Thursday June 2 was a very interesting day!

• Our street was finally repaved!
• The piscine (pool) at Plage de Bon Secours was drained, cleaned and refilled
• National Geographic Orion cruise ship was in the basin
• Tutoring for French at Christine’s house
• The sailboat Katherine in the basin from Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
• Crystal Symphony cruise ship was in the harbor
• Dinner at Pizzeria Chez Michel
• Saw a license plate from Italy on the way to dinner

It was very cloudy and cool when Phil shopped for a croissant, pain au chocolat, and baguette for our breakfast.  While we were eating breakfast, the city workers returned to blacktop our street. They were almost finished when we walked out of the building.  Hooray! 

Even though the date is June 2, Sandy wasn’t the only person we spotted wearing an ear band and gloves for warmth this morning. As we walked out of the Intra-Muros on our way to the bus stop at 9:30, we spotted the National Geographic cruise ship Orion.   It had came through the ecluse/lock around 5:00 am.

National Geographic Explorer Orion in the basin.  It left the basin at about 19:00 on its way to the next destination.

While walking from and to the bus stop in Christine’s neighborhood we saw some great looking plants. We spent two very busy hours with our French tutor Christine.  

Bottlebrush bush

Roses, Roses, and more Roses

On the way back home, we saw a very large sailboat in the basin.  It was the “Katherine” from Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.  Quite a ways from home.

sailboat Katherine from Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia

Katherine, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia

We were back in the Intra-Muros by 12:30.  We walked to the Plage de Bon Secours to look at the swimming pool.  Today is the day the pool is drained, the walls are cleaned, the bottom is smoothed, and the beach leveled.  The city workers had cleared all of the rocks, pebbles, sea weed and slime from the walls and bottom of the pool.  The sand had been raked and filled in.

Piscine (pool) at Plage de Bon Secours emptied of water

After lunch around 15:00 we returned to watch the pool fill up.  High tide was predicted for 17:30. The pool was expected to begin filling at 15:25.  At 15:25 the tide began to spill over the edges of the pool.  Tides are pretty reliable.  By 15:40 it was completely full.  Quite a spectacle to see!!  We’ll post a link to a video in a day or two.

Piscine starting to fill as the tide is coming in

Piscine just about full as the tide has come in and gone past the piscine (pool) and continues to rise

While watching the pool fill, we also noticed that the cruise ship Crystal Symphony was anchored in the harbor between Saint-Malo and Dinard.  Great looking ship.  We saw it leaving the harbor at about 19:20.

Cruise ship Crystal Symphony in the harbor between Saint-Malo and Dinard

Dinner was a nice outing with our friends Jean-Louis and Claudine.  We ate at a very nice restaurant called Pizzeria Chez Michel.  The pizza was delicious and the company was enjoyable as always.

Pizzeria Chez Michel – fyi, the bikers were at a different restaurant

On the way to dinner we passed a car with Italian license plates.  Probably appropriate since we were going out to eat at a pizzeria.

Italian license plate in Saint-Malo