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16 julliet 2017 à Saint-Malo – July 16, 2017 in Saint-Malo

23 Sunday Jul 2017

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Hi, this is the start of the blog for 2017.  It will be published weekly on Sunday.  Hope you enjoy our little adventure.

Sunday July 16 – Holland, Michigan, USA

Today we will drive from Holland, Michigan to O’Hare airport in Chicago, Illinois. From O’Hare we will take an American Airlines flight directly to Charles de Gaule airport in Paris France. We will walk to the train station in the airport to take the train to Saint-Malo. From the train station in Saint-Malo we will take a bus to the entrance to the Intra-Muros part of Saint-Malo where our apartment is located. We will walk the last few hundred feet to the apartment.

So to get to our secondary home in France we will have 1) driven in a car, 2) flown on an airplane, 3) ridden on a train, 4) traveled on a bus and finally 5) walked to the apartment. Just a few different modes of transportation. This trip did not include a cruise. 🙂

So that was the plan. Here is how it turned out.

First we drove a rental car from Holland to O’Hare.  This did not turn out as planned. The trip is usually a 3 hour drive. Today it took us 4 hours. Good thing Chicago is in Central Time zone and Holland is in Eastern Time zone. The problem was construction on the highway throughout the 30 or 40 miles we travel in Indiana. It was construction from the Michigan-Indiana border all the way to the Indiana-Illinois border. Stop and go all the way. It was no fun at all.

We had checked in online for our flight the night before.  We quickly checked one small luggage each and breezed through TSA precheck.

The flight on American Airlines (at 18.30) was interesting. Sandy had used the majority of our frequent flyer miles to get both of us free tickets. We only had to pay the taxes which was $80 each. The problem was the tickets were in economy class, in the middle of the plane, in an aisle row and a middle seat. They were next to each other. The plane itself was wonderful, a brand new Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The economy class amenities were pretty good, but the seats are incredibly cramped. At six-foot three-inches and 250 pounds I was really molded into the seat. I was unable to move and actually could not get my legs under the seat in front of me because the seat came down so low. But Sandy had told me to keep repeating the phrase “the ticket was free” over and over again. This did not help much.  Sandy, as a fairly normal sized person at five feet five inches and 125 pounds was able to move around a bit, but was not comfortable at all. She had trouble sleeping and kept getting cramps in her legs. So while the flight was very uneventful, it was not much fun.

Monday July 17 – Paris, France

We left the USA on Sunday and we arrived in France on Monday. Our scheduled 8 hour flight was completed in 7 hours and 30 minutes.  We had a good tailwind.

Upon arrival at CDG in Paris at 8:30 our plane was parked in the extra-parking area away from the terminal without a jet-way. We had to take buses to the terminal. This is not a big inconvenience and we had a lot of time until our train. We got through French customs very quickly and also got our luggage very quickly.

We then walked to the SCNF train station in the airport. We had second class tickets on the TGV which left at 12:40. A few interesting things happened while we were waiting for the train.

A man setting next to us was reading the Anthony Doerr novel “All the Light We Cannot See” which is largely set in Saint-Malo. I thought that was an odd coincidence. He did not travel to Saint-Malo as he got on a different train.

While we were waiting we saw the usual heavily armed military personnel walking through the train station.  An announcement was made asking whoever left a blue luggage by the RER (regional train) north platform to please retrieve their luggage. This announcement was repeated three or four times over the next hour. Then we heard a couple of loud whistle blasts, several SNCF police and military personnel appeared, and we were asked to orderly move to the south platform of the train station. That was where we were already, so we did not have to move far. The police and military kept us from leaving the area. About twenty minutes later we were allowed to return to the waiting area and the police and military left the area. We were not given an explanation. We can speculate that the authorities ended up moving the blue luggage and moved us to the south platform while this was being done. Not a real fun experience, but not a surprise given the world today.

Overall, sitting in the train waiting room at CDG is people watching at its ultimate level.

Our train ride was great. The second class train seats had lots of leg room, the seats were very wide, and by this time we were really tired (neither of us slept on the airplane). We had a quick connection from the TGV in Rennes to the TER train to Saint-Malo. We were a bit concerned because there was only 10 minutes to catch the TER and our train was running 3 minutes late. It turned out that our TGV train came in on the opposite side of the same platform as the TER train. So we had to walk 10 meters and were there in plenty of time.

At the train station in Saint-Malo we were able to immediately get on a bus to Intra-Muros. We even got seats. This ride is short, 5 or 7 minutes, depending on whether the bus has to stop at the one stop light on the route.

Our walk from the Intra-Muros gate to our apartment gave us a surprise. We were already talking about making reservations at our favorite restaurant, DIVERS’ CITE, and hoped to see the owners on our walk to the apartment. The surprise is that the restaurant is GONE! Apparently they sold it and are looking to do something different for a while. At least that is the story I got from the owner of the tabac next door. It was a real surprise, but we wish them well.

While I was in the tabac Sandy waited for me outside of the door. Someone drove by in a car and yelled “Sandy.”  It was our friend  Marie Dominique from the Hotel Quic-n-Groigne.  What a surprise in France to have someone recognize you.

The apartment was in good shape. Better shape than us. We were really tired. It was exactly 24 hours since we left Holland, Michigan. It was a busy and tiring 24 hours, but it was worth it.

We went out to eat at “Chez Marcel,” the kebab and fries place two minutes from our apartment. It was very good as usual.

After that we were basically useless and after putting clean sheets on the bed, we climbed in around 9PM.

Tuesday July 18 – Saint-Malo

We slept straight thru to 8 am.  We planned to have breakfast at La Fournee Malouine boulangerie on Rue de Dinan. After breakfast we went back to bed.  We did some house work and then back to bed.  At 11:30 we went to the Carrefour City market. Stopped in to see Marie-Dominique at the Hotel Quic-n-Groigne. Had spaghetti bolognese for dinner.

Wednesday July 19 – Saint-Malo

Early in the morning we stopped by the hair place to get appointments for next week.  Then we stopped at the doctor’s office to get an appointment.  The appointment was for later in the day.

