The lady below us and her son arrived yesterday from Toulouse in southern France. She is probably close to 90 years old and he is in his 50’s. They keep pretty much to themselves. They arrive sometime between the first and middle of August and generally stay one month.
A comment Sandy has been forgetting is an item that is included on our salads at the restaurant B’ Art a Thè. The object appears to be the size and shape of a clear “Vitamin E” type gel cap but is full of balsamic vinaigrette. It is delicious! Wonder if we can find them in the US?
balsamic vinegar pearls
This morning we wanted to go to the Intermarche in Rocabey.We boarded the bus and wanted to get off at the first stop. We pressed the bell, the sign lit up showing a stop was requested. Sandy stood up, the man next to her also stood up and walked to the door. The driver drove past the stop. We called out “madame the stop please” in French and she kept driving. Another passenger said in English, you have to press the button. Sandy answered that she had, pointed to the red light, and finally the driver stopped at the next stop. The other passenger muttered to himself as we exited the bus. Apparently the driver was not having a good morning.
We were on our way to the Intermarche to look for packing tape. We found it in the hardware section with the adhesives.
We decided to walk home from the Intermarche and saw a lot of gulls on the basin.
GULLS on the basin
GULLS on the basin
GULLS on the basin
Later in the morning we packaged our two new watercolor paintings inside the tube, Christine gave us. We sealed it up with our new packing tape, and went to the post office. The lady who runs the post is always polite and patient when we mail items.
After lunch, the boules game was on and we were greeted by 6 players. It was almost too cool in the shady court, but the players didn’t have much choice. The sunny court was still quite wet from the recent rain while the shady court was dry.
There was an interesting ship moored in the basin: Sea Cloud II. We think this is the second time for it to be here this summer.
Civil ensign of Malta, not the official state flag
SEA CLOUD II from Malta
SEA CLOUD II from Malta
Lovely sunny day today.
mardi 20 août 2019 – Tuesday, August 20, 2019
At the market this morning, Sandy asked for 6 stems of small roses. The lady florist must think we’re frequent shoppers as she gave us 8 but only charged for five and a half. That was a nice discount and the flowers look great. Unfortunately, it’s our last bouquet here of the year.
After we shopped at the marché we took a walk through Saint-Servan and the Plage des Bas Sablons. It was high tide, although it was a low high tide, and the beach was very pretty and quite a few people were on the beach.
Plage des Bas Sablons
Plage des Bas Sablons
Another lovely sunny day.
mercredi 21 août 2019 – Wednesday, August 21, 2019
Sandy commented about less tourists being around this week, at least Intra-Muros section of Saint-Malo.
We walked to the Carrefour at Courtoisville, did our little bit of shopping, and then walked home on the digue. It was high tide and the waves were great to watch and listen to. It was sunny and bright. However, Sandy decided she was incorrect on the tourists. There were so many people, bicycles, scooters, strollers, joggers, that it was difficult to walk.
People enjoying the waves
pretty sails on the ocean
sailboats and small cabin cruisers
sail surfers in tow back to the beach
All of the parking lots we passed were full and there were lines of cars waiting to enter. Ugh!
We walked through the Esplanade Saint-Vincent and saw Bubble Guy! He is in the picture below with a purple shirt and white pants. The kids and adults love his act.
Bubble Guy was here and Sandy had just added to his take for the day.
In the afternoon we spent some time watching the boules game and then we went to the harbor.
Corsaire Ferries passing in the harbor
Corsair Ferries leaving the ramp
jeudi 22 août 2019 – Thursday, August 22, 2019
Sunny again, but cool, only 14C (58F).
Sandy spent two hours with her tutor Christine for the last time this year. Christine and her husband are taking off for two weeks at a friends home in southern Spain.
Phil purchased new interior door handles for our inside doors. The current handles were here when we purchased our apartment. Antique looking, brassy/gold in color and not always working correctly. The light fixtures and handles on our french doors are silvery/satin in color in a newer style. Phil was able to purchase enough to change all of the interior doors. They will look modern and in sync with the rest of the apartment.
We talked to Alain at the boules game in the afternoon. He told us Denise and Gilles, in Paris, are doing well. A beautiful, sunny, warm afternoon.
After talking with Alain we went to the harbor. We saw this great looking sailboat in the distance.
Love the sail on this boat.
Sandy spotted 3 cormorants in the harbor. They are awfully difficult to photograph because they spend a lot of time under water getting their food. When they surface they spend only a few seconds on surface and then they dive underwater. Since you never know where it is going to surface next it is difficult getting a good picture of the cormorant. Phil had been trying for about 4 years and had only succeeded in getting distant photos. But today Phil got lucky. He snapped off about 12 shots very quickly and got a great shot of a cormorant.
Cormorant swimming in the harbor.
vendredi 23 août 2019 – Friday, August 23, 2019
Sandy purchased a piece of watermelon, and other fresh fruit at the market. Monsieur Alix, his son, and lady assistant greeted us even though they didn’t wait on us. Always pleasant to see a smiling, friendly face.
