Journal entry from Monday, August 5, 2019:
Today we drove 20 minutes to Clos Luce, and saw Leonardo da Vinci's house. This was the "castle" that the kids were most excited to see--they voted to go there first-- because in the grounds are models of several of Leonardo's inventions, and visitors can play with them. The tank and the helicopter were favorites. Thankfully we arrived early enough that the crowds were not large, and we enjoyed the house and grounds thoroughly without too much traffic. Before we left, we recreated the picture that Jeff and I took the last time we visited Clos Luce, 11 years ago (2008), in the same spot but with our 3 kids standing by us too. It was fun.
Sunday, August 18, 2019
Friday, August 16, 2019
From Vannes to the Loire Valley
Journal entry from Saturday, August 3, 2019:
Travel day. We are in the Loire Valley, the final destination of our four weeks in France, just outside a tiny town called Civray de Touraine. This morning we packed up, checked out of our apartment airbnb in Vannes, and hit the road. Jeff was relieved to pull that car out of the tiny sublevel -2 parking garage for the last time. We drove and drove and drove. Google maps told us that our destination was only 3 hours away, but we ended up getting stuck in traffic outside of Nantes and then taking smaller roads to avoid endless expensive tolls and to see the scenery, so it took us much longer. We stopped a few times to break up the drive, get wiggles out, and obtain nourishment.
Travel day. We are in the Loire Valley, the final destination of our four weeks in France, just outside a tiny town called Civray de Touraine. This morning we packed up, checked out of our apartment airbnb in Vannes, and hit the road. Jeff was relieved to pull that car out of the tiny sublevel -2 parking garage for the last time. We drove and drove and drove. Google maps told us that our destination was only 3 hours away, but we ended up getting stuck in traffic outside of Nantes and then taking smaller roads to avoid endless expensive tolls and to see the scenery, so it took us much longer. We stopped a few times to break up the drive, get wiggles out, and obtain nourishment.
Plage de la Mine d'Or
Journal entry, continued from August 1, 2019:
After a lovely lunchtime in Rochefort-en-Terre, we drove 40 minutes to La Plage de Mine D'Or (the gold mine beach). We finished listening to HP7 during the drive. When we arrived at the beach, Jeff and the kids changed into their bathing suits and we all walked down to the water. The sand was COVERED in shells, prompting the kids and I to indulge in a bit of seashell collecting. The ocean water was a tad brown with swirling clumps of seaweed, but we didn't care because it was so warm! Ten points to the toasty Atlantic! The kids couldn't believe how warm the water was. Even Rose was happy to splash around in it without shivering. We enjoyed the warm water (I waded up to my knees, not in the mood to swim) and played in the sand for just over an hour before the lightning fast tide shooed us away. We measured the tide speed with carefully placed rocks, and it was coming in, covering the sand at about a foot per minute!
After a lovely lunchtime in Rochefort-en-Terre, we drove 40 minutes to La Plage de Mine D'Or (the gold mine beach). We finished listening to HP7 during the drive. When we arrived at the beach, Jeff and the kids changed into their bathing suits and we all walked down to the water. The sand was COVERED in shells, prompting the kids and I to indulge in a bit of seashell collecting. The ocean water was a tad brown with swirling clumps of seaweed, but we didn't care because it was so warm! Ten points to the toasty Atlantic! The kids couldn't believe how warm the water was. Even Rose was happy to splash around in it without shivering. We enjoyed the warm water (I waded up to my knees, not in the mood to swim) and played in the sand for just over an hour before the lightning fast tide shooed us away. We measured the tide speed with carefully placed rocks, and it was coming in, covering the sand at about a foot per minute!
