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The most recent entries are at the top of this page. Earlier entries follow in reverse chronological order.





17.02.2018

A parade outside our window! This morning I was futzing around the kitchen. I opened the window to enjoy some of a warm sunny day and hear the birds sing. The nearby street and cobblestone pedestrian areas were empty and the ambiance was peaceful. A few minutes later when I glanced outside I saw a bunch of city workers in their yellow vest putting up barricades on the side alleys. My heart sank because it appeared that there was going to be street maintenance right outside our apartment.

Within a couple of minutes a guy on stilts and a short woman with a parasol showed up. I got excited and told John I thought we were going to have a circus outside our windows. Then I heard drums as a bunch of little kids in costumes gathered. Then the dancers and drummers showed up. The parade was very colorful and a lot of bystanders were laughing and clapping to the drums. I was thrilled but the kitties got scared.

The entertainment continued for about a half hour then they marched away. An hour later they came back and resumed their activities as young children lead the march. It was very cool. I have no idea what it was all about but it was very cool.

We could see the parade outside our
ground floor window. 		We think the shark may be a school mascot. There were many dancers.
Crowds formed as apartments emptied to see the show.
A little Batman The smallest grand marshall and
her bunny led the parade. 		There seemed to be a Native American theme.





16.02.2018

Our new doctor in Rennes
In France one has to make an appointment with a doctor to have her sign some paperwork which must be sent to the national health care office within 3 months of moving. Otherwise you could lose your health coverage (nobody wants that). We like the new doctor. She's thorough, calm, speaks English and understands us very well.

We went to the address we found on the Internet which was in a quaint old building with a red door. When we arrived we found an engraved sign that said they had moved and gave the address and directions. Fortunately they hadn't moved very far. The old building was cool looking so we took a couple of pics.

Our doctor's previous medical office was
in the historical quarter of Rennes. 		There was an engraved sign that the medical practice had moved to a more modern building. Typical cobblestone pattern in historic quarter.





15.02.2018

Just a note: I mentioned in the blog a couple of years ago that codeine doesn't requires a prescription in France. As of July 12 last year codeine does now require a prescription in France. It's their attempt to stymie drug abuse among young adults and teenagers which has grown here since 2014.





14.02.2018

Trip to Paris for Valentine's Day
On Valentine's Day we took a TGV train to Paris. About a third the way there we saw a lot of snow but once we arrived in Paris there was no snow. It was very cold, though.

Seriously -- how fabulous is it that a day trip to Paris is just a brief jaunt? After a lifetime of thinking of going to Paris as an expensive and time-consuming (and exotic) endeavor we can now just hop a train and be there in less than 90 minutes.

Orangerie Museum
"The Musée de l'Orangerie is an art gallery of impressionist and post-impressionist paintings located in the west corner of the Tuileries Gardens next to the Place de la Concorde in Paris. Though most famous for being the permanent home for eight Water Lilies murals by Claude Monet, the museum also contains works by Paul Cézanne, Henri Matisse, Amedeo Modigliani, Pablo Picasso, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Henri Rousseau, Alfred Sisley, Chaim Soutine, and Maurice Utrillo, among others.

The gallery is on the bank of the Seine in the old orangery of the Tuileries Palace on the Place de la Concorde near the Concorde metro station. Much more information about the origin and development of the Orangerie museum can be found on this Wiki page.

Our visit to the Orangerie museum was exciting for John. He loves Renoir and Monet and the huge paintings of the waterlilies particularly impressed him. He had gone there a couple of years ago with our friends Dave and Charlotte but his seeing the waterlilies was cut short then (they ran out of time). He was happy to take his time with the paintings.

The paintings had been moved to the museum in several pieces. They had been cut into panels and moved on a truck. When you are up close you can see the seams where the paintings were reassembled. Some seams are barely noticeable but others are quite visible.

The Orangerie Museum, Tulleries Garden, Louvre and Orsay are all close to one another along the Seine. The river was flooded such that boats did not have room to travel beneath the bridges, but it was not overflowing it's banks.

Montmartre
There were a ton of restaurants, cafes, art stores, galleries and tourist traps galore. It was an interesting walk through the neighborhood. If you plan to visit Montmartre try this link for guidance: 10 Things to Do in Montmartre.

Frenchy Burger
We initially planned to do a boat cruise and have lunch on the boat but instead (because of the flooding) we went to lunch at Frenchy burger (my choice). I love that name -- Frenchy Burger -- and the burgers were scrumptious.

Moulin Rouge
Around the corner from Frenchy Burger is the Moulin Rouge. It is so cool-looking with that giant red windmill on top of the building. After seeing the movie I had imagined that the Moulin Rouge would be immense. It's a 2 story building of about 3-4 thousand sq ft beneath the windmill. We didn't go in but I saw some pics of the inside with its very tall ceilings and many many tables placed very close together which gives one the feel that the building is huge. I bought a Moulin Rouge souvenir refrigerator magnet.