We walked to Intermarche to pick up the last few needed items and walked home along the digue. We occasionally hear a jet or plane, but not often. We looked up, above the beach, to see the French equivalent of the Blue Angels flying in formation and spewing blue, white, and red smoke. We waited a few minutes and they passed again. Interesting!!
French military jets with a blue, white and red smoke trail
Interesting at the boules game today. Alain wasn’t there, which we knew, but another lady we’d watched all summer came and shook our hands and said bonjour. Probably if we were here another month we’d be on “bise,” kiss on both cheeks, terms.
Our son Michael is an assistant professor and librarian at Hope College in Holland, Michigan. A photo of him while presenting to a class has been added to the library web site. So he sent us a screen capture of the web site with his picture. Very nice to see.
Michael on the Hope College library web site.
samedi 24 août 2019 – Saturday, August 24, 2019
The forecast for today is hot with a high of 30C (86F). Absolutely too hot!
However the water temperature st the beach was absolutely cold! The temperature in the water was 19C (64F) and super cold. It took quite awhile of continually moving around in the water before Sandy was numb enough not to feel the cold.
Sandy does not always do well in cold water. Here the temperature is 19C (66F).
On our way back, we met our neighbors that live in Versailles, France and own the apartment on the top floor of our building. They just returned from a trip to Beirut, Lebanon and said the ocean temperature there was 29C (84F). They invited us for an aperitif at noon on Sunday to see all of the remodeling they had completed earlier this spring and summer.
dimanche 18 août 2019 – Sunday, August 18, 2019
At noon we went up to our neighbors apartment on 5th floor (6th floor in the USA) for an aperitif. They are on the top floor of the apartment building. Natale and Nicolas were there with their son Corentin. They were spending just a couple of days here to take a look at the remodeling work they were having done on the attic apartment which is above their apartment. They had purchased the attic and were remodeling it so their children Corentin and his sister Gwenaëlle could use it as their own vacation spot. The remodeling was coming along very nicely and looked great. Gwenaëlle was not with her family because she is spending the college semester in Beirut, Lebanon.
We spent a good amount of time discussing family matters, world affairs and just about anything else you could think of. We really enjoyed the tuna dip and the lobster dip. Phil got to try a new drink which Nicolas mixed. Unfortunately Phil cannot remember the name of the drink, but it was a potent drink.
We had a great late afternoon dinner at the B’Art à Thé restaurant. This was probably our 6th time at the restaurant and every meal had been delicious.
Phil’s flank steak, potatoes, and salad.
Sandy’s bruschetta, with chicken and salad.
How to view additional photos.
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The temperature is 11C / 52F. However, the forecast is for a high temperature this afternoon of 25C. Quite a warm up.
Yesterday, “le dimanche 13 août”, two French people stopped to talk to Sandy and ask her a question. The first gentleman stopped her on the way to the “recycling” deposit area. He saw that she was carrying one of the city yellow plastic bags and asked her if she was going to the “poubelle” area (garbage can). She said “oui” then he proceeded to tell her it was full and ready to explode. She wasn’t sure what it would look like when she arrived, but he was correct in saying it was full! She left her bag tied together and leaning against the recycling container as a few other people had already done. The other person stopped her just as we exited the bus yesterday on our way to the craft fair. She asked where you caught the return bus to the Intra-Muros. Sandy gave her the answer. She then asked if we knew anything about the craft fair. Phil replied, yes we had been there at least 3 times. It has more jewelry than we prefer to look at, so it does not take us long to look around.
Today, we took the 8h40 bus to Intermarche. We finished our shopping and were back on the bus at 9h30.
It is a gorgeous day! The temperature is very nice, sunny, and breezy. We have all of the windows open and there is a wonderful breeze blowing through. No grassy smell, no farm animal smell, just clean air! Sandy hung clothes to dry on the balcony and began to clean the outside window sills and window frames.
Last year we bought pancake mix from the “Maison du Quebec.” We still had some so Phil made pancakes for our lunch. They are similar to buckwheat or whole wheat pancakes in the USA. They were delicious!
After lunch we watched our friend Alain play boules by the ramparts. It was a beautiful afternoon.
boules by the ramparts
Sandy and Alain
On our way back to our apartment we followed a man with a tiny dog in his backpack. It is very common to see French people with their dogs in a purse, or recyclable sack. This backpack was specifically made to carry a dog. The dog appeared to be a Yorkie and looked very content not to risk being stepped on by people.
le mardi 15 août 2017 – Tuesday August 15, 2017
Today is a French national holiday based on the Catholic holy day of the Assumption. The buses will run on a holiday schedule (less frequently) and there are many more people in town. When Sandy returned to our building after buying our croissants, the man who is renting the ground floor apartment was standing outside in his night-shirt. This was at 8h45. He is older than we are and quite rotund, so it was quite a shock and not a particularly attractive sight either.
