France - Thursday to Saturday (St. Malo & Home)

Thursday, 2 November 2017

Now we have a car we can go a bit further afield, so today Saint Malo is on the program.  It's approx. a 1 1/2 hour drive, so easily done as a day trip.

It's a foggy start of the day, but the sun makes its appearance in no time and we enjoy the country site.

Luckily I have been able to get my old GPS for Europe to work again, although the suction cap is broken and there is no way I can attach it to the windscreen.  The magnetic suction cap that I use for my mobile phone doesn't hold the GPS as the back of it is curved.  Patricia finally makes the discovery of the day: a sort of sponge/chamois cover with a pocket in which I can slide the suction cap part of the GPS.  My day is made!

I have looked up possible parking areas at or near St Malo, but when we arrive I quickly discover a sign for free parking and a spot to park the car to boot.  From the parking lot we walk to the nearest street where we have noticed a few shops and lots of people, so that must be the centre.  Although we are at Saint Malo, we're not yet at the old, walled town.  We still have a bit of walking to do....

However, first things first.  We stop for a cup of coffee at the first cafe we see: le Cafe du Theatre.

A Google Earth picture (as usual when I forget to take pictures)

The coffee is great (French coffee always is!) and the plat du jour looks inviting, so we order lunch as well: chicken, haricots verts (smaller and softer than ordinary green beans) and a salad.

Next we wander off in the general direction of the old town.

Unfortunately there wasn't any life left in them....  Would have made a nice meal!

Not sure, but we think this was a dry dock

The old town comes into view

However, before we get as far as the above pictures show we have to find one or more caches on our way.

#1783 - Sea gate (cache)

I had to walk all the way around, because we had approached GZ from the wrong side.  Patricia was (patiently???) waiting on the other side of the gate for me to return... 

#1784 - Les écluses du Naye !! (cache)

This cache was somewhere we thought it couldn't be.  It was behind the locks and a building, but even close by the compass was pointing into the water.  I had better ideas and looked on the building side and that was the right thing to do! ;-)

Then we walk on and on our approach of the walls we see a beautiful old sailing boat and we want to have a closer look before we entre the gates.  It is a replica of a Russian Frigate of 1703.  It's worth the entry fee to have a look around, because I have never been on a ship like that before.  With Frank's love of boats he would have enjoyed this too.  We are lucky, because the ship is only in town for a few days.

Then it's about time we enter the walled part of town, otherwise we won't get to see anything.  The first few streets make you wonder, but after we have walked to the eastern walls, and have search for a cache in vaine, we hit the main street with all the shops, souvenir shops!!!  I woundn't want to be here in high season, that's for sure!  However, at this time of the year it's not unpleasant if you concentrate on the buildings and other surroundings.  After a while we hit on a little cafe: Le Cargo Culte, un cafe brocante original.  It is most certainly original and brocante as well.  Almost everything in the cafe is retro and almost everything has a price tag attached, even the chairs we sit on.  Quite an original idea and the coffee tastes good, as usual.

After that Patricia wants to return to the car, so we make tracks to the parking lot all the while taking a few more pictures.  I will certainly come back here again, if not together then I have a fortnight by myself which I have to fill in, so that won't be a problem.

A little tourist attraction - you see them everywhere...

Souvenir shops galore

The newer part of town

Friday, 3 November 2017

I might as well add two more days, as I haven't much to tell and neither do I have a great number of photograps.

Friday morning was a lazy morning (by choice) and in the afternoon we went to Fougères to find a bigger supermarket than the one here close by.  We also wanted to get a feel of the town to see if it is worth visiting otherwise.

The supermarket I found was a hypermarket, so big enough for our taste and besides the staple items we found a few nice frozen meals.  Not your average meal, but a great seafood paella with real mussels and another oven-bake dish.  Of course we cook now and again, but a ready meal after a day out always comes in handy.

We knew that we would find the oldest castle of France in Fougères (dating back to the year 1000 I believe), so I did a quick drive past and we noticed that behind the castle there is a wealth of old houses and buildings, worth a visit.  We also saw a most beautiful mural, and looking at the names of various geocaches in town there may be quite a few more.

Saturday, 4 November 2017

The plan was to go back and visit Fougères today, but the air was moist in the morning and later the rain set in, so it was to be a quiet day at home.  Not bad, because I have had plenty of time to catch up on some outstanding jobs on te computer.

The dining room where I work on my laptop

The kitchen

And just when you think that nothing else is going to happen, Michelle knocks on the door with her laptop in hand.  It would be funny if you could see the two of us: both with our laptops at the table to communicate through the translator! :-)

Anyway, she was here to tell us about another possibility when we leave here by train and the question also was if I wanted to come to the orchard to buy apples.  Any time!  I love a drive in the campagne (country), so I came home with apples and Patricia is currently making apple sauce.

I don't expect any surprises anymore, so this should be it for today.

France - Tuesday and Wednesday (Home & Geocaching)

Tuesday, 31 October 2017

As the days are getting shorter we are not in a hurry to get up early in the morning.  I generally wake up at 6 am anyway, but do some reading or play a few games of Wordfeud with friends and family.  I get up at 8, have my shower and breakfast and will see what the day brings if we haven't planned anything beforehand.

