July 19 (Day 282)

Sorry I haven't done any work lately. The last two B&Bs my family and I stayed at had Wi-Fi, but not a computer, so had to wait until I had access. I am currently stuck in Kandahar, so figured this was a good time to post.

I ended on July 1 last time. Here is what follows.

We got up early on the 2^nd in preparation for our drive to Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport to pick up my sister. It was a pleasant drive, taking us several hours to arrive. There were rolling hills, lots of green foliage, crops, and you could often see for fair distances. Fortunately, there was a GPS in the car, so we were able to plug in our destination. Of course, when we put in the airport, about 10 different ending points were listed. We just selected the first one, and figured once we were close enough, road signs would point us the right way.

Once we arrived at the airport, the adventure was really just beginning; now we had to find Nicole. We actually got there about ½ hour after her purported arrival time, giving her opportunity to go through customs/immigration and get her checked baggage. Mom and I went into the terminal, while Dad drove the car in circles. We found the information desk, verifying her flight had arrived, and where she should be exiting the gangway. We didn't see her right away, so while one of us stayed put, the other would wander inside and outside, seeing if we could find a glimpse of Nicole. After a while, we both just stayed put, hoping she had not made the exit yet. Shortly thereafter, Nicole came up from behind and surprised us both. She had been wandering around the area as well. Seems we just kept missing each other.

I called Dad (we picked up a couple of “cheap” cell phones in Germany) to let him know we were on our way to the pick-up point. At least we didn't have any problems finding him! We completed greetings all around and loaded my sister's luggage. Now we were on our way to the region of Normandy.

Again, it was a pleasant several hour drive to our next destination of Carentan, France, and our first B&B. The main interruptions were toll booths, and the tolls are not cheap. We spent around 40 Euro between Paris and Carentan. The other thing is we never quite knew what we were going to get; sometimes we would get a ticket to pay later, others took credit cards, while others had cashiers. We just had to be ready for anything.

One weird thing my father and I observed (Mom and sis were crashed out in the back most of the time) were some sort of “art” along the side of the road. They looked like they might have been made of wood and just off the shoulder. They came in different shapes, flat circles and triangles, 3D globes and squares, etc..., and were painted in pastel colors, with no discernible patterns. I thought them quite ugly and an eyesore to an otherwise beautiful country.

We made a detour to Bayeax on our way. Mom and read about a tapestry that is kept there. It tells the story of the conquest of England by William, Duke of Normandy in the Battle of Hastings. It was embroidered in the 11^th century and is listed as a “Memory of the World” by UNESCO. The tapestry is quite a site at 70 meters in length! We purchased the audio tour, which described the scenes. It was very interesting. I encourage you to look it up on the internet.

After Bayeax, it was only a 20 minute drive to Carentan. We arrived, but found out we were early, as check in wasn't until 6pm, it was only 5pm. We drove around the immediate area, looking around, maybe to get a bite to eat. This was our first experience in learning the French keep very different hours of operation for their stores, including restaurants, as nothing was open. We parked in a little square and walked around for a bit, taking in the scenery. After a while, we headed back to the B&B to get settled in.

Our hostess, Nancy, was gracious and friendly. We were given two rooms. I was afforded one to myself (compliments of my sister for not having real privacy in Afghanistan). It was decorated in blue with a oceanic theme, with lighthouses and sailboats. Blue is my favorite color and I collect lighthouses; how cool is that! After we were settled, we received a reference from Nancy on a restaurant just down the road. It was a nice establishment. I had a really good pizza. I have some pictures, but those will have to wait until I get to Shindand where I can load them onto my computer.

Well, my time is almost up on the computer, so I will check in later for another post.

Until next time...