TWINGO TWINS IN POITIERS

There's always an Irish pub!





AMG and TH have been visiting us in Montsoreau. They spent a week in Paris then took the train to Tours where they rented a car. Their car is a Renault Twingo, a compact two-door car that is easy to navigate around the narrow streets of medieval towns.
We took advantage of their Twingo to go to Poitiers. Our car needs some serious maintenance so we have been reluctant to drive it long distances. Tim took charge of the driving while I read my newspaper and chatted with
AnneMarie in the back. It took us about an hour to get to Poitiers with some deviation in Loudon. When we arrived it was time for lunch. We parked at the gare SNCF and walked up the hill to the Place Hotel-de-Ville. They found an outdoor café while I walked back through the old town to the tourist office to get some maps and information about Poitiers’ attractions.
When I got back to the place they had already ordered. They lunch menu was mostly different kinds of galettes with predictable toppings from their names. I ordered a galette too.
After lunch we set out for the old part of town. Rich wanted to visit the department stores so he peeled off early. We walked through the narrow streets making stops at interesting buildings. Our first stop was the strangely shaped church of Saint Porchaire. It was a typically rectangular shape in the Plantagenet style but instead of one altar and nave it had two altars and two naves separated by support columns. It appears that Saint Porchaire was a disciple of Sainte Radogonde, one of the Big 3 saints of this region.
We continued down to the place in front of the Palais de Justice. The building has an impressive 19th century portico but inside is even more impressive. Originally, this building was the palace of the Counts of Anjou and their great hall with three massive fireplaces has been preserved. The law courts are arranged off the great hall.
We walked down to the church of Notre-Dame la Grande. They last time we were in Poitiers the church was closed. We only saw the building from the outside. This time the building was open. We admired the decoration on the outside but when we went inside we were greatly impressed by the vibrant colors. The walls and support columns were painted in bright reds, yellows and oranges. While we were there the organ was being played which added to the atmosphere. The color and the music and the Romance character of the building all worked together to provide a unique experience.
It was extremely hot in Poitiers but the narrow streets provided a little shade. We followed the tourist blue line down to the cathedral area. The Saint Pierre Cathedral is an impressive building in its own right but it is overshadowed by the smaller and older Notre-Dame. We spent some time there admiring the carvings of the entrance façade and the strange carvings between each choir stall.
We were beginning to wilt a little in the heat. We had enough energy to walk down to the 4th century church that houses one of the earliest baptisteries of Christendom. This small church was built over the Roman baths. Sometime in the 12th century a series of frescos were painted on the walls. One of these frescos is believed to be the Emperor Constantine on horseback. Now there remains only traces of the original frescos except for one painting of god looking down from heaven.
We were a little concerned about our parking. We had parked in the short stay parking at the train station. We decided that we should meet Rich and head on home. We met him in the place of the Hotel-de-Ville and after taking a refreshment we headed for home.

OUR NEIGHBOR’S FROG

Our neighbor, Lady Willis has a frog in her backyard. She used to have two but she stepped on one and he hasn’t been seen since. This little fellow sits quietly in the flowerbed waiting for his chance to hop in through the kitchen door. The cat is just as vigilant on the other side.
Frogs, and most amphibians are protected in France. This protected status doesn’t stop the French from eating large quantities of farmed frogs legs. Bon apetit.

Visite à l'école de Cunault

Cet après-midi, Richard, Mairtin and Adinia sont venus nous rendre une petite visite à l'école. Mairtin est venu dans notre classe et nous nous sommes amusés à lui demander en anglais des noms d'animaux qu'il devait traduire en français. C'était très drôle. Puis nous avons chanté des chansons et écouté quelques lectures.
Les grands ont proposé des jeux à Richard et Adinia.
Tous les enfants ont passé une bonne après-midi et ils vous remercient tous les trois.

