We continue to have a fine time. We walk when the tide is out, then go back when the tide is full. Amazing difference. We were on the coast at sunset. We were caught in a bit of rain, but had layers of protection. and kept on for an hour. Great experience for people from NM.

We went to the town market and bought fruits and veg, as well as locally smoked sea trout. Picnic at home. I am still looking for a game, though I found a “bouledrome ” in Penvenan. Raining, no one there.

We went to Sunday service at the cathedral. It was first communion for about 20 kids, and another was going on a mission – exchange.

We are having a wonderful time in Treguier and the peninsula around it. We had clear weather yesterday, but rain today. We love the old home belonging to John and Faith Lewis. It is down by the edge of the port and made of gray pink granite. The town is sited where two rivers come together, but they both have strong tides, at least 12 feet or more. The home is beautiful, with wonderful furniture and a green garden. We had crepe last night, and it was Nancy’s favorite meal so far. She had smoked salmon with a grapefruit sherbert. There is a fine old cathedral from 1400 or so, with timbered shops around the square.

We also stopped on the way to see a German cemetery of 10,000 souls, and Mt. St. Michel, also a high point for us both.

We drove more than 2 hours each way, but it was worth it. It is the most beautiful garden and pond complex, and the site of many famous paintings.

With more amazing photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/40346727@N02/

Bought a $6.00 bottle of wine at the grocery store……….it’s as good as we get in CA on our wine safaris—and for $30.00/bottle. Had our best meal tonight, at the Le Pommier (Apple ) –in Bayou

devine salad with ham, smoked salmon, tomatoes, apple, and a huge chunk of goat cheese, dinner a seafood cassolet in cream sauce with vegs, and dessert, their special apple pie in a philo dough crust. I’m full! Lew has taken photos of each meal……..but sometimes remembers only after half is consumed so the pretty presentation is lost. Bayou has historic buildings dating back to the middle ages, made of stone and timber, and a beautifully lit up cathedral in the center of town.

Tomorrow we drive to Gvernee……..easier to drive 70 miles in our bread delivery vehicle than getting there by train from Paris…………both excited about this venture.

9/16 A great breakfast, and then we walk about the farm and see the cows and corn. We find a church first dated 1027, but up to 1550 in parts. We drive to Juno Beach to see the cliffs they climbed and the round 360 Cinema, which showed pictures of then and now in a good way. The wind picked up as we went to German gun emplacements left in place. Apparently there were about 15,000 all together. We had a huge cup of coffee and the hot milk from her cows, croissant, bread butter waiting for the Americans who also read Rick Steves to arrive today. We found a road kill hedgehog, old stone building, with little new homes as well. Roses and Rhododendrons. Neat winding cobble stone streets and garden paths and a small bridge. The weather was very appropriate for what we saw, it was blustery, strong winds almost strong enough to blow us over, gray overcast, and rain…..the beach where our troops landed, and the 9000 Crosses that were there, as well as some Jewish Stars of David. The Omaha Beach Museum was the best.

Some observations (with a missing contact), and questions, (from a ever curious mind, take it as you may) and some comments (from one who rarely speaks her mind)………
Why are the French known for their fine foods, and all the women are thin? Not fair.
Is there really such a thing as evil? If not, what was Hitler?

These beautiful countrysides are being infused with signs (my pet peeve in America) Holiday Inn, Starbucks, MacDonalds—why can’t we keep our bad habits to ourselves?

There is nowhere to get a cafe au lait to go…………forces people to sit down and enjoy a cup of coffee or tea while taking a deep breath…………less litter too.

People in Paris walk little dogs, and pick up their poops, most of the time. When they don’t Lew is sure to step in it.
Kids ride scooters on the cobble stone streets
Everybody smokes—well dressed women on the streets
Well dressed women ride bikes to work in Paris. Well dressed women, no two alike, cannot identify chicos or Talbots, never saw two pair of shoes alike, except for a left and right.
Parks are neat, crowed, lovers everywhere, pigeons too, It is the city of love, 2 flies were doing it on our windshield.
We feel safe walking in Paris and Normandy even at night……..don’t see gangs, or thuggy looking people, except the night we took the train home from the un opera.
Women wearing jeans, short skirts showing their fit and tanned legs, no nylons and sandles or heels—even when it is cold. No orthotics. Every female has a scarf around her neck……….now I do too, they are warm and feminine. I wear warm socks and slacks, hiding my not so fit or tanned legs.

After today’s outing, I wonder once again, why do we have to have wars? We don’t. Politicians and egomanics do…Every single one of those 9,000 crosses represented a son, a father, a lover, a young life cut short, those 9,000 multiplied by numbers too high to count, left grieving .

