wake up and enjoy our coffee, baguettes and croissants to this view for the next two months.
We are currently working on a photo sharing web site with this link:Our France Photos. Don't mind the duplicates, we are working on that problem.
Enjoy
Thursday, July 2, 2015
Its going to be hot again today......
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| Journaling in Jardin du Ranelagh |
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| rue Dénoyez |
I'm not sure what we were looking for, but it wasn't this and the heat didn't help. The only places to sit and soak up the atmosphere are cafés or bars, and it was too hot for a coffee, so we headed up to see our last new park, the Parc des Buttes Chaumont. This park was noted for its views of the city. Well to get a view you need to walk up, way up, and once you get the top of the first butte, you need to walk down and then up the second butte. Not wanting to repeat the heat stroke like episodes of the previous day, we found a shady slope and had a quick nap before heading home. The slow and steady pace has kept us out until almost 5. Passing by a few elementary schools, it seemed that the students were being dismissed for the summer. They were loaded down with all their supplies and enough energy for the summer. I couldn't imagine trying to teach in this type of heat.
Two nights in a row we ate
at the same restaurant, so last night we were going to be adventurous and try something new. We found a small sidewalk restaurant that was spreading up and down the street infront of vacant stores, and stretched even further as the store next door closed. The sidewalk tables are the place to be for Parisians. Not to be seen or to see, but to smoke and they are all young. It feels like we have taken up second hand smoking. The draw was happy hour with half-priced beer, €3.50, a little less than $5.00 pints, but the carbonara and the pizza were good too. As the heat takes its toll, we headed back to try to cool down before heading to bed.
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| Did we say that it is a little warm here? |
Wednesday, July 1, 2015
Il est très chaud!
Well we have arrived in Paris. Our flight arrived yesterday, June 30 about 13:30. After clearing customs, which was just a glance and a stamp in our passport, claiming our luggage, we followed the signs, Paris par Train. It is 10 euros each for the ride into Paris and the entire journey took us about 1.5 hours from the time we got off the plane. From the Gare du Nord, we called the caretaker of our apartment, and set up a time to meet to get in, something we should have done earlier. We were lucky that she was only about 30 minutes away. We walked the few blocks to the apartment and waited to meet her. The apartment is a studio with a hide-a-bed. It opens up to a court yard. While the size of a medium hotel room, it has a fridge, sink and 2 burner stove. Just enough to make coffee in the morning and to keep our wine, beer and cheese cold. Between the overnight flight, and the heat, we decided to nap for a bit. Feeling more alive, we headed out early in the evening to discover our neighbourhood, the 9th arrondissement. We discovered the Carrefour for a few groceries, and then a sidewalk café just across the street. I took fellow traveler, Sharon's advice and had the quiche of the day, while Steve tried a Chinese chicken salad. Both were very good meals, and quite reasonably priced. After dinner, we climbed up Sacré Coeur. From here we could enjoy the views of the city, and enjoy the people on the street. This ended an excellent first day in Paris. I did title this Il est trés chaud. The temperature here in Paris is in the high 30's, so everything we do will be slow and steady. We won't be needing the down duvet here in the apartment tonight
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