ANGERS

TOURS

We drove to Tours today. We wanted to explore a part of the city that we don't know very well - the area around the cathedral. This area was the original site of the Roman town. People told us that there was a museum and much archeological evidence but we couldn't find a think. We did explore the Musée des Beaux Arts which was originally the Archbishops palace. In an outhouse Fritz the elephant is preserved. It was very hot but we walked to the cathedral (St. Gatien) and explored the area. The cathedral is very impressive. We spent way too much time there. By the time we were finished and hungry for lunch many of the restaurants were no longer serving. We did settle on a Lebanese restaurant, Le Bakaa and had ourselves a delightful meal of Lebanese delicacies and beer.
In the afternoon we walked around in the 90°F heat looking for a cool place to hang out. We made it to the chateau before it closed. That was cool, temperature-wise and art-wise. There was an exhibit of photographs by a French father and son who had a portrait studio in Paris. They photographed everyone of note. The son also photographed many of the great actors of the time in the theater where they were playing.
We ended the day in the old town, Vieux-Tours drinking beer and recuperating from the heat.


TOURS

LANGEAIS

We drove to Langeais for the day. Langeais is pretty close to Tours but we wanted to spend the day here rather than stopping for a short time on the way to Tours.
Anne of Brittany married Chrles VIII here in a secret ceremony in 1491 that reattached the independent state of Brittany to the Kingdom of France. Anne was barely fourteen years old at the time. The marriage contract specified that she would have to marry Charles' successor if anything happened to him. He died shortly after and she did indeed marry his successor Louis XII. Brittany has been struggling to regain its independence ever since.

WALKING TOUR

Brunch at La Blanchière with Karen, Nico, Michael, and Catherine.
Michael is a bike guide who will be leading a party of cyclists through the region. Catherine is the wife of a cyclist who is on another B+R trip through Catalonia. She is like a bike-widow.

After brunch we went back to our house to wait for an electrician who is going to give us a temporary electric hook up in the grenier. While he was doing that Catherine and I went for a walk through the fields to Càndes. We walked up to the panorama view across the confluence. As we were walking back down into the village we met Rich. We walked to the new bookstore where the old bookstore used to be. The owner is a Breton woman from Rennes who followed her heart to Càndes. We sat for an hour chatting with her and drinking tea and coffee. Very pleasant.

ON THE WATER

LES RACINETS

We had a lazy day today wandering about the countryside and visiting old friends.
We walked about the town in the morning noting all the changes in our little village. Everything is spruced up. The main plaza has been nicely finished with a low wall that separates it from the street and the café has new umbrellas. The other plaza has also had a makeover with pea gravel and a new exit. Now you can go straight through without having to turn the car around in the narrow parking area.
Later we drove into Chinon for a walkabout. The buzz there is the new Carrefour store that has replaced the pokey and pricey Shoppi. We did some business at the bank then started looking for a place to have lunch. We walked down towards the Place Jean d’Arc and found a restaurant connected with one of the small hotels close to the place. The prix fixe menu at Le Treive was superb – boudin, crudités, bavette, fried steak, peach melba, gateau au chocolat – we had it all between the two of us.
After lunch we took a ride out to see the boys in Lerné. Tim and Steve have been working on their house for the past two years. They are pretty much finished with the main house but they are struggling to finish the old barn that will eventually be their income-bearing gite. We picked a ton of cherries from their trees and talked clofouti.
In the afternoon we drove to Fontevraud. We wandered about in town for a little then decided to visit Les Racinets in their new house. We spent the evening there – they showed us all the work the have been doing for the past 2 years since they bought the house. Just this week they have been able to move in. They produced a splendid feast of beouf-bourgignon and lashings of red wine. After dinner we got down to brass tacks regarding their garage in Montsoreau that they are thinking of selling. The garage is not attached to their house so they are selling it separately from the main building. The man from Paris who lives across the street is also interested in buying it since he doesn’t have a garage either. M. Racinet is staying non-committal until he gets a bidding war going. We will all be meeting together next week to walk through the property. We may have to visit the bank first.

OVER A BARREL

We drove to Saumur to pick up le tonneau for our cave. There is a new wine shop there and Rich had struck a deal to buy a used wine barrel that will serve as a table in our cave. When we got there the owner told us that the barrel had not been delivered because these are busy days in the vineyard. Instead, he offered us a barrel that he had on hand already. He helped us load it into the back of the car and we took it home.
We wrestled the barrel through the house and down the steps into the cave. It was surprisingly heavy. Our cave is now complete and we can start to entertain guests there for wine tastings.

