KILKENNY

Water lily in the garden of Butler House, Kilkenny.

IL PLUIE, BEAUCOUP

Rich, looking very Albert Camus, at the Alliance Française in Dublin.

First day out in Dublin. We took the bus into the city center then walked up Grafton Street and around Nassau Street. We had lunch at Cornucopia then walked over tot he Alliance Française to practise our French and have decent coffee.
We walked up to Westland Row to visit Saint Andrew's Church. What a beautiful interior! It was built in the 1830's on the site of an 11th century Danish temple to Thor. I also learned that the babtismal font where I was babtized was donated to the church by Daniel O'Connell, The Liberator, who used it as a wine cooler before giving it to Saint Andrew's.


Interior of Saint Andrew's Church


Wine cooler where I was babtized.

We walked back up to Clare Street to visit the National Museum. Afterwards we walked down to the Spanish cultural institute to see an exhibit of Civil War posters.
Enough of the culture, we went exploring in the Docklands area. We found the place where the U2 Tour is to be built (hole in the ground awaiting an end to the recession). We had a glass of wine at an interesting wine bar where the waiter was Spanish. He was very surprised that we could speak Spanish.


Self-portrait with Picasso (Still life with mandolin)

WORST RYANAIR EXPERIENCE EVER

Waiting for the train in Saumur.

We said our goodbyes to everyone in the village: The Racinets, Alain, the bakery lady.
Then we took a walk through the market for the last time.
Back at the house we put the shutters up and locked up for the season. then into the car to drive to the train station in Saumur.
We had a little bit of a wait in Saumur for the train. As we were waiting more and more cyclists dribbled in - today is the closing of the Semaine Federal so I guess all those cyclists are headed back to Paris and their leg-bound lives.

TOUT A VELO

!0,000 cyclists are coming through Montsoreau today.

All the streets were closed to car traffic – only bicycles were allowed in the streets of Montsoreau. This week is the 70th International Week of CycloTourism that is staged every year by the French Cycling Association. Every year they descend on a different part of France. This year they are cycling through the Loire Valley. The program is based in Saumur for the week and every day there are cycling excursions through the region with a staging area in a different village each day. Today was the turn of Montsoreau to host more than 10,000 cyclists. Pavilions were set up along the quays of the Loire with food and drink. All the businesses in Montsoreau set up tables and tents to promote their products and strolling minstrels and rolling clowns provided entertainment. Nothing like this has ever been seen in Montsoreau before. A lot of people are giving credit to our new mayor for aggressively promoting Montsoreau as a tourist destination.

The mayor, M. Persin, with two of his constituents.

REPENTI

Rooftop at the Hôtel-Dieu, Beaune

Everyday we listen to Ouest-FM radio, it is one of the few radio stations we are able to pick up in Montsoreau. Everyday they play exactly the same songs at exactly the same time. They rarely announce the name of the song or the artist. We have been listening to one song in particular that we really like but we never knew who was singing it. On Sunday, at the Café Carnot while we were taking our afternoon coffee break the song came on the radio. We saw the waitress singing along to it so we asked her who it was. She told us the artist’s name is Renan Luce and the song is called “Repenti”.


The courtyard of the Hôtel-Dieu, a hospital built in the 15th century to take care of the sick paupers of Beaune.

MORE WINE TASTING

Couvent des Cordeliers

Sunday afternoon rolled out a little lazily. We enjoyed our walk around the walls and were ready for a little wine tasting. Earlier on our walk we had seen the Convent of the Cordeliers and thought it might be a good place to start.
The tour of the caves was self-guided. The convent was originally a cloistered order of Claritians (Poor Clares) associated with the Order of Saint Francis of Assisi. We learned that an earlier king had pawned some important religious relics (a piece of the True Cross and a spine from the Crown of Thorns). Louis XIV sent four monks to Venice to get them out of hock. On their way back they founded the convent. The nuns had taken a vow of poverty so they lived on donations from the big winemakers and landowners of the region. During the revolution the convent was seized during the month of Brumaire, Year 4 and was eventually sold during the month of Ventose, Year 6 (What ever happened to the revolutionary calendar?).