Our little farm house is charming and cozy. Madaline warm, beautiful, and so welcoming, a most gracious hostess. . Certainly those little calves crying from the dark barn wearing collars and chained to the wall are only waiting to be reunited with their mothers who are being milked—I do hope and pray we are not staying at a veal farm. Lew will not let me ask about the poor little critters, for fear I will go ballistic if I hear what I could not bear to know. So they are just waiting for their mommies.

In desperation after Lew’s petanque game, I dashed into the toilet of an empty cafe, and upon leaving said, “merci”…only to get chewed out by the bartenders, scolded to the verge of tears, because it was not a public toilet……….helping international relations I am.

Lew is so smart, he got us all over Paris via au pieds and metro, and through the small windy streets to our destinations.–but then when there was no car until “tomorrow” and no one to meet us at the farm, he realized we left Paris a day early!!

From our bedroom window, I can see the two Americans unloading their car……with their own pillows, and carrying a Rick Steves backpack, just like ours…guess we all read the same guidebook.

Love traveling with Lew……he makes my neck hurt……..never before have I looked up at so many buildings, and appreciated the beautiful and intricate structures. He fills me in on history…….bringing life to history, and history to life…….especially today, when the statistics became more than numbers, they were names, and faces, and feelings. He got me thinking of the German soldiers, some just farm kids who were in the gunneries just waiting for the assault by the allies….how in some way they too were victims. (we’re not talking about the Natzis and Hitler’s planners). I looked at the hedge lined roads differently, because in the war they were barriers for our lines to move forward. I noticed the different nationalities of people, collectively somber, respectful, absorbing the meaning and quiet beauty of the cemetery while the sound of the wind and waves from Omaha beach provided an erie backdrop.

Today is really our last day in Paris. We both seem to be getting a bit tired going around. Nancy had coffee at a local place. We bought gifts at Bon Marche. And I almost lost Nancy at the scarf shop there. We went to the Rodin museum, but it is closed on Mondays. A nice lady spoke with us. She had worked there 40 years and her son lives in Oregon and works too hard. He visited her for 6 days. We walked to the Relais de Entrecote, recommended by Phoebe and Cacki. A steak palace. Nancy got a salad and cheese plate. I was told not to take pictures, as they were worried about their secret sauce. (butter, pepper, tarragon) Pigeons were inside with us. We even had profiteroles. It was a great meal, but 45 Euros for lunch. Evian spelled backwards is naïve, and I got a 4 Euro water I did not order. A fun walk to the scarf shop, and I find it without trouble, it is our 4 th time. We are resting outside in our patio. Nancy is watering the basil and other herbs. It is a beautiful place.

We set off to play petanque again. Played again in the Lux Jardin

I played with Jean Pierre, against Max and Bartolome. Lost the first game by a fanny, 13 – 0, won the next two. We were ahead 7 – 0 at one point. The President of the club, Nourdine, came over to watch. About 40 players and about 30 fans watching. I got tips from a great shooter, but need to practice.

They even have their own building, so you can leave your balls there. About 6 six person games going at once. Chairs and benches for the fans.

After play Max came and gave me some tips about shooting. He was very friendly. He is from Martinique in the Carribean. We have emails. I learned we missed a player from Paris in Santa Fe for a while. Perhaps next year.

9/15 We had laundry mishaps late at night. We could not get things dry, nor go to sleep. Up pretty early to eat all of our left over food and rush to the train station. The packs were very heavy with Paris books and petanque balls. When we rushed up to buy tickets, we had two hours . The internet I looked it up with was wrong. The train was wonderful, but it was 62 Euros for the one way trip. Something was funny as the car rental expected me the next day. Nancy could not get into the ladies room, and was ready to have an act of social disobedience. It was hard to figure how to get out of Caen, but people seemed much kinder and more friendly. With a few wrong turns we got to the Memorial Museum. Then on to Ryes. The road was beautiful, the farm was gorgeous, no one but the cows were here for an hour. I had figured the days wrong and we left Paris a day early. At the station I was laughing a lot at Tucker Max in his book he wrestles with the mascot of a junior hockey team. Nancy liked it, but not as much as I.

I have uploaded some new pictures. This batch of pictures includes some tasty food.