Our friends who live on the fourth floor are in Paris and may not be able to visit Saint-Malo this year. They have their cousin Alain check on their apartment, water the plants and collect the mail. On his way up he stopped at our apartment and was surprised that we were there.  It was good to see him again.  He understands a lot of English and it is very easy to talk with him.  We exchanged some news and promised to stay in touch.

In the early afternoon, we stopped in to see Michel at the Hotel Quic-n-Groigne.  Then we spent some time looking around and watching boats in the harbor.

The appointment with the doctor went well.  I needed to get prescriptions for my medicines to get them filled at a local pharmacy.  That went well and the trip to the pharmacy was easy. However, Dr. Tuloup has retired. I saw a “sub” doctor and the new physician will arrive in October.

We had pesto pasta for dinner.

Thursday July 20 – Saint-Malo

We were up early to take the bus to Intermarche supermarket in Rocabey.  Here we got some canned goods and other items which are not available at the local markets.  Then we walked for about 4 minutes to the Rocabey market.  We went to our butcher who represents the “Ferme les Aubriais.” He and his assistant always have a meat counter in side the market.  It was nice to see them again.  He has gotten more and more friendly over the years.  Unfortunately, today my mouth and brain were not working well and I forgot how to order a pork tenderloin.  My verbal stumbles did get a smile from the butcher.  We got our tenderloin, a couple of chicken breasts, and two slices of ham for sandwiches.

We reused the bus ticket to ride home and then walked to Le Charly’s bar for a coffee.

On the way back to the apartment we stopped at the local fish seller’s shop.  We purchased a large chunk of cod.  We had the cod for dinner.

After dinner we went to a movie at the Maison du Quebec.  It was a fairly interesting French Canadian movie with English subtitles.  The subtitles were a nice bonus for us and the price is always great – free!

Friday July 21 – Saint-Malo

The small goal for this morning is to walk around a bit and then go to the Intra-Muros Carrefour City market to pick up some small items.  After the market we went to Le Charly’s for a coffee.

We had the pork tenderloin for dinner.  Very tender pork with a wonderful taste.  More about the food in France in a future blog entry.

Saturday July 22 – Saint-Malo

The forecast is for rain in the afternoon.  So we got an early start on the bus number 3 to go to the E Leclerc shopping area.  Our first stop was at Bricorama, the local hardware store. There we bought AA batteries and 3M Command strips to hang some pictures and our broom.  Then we walked across the parking lot to E. Leclerc where we bought printer paper.  After a short stop at the WC, we headed for the bus stop.  We had a short wait for the number 3 which took us to Paramé which was having a big flea market with 300 stands.  The stands are mainly local residents selling their goods like at a garage sale, but each stand is actually about 10 feet of street and curb on which tables and / or blankets are set out with their goods.  There is always a  lot of children’s clothing and toys, ladies shoes, and miscellaneous household goods. We purchased:

  • two DVD for 3€
  • two new bath towels for 6€
  • a duck miniature for 1€
  • cat metal key holder for 1€
  • a wallet for 1€
  • two pain-au-chocolat for 2€

At the flea market, we were lucky enough to spot our old friend Jean-Louis J.  He had his wares spread out on a blanket near the round-about in the center of town.  We have know Jean-Louis for 7 years now, having first come across his shop in Saint-Malo in 2010.  He no longer has the shop, but he does sell at flea markets.  It is always good to see him.

We took the bus back to Intra-Muros and walked to Le Charly’s bar for a cup of coffee, espresso.

Sunday July 23 – Saint-Malo

Today it is supposed to rain in the afternoon, so we have all our outdoor activities planned for the morning.  We walked to the Rocabey part of Saint-Malo to see the war memorial monuments.  The city of Saint-Malo, as it is now, was created 50 years ago when the cities of Saint-Servan, Paramé and Saint-Malo were combined under the Saint-Malo name.  Each city had their own war memorial.  The war memorials were very simple, but they do contain the names of all the deceased.  In 2017 Saint-Malo decided to relocate all 3 memorials to one place in the Rocabey quarter of the city.  We took a couple of pictures and read some names on the memorials.  Sandy stepped inside the church which faces the memorials and gave herself a tour.

On the way back we walked to the street which runs parallel to the beach.  It is a great walk with all kinds of interesting things to see.  We walked around the base of the castle, through Place Chateaubriand, through route Jacques Cartier to the tabac to purchase a newspaper.  Then we walked up the stairs to the Place du Marché aux Légumes.  It was a busy place as usual.  For today we went into Le Charly’s bar for our coffee.  Good coffee and good people watching. The coffee is priced 20 centimes cheaper if you drink it inside the bar instead of outside on the terrace.  The view is the same.

After coffee we went back to the apartment, sorted some socks and hung two pictures in our bedroom.

For dinner Sandy prepared chicken with risotto and eggplant.

It has been quite a week.  We are really glad to back in Saint-Malo.

9 octobre 2016 à Saint-Malo – October 9, 2016 in Saint-Malo

10 Monday Oct 2016

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Saturday October 1, 2016

Saturday October 1, 2016 is drizzly and only 13 C when Sandy shops for our breakfast.  Our dinner last night at Diver’s Cite was delicious!  But, we discovered that their little white male dog thinks the terrace is just like being outside in the way of “marking” his territory.  It will make me think twice next year before asking to be seated on the terrace.  We wanted to look at local Bretagne gifts and took the bus to the area near the Aquarium to shop at the Atelier D’Emelie.  We stopped at the Carrefour La Madeleine first to buy super-glue then got back on the bus.  It was just one stop to the Atelier D’Emelie, but the bus was at the stop and it would have taken us 5-10 minutes to walk.  As we approached the shop we could see the shutters were closed.  The sign on the window said they were closed indefinitely.  What a disappointment!  Sandy had searched the tourism site just before we left to make sure they were open.  She sent a note to the tourism center informing them of the closure.  Their reply was, since the tourism site was unable to reach anyone by phone they couldn’t remove the listing, but they did indicate that the shop might be re-opening in the fall.  At least others will see the note and call before leaving home.

