Tag Archives: La Fournee Malouine

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

30 septembre 2016 à Saint-Malo – September 30, 2016 in Saint-Malo

30 Friday Sep 2016

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Thursday September 22, 2016

Today was sunny and bright, yet only 13 C.  We were up early since we expected the painter between 8:30 and 9:00 today.  He arrived at 8:40 and we were finished eating breakfast and had cleaned up the kitchen.  He worked for 3 hours in the morning before stopping for lunch.  He covered everything in the kitchen and shower room with large sheets of plastic.

There was no way for us to get to anything in the refrigerator or kitchen cabinets so Sandy bought a ham sandwich (jambon beurre) from La Fournee Malouine  boulangerie for us to share at lunch.  We had already made plans to meet friends for dinner, so that was fine too.  Phil worked on homework while the painter was here in the morning.  Sandy took the bus to the Rocabey stop and tried to refill a prescription at the Rocabey pharmacy.  Even though they carried the medication in July, it was now unavailable according to the pharmacist all over France. She also walked around the Rocabey marché but didn’t buy any meat since she couldn’t get into the refrigerator to keep it cold.  Maybe tomorrow.

After lunch we had our hair cut and scheduled another appointment in three weeks. That will be right before we return to the U.S and “Great Clips” for a hairdresser.

For dinner we walked along the sea front/breaker walls to L’Olivier pizzeria.  It was a medium-sized restaurant because it had 19-20 tables for two persons.  We were seated in front with the windows open to the sea.  The margherita pizza was delicious!!  The crust was very thin, with tomatoes and a little pesto sauce drizzled on top.  Phil ordered lasagna boulangaise which came with a small green salad.  We shared both and loved our dinner.  Phil had tiramisu and Sandy had one boule of ice cream (glace) caramel for dessert.  After almost two hours of eating and talking with friends, we walked home.  It was a lovely evening.

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A gull came to visit at the bedroom window.

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Fort National at low tide

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Sun setting behind Grand Be and Fort National

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Sun setting behind Grand Be.

Friday September 23, 2016

Friday September 23, 2016.  We’re up early so we can have breakfast before the painter arrives at 9:00.  We walked to La Fournee Malouine to have the “formula petit déjeuner”.  Since all of our kitchen cabinets and appliances were stilled completely covered in sheets of plastic we weren’t able to prepare breakfast at home.  Not a problem here where we frequent a delicious boulangerie and tea room.  We enjoyed a grande cafe creme, orange juice, a demi-baguette, and croissant with butter and with groseille (red currents) or apricot jam.  We were back home by the time the painter rang the door buzzer at 9:00, right on time.  He finished the two rooms, cleaned up, and left by 12:30.  We will need to keep his name on file as he was extremely neat, very quiet and calm, and did a great job.

After lunch we vacuumed, dusted, and washed the windows before Phil re-hung the curtains and moved the furniture back into it’s usual location. Since the painter did most of the clean up all we really needed to do was dust or pick up powdery bits of left over plaster.  Not bad at all.  Late in the afternoon Phil found out that a large yacht was moored in our basin.  We walked out to see “A” a mega-yacht, one of the largest and most expensive  yachts in the world.  There was a helicopter hovering around it and we thought it was probably a news reporter taking photos.  It is owned by a Russian billionaire and when searching online costs 300 million euros and has a staff of 37 people. It has 8 floors including an underwater observation room. It did not come into the ecluse/lock but stayed out in the harbor.  It certainly has an interesting shape.

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Really expensive yacht “A” (300 million Euros) in the harbor.

Saturday September 24, 2016

Saturday September 24, 2016 we took the bus to the Mediatheque to return Sandy’s library books then caught another bus to Parame Mairee. Sandy wanted to make chili and split pea soup to eat before we leave so we needed to purchase some meat.  When we returned she made the chili and after lunch we took a bus to the Gare.  Today began the 2 day Saint-Michel braderie and it is a very large event.  Several blocks down each side of the street plus two rows in the middle are filled with items for sale.  We didn’t buy anything but we did see our friend Jean-Louis J. who wished us a good winter and he looks forward to seeing us in the spring.  We wished him the same.  Delicious creme/chou, from Simon patisserie, for dessert filled with pistachio for Phil and framboise for Sandy.

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While Sandy was in Simon patisserie I took this picture of the building across the street.

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While Sandy was in Simon patisserie I took this picture looking south down the street.

