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7.12.2019

There have been massive strikes throughout France related to Macron's proposed pension reform and fuel price hikes. The strikes have disrupted transportation a great deal. There has been violence in Paris but as far as I know not elsewhere.

Our plans are to go to San Malo on the train on Dec 19 to visit Christine and John. I hope those plans don't get disrupted by the strikers.

I went to the Saturday Market in the old town this morning and there were a half dozen (at least) noisy things happening. They all seemed to be protests but I couldn't follow what each was. Most of it was in French but some was in Spanish. One very large group of mostly women had a giant flag that resembled the one for the state of Texas (after I got home I learned it was a violence against women in Chile and elsewhere protest.

Another group of about 20 people were chanting to the tune of Hey Hey Ho Ho [...] has got to go but the words were in French. One was chanting in French to the rhythm of "What do we want? ... When do we want it? Now!" Another was a large group of people singing songs in French (not Christmas songs). That group had about 30 people. Several groups of about a dozen people chanted, waved flags and carried signs. There was a lot happening and there were a lot of police standing by.





15.12.2019

Cold calls are epidemic here. Worse than I experienced in the U.S. although I understand that the U.S. is also experiencing an epidemic. Three years ago France created a do not call list (bloctel) but it didn't work well. At the same time the government set fines for violations of up to €45,000; Two years ago the,fine was increased to €100,000. A new proposal is to increase the fines to €375,000. I think hey need to work on enforcement.

In the U.S, Congress recently passed another bill aimed at stopping robocalls and, like France, previous bills were ineffective in stopping the scourge.

The hatred of robocalls is so great and so bipartisan that Congress sent President Trump a bill that requires phone companies to try to block such automated calls and strengthens the tools federal authorities can use to punish illicit robocallers. Trump signed the bill into law on Monday. This is a "big victory" for Americans with cellphones, said Maureen Mahoney at Consumer Reports. "The key is requiring these phone companies to help stop the calls before they reach the consumer and do it at no additional charge."

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), phone companies, and state attorneys general have already taken steps to quash robocalls, and the new law bolsters those efforts. The FCC can now fine robocallers without warning, has longer to collect those fines, and is authorized to levy steeper fines on intentional lawbreakers and encouraged to work with the Justice Department to prosecute criminals. The law also requires phone companies to deploy systems to identify and block fake or "spoofed" phone numbers at no extra cost to customers. (France needs to look into this).





17.12.2019

Danny had a vet visit today as another followup to his surgery. The doctor said that he is doing well. We need to continue monitoring his side where they removed the tumor to check for growths. He is a little under weight. We added a daily meal of tuna to his diet. He loves that! The only problem is that he begs for it three times a day. He's become a tuna monster.





19.12.2019 - 20.12.2019

Saint-Malo

It took 3 train reservations but we finally got to San Malo. The first two reservations were canceled due to the strike. Then we had concerns about buses running in Rennes and San Malo.

Our trip to Saint Malo was lovely. We visited John and Christine. They found us through this blog and we're both happy about it. Christine's John studied archaeology in school which is something that interests my John a lot. My John told me that John M (Christine's John) shared some history of San Malo's defenses and why the gun slits pointed to the town instead of out to sea. He said the British ships would travel through the rocks and approach the town against their defenses until the town's defenders got wise to the wily ways of the British.

John, John M, Christine and I went to the Christmas market in Saint Malo which had food treats and Christmas kitsch. I found plastic globe ornaments of polar bears with flashing lights in their tummies. AND -- they were only 1€ each or 3 for 2€. I don't know why they were so cheap - they're great. I got 3. We walked around the market some more enjoying the sights, sounds and aromas and savoring this time of year.

In the morning before sunrise (8:58 am) John went exploring at low tide to examine Fort National. He missed it on our last trip to Saint-Malo. He poked around the tidal pools, took pictures of the fort's construction, looked at what John M had pointed out the day before and walked along the sea facing city wall of Saint-Malo. Just basically, getting his history on.

While John was on his walk I drew back the curtains and opened the windows to hear the ocean and watch morning activities on the beach. I was sitting on our bed writing something when a seagull landed on a ledge just below the window and started bellowing and squawking. I shooed it away and pulled the windows in more. Then another even louder seagull landed on the window sill (above the ledge) and I shooed it away and pulled the windows closed but not locked. A third HUGE seagull came to the window making a racket and flapping its wings fiercely. I shooed and shooed and shooed with sheets and towels but the damn thing just would not go away. Finally I banged on the window, quickly loocked it and pulled the curtains closed. He left. Scared the heck out of me for a while there.

From the time we met John and Christine I have loved her passionate feminist views. That's a big plus for me. They're both smart, interesting and never a dull moment. They graciously joined us in Christmas activities and casual conversations (with a fair amount of progressive politics thrown in) and hosted us at their home the next day.

When we left John and Christine's place to catch our train Christine walked us to the nearest bus stop. I realized I had left my scarf. I then realized our bus was coming soon so it seemed unwise for me to rush to get the scarf. So I told Christine to keep it. She insisted on rushing to get it for me. And she made it back, quite out of breathe, just before our bus arrived. If that's not a sweetheart I don't know what is. Thank you again, Christine.

