On Friday night we decided we would do no sightseeing on Saturday. We were quite tired of seeing interesting new things, walking up and down steps, trying very hard to understand and speak the language ( me) , deciding where to eat ( usually me because I have more of a command of French food words than Noel) etc etc.
We had a late breakfast at a bakery that had been recommended to us, Very nice. I bought a new lock for my suitcase and tried to do some shopping for a few small souvenirs but that was too hard. Saturday was a day for as few decisions as possible.
We went to the first restaurant we came to and discovered, once we were inside, that it specialised in food from Lyon, where we were last year. It was Ok, but we would normally have chosen one with local food.
In the afternoon I went out again, but aborted my attempt to have coffee in a cafe and read my book on my own. The streets and cafes were crowded with locals out for an afternoon stroll and tourists out and about. I bought 2 macaroons to share with Noel and read my book in our apartment.
Today we had another slow start after a disturbed night. Half of Strasbourg's youth was partying most of the night underneath our window.
We have been caught before with shops all shut on Sunday afternoon so made sure this morning that we had our usual bread and cheese available for dinner.
We went to the Museum of the history of Strasburg and thoroughly enjoyed it. We had audio guides that came on if you stood on the marked spot. Once we got the hang of the layout and how and when to stand and listen to the commentry, it went smoothly. There were lots of extra thought provoking bits that you could read or listen to. I came away with a better understanding of the mixed German/ French background of this city and the difficulties that the locals have had to face because of these changes.
We made a good decision for lunch. The museum was on a big Place with lots of fullish cafes, so we walked a block and then started looking down alleys and we found a nice half-full place ( and most of these were locals) where the waiter waited patiently for my slow French, The food was good too.
We had been told by our Wednesday tour guides of a church built by Prussians after the Franco-Prussian war ended in 1871 for their soldiers. A unique feature is the presence of 16 doors for the diferent ranks to enter. We walked there in the sunny afternoon through some streets with no tourists and few locals but with very large imposing houses. The church itself is almost square with a short , wide nave and wide transept and galleries for worshippers. We checked, there are indeed 16 doors to the outside. For a break, we sat and listened to choir practice. We nice, but in German or Alsatian , we cannot tell the difference.
It was nice to wander back through yet more diferent streets.
Sunday, September 30, 2018
Saturday, September 29, 2018
Colmar
Colmar is a pretty town on the tourist trail half an hour by train south of Strasbourg. It's 2 main claims to fame are its area of pretty old houses on a small canal and a very fine altar piece in one of its museums. We arrived half and hour after the museum opened to find hoards of people waiting around in their tour groups. We went in and found hoards more already crammed into the space where the altarpiece is on display. The altar piece was designed for a church in Issenheim but has been sort of deconstructed for display. In its original state there was a backing sort of sculpture, then you could close one set of doors with interesting paintings on them, then you could close another set of doors with more paintings. There were some seats in front of the different sections. However, there was no organisation and some of the tour group leaders just pushed their way in, with their entourages, blocking peoples view. Groups of closely packed people make me anxious at the best of times, and on this occassion the rudeness of some people made me quite annoyed. We left that room and were standing in the covered arcade part of the cloister looking at a headstone when a group came along. We stood our ground, as I felt we had a right to, and most of them walked between us and the stone headstone, following their guide who could easily have changed her route a little and walked around us. Then anotheer group came along. We deliberately stood there to see what would happen. They wee a better behaved group. Some actually said 'excuse me' as they walked between us and the headstone. Others deliberately waked around us. I accept that tours have a place in this world, but bad manners and herd behaviour do not.
We gave up on that game and wandered around the rest of the museum for quite a while. The displays were interesting, but it was very hard to understand the map and find which rooms were where. We wandered past the room with the altarpiece in it at about 12 nd there were only a few people, definitely no groups. So we stayed a while in peace and quiet.
We thought 'lunch time' went outside and found where all the groups were - sitting in the restaurants. I have learnt a thing or 2 over the past month and walked for a bit looking down the alleys until we came, fairly quickly, to a nice place with few other people down an alley.
We then walked to the pretty area, Little Venice, which was quaint. Then came back here. Both Noel and I were very tired.
We gave up on that game and wandered around the rest of the museum for quite a while. The displays were interesting, but it was very hard to understand the map and find which rooms were where. We wandered past the room with the altarpiece in it at about 12 nd there were only a few people, definitely no groups. So we stayed a while in peace and quiet.
We thought 'lunch time' went outside and found where all the groups were - sitting in the restaurants. I have learnt a thing or 2 over the past month and walked for a bit looking down the alleys until we came, fairly quickly, to a nice place with few other people down an alley.
We then walked to the pretty area, Little Venice, which was quaint. Then came back here. Both Noel and I were very tired.
Thursday, September 27, 2018
Strasburg Wednesday and thursday
Yesterday 2 Australian friends who live part of the time each year in Strasbourg took us on a very interesting walking tour of Strasbourg showing us some of the places they enjoy that are not on the main tourist route. We had a lovely time, walking, chatting, looking, chatting, coffee, chatting, questions asked and answered, lunch. Strasburg looks like a very interesing city to explore with a real mix of French and German culture reflecting its very mixed history.
In the afternoon Noel and I went to the tourist office, the amazing cathedral and the supermarket.
Today we went first on a boat tour of the island that forms the main central part of Strasbourg. Very interesting and relaxing. We wandered around a very pretty area of well restored and maintained old houses called Petit France. We had some typical Alsacian food for lunch. We went to visit St Thomas, which is considerd the main Protestant church in Strasburg.
Writing this blog is getting to be a chore. I will ( maybe, or not) write more about this interesting church later.
Then we went to the Musee Alsacien which showed country life in Alsace over the past 200 years or so. They had quite a few of the typical large, ceramic tile- covered stoves that would sit in the corner of the main room in a rural house. There were a few steps on the outside for people to sit on and keep walm. I have never seen anything quite like these.
In the afternoon Noel and I went to the tourist office, the amazing cathedral and the supermarket.
Today we went first on a boat tour of the island that forms the main central part of Strasbourg. Very interesting and relaxing. We wandered around a very pretty area of well restored and maintained old houses called Petit France. We had some typical Alsacian food for lunch. We went to visit St Thomas, which is considerd the main Protestant church in Strasburg.
Writing this blog is getting to be a chore. I will ( maybe, or not) write more about this interesting church later.
Then we went to the Musee Alsacien which showed country life in Alsace over the past 200 years or so. They had quite a few of the typical large, ceramic tile- covered stoves that would sit in the corner of the main room in a rural house. There were a few steps on the outside for people to sit on and keep walm. I have never seen anything quite like these.
Wednesday, September 26, 2018
Strasbourg
We arrived yesterday afternoon in Strasbourg after a relatively easy day.
Our landlord came early to return our significant damage deposit and then took us to the train station. Our train to Paris was fast and comfortable except for when the dog of the people across the aisle from us decided to let our noses know of his presence. Instead of negotiating the Paris Metro with bags we took a taxi from one main line station to another. At times the taxi was sharing the bus lane with a lady in a long flowing dress on a small motorised scooter. We passed about 200m from where I will be staying in February. On the train from Paris to Strasbourg was another dog, but we only saw not smelt him.
