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