WHEN JOHNNY COMES MARCHING HOME

There was a big parade in Montsoreau today.  The mayor received a contingent of soldiers at the chateau then inspected the troops as they marched up and down the street.

But what was it all about?  Was it related in some way to the 70th anniversary of D-Day?  Or was it something to do with the liberation of our départment from the Nazies?

The French love to celebrate their fallen comrades.  They have no problem acknowledging their interventions around the world (mostly in Africa) and their soldiers "mort pour la patrie".

By contrast, I could not find any monument in England that memorialized the fallen in the wars in Ireland.  Whether there was a war or whether it was just "the Troubles", it seems to me that England should remember their children who fell to keep Ireland under the thumb of their kings and queens.

OUT OF EDEN

I went to Brittany for a few days.  When I came back at least one business had closed while I was away.  THE WEDDING OF THE CENTURY was to be flowered by this florist.  Now, Les Willis will have to scramble to find an alternative.

In general, the economy has improved a little since last year.  In our village, there have been several houses that have recently sold after being on the market for a long time.  There is lots of work going on in these buildings.  

Right now M. Hollande is grappling with a train strike, the first industrial unrest he has had to deal with since he became president.  The minister of Public Education has had to give a dispensation to any kid who arrives late to their BAC exam because of the strike.  I am not sure what the issues are in the strike but there hasn't been much coverage or analysis in the press.

Yesterday, I went to Saumur to get a phone line installed.  I already have my BBOX from Bouygues but they couldn't install it because there is no phone line.  Phone lines can only be leased from FranceTelecom (Orange) so that's where I had to go yesterday.  I stood in line for about 45 minutes before I saw a "counsellor".  They couldn't care less if I bought something or not, or spent any money in their business.  It's not hard to see why France is still in recession.

VILLAGE FLEURI

GUÉRANDE

BRITTANY ROADTRIP

We are on a road trip to Brittany.  I rented a car to pick up Rich and Mercedes from Nantes airport.  We drove to Saint Nazaire because everything was booked in Nantes - this week the Giants were running in the street like the bulls in Pamplona.  We are going to stop in Nantes on the way home tomorrow to maybe catch a glimpse (I wonder will there be any Americans gored like in Pamplona every year).

We kinda like Saint Nazaire even though it's a gritty kid brother to Nantes.  We walked out on the waterfront last night with the full moon illuminating the American monument.  Today we got on the road to Guerande.  We stopped in a very pretty village called LePouligon for galettes and coffee.  Things were closed for lunch in Guerande so we continued on to Vannes and spent a good long time exploring the old city.  We ended up in Carnac where we tramped through the UFO landing strips and had dinner at a cute little restaurant in the downtown.

We are back "home" in Saint Nazaire waiting for the inevitable cheers from the World Cup game in the bar below us.

Old airport, no riots. But plenty of police activity.

Le Sabayon

Full moon over Saint Nazaire waterfront.