Our landlord came early to return our significant damage deposit and then took us to the train station. Our train to Paris was fast and comfortable except for when the dog of the people across the aisle from us decided to let our noses know of his presence. Instead of negotiating the Paris Metro with bags we took a taxi from one main line station to another. At times the taxi was sharing the bus lane with a lady in a long flowing dress on a small motorised scooter. We passed about 200m from where I will be staying in February. On the train from Paris to Strasbourg was another dog, but we only saw not smelt him.
Monday, September 24, 2018
Yet another do-very-little day in Vannes
Yesterday I spent ages working out how to get from here to a place near Carnac where there are many many large standing stones and other prehistoric stuff. I ended up with a solution that meant we would leave here at 7.55 to get to the place at 11.15, the requested 45 mintes before the 12: noon tour I had booked ( and paid for) . I had done the same rough workings before we booked but with tighter connections that we decided last night were too tight. We both went through the timetables again last night and for some reason agreed that I would set the alarm for 6am.
This morning , at 6am when the alarm went, I realised that it was an hour earlier than we needed. We both decided that , in the interests of us both enjoying Strasbourg and then me enjoying a busy 10 days in the US, we would do nothing much today and hopefully not be an hour out in our next timetabling exercise.
Next thing I knew it was 8.30 am. We wandered out for breakfast and spent what was left of the morning sitting in the sun on our verandah overlooking the rooves of Vannes. After lunch we went for a walk along the 1.5km canal , called the Pleasure Port that links Vannes with the Gulf of Morbihan. There were lots of boats that would have fitted well into the marina of Batemans Bay, very downmarket compared to the beautiful, sleek racing machines we saw on Thursday.
Now to pack up, ready for our move tomorrow to Strasbourg.
This morning , at 6am when the alarm went, I realised that it was an hour earlier than we needed. We both decided that , in the interests of us both enjoying Strasbourg and then me enjoying a busy 10 days in the US, we would do nothing much today and hopefully not be an hour out in our next timetabling exercise.
Next thing I knew it was 8.30 am. We wandered out for breakfast and spent what was left of the morning sitting in the sun on our verandah overlooking the rooves of Vannes. After lunch we went for a walk along the 1.5km canal , called the Pleasure Port that links Vannes with the Gulf of Morbihan. There were lots of boats that would have fitted well into the marina of Batemans Bay, very downmarket compared to the beautiful, sleek racing machines we saw on Thursday.
Now to pack up, ready for our move tomorrow to Strasbourg.
Sunday, September 23, 2018
Another pottering day in Vannes
Another slow start then walk to the corner bar for our coffee and croissant. About lunch time we decided it was time to venture forth into the gloom and drizzle. We found a comfortable place for what was a delicious lunch in a side alley, with not too many , but just enough, people walking past. We were outside , but sheltered.
We wandered around looking at some of the Roman parts of the remaining walls, a huge chateau on the site of where the dukes of Brittany used to live with a lovely garden nearby, some old wash houses in good repair and the old prison gate into the city. The church was fairly ordinary and dark and I was a bit over churches.
We wandered around looking at some of the Roman parts of the remaining walls, a huge chateau on the site of where the dukes of Brittany used to live with a lovely garden nearby, some old wash houses in good repair and the old prison gate into the city. The church was fairly ordinary and dark and I was a bit over churches.
Quimper Saturday
Dreary and wet.
Quimper is the main city in this sub region of Brittany. We caught a train . The main attraction for us was the church, reputedly the second largest in Brittany.
We wandered around for quite a while looking at the many stained glass windows, different styles, modern altar, and one of its main drawcards, it's bent nave. All the while our ears were assaulted by someone playing the organ in bits and pieces, i.e for 30 secs, then a break for a few minutes, then another 45sec etc, but with no pattern. I am not sure if 'playing' is the right word. The notes were very discordant and very loud. Maybe the organist was practising some pieces out of a bigger work.
The outside was quite impressive. Lots of twiddly bits that I quite liked and double flying buttresses.
Then we went to a museum, again with some interesting prehistoric stuff, but the main attractions for me were the traditional costumes, so intricate .
We were running late for the train we wanted to catch and the queue for the person in the ticket dispensing room was too long so I tried with no success to fathom out how to use the ticket dispensing machine. A delightful about 16yr old came along and showed me how. We caught our train.
Quimper is the main city in this sub region of Brittany. We caught a train . The main attraction for us was the church, reputedly the second largest in Brittany.
We wandered around for quite a while looking at the many stained glass windows, different styles, modern altar, and one of its main drawcards, it's bent nave. All the while our ears were assaulted by someone playing the organ in bits and pieces, i.e for 30 secs, then a break for a few minutes, then another 45sec etc, but with no pattern. I am not sure if 'playing' is the right word. The notes were very discordant and very loud. Maybe the organist was practising some pieces out of a bigger work.
The outside was quite impressive. Lots of twiddly bits that I quite liked and double flying buttresses.
Then we went to a museum, again with some interesting prehistoric stuff, but the main attractions for me were the traditional costumes, so intricate .
We were running late for the train we wanted to catch and the queue for the person in the ticket dispensing room was too long so I tried with no success to fathom out how to use the ticket dispensing machine. A delightful about 16yr old came along and showed me how. We caught our train.
Friday, September 21, 2018
Relaxing Friday
We pottered in the morning catching up on emails, photos, transport plans for next few days etc and walked down to the port for some seafood for lunch. Noel recognised his grilled sardines, but there were several things on my plate that I did not recognise. At one point my attempt to crack the shell of a crab claw led to me spraying myself, Noel and my neighbour with white liquid. She was very good about it and helped me by wiping a bit off my face, while I wiped a bit of her hair. Noel's jacket, already a bit grubby from constant use over the past 2 weeks, needed attention. Luckily Ms Google told me there was a drycleaner about 200m away. I explained in my best French what had happened, he replied in good English and a twinkle in his eye "Would you like it tomorrow or yesterday ? " He then offered 6pm that afternoon, to which we readily agreed.
In the afternoon I went to buy a few things, leaving Noel to potter in our spacious apartment, then we went to collect his jacket and have a light dinner.
In the afternoon I went to buy a few things, leaving Noel to potter in our spacious apartment, then we went to collect his jacket and have a light dinner.
Lorient and lots of buses
Yesterday's focus was on visiting the remains of the largest German submarine base in France. This was of great interest to an ex maritime navigator, trained to detect and attack submarines.
We got a local bus to the railway station then train to Lorient, then , because the bus to where we wanted to go was not due for half an hour, got on another one going to within a km of where we wanted to go. The very helpful driver, who knew where we wanted to go, told us, at her second last stop, that if we wanted to walk, we should get out there because it was closer than her terminus . At least that was what I gathered, but I confirmed it with the aid of Ms Google Map. I said we would stay to the end. When we got to her terminus, after a while I understood what she was saying to us again, very helpfully. The other bus we wanted was waiting for us, so get on. We did, the bus left straight away and took us to the door of where we wanted to go - a big complex now consisting of a huge marina, a museum, a submarine and 3 huge concrete structures , K1,K2 and K3, which used to house up to 30 German U boats. K1 and K2 now seem used by commercial boat building businesses and K3 is for visitors.