Rochefort-en-terre
Journal entry from Thursday, August 1, 2019:
How is it August already? Wow. School starts this month. But I'm going to choose not to think about that because we are still in the middle of our glorious travels! We took it easy this morning, and by "easy," I mean Jeff and I ran six miles each before heading out to view another beautiful sight. We didn't pull out of the parking garage in Vannes until 10:45am. Our destination was Rochefort-en-Terre, a 30 minute drive from our apartment in Vannes. In 2016 Rochefort-en-Terre was voted one of the most beautiful villages in France by the French people. It had a sign near the entrance proclaiming that it was a five flower town and "une ville préférée de France." (one of France's favorite villages)
Sunday, August 11, 2019
Back to France: Jersey to Mont Saint-Michel
On Wednesday, July 31st, Leslie and I woke up early, had a light breakfast in our Jersey guest house, walked the mile back to the ferry terminal and rode our final ferry back to Saint Malo. The ferry was blessedly not too rough and I managed to doze a bit during the 90 minute journey. My phone had 4% battery power left but it had enough juice for me to answer a call from Jeff when he and the kids arrived in Saint Malo to pick us up. I charged my phone in the car. We had lunch at McDonald's (blah) and then drove the hour from Saint Malo to Mont Saint Michel, all six of us together again. Time for an adventure in Normandy!
Guernsey part 3
Tuesday, July 30th continued: After my Cliff Path run, a shower, and a hotel breakfast (with orangish creamy Guernsey butter--so rich), Leslie and I caught a bus to the German Occupation museum. They only accepted cash for the entry fee in the darling homestyle cottage museum, so we walked half a mile in the windy drizzle to the Guernsey Airport to withdraw some pounds from the ATM. Then we walked back to the museum and entered. The museum had an absolutely fascinating hodge podge collection of items from the occupation, with interesting stories and primary source letters, posters, and announcements. I read and read and looked and immersed myself in another era. The accounts of the German Occupation during World War II were equally fascinating and sobering.
Guernsey part 2: Cliff Path run
When we woke up on Tuesday, July 30th, we had ten hours left on Guernsey. I intended to make the absolute most of it. In fact, I did so well at "making the most of it" that I traveled 30,000 steps on foot and was so tired at the end of the day that my journal entry was weak and brief, with a scant three lines about each activity of the day. The day was so full that I broke it down into two posts. Here's my feeble journal entry about my exhilarating morning run:
July 30th, 2019. I went on an exciting wet windy rough run on the Guernsey cliff path this morning, from St. Peter Port all the way down to Jerbourg Point and then back on the roads. It was SO WINDY! First came rain, then came WIND. It was tons of fun though and so beautiful with the green all around me and the roaring ocean down below.
That is not nearly enough to do justice to the 90 minutes I spent exploring the Cliff Path. Time for a supplementary retrospective recounting:
Saturday, August 10, 2019
Guernsey part 1
Journal entry from Monday, July 29, 2019:
Hello from Guernsey!! Leslie and I are on our much anticipated 2 day getaway to Guernsey in the English Channel. This morning we left our apartment in Vannes at 7:20am and walked to the train station (about half a mile). We found the right platform and boarded our train. When the ticket inspector came to check our tickets, however, we learned that we did not validate them in the yellow machines in the station like we should have. Thankfully the ticket inspector lady was merciful to our inexperience and didn't charge us the 20 euro penalty per ticket. Also thankfully she could speak a little English to help my utter confusion at her fast French. That was our main fumble of the day. The rest of our travels went quite smoothly, thankfully--I was a bit nervous about the trip before we left.
Hello from Guernsey!! Leslie and I are on our much anticipated 2 day getaway to Guernsey in the English Channel. This morning we left our apartment in Vannes at 7:20am and walked to the train station (about half a mile). We found the right platform and boarded our train. When the ticket inspector came to check our tickets, however, we learned that we did not validate them in the yellow machines in the station like we should have. Thankfully the ticket inspector lady was merciful to our inexperience and didn't charge us the 20 euro penalty per ticket. Also thankfully she could speak a little English to help my utter confusion at her fast French. That was our main fumble of the day. The rest of our travels went quite smoothly, thankfully--I was a bit nervous about the trip before we left.
Sunday, August 4, 2019
La Branche de Tours
Wow, it is hard to keep up with this blog while we're still traveling! Every day I add a couple dozen more pictures (some days a couple hundred, to be honest) to my folders. I have at least seven posts to do in the timeline leading up to today, but I felt most like sharing about today At the expense of going completely annoyingly out of chronological order, here's what happened TODAY, Sunday, August 4th:
We attended church at the Tours, France branch today, half an hour away from our latest house. Apparently there were several families out of town, and there were less than 50 people in sacrament meeting. When we had arrived and settled into a row of chairs in the chapel, Jeff started reminiscing about how he was asked to be the pianist in this branch 16 years ago while he was on his mission, even though he could only play one hand at a time on the piano. Under his breath, half-jokingly, he chanted "please don't ask me to play the piano, please don't ask me to play the piano!" I chuckled and said he was probably quite safe today. Immediately after that exchange, the priesthood leader in charge (Branch president? Counselor? He was the only one there, so it was uncertain) came over and asked our clump of chairs if there was anyone who could play the piano. Jeff pointed to me and grinned.
