August 13 (Day 307)

Yes, it has been a minute since I posted. Although work hasn’t been overwhelming, there were still some items to concentrate on. It is getting down to the wire, so to speak, of heading home. There are some housecleaning activities to take care of. I had to update my evaluation support form (used by my rater to write up my evaluation), track some equipment, work on a mail movement plan for the holidays (it will definitely increase!), among others. So, my time seemed to fly by and my attention was focused elsewhere. Anyways…

My Soldiers and I are decidedly looking forward to returning home; to the extent that is what we think about most days. We talk about what we will do first, or the first restaurant we’ll go to, who we will see, etc… I am not sure what will happen when I first get back, as my house is being rented. I may not be able to move right in, but rather lounge at a hotel and be forced to eat out every day. You probably think that sounds good to me right now, since I have been stuck with the dining hall for almost a year. Honestly, though, I’d prefer to just cook at the house.

I have been checking out the Lexus homepage, keeping tabs on the new ES 350 I plan on purchasing after getting home. It sure is a nice looking car. I figure it is time to trade up to something nicer (and a bit bigger!) than my current Accent. I do like my current car, don’t get me wrong. Well, how about an entry on my Europe trip?

We dropped Nicole at the airport in the morning of July 8. She had to get back home and prepare to move across the country. I know she was disappointed to leave without being able to spend more time in Paris. I am sure she will return there soon to correct that discrepancy. We actually returned to our B&B right after. There was a metro station about a block away, providing a much more relaxing way to get downtown. We got downtown to experience our first “real” excursion to Paris. As usual, the weather kept threatening, a bit cool, but mostly it stayed overcast, with the rain held at bay.

Our first stop was the Eiffel Tower. It is definitely a sight! One doesn’t get a full grasp of its size from pictures. When we got to the base, we found a very long line. It turned out that only one of the elevators was operating, versus four that are possible. Each “leg” has its own elevator, labeled for the four cardinal directions to which they faced. We stayed in line for about an hour, and only made it about half-way to the ticket counter. We would then have to get in line for the actual elevator. The decision was made to call it quits and try again the next day. It was something of a disappointment, since Mom and I had planned on going all the way to the top (Mom ended up not feeling well the next day).

Not to be swayed by the failure, we took a leisurely stroll to the Louvre. Talk about another eye-popping experience. Again, pictures and words fail to truly describe this landmark. Getting in didn’t take much time, so that was nice. After getting maps of the museum, I made my short list of items to see (since there was no way to see even a miniscule percentage in the time we planned on staying). My first stop was the Code of Hammurabi. Since I majored in Criminal Justice for my Bachelor’s, it seemed very appropriate, being one of the earliest written law codes in existence. Also, since Babylon is significant in the Bible, it made it that much more interesting. Of course, I had to find it first! There are three main wings, with several floors each, and I found out it was more complicated than just going room to room in some areas. I actually thought I might not find it, when I literally stumbled upon it. This version is on a stele as opposed to a clay tablet for example. It is an impressive specimen, standing over seven feet tall. You can see some pics in part 2 for today.

My second visit was, of course, to the Mona Lisa. Not surprisingly, it is housed in a different wing of the Louvre than the Code, so I had to backtrack quite a bit to the central area of the museum, then on to my second adventure. On my first trip through this area, I bypassed many paintings, not taking too much time to look. After locating the Mona Lisa (and walking through the Egyptian section), I took more time. The paintings are quite nice, and some are huge! I can’t imagine the kind of talent it takes to “see” what you want to paint in its entirety, yet only working on a small section, and having it come out, all in scale. The Mona Lisa itself is quite small. One imagines it as a larger than life depiction from what we see in movies and the like. The room housing the painting is fairly small with only a couple of other paintings. I think it used to be by itself. Anyway, the room was packed, and there was an actual line to get in to get close. I bypassed that option, and took a picture on zoom.

My third excursion was through the Egyptian Antiquities section. This was mostly a visual trip, since all the notations were in French. This aspect was quite disappointing. I would have liked to get more information on the objects, but since I am not fluent in the language… There was still a lot to see, just not as big an impact without more knowledge.

I met up with Mom and Dad after my carousing, as they had a different agenda. By this point it was time to eat. There was what looked to be a nice, albeit, highly priced restaurant in the central “mall,” but we opted for a sandwich shop (remember, subs are highly portable and seem to be a favorite of the French). This was also the first time I had an Orangina. It was pretty good. I don’t have sodas much anymore, but this was a nice treat. I blame Mom!