The cave below the convent where the nuns kept their wine and had secret rites for the devil (no doubt).

After the tour we emerged from the caves into the wine tasting room. We had to pay 5 euros to taste five wines but we got to keep the commemorative glasses (just like DisneyLand except the glasses are plastic and you only get to taste Coke). We sampled two whites and three reds. Of the whites we liked the Meursault 2004 the best. they started us off with a cheap Savigny-les-Beaune 1999 just to show you the difference between an aged white and a young white. We got the message – with whites, younger is better.
Of the reds we liked the Gevrey-Chambertin 2005 the best. The lady explained to us that 2005 was a great year for Burgundy. She told us we should keep it in the cave for at least 10 years. It’s a little daunting to think that my purpose in life is to stay alive until 2015 so that I can enjoy this wine. Maybe the Dalai Lama should incorporate wine appreciation into his Buddhist practise.
To finish they threw in a free taste of a dessert wine that we ended up buying. A very pleasant afternoon!



Old storefront in Beaune.

WALKABOUT THE RAMPARTS

We had breakfast with Christian. He cycled down from his apartment outside the walls to join us. He told us the story of how an Idaho farm boy ended up in France. His family had a wine importing and distribution business in Boise but he really wasn’t interested in it while he was growing up. Then he got involved in politics, working for the Lt. Gov. of Massachusetts. He spent a little time in Puerto Rico where he broke his kneecap in a freak accident. He had no health insurance so he was forced to go home and work in the family wine business while he paid off the medical bills. He found that he had a knack for selling wine and eventually came to France to learn more about how the wines he was selling were made. He met his wife in France and has been here ever since.


Up on the walls looking across the rooftops.

After breakfast we parted ways with Christian. We wanted to walk around the walls of the city (he was going on a 100 km bike ride). Beaune has most of its original walls intact. You can walk around the old city on the walls looking down on the centuries of history. Beaune is very similar to Derry, except bigger and no one wants to kill you because you are
Catholic.


All along the watchtower.


Mini themed garden inside the Jardin Municipal.

As we walked around the city we passed through the municipal garden. There was an exhibit of mini gardens that were created by students at various art colleges around France in conjunction with Pablo Picasso High School. Each of the gardens were developed around a theme that highlighted recycling, diversity and sustainability. It was a great project that I would like to extend to the Longwood school garden.


Dr. E.J. Marey, pioneer of chronophotography and cinematography – we wouldn’t have the movies without his research and inventions.

BEAUNE VOYAGE

The view from our hotel window.

What a great place to hang out in! We walk around a little, stop for a little coffee, walk around some more, stop for a little wine tasting, walk around some more, stop for more coffee. Are we stuck in a groove – a very pleasant groove.
Right outside our hotel the weekly market was taking place in the street. The market is a mixture of fruit and vegetables, meat and cheese, and antiques and clothes – a little of everything. We followed the street market to the covered market – les halles – which was a hive of activity. We walked around enjoying the colors and smells of the market as well as the hurly-burly of it all with so many people.
The market began to wind down at around one in the afternoon so we started to wander up into the Place Carnot to have our first coffee of the day (since breakfast).



Debonair pair!

We made our way to the Athenaeum wine store. In the back they had a tasting room set up. We started tasting the whites in the order that the server recommended. Our two favorites were the 2003 Savigny and the 2003 Meursault. The lady explained that 2003 was a drought year (about 8000 older people died in the heat wave that year). Drought is great for white grape varieties like chenin blanc and chardonnay- the sugars are concentrated and that balances the acidity making for a very smooth and drinkable wine.



White wines we tried.


Red wines we tried.