Le mur des t'aime in Paris
A wall of blue ceramic tiles with "I Love You" expressions in many languages is near the Basilica. It's not a very big wall but it is a fun side-trip just to see the happy couples and the pretty wall.

Basilica du Sacre-Coeur de Montmartre
On our way to the Sacre-Coeur Basilica we went through the Métro stop Abbesses near the Le mur des t'aime in Paris. Abbesses is the deepest train station in Paris because Montmartre is on a huge hill. The Métro station had a lovely narrow spiral staircase with painted ceramic tiles along the wall and steps that never end. We weren't the only tourists non-plussed by the stairs without end. OK -- full disclosure -- eventually the stairs ended, but I had never before climbed so many steps at one time. Because the staircase was spiral with frequent landings we were repeatedly disappointed to see that the stairs had not yet ended. BTW -- if you have claustrophobia you should take the elevator instead.

Basilica du Sacre-Coeur de Montmartre sits on a big hill. At the base of that hill we boarded a funicular. All the way to the top of Montmartre John and I sang the funicular song (funiculì, funiculà!). Other tourists gave us a look. John said "We should try to ride all the funiculars in Europe." I gave him a look.

The base of the Basilica du Sacre-Coeur is very high - one of the highest points in Paris. The view of the city is expansive. You can see the Eiffel tower, Arc de Triomphe and many other Parisian landmarks. The Basilica is a huge building with lots of stained glass and wood carvings and that pond thing with water that people dab on their faces. A priest was wandering around counting his rosaries. He was entertaining. A choir was singing. It was lovely. The songs and art of many Catholic churches are soothing and enlivening both. That is, unless you think too much about their religious teachings and rules. After wandering around the church, if you'd like, you can walk up to the dome (a mere 237 more steps) to see an even more expansive view of Paris. From the dome you can see almost every landmark in Paris.

The fields around Paris were covered with snow. The Orangerie Museum is on the banks of the Seine next to the Place de la Concorde.
3,300-year-old Egyptian Obelisk
at the Place de la Concorde 		Huge Ferris wheel near
the Place de la Concorde 		The Place de la Concorde was where many lost their heads during the French Revolution.
The north fountain at the Place de la Concorde
A bronze of Rodin's "The Kiss" outside the Musée de l'Orangerie. The flooded Seine was too high for the cruise boats to pass under the bridges. The Paris Métro is a great way
to get around the city.
Little girl and her dad with "Waterlilies: Clouds" by Claude Monet at the Musée de l'Orangerie. The rooms with the Waterlilies were large with seating so you could take time with the paintings. Detail from "Waterlillies: Morning"
Debonair looking John with
"Waterlilies: The Two Willow Trees" 		Looking close you can see the seams where two panels of the painting join. Detail from "Waterlillies: Clear Morning with Weeping-willows"
One of my favorite Renoir paintings,
"Gabrielle and Jean" 		"Portrait of Madame Paul Guillaume with
a Large Hat" by André Derain 		"Large Nude with Drapery" by Pablo Picasso
Andre Derain - "La Niece du Peintre Assise" Many of the frames were as striking
as the paintings. 		"The Bernot Establishment" by Maurice Utrillo
Tapestry by Otobong NKanga,
African artist 		Lunch at Le Frenchy Burger near
the Moulin Rouge 		We stopped for a quick photo at
the Moulin Rouge after lunch.
The interior of the Moulin Rouge Cold Valentine's Day couple at the Wall of Love We took the funicular up to
Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre
This map shows the parts of Paris we could see from Sacré-Cœur.
Montmartre is the highest hill in Paris and
has an excellent view of the city. 		The top of Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre is the second highest point in Paris after
the Eiffel Tower. 		The interior of Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre
The interior of Sacré-Cœur had
some beautiful mosaics. 		The only snow we saw in Paris was on the funicular track. Great piece of street art in Montmartre





5.02.2018

Every week we visit Oberthür Park next to our apartment. It's scenic and peaceful and has new adventures waiting for us periodically. Mallards are always in the water or on the shore. Sometimes the water ripples in the breeze looking like small waves are hitting the banks.

When we visited the park today we saw a bunch of young adults tightrope walking. They walked on a wide blue band which was tied to two trees (with padding to protect the trees). Several were talented but one was better. The young woman told us he was an expert. They allowed us to take pictures and then started talking to us and to each of them in English. One said "show-off" to the expert tightrope walker (of course using the appropriate tone of playful disdain). And to us he said, with a smile and a nod toward his friend, "Three years of daily practice."

Two mallards came to visit at Parc Oberthür A slight breeze created cool ripples across the pond. At Parc Oberthür we found a group of young adults tightrope walking between two trees.