We went through the museum which gave an overview of the Battle of the Atlantic and Lorient's role in it., then through the submarine. We had an audio guide in English which was good. We had lunch and had a few hours to fill in, so amused ourselves by looking up the origins of the Pen Duick 3 , a boat moored nearby, then Eric Tabarly, a French yachtsman after whom the sailing part of the place is named, then the bird called a coal tit ( the Breton for coal tit is Pen Duick). We wandered a bit around the marina. There seemed no obvious security, we walked past huge ocean going racing yachts, millions of dollars, beautiful, sleek streamlined creatures, a few trimarans.
Next the 1 1/2 hour tour of the K3 bunker, unfortunately in French, however we knew that. The guide spoke too quickly for me, needless to say. Noel knew enough about it to be able to explain to me some of the interesting engineering aspects. We looked at the pens, climbed lots of steps to look at the sytem of turning a wet dock into a dry dock, then more steps to look at the concrete roof which was in lots of sections with a space underneath so that a bomb dropped from above would dissipate its energy and not do damage to the structure below. The 27ft thick roof withstood intensive allied bombing virtually intact.
A bus came along just as we were leaving, but it was going in the wrong direction. The driver told me the next one in the right direction would be in 30 minutes, so we set off walking towards the station and about half way there got a different bus to the station. We just caught a train back and in rushing, we forgot to valiate the tickets and got caught. The ticket inspector was quite entitled to fine us, but , after listening to my honest excuse, rattled off lots of words , too fast for me, and scribbled on our ticket and moved on, without demanding money, so we were lucky.
Another bus from the gare and a nice dinner on our way back to the apartment.
We got a local bus to the railway station then train to Lorient, then , because the bus to where we wanted to go was not due for half an hour, got on another one going to within a km of where we wanted to go. The very helpful driver, who knew where we wanted to go, told us, at her second last stop, that if we wanted to walk, we should get out there because it was closer than her terminus . At least that was what I gathered, but I confirmed it with the aid of Ms Google Map. I said we would stay to the end. When we got to her terminus, after a while I understood what she was saying to us again, very helpfully. The other bus we wanted was waiting for us, so get on. We did, the bus left straight away and took us to the door of where we wanted to go - a big complex now consisting of a huge marina, a museum, a submarine and 3 huge concrete structures , K1,K2 and K3, which used to house up to 30 German U boats. K1 and K2 now seem used by commercial boat building businesses and K3 is for visitors.
We went through the museum which gave an overview of the Battle of the Atlantic and Lorient's role in it., then through the submarine. We had an audio guide in English which was good. We had lunch and had a few hours to fill in, so amused ourselves by looking up the origins of the Pen Duick 3 , a boat moored nearby, then Eric Tabarly, a French yachtsman after whom the sailing part of the place is named, then the bird called a coal tit ( the Breton for coal tit is Pen Duick). We wandered a bit around the marina. There seemed no obvious security, we walked past huge ocean going racing yachts, millions of dollars, beautiful, sleek streamlined creatures, a few trimarans.
Next the 1 1/2 hour tour of the K3 bunker, unfortunately in French, however we knew that. The guide spoke too quickly for me, needless to say. Noel knew enough about it to be able to explain to me some of the interesting engineering aspects. We looked at the pens, climbed lots of steps to look at the sytem of turning a wet dock into a dry dock, then more steps to look at the concrete roof which was in lots of sections with a space underneath so that a bomb dropped from above would dissipate its energy and not do damage to the structure below. The 27ft thick roof withstood intensive allied bombing virtually intact.
A bus came along just as we were leaving, but it was going in the wrong direction. The driver told me the next one in the right direction would be in 30 minutes, so we set off walking towards the station and about half way there got a different bus to the station. We just caught a train back and in rushing, we forgot to valiate the tickets and got caught. The ticket inspector was quite entitled to fine us, but , after listening to my honest excuse, rattled off lots of words , too fast for me, and scribbled on our ticket and moved on, without demanding money, so we were lucky.
Another bus from the gare and a nice dinner on our way back to the apartment.
Thursday, September 20, 2018
Arrived Vannes
Yesterday, after breakfast, we : walked to bus stop, waited, caught bus to Rennes, waited, caught train to Vannes, caught taxi to apartment, met owner and left bags, walked to tourist office and through old town, waited, checked into lovely apartment, showered and did a load of washing in machine (yeh) , had nice dinner.
Today we have been to an ex-German submarine base in Lorient.
Today we have been to an ex-German submarine base in Lorient.
Tuesday, September 18, 2018
River Rance
After a slow start we walked down, down and further down through some very old steep cobbled streets to what is refered to as the Port of Dinan. 'Port' is rather a grand name for a collection of cafes on the edge of the river in some old houses, quite a few pleasure boats , one dilapidated official building and 2 small unmanned booths offering cruises and hire of small boats. Many years ago it was an important trading point for Dinan.
We wandered along the river one way, then returned, wandered a little in the opposite direction, then decided it was lunch so returned to the Port. We lingered over 2 galettes, 1 glass of cider for me and a glass of viognier for Noel and a coffee each , chatted to an Englishman and an ex-Aussie, then English, now living in France couple. We slowly wound our way back to the top of the hill by a different route.
This afternoon we paid our bill, went to the bank and bought some tuna and tomato flan for dinner. Rivetting stuff. Off to Vannes tomorrow
We wandered along the river one way, then returned, wandered a little in the opposite direction, then decided it was lunch so returned to the Port. We lingered over 2 galettes, 1 glass of cider for me and a glass of viognier for Noel and a coffee each , chatted to an Englishman and an ex-Aussie, then English, now living in France couple. We slowly wound our way back to the top of the hill by a different route.
This afternoon we paid our bill, went to the bank and bought some tuna and tomato flan for dinner. Rivetting stuff. Off to Vannes tomorrow
Monday, September 17, 2018
St Malo
Today we caught a bus to St Malo. The 1 km walk from the bus stop to the main gate of the walled part of the city was through a lot of very fancy boat building yards.
St Malo was very heavily bombed during last WW but has been completely rebuilt as it was. We were lacking in enthusiasm to wander yet more old streets, so headed for the cathedral which again was interesting because of the 2 distinctly different architectural styles. The nave looked Norman to us but was described in the book as Anglo Norman, a term we had heard frequently in Normandy. The choir was Gothic. There was what I thought was a very interesting modern altar.
I had a map copied from a guidebook and a map from Google but neither seemed to match each other or the streets around us so we just wandered in one direction knowing we would eventually come to walls, which we did. We walked along the top the walls for a bit then went back to the bus stop.
I have decided that sampling as much of the local fare as possible is more important than avoiding gluten and sugar as I usually do. This afternoon we had some ' far breton', a sort of tart with a pastry base, then prunes then set custard like stuff ( Noel says junket texture) Very nice. Apparently there are savoury versions but I have not seen any. A few days ago we had some 'kouign amann' - layers of pastry ( though the book says bread) soaked in something sweet.
We had some andouille a few days ago as part of a meat platter and I rememebered I had read of it as a speciality, but not what I read. We quite liked it. I have just reread my long translation of the French guidebook - incuding ' pork wrapped in beef intestines' and am pleased I had forgotten what it was.
St Malo was very heavily bombed during last WW but has been completely rebuilt as it was. We were lacking in enthusiasm to wander yet more old streets, so headed for the cathedral which again was interesting because of the 2 distinctly different architectural styles. The nave looked Norman to us but was described in the book as Anglo Norman, a term we had heard frequently in Normandy. The choir was Gothic. There was what I thought was a very interesting modern altar.