Still a bit weary from travelling I liked to get settled quietly and did a lot of reading, as my book for the bookclub needed to be finished this week anyway and I still have to write my review as well.  I also caught up with our bookkeeping, email messages and I read through some tourist info to get the feel of our surroundings.

Michèle came upstairs for some additional information about the washing machine and the fire place and brought the papers and keys for the car.

After that we ventured outside in search for the nearest supermarket, which we discovered at only 400 m distance, so easy to walk, even with a few shopping bags.  As usual we don't do much cooking so were happy to find a few nice frozen meals, which happened to taste good too.

We had dinner at our normal time and sat a few hours in the living room with the nice, cosy fire before we went to bed at 9 pm.  Haloween is celebrated here as well, but luckily we didn't get a lot of knocks on the door...

In the pictures you'll see natural stone exposed or covered to some degree and here and there thick wooden beams (bedroom).  This is an old house/cottage with very thick stone walls and fire places.  It has been extensively renovated and somehow devided in living area upstairs and a garage and studio downstairs.  The garden at the back is used by both. 

Wednesday, 1 November 2017

As Patricia was running out of fresh clothing we did a few loads of washing first thing in the morning.  I also had a 'chat' with Michèle and Jean-Pierre, because they told me that the power had cut out in the morning.  I was aware that we were not to use anything electric while the shower was running (electric hot water system and pump most likely), because there wasn't enough amperage delivered to the house.  In this case Jean-Pierre apparently ran the microwave oven while I was having my shower at 8 am!  So, both houses are affected!  How to solve that kind of problem?  I asked them if we could use the shower between 8 and 9 am.  They could use whatever they needed before and after that time.  I am not too sure how their arrangement is when Vanessa is home, but this suggestion seemed to work for them, so from now on it's showering between 8 and 9 in the morning!

As it was Toussaint (All Saints Day) in France, the shops would be closing at 12 noon, because it is a public holiday.  All Souls Day is celebrated on the 2nd of November, but since it is not a public holiday most people go and take flowers (mostly chrysanthemums, like I remember from my childhood in the Netherlands) to the cemetery on All Saints Day.  

As we had the car keys now and a car for our use, we went for a 'test drive' to the nearest village.  I know I can drive any car in any country, but.... every time I think: "I can't do this!" so I go for a short drive to get the feel of the car and the roads.  Anyway, I had no problems at all, so the drive was a short one and on the way back we stopped at the supermarket for groceries.

In the afternoon I wanted to stretch my legs and explore a bit around town, so I loaded (the only) two geocaches in my phone and off we went.

The first one was near the town hall and a mini golf course in a small park.  A pleasant area to walk through and take a few pictures.

The nearby church

A harvest of apples in a back yard

Mini Golf course

Fountain and town hall

View of the church

Patricia enjoying a rest after we found the nearby cache

#1782 - La mairie, le mini-golf de Fougerolles (cache)

The next part of our afternoon stroll lead to the next cache near a lake.  We searched and searched, but to no avail.  We couldn't find the cache.  What I did find instead was a whole load of chestnuts!  Haven't had those in years, so I went home with a pocket full and can enjoy the taste again.

The chestnuts, or rather, what's left of them... ;-)

Goodbye Poland - Hello France

Monday, 30 October 2017

When you're travelling you generally don't have much time to take pictures, or you have your hands full with luggage, tickets, passport, etc.  The only time I could take a picture was on the plane, because for a change I had my mobile phone in my hands.

Anyway, casting my mind back to early in the morning. We had a shower and breakfast and as we had already packed we chatted with Renata until the taxi arrived.  A bit late, as it was early Monday morning, but with enough time to spare to get us to the airport in time.  This driver spoke very well English, which may have been because he was a tour organiser as well and we chatted all the way.  We talked about geocaching and he wanted to know all about it, so we may have another convert. ;-)

At the airport we bought a new puzzle book (too much time on our hands....) and sandwiches, because we didn't know where exactly we would be around lunch time. Then it was just a matter of waiting for the plane to leave, which wasn't too long.

Next we had to say goodbye to Kraków, so I took a last picture on the plane:

When we landed at Charles the Gaulle airport after a short while we first sat down and had a cuppa, so we could get orientated on the next part of the trip: the train to Rennes.

It was quite a long wait, on uncomfortable wooden benches, but finally the time came that we were informed of the platform from where the train would leave.  We wanted to get down the stairs at S (platform Sud-South), because the train would travel south, but were re-directed to platform N (Nord-North).  We came down the stairs at point C, but had to walk all the way back to point F at...... you guessed it: platform S!!!  The train is very long and all the numbered carriages will stop at points A, B, to whatever the length of the train is.  At least, that part was well organised.

We would have been very comfortable had it not been for having seats at the top deck of the train.  There we were, no room for luggage downstairs so we had to lug our suitcases up the narrow, winding stairs to the next level, and, at the end of the trip..... down again!  However, the train trip was uneventful otherwise and when we arrived at Rennes Michelle and Jean-Pierre (Vanessa's parents) were waiting for us.  Next an hour's drive in the car and then we were at our destination: Fougerolles-du-Plessis.