The red wines we tried were also superb. Burgandy is Pinot Noir country. We drink a lot of Pinot Noir in California but it is nothing like this. Americans tend to like heavily oaked wines that go well with red meat. But here in France they like their wine to have a character that comes from the soil and the climate and the experience of the winemaker rather than from the oak barrel. I think I like that better too.

LE GRAND BLEU

Hotel-Dieu with its distinctive tiled roof.

We had dinner at this fish restaurant close to our hotel. It seems that all seafood restaurants in France have this name - the seafood restaurant in Saumur is also called "Le Grand Bleu".
We both had a starter - Rich had a gazpacho of lobster and asperagus, and I had six pétoncles, which were like coquilles St.Jacques only smaller.
After the starter the chef sent us an "amuse-bouche": a chilled melon and tomato soup.
For the entrée we shared a fish called a bar that was caught off the coast of Brittany. It was grilled "à la planche" and was served with a butter sauce that we could spoon over the fillet. Delicious!
I had a selection of cheeses and then they served dessert: moelleux for Rich, crème brulée for me. We finished the meal with coffee and calvados.

PICNIC

We put together an informal picnic in our hotel room. We bought some cheeses at Alain Hess, a half-bottle of champagne at Nicolas that was already chilled a loaf of bread from a small bakery. We laid it all out on the bed.
Rich was in charge of picking the cheeses (it’s hard to pick anything at Alain Hess – there is so much to look at and examine). He chose two goat cheeses and a cow’s milk cheese that was wrapped in lardon.

BEAUNE EN BOURGOGNE

The BRBus that took us to Beaune

We hitched a ride with Christian on the BRBus going to Beaune. He drove the whole way and we kept him company. It wasn’t the most comfortable trip I’ve ever taken but I did read a lot (Le Monde de l'Education Summer special, Lire Summer special, and an old edition of the weekly magazine L’Express). The hours flew by and a little before 8 in the evening we were left off at our hotel in the old quarter (Hotel Athanor).



The cellars at Monmousseau – watch out or an exploding bottle of champagne could decapitate you!

Christian wanted to stop in Montrichard at a winery where he had worked. He left us to taste the wines while he went to get reacquainted with his friends. We rambled through the excavated tunnels, wineglass in hand, admiring the engineering of this underground warehouse.


Our tour guide Christian. Also our cork-dork.

PROMENADE A POUANCE

POUANCE AUX MARCHES DE BRETAGNE

Voici la petite ville de 3500 habitants où j'ai grandi de 2 à 23 ans. Pouancé, située aux portes de la Bretagne est chargée d'histoire et à travers mes balades à vélo j'ai redécouvert cet endroit. Elle a subi de nombreuses guerres de succession entre l'Anjou et la Bretagne au 13ème siècle. Voici d'abord le château du 13ème siècle où serait passé Du Guesclin pendant la guerre de 100 ans. L'Anjou, dont fait partie Pouancé, était un pays de "grande gabelle", la taxe sur le sel. Il avait donc son grenier à sel encore visible aujourd'hui.

Je suis passée au pied du grand moulin qui n'est plus en activité depuis 1982 mais qui a fourni le farine à la population pendant de nombreux siècles.
Je me suis dirigée vers le quartier de la Fuye (les fuyards était le nom donné aux pigeons) où l'ancien pigeonnier seigneurial du 15ème siècle a vu sa charpente restaurée.

J'ai suivi le sentier de Tressé qui m'a conduit près de l'étang de la Forge où un observatoire à oiseaux a été installé. Puis le château de Tressé s'est dévoilé au détour d'un bois. Sur le sentier des écureuils, le nom de nombreux arbres étaient inscrits me permettant de développer ma connaissance sylvestre.

Après ces redécouvertes nostalgiques, je suis rentrée me reposer dans la ferme de mes parents, " la Landefrière".

TO THE MANOR BORN

Bruce and Steven's party in Varennes.


Which way to the party?