I had a map copied from a guidebook and a map from Google but neither seemed to match each other or the streets around us so we just wandered in one direction knowing we would eventually come to walls, which we did. We walked along the top the walls for a bit then went back to the bus stop.
I have decided that sampling as much of the local fare as possible is more important than avoiding gluten and sugar as I usually do. This afternoon we had some ' far breton', a sort of tart with a pastry base, then prunes then set custard like stuff ( Noel says junket texture) Very nice. Apparently there are savoury versions but I have not seen any. A few days ago we had some 'kouign amann' - layers of pastry ( though the book says bread) soaked in something sweet.
We had some andouille a few days ago as part of a meat platter and I rememebered I had read of it as a speciality, but not what I read. We quite liked it. I have just reread my long translation of the French guidebook - incuding ' pork wrapped in beef intestines' and am pleased I had forgotten what it was.
Dinard
Yesterday, sunday, we caught a bus from here to Dinard, about 35 minutes away. Dinard used to be a quiet fishing village on the other side of the Rance river mouth to St Malo. In the late 19thC the English aristocracy arrived en masse. There are consequently lavish Belle Epoch villas (some a bit tatty) through to a few modern apartment blocks and a casino. It still has an old feel. We sat on the beach for a while watching the passing parade of well- dressed holidaying French people and, at the other end of the scale, British holidy makers. There were seagulls as we know them and larger white ones, about the size of herring gulls in Cornwall but with speckly faces and ones almost as big as the large ones but speckly medium brown. They didnot intermix.
The holidaying British were catered for with several shops labelled 'fish and chips' and a few british pubs
We bought some lunch from some markets we passed between the bus stop and the beach. The lady who we bought some grapes from asked us if we were eating them straight away and would we like her to wash them, which we did, Very kind. As we left she said in French 'Good day for Sunday' . I have heard this in Italian villages - particularly the older people who you pass in the street instead of 'buongiorno' will say 'Buon domenica' on Sunday. It is the first time I have heard it in France.
Back at the bus stop we had an unexpected hour's wait in a nearby bar, due to the tour director's misreading of the timetable. The coffee was Ok and it was interesting watching most of the other patrons betting on the horse races. There was a tablet sized thing on the wall where they would place their bets.
We had bought some dinner the day before and we enjoyed sitting in our 'window/doorway/ foot wide verandah' for a while with a glass of local rouge watching the people walk past below .
The holidaying British were catered for with several shops labelled 'fish and chips' and a few british pubs
We bought some lunch from some markets we passed between the bus stop and the beach. The lady who we bought some grapes from asked us if we were eating them straight away and would we like her to wash them, which we did, Very kind. As we left she said in French 'Good day for Sunday' . I have heard this in Italian villages - particularly the older people who you pass in the street instead of 'buongiorno' will say 'Buon domenica' on Sunday. It is the first time I have heard it in France.
Back at the bus stop we had an unexpected hour's wait in a nearby bar, due to the tour director's misreading of the timetable. The coffee was Ok and it was interesting watching most of the other patrons betting on the horse races. There was a tablet sized thing on the wall where they would place their bets.
We had bought some dinner the day before and we enjoyed sitting in our 'window/doorway/ foot wide verandah' for a while with a glass of local rouge watching the people walk past below .
Sunday, September 16, 2018
Castles and churches in Dinan
Today we started with the castle. It is referrred to in the literature as a castle but it is really a donjon or keep - a large heavily-fortified tower in which people lived, entertained and slept. It had many floors and a narrow winding stone staircase linking them. We wound our way to the top, looking at the displays on each floor. The views from the top were very good over the rest of Dinan - the medieval part that we are staying in ( along with many , many others) and the ordinary part outside the walls. Attached to the keep by impressive walls was another tower which we looked at and in.
Before I go away I spend a bit of time gathering information about the places I am going to. This time some of it was in French which, sometimes with the help of my French teacher, I translated. Trouble is, I often didnot know the English word. This made for slow progress as I consulted Ms Wiki. I have learnt a lot of architecture terms and medieval defence terms. One was machicolation ( machicoulis in French) . These are openings between the supporting corbels of a projecting parapet through which stones or burning objects could be dropped on attackers. Iwas very pleased when we found some on the tower.
After the castle we decided it was lunch. One of the nice things about Brittany food are the galettes, savoury buckwheat pancakes. We had one for lunch. This weekend is a heritage weekend with free entry to some places, but also more entrants. We didnot join the queue to get ino the clock tower.
We next looked at St Catherine's chapel, attached to an old Benedictine convent. It was small and quite peaceful with an interesting painting behind the altar, quite dark, shades of grey, but suprisingly friendly feeling. We wandered through the nearby English gardens and looked over the walls to see the river Rance way down below ( the old part of Dinan is high up on a hill) and houses and fields on the other side of the river.
The Basilica Saint-Sauveur was next. A most odd church. The construction started in the 11th C. Then was added a left side aisle, then a bigger transept, then a bigger apse ( but I am not sure of the order). So now it is very lopsided. On one side a plain wall on the other side a largish Gothic aisle. Most peculiar from the outside too. We needed some restorative cider after the unsettling experience.
There is a narrow old street, Rue Jezebel, winding its way down the hill full of small houses/ shops built in the 15th and 16thC . We walked down part of the way , then back up another street to another odd church, The English church of St Malo. It was commenced in 1490, finished in the 19C in the Flamboyant Gothic style. During the Revolution all the fancy bits of the insides were pillaged . Now it appears quite stark compared to other Gothic churches I have seen, but more to my protestant taste. There were some interesting modern stained glass windows telling of the history of Dinan. The main entrance was into the south transept and on the plain wooden door to the nave there was several lines of what looked to me like Hebrew etched into the wood.
We had another interesting dinner. We had a plate of local seafood, were given a set of instruments and then had to enlist the aid of the waitress to show us what to use to get the little creature out of what we later ( with the aid of a neighbouring local guest and my dictionary) found out were periwinkles.
Before I go away I spend a bit of time gathering information about the places I am going to. This time some of it was in French which, sometimes with the help of my French teacher, I translated. Trouble is, I often didnot know the English word. This made for slow progress as I consulted Ms Wiki. I have learnt a lot of architecture terms and medieval defence terms. One was machicolation ( machicoulis in French) . These are openings between the supporting corbels of a projecting parapet through which stones or burning objects could be dropped on attackers. Iwas very pleased when we found some on the tower.
After the castle we decided it was lunch. One of the nice things about Brittany food are the galettes, savoury buckwheat pancakes. We had one for lunch. This weekend is a heritage weekend with free entry to some places, but also more entrants. We didnot join the queue to get ino the clock tower.
We next looked at St Catherine's chapel, attached to an old Benedictine convent. It was small and quite peaceful with an interesting painting behind the altar, quite dark, shades of grey, but suprisingly friendly feeling. We wandered through the nearby English gardens and looked over the walls to see the river Rance way down below ( the old part of Dinan is high up on a hill) and houses and fields on the other side of the river.
The Basilica Saint-Sauveur was next. A most odd church. The construction started in the 11th C. Then was added a left side aisle, then a bigger transept, then a bigger apse ( but I am not sure of the order). So now it is very lopsided. On one side a plain wall on the other side a largish Gothic aisle. Most peculiar from the outside too. We needed some restorative cider after the unsettling experience.