The view of the English Channel from
our hotel window. 		The view from the other direction. The Christmas Village was just outside
the city walls.
The main gate through the city walls. A tower in the city walls. Garlic booth in the Christmas Village. Very popular around Christmas time.
Ruth buying some Christmas ornaments. From right to left the flags of Saint-Malo, Brittany, France and the EU. We didn't realize until we moved here that oysters are a traditional Christmas main course.
An ice skating rink was set up near the Christmas Village. The tower of the château. Former residence of Anne of Brittany. Fort National at low tide.
Accidently took this selfie while
I was checking my camera. 		We liked the architecture of these homes
in Saint-Malo. 		Christine, John and Ruth walking near our hotel
on the beach.
Fort National in early morning at low tide. The city wall at low tide. I'd be underwater
here at high tide. 		The view walking up to Fort National
at low tide.
There were dozens of tidal pools near the fort at low tide filled with little critters. The main gate to Fort National. The fort is closed
during the winter months. 		Saint-Malo as seen from Fort National.
Firing slits in the walls facing the inner harbor. John touching a stone fort from the 1680's. The beach at Sanit-Malo at low tide.
Great for walking the dog.
The gate from the beach through the city wall
into Saint-Malo. 		Château De La Duchesse Anne. Étoile du Roy, corsair frigate.
The figurehead of the Étoile du Roy. Statue of Chateaubriand From our hotel window these wet suited surfers
looked like penguins.
We liked the old styled rides on the carousel
like this tram car. 		And this balloon. We did some Christmas window shopping.
A polar bear cub and his mom. Window shopping at a candy store. Apéritifs
Local beers. Wandering through the older area of Saint-Malo was great fun. There's Ruth in the
bottom right corner. 		A figurehead at the corner in Saint-Malo.
Arches from the original church at
the Saint-Malo Cathedral. 		12th Century Gothic cathedral. Very impressive. The was just a small part of a
very large nativity scene.
The tomb of Jacques Cartier in the
Saint-Malo Cathedral. 		Multiple arches and tall windows are features
of Gothic cathedrals. 		The light rays passing through the stained-glass windows created a great effect.





25.12.2019

We went to the pond to feed the duckies and there was a giant Muscovy duck there. John said he'd seen that duck before but I hadn't. It was huge - like that giant seagull in Saint Malo. It was very aggressive toward the other ducks until I challenged him loudly and slipped in the mud and slid toward him. That wasn't my original plan but it worked.

Here's something that might interest you:
12 unusual ways the French mark Christmas

Christmas morning we went to feed the ducks at Oberthür Park. Ruth fed one of the ducks by hand. The water level in the pond was above the boardwalk. The Muscovy duck is on the left.
The ducks liked their Christmas dinner
and not being part of one. 		We really love this peaceful little pond
at Oberthür Park. 		New construction in the playground area at Oberthür Park. Always impressed by how the French are constantly improving their infrastructure.





29.12.2019

We went to the city hall for one of those projected light shows (projected onto the city hall building). We had been to several before especially in Lyon the first week of December a few years ago. I had forgotten how weird and scary some of them are. This was advertised as the Nutcracker. There were some nutcrackers and ballerinas in the show but they were for the most part grotesque and very strange. The only part of the nutcracker music that was played was about a minute of the sugarplum fairies and then there was banging and crashing and other loud and/or grating sounds. There was a lot of red and black and fires. As is usual, the building would dissolve into other structures but this one also was also showed the building being sucked into a swirling hole. I know the nutcracker is a weird and somewhat scary ballet but this -- this -- c'était trop.

Even so it was fun to be in the cold with all the kids running around and hardly any smokers - just a couple of vapers. The Christmas lights were strung across streets and on a variety of structures. Very pretty. You can see some images of the lights in John's photos below. On this web page you can also see images provided by the city.

Then we headed over to the Christmas market. The booths were all food and drink. There is a double decker carousel which had a very long line of kiddies waiting to board. John took pictures, of course.

John thinks of his grand kids a lot, mostly in terms of their being little kids. Their mom, Carrie, sent us photos of the teens and pre-teens who are now looking quite grown up and very attractive too. The kids are multi-talented and good, kind people. Their mom and dad did a great job raising them. Hooray for Carrie and Caleb.

The Opera House in Rennes with Christmas lights. The lightshow on the Mairie de Rennes
(city hall) begins. 		The theme was the Nutcracker this year.
They always incorporate the building into the animations using the windows and arches. Here's the point where the lightshow started turning weird. Clockwork mania.
A very creepy, ghostly ballerina The Christmas tree in
Place du Parlement-de-Bretagne. 		And, of course, every French carousel
needs a fish you can ride.
The two-storey carousel in
Place du Parlement-de-Bretagne. 		Almost all of the streets in Rennes have Christmas lights. This plant art was made of moss and
attached to the buildings.
Last look at Christmas at the
Place du Parlement-de-Bretagne this year.





31.12.2019

New Year's Eve is known as Le réveillon de la Saint-Sylvestre in France. "The origins of New Years Eve have nothing to do with the Saint apart from his name. The Feast existed long before Saint-Sylvestre became pope (314 to 355). Some historians claim that this Saint was chosen solely for his name which evokes the forest. Nature is very important in the symbolism and traditions inherited from antiquity.

The origins of New Year's Eve are multiple and are lost in the mists of time. The pagan origins mixed with the religious origins, drawing all the popular and religious beliefs linked to the winter solstice. "