I found it interesting that there is not only a metro station under the Louvre, but a full-blown shopping center. This was in addition to the requisite souvenir shops. Of course, you have to walk through the shopping area to get to the metro; coincidence? We did spend a few minutes looking around, but I knew I wasn’t buying anything!

Since I was in Paris, I decided to try to determine where the Hard Rock Café was. I collect their guitar pins, so wanted to add to my collection. I asked the information center at the Louvre, but the best the person could tell me was a metro stop. Once I got to the metro, I found out it wasn’t the name of the stop, but rather the name of the street where the metro stopped. It took some work to figure that out. Since Mom and Dad had no reason to go to the HRC, they went back to the B&B, while I went on a solo adventure. As it turns out, the metro in Paris is a lot like the one in D.C. I managed to get to the correct spot without too much hassle, but locating the actual HRC was a trite more difficult. I was told one could see the shop from the station, but that wasn’t exactly true. That meant a 50/50 chance of direction, and I didn’t know how far I might have to go. I went the wrong way (of course!) first, and walked several blocks. Once I got to a certain point, which happened to be the Indiana Café (in Paris?), I turned around to try the other direction. I went several blocks past my start point in the opposite direction and still ended up peering to see the small guitar sign signifying the entrance. I had thought it would have been easier to see; most of the other downtown locations I have been had. At least I got my guitar pins, able to catch the metro back to the B&B, which was a lot easier since I was simply backtracking.

More next time…

August 5 (Day 299) Part 2

From the top: 1) creperie dinner restaurant; 2-4) baked goods in Le Vesinet; 5-9) various vendor options in Le Vesinet market; 10-11) sweets in Le Vesinet; 12) my dinner crepe; 13-15) Palace of Versailles and gardens

August 5 (Day 299)

We decided to spend some time in Le Vesinet the following morning (July 7). Kristie told us about a market that was being held then. It was just a couple of blocks away from La Riante, in another square a block off the one with the church we saw the previous evening. The market was quite something; you can tell by the pics in part 2 of today’s entry. There were fruits, cheeses, meats, flowers, breads, and nuts galore, in addition to some vendors with purses, jewelry, and clothing. Having something like that back home would be nice, being able to get fresh items daily. Although, I would tell one of the vendors that she should wear some gloves while handling the meat. One my Dad noticed went from one customer to the next, handling different meats and not cleaning up between. Not too sanitary. Maybe she felt any germs would be killed when the meat was cooked? Anyway, that is how they do things.

After some time, we heading back to the B&B, and decided on heading over to Versailles – a 30 minute trip. Our destination was the famous palace, and when we got there, a line of cars was waiting to get into the parking area. It was set up so that if the lot was full, another car could not enter until another left. The entrance gate had a ticket dispenser that was linked to the exit; when a person paid, a ticket was presented. Not a bad system, preventing people from clogging up the lot and ensuring first come, first serve.

The exterior of the palace itself was unbelievable. Not only was it grandiose in size, so was the architecture. There were reliefs, and gilding, huge arches, columns, and windows. The gardens were also wonderful. I would have liked to have taken a tour of the interior, but the line was just too long. Unfortunately, it started raining, and hard. Fortunately, we happened to be in one of the gift shops when it started. The door to the shop led out to a large archway, perhaps 40’ wide, and boy was there a crowd trying to avoid the downpour! When we first pulled into Versailles, I noticed how nice it was. Due to the rain, though, our trip was cut short, so I was unable to get some pictures; another place to return to later.

After the washout, we headed back to Le Vesinet. When it came to dinner, there was a decision to make. Nicole was leaving the following day, and wanted another crepe before leaving. We didn’t know of a good creperie, so we just plugged in one into the GPS and hoped for the best. As it turns out, we made an excellent choice. We didn’t know, of course, that the establishment normally worked on reservations, but we were accommodated. It seems a husband and wife run the establishment, with the wife as the cook, and the husband manning the front of the house. Our host was most gracious, working with us to “interpret” the menu, and ensuring our vegetarian leanings were taken into account. I had a chicken and salsa crepe, which was quite good. I didn’t have any dessert, but Mom had a crepe filled with a gingerbread flavored sauce. I am sure it was at least edible! LOL

Switching gears now, work hasn’t been too bad recently. I am still working the post office move. Of course, the focus is still on preparation, getting supplies and equipment necessary. The move likely won’t happen until after I leave, but want my replacement to have everything he needs. My Soldiers are getting a little anxious since we are only two months out or so from redeploying. I can’t help it myself. I just hope we can cruise to the end so to speak, that there are no significant issues forthcoming.

