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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.

April 22 in Saint-Malo – 22 avril à Saint-Malo

22 Friday Apr 2016

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April 22 is a day for us to be in Rennes.  Rennes is the capital of the region of Bretange (Brittany) and the city we have to visit for our VISA validation.

Friday April 22, 2016 is the day we’ve been dreading and are relieved that it’s over! Our appointments with the Office français de l’immigration et de l’integration (French Office for Immigration and Integration) were at 9:00 and 9:30 today. We left our apartment at 6:15 am to catch the bus to the train station.  It was still very dark and of course, we came across a group of young men that hadn’t been home after partying all night.  Fortunately, we avoided their path and they ignored us.  We arrived at the train station very early because the buses weren’t running very frequently at that time of the day.  There was a train in the station going to the same place we were and we took it, leaving 30 minutes before our scheduled departure.  It was a TER (Transport express régional) regional train instead of the super fast, deluxe TGV.  We had two very comfortable seats together and arrived without any problems.

The map worked on Sandy’s iPhone and we found the building without difficulty.  There wasn’t anyplace around to buy a cup of coffee for the hour we needed to wait.  There was a girl waiting by the side of the road and Phil asked her if she knew of a cafe or bar near by. She did not. But a man walked by, heard the conversation and told Phil there was a bar/tabac nearby.  He gave us directions, in French of course, and directed us to the bar/tabac.  It was a 4 block walk and a great place to have an espresso.  Sandy also ate the pain a’chocolate that she’d brought with us.  As it was raining, we were happy to have a dry place to wait.

We arrived back at the Office français de l’immigration et de l’integration  just before the scheduled opening at 9:00 am.  We showed the receptionist our passport and official appointment letters.  She checked us off her list and directed us upstairs, all in French.  We waited in a waiting room.  Sandy was called first for her chest x-ray.  She was directed back to the waiting room after the x-ray was taken.  Next a nurse called her to ask questions, check over immunizations, measure her height and told her she might need to visit a doctor in Saint-Malo for a booster immunization.  Again, Sandy returned to the waiting room. By this time, Phil had talked to the nurse and had his x-ray taken.  Sandy was next called to go with the doctor for an examination. It was in French too and she didn’t have any problems.  For the 3rd time, she was directed back to the waiting room and Phil was called.

The administrator was the last person to see.  He examined our papers showing proof of ownership/residency of our apartment in Saint-Malo.  He asked for our photo and proof of 241€ payment. He put an “official” sticker and stamp on our passports.  He also explained how to request a “Carte Sejour” in August. We had to meet alone with each of the four Immigration officials but finally we were finished!!!!

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The VISA validation stamp we need.

There were two other people there going through the same process.  A young man from Tunisia was also going through the process for the first time.  He is a student in Rennes, but plans on returning to Tunisia at the completion of his studies.  The other person was an asian woman who spoke English but very little French.  He company in Asia had transferred her to France and she was enjoying her stay.  She was developing her French and she was really enjoying the desserts.  It was very nice to talk with both of them.  We had a lot in common with them and since we were all going through the same process we all had a lot of empathy.

We walked to the metro stop to take the Rennes metro to the

rennes

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main train station in Rennes.  The main train station in Rennes is going through a major renovation.  It is part of the SNCF plan to improve the rail service by increasing the speed of the TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse / high speed train) in Brittany.  That means improved rails and facilities.

The whole time we were in Rennes it was drizzling or raining.  Beautiful city, but not a good day for touring.

The train ride back to Saint-Malo was good.  Sandy had bought baguette, ham and lettuce sandwiches to eat on the ride back.  That and an Orangina made for a nice one hour ride on the train.

When we got back to the apartment after 14:00 / 2 PM we had about had it for the day.  But it had been a successful day and we were very grateful.

