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~ Nos expériences dans la ville des corsaires. – Our experiences in the city of the corsairs.

à Saint-Malo – in Saint-Malo

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la semaine se terminant le dimanche 3 septembre 2017 – the week ending Sunday September 3, 2017

03 Sunday Sep 2017

Posted by philipdenotto in septembre poster 2017 - September 2017 post

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Tags

alain, Banque Alimentaire de Saint Malo, boules, braderie, charly's bar, croix rouge, crystal symphony, gare, Herbidian Sea, hippodrome, Kouign Amann, Place du Marché aux Légumes, rocabey marche, scrabble junior, trivial pursuit

le lundi 28 août 2017 – Monday August 28, 2017

Today is forecast to be hot! The weather channel predicts a high of 27C / 81F. The problem is that the wind is only 2 mph which is almost nothing. Normally there is a great cool breeze coming from the north-west off the English Channel.

We shopped early for groceries and the store felt cold because of the air conditioning. So few places here are air-conditioned, that when you enter a business that does have it, it feels shocking.

We mailed a package and wanted to stop at Charley’s Bar for a coffee. Not today! This is the first day since we arrived in France that they have been closed. They must think the tourist season is over. There were also very few people walking through town. Monday is often a slow day but maybe the predicted heat is keeping them away.

We did see a cat on a window sill across the courtyard.  Hopefully it had good depth

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cat on a 4th floor window sill

perception.

 

Our apartment stayed cool, under 24C by closing up the windows and shutters by around 11h until the sun moved to the west. After lunch, a cold sandwich and fruit, we walked outside of the walls to watch our friend Alain play boules. After exiting the gates, the air felt like a blast from a furnace. We said hello to him, watched a few minutes and headed for home. Too hot for us!

We had a cold “chef” salad for dinner with ice cream for dessert.

le mardi 29 août 2017 – Tuesday August 29, 2017

It is much cooler today. The forecast is for a high of 24C with a breeze out of the north by afternoon. Sandy shopped at the marché for fruit and salad. We walked through town stopping to buy a bottle of sweet cider, and a <<Kouign Amann>> cake on the way to mail a letter. Then we climbed the stairs to walk around the top of the ramparts/walls. When we looked over the walls at the ocean we could see fog (brume de mer). There was a cruise ship named the <Crystal Symphony> moored in the harbor and the Brittany ferry had just departed. The fog makes everything look spooky.

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cruise ship in the fog in the harbor

After a lovely stop for coffee and people watching at Charley’s Bar we headed home.

While Sandy was hanging laundry to dry on the balcony, we listened to jazz music from a musician playing in the <<Place du Marché aux Légumes>>. Entertainers often perform there and ask for donations from all of the people sitting on park benches, eating, or drinking in the restaurants and bars. Our apartment is so close that we benefit from all of the music.

Later in the afternoon the temperature started dropping. It was much cooler.

le mercredi 30 août 2017 – Wednesday August 30, 2017

Sandy wore slacks and a jacket to shop at the boulangerie. The forecast is for rain this afternoon and a high of 19C / 66F. We love these temperatures! All morning it drizzled and turned cooler. We watched pedestrians walk by in coats, with hoods, up and many carrying umbrellas. We stayed in our apartment, sorted out brochures and newspapers for recycling and read.

le jeudi 31 août 2017 – Thursday August 31, 2017

The temperature was 12C / 53F when Sandy shopped for our breakfast.

We took the bus to the Rocabey marché to purchase chicken breasts, farcie meat to make stuffed peppers, ground steak to make a little chili. and pork filet mignon de mariné.  Sandy asked the lady assistant about the pork. She said it was new this year, was not spicy hot, and tasted very good. We’ll try it tonight.

After returning to our apartment and leaving the meat in the refrigerator, we took a different bus and got off near the hospital. The Red Cross boutique was having a half priced sale on most items. We like to look at everything. We bought a short-sleeved, button up the front shirt for Phil, a <<Trivial Pursuit>> game, and a <<Scrabble Junior>> game. The two games should help us with our French.

flowers by the red cross
flowers by the red cross
our new old games
our new old games

On our way home we got off the bus at the Gare (train station) to purchase our bus passes for September. However, the line was VERY long with it being the end of the month and school starting on Monday. There are no seats to wait, so Sandy took the bus home and Phil stayed in line. He arrived home about an hour later than Sandy. But, the passes had been purchased!

The new purchase of <<filet mignon mariné>> was delicious! The pork here has such a wonderful flavor and is always tender. The marinade was not spicy but very tasty!

le vendredi 1 septembre 2017 – Friday September 1, 2017

It is drizzly and the temperature was 13C at 7h45.

Today we spent two hours with Christine for French tutoring. We did not see her neighbor today.  While at Christine’s house, it rained the entire time. Lucky for us it started after we arrived and ended as we left her house.