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While Sandy was in Simon patisserie I took this picture looking north up the street.

Sunday September 25, 2016

Sunday September 25, 2016 is sunny and 13 C. Sandy walked to Simon boulangerie for our breakfast.  Just as she was about to cross the street to enter the shop, the boulangerer stepped out of the door, locked it, and walked towards the tabac for a smoke break.  The time was 9:10.  This is the second time this has happened so she needs to adjust her breakfast shopping time.  She walked back up to La Fournee Malouine and purchased a croissant and pain au chocolat for our breakfast.  While she was in line, Anne and Elizabeth daughters of the Quic-n-Groigne hotel proprietres walked into the boulangerie and asked for their poulet/chicken.  It was being held for them in the cooler where the boulangerese sells sandwiches.  Interesting things going on here.

After breakfast we walked across from the casino to look out at the sea.

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Fort National at low tide.

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A lot of sails on the water.

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Waves going in on the Sillon beach.

On our way back, we walked past the basin where a German ship M1068, Datteln, has been moored for a couple of days.  The DatteIn is a minehunter ship.  We ended up by Port de Dinan and spent some time sitting on a bench and looking at the harbor.  There’s not a lot going on today, very quiet but beautiful and sunny.

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German minehunter ship DatteIn in the basin.

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German minehunter ship DatteIn in the basin.

Monday September 26, 2016

Monday September 26, 2016  Today was the day when Simon boulangerie decided to close on Monday.  They had been telling Sandy  for a few weeks that they would close on Monday, but they never decided on a specific date.  Today was it!  So, she walked a little extra and shopped at La Fournee Malouine.  After breakfast we took the #8 bus to the Courtoisville stop to shop at the Carrefour Market.  It is larger than the Carrefour City we have Intra-Muros, but not as large as the Intermarche.  However, they carry all of the Carrefour products that we like.  We purchased about 6 items and were back home within an hour.  The bus ride home took 4 minutes.  Sandy made split pea soup with ham from the butcher, panne cotta, and did some laundry.

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Carrefour Market in the Courtoisville section of Saint-Malo.

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Condor ferry starting its turn before backing up toward the dock.

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Corsaire ferry tied up by the ramp, waiting for the next crossing to Dinard.

Tuesday September 27, 2016

Tuesday September 27, 2016 and Sandy shopped at Simon boulangerie for our breakfast.  The baguette and the croissant were hot from the oven.  Delicious!  She shopped at the Intra-Muros marché for fruits and vegetables and Monsieur Alix confirmed that after Friday, he will be on vacation for the next two weeks.  Too bad for us!!  It was drizzling as Sandy walked back from the marché so we took our umbrellas with us to catch the bus to Christine’s house.  Good thing we did, because we would have been wet.  We had a lengthy conversation with Christine and checked our homework.  Sandy told her about the visit to the mayor’s office and how impressive it was.  Christine hadn’t been there and wanted to be sure she remembered to visit next year when it was again open.  Christine had organized a large picnic on the beach last Sunday and the menu was galettes.  She had a lot left and gave us four to take home.  We had them for dinner with sausage inside. While Sandy was preparing dinner, she looked out our window towards the Place de Marché du Legumes and saw a large group of Asian people with microphones, placards, movie cameras etc.  There were close to 30 people.  It appeared to be a “movie making group”.

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South Korean film crew shooting a scene for their television program.

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A stunning flower we saw in Parame.

Wednesday September 28, 2016

Wednesday September 28, 2016 was forecast to reach a high temperature of 23 C.  We needed to buy milk, yogurt, and butter within the next 2 days. We decided to shop at E.Leclerc since it is next to the hardware store Bricorama.  Phil needed 3 or 4 items from the hardware store to repair the curtain rod in our bedroom and we needed a door stop.  While waiting for the bus, we saw the same Asian group filming besides the carousel near the moat and castle that Sandy spotted the night before.  They were definitely filming. We took the bus and commented how there are always a few additional passengers besides us on any bus we take.  There are many people here that do not own cars.  However, after shopping and boarding the bus to go home at 11:55, we remembered that Wednesday is always a half day of school for students here.  It took 35 minutes to reach the Intra-Muros from Leclerc, when it usually takes 15 – 20 minutes.  We stopped at many stops along the route and 10-15 students entered the bus each time we stopped near a school.  When we reached the gare/train/bus station, it was mobbed!!  There were students waiting at all the bus stops.  As we pulled away, we counted more than a dozen other buses, all either full or nearly full of students, departing for areas outside of the city.  Most of the communities here have maternelle (elementary) schools, but few have college (middle) schools or lysee (high) schools.