Sunday October 2, 2016

Sunday October 2, 2016 is again drizzly when Sandy shops for breakfast.  The high temperature for today was 16 C.  Our apartment is also cooling down and with windows closed is just above 20 C (68 F).  We took a walk over the ecluse (lock) and walked along the beach towards the Tour Solidor in Saint-Servan.  The tide was out, way out!  The sun was trying to peak through a large bank of clouds but the day was pretty cloudy until we were almost home.  Then it was a bright sunny day.  There was very little wind but the air still was fresh and clean.

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At the Plage Solider with a dark set of clouds passing + approaching

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Beautiful white cloud floating over Saint-Servan

After we returned Sandy made eggplant parmesan and spaghetti for dinner.  Delicious!  We talked to our son over FaceTime and were even able to see his kitty.  She appears to be a bit larger than when we left last March.

Monday October 3, 2016

Monday October 3, 2016.  Sandy shopped at La Fournee Malouine for our breakfast and the propritrice told her they would be closed the next two days.The low temperature was 8 C. Good thing Simon boulangerie is only closed on Monday.  After breakfast we took the #8 bus to the Kennedy stop (north end of digue) and walked back.  The sun felt nice and warm, there was little wind, the air was clean and so clear we could see for miles.  This is one of our favorite walks as we are directly on the ocean front the entire way home.  It was a good day to enjoy chili for lunch.

Tuesday October 4, 2016

Tuesday October 4, 2016 is very chilly as we walk to the bus on our way to Christine’s house for tutoring.  Phil wore a jacket and Sandy had on a fleece sweater with a jacket on top.  After getting off the bus, Sandy wore her gloves and ear bands on the walk to Christine’s house. Fall is here!  The forecasted high temperature was 19 C but the wind was very strong making it feel much cooler. We haven’t turned the heat on yet, but Christine said their’s had been on at night.  As we walked out of Christine’s front yard, Phil grabbed Sandy’s jacket to keep her from being hit by a car.  Sandy recognized the driver as Anne B our realtor (immobilier) that helped us buy our apartment here.  We talked for just a minute as Anne was already late for an appointment.  How funny to see her in a residential portion of Parame. On our walk back to the bus, we saw a kumquat plant in Christine’s neighborhood.  It must have gotten fairly cold last night because the heat turned on in our bedroom.

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Kumquats

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Kumquat blossom

Wednesday October 5, 2016

Wednesday October 5, 2016.  The predicted high temperature for today was 20 C although the day started very cool.  We took the 9:20 #8 bus to the Courtoisville stop to shop at the Carrefour Market.  We were almost out of everything except yogurt, so we had to buy some food.  We purchased cabillard  (cod)  to have for dinner, salad, some fruit, and a few other items.  Just two small handheld recyclable bags, so not too much.  It takes 5 minutes on the bus to reach the store but we missed the bus returning by 3 minutes.  Rather than wait 35 minutes for the next bus, we took a different bus to the train station (gare) and waited to transfer.  However, there must have been a delay on several other lines because we waited 15 minutes then two different lines showed up at the same time.  Both of them were going to the Intra-Muros.  Oh well. Phil is wearing his heavy coat that he leaves here and Sandy is wearing a fleece jacket underneath a nylon jacket and gloves.  After lunch we took the recycling, glass, and garbage to dispose of then walked out to the harbor.  The tide was low so there was a lot of “muck” or mud visible with sea weed laying on top of it.  We watched a seagull, probably a goeland pick up sea weed with it’s beak, move it or throw it to another spot, then eat something that was hidden underneath.  He was a very smart gull.

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Quiet afternoon by the harbor at low tide.

Thursday October 6, 2016

Thursday October 6, 2016 is almost cold.  The low temperature was 8 C with a sensation of 6 C.  Sandy shopped for a croissant for Phil’s breakfast and the boulanger at Simon saw her coming down the street.  He had a warm baguette waiting for her as she entered the boulangerie.  Great service here! Late in the afternoon we walked to the harbor.  It was very windy and we were glad to be in full sun.  The high temperature reached 17 C.

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Sandy feeding the gulls on the digue

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Looking down the digue

Friday October 7, 2016

Friday October 7, 2016 the low temperature was 8 C when Sandy walked to the boulangerie.  She could tell that it was much cooler as this was the first time that the door to the boulangerie was closed.  It wasn’t even hot inside with the ovens running, so it must have been cool outside.  After breakfast we walked to Saint-Servan to shop at the marché.  The ship Hamburg entered the ecluse (locks) while we were eating breakfast and they were taking walking tours and bus tours of people to sites as we walked by.  Since so many vendors are on their annual conge (vacation) here, Sandy tried new stands and new foods today.  She bought red grapes  from Italy without seeds, brown mushrooms, and tangerines.  All of them are a different variety than we are used to.  The omelette Sandy made for lunch was delicious.  The “new” mushrooms were tasty, yet seemed to have a forest type flavor, if there is such a thing.  They were definitely stronger than white mushrooms, but good. It was cool enough that Phil turned the heat on in the living room and dining room in the evening.  Much better!

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Some interesting cauliflower at the marche this morning

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Cruise ship HAMBURG in the basin

Saturday October 8, 2016

Saturday October 8, 2016  was warmer than yesterday.  It was 12 C when Sandy shopped for our breakfast.  After breakfast we walked to Saint-Servan.  The city had organized a “National day of commerce” to feature the boutiques and invite the community to shop in a new neighborhood.  Sandy thought she had seen a few items she’d like to take back to the U.S. so we headed there.  We wanted to take the navette bus from Porte Saint-Vincent but missed it by 30 seconds.  It pulled away as we arrived at the stop.  We walked there and back for about 4 kilometers.  The two shops Sandy wanted to visit were both closed for their annual vacation.  Instead she purchased a pizza from the Au Panier Italy and we enjoyed the pizza for lunch.  One of the shops reopens Tuesday so she has time to visit.  Later in the afternoon we walked to the harbor.  Sandy is continuing to feed left over bread to birds and took a few slices with us.  We watched a man row his dinghy back to the ramp, put it on his trailer and went full speed up the ramp.  A very funny thing happened though, he was almost to the top and the trailer came unhitched.  Good thing a pedestrian saw it and kept it from rolling back down the ramp.  Someone might have been hurt.