Jour 40 à Saint-Malo – Day 40 in Saint-Malo

26 Thursday Jun 2014

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14327171768_58a2d46713_o 14327127159_c80067e73a_oLe jeudi (26/6 Quimper) nous avons dormi dans presque jusqu’à 8h30, très tard pour Sandy. Nous avons apprécié le petit-déjeuner buffet à l’hôtel et partons pour la vieille partie de la ville à 10 heures. Nous avons visité le jardin à côté de la cathédrale et pris le petit train qui a duré 40 minutes. Nous avons longuement cherché dans un grand magasin de 3 étages Eurodif, qui sont situés dans toute la France. Ils sont égaux à une combinaison de l’Amérique Kohl et Bergners sauf qu’ils ne portent pas de vêtements pour hommes. Ils font tout réaliser pour la maison y compris l’éclairage, rideaux, et un magasin de tissu. Depuis le premier jour de vente a commencé le 25 Juin, il y avait de nombreux acheteurs. Nous n’avons rien acheté parce que je ne veux pas porter de nouveau à Saint-Malo. (Phil et moi avions chacun un pack petit jour pour un séjour d’une nuit.) Nous avons marché une des vieilles rues pavées que nous avons manqué la veille. Nous étions à la recherche dans une fenêtre à Quimper en terre cuite que j’admire et quelque chose a cliqué. L’homme qui court le magasin fait semblait familier. J’ai dit Phil, j’ai reconnu l’homme comme ayant eu un atelier à Saint-Malo 3 des 4 années précédentes, nous étions là. Nous sommes allés dans le magasin et Phil demandé si l’homme avait l’habitude d’avoir une boutique à Saint-Malo. L’homme a immédiatement demandé s’il y avait un problème. Quand Phil a expliqué que nous étions d’anciens clients, a raté sa boutique l’an dernier et nos voisins ne savait pas ce qui lui était arrivé, il a expliqué son départ. Il était très heureux de nous voir et de connaître nos voisins avaient été préoccupé lui aussi. Nous avons acheté un pichet en faïence de Quimper avec un coq rouge sur le front et comme d’habitude nous a donné un cadeau supplémentaire de notre achat. Après avoir récupéré nos sacs de jour de la zone de rangement de bagages de l’hôtel, nous sommes allés à la gare. Nous avons pris un sandwich jambon / beurre sur une baguette pour le déjeuner et un cookie chocolat / canneberges à manger dans le train. Notre voyage de retour à Rennes s’est déroulé sans incident et avec seulement 8 minutes pour changer de train à Rennes nous l’avons fait en 5 minutes. Nous avons attendu environ 5 minutes de Saint-Malo pour le bus de la ville vers les portes fortifiées. Il était bon d’être de retour et beaucoup plus frais aussi! Sandy ramassé kebabs et frites de Chez Marcel pour le dîner avant d’aller à la “Maison de Québec” pour le film du jeudi soir. Nous avons apprécié notre séjour à Quimper et avons été très heureux de voir notre «vieil ami».  Link to all our pictures from Quimper.

On Thursday (26/6 Quimper) we slept in until almost 8:30 am, very late for Sandy.  We enjoyed the breakfast buffet at the hotel and set off for the old part of town by 10 am.  We visited the garden adjacent to the Cathedral and took the Petit Train which lasted 40 minutes.  We shopped in a 3 story Eurodif department store, which are located all across France.  They are equal to a combination of American Kohl’s and Bergners except that they don’t carry men’s wear.  They do carry everything for the home including lighting, curtains, and a fabric store. Since the first day of sales had begun on June 25th, there were many shoppers.  We didn’t buy anything because I didn’t want to carry it back to Saint-Malo. (Phil and I each had a small day pack for a one night stay.) We walked down one of the old cobblestone streets that we missed the day before.  We were looking in a window at Quimper earthenware that I admire and something clicked.  The man running the shop actually looked familiar.  I told Phil I recognized the man as having had a shop in Saint-Malo  3 of the 4 previous years we were there. We went in the shop and Phil asked if the man used to have a shop in Saint-Malo.  The man immediately asked if there was a problem.  When Phil explained we were former customers, missed his shop last year and our neighbors didn’t know what had happened to him he explained his leaving.   He was very glad to see us and to know our neighbors had been concerned about him too. We purchased a Quimper earthenware pitcher with a red rooster on the front and as usual gave us an extra gift with our purchase. After retrieving our day packs from the stored luggage area of the hotel we headed to the train station.  We picked up a ham/butter sandwich on a baguette for lunch and a chocolate/cranberry cookie to eat on the train. Our return trip to Rennes was uneventful and with only 8 minutes to change trains in Rennes we made it in 5 minutes. We waited about 5 minutes in Saint-Malo for the city bus back to the walled gates.  It was good to be back and much cooler too! Sandy picked up kebabs and fries from Chez Marcel for dinner before we headed to the “Maison de Quebec” for the Thursday evening film. We enjoyed our time in Quimper and were very happy to see our “old friend”.