We had some conversation, with each of us our limited English and equally limited French, but we got the drift when something needed to be told or asked.  Michelle and Jean-Pierre live downstairs; our apartment, two levels, is upstairs. Michelle lit the fire for us in the wood stove and we were quite comfortable in no time.  It didn't take long though before we started looking for our beds, as we had a long day behind us.

So, we went upstairs and these are going to be my 'sleeping' quarters for the next month:

Bedroom

En suite

Spa (which I am not going to use)

Poland - Saturday and Sunday (Kraków & Geocaching)

Saturday, 28 October 2017

It's already our last day in Ustroń , and since we are not leaving early we have an easy morning.  Also, because we don't have to clean, I have been informed by Anna, because they have a cleaning lady who comes in after we have left.  How good is that?

I take my time packing my suitcase, as I want to keep things handy for when we are at Renata's place, but also have to have it packed for the flight to Paris.  Weight wise it is a bit of a precarious situation, but up till now I have managed.

I also take a few pictures of the apartment:

Living room

Kitchen

Patricia wants to walk to the markets one last time and since I have seen it all I prefer to stay home.  Also because it is still raining.  Never took a liking to it. ;-)  I tidy the place and read a bit until Patricia returns and then we have lunch.

And then, 10 minutes before we have to leave, Kevin rings me on Skype.  Finally contact, but..... alas, we have to keep it brief.  I need to pack the last few things and check the house for forgotten items, so we have to keep it very, very brief.  Hopefully I get another chance next week.

We close the door behind us, one last time, and hand in the keys at the guard's.  The walk to the bus stop is not long and the bus is on time, so we're on our way.

In Kraków we look for a taxi after we have had a brief rest with a cappuccino.  At the taxi stand I ask a man if everybody there is in line for the taxi.  As he doesn't speak English he calls out to a few young man with the question if any of them do, and yes, one young man comes forward and tells us, no, there is nobody waiting and we can walk through the little opening in the fence and wait there.

A few minutes later he returns and says, not to worry, the taxi will come.  And then he returns again and tells us that there is a better place to wait for a taxi.  He takes hold of Patricia's suitcase and we follow him to some other waiting taxis.  He asks for our address and asks one of the drivers if he could take us there. Then we get a hand-kiss and a kiss and off we go.  Obviously he was part of the larger group who had been drinking heavily near the taxi stand! :-)  However, he was polite at all times and a great help to boot!

The taxi driver didn't not speak a work English, but got us where we wanted to be, so all was fine.  Renata and Eva were out and had left a note to that effect, so we settled with a cup of tea and a sandwich later till they come home later in the evening.  Renata made some more sandwiches and afterwards we sat down and talked till bed time. Patricia (the non-drinker in our group) joined Renata with a vodka (or two, or.....), but I didn't as I am not to use any sugar at all while on antibiotics.  I know that vodka doesn't contain any added sugar, but I don't really know what the alcohol does, so I don't want to take any chances.

Sunday, 29 October 2017

On Sunday we get up a lot later than usual, because the clock was turned back during the night at the end of daylight saving time.  We have breakfast with Renata, as Eva is a healthy sleeper (teenager!) and gets up a lot later.  We have the usual bread, ham and tomato, but today Renata has added sery goralskie as well and lovely olives.  Our cheese slices are cut from one of the bigger pieces that you can buy.

It was a very stormy day, but I really wanted to go for a walk to get some fresh air.  Renata and Eva were going to church and on our walk we could perhaps look for some geocaches.

We tried three, but did not have any luck.  Of the first one I noticed too late that it had been archived, and the next one we couldn't find.  (DNF - Patroni ulic Podgórza Duchackiego #18 A. Bochenek)

It was near a hospital and a security man approached us, because, of course we were behaving suspiciously.  I tried to tell him what we were doing, showing the app on my mobile phone, but he got annoyed because he didn't understand and let us do what we were doing.  It must have seemed harmless after all. ;-)

The third one we couldn't find either.  (DNF - SP nr 27 Kraków)  It was supposed to be a magnetic, but after having tried all the metal places in the vicinity we gave up.  It stormed, it rained and it was no longer a pleasure to be outside.  We were also standing next to a tree, half of which had already come down during the night, so it was safer to move inside.

When Renata and Eva returned from church Renata printed out our train tickets for Rennes and booked a taxi for the following morning.

Dinner consisted of some kind of pork stew with mashed potatoes and a beetroot salad.  Although I love all the Polish food, I had to get used to the enormous amount of salt which is being used in most of the meals.  As Patricia always adds some salt to her meals, and I never use salt when I am cooking, it must have only been me who had to get used to the salty taste, but it didn't really take away from the lovely Polish dishes.  On the contrary, I may even try and cook some myself when I am back home.  As for the restaurants, you can't find many better restaurants outside of Poland.  For us westerners the price is obviously attractive, but the ambiance, the cleanliness, the friendly service and of course the food, makes it for one of the best experiences.

Then a last chat and time for bed, because it's travel time again the following morning.