Well, until next time…

August 2 (Day 296) Part 2

From top to bottom: 1) Carentan B&B breakfast area; 2) Carentan B&B breakfast; 3) Utah Beach area Creperie; 4-5) crepes at the Creperie; 6) Soprano restaurant in Le Vesinet; 7) La Riante B&B; 8) Paris fountain; 9) bathroom pay booth in Paris; 10-11) St. Jacques Memorial

August 2 (Day 296)

I almost forgot. On the 5^th, we had lunch at the Creperie Montoise. I think this was my first foray into crepes. Evidently crepes are made from a variety of batters, and I think ours was wheat or maybe buckwheat. It was different, so took a little adjustment of the palette. Mine was filled with beef and tomato sauce with a topping of salad. You can check out the pics in part 2 of today’s blog.

July 6^th was essentially a transition day, since we were heading to Le Vesinet (about 10 miles west of Paris) and our next B&B. My sister was leaving in a day or so, and wanted to do some shopping. The decision was made to go to La Defense. This was the beginning of some stressful time. Driving in Paris and its environs is not easy. We had our GPS, but sometimes roads went off at weird angles, or they didn’t look like roads, so we’d pass them, the GPS would have to reconfigure and we’d inevitably be on the wrong side of the road for the next turn, or something similar. We did eventually find a parking garage in the area and made our way to the surface.

La Defense is a business district that grew out of the end of WWI, stretching the “axis” of Paris beyond the Louvre-Arc de Triomphe farther west. This area is where a majority of the high-rises are in Paris. The most notable landmark here is the Grande Arche de la Defense, which was supposed to represent a sort of 20^th century Arc de Triomphe. I think it looks like a square doughnut standing on one end. It houses office spaces. Not exactly classy!

We ended up in a central square and figured it was time to eat. The first place either didn’t have many options for our delicate palates, or maybe it was the prices, maybe the atmosphere. It doesn’t matter really, since we walked out and found another establishment that served hoagie style sandwiches. I think we were all gaining our wits from the drive in at this point. After eating, we decided this area was not going to fulfill my sister’s shopping request, so we decided to head downtown. If we had known what we were about to encounter, I think we would have changed up our plan.

Driving in downtown Paris is a battle of wits and guts. To make it worse, we ended up down there at one of the peak times. Cars were everywhere, going this way and that. We also weren’t sure exactly where we were going. We did end up on the Avenue de Champs-Elysees, so I can say “been there, done that” but at the expense of my sanity. I can’t remember what we plugged into the GPS as our destination, but after a good bit of time wasted (and tempers lost) we found a garage to park. It was adjacent to a shopping mall; this may not have been the ideal spot for “Paris shopping” but it was as good as it was going to get this day.

Mom and sis went shopping in the mall, while Dad and I went upstairs and outside. It was considerably less stuffy there, and we just walked around the immediate area. While walking around, we came across a couple of, for lack of a better term, squares. One had a memorial to a St. Jacques, with a real nice stone structure (pic in part 2), with a nice green space around it for people to just lounge, read, picnic, what have you. The other housed a nice fountain and also space for people to hang out and eat their lunch or whatever. I came to notice that Paris is full of places like these.

My family had mentioned to me previously that sometimes you have to pay to use the restrooms in France, or at least Paris. Well, in the underground mall, there was just such a place. I think it was 1 Euro per person. That is like $1.40! How bizarre! Also, and my father mentioned this to me, the cleaning ladies had no qualms about entering the men’s restrooms at any time to do their job. I think that would qualify as sexual harassment or perhaps stalking in the U.S., but it was the norm in Paris.

Well, after our inbound misadventures, we gathered our wits once again to brave another drive to leave the city; another trip down the Champs, which included rain and hail, then around the Arc de Triomphe round-about. Let me tell you, this round-about is pure mayhem. If I never had to go around that again, it would be too soon. There are so many vehicles, especially during peak times. There are cars going every way except in a counterclockwise direction, huge busses cutting straight across, and motorcycles zipping in and out, and coming out of nowhere. We finally cleared the chaos and made it to the highway toward La Vesinet.

I don’t believe we were as relieved during our whole trip as when we made it to the B&B, named La Riante. It is a very nice place, and our hostess Kristie was wonderful. We had a single room this time, which was divided into two areas, one the actual “bedroom,” the other a sitting area with a couch that had a pull-out bed. We “checked” into our room, and dropped off our bags. As it was early evening, it was time for dinner. Kristie recommended an Italian restaurant just around the corner and up a block, a nice short walk. We took her up on it. The place is called “Soprano.” I am not sure where the inspiration came from. J I believe I had a pizza, although I don’t remember what type. My notes are in my room. It’s probably not that important anyway. It was good food, and we had a nice time after the stressful day.