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Sun glistening off the harbor – a dark cloud moving left to right kept the sparkling water moving away from Saint-Malo toward Dinard

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Dark clouds moving over the harbor from left to right.

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A Pie (magpie) near our bench at the harbor

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A sparrow is the benefactor of Sandy’s old bread feeding

Sunday October 9, 2016

Sunday October 8, 2016 is 11 C when Sandy walked to buy our breakfast.  There is very little wind and it feels cool and fresh.  In the afternoon we took the recycling to the center and walked up and down rue de Dinan on the main street.  We were looking for gift ideas to take back to the U. S.  It was easy to walk around because the streets were not crowded.  Very enjoyable!  We saw a couple of things worth considering but only one of them was made in France.  Seems silly to buy something made in Spain when we’ve been in France for 8 months.  We’ll think about our options and decide tomorrow.  Sandy cooked a pork roast for our Sunday dinner with new potatoes, peas, and apple sauce.  For dessert we had caramel ice cream.  Delicious!  This is our last week in France.  There are many things to be put away, washed, and organized.  We’ll need to take two days worth of clothes to wear in Paris, and probably one set of clothes for our first morning back in Winona.

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Place du Marché aux Légumes

21 septembre 2016 à Saint-Malo – September 21 in Saint-Malo

21 Wednesday Sep 2016

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Wednesday September 14, 2016

Wednesday September 14, 2016 is very breezy and cool.  The temperature was 16 C when Sandy bought Phil’s croissant at Simon boulangerie.  After breakfast we took a walk to the basin where the ship National Geographic Orion was moored.  It came in around 5 am this morning during high tide.  The lock is only open about 2 hours before to 2 hours after high tide, which occurs twice a day.  It will most likely depart between 16:30 and 20:00 tonight.  For anyone wanting an expensive cruise, the web site lists the price from $8,000 to $16,000 for an 8 day trip.  Of course there are many, many activities included.  We were able to see kayaks stacked on the deck of the ship and bicycles parked on the dock.national-geographic-orion_29561430162_onational-geographic-orion_29591221021_o

Thursday September 15, 2016

Thursday September 15, 2016 is drizzly and cool.  For the second day in a row the temperature was 16 C when Sandy bought our breakfast.  Today, the boulanger gave Sandy two madeleines as a gift.  They are similar in texture and taste to a cake donut.  They have a distinctive shape and come in a variety of sizes.  They look like a raised, fat, pointed in the middle mini loaf (US loaf pan).  Phil dipped his in coffee.  It rained lightly until about 14:00.  We took a walk later looking at the low tide and many people walking out to Fort National.  We stopped at the wine shop (they were out of our usual white wine last week) and the tabac to pick up the weekly edition of our local Pays Malouin newspaper.

Friday September 16, 2016

Friday September 16, 2016.  Sandy had to wait until the sun rose before she shopped at the boulangerie for our breakfast. It had been raining and was very gray. It was as if summer was over today. Phil wore trousers for the first time in at least a month and Sandy wore a jacket. The high temperature was 18 C and the wind speed was up to 40 kph. This is the weekend of the grande marrée or high tide and the wind will make the tide more dramatic.  The sun rises at 7:46 and sets at 20:15.  We are losing 4 minutes of daylight per day.  On our way to catch the bus, we saw where the city had piled huge sand bags on the street to try to prevent severe flooding at high tide.  We spent two hours with Christine for tutoring and she continued our “brain work-out.”  On the way back to our apartment we stopped and Sandy made a reservation for us to have dinner tonight at Divers Cite.  It’s a good thing she did because with our reservation they were “complet” for the evening.  We shared an entree of crab fritters (accras de crabe) on a bed of salad, Phil had sea bass for his main dish (plat), and Sandy had beef steak.  A very delicious two hours!!

Saturday September 17, 2016

Saturday September 17, 2016 is definitely cool!  Sandy wore a jacket and slacks to buy our breakfast baguette since the temperature was 14 C.  Chilly!  Sandy took the bus to the Rocabey marché to look around and buy black olives.  On the way back she walked by Gomina coiffure to see if the shop was still in business.  The door was locked and everything looked as normal with products in the window etc.  We’ll need to return on Tuesday to see if our hair cut will take place in the shop or the owner’s apartment.

High tide in the harbor
High tide in the harbor
High tide in the harbor
High tide in the harbor

Sunday September 18, 2016

Sunday September 18, 2016 is cloudy but warmer than yesterday.  Sandy walked out the Porte de Dinan just after high tide to look at the sea.  The Corsair ferry was actually disembarking on the street level because the co-efficient was 110 and very high.  She walked to the end of the ramparts as far as the beginning of the Mole des Noires and could see where the waves had washed sea weed up over the wall onto the pavement.  That must have been a spectacle to see.  She purchased our breakfast from La Fournee de Malouine before heading for home.  This is the weekend of the “Journées Européennes du Patrimony” which is explained as: “The European Heritage Days offer a great opportunity to discover public and private buildings open their doors for the first time or exceptionally, unveiling their wings, their unique history or their secret collections.”  Sandy visited the office of the Mayor which was inside the castle and was a gorgeous, huge room.  Then she went to the exposition of the ship Le Pourquoi-Pas which was constructed in 1907 and sailed to the arctic on over 15 different missions.  The exhibit is presented on three levels of the Tower Bidouane within the rampart walls.  She visited a public school where a braderie was held but didn’t purchase anything.  For dinner Sandy shopped at our local butchery alone and bought tomate farcie and pork chops.

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Monday September 19, 2016

Monday September 19, 2016 was the last morning for the Grandè Mareè for September.  We walked towards Porte St. Vincent to look at the tide, but it was not extraordinary.  While the co-efficient was 111, there was no wind or storm at sea so the sea was very high on the ramparts, but moved with gentle waves.  We took the bus to E.LeClerc to do a little shopping.  Not too much since we’re down to less than a month before we return to the USA.  Sandy took care of housekeeping chores and homework after lunch.  We did see the painter who told us he’d be at our apartment on Thursday morning.