There is a narrow old street, Rue Jezebel, winding its way down the hill full of small houses/ shops built in the 15th and 16thC . We walked down part of the way , then back up another street to another odd church, The English church of St Malo. It was commenced in 1490, finished in the 19C in the Flamboyant Gothic style. During the Revolution all the fancy bits of the insides were pillaged . Now it appears quite stark compared to other Gothic churches I have seen, but more to my protestant taste. There were some interesting modern stained glass windows telling of the history of Dinan. The main entrance was into the south transept and on the plain wooden door to the nave there was several lines of what looked to me like Hebrew etched into the wood.
We had another interesting dinner. We had a plate of local seafood, were given a set of instruments and then had to enlist the aid of the waitress to show us what to use to get the little creature out of what we later ( with the aid of a neighbouring local guest and my dictionary) found out were periwinkles.
Friday, September 14, 2018
Arrived in Dinan
Today we had another leisurely breakfast, packed up, went for a stroll along the Aure River that runs through Bayeux. Very pretty. After lunch we caught a taxi to the station, a bit fraught while we waited anxiously while Frank, our host who had ordered the taxi for us, argued with the driver about his lateness. Much hand waving and very many fast words. The rest of the journey went well. We spent an hour and a half waiting in a station bar in Dol, a transit station. We had taken a photo of a memorial plaque on our battlefield tour. It was in memory of several different groups of airmen. One was a group of cigognes. We spent much of our time trawling the internet. Cigognes are storks in English. I found a book for sale on ebay entitled the Esquadrille de Cigognes. There was a very indistinct photo of an aircraft which Noel was able to identify as a French fighter. Someone several years ago had written a book about the Squadron of storks.
We arrived here and made our way from the station on foot, about 1 km mostly of pebbly pavement. I have not yet mastered the art of calling a cab to the station. Not one was waiting for me, alas for Noel. He has asked me to say that he stood up bravely to the ordeal. Apartment is nice, overlooking a picturesque pedestrian street.
We arrived here and made our way from the station on foot, about 1 km mostly of pebbly pavement. I have not yet mastered the art of calling a cab to the station. Not one was waiting for me, alas for Noel. He has asked me to say that he stood up bravely to the ordeal. Apartment is nice, overlooking a picturesque pedestrian street.
bayeux cathedral and museum
Yesterday, Thursday, we enjoyed another delicious breakfst, this time more leisurely than for the last few days. Delicious pastries, coffee, juice, omlette.
We spent time in the Cathedral, described as Norman Gothic. It was very much what I call a 'working' church, as opposed to a 'museum' church. Intricate stonework, lovely stained glass windows, tall and narrow building.
I have on my job list of pre-travel stuff a reminder to get my watch battery checked. I have always over the past 15 years done this and it has never needed changing. This time I thought 'my watch never stops when I am away, I can't be bothered'. My watch stopped several days ago and yesterday we found a watch selling shop who put a new battery in for me.
We went to the excellent museum . It was a small but very interesting collection arranged in the restored old Bishop's palace opposite the cathedral. There was a definite route to take, starting in paleolithic times and moving through the ages, sometimes using rooms in the museum as part of the exhibit.
Dinner was another excellent meal in a local restaurant. I was pleased that the lady who served us always addressed me in French, despite knowing that my French is very poor and I spoke English. She addressed all the other English speaking tables in English.
We spent time in the Cathedral, described as Norman Gothic. It was very much what I call a 'working' church, as opposed to a 'museum' church. Intricate stonework, lovely stained glass windows, tall and narrow building.
I have on my job list of pre-travel stuff a reminder to get my watch battery checked. I have always over the past 15 years done this and it has never needed changing. This time I thought 'my watch never stops when I am away, I can't be bothered'. My watch stopped several days ago and yesterday we found a watch selling shop who put a new battery in for me.
We went to the excellent museum . It was a small but very interesting collection arranged in the restored old Bishop's palace opposite the cathedral. There was a definite route to take, starting in paleolithic times and moving through the ages, sometimes using rooms in the museum as part of the exhibit.
Dinner was another excellent meal in a local restaurant. I was pleased that the lady who served us always addressed me in French, despite knowing that my French is very poor and I spoke English. She addressed all the other English speaking tables in English.
Thursday, September 13, 2018
Normandy battlefields
We went on 2 tours yestrday of different parts of th Normandy WW2 battlefields.
In th morning we went first to the German gun battery at Longues-sur-Mer. This consisted of 4 huge big guns in their own little concrete box ( Noel says 'casement ' is the correct word for 'box') about 50m apart. Apparently, along the 6000km of coast line the Germans were defending, there was one of these evey 15km. These guns were made in the factory that now makes Skoda cars.
Then we went to Arromanches to see an artificial harbour created be the Allies to enable the D day landings. It was codenamed Mulberry. The guide explained in detail how it was all made, quite a few bits are still there. An amazing engineering and logistical feat.
From the harbour we looked to the right and saw part of Gold beach where the British 50th infantry division ( Noel's military memory is better than my holiday notetaking) landed. The guide talked about the different types of tanks that landed first to clear the beach of German laid obstacles. Quite ingenious. Just at Gold , 1 of 5 'beaches' , 24,000 men landed in 24 hours with 400 casualaties.
Then we went to a small cemetery , Ryes, where most of the graves were for British soldiers. There was 1 Australian and , in the back left hand corner ( as in all of the Comonewealth War Graves Commision graveyards) were a group of Germans.
In the afternoon, with a differnt guide, we went first Pegasus Bridge , a bridge in the eastern part of the battle area that was vital for the Allies to take back from the Germans so that the various forces being landed on the beaches could get to where they were going to. About 180 paratroupers from the 6th airborne Oxford and Buckinghamshire regiment were loaded into 6 gliders ( apparently nicknamed 'flying coffins' ). 3 were to land near the bridge and 3 a little distance away. We were standing near the bridge and I could throw a stone ( almost) to the area where 3 of them landed, at night. Needless to say they got control of the bridge..
We went to an outdoor museum where there were various displays of other heroic feats, but we were both a bit brain dead. We went to another cemetery at Ranville. We saw a recent grave, dug about 2 years ago of an airman who was found in a plane wreck that was recently discovered. We were then taken to look at Sword another beach, where the 3rd division of British troups landed.
Then we went to Arromanches to see an artificial harbour created be the Allies to enable the D day landings. It was codenamed Mulberry. The guide explained in detail how it was all made, quite a few bits are still there. An amazing engineering and logistical feat.
From the harbour we looked to the right and saw part of Gold beach where the British 50th infantry division ( Noel's military memory is better than my holiday notetaking) landed. The guide talked about the different types of tanks that landed first to clear the beach of German laid obstacles. Quite ingenious. Just at Gold , 1 of 5 'beaches' , 24,000 men landed in 24 hours with 400 casualaties.
Then we went to a small cemetery , Ryes, where most of the graves were for British soldiers. There was 1 Australian and , in the back left hand corner ( as in all of the Comonewealth War Graves Commision graveyards) were a group of Germans.