We were also treated to a show during dinner. There was some lady across the street (we could see out the front door from our table) who was arguing with someone in her car (which was a church parking lot); we’re not sure what instigated the debate, but when the lady noticed people were watching, and she could be heard from a fair distance, she was startled, and I’ll bet a little embarrassed. That didn’t stop her from carrying on, but it was toned down a little. Somebody stopped in for a “visit” and talked to her. Don’t know what impact, if any, she had. Anyway, we finished dinner and left. I wonder what it was all about. Who knows?

The church I mentioned was the center of a little square, and we walked around for a few minutes to walk off dinner. More on Le Vesinet itself will come later.

Until next time…

July 29 (Day 292) Part 2

From the top: 1-5) Pointe Du Hoc battlements; 6) Pointe Du Hoc landscape; 7) Pointe Du Hoc overlook to beach; 8) my dessert from the Lunch Cafe after Omaha Beach; 9) Omaha Beach sculpture description plaque; 10) Omaha Beach sculpture; 11) stained glass example in Sainte-Mere-Eglise church; 12-13) Saint-Mere-Eglise church with paratrooper; 14-16) Utah Beach Memorials; 17) Utah Beach statue; 18) Utah Beach sample marker (several around statue)

July 29 (Day 292)

After leaving the beach, we stopped at a place for lunch. Again, we were lucky to find something open. It was a nice establishment with excellent food. I ended up getting a spinach tortellini dish. Not only was the food great, the presentation was outstanding. I forgot to get a picture of my main course, but did remember to get one of my dessert. You can see what I mean by presentation.

We returned to our B&B after our visit to Omaha Beach in the late afternoon. As there was still time in the day, Mom and I ended up heading to Pointe Du Hoc. It is just west of Omaha Beach, and is a memorial to the 2^nd Ranger Battalion. The Rangers scaled the 100’ cliff to take out German artillery pieces (captured from the French) that could fire on American troops landing at Omaha and Utah beaches. Of the 225 or so that started the assault, only 90 survived. There are craters lining the area, and many of the fortifications are still there.

Parking at the Pointe was a little awkward. There were small parking areas, with room for about 12 cars, adjacent to the driving lane. This in itself was not an issue, but a squared-off arch spanned the narrow width of the turn-in, and the arch had a center support, evidently intended to keep entering/exiting vehicles in their proper place. Like I said the actual span was narrow, and the main driving lane was also narrow, making it difficult for a larger car like the one we had to turn in. Mom managed to make it through the gauntlet, and then of course, there were the small lots with small parking spaces. Well, I at least talked Mom into backing into the space so it would be easier to exit. Just another adventure!

After walking the area, Mom and I headed back to the B&B. I am sure we played some more Farkle. This tended to be our end of day ritual throughout the trip. It is a fun and fast-paced game, so it is quite convenient for road trips.

We woke up July 5^th to another great breakfast provided by Nancy. Our agenda was to visit the copper “factory” I mentioned in my July 22 entry, then Utah Beach, followed by a stop in Sainte-Mere-Eglise. We started by heading south to Villiedeau-Les-Poeles. Here we received a tour of a small copper factory. In addition to kitchen utensils, they are commissioned to do artwork and the like. They have a neat operation. We first watched a video on the history of the area, how coppersmiths ended up there. We then we treated to a tour where we watched different sections at work. Have some pictures from here. I can tell you I now plan on investing in some copperware.

We left the factory and headed back north, past Carentan, to Utah Beach. There is a big museum located at the “entrance.” We decided to take the tour. The museum is quite expansive, especially after adding another section. What is interesting about the new area is that it was spearheaded (and majority financed) by David Dewhurt, the Lieutenant Governor of Texas, and his brother. Evidently, their father was a pilot who played a pivotal role in the bombing of Utah Beach. There are vehicles, pictures, videos, and all manner of interesting bits of info. There was also a gallery of paintings that could be purchased. I enjoyed the museum, and would like to go back to spend more time there.

Outside there is nice memorial, or rather memorials. There are several of them to different units. Have several pictures posted. As with Omaha Beach, it was a sobering, yet uplifting experience.

Our last stop was the village of Sainte-Mere-Elise. This is where the paratrooper, John Steele, got hung up on the spire of the church. The incident is portrayed in “The Longest Day.” Although there are several things to do here, including a museum, but time was short, so we hung around the church square. Another place to come back to visit.

Anyway, that’s it for today.

Until next time…