CHEZ-NOUS

Finally, at home in Montsoreau.
The flight on Ryanair was delayed by about an hour. We sat on the plane without any information. A French group close to me couldn’t understand the announcements so I had to translate. There wasn’t much to tell them. After about an hour they closed the doors again and we were off.

Tours was overcast and cold. Normally I leave cold and dark in Ireland but this time I flew into it. They weather has been strange all ovber Europe this Summer. The Azores High sitting over Ireland has protected it from the cold and rain coming from the Mediterraenean. France has had torrential rains and flash flooding in the south and depressed temperatures everywhere else. But that is about to change.

I took the train from Tours to Saumur. Rich was there to pick me up in the “new” car. The ’84 Visa was traded in by Karen for a “luxury” Dacia as part of France’s version of Cash for Clunkers. We got her Citroen K-Way, another varient of the Polski Fiat.

DUBLIN WALKABOUT

DRABHLÁS: 5 HEINEKENS LATER . . .

I spent the day today with my nephew Austin. I got a ride into the city center with Helen. She had a day off and wanted to do some shopping. I left her in Jervis Street and walked up to Parnell Square. I spent an hour at the Municipal Gallery. Nothing new there but always a pleasure to see Bacon's studio. I did enjoy a video by an Irish artist, Gerard Byrne that recreated the print advertizing of the 1981 Chrysler Imperial.
I gave Austin a call. He works at CitiBank in the Docklands. He told me to take the Luas from Abbey Street but I decided to walk over there instead. I followed the tracks around the Customs House and into Georges Dock. I waited on the bridge for Austin. When he came down we walked along the quays on the other side to an old-style pub called The Ferryman. Along the way we met Helen and persuaded her to come to lunch with us.



I hung around with Austin until he had to return to work for the afternoon. It was really pleasant sitting in the bar and chatting

Later in the evening I reconnected with Austin. He had invited me to birthday drinks for a co-worker at a place called Dicey's Garden on Harcourt Street. I got there first but was turned away by the bouncer because my shorts were not "neat dress". I called Aussie and he suggested that we meet at a bar on Camden Street called Ryan's. Austin came along with another co-worker. We had a great night of drinking and chatting.

PARFAIT BHIABHÓIGE

Simmer the chopped rhubarb in a simple syrup of 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup sugar with vanilla, cinnemon and allspice.
Add jello cubes and refrigerate until jello is set.
Layer the rhubarb with yoghurt and drizzle with honey.

JETLAG DAYS

Looking south towards the Dublin Mountains


I arrived in Dublin at 8 in the morning. I stayed up until about 10:30 then went for a little lie down that lasted until 8 in the evening. I managed to stay awake until about 11 at night. I was able to sleep again for a couple of hours but at 3 in the morning I was wide awake and ready to do the tourist thing.
While I was asleep Switzerland beat Spain. This morning I watched Argentina beat South Korea and this afternoon I saw México beat France. It's hard to avoid the World Cup.

In my own personal qualifying rounds I waited all day for news of where I will be next year. Jag is my proxy. She managed to get me my third choice - a 1/2 bilingual combination at Treeview Elementary. I have to say I'm not displeased with the outcome. Treeview is a better school than Longwood but a combination class is a combination class in any language. I think I will fit right in and enjoy the new challenge.

CHICAGO - O'HARE

I made it on time. In San Francisco they told me that I would only have an hour to get from Terminal 1 to Terminal 5 to check in for the flight to Dublin. Fortunately, the flight from San Francisco arrived 45 minutes early in Chicago but it was still a challenge to figure out how the ground transport worked. I walked to Terminal 2 before I found the elevated train. By the time I got to the Aer Lingus counter there was absolutely no line. Ditto for the security check. The TSA official had many questions about my CPAP machine and they even swabbed it down for explosives residue.
My going away dinner was really special. Jag’s boyfriend came by. I had bought some arrachera the day before. I made a garlic-ginger-cilantro-oil paste and daubed it liberally on the meat and vegetables. Then I grilled everything and served it with warm corn tortillas and black beans. Rich’s mom Anita would have been proud of me.

The weather was very strange in Chicago. At first it was hot and muggy but as we sat on the plane waiting for takeoff a thunderstorm moved through. We had to sit on the ground for about an hour before we were cleared for takeoff.