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High tide at Fort National

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High tide at the Plage du Sillon

Tuesday September 20, 2016

Tuesday September 20, 2016 is sunny and cool.  The temperature was 13 C when Sandy shopped for our breakfast.  She’ll have to start using the hair dryer if the temperature stays this cool in the morning.  After breakfast she walked to La Poste to mail a letter and watched workers assemble a huge crane near the park/playground.  There were also a few people still demonstrating the closing of the Intra-Muros post office with banners, flags, and signs.  She stopped by Gomina coiffure to make sure the building was still open for our haircuts on Thursday.  The proprietrice talked to Sandy and said she would still be in this location for our appointment. Most of the rue de Dinan (main street through our part of town) is closed.  Holes have been dug near the sidewalk and barricades surround the hole.  When we stopped at the pharmacy to refill one of Sandy’s prescriptions, the pharmacist (Philip) told us they were working on the gas and electric lines.  The delivery men trying to drive large trucks down the street were not happy.

Hotel construction
People protesting the closing of the post office
low low tide
Low low tide
low low tide

Wednesday September 21, 2016

Wednesday September 21, 2016 is the first day of fall in the U. S.  The temperature in the morning is 13 C (in the 50’s).  In the afternoon the high temperature reaches between 19 C and 23C depending on a sunny or cloudy day.  After breakfast we took the # 8 bus to Rotheneuf.  It is a very pretty village/quarter.  They have one boulangerie, one wine shop, one tabac/bar, one creperie, one restaurant, one chocolate shop, and two traiteurs or catering (ready to eat) food. We walked around, enjoyed a cup of coffee seated outside and returned on the bus.  It is a lovely sunny day with little wind and a temperature of 19 C.

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Le Rotheneuf bar – presse in Rotheneuf centre

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View of Rotheneuf from the bus stop.

7 août 2016 à Saint-Malo – August 7 in Saint-Malo

08 Monday Aug 2016

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Wednesday August 3

Wednesday August 3, 2016 is again a drizzly day.  The temperature was already 22 C or 70 F and the humidity was very high for here.  We took the Navette bus to the Gare (train station) to check on the train tickets we purchased online yesterday.  We reserved them in preparation for our return trip to the USA in October.  The seats that we selected were called “duo cote de cote” meaning face to face, but the numbers didn’t match up.  The agent assured us we had selected correctly and offered to print our tickets for us.  We only waited about 3 minutes and all our questions were answered.  Next we walked across the street to return library books, then walked to the Intermarche grocery store for 5 items.  It started to rain enough for us to use our umbrellas and the wind had picked up.

Thursday August 4

Thursday August 4, 2016 and we spent two hours with Christine for tutoring.

In the afternoon we went out to the harbor and saw some fishing boats unloading their catch.

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Fishing boat unloading their catch – shellfish

Today was our 43rd wedding anniversary and we enjoyed a delicious dinner at Divers’ Cité Restaurant. Phil chose escargot for his entree and boeuf avec bernaise sauce (filet) for his plat.  Sandy ordered an entre of crab “fritters” on a large salad but asked to eat it when she served Phil’s plat to him.  Unfortunately, something was “lost in translation” and her salad was served with Phil’s escargot.  Really wasn’t a problem and it always tastes wonderful.  For dessert Sandy ordered profiteroles with caramel sauce and Phil ordered chocolat liegoise which consists of chocolate ice cream, hot fudge sauce and real whipped cream on top.  Too much “caffeine” for Sandy at 9 pm.  It is always a pleasure and a treat to eat out!

The highlight of dinner was being entertained by the restaurant owners’ little white dog!

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Restaurant’s little white dog

Friday August 5

Friday August 5, 2016 Sandy met our friend and tutor Christine at the Mediathèque De Saint Malo at 14:00 for an outing.  Christine wanted to drive Sandy to see “one of the most beautiful villages” in France.  It is called Saint-Suliac and is about 5 km from Saint-Malo. Saint-Suliac offers a panoramic viewpoint of the Rance estuary. For a long time it was a village of trawler men who fished off Newfoundland and the statue of the Virgin de Grainfollet watched over these fishermen. In the narrow streets where children play as they come out of school, flowers grow between the granite stones of the magnificent houses. A tide mill, old salt marshes, a menhir or standing stone are just some of the local treasures to admire in an exceptionally well-preserved site.

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Saint-Suliac

For more information on Saint-Suliac: www.saint-suliac.fr

They spent several hours wandering around the tiny streets, pathways, and alleys, admiring the beautiful flowers, architecture, and or course the beaches.  It really is a beautiful village!  The selection of a village to become one of the most beautiful is based on:  The selection of villages takes place in 4 stages:

  1. Evaluation on the basis of a village’s application
  2. On-site evaluation
  3. Quality Committee
  4. Quality Charter

The concept to become most beautiful is:  Some 32,000 villages have shaped the French countryside over time and those of them that are members of the Association “Les Plus Beaux Villages de France” (The Most Beautiful Villages of France) share the same passion and ambition: to make the exceptional quality of their heritage known and recognized and to invite you to encounter their history, their land, their culture and their inhabitants. Come and share an art of living, charm and authenticity in 154 places charged with emotions…

Saturday August 6

Saturday August 6, 2016 is the day of the grande braderie of Saint-Servan.  All of the commercial businesses have tables of sale items in front of their stores.  Individuals and salespeople from other areas also set out tables or blankets with items displayed.  There are always food tents of sausage galettes, and the bars/restaurants set up extra tables outside.  It is quite the “party” atmosphere.  We walked to Saint-Servan, up the street to look at items on one side of the street and returned down the other side without buying anything.  We saw our friend Jean-Louis J. and he now feels like we’re truly friends since he exchanged kisses on the cheek with Sandy.  Phil got a handshake.  We spent a few minutes at the harbor watching the pirate ship unload 6 people at a time into an inflatable boat.  The Corsair ferry was making it runs between Saint-Malo and Dinard. It was just 2 hours after high tide and the water was quite high up the ramp.