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Corsaire ferry still going back and forth to Dinard.

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The pilote (pilot) boat returning after escorting a ship out to sea

Thursday September 29, 2016

Thursday September 29, 2016 Sandy shopped at Simon boulangerie for our breakfast.  She asked the boulanger if they were now closed on Monday and his answer was yes. We decided to go to the Rocabey marché for olives and a little meat.  Sandy will purchase yellow peppers tomorrow to make stuffed peppers to eat over the weekend.  She also bought white mushrooms and cooked them in an omelette with potatoes for lunch.  One hundred fifty grams cost one euro and 5 centimes.  Very reasonable!  After lunch we spent a little time in the Place du Marche aux Legumes feeding bread to the little birds.  We purchased the bread earlier in the summer, used it to make meatballs, then froze the remainder.  Since we turn the refrigerator/freezer off when we’re gone, it needed to be used.  The birds were very happy with it!

Feeding the birds
Major utility work on the main street
Sucking up the dirt

Friday September 30, 2016

Friday September 30, 2016 andSandy shopped for the last time from Monsieur Alix’s stand in the Intra-Muros marché. He will be on vacation until we leave for Paris.  Sandy thanked him for wonderful fruits and vegetables this year.  He wished us a good winter and said he hopes to see us in the spring.  Another French shopper was talking to Sandy in English and French.  She told Sandy that she spoke in French very well.  That was a first! We started with a bus ride to the end of the digue and walked back.  Sandy took some of our left over bread and the gulls enjoyed it.  It was very clear today and you could see a long way out into the ocean.  On the way back we made reservations to have dinner at Diver’s Cite.  Good thing, because they start their two week vacation on Sunday. Delicious dinner accomplished!

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Example of a typical bus, looking toward the driver.

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Example of a typical bus, but with Sandy seated by the window.

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Sandy feeding the gulls on the digue

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Looking toward the Intra-Muros from the digue.

 

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.

April 30 in Saint-Malo – 30 avril à Saint-Malo

30 Saturday Apr 2016

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Saturday April 30, 2016 is a beautiful sunny day but still cool and it will be Saturday in the Park.

Sandy experimented with a different boulangerie today. She went to the boulangerie on the Grand Rue.  She purchased two croissants and a loaf of bread shaped like a baguette, but much fatter and longer.  Sandy did not think the croissants were the best and will return to La Fournee Malouine for OUR croissants.  Sandy prefers very light, flaky, melt in your mouth croissants from La Fournee Malouine boulangerie to the heavier, thicker croissants we had today.

The chili Sandy made yesterday turned out just great. She used the same ingredients as last time so she is 2 for 2.  Today we are making meatballs.  Phil got the “get your hands dirty” job of forming the meatballs. We cooked the meatballs in the oven rather than frying them. They look and smell delicious!  We will have them with lasagna tomorrow for Sunday dinner.

In the afternoon the Parc de la Briantais held their Marché aux FleursRTEmagicC_aff-marche-aux-fleurs-2016---briantais-fond-rouge_2_.jpg There were over 60 vendors and exhibits.  It was in a beautiful setting overlooking the sea and a gorgeous looking château is there. Here is the information from the Saint-Malo tourism site:

Remodeled in the 19th century by the Bühler brothers, this magnificent 27-hectare park offers stunning views over the estuary of Rance, the Solidor Tower and the Bay of Saint-Malo. You will discover an extremely diverse herbaceous flora, a rich forest flora and numerous species of birds.  The castle, formerly owned by Guy La Chambre – former State Minister, deputy, mayor of Saint-Malo – was transferred to the diocesan association of Rennes. Ever since it was acquired by the City of Saint-Malo in 1999, it regularly hosts expositions and events.

The flowers were brilliant, the sunshine bright, and of course the wind was blowing.  The following slideshow will give you a flavor of the event.

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We had to change buses both going and returning to get to the park.  We would have preferred to visit tomorrow, Sunday, but the buses don’t run as often on Sunday. We did not have any problems changing buses.  We followed the “itinerary option” located on the local bus company website.