MOTS DE JOUR

je vais te mûrir
mégot
guignol
maquereau
ça me fait râler

COMHRÁ AMADACH

Comhrá le freastalaí i gCeltic Cafe i San Francisco:
Mise: Cén fáth go gcuirtear "Celtic Cafe" ar an mbialann seo?
Sise: Níl 'fhios agam. Cad is brí le "celtic"?
Mise: Nach mbaintear úsáid as an focal seo chun caint faoi áiteanna cosúil le Éirinn.
Sise: An ea? Ní raibh sé sin ar eolas agam.
Mise: An Éireannach é an t-úinéir?
Sise: Níl 'fhios agam.
Mise: Cad é an sloinne atá air?
Sise: Níl 'fhios agam. Chuir sé teachtaireacht r-phoist chugam ar maidin. Ba chor domh amharc ar a shloinne.
Mise: Ba chor.

MOT DU JOUR: berlingot

berlingot

berlingots

Cad is Berlingo ann?

TALES OF THE CITY

Bhí cumann na leabhair agam i San Francisco inniú. 'Sé an leabhar reatha ná Lie Down In Darkness le William Styron. Ní raibh ach ceathrúir dúinn i láthair ach bhí comhrá an-mhaith againn faoin leabhar.

PEA. SHOOT. SALAD

Tablespoon of seasoned rice vinegar
Tablespoon of sesame oil
Tablespoon of lemon juice
1lb fresh pea shoots

Caith mé roint gairleóg i sesame oil ins an wok. Bhain mé an gairleóg nuair a thosnaig sé ag éirí donn. Tar éis, chaith mé na pea shoots isteach ins an wok go dtí go raibh siad sleabhctha. In a dhiaidh, chuir mé na comhábhair eile (meascán vinegar, oil 's juice) leis na pea shoots agus dháiligh mé iad le leath avocado.

SIÚLÓID NA BLIANA ÚR

Chuaigh an beirt againn amach ag siúl inniú. D'fhagamar an gluaisteán ar imeall Menlo Park ar Sráid Alma agus chuamar trasna an droichid go Palo Alto.
Ar aghaidh linn ag siúl fríd sráideanna ciúin Palo Alto. Ní raibh mórán daoine amuigh ar an céad lá 2010.
Bhí ocras orainn tar éis bheith ag siúl le 5k ach ní raibh mórán ar oscailt. Shiúlamar ar Emerson chuig an bialann fraincíse Bistro Maxine. Ba duine gairgeach é an freastalaí ach bhí an latte le tartine go fáiltiúl.

Is a tartine a sandwich?

Imani = Creideamh

Creideamh
Creid lánchroítheach in ár phobail, ár thuismitheoirí, ár múinteoirí, ár taoisigh, agus creid i fíréantacht agus bua ár coimhlinnt.

Imani
To believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders, and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.

BOILED BACON DINNER

I've had a hankering for a traditional Irish boiled bacon dinner. I decided to make it for New Year's Eve to say goodbye to 2009 and welcome in 2010.
In Ireland it is easy to find the right cut of pork for this dish but here in the States it is not as easy. We took a ride over to the Marina Supermarket in San Mateo - a Chinese supermarket that has all kinds of cuts of meat. After navigating the parking lot we finally made it into the crowded store. There were several cuts of pork available but we settled on a cured picnic shoulder.
I am going to boil the bacon for several hours with carrots, cabbage and potatoes. It sounds a little like what Yanks eat for Saint Patrick's Day but in Ireland pork, not beef, is the preferred meat and it is eaten for any festive occasion.
_______________________________

Ar an drochuair níor tháinig sé amach mar a cheap mé. Bhí an bagún an-salach ar fad. Agus bhí sé righin. Ar an taobh eile, bhí na glasraí go h-áillinn. Táim chun an oideas seo a dhéanamh arís ach tá mé chun níos mó taighde a dhéanamh chun an gearradh ceart a fháil.
Tá a fhios agam gur féidir an gearradh ceart a fháil fríd an idirlíon (foodireland.com) ach cuireann sé istech orm nach féidir é a fháil níos áitiúla.

