Mont-Saint-Michel and Bayeaux, again. (Monday 10.7.2013)

Monday morning we loaded up the valiant Peugeot and headed for MSM once again.  Gotta say, it was a lot better the second time around.

We hopped on the bus with 15,928 school kids, a far cry better than the load of old age pensioners from last time.  Once we got up on the island, we finally found the much talked about and hidden "right turn" passage up to the abbey.  Losing the crowds, we had a rather calm and sedate trip up.  No crappy tourist shops, just gardens and terraces overlooking the bay.

Kelly and Mirinda opted to take the Abbey tour while Niters and I went for a glass of wine in a decent little terrace bar overlooking the sea.  We have had better lunches, but not much better views for a lunch.

Quick bus ride back to the parking lot and off we went for our overnight in Bayeux. My clever plan to top off the gas tank was foiled by the gas attendants lunch hour, so we walked the quiet streets of Pontorson.  Italian food(go figgure) was about all that was offered in the mid afternoon so we sat down to eat a quick bite before we fueled up the car and got on the highway.

The drive to Bayeux was uneventful as ever and we had just enough time to raid the Tapestry Museum and the Cathedral(asked to leave both places as it was closing time)

Again, the hotel was clean and efficient, something I shall strive for in the future.

Early morning Tuesday, its another Overlord tour of the D-Day sites, including Band of Brothers locations.

BTW, Kelly stole my camera and took all these pics.  

Where Is My Cow? (Saturday 10.5.2013)

So where is the food?  Obviously we are not starving to death, but where is all of the food?  The open air markets and food faires are freaking amazing, but I am missing something somewhere...

Yesterday we lazed about the house until the urge to stock up for the weekend at the grocery store drove us from the place.  Shopping at the major grocery stores in France is an occasionally fascinating venture.  Most of the large stores are much like a Walmart or Target in the U.S.  Pretty much you can equip an entire house from just one store, soup to nuts.

The odd thing is, there isn't a lot of different food, unless you want cookies or wine.

Lemme 'splain.

When we think of French food, images of complex, layered, intricate constructions come to mind.  Exotic spices, ingredients, and wines all working together to make magic on the plate.  Strangely, that's not the case.  Markets here have lots of amazing product, but not a lot of selection.  6 basic cuts of beef, 10 basic cuts of pork, whole chickens, whole fish and a narrow but impressively fresh array of veggies.  Combine that with a grudging 10 or so spices and herbs in fresh or dried form, there is a very limited palate to work from.  But, there are all world class, even in the local grocery store.

I guess this trip has drastically changed the way I view my cooking.  Does a great artist need 500 colours to paint with, or just 20 and the ability to combine them to his exact needs?  Does a great writer need 234 characters in a book to make a masterpiece of literature, or just 2?(Im talking to you Dante, read Old Man and the Sea if they have it in the library in whatever circle of Hell you are in.)

My gnostic revelation is simple.  That's it.  Simple.  Few ingredients, the best there are, combined with respect for what they represent can end in a glorious plate of food.  I don't need 20 cuts of beef, 30 cuts of pork, 200 herbs and spices and 100 veggies to choose from at the Price Chopper. My food is getting lost in the noise.  I need to settle back and listen to the ingredients I choose and stop trying to hide in the concert crowd.

French cooking is a skilled chamber group, my cooking has been a high school marching band playing, "Louie, Louie".  

It's just that simple.

The Road to Lehon Part Trois (Friday 10.4.2013)

The girls were up and out to Mont-Saint-Michel long before Nita, Kelly, Mirinda and myself bothered to get out of bed.  Pastries were obtained, coffee prepared, the day started for us lazy folks.

Post pastry giddiness syndrome.

Mostly we lazed about the house till the girls got home about 1pm.  After a light lunch, we gathered up the troops for another walk to Lehon.  Nita and I are coming to truly love that walk to the little town around the bend of the river.

The little house with the green shutter is where I we want to live in Lehon.

The weather was perfect, cool with a tad of fresh breeze to keep the air moving along the river bottom.  Stopping for photo after photo, the walk took us a quite pleasant half hour to reach the abbey.  Nita and I sat back and let our friends explore the marvels of the abbey and cathedral. 

A grotesque in the corner of the cathedral.

Rose with rain drops in abbey garden. 

Once more, people cannot keep their sticky hands off the history.  I'm running out of bail money dammit...

We wandered over to the bar at the base of the fortress and enjoyed an aperitif with the grumpy old men playing cards in the corner and drinking Ricard Pastis.

Kelly ran, and yes I mean ran, up to the top of the fort while we enjoyed our drinks.  Feisty man is our Kelly.