April 29 in Saint-Malo – 29 avril à Saint-Malo

29 Friday Apr 2016

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Saturday April 29 is going to be a mixed weather day.  The morning is to be nice, but cool.  The afternoon is supposed to have rain.  Even though we have 7 errands on our list for today, they are small and will be done in the morning.

ERRAND 1. Sandy did an early morning visit to the Intra-Muros marche.  She purchased some salad, apples, strawberries, tomatoes and pears.  She did see our 5th floor neighbor Jean in the marche.  He was talking with one of the other vendors.

The day starts with a walk out of Porte Saint-Louis and then on to Saint-Servan.  As we went through Port Saint-Louis we saw a ship which was new to us in the basin Vauban.  It was the British sailing ship Lord Nelson.  Phil took a few pictures of this nice looking sailing ship.

Lord Nelson
Long Nelson
Lord Nelson

ERRAND 2 AND 3. The walk to Saint-Servan was quite nice but windy.  We had to make a stop at the Librairie Pages et Images, which is a bookstore, not a library.  Our internet service provider Free Telecom had delivered a package for us to the bookstore.  After picking up the package, we headed to the Au Panier d’Italie which is a small Italian take out place in Saint-Servan.  We purchased some lasagna bolognese, some courgettes au gratin, and a small pizza.  We will have the pizza on Saturday.  The lasagna and au gratin will be for the main meal on Sunday.

ERRAND 4 and 5. We then headed to the marche which is Saint-Servan on Saturdays.  We walked around the outdoor market and then entered the indoor market.  Sandy purchased a pineapple.  She had meant to buy one at the Intra-Muros marche earlier in the day but had forgotten.  In the mean time, Phil waited in the Ferme les Aubriais butcher line.  Ground beef was the purchase there.  Half of the meat will be used to make some chili later today.  The rest will be used on Saturday to make Italian meatballs.

On the way back from Saint-Servan we stopped at the harbor.  The dredging vessel and the barge had moved again.  Now they were closer to the west end of harbor, not far from where we were sitting.

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Dredging vessel and barge

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Dredging vessel and barge

ERRAND 6. On the way back from the harbor Sandy went into the La Fournee Malouine boulangerie (bakery) for a baguette.  In the boulangerie she saw the father of Natalie our neighbor on the 6th floor.  She had a nice short talk with him.  As he left the boulangerie he stopped and talked with Phil about the boulangerie and the lady who ran the shop.  He had to hurry off because he was driving Natalie and children to the gare / train station to get the TGV back to Paris.  It was very nice to see him.

ERRAND 7. Sandy headed back to the apartment and Phil went to buy the newspapers.  A Le Figaro and Ouest France were today’s choices.

Today we walked 6.14 kilometers / 3.8 miles with no bus rides.

Right after lunch we started the chili making process.  It was done after a couple of hours of simmering.

Doing our French homework also occupied a good part of our afternoon.

A light rain started mid-afternoon and continued into the evening.

 

April 4 in Saint-Malo – 4 avril à Saint-Malo

04 Monday Apr 2016

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Today is Monday April 4 and we don’t have a schedule for today.

dredger

dredger

We are going to start out by taking a walk.  First we stopped at the harbor.  There is a dredging vessel in the harbor today.  It is dredging the harbor to allow the fishing

boats to anchor in the harbor, rather than having to anchor in the basin.  Avoiding the basin means they do not have to go through the lock / ecluse which give them more flexibility for their schedule.

After the harbor we climbed the stairs to the top of the ramparts.  We started at the south end of the ramparts and walked toward

little red sails

little red sails

the north.  On our way we saw a group of sailing students get started for with their lesson.  There were about 10 small boats which were being pulled out into the shallow water near the shore.  After a while we saw that the students had raised the little red sails on their tiny boats and were sailing around.

We walked to the castle on the north end of the ramparts and then headed into the city.  Sandy needed to buy a few things at the Carrefour City in the Intra-Muros.

After Carrefour we head back to the apartment.  The walk had been 3.93 km or 2.44 mi.  A good start to the day.

Sandy did a bunch of cleaning around the house.  Phil spent a lot of time catching up on scanning the documents and memorabilia we had collected over the last few weeks.

In the afternoon we both received emails from the OFII people in Rennes.  They are the French VISA (not the credit card) people. We know they would be contacting us. We are scheduled for a physical examination and a review of our documents on April 22 at the OFII office in Rennes.  This is part of our request to stay longer than 6 months.  Translating the emails and the attached documents took a good bit of time this afternoon.  The good news is that we believe we have all the information they have requested.

