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

Its going to be hot again today......

Journaling in Jardin du Ranelagh

Il est vendredi, le 3 juillet à 6 heures du matin. With the front door open we get a breeze to cool us down from another hot night. We had a nice break from the heat yesterday and took advantage of the slightly cooler temperatures. The day still included many breaks in the shade and plenty of fluids. In our attempt to stay off the beaten track, we visited Musée Marmottan-Monet. It has the largest collection of Monet in the world. The Jardin du Ranelagh  across the street provided  a shady place to relax before and after an enjoyable stroll through the gallery. The collection of large Monet paintings of Giverny gardens were wonderful. It was nice to beat the madding crowds of the Louvre or the d'Orsay, but of course you need to be a Monet fan to truly enjoy the gallery. From here is is a short stroll down the the Trocadero and the view of the Tour Eiffel provided a magnificent backdrop to a lunch in the park. We spent the time people watching. It is amazing to watch people from all over the world stroll by, and how we are all more alike than different. After enjoying the ambiance of our surroundings, we thought we needed to head off and discover more of the Paris off the beaten track. According to those who know, Belville is an up and coming neighbourhood. Right now, it is the Chinatown of Paris. Interspersed is a graffiti chic young atmosphere.

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.

Did we say that it is a little warm here?

Today is our last day here in Paris before picking up the rental car and heading south to Bellac. We are wearing as little as possible enjoying our coffee, croissants, pain au chocolate and the cool breeze through the open front door.  Pride be damned when you are this hot.

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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1 day and counting

Well after about two years in the planning, our next great adventure is only one day away. Our flight leaves for Paris on Monday at 14:00. For those who may not know, we are packing up and heading to a small town in France for the summer. We will be leaving for Paris on June 29, spending 4 days in Paris, and then on July 4, we will be driving down to take over a 3 bedroom house in the village of Bellac, France. It is located about 4 hours south west of Paris,  on the River Vincou,

Cafe on the river bank

between Limoges and Poitiers. To the south of us is the Bordeaux wine region and to the north is the Loire Valley wine region, which also has the landscape dotted with Châteaux.  We won't be alone as family and friends will be passing through, throughout the summer. We have a menagerie of friends and family joining us for short and some not so short lengths of time.

We are looking forward to improving our French, learning how to relax as we edge nearer retirement, seeing and soaking in the culture of France, and having a great summer. Hikes, lakes, wineries, châteaux, Medieval ruins et plus will keep us busy and active. We might even find time to head to the beautiful beaches along the Atlantic coast.

Clearwater, Florida

As we near dinner time on day four of our Christmas Holidays 2014, it's time to start thinking about Spring Break to chase more sun before spring and summer arrive in Vancouver.  We have settled into Cedar House here in Clearwater Fl. The house is over one hundred years old and provides a comfortable and relaxing base for this year's holiday. We have spent our time on the deck and in the pool. The pool guy was surprised to find anyone swimming in the pool, but once we said we were Canadians he understood. The weather is perfect except for Sunday night's storm, but after quite the lightening show, it blew its way out by Monday morning. Today is in the high 20's with some humidity.

"Family Reunion"

Well all is going well with the Family Reunion. The weather is holding

Staycation 2014

After a recess from writing, I thought it best to get back on the proverbial horse and reactivate our travel blog. You might think that we are jetting off on an exiting getaway, but we are now just past the half-way mark of my staycation,

Seaking the shade on Ambleside Beach 

I say my because Steve is still working about 2 days a week, while I'm off until at least September 2 and that could be the subject of another blog. After Christmas in New York and then a Spring Break in Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon in the near past, and Christmas in Florida in the near future, it seemed like a good idea to stay close to home for the summer. Even a  short return visit to the Sunshine Coast that we enjoyed last summer fell through, so we thought it must be in our tea leaves that the backyard was the place for us this summer. We are planning to make up for this staycation next summer, as we have already put down a deposit on a house in Bellac, France for the two months. More about those plans later. New patio furniture and excellent weather has turned our back deck into our new living room, and our even newer barbeque has turned it into our second kitchen. Since there is no place like home, Steve thought his mum would enjoy a visit out west from her home in Waterloo, Ontario, and she has been our guest since early July. We have had day trips to Belcarra, White Rock, the Vancouver beaches, and West Vancouver to enjoy the sunshine, scenery and the mother-son bonding. At home the two of them, well mainly Jean, has been painting up a storm. 

In her West Coast Studio

So the summer has past with the sounds of Martini In the Morning on the stereo, some gardening, a few trashy summer reads as well as some more substantial literature such as Romeo and Juliet. It seemed like a good plan to teach it to our grade 8s in the fall back in June, but it could be very interesting....  The peace and serenity of our own little Giverny is about to be invaded by even more family. A family tree might be helpful, but 4 generations of the Michalek family will be landing this Saturday. Two of Jean's daughters, Donna and Victoria, two of Jean's grand kids, Paul and Evie along with their spouses and 3 great-grand children will turn our little garden oasis into 3 ring circus. It is fortunate that Evelyn, Jean's youngest daughter, lives just through the forest and across the creek from us, as wel,l her partner Kevin, has an apartment in the building right next door to our complex. He will vacate his apartment and bunk in with Evelyn and our cat Puffin, who is on her own summer camp adventure, Jean is allergic to cats. This frees up two bedrooms and a den for our out of towners. A week of sunshine is in the forecast and the beach, parks, pool, picnics are on the agenda.