We attended church at the Tours, France branch today, half an hour away from our latest house. Apparently there were several families out of town, and there were less than 50 people in sacrament meeting. When we had arrived and settled into a row of chairs in the chapel, Jeff started reminiscing about how he was asked to be the pianist in this branch 16 years ago while he was on his mission, even though he could only play one hand at a time on the piano. Under his breath, half-jokingly, he chanted "please don't ask me to play the piano, please don't ask me to play the piano!" I chuckled and said he was probably quite safe today. Immediately after that exchange, the priesthood leader in charge (Branch president? Counselor? He was the only one there, so it was uncertain) came over and asked our clump of chairs if there was anyone who could play the piano. Jeff pointed to me and grinned.
Friday, August 2, 2019
Vannes day 1: old town
Journal entry from Saturday, July 27, 2019: Vannes, Brittany, France. It was a 20,000 step day. We all slept in. I was the first one awake at 7:50am. Jeff and I went running (separately) soon after. We only had eggs and yogurt in our food supply, so I didn't get to eat anything before running five miles. And I didn't eat enough yesterday either on our journey to Vannes, so I felt a tad wispy and hungry during my run. But I enjoyed views of Vannes with its beautiful cobbled streets, half-timber buildings, and old stone walls. After that I ran down to the water--the bay. Briny fresh air and happy sunshine were a great way to start my day!
Menhirs and megaliths: Sunday in Brittany
Journal entry from Sunday, July 28, 2019: We went to church at the Vannes Branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints today, a 12 minute drive from our apartment in downtown Vannes to the business complex where the church rents a few rooms. We were greeted at the door by a nice elderly Frenchman with double cheek kisses for the women and handshakes for the men. Church was all in French, much to Jeff's delight. I followed along as best I could during sacrament meeting and understood about 25% of it. Close to half of the small congregation was made up of English-speaking visitors (all from the UK except us exotic unexpected Americans).
Paris to Vannes via Coutances
Journal entry from Friday, July 26, 2019:
Travel day. We made it to Brittany! In Paris this morning, Jeff went to pick up our rental car while the rest of us packed up in our apartment. I woke up SWEATY--every part of me that touched the mattress was sweaty. Yuck. Thankfully it did end up cooling off after 3am in Paris, so once I turned our fan around the cool air blew in and eased our sweaty suffering.
A little after 11am, we crammed our bags and knees into our European micro SUV and headed out: Jay sat wedged in the back with our bags, then Leslie, Amber, and Rose sat across the middle bench together, and Jeff and I were in the front. Jeff drove the stick shift through heavy scary Paris traffic like a pro. The large traffic circles with no lane lines were admittedly terrifying for all of us, and I had to look in our blind spot and tell Jeff when he was clear to exit the busy circle. But we survived and got out of Paris within half an hour or so. Then we were suddenly in the country, with rolling green hills, farmland, and trees. It was beautiful. Jeff and I decided we could happily retire to Normandy.
Travel day. We made it to Brittany! In Paris this morning, Jeff went to pick up our rental car while the rest of us packed up in our apartment. I woke up SWEATY--every part of me that touched the mattress was sweaty. Yuck. Thankfully it did end up cooling off after 3am in Paris, so once I turned our fan around the cool air blew in and eased our sweaty suffering.
A little after 11am, we crammed our bags and knees into our European micro SUV and headed out: Jay sat wedged in the back with our bags, then Leslie, Amber, and Rose sat across the middle bench together, and Jeff and I were in the front. Jeff drove the stick shift through heavy scary Paris traffic like a pro. The large traffic circles with no lane lines were admittedly terrifying for all of us, and I had to look in our blind spot and tell Jeff when he was clear to exit the busy circle. But we survived and got out of Paris within half an hour or so. Then we were suddenly in the country, with rolling green hills, farmland, and trees. It was beautiful. Jeff and I decided we could happily retire to Normandy.
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