The bar as seen from top of fort.  Its a lot higher, I suspect zoom was involved here...

An early evening stroll led us back to Dinan and a relaxing meal out and an early evening for some of us. 

Roast fig with honey and vanilla ice cream.

We will be losing the girls in the morning, it will be a much more quiet and lonely house without them.

Safe travels you crazy kids!!

Up and Down Market Day (Thursday 10.3.2013)

Thursday is pudding day!!! 

No, wait...  Thursday is market day in Dinan and the perfect way to let the new folks explore the city.  Orders were given for flowers, cheese, wines, salad makings and base veggies for another leftover extravaganza bolognese.

We awoke to a cold, driving rain around 5am.  Soothing to hear slamming against the slate roofs, but we realized that the rain could have some serious effects on the grand outdoor market.

God loves fools, drunks and American tourists it seems, because 10ish the rain stopped and the sun poked through the clouds for us.

Up THE HILL(tm) we went, grocery trolley and shopping bags in hand.  Proper provisions were obtained in the much smaller market, and the shopping trolley was filled to capacity with wine and cookies that the more irresponsible of the party chose to load up on... cough...

Kelly, Mirinda and I went back down to the house to unload and take naps (Shopping is hard work dammit), while the others stayed up to explore Dinan.

Eventually folks wandered back and we broke out the cidre, wine, cheeses and snausages for a snackie before dinner.  I worked on the pasta sauce and let it cook down for 3 hours before I hit it with a stick blender.  Honestly, how many vacation rentals come with a freaking stick blender??

Dinner was superb, the company grand.  Even Kelly.

Tomorrow morning Christina, Marcie and The Mums(c) head for Mont-Saint-Michel and after they return we are walking over to Lehon again.  Dinner will be at L'Atelier Gourmand if we are back in time.

The girls leave tomorrow morning, we are bummed they could only stay for 3 days.  At least we still have Kelly and Mirinda!

New Crew! (Wednesday 10.2.2013)

Kim and Ryan bailed out early to make their run to Rennes to catch the train.  That gave Nita and I a chance to get the house cleaned up, laundry done and the beds changed.

About 1:30 we headed to the Rennes Airport to pick up Kelly and Mirinda after their flight from KC.  For the most part they seemed to have a quite pleasant series of flights, a rarity this trip...

By 4 we were back home and exploring the port.  As most of the port restaurants were closed we had a nice little dinner at Atelier Gourmand.  Great seafood and desserts made the evening go quickly. Christina, Laura, Marcie and Janet rolled into Dinan about 9pm with a car so packed with people and luggage it damn near exploded when they opened the doors.

The usual wine, sausage and cheese made its appearance and the socializing began in earnest.  Folks faded away as the wine and cidre flowed and the travel exhaustion hit.

Tomorrow is market day!

Last Days of Kim and Ryan (Tuesday 10.1.2013)

Tuesday was our last full day with Kim and Ryan.  We spent much of the day reviewing pics, going up THE HILL(tm) for souvenir shopping and generally goofing off.

For dinner we wandered down to the port to find everything closed except a little Italian bar called Zag.  Ok food, indifferent service.  I get the feeling its a bar first most evening, not a restaurant.

Back to the house about 11 so folks could get some needed sleep before they headed for Rennes in the morning.

We will miss Kim and Ryan.  After 2 trips to France we are STILL willing to travel with them =)

Combourg Market, Melliac, Chapel of the Lost, Chateau Asshat, Lehon, and Kim Getting Her Sticky Jam Hands All Over History. (Monday 9.30.2013)

It all started out too quietly.  A quick trip over to Combourg to see the market, maybe pick up some chickens from the roasters, a light lunch and a tour of the Chateau.  But no, it was not to be.

Coffee and pastries secured, we piled into the car and headed for Combourg.  The market was in full swing and we mooched about looking for only the finest in French foodstuffs and Liberian slave labour made clothing.  Eventually we grabbed a couple of chickens, some blood sausage and onions and a big box of roasted baby taters for lunch down by the lake.  Along the way we saw the usual fruits and veggies, along with an even more impressive display by the critter vendor.  Gotta admit I am getting anxious to get back to the US and start on the new rabbitry.

Bunnies!

Quail.  Much easier than hunting them.

We had a marvelous lunch by the lake, watching coots and ducks paddling about the mirror smooth water.  Nice to be outside eating a meal, its something we don't do enough of at home.  Kim took delight in maliciously scaring the ducks.  That was an omen of things to come.

Lake at Combourg avec hoodlums.