We did go by thP1010980e La Fournee Malouine boulangerie and took a picture of the exterior.  Sandy has been trying to get Trip Advisor to reclassify the place from a restaurant to a boulangerie.  It is not a restaurant at all.  Being incorrectly classified may keep people for going there so we want to get it corrected.

 

All our pictures for April in Saint-Malo France can be viewed at 2016-04 April in Saint-Malo on Flickr.  They will open in a separate window.

All our pictures for March in Saint-Malo France can be viewed at 2016-03 March in Saint-Malo on Flickr.  They will open in a separate window.

March 14 in Saint-Malo, France – 14 mars à Saint-Malo, France

14 Monday Mar 2016

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Posting March 14 on March 14.  The blog is current.  We will try to keep it that way.

croissant from La Fournee Malouine

croissant from La Fournee Malouine

Monday March 14 and Sandy got some extraordinary croissants from the La Fournee Malouine boulangerie for breakfast this morning.

By 9:00 we are headed off by bus to the E.Leclerc shopping area in Saint-Malo.  The center store is E.Leclerc which is a hypermarche.  It is similar to a Target SuperCenter or a Meijer store.  We try very hard to shop at the small stores and markets, but once in while you have to go to the larger stores.  You just don’t find much toilet paper being sold at the local markets.

Today we are looking at rubber boots for wading excursions into the ocean.  We also have a short list of items to buy like laundry detergent and crackers.  Sandy found some rubber boots which fit.  She didn’t buy them because she wants to look around at other choices before making a decision.  Sandy did by some cute chocolate

easter chocolate fish from E.Leclerc

Easter chocolate fish from E.Leclerc

Easter fish. We also got a new SIM card for Phil’s cellphone at the E.Leclerc Culture shop which is next to the hypermarche.

After E.Leclerc we walked a hundred yards to the Bricorama store.  It is a hardware store similar to Ace Hardware in the USA.  It is much smaller than a Home Depot or a Lowes.

Eurasian magpie

Eurasian magpie

Between E.Leclerc and Bricorama we saw a magpie (actually a Eurasian magpie, apparently there are many varieties).  They really are an interesting and attractive bird. There are quite a few of them around Saint-Malo, but not in the Intra-Muros area where we live.

We took the bus back to the Saint-Malo Intra-Muros bus stop and walked home from there.  The bus stop is 600 meters (656 yards, .37 miles, .6 kilometers) from our apartment.

For lunch we had a nice minestrone soup with fresh bread and fruit.

After lunch we took a walk to the post office (La Poste, the French mail service) to mail a letter and a postcard. We then walked to the harbor to see what was happening there.  It was pretty quiet in the harbor.  The tide was in today.  The other days it had been out when we visited the harbor.  The cormorant was fishing for food again today.  I guess he does that everyday (no market or hypermarche for him/her), but I don’t often see him/her.

March 13 in Saint-Malo, France – 13 mars à Saint-Malo, France

14 Monday Mar 2016

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Still in catch up mode. Posting March 13 on March 14.

Today Sunday March 13 is the first day Sandy walked early in the morning to buy fresh bread for breakfast.  She went to our second most favorite bakery/boulangerie La Fournee Malouine.  It had been closed until last Thursday while they were on vacation.

Since it was cold, windy, and/or rainy the last few days, we had been eating “leftover bread” from the previous evening meal for breakfast. We had also been eating food left here from 2014. So leftover bread didn’t taste as bad as stale Honey Nut Cheerios from 2014.  Phil bought bread for breakfast yesterday morning, a rare occurrence.

We walked on the “digue,” which is a dike like structure which runs between the beach and street. Even though the sun was shining brightly it was cold.  The wind was blowing at 24 kph. We walked around the castle where the walkway was closed during high tide and through the city back to our apartment.

the digue

the digue

the digue

the digue

 

 

 

 

We cooked pork chops (from our local butcher) for lunch with new potatoes and fresh zucchini.  Our son Michael wanted to “FaceTime” at 10:30 am his time.  Sandy listed his call on our calendar but forgot that he had changed to Daylight Saving Time. For the next couple of weeks he is only 6 hours different, not 7. France implements daylight savings time on Easter day this year. So his call came through at 16:30, not 17:30.  It was good to see his face and hear his voice.  We miss him!