Nancy wakes at 6:30 and announces she is hungry, making us both tired for the rest of the day. We went to the Marais, which no longer seems that Jewish for a Jewish section. We saw one shop, Mick’s Deli, but it was closed. The rest has become Shi shi trendy shops, with lots of shi shi people. Nancy makes friends with a guy with a big Newfoundland dog, telling him all about Chutney. He was nice and seemed to understand Nancy. She thinks all the others are a bit stuck up when she tells them about her dogs in English. We saw Place des Voges and the home of Victor Hugo. A fancy old Mansion now the city revolution Museum. Nancy gets nauseous seeing pictures of the heads being cut off. We nap, then go to Eifel Tower. The wait for tickets is 45 minutes, so we admire it and leave. Chanting French high school students and Germans asking me for help. We go to the Petanque shop. Not much different from what is available on line. With rather plain shirts and hats. Still we buy about 120 Euros of balls and bags. N wants to go where there is more action … the gay area of town. It was quiet during the day, and jammed with thin guys with short hair at night. We had a plain steak and a good chicken dinner. Great sauces for both. Enjoyed talking to a guy from Italy, a jazz dance teacher who lived in London for two years, now teaching and selling ice cream at night. I had dark chocolate and black fig, Nancy had dark chocolate and mint, you could taste the leaves. So good.

Lew up early and shopping, Nancy sleeping till coffee at 11. stamps and letters, Musee d’Orsay, headphones, mouse at lunch, go to Luxembourg and play with Jean, Michelle, Francoise, Alain, Mick and I. Three games, two won. Snacks with Mick, then back to look at scarves. Fancy chocolate with a plastic spoon, walk about looking for scarves, crowded bars. Bland onion soup for Nancy, snacks at home.

The club is in a huge park that belongs to the national Senate, which goes off work at 2. They can play after 2 till the park closes at sunset, about 7:30 this time of year. There seemed to be about 40 players and as many fans in seats. Some arguing, and varied levels of play. While most are older men, some young guys and one woman. I met Mick, a connection from NYC. He is a screen writer, a professor and takes his vacation here in Paris, and has played for a few years. He gets us a game with four others, all pretty good. Lew feels very intimidated at first, as they expect me to be the shooter on our team.

I think I have missed a day, we had mussels at Leon and they were great. Walked all through the left bank, the old historic part of Paris. Again with the concern about scarves for Nancy and her friends.

Slept till 9:30, two false starts. It was raining, and Lew laughed as Nancy had refused to bring the umbrella he had bought her specially. Then within two blocks she got cold and wanted to go back and change into something warmer, even though it was 75 degrees and sunny the rest of the day. We got the tickets to the opera. We ate at a small cafe, cafe au lait, bad omelette. Surprisingly the croissants were better than the ones Lew gets at Sam’s Club.

We headed towards Notre Dame. Lew warned about pick pockets and scams about 35 seconds before we were hit by the old “Starving Bosnian” trick as he was trying to hook up the two earphone tour. Inside Nancy lit a candle for Matt still in hospital, Melinda who passed on. Putting money in for one candle, and palming the other.

Nancy saw a gallery show about Africa, and met two women she knew about 1978 in the Sudan. Angela Fisher and Carole Beckwith are good friends of Sherry Dores, and were excited to hear about her.

We went grocery shopping. Nancy was looking for lotion, and kept putting shampoo all over her arms until I found her some cream.

We met Tom Murray, a friend of Keith and Curt from Santa Fe, having a mask show here in Paris. We saw a guy with face tattoos and plastic spacers in his ears and lips.

Isle St. Louis, we had the special ice cream, at Berthillon. Nancy had dark chocolate and melon, Lew had apricot and raspberries. We walked along and saw very fancy homes and the historic older part of the city.

We decided it was worth while to go to Melun to see the opera. I was worried about how we would get back. Nancy wore good shoes and good jewelry, fancy opera clothes she picked out with advice from her friends. Lew wore what he had all day. Took the train and metro. No bus, no taxis, others waiting, from 7:45 to 8:20. Nancy wanted to hitch hike, but a bus driver said it would be dangerous. So we came back home; there were huge drunk kids. 20 year olds with two tone hair, sherry and coke it seemed, trying to toss empty bottles from the windows. Tuna sandwich while waiting for a taxi.

Long flight, but easy off, push the baggage through the airport. The apartment is great but small, Myriam explains things well. We rest then go out.

The first day we got a bit lost. Had a snack at tea place. Nancy said the little quiche was the best she had ever had. Mine was pastry with raspberry jam.

Took a solid 21/2 nap, then metro to and sought out Nancy’s favorite restaurant remembered from 1965 and 1979 trip, best onion soup dripping with divine melted chez……….s

Au Pied de Cochon – soup was as good, if not better than I remembered it to be. Sat next to a single man who skoled with us when Nancy sipped her wine………restaurant livened up around 8:30. Lew talked with two Japanese men, Nancy with a couple from Montreal who had a deep fried pig foot. Nancy had memories from her visits over the years. She was too full to have the mousse with two chocolates, white and dark, day and night.

Romance ensued