In the afternoon, with a differnt guide, we went first Pegasus Bridge , a bridge in the eastern part of the battle area that was vital for the Allies to take back from the Germans so that the various forces being landed on the beaches could get to where they were going to. About 180 paratroupers from the 6th airborne Oxford and Buckinghamshire regiment were loaded into 6 gliders ( apparently nicknamed 'flying coffins' ). 3 were to land near the bridge and 3 a little distance away. We were standing near the bridge and I could throw a stone ( almost) to the area where 3 of them landed, at night. Needless to say they got control of the bridge..
We went to an outdoor museum where there were various displays of other heroic feats, but we were both a bit brain dead. We went to another cemetery at Ranville. We saw a recent grave, dug about 2 years ago of an airman who was found in a plane wreck that was recently discovered. We were then taken to look at Sword another beach, where the 3rd division of British troups landed.
Mont Saint Michel
Before we came away I spent a lot of time trying to work out how we could get to MSM by public transport . About 3 hours each way with many changes from either Bayeux or Dinan. So we paid to walk 400m down the road and get into a bus. 1 and 1/2 hours in comfort.
The view of the Mount as we approached was just like in the pictures. Luckily because on the way there had been quite a lot of fog. We walked up hill through the tourist shops and cafes to the start of the church, then climbed and climbed and climbed up stairs.
We followed the designated route back down through the layers of abbey ontop of church. It was not too crowded. Still crowded enough to have extras in most of my photos. It was absolutely amazing. Chamber after chamber, huge and small, fancy vaulted ceilings, intricate but simple stained glass patterns in the windows, huge pillars, narrow winding stairs, great wide staircases, huge fireplaces, lots of intimate chapels, wonderful interesting cloisters.
We wound our way down the hill via the ramparts which bypassed the commercialism, stopping to eat our sandwiches overlooking the bay.
Some stuff we were told about France:
Most reliant country in the world on nuclear power 75%. Processes spent fuel for many countries. 40% of people now are against nuclear power. Offshore wind farms are being tried. A huge windfarm 4 miles off the coast is being constructed.
Avranche sheep from MSM area. Creamy colour with black faces.
St Michael ( as in MSM) has 3 jobs. He weighs the souls at death to decide where they go, he takes the correct weight ones to paradise and he protects heaven nd earth from the devil. Busy chap.
The view of the Mount as we approached was just like in the pictures. Luckily because on the way there had been quite a lot of fog. We walked up hill through the tourist shops and cafes to the start of the church, then climbed and climbed and climbed up stairs.
We followed the designated route back down through the layers of abbey ontop of church. It was not too crowded. Still crowded enough to have extras in most of my photos. It was absolutely amazing. Chamber after chamber, huge and small, fancy vaulted ceilings, intricate but simple stained glass patterns in the windows, huge pillars, narrow winding stairs, great wide staircases, huge fireplaces, lots of intimate chapels, wonderful interesting cloisters.
We wound our way down the hill via the ramparts which bypassed the commercialism, stopping to eat our sandwiches overlooking the bay.
Some stuff we were told about France:
Most reliant country in the world on nuclear power 75%. Processes spent fuel for many countries. 40% of people now are against nuclear power. Offshore wind farms are being tried. A huge windfarm 4 miles off the coast is being constructed.
Avranche sheep from MSM area. Creamy colour with black faces.
St Michael ( as in MSM) has 3 jobs. He weighs the souls at death to decide where they go, he takes the correct weight ones to paradise and he protects heaven nd earth from the devil. Busy chap.
Tuesday, September 11, 2018
Bayeux Tapestry and Battle of Normandy
Bayeux is a delightful town. We have enjoyed wandering around - except yesterday when we got home late from our tour to Honfleur, could not find a restaurant that was open and not full or not so understaffed that we walked out after waiting over10 minutes for a menu. We ate rice cakes and cashews for dinner. Yummy!
This morning we went to the museum which displays the amazing Bayeux Tapestry. It is almost 70 metres long. You get an audio guide that you cannot pause, so every one moves at the same speed around the horseshoelike display wall. There were few people when we were there, before the hordes, as evidenced by the waiting sheep run like queueing system in the admission area. It was wonderful to see how much expression the figures had, the detail in the embroidery and to be reminded and learn more of the history of William the Conqueror and others. Depending on whether you are French or English the moral of the story is that Harold was punished by God for going back on his word or Harold perjured himself so that he ( a Saxon) could become King and repell the Norman attack on England.
The attached museum had more details about the history of the period, the embroidery, the boats used, etc. There was also a film we watched and enjoyed the explanation of the history.
We wandered through some more streets, bought some bread, cheese ( Camembert of course) , ham and tomatoes and came back to the restful courtyard of our B and B. Our host stuck his head out the door to offer us a glass of vin. I have thoughts of a cider based aperativ before dinner so we declined.
I spent the afternoon pottering, catching up with emails while Noel went to the Battle of Normandy Museum. It was quite interesting and typical of many military museums - maps, models, diplays and equipment.
This morning we went to the museum which displays the amazing Bayeux Tapestry. It is almost 70 metres long. You get an audio guide that you cannot pause, so every one moves at the same speed around the horseshoelike display wall. There were few people when we were there, before the hordes, as evidenced by the waiting sheep run like queueing system in the admission area. It was wonderful to see how much expression the figures had, the detail in the embroidery and to be reminded and learn more of the history of William the Conqueror and others. Depending on whether you are French or English the moral of the story is that Harold was punished by God for going back on his word or Harold perjured himself so that he ( a Saxon) could become King and repell the Norman attack on England.
The attached museum had more details about the history of the period, the embroidery, the boats used, etc. There was also a film we watched and enjoyed the explanation of the history.
We wandered through some more streets, bought some bread, cheese ( Camembert of course) , ham and tomatoes and came back to the restful courtyard of our B and B. Our host stuck his head out the door to offer us a glass of vin. I have thoughts of a cider based aperativ before dinner so we declined.
I spent the afternoon pottering, catching up with emails while Noel went to the Battle of Normandy Museum. It was quite interesting and typical of many military museums - maps, models, diplays and equipment.
Monday, September 10, 2018
Apples and Honfleur and surrounds
On Sunday We had a very interesting day's tour with the very pleasant and knowledgable Karine, a gentle Amercan couple and an Australian lady.
We drove from here north, stopped in a delightful town , Beuvron-sur-Ange, then went to a cider tasting place in Cambremer, then Honfleur, drove through Trouville, walked along a bit of the beach in Deauville, then return back to Bayeux.
Along the way we learnt, or rather we were told :
Te carpet bombing of Caen in WW2 was very bad. They are still defusing unexploded bombs. Just last week a bomb underneath a house was diffused. Defusing is done on a Sunday, quiet day. People are told to leave their hoses leaving all windows open ( in case diffusing doesnot work) . Lots of police are engaged to protect the properties from looters.
Rouen at the end of the 9thC was a Viking town under the command of Rollo. Richest city after Paris. In 911 the area became Normandy.
Area we went through very marshy. Hedgerows and ditches to help absorb water as well as wind protection. Called baucage. Problem for allied tanks. Also areas of oak forests.
Normandy cows ( a breed) both milk and meat. Brown and white, various shades of brown but always a brown patch around eyes. Many less dairies than in the past. Now a big dairy is 100 cows grazing outside. In Netherlands 5000 Holstein cows, all inside , 1 farm. Normandy cows milk creamier. Cows graze in apple orchards except when apples are ripening. Fallen apples, slightly fermenting, eaten by cow, drunk cow, no milk.