At 16:00 we walked to the beach.  Depending on the number of other pedestrians, the walk can take as long as 12 minutes.  The tide was out.  Way, way out!  We walked from the Plage de Bon Secours where the pool is over to the Plage de Mole.  We were able to walk in ankle deep water all the way around the mole.  That was a first!  The water was cool, but very pleasant.

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Sandy enjoying the sun and water

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Sandy walking through the water at low-tide

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At low tide you can really get a good perspective on the size of the harbor breakwater. That is Sandy standing in front of the breakwater.

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Tide was really out, we were able to walk out past the end of the breakwater. The breakwater is 500 meters long, about 1,600 feet.

Sunday August 7

Sunday August 7, 2016 was the day of the Marche’ de Créateurs in Rotheneuf.  Our friend Jean-Louis H. helps to organize and run this art show with his relatives.  It is set in a lovely place overlooking the sea.  There were over 100 artists displaying and selling their creations.  We looked at paintings, soap, candles, glassware, pottery, clothing, baby items, and many stands selling jewelry.  We didn’t want to buy anything so after a quick walk through we headed to the bus stop.  The sun was shining, the temperature was 26 C or a very warm 79 F and we were hot! The bus was 25 minutes late, but when it arrived was a deluxe “charter like’’ coach with windows open on both sides.  20 minutes later and we were back in our apartment with a lovely breeze blowing.  Since we spend most of the time here loving the cool weather, a warm day is very unpleasant.  Glad to be home.

26 juillet 2016 à Saint-Mal0 -July 26 2016 in Saint-Malo

26 Tuesday Jul 2016

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Monday July 18

Monday July 18 is hot!  The forecast is a high temperature of 30 C or almost 90 F.  Hardly anything is air-conditioned, but it always cools off at night.  We finished homework and did a few housekeeping chores this morning.  Phil made pancakes for lunch using the pancake flour we purchased from the Maison du Quebec when they celebrated “Quebec” days.  Very tasty!  This afternoon we went to the beach around 16:00 or 4:00 pm.  High tide was expected at 19:00 or 7:00 pm tonight.  Even three hours ahead of time, we moved our chairs every 10 minutes or so.  When the tide finally reached our flip-flops and towel, towards the walls,  we headed home.  The water felt warmer, but then the air was much warmer!  Plenty of people later this evening are going to regret having stayed so long in the sun today.  There were lots of sunburns!

Tuesday July 19

Tuesday July 19 was already hot when we woke up.  The predicted high temperature is 34 C.  Phil read on-line that the heat and wind we are feeling is coming up from the Sahara Desert.  No wonder it’s hot!! We’ve never been here when it was this hot.  We met Christine for our normal tutoring and it was unpleasant sitting in her house because of the temperature.  We had several glasses of water during our petite pause.  At least there was shade at the bus stop

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Hot temps 18th and 19th

when we were ready to go home.  In the afternoon we didn’t do much except read.  It was even too hot for Sandy to concentrate on her homework.  The temperature was just shy of the record for the day. We left the kitchen and shower room window open all night, took luke warm showers before going to bed and had our fan blowing all night in our bedroom.  No problems sleeping.

Wednesday July 20

Wednesday July 20 the temperature was much better!  We completed homework in the morning and went to the beach in the afternoon.  The water felt warm to our feet but the air was very refreshing.

Thursday July 21

Thursday July 21 the air felt cool when we woke up. Sandy almost needs a sweater today.  We met Christine for our tutoring session and the walk from the bus stop to her house was great!  Her mother-in-law (belle mere) is celebrating her 90th birthday this weekend.  Christine and her husband are hosting 50 relatives for dinner Saturday night and Sunday noon. Her husband is one of 8 children.  Before we left, the workman had arrived to put up the tent with a wooden floor in their backyard.  It will be an exciting weekend at her house.

A new ship was in the basin this morning.  It is a Russian sailing ship which had been at the big festival in Brest.   The name of the ship is the SHTANDART.

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Russian ship SHTADART

 

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Russian ship SHTADART

Friday July 22

Friday July 22 was lovely and cool.  We did a little shopping at Intermarche after buying fruit at our local market.  Sandy made a reservation for us to have dinner at Diver’s Cite and went alone and spoke in French.  Her language is improving. This afternoon we took our chairs and spent awhile relaxing with our feet in the sea.  The tide was on it’s way out and we had to walk a long way to reach water.  There were many people with rakes searching in the rocks for their dinner.

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It was low tide and we walked way out from the ramparts.

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Sandy enjoying her chair on the beach.

Saturday July 23

Saturday July 23 was great weather day.  We spent about 3 hours with our trip to the braderie at Paramé.  We saw a lot of stuff, but we didn’t buy much.  There were some interesting things at the braderie. There was a pig roasting in front of a restaurant, a set of baskets for a donkey and our friend Jean-Louis.

Pig roast, just about done
Donkey baskets?
Sandy and Jean-Louis

In the afternoon we went to the Port Dinan to watch the boules game.

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Alain playing at the boules area by the Port Dinan

After the boules we went to the harbor.  There was an emergency fire department ambulance parked at one of the ramps.  After about 20 minutes, a boat came into the harbor and brought someone to the ambulance.  The person seemed to have a leg injury of some sort.

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Ambulance staff getting ready to load an accident victim.

Sunday July 24

Sunday was a pretty quiet day.  We walked to the Médiathèque to return some books and check out some more.  On our walk we passed the basin and we saw that there were quite a few of the Transat race boats  moored there.  They had completed the return leg of the race which was from Montreal, Canada to Saint-Malo.

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Transat boats in the basin.

 

Monday July 25

Monday July 25 was q very quiet day in the streets.  It was very pleasant as we walked to the Quic-en-Groigne Hotel to visit our friends Michel and Marie-Dominique.  They are finally finished helping one of their daughters move to Bordeaux and Michel’s mother change apartments Intra-Muros. We took care of some correspondence, finished homework and headed to the beach after 4:00 pm.  The temperature of the air and the water felt great!