Jour 39 à Saint-Malo – Day 39 in Saint-Malo

25 Wednesday Jun 2014

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14327174188_38a7c101ed_o Mercredi (25/6), nous étions à la gare Saint-Malo par 7h15 et pris le train tôt à Rennes que nous avions prévu. Comme il s’agit d’un train local et ne prend pas les réservations de sièges, il n’y avait pas de problèmes. Nous avons apprécié un sit bas le café et le rouleau à la gare de Rennes pour attendre notre prochain train. De Rennes, nous avions seulement un train de 2 heures de trajet à Quimper, France. Quimper est une ville charmante. Il est situé sur la rivière de l’Odet qui traverse la ville et a beaucoup de belles, des jardinières de fleurs colorées accrochées aux grilles des ponts piétonniers. La ville a une atmosphère rustique avec des passerelles enjambant les rivières qui le traversent. Nous avons séjourné au Oceania Hôtel Escale qui était 8 minutes à pied de la gare et à 5 minutes à pied de la cathédrale et de la vieille partie de la ville. Nous avons visité la cathédrale (construite entre les 13ème et 16ème siècles), le Musée départemental Bretagne, la faïencerie Henriot Faïence, et avons traversé la vieille ville avec ses maisons à colombage datant des années 1400. Nous avons dîné au restaurant Chez Max, ce qui était situé dans une cour confortable dans une ruelle de brique. Le restaurant est composée de 10 tables à l’extérieur sous un parapluie géant (peut-être 25 pieds carré) et nous avons apprécié un délicieux dîner avec une brise fraîche. Phil avait steak et des frites et Sandy avait une salade de tomates constitué de tomates vertes, les tomates rouges, mozzarella et herbes vinaigrette. Nous avons tous deux apprécié pomme, poire, caramel et tarte encore fumante du four. Malheureusement pour nous, le mercredi s’est avér14327171768_58a2d46713_oé être le jour le plus chaud en Bretagne à ce jour. Nous étions presque malade de la chaleur pendant l’après-midi et parce que notre chambre n’était pas climatisée, dû dormir avec la fenêtre ouverte. Heureusement, il ne se rafraîchir la nuit en Bretagne et il n’y a pas de moustiques, donc le matin Phil avait fermé la fenêtre et nous étions sous la couette. Ce fut une journée très agréable malgré la chaleur de l’après-midi.

Link to all our pictures of Quimper.

Wednesday (25/6) we were at the Saint-Malo train station by 7:15 am and caught an earlier train to Rennes than we were scheduled.  Since this is a local train and does not take seat reservations, there were no problems.  We enjoyed a sit down coffee and roll at the Rennes train station to wait for our next train.  From Rennes we only had a 2 hour train ride to Quimper, France.  Quimper is a lovely city.  It is located on the Odet River which flows through town and has many lovely, colorful flower planters hanging from the railings of the pedestrianized bridges. The town has a rustic atmosphere with footbridges spanning the rivers that flow through it.   We stayed at the Escale Oceania Hotel which was an 8 minute walk from the train station and a 5 minute walk to the Cathedral and old part of the town. We visited the Cathedral (constructed between the 13th and 16th centuries), The Departmental Brittany Museum, the Henriot Faience earthenware factory, and walked through the ancient city with half timbered houses dating from the 1400’s.  We ate dinner at Chez Max’s which was located in a cozy courtyard down a brick alley.  The restaurant consisted of 10 tables outside under a gigantic umbrella (possibly 25 feet square) and we enjoyed a delicious dinner with a cool breeze.  Phil had steak and fries and Sandy had a tomato salad consisting of green tomatoes, red tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and herb vinaigrette dressing. We both enjoyed apple, pear, and caramel tart still steaming from the oven. Unfortunately for us, Wednesday turned out to be the hottest day in Brittany so far.  We were almost sick from the heat during the afternoon and because our room wasn’t air conditioned, had to sleep with the window open. Fortunately it does cool off at night in Brittany and there are no mosquito, so by morning Phil had closed the window and we were under the duvet. It was a very enjoyable day despite the afternoon heat.