School resumes here Monday, but today must have been an orientation day. There were many students coming and going on the bus wearing new-clean shoes.

Our friend Alain stopped by this afternoon and invited us to have an aperitif at his apartment on Wednesday at 18h30. We are looking forward to that time. The sun came out as Alain was leaving, but it stayed cool today.

le samedi 2 septembre 2017 – Saturday September 2, 2017

The forecast is for sunny and 19C / 66F.

Today was the day for the <<Banque Alimentaire de Saint Malo>> garage sale and also the flea market at the Hippodrome or horse racing track. We have been to both in the past and really enjoyed them. There are so many huge wooden pieces of furniture at the <<Banque sale>> and they are very reasonably priced. You would need a huge home with extremely high ceilings to be able to use them. We are interested in the hinges, the hand carving decorations, the location of cupboard doors, and the keys that fit into the locks. Most are truly antiques.

elaborate furniture
elaborate furniture
big and elaborate
big and elaborate

At this sale last year, Sandy purchased a pewter two piece chicken for an euro. Then later in the year in Winona, she found a matching duck made out of the same material and in the same style.  Earlier this year she found a similar but smaller duck at the Paramé flea market.  This year she found a duck, similar to the one she bought in Winona and Paramé, but much smaller still. It was priced at 1€ just like the other pieces.

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July duck on the left and new September duck on the right

We have come across a variety of characters in the years we have been coming to Saint-Malo. One gentleman we nicknamed the <<General>> used to be dressed in a French navy officer’s uniform. We have also seen him in French military camouflage colored clothing, and last year security clothing. He has cartoon style and length eyebrows and walks with a distinctive swing in his arms, but very upright.

We just commented this week that he must have moved away. While waiting for a bus to return home after the second flea market, he came out of his apartment building, crossed the street, and waited for the same bus that we were waiting for. This year he is dressed in <<secure incendie>> (fire brigade t-shirt) and trousers. We noticed that he had a monthly bus pass this year. In the past, he boarded the bus without a ticket. When the individual conducting the occasional bus company security checks saw he didn’t have a ticket, they would make him disembark at the next stop. At least he is legally riding the bus this year.

After lunch we watched our friend Alain play boules.  Then we sat at the harbor and watched the  passenger cruise ship <<Herbidian Sea>> as it left the basin to enter and then exit the lock as it headed out to sea. It had come into the basin at 5h this morning during high tide.

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 Herbidian Sea leaving the lock and heading out to sea

This was an absolutely beautiful sunny and cool day!

le dimanche 3 septembre 2017 – Sunday September 3, 2017

It was good that we were able to attend both braderies/flea markets yesterday because it was raining today.  It was also very cool and not pleasant to walk outside for very long.

On her way back from the boulangerie today Sandy passed a group of British tourists that  were walking to meet the ferry. They had dressed inappropriately for the day since they wore t-shirts, shorts and no jacket or umbrella. Good thing they were just 15 minutes from the dock.

Sandy did get two lovely desserts for dinner.36828815082_51b92efe17_o

 

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14 août 2016 à Saint-Malo – August 14 2016 in Saint-Malo

14 Sunday Aug 2016

Posted by philipdenotto in août poster 2016 - August 2016 post

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Tags

chez marcel, corsairs malouins, crystal symphony, digue, facetime, fish and chips, insignia, la grande passerelle, la route de rock, Médiathèque, Saint-Malo, start legend

Monday August 8, 2016

Monday August 8, 2016 and it’s raining when Sandy walked to the boulangerie for our breakfast croissants.  The chance of precipitation for today was 0%, but a rain cloud must have blown in from the sea.  The sun appeared before noon and the temperature high for the day was 20C or 68F.  We took care of housecleaning chores in the morning.  Sandy can’t reach the top row of windows on our french doors leading to the balcony.  She asked Phil to wash them today.  Phil heard many people coming and going in their cars as he was back and forth between the living room, dining room and balcony as he washed the glass panes.

Tuesday August 9, 2016

Tuesday August 9, 2016 is sunny but cool. The high temperature was again 20 C or 68 F. Sandy wore slacks and a jacket when we took the bus to Carrefour at La Madeleine Center.  We left our apartment at 8:35 this morning to try to avoid tourists and crowds.  We arrived at the store a couple of minutes after they opened.  We purchased all of our items, checked out and were waiting at the bus stop in less than 50 minutes.  However, we purchased so much that Sandy had two reusable shopping bags and Phil wheeled our “cart” which seemed like it weighted 40 pounds!  We hadn’t been shopping except to pick up an item or two for a few weeks and we made up for it today.