Roast chicken, taters and blood sausage.  Very fine china from Ikea as well.

Back in the car, we set off for Dinan with the intent of walking the old dirt path to Lehon.  Along the way we saw signs for a Chateau(with giraffes!) so a side trip was in order.  Before we got to the highway for the chateau, a cute little town called Melliac offered us a quick stop to look through the church and town square.  Pretty church, not terribly old as near as we could tell(grave marker in floor read 1772 or something...bah!) but the wooden barrel vaulted ceiling was really quite incredible.  We took just enough time to snap pics and jump back on the road.

The Chateau was picturesque and the alley of trees lining the entrance was something out of a postcard.  Pics were taken, much hilarity ensued.  When we got the to the actual chateau we were horrified to find out they wanted $20 per person to walk through the house and grounds(with giraffes, no joke).  Bit steep for us!  $10 we will drop in a heartbeat, $20 for an hours tour is way out of line.  So, back in the car.

Alley of trees lining road to Chateau.

Le Chateau Asshat avec Giraffes.  They have a zoo apparently...

Yet again the steering wheel jerked to the right forcing us off the highway to check out a little roadside chapel we have seen every time we went to Rennes.  We assume it is called "Our Lady of Oh Hell I'm Lost in the Woods".  If not, it is now...  Cute little chapel, all locked up but we managed a pic of the simple little stone altar and flowers with a hand written sign saying simply, "Thank You".  Someday we will find the story behind it.

Our Lady of Oh Hell I'm Lost in the Forest

The altar, shot through the keyhole.

Back in Dinan after a quick stop at the grocery(ok after an hour of goofing off in the funny French supermarket) we headed up the footpath to Lehon.

Exiting by the car park under the viaduct, we followed the well worn path in the river bottom.  Gardens plots, small Breton houses and at least one Troglodyte house(a classic form of French house half cut into a rock face or built into a natural cave) lined the river banks.

Riverside house

Private garden allotments in the river valley.

A Troglodyte house built partially into the hard rock cliffs.

The woods got deeper, more lush and spookier every step we took.  This didn't look like France anymore.  Lots of Jurassic Park and Predator references were made.  "Makes Cambodia look like Kansas", etc...

Pictures really don't do this mess justice.

Halfway there we came across something we never had any clue existed.  None of the guide books mention it, none of the locals told us about it.  Sometime in the past, poplar trees had been planted in regular rows along the banks of the Rance, possibly to control soil erosion or other issues.  Whatever the reason, the effect now is a cathedral of trees reaching to the heavens.  Dead silent, a gentle wind knocking leaves off the trees, it was by far the most peaceful and glorious place we have been in years.  A hidden gem, just a few minutes walk from our front door.

Ryan and Kim at the Alley

Poplars, ancient oaks and ivy.

The Cathedral of Poplars

Our walk slowed as we marveled at the canopy above us.  It probably took us longer to get through the alley of poplars.  Hundreds of pictures were taken, and there was an embarrassing amount of just standing and staring at the wonders.

Once in Lehon, we took the time to fully explore the little town and found even more charming homes on the other side of the Abbey.  This is a town we could live in quite happily!

This needs to be our new hometown.

Back at the Abbey, Kim and Ryan took the time to snap even more pics and we damn near had an international incident when Kim could not keep her damn jam hands off the 12th century baptismal font.  I swear, some people you cannot take anywhere!

Seconds before the French Antiquities Gendarmes hit her from 3 directions with tazers and dogs.  Big dogs!

We bailed Kim out of prison and promised to take her right home.  Instead we went over to a lovely little bar that sits in the shadows of the fortifications of Fort Lehon.  Not bad at all.  Having a cidre and wine while gazing up at 14th century defenses doesn't suck.

Fortified with drinks and a chocolate bar, we hiked the broken and uneven steps up to the top of the fort.  Massive stone towers and a beautiful grassy courtyard we ours to play on all alone.  Unfortunately the restoration work back in the early 2000s was done to preserve the fort as is, not to restore it to any historical accuracy.  Still, it was a great treat to stand at the top of history and fantasize about holding a tournament there.

Back down the hill from the fort, we stopped for another round of pics in Lehon before the walk back to Dinan.  Once again we got lost in the wonder of the woods, taking far more time than a casual stroll would normally take, but it was so well worth it.

Awwwwwwwww.....

At home we went through pics, made mac and cheese with compte' cheese, pulled bbq chicken from our leftover lunch and a nice salad.  Most were in bed early again.

That was an amazing day.  A perfect balance of driving, spontaneous sight seeing, hiking and surprises.

A day like Monday is why we travel.