Kuumba = Cruthaitheacht

Cruthaitheacht
Déan an méid is mó gur fídir linn, sa slí gur féidir linn, chun ár comhphobail a fhagail níos áille 's níos tairbhiúla ná an oireacht a fuaramar.


Kuumba
To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it

Nia = Aidhm

Íomhá

Aidhm
Déan mar gairm comhcoiteann tógáil agus forbairt ár comhphobail ionas go athbhunnaigh ardréim traidisiúnta ár mhuintear.

Nia
To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.

Ujamaa = Comhareacnamaíocht

Íomhá

Comhareacnamaíocht
Tóg agus cothabháil ár siopaí 's stóir 's gnothaí eile fhéin agus tairbhe a bhaint astu le chéile.

Ujamaa
To build and maintain our own stores, shops, and other businesses and to profit from them together.

AVGOLEMONO

OIDEAS ANRAITH AVGOLEMONO

Mar is eol daoibh deirtear "Nuair a mbíonn líomóidí agat déan líomanáid".
Bhí a lán rudaí eile agam seachas líomóidí. Fuair mé uibheacha na feirme mar bronntanas ón cúntóir déidliachta atá ina cónaí ar feirm i Half Moon Bay (GRMMA Lauren); bhí rís agus anraith glasrái agam ón oideas a rinne mé inné (Saveurs #171: Poule aux petits légumes en bouillon); agus "fuair" mé roinnt líomóidí ón crann na comharsan.

Ar an drochuair, níl griangraf agam toisc an easpa cábla USB (SUB). Ach sin scéal eile.

(An bhfuil a fhios ag éinne cén t-ainm a bhí ar an bialann Ghréagach i Potrero Hill agus cad a tharla di? Ba san áit sin a bhlas mé avgolemono don céad úr!)

Ujima = Comharghnó

Iomhá


Comharghnó
Tóg agus cothabháil ár comhphobal le chéile agus coinnigh fadhbanna ár deartháireacha 's ár deirfiúracha mar ár fadhbanna fhéin, agus réitigh iad le chéile.

Ujima
To build and maintain our community together and make our brothers' and sisters' problems our problems, and to solve them together.

Kujichagulia = Féintreorú

Íomhá

Féintreorú
Tabhair sainmhíniú dúinn fhéin, tabhair ainm dúinn fhéin, cruthaigh dúinn fhéin, agus leabhar ar ár shon féin.

Kujichagulia
To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves, and speak for ourselves.

Umoja = Aontacht

Íomhá

Aontacht
Troid ar son agus cothabháil aontas na chlainne, an comhphobail, an náisiúin 's an cine.

Umoja
To strive for and to maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race.

INTERNATIONAL BUY NOTHING DAY

Eid al-Adha/Aïd el-Kebir/Féile na hÍobartha

SAINT ANDREW

Seo an áit in a bhfuilimid ag cleachtadh gach seachtan - Saint Andrew's Presbytarian Church in Aptos. Seo an áit fosta in a mbeidh ceann do na dá coirmcheol, an ceann ar an Sathairn ag a 3in.
Bhí an eaglais gleasta i "tartan" le bratacha. D'fhiafrigh duine éigean cén fáth go raibh sé gleasta mar sin. D'fhreagadh gur fá choinne Lá 'le Naomh Andreas é (30ú lá Mí na Samhna) ach chuir sé sin mé ag smaoinimh ar an caidreamh atá idir Naomh Andreas agus Alba. Cén fáth go bhfuil an gaol sin ann?
Bhí Galt 's Jane in easnaimh - tá Jane ag taisteal fá choinne a cuid obair mar eitni-ceoleolaí agus Galt sa bhaile ag maoirseacht uan (Conall).

What is the connection between Saint Andrew and Scotland?