Lots of horse studs in area. Mainly racing thoroughbreds. Some people have started to use donkeys again. Put a donkey in with highly strung horses = calmer race horses.
Beuvron-sur-Ange a pretty town. Lots of traditional half-timbered houses. Flowers everywhere. Lace curtains. On Sunday morning not too many tourists. Apparently it is half way from Paris to Mont Sant Michele therefore buses stop. We tried some traditional rice pudding - teugoule - cooked in slow oven overnight, rice, milk and cinnamon.
Some builders still doing thatched roofs. From reeds. Clay along roof line. Irises often grown in clay. Their extensive root network keeps clay in place.
Area known for apple cider( all alcoholic) About 10 different varieties of apples used in the one batch of cider. Often different types of trees growing next to each other. Not eating apples. Thus no problems with birds. At Cambremer we stopped at a cider making cellar door. Tried some apple cider with a baguette and 3 cheeses - a Camambert, Pont Eveque, and Livarot. The Camambert was the star. We also tried some Pommeau - a mixture of cider and Calvados and we tried some Calvados.
We drove onto Honfleur, a pretty town on the southern bank of the mouth of the Seine, opposite Le Havre. Lots of artists used to come here. We went to a wooden church, St Catherine's, the largest wooden church in France, wandered around then went to a chapel on a hill which was built for seamen to give thanks for safe passages. The statue of Mary is holding a model boat as well as Jesus. There was a good view of Honfleur and Le Havre from a nearby hill.
The bishops in the area used to be very rich. They owned a lot of bridges, given to them by sinning land owners in return for foregiveness. Owners of bridges could exact a toll. We have just seen in the Bayeux tapestry Bishop Odo, Will the conqueror's offsider wielding a huge club as he rode into battle. Bishops were not allowed to shed blood but they could knock a man lifeless.
Trouville and Deauville are Victorian seaside towns very popular with Parisians. Lots of huge old fancy houses, lots of sand. Apparently Coco Chanel sold clothes for the first time in Deauville. She had sold shoes previously in Paris.
It is illegal in France to ask on a form anyone's race or religion.
Viking place names :
...vec river
...fleur ( e.g.Honfleur) mouth of river
We drove from here north, stopped in a delightful town , Beuvron-sur-Ange, then went to a cider tasting place in Cambremer, then Honfleur, drove through Trouville, walked along a bit of the beach in Deauville, then return back to Bayeux.
Along the way we learnt, or rather we were told :
Te carpet bombing of Caen in WW2 was very bad. They are still defusing unexploded bombs. Just last week a bomb underneath a house was diffused. Defusing is done on a Sunday, quiet day. People are told to leave their hoses leaving all windows open ( in case diffusing doesnot work) . Lots of police are engaged to protect the properties from looters.
Rouen at the end of the 9thC was a Viking town under the command of Rollo. Richest city after Paris. In 911 the area became Normandy.
Area we went through very marshy. Hedgerows and ditches to help absorb water as well as wind protection. Called baucage. Problem for allied tanks. Also areas of oak forests.
Normandy cows ( a breed) both milk and meat. Brown and white, various shades of brown but always a brown patch around eyes. Many less dairies than in the past. Now a big dairy is 100 cows grazing outside. In Netherlands 5000 Holstein cows, all inside , 1 farm. Normandy cows milk creamier. Cows graze in apple orchards except when apples are ripening. Fallen apples, slightly fermenting, eaten by cow, drunk cow, no milk.
Lots of horse studs in area. Mainly racing thoroughbreds. Some people have started to use donkeys again. Put a donkey in with highly strung horses = calmer race horses.
Beuvron-sur-Ange a pretty town. Lots of traditional half-timbered houses. Flowers everywhere. Lace curtains. On Sunday morning not too many tourists. Apparently it is half way from Paris to Mont Sant Michele therefore buses stop. We tried some traditional rice pudding - teugoule - cooked in slow oven overnight, rice, milk and cinnamon.
Some builders still doing thatched roofs. From reeds. Clay along roof line. Irises often grown in clay. Their extensive root network keeps clay in place.
Area known for apple cider( all alcoholic) About 10 different varieties of apples used in the one batch of cider. Often different types of trees growing next to each other. Not eating apples. Thus no problems with birds. At Cambremer we stopped at a cider making cellar door. Tried some apple cider with a baguette and 3 cheeses - a Camambert, Pont Eveque, and Livarot. The Camambert was the star. We also tried some Pommeau - a mixture of cider and Calvados and we tried some Calvados.
We drove onto Honfleur, a pretty town on the southern bank of the mouth of the Seine, opposite Le Havre. Lots of artists used to come here. We went to a wooden church, St Catherine's, the largest wooden church in France, wandered around then went to a chapel on a hill which was built for seamen to give thanks for safe passages. The statue of Mary is holding a model boat as well as Jesus. There was a good view of Honfleur and Le Havre from a nearby hill.
The bishops in the area used to be very rich. They owned a lot of bridges, given to them by sinning land owners in return for foregiveness. Owners of bridges could exact a toll. We have just seen in the Bayeux tapestry Bishop Odo, Will the conqueror's offsider wielding a huge club as he rode into battle. Bishops were not allowed to shed blood but they could knock a man lifeless.
Trouville and Deauville are Victorian seaside towns very popular with Parisians. Lots of huge old fancy houses, lots of sand. Apparently Coco Chanel sold clothes for the first time in Deauville. She had sold shoes previously in Paris.
It is illegal in France to ask on a form anyone's race or religion.
Viking place names :
...vec river
...fleur ( e.g.Honfleur) mouth of river
Sunday, September 9, 2018
Poole to Bayeux
The ferry trip yesterday was very pleasant. The boarding procedure was smooth. There was a fine view of Poole from the top deck as we left the harbour. After a few hours we had a fine view of Cherbourg as we entered that harbour. The ferry company's bus took us part way to the middle of the town and we walked the rest of the way to the railway station.
Last year we had a bad experience of a regional train from Lyon to Avignon. We had to squeeze ourselves and bags on and only got a seat after half an hour, This time we had our choice of about 20 seats in the carriage we got into.
Our accomodation is delightful. A lovely large room looking out over a small courtyard with the cathedral spires not far away. The old paved floor is not even, the bed is comfy and the new small kitchen and bathroom have been added in an interesting manner with several skylights.
This morning, Sunday, we enjoyed a delicious breakfast and then went on a tour to Honfleur and other places.
Last year we had a bad experience of a regional train from Lyon to Avignon. We had to squeeze ourselves and bags on and only got a seat after half an hour, This time we had our choice of about 20 seats in the carriage we got into.
Our accomodation is delightful. A lovely large room looking out over a small courtyard with the cathedral spires not far away. The old paved floor is not even, the bed is comfy and the new small kitchen and bathroom have been added in an interesting manner with several skylights.
This morning, Sunday, we enjoyed a delicious breakfast and then went on a tour to Honfleur and other places.
Friday, September 7, 2018
Friday train to Poole
This morning we had a leisurely breakfast then walked to the nearby railway station and caught the train to Poole. Once again we went through town after town of brown , light, medium and dark , houses and other buildings, occasionally with some white. Boring conformity.
It took us a little while to work out how to get out of the railway station at Poole onto the right road. The map and the ground were a bit hard to reconcile with roads and freeways over other roads but we got here ok.