In the afternoon we picked up prescriptions from the pharmacy then headed to the harbor.  The tide was on it’s way out.  We watched jet skiers depart and several Corsair ferries arrive and depart.  We walked out to the end of the Mole Noir (breakwater) and decided that was enough sun.  The water was a beautiful emerald color (Cote de Emerald) and many people were enjoying the beach and sea.  It was odd as we walked on the mole and looked down into the water, to think that just the other day, we had walked in the sand around the same structure.  You get a different perspective from walking on land and then walking where water covers the same spot.

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Beautiful day at the harbor.  Condor ferry and Corsair ferry in the background.

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An interesting sail on this boat.

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Beautiful day at the beach; sand, sun and surf.

Wednesday August 10, 2016

Wednesday August 10, 2016 we walked to the Médiathèque La grande passerelle Saint-Malo. It was sunny and cool.  Sandy chose a few books written in English and a few children’s books written in French.  She found the book by Kevin Henkes, titled in English as “Wemberly Worried”.  In French the title is “Juliette s’inquiète”.  Interesting to compare the words from each edition.  In the afternoon it was still too cool to comfortably enjoy the sea, so we took a walk back out to the Mole and enjoyed the harbor.  The sun was hot when it came out from behind the clouds but the fresh breeze kept us from feeling uncomfortable.

Thursday August 11, 2016

Thursday August 11, 2016 is very cloudy.  It looks like it will rain any minute and looks as if it’s time for the street lights to go on in the evening. By the time we took the bus and walked to Christine’s house for tutoring the sun was shining.  No rain in site!  As we waited for the bus to return to Intra-Muros the electronic sign told us we’d only have to wait 9 minutes.  However, the bus didn’t arrive for 20 minutes.  This was the longest wait time we’ve ever had.  Good thing it was a cool day.  We even had to sit in the sun to wait for the bus because the wind was so strong.

In the afternoon we walked out onto the Mole.  There were two cruise ships in the harbor (Insignia and Crystal Symphony) and another cruise ship (Star Legend) in the basin.  All five of the Corsair ferries were operating, the Condor ferry arrived, and there were many sailboats, a few jet skis, and pleasure craft on the water.  Very busy and interesting to watch all of the people etc.

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Star Legend in the basin

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Insignia in the harbor

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Crystal Symphony in the harbor

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Shuttle boats from the two cruise ships in the harbor

We wanted to listen to the chants de marin (sailor songs) where the vocal group the Corsairs Malouins interpret sailor songs of yesterday and today.   We love to eat kebab’s at Chez Marcel’s and thought we’d stop there, take our kebab’s to eat at the park then listen to the vocal group.  What a surprise!  The line was out the door and would have probably taken an hour for our food.  We walked over to the (new in 2015) Fish and Chips shop and decided to give it a try.  The food was ready in 10 minutes, the staff were very friendly, and the food was delicious!  We had to find a spot outdoors to eat where the wind didn’t blow quite so hard because it was so cool. We decided to wait until next Thursday to listen to the vocal group because it was so cool.  Try to remember how cool we felt this evening over the next few days.

Friday August 12, 2016

Friday August 12, 2016 is sunny, with a nice breeze, and cool.  The high temperature was 22 C or 72 F. We walked to Saint-Servan to purchase meat from the butcher.  While Phil was in line, Sandy bought blueberries from one vendor and black olives from another.  The lines weren’t too long and we walked back home without bridge or pedestrian delays.

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Very nice desserts!

The “La Route de Rock”, which is a specialized programming dedicated to the independent and legendary artists is taking place this weekend.  There are groups performing from Australia, UK, United States, and other countries.  They are performing on the beach and at Fort St-Père.  Usual attendees are young,  wearing hiking books and several backpacks etc. Here is the link:http://www.laroutedurock.com

Also this weekend is the Brainiebas de Regates a St. Malo La mer en Fete!.  This regatta takes place between Saint-Malo and Cancale and includes two days of boat parades at both locations. More information can be found here.

Saturday August 13, 2016

Saturday August 13, 2016 We took the #8 bus down to the Kennedy stop  which is the north end of the Digue, and walked in the water with our beach shoes back to Intra-Muros.  The walk was about 2 miles and a wonderful, lovely, cool walk.  Very invigorating by not lifting your feet our of the water.  We saw quite a few jelly fish that looked like brown striped and spotted hot air balloons, and two dinner plate size white/clear jelly fish. Sandy stayed clear of them!

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Crystal clear ocean water and Sandy’s right foot

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Walking in the water on the beach at low tide.

mapmywalk

Our walk in the water on Saturday August 13.

Sunday August 14, 2016

Sunday August 14, 2016 we walked on the beach from Porte Saint-Thomas near the castle, more than halfway to the north end of the Digue and back.  As we walked around the only piling of rocks Phil spotted our friend and notaire Eric.  How funny to see someone we know!.  In the afternoon, we were able to FaceTime with our son Michael and hear what’s going on with him.  Winona, apparently, is doing fine without us.

,

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