Tuesday July 26

Tuesday July 26 has been a pretty overcast day.  The temperature has been very nice, but not much sun today.

We did see a car with a license plate from Poland today.  They  drove a long way.

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April 16 in Saint-Malo – 16 avril à Saint-Malo

16 Saturday Apr 2016

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Saturday April 16 and the day will be about water and plants.

We had eaten breakfast and were outside the Intra-Muros standing on the mole /  breakwater by 8:45 am.  The name of the mole/breakwater is “Le môle des noires.” We were at the end of the mole to watch the start of a sailing regatta. The regatta is for students and they are mentored by experienced sailing captains. We counted at least 36 sailboats in the regatta.  We heard a horn honk from a boat that appeared to have officials on it and the boats headed to the starting line.  It was very interesting to see so many boats in the same area.  The wind was brisk and we thought a few boats were going to capsize.

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regatta start

After watching the start of the regatta, we walked to the Carrefour City store inside the walls and bought cranberry juice and a new kind of cake.   The cake is called “Mini-Financiers aux amandes.”  They are delicious bite-sized butter pound cakes with almonds. Our tutor Christine had them and they are delicious!  It’s hard to stop at just one!

the store is in the basement of the building
a happy buyer exiting the Carrefour City

After lunch, homework, and household chores we walked to Saint-Servan.  The city was holding a flower and plant show in their market area.  There were only about 10 vendors there.  They were mostly individuals selling vegetable plants for your own personal garden.

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flower and plant market

Across from the flower and plant market is the Saint-Servan library. There is a statue of a naval hero Admiral Bouvet in front of the library.  Around the statue there is a lovely flower bed brightening up the area.

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Admiral Bouvet

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We walked back and sat outside the harbor watching boats come and go for about an hour.  Even though it’s windy, it’s a lovely sunny day.

For dinner we had reservations at Divers’ Cite, a small restaurant about 2 minutes from the apartment.  Phil had bass with leeks, rice and potatoes.  Sandy had a beef steak, salad and french fries.  For dessert Phil had chocolate mousse and Sandy had profiteroles with chocolate and caramel sauce. The dinner was delicious as always.

March 12 in Saint-Malo, France – 12 mars à Saint-Malo, France

14 Monday Mar 2016

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Still in catch up mode. Posting March 12 on March 14.

Saturday March 12th we took the bus, using our new bus passes, to shop at the Intermarche grocery store. We took our wheeled cart for the first time this year.  Sandy remembered the location of many items in the store making the shopping experience less difficult.  Our frequent shopper/ fidelity card didn’t work because of inactivity.

We walked to the Rocabey market to say hello to the flower vendor.  He talked in English and Phil talked in French.  We looked for small thermometers at the kitchen vendor, but didn’t find any.  The notions vendor who sells sewing goods and yarns, only carries acrylic and wool yarn.  To make potholders and dishcloths, Sandy needs cotton yarn.  We’ll keep shopping for yarn. We headed to our apartment.

Around 11:30 we walked to Divers’ Cite restaurant to make a reservation for dinner. Later, we walked to the restaurant at 19:55 for our 20:00 reservation.  It was really nice to see Claudine and Yves again.  He cooks and she serves.  It is only the two of them and 9 tables. They added quite a few decorations to their restaurant since we last saw them in 2014.  Sandy was very happy to see crab cakes on the menu as an entree/starter.  Phil ordered them and we shared the crab cakes.  They are delicious!  Phil ordered duck and Sandy ordered beef steak for plat/main dishes.  Everything is beautifully presented and outstanding food.  Sandy had Kougin Amann and Phil had chocolate profiteroles for dessert.  We left the restaurant at 22:15. Time well spent.  It’s our favorite place to eat in all of Saint-Malo!

duck with mango and potato pancake

duck with mango and potato pancake (click photo to enlarge)

streak and fries

salad, streak and fries (click photo to enlarge)

Jour 154 à Saint-Malo – Day 154 in Saint-Malo

18 Saturday Oct 2014

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Samedi octobre 18, nous avait tellement de notre emballage accompli, nous avons décidé de prendre l’un et un bateau de croisière de la baie demi-heure à 10 heures ce matin. Nous nous sommes réveillés tôt et étions à la station d’accueil autour de 09h40. Cependant, comme beaucoup de choses ici, le calendrier, ils ont publié était erronée et la croisière est à 14h25 ou 16h40 aujourd’hui. Nous avons acheté des billets pour la 15378571867_70eaf151b5_h 15377949837_a63254b39b_k15377876188_389c872446_k croisière 14h25 et s’est arrêté pour acheter une pinte de lait pour avoir demain pour le petit déjeuner. Nous avons terminé la saucisse sur les sandwichs pour le déjeuner avec le dernier des frites. Nous avons acheté des chocolats à emporter à la maison et fait une réservation pour dîner à notre restaurant préféré, “Divers Cité.”

Saturday october 18 we had so much of our packing accomplished we decided to take the one and a half hour Bay boat cruise at 10 am this morning.  We woke early and were at the dock around 9:40 am.  However, like so many things here, the schedule they published was incorrect and the cruise is at 14:25 or 16:40 today.  We bought tickets for the 14:25 cruise and stopped to buy a pint of milk to have tomorrow for breakfast. We finished the sausage on sandwiches for lunch with the last of the french fries. We bought chocolates to take home and made a reservation for dinner at our favorite restaurant, “Divers Cite.”