We are staying at a quaint old pub which has 3 small rooms up narrow windy stairs. We were unimpressed by the menu of burgers and chips for lunch so walked 50m down the road to another pub and had a lovely lunch. We then walked to the ferry terminal from where we will catch the ferry to France tomorrow. On the way back we decided a taxi was the way to go. We found a Sainsburys and bought breakfast : grapes, rice crackers, goats cheese and cashews.
Dinner was at the Angel, our lunch venue. Again we had good food in very pleasant, friendly surroundings. We chatted to the cook, ( who was quite happy to halve 1 meal for us both) about his time working at the Royal Life Boat Institute school down the road. This brought back childhood memories. Every year we received a Christmas card from my fathers sister and her family put out by the RLBI. The one problem with Poole is crossing the roads. The locals drive very quickly, specially around corners, the pedestrian crossing lights take ages to change and on these the only green, go, sign is on the post near the preess button. Easy to miss.
It took us a little while to work out how to get out of the railway station at Poole onto the right road. The map and the ground were a bit hard to reconcile with roads and freeways over other roads but we got here ok.
We are staying at a quaint old pub which has 3 small rooms up narrow windy stairs. We were unimpressed by the menu of burgers and chips for lunch so walked 50m down the road to another pub and had a lovely lunch. We then walked to the ferry terminal from where we will catch the ferry to France tomorrow. On the way back we decided a taxi was the way to go. We found a Sainsburys and bought breakfast : grapes, rice crackers, goats cheese and cashews.
Dinner was at the Angel, our lunch venue. Again we had good food in very pleasant, friendly surroundings. We chatted to the cook, ( who was quite happy to halve 1 meal for us both) about his time working at the Royal Life Boat Institute school down the road. This brought back childhood memories. Every year we received a Christmas card from my fathers sister and her family put out by the RLBI. The one problem with Poole is crossing the roads. The locals drive very quickly, specially around corners, the pedestrian crossing lights take ages to change and on these the only green, go, sign is on the post near the preess button. Easy to miss.
Thursday Kew Gardens and the Tate Modern
On Thursday Noel met his daughter and her partner at Kew Gardens. They had a lovely day. For Noel the highlight was the temperate house. The main structure of this large Victorian glass house had a smaller annex at each end. It is the largest Victorian glasshouse still standing. Fascinating architecture. They had many Australian plants. The parklike grounds were beautifully maintained and the principal features were widely separated. Noel enjoyed less the high 30 C degree, high humidity of the palm house also constructed of glass.
I took th opportunity to potter a bit on my own. I wandered from where we were staying to Covent Garden area trying to keep to the laneways rather than the busy more direct roads. It was a lovely sunny day with many people sitting in pavement cafes. Somewhere along the route I saw some different pedestrian crossing lights. Instead of a green man indicating crossing was allowed there was an interlocking male and female symbol.
I crossed the river again and went to the Tate Modern. As background, in 2012 in Washington I was really interested in a room in The Phillips Collection that was purpose-built for 4 Rothko paintings, all similarly coloured but all slightly different. The smallish room just had 1 bench in the middle .There was a sort of progression from 1 painting to the next that invited contemplation ( well, for me it did). But why? They are just blocks of colour on canvas. In the Tate Modern there was a room, once again purpose built for a series of 9 paintings that Rothko made for the Tate. I sat a while thinking.
I came out of the Tate by a different exit to the way I went in accidentally and was momentarily geographically challenged. Where was the river, which direction was the hotel? Over the past years Noel has learnt when to say 'Right, Sue, time for some food for you'. But he was at Kew. So I ate a bit later than I should have.
In the evening we met Noel's daughter and her partner for a very enjoyable dinner.
I took th opportunity to potter a bit on my own. I wandered from where we were staying to Covent Garden area trying to keep to the laneways rather than the busy more direct roads. It was a lovely sunny day with many people sitting in pavement cafes. Somewhere along the route I saw some different pedestrian crossing lights. Instead of a green man indicating crossing was allowed there was an interlocking male and female symbol.
I crossed the river again and went to the Tate Modern. As background, in 2012 in Washington I was really interested in a room in The Phillips Collection that was purpose-built for 4 Rothko paintings, all similarly coloured but all slightly different. The smallish room just had 1 bench in the middle .There was a sort of progression from 1 painting to the next that invited contemplation ( well, for me it did). But why? They are just blocks of colour on canvas. In the Tate Modern there was a room, once again purpose built for a series of 9 paintings that Rothko made for the Tate. I sat a while thinking.
I came out of the Tate by a different exit to the way I went in accidentally and was momentarily geographically challenged. Where was the river, which direction was the hotel? Over the past years Noel has learnt when to say 'Right, Sue, time for some food for you'. But he was at Kew. So I ate a bit later than I should have.
In the evening we met Noel's daughter and her partner for a very enjoyable dinner.
Wednesday, September 5, 2018
London
The focus for our 2 days in London has been to spend time with Noel's daughter and her partner and to go to a few places we had not been to. On wedesday we met them at the Victoria and Albert Museum and pottered around a few galleries chatting. The little we saw, in the Medieval Galleries and some of the Asian galleries was very interesting. After a long chat over tea in the ornate 1860's cafe we came back to our basic hotel room in Waterloo. We met them again at the imperial war Museum in the afternoon. Again, we picked only a few galleries to wander through . We looked at the displays of Britain's involvement in troublespots since 1945 and at the harrowing Holocaust display.
Tuesday, September 4, 2018
Arrived in London.
We arrived in Heathrow this morning . We had a good sleep between Singapore and Munich. Because of my onward plans to come home via Missouri and to keep my extra costs to a minimum, we have to fly with Lufthanser, hence an extra stop in Europe, Munich.
We came straight to our hotel near Waterloo station and were very pleased to have immediate acess to our room and a shower and clean clothes. We wandered down to the river and found lots of people out and about. A pleasant atmosphere. We enjoyed a good coffee at a Le Pain Quotidien - a chain I frequented in NYC in January. Their house-made gluten free bread was delicious, based entirely on seeds. I digress. On the way back to our hotel I discovered , when i tried to use them, that the 2 GBP coins I had been given in my change by the cafe we had lunch at were no longer legal tender. We went back. She feigned suprise that she had given them to me, but I distinctly remember her looking at them as she gave them to me. The 2 coinsare unmistakenly different. Ah well.
Dinner at the bar/restaurant attached to the hotel was OK. Because I had paid our hotel bill, I was not able to charge the dinner to our room. Bit odd.
Very tired. Early to bed.
We came straight to our hotel near Waterloo station and were very pleased to have immediate acess to our room and a shower and clean clothes. We wandered down to the river and found lots of people out and about. A pleasant atmosphere. We enjoyed a good coffee at a Le Pain Quotidien - a chain I frequented in NYC in January. Their house-made gluten free bread was delicious, based entirely on seeds. I digress. On the way back to our hotel I discovered , when i tried to use them, that the 2 GBP coins I had been given in my change by the cafe we had lunch at were no longer legal tender. We went back. She feigned suprise that she had given them to me, but I distinctly remember her looking at them as she gave them to me. The 2 coinsare unmistakenly different. Ah well.
Dinner at the bar/restaurant attached to the hotel was OK. Because I had paid our hotel bill, I was not able to charge the dinner to our room. Bit odd.
Very tired. Early to bed.
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