BOOK CLUB, SAN FRANCISCO

Cupid's Span by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen

D'fhreastal mé ar cruinniú cumann na leabhair i San Francisco inniú. Bhí gach éinne i láthair seachas Art agus Greta. Tá Greta ag taisteal agus tá Art ag athshlánú fós ón máinliacht croí - ní bheith sé ar ais linn go dtí go mbeidh sé i n-ann tiomáint.
Bhíomar ag plé an leabhar "Finding Nouf" - úrscál bleachtaireachta atá suite san Araib Shádach. An rúd a chuir isteach orainn go mór mór ná an slí in a bhfuil deighilt mór idir mná agus fir - ní feidir le fear fiú breathaint ar bean nach a bean céile í. Ó thaobh an scéal é féin ní raibh mórán ann seachas foirmle bleachtaire. An rúd is simiúile ná go raibh sé suite i dtír nach bhfuil mórán eolas ag coimhthígh uirthi.
Díreach i ndiaidh an cruinniú chuaigh AnneMarie agus mé fhéin ag siúl ar an Embarcadero, mar is ba gnáth dúinn. Chuamar go dtí an margadh ag an Ferry Plaza. Bhí an lá go h-álainn - griannmhar agus glan, cé go raibh sé fuar. Ach sin a mbionn i lár an Geimhridh i San Francisco.

We had BookClub in San Francisco today. Everyone was there except Greta, who is travelling, and Art who is recovering from his heart surgery. He won't be back with us for a while - not until he can drive again.
The book under consideration was "Finding Nouf" - a detective story set in Saudi Arabia. There wasn't much to this book - a formulistic detective novel that was interesting only for the unusual setting. We all remarked on the great division between men and women in Saudi Arabia - men have very little contact with woman, not even being allowed look at women who are not their wife.
After our breakfast AnneMarie and myself went walking to the Ferry Plaza Farmers' Market. It was a beautiful day - sunny and clear, but cold. A typical mid-Winter day in San Francisco.

ANOTHER PRACTISE

Seo an áit ina mbeidh ceann do na coirmceol. Bímid ag cleachtadh anseo gach Domhnach.
This is where one of the concerts will be: St. Andrew's Episcopalian Church, Aptos

Thanamar le chéile arís ar an Domhnach. Bhí gach éinne i gcuideachta seachas Nikki. Níl a fhios agam cén fath go bhfuil sí in easnamh. Tá a 'fhios agam go bhfuil sí ag obair ar clár le TG4 - clár cheol um Nollaig.
Chleactamar an dara leath don clár. Tá Mary ag athriú an clár - ag seoladh amhrán nua dúinn nár dhearna roimhe. Agnus Dei an t-ainm ach níor sheol sí an chóiriú fós.

We got back together again on Sunday. Everyone was there except Nikki. I don't know why she isn't taking part this year. I do know that she is working on a Christmas show for TG4.
We practised the second half of the show. Mary is constantly changing things. She put a new song on the programme but she she didn't send the arrangement yet.

AG CANADH ARÍS

Seisiún deas in Aptos inniú. Chuaigh mé ann le Steven. Bhíomar ag éisteacht le Albert Fry (rogha amhrán reatha: Maidin Luan Cincíse) ar an slí sios.
Tá Tammy ar ais agus Ellen freisin. Ach níl Denisse ag glacadh páirt sa chór i mbliana - mór an trua é.
I rith an Samhraidh bhris gadaí isteach ar teach Tammy agus ghoid a ceamara di. Tá an taifeadadh fístéipe don cór ó na blianta caite imithe ar shiúl.
Tá an cór faoi stiúir Katie 'fhad is atá Mary in Éirinn ag freastal ar cursa MA in Ollscoil Luimní. Tá stíl deas reachúiseach ag Katie.

We had a really nice practise today. I drove down with Steven - we listened to Albert Fry the whole way down.
Tammy is back with us and so is Ellen. Unfortunately, Denisse is going to sit out this year.
Over the Summer someone broke into Tammy's house and stole her video camera. All the recordings of the previous years went with the camera.
The choir is being directed by Katie while Mary is still in Ireland working on her MA at Limerick University. Katie has a nice laid-back style.

MOT DE JOUR: farfelue

farfelue

CÓR AINGLÍ

Thosamar ar ais ag canadh le chéile inniú. Bhí an céad clachtadh againn i Santa Cruz. Bhí thart faoi cúigear is fiche daoine i láthair le roint daoine eile in easnamh. Tá cúigear daoine nua againn i mbliana. Ritheamar fríd an clár go léir.

The choir started back today for our first practise. There are five new people and most of the old-timers are back again. We sang our way through the entire program. It sounds heavenly.

MOT DU JOUR: toubib

toubib