Jour 125 à Saint-Malo – Day 125 in Saint-Malo

19 Friday Sep 2014

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Vendredi 19 septembre. Je sais que la saison touristique est terminée depuis que j’ai quitté notre appartement à 08h05, se dirigea vers le bureau de poste pour poster une lettre, arrêté à la boulangerie pour acheter une baguette fraîche (gana) pour le petit déjeuner, fait un autre arrêt au marché de la laitue, carottes, pommes de terre nouvelles, haricots verts, fraises, melon, et deux nectarines, puis revinrent dans notre appartement à 08h20. Pas un mauvais 15 minutes !! Au moment où je suis rentré Phil était sorti de la douche et prêt pour le petit déjeuner. Il a dû pleuvoir ces derniers jours parce que les légumes étaient couverts de saleté et de sable. Il y avait deux escargots dans la laitue. Ugh !! J’ai pu “vider” la première, mais n’a pas pu gérer la seconde. J’ai dû demander à Phil pour prendre soin d’elle. C’est une bonne chose que je toujours se laver la salade 3 ou 4 fois. Un de nos amis de la classe Saint-Louis française est en visite ce week-end. Nous l’avons rencontré, sa femme, collègue avocat ami et son partenaire pour le dîner. Le plongeur de Cité dépassé à nouveau nos attentes. Nous avons tous eu un dîner délicieux et nous avons apprécié la soirée ensemble. Après le dîner, nous avons marché le long des remparts jusqu’à ce que nos amis sont retournés à leur hôtel Quic ‘n Groigne. Une autre belle journée à Saint-Malo.

Friday September 19th.  I know tourist season is over since I left our apartment at 8:05, walked to the post office to mail a letter, stopped at the boulangerie to buy a fresh baguette (gana) for breakfast, made another stop at the market for lettuce, carrots, new potatoes, green beans, strawberries, a melon, and two nectarines, then walked back into our apartment at 8:20 am.  Not a bad 15 minutes!! By the time I returned Phil was out of the shower and ready for breakfast. It must have rained the last few days because the vegetables were covered with dirt and sand.  There were TWO snails in the lettuce.  Ugh!!  I was able to “flush” the first one, but couldn’t handle the second.  I had to ask Phil to take care of it.  Good thing I always wash the lettuce 3 or 4 times. One of our friends from St. Louis French class is visiting this weekend.  We met him, his wife, fellow attorney friend and his partner for dinner.  The Diver’s Cite exceeded our expectations again. We all had a delicious dinner and enjoyed the evening together.  After dinner we walked along the ramparts until our friends returned to their hotel Quic’ n Groigne.  Another great day in St. Malo.

Jour 43 à Saint-Malo – Day 43 in Saint-Malo

29 Sunday Jun 2014

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Link to a “happy” video of Saint-Malo

Une autre belle journée à Saint-Malo. Seulement 60 F, 17 C mais ensoleillé et chaud au soleil. Il y avait quelques personnes hardy bain de soleil sur la plage assis près du mur et plusieurs personnes dans l’eau. Phil était confortable sans veste, mais j’ai eu un chandail.

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snails – escargot

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melon and ham

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profiteroles

Nous avons mangé dimanche soir à Diver Cite aujourd’hui. Nous sommes arrivés vers 13h20 et fini à 15h15. Phil essayé escargot pour la première fois en entrée et Sandy avait jambon et melon. Pour un plat principal Phil avait agneau et Sandy apprécié steak à la sauce béarnaise et des frites. Pour le dessert, nous avions tous les deux profiteroles pour la première fois. Ils sont une coque choux à la crème, rempli de crème glacée à la vanille et nappé de sauce au chocolat avec crème fraîche fouettée. En France, la crème glacée à la vanille n’est pas blanc mais presque jaune / beige ou de couleur sombre à cause des gousses de vanille. Il a un goût beaucoup plus intense ou plus fort que la vanille, nous sommes habitués à manger. Profiteroles sont mon nouveau dessert préféré! C’est le week-end dernier pour les vacances de propriétaires de magasins et de restaurants avant la “haute saison” commence tellement d’endroits sont fermés aujourd’hui.

Link to a “happy” video of Saint-Malo

Another gorgeous day in Saint-Malo.  Only 60 F/17 C but sunny and warm in the sun.  There were a few hardy people sunbathing on the beach sitting near to the wall and several people in the water.  Phil was comfortable without a jacket but I had on a sweater.  We ate Sunday dinner at Diver Cite today.  We arrived around 13:20 and finished at 15:15.  Phil tried snail for the first time as a starter and Sandy had ham and melon.  For a main course Phil had lamb and Sandy enjoyed steak with bearnaise sauce and fries .  For dessert we both had  profiteroles for the first time.  They are a cream puff shell, filled with vanilla ice cream and covered with chocolate sauce with fresh whipped cream. In France, vanilla ice cream is not white but almost yellow/beige or dark colored due to the vanilla beans. It has a much more intense or stronger taste than the vanilla in the U. S.  Profiteroles are my new favorite dessert!  This is the last weekend for vacation of the shop and restaurant owners before the “high season” begins so many places are closed today.

Jour 13 à Saint-Malo – Day 13 in Saint-Malo

30 Friday May 2014

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14126389860_5ee4d59a75_qNous avons apprécié un délicieux dîner le vendredi soir à un de nos restaurants préférés. Cite de 14333209103_1d77027819_qplongée situé à 88 mètres de notre appartement contient 9 tables à l’intérieur et 4 sur la terrasse. Phil a sélectionné un dîner de 3 plats et j’ai14126395720_0de071066e_q sélectionné 2 parcours. Démarreur de Phil inclus crevettes, salade verte, tomates et une casserole de fruits de mer. Son plat principal était seul, tandis que le mien était steak de boeuf. Pour le dessert, Phil a Dame Blanche et j’ai eu Kougin Amann avec glace vanille et crème fouettée. Nous sommes arrivés à 20 et fini juste avant 22 à temps pour regarder le coucher du soleil. Un repas parfait pour une journée parfaite !
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We enjoyed a delicious dinner on Friday night at one of our favorite restaurants.  Diver’s Cite located  88 meters from our apartment contains 9 tables inside and 4 on the terrace.  Phil selected a 3 course dinner and I selected 2 courses.  Phil’s starter included shrimp, green salad, tomatoes, and a casserole of sea food.  His main course was sole, while mine was beef steak.  For dessert, Phil had Dame Blanche and I had Kougin Amann with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream.  We arrived at 8 pm and finished just before 10 pm, in time to watch the sunset.  A perfect meal to a perfect day!