The grand entryway.


Bruce, the host, tout fleuri.


A very handsome couple at the party.


Bob and Mark (Real Housewives of Key West).

“PEUPLES DU MONDE, NOTRE HEURE EST VENUE”

Hopeful sign on a window-ledge in
Càndes-St-Martin

Dans le discours prononcé 24 juillet à Berlin, Barack Obama estime qu’il faut désormais “render l’espoir aux oubliés de la mondialisation”. Le candidat à la Maison Blanche reconnait qu’en Afghanistan “les Etats-Unis ne peuvent pas agir tout seuls”
Le Monde, July 26 2008.

OBAMA'S SPEECH IN BERLIN

JFK'S SPEECH IN BERLIN



Notre fleur est venue!

FELIZ CUMLEAÑOS, ANITA

A beautiful rose in Càndes-St-Martin

We made the traditional pilgrimage to light a candle in memory of Rich’s mom, Anita. This year we walked down to the church in Cándes on her birthday. Hopefully, Vladimir remembered to light a candle in Redwood City for his grandmother. If not, we will do it together when we get back.

I wanted to light a candle in memory of the Cuban Revolution which is considered to have started on this day in 1953 with the assault on the Moncada Barracks signaling the beginning of the end for the Bautista regime. Barack Obama made no mention of the continuing embargo against the Revolution in his speech in Berlin. Does he plan to continue the embargo when he becomes the 11th president to menace the Cuban people or is he offering hope to them too?
We had coffee at the Brocante des Metiers where I bought another copy of the Petit Larousse Illustré (the 1910 edition).

VISITE DE LA PRIEURALE DE CUNAULT

Vous êtes à la prieurale de Cunault. Ce petit village qui fait partie de la commune de Chênehutte-Trèves-Cunault fut un centre important de pèlerinage au Moyen-Âge. Des moines s'y sont réfugiés pour fuir les Normands arrivés de Nantes par la Loire. Cette église romane est une des plus jolies de France. On peut y observer les reliques de St Maxenceul, un orgue majestueux et une très belle piéta. Durant tout l'été 2008 s'y succèdent des concerts de musique classique réputés.

Chers Mairtin et Richard, nous avons passé de très belles journées en votre compagnie et nous vous remercions, c'était un réel plaisir!

SCHOOL DAYS

Christelle in her classroom in the town of Cunault.

We drove to Saumur to meet Christelle and Christophe. They were going to take us touring through some of the small villages along the Loire north of Saumur. We especially wanted to see the church at Cunault. As a bonus Christelle wanted to show us her school. Dark clouds were threatening rain but we were in a good mood and didn't really believe that it would rain. It did!


Epouvantils (scarecrows) in the school garden.

We went first to Christelle's school. She is the head teacher but also teaches the equivelant of K-1. There are only two teachers at her school. Her colleague has a classroom with a wide range of ages, from 2 through 5. It's a bit like a one-room schoolhouse from Little House on the Prairie.
Christelle's salary is paid by the State but almost all the other expenses are paid for by the local government. Just like schools in California that arrangement can lead to great inequalities - wealthier communities pay for lots of extras, rural villages struggle to provide the basics.


Gallo-roman leftovers.


The tymaneum of the church of Cunault showing the Virgin in majesty with Himself on her lap.


A well-known writer I had never heard of. A local boy.

After the school we took a look in the local cemetery which holds the final resting place of Herve Bazin, a writer. This little cemetery was a little like Père Lachaise with its one famous novelist.


Algeria was the big one for France but this poor guy lost his life in France's lessor known war in Tunisia.

As we were walking down to the church it started to rain. We ducked into the church to avoid the rain but were greeted by a stunning Romance interior. Majestic tall columns marched down the nave narrowing as they approached the apse giving the illusion of even greater height. The church, a priory really, has been beautifully restored. The tuffeau stone radiates a soft white light that invites stillness and contemplation.