Sandy shopped at the marché and bought flat peaches and green plums. They taste very good.
flat-peach-and-green-plum
We walked to Saint-Servan along the beach to the “Tour Solidor”. On Tuesday they hold a flea market and antique market. It is a lovely spot to view another harbor.
art fair
Solidor flowers
patenque by Sablons
Phare Bas-Sablons
While walking back towards the Intra-Muros we spotted a bicyclist holding a dog on his lap, towing a small wagon with two more dogs inside. It was very cute and they sped by so quickly we didn’t have time to take a photo.
After lunch we watched our friend Alain play boules. Some of his team were the same teammates as yesterday and some were new. We do not understand all of the scoring or rules. A lovely afternoon with perfect temperature and sun!
le mercredi 16 août – Wednesday August 16, 2017
The forecast high temperature is 25C / 77F a great beach day! High tide is 14h06 this afternoon, so by 16h00, there should be enough beach to walk in shallow water.
Sandy shopped at boulangerie “Simon” for our breakfast. They also have some of the most beautiful and delicious pastries. She bought a “Royale choco-pistache” dessert to have after dinner tonight.
dessert from “Simon”
Look at the lovely box it is put into for carrying home as well as the dessert itself. A lot of effort goes into each lovely piece. She had to wait a minute to pay for our breakfast because the patissier / boulanger was making and labeling some pastries to go in the oven. He put the tray into the oven, closed the door and waited on her.
We had all of the French doors and windows open in our apartment and it was a fabulous day for drying laundry.
After lunch we watched our friend Alain play boules by the ramparts.
Then we walked towards the mole (breakwater with a lighthouse) to look at one of the beaches. We had thought about walking in the water but it was not hot at all today, so we enjoyed watching boats come and go in the harbor. We will save the ocean for a warmer day.
le jeudi 17 août 2017 – Thursday August 17, 2017
It is cloudy and drizzly. We are on the bus at 8h50 to go to Rocabey marché. Sandy bought “les olives noire sans noyau” so she doesn’t have to remove the pits. Black olives are very flavorful here and are sold by the gram or kilogram. She bought 200 grams. We stopped at the butcher for “faux filet
rilliettes and other aperitif food
” which is a delicious cut of steak, 2 slices of ham for sandwiches, and “farce a tomato” which is the stuffing that comes in stuffed tomato here. We are very fond of tomato farce and often buy yellow or orange peppers to put the stuffing in. We took a photo of some of the “rilliettes” and other aperitif food sold by our butcher.
We saw a cruise ship, the Star Legend,s had come into the basin through the locks early this morning. It is from the Windstar line in case anyone wants to cruise to Saint-Malo.
Star Legend
le vendredi 18 août 2017 – Friday August 18, 2017
Sandy got an early start by shopping at the marché before 9h00. She bought some fruit and some green beans.
It is our day to tutor with Christine. We stopped to talk to Christine’s neighbor on the way to her house. He likes cats and said his cat is 21 years old. He was very friendly again today.
Michel, Christine’s husband, had rented a carpet shampooer and was out on the terrace shampooing the dining room and living room area rugs.
After lunch we went to the pharmacy to refill prescriptions. We found out the pharmacy has been sold. The owner “Philippe” has sold the pharmacy to the owner of the pharmacy by the Cathedral. We do not know if our pharmacy will remain open or if it will close. We will find out next month. The sale date for the pharmacy is 31 October. Another change!!
The afternoon was forecast for rain, but the sun was shining, the sky was blue, the wind blowing and it was gorgeous! About 66F / 19C.
le samedi 19 août 2017 – Saturday August 19, 2017
It had rained earlier this morning and was 13C / 55F. Quite cool!
As Sandy walked to the boulangerie to buy breakfast she noticed many people wearing rain jackets and carrying umbrellas. There wasn’t even any rain predicted. Weather constantly changes when you’re near the ocean. Every table was full in the boulangerie. Perhaps a ferry had just arrived from the U.K. or the Channel Islands. She could hear a lot of British English speakers enjoying their tasty French breakfast.
We walked to the Rocabey post office to mail a letter and took the bus home. We stopped in to say “bonjour” to our friend Jean-Louis at his boutique.
After lunch we watched our friend Alain play boules by the ramparts and then walked to the harbor to look at the boats.
The day had alternated between clouds and sun all day. At one time we even saw it rain really hard for about 30 seconds. The day ended with beautiful sunshine and breezy coolness.
le dimanche 20 août 2017 – Sunday August 20, 2017
Sandy purchased lovely looking desserts when she shopped for our breakfast. They were purchased at “La Fournee Malouine” and cost 2,50€. They were an euro less expensive than she paid at the other boulangerie/pattiserie earlier in the week.
We walked across the ecluse/locks and along “la plage des bas-sablons” to the “Solider Metier des Arts” which is a yearly art fair. One of the exhibits used wooden shoes as part of the art. Sandy didn’t think she would see wooden Dutch shoes in a French art fair! Funny! The weather was perfect! No jackets or umbrellas needed today.
After walking round trip, and browsing we were ready for a cold drink at Charley’s Bar. Sandy had an Orangina and Phil had grenadine syrup with water. Orangina and other soda type drinks are tastier in France. They are less sweet and taste more like the fruit they are made from.
We had the lovely desserts after our mid-afternoon dinner.
