Flying visit to Normandy and Paris again before moving on

This is a few days out of order....before going to Angouleme...

My French daughter/boarder, Hanna (prounounced Anna en francaise...)'s dad, Warren, lives in a small village near Carentan so I caught the train from Paris to Carentan to visit him - hired a car to get around and we hit the ground running (what's new!)  I had a list of a few sights I wanted to see so we headed for -
1. Bayeaux Tapestry - lucky with crowds and could view this fantastic 70m long cloth slowly - William the great's mother had the women in the town embroider it - it is an amazing sight especially if you are an embroiderer......such detail telling the story of how William of Normandy conquered the English and became WIlliam the Great after a short challenge and deceipt by his brother Harold...(that's it in a nutshell).
I just loved this - the work was sort of primitive but soooo amazing.

then to Arronmache and other beaches - where the allied forces hit the beach for the sometimes slaughter of their own against the Germans.  There are still huge bunkers there and Warren told me that the germans brought all the products needed to build the bunkers, in from Germany and built them themselves and the walls an fllors are so thick and well built that they are impossible to destroy.   In some places, like Arronmanche their is a floor under the hospital and it is built so well that to remove it would destroy the whole hospital - German precision.....
Other beaches here were named like after the countries that also landed eg Omaha, Utah where the Americans and Canadians landed - you could see why it was a slaughter as in the movie Saving Private Ryan - filmed here.
Then to Isigny - sur mer  world famous for its Camembert/Butter and Creme Fraiche.  Normandy is a huge dairy area and the ranfall is high there.
Next day to St Mere Eglise where now-famous John Steele got caught by his parachute on the steeple of the church and watched helplessly the fighting below where most of his fellow troopers were killed...
The area is alos well known for its Calvados - the cider liquer and on the coast, oysters or Huitres (en francais)....

Warren is a lovely guy who lives in Appeville in a small house he built out of a ruin of 3 walls and made a 2 brm/upstairs, downstairs home.  He is totally self sufficient, growing all his own vegetables and fruit and preserves everything - such a lovely way to live.  He is kind an gave me tastings of all the drinks he had made and each night I went to bed with more alcohol in my system than I had had for a long time.....oh well....too nice to say no hahaha!!!

Returned to Paris the next day to do a Fat Tire Bike Ride to Giverny - to see Monet's Garden and a not-to-be-missed experience.....It was so amazing...you can see why he was inspired.....HE rented this house for 7 yrs then purchased i and had the gardeners work on the garden to get it to the way it is today.........
Weather back in PAris was terrible so I went to see Harry Potter in 3D along with about 1000 others and the next day was the Tour de France ride described in a previous post....so of somewhat out of order.

It's difficult to maintain this blog and still go out enjoying myself so time will tell.....

The Tour de France then Moving on to Angouleme

The Tour de France fever is upon Paris and so I took an advertised Fat Tire Bike Tour which said we could go up the Champs Elysee ahead of the riders - appealled and frightened me enough to keep me awake that night worrying that I wouldn't be fast enough - someone had kindly reminded me that the Champs Elysee is a slight incline and may be difficult to ride !!  So that worried me but after riding around to the major sites where the cyclists would come, the Police had decided to block all access to the Champs Elysee so we couldn't ride up anyway......returned later to see the cyclists but the crowds were so thick that even when I held the camera at the most extreme height that I could, I still only could take a photo of peoples heads................so much for the Tour and it's last stage............the big screen on the street which was terrific as well was the next option....

Really this is the best time to go to Paris - Bastille Day on 14 July and then the end of the Tour de France on 24 July - what a terrific time to see the National Spirit of France...

After that excitement, caught train to Angouleme near Bordeaux then to Magnac sur Touvre (the river) where I will be staying with a family - mother and son as the father is in the Army and has been given orders to go to Reunion Island near Madagascar on 26 July.  Mother, Vanessa and son 6, Ludwig don't speak english at all but it is good - they seen so nice - I think this is the ideal way to learn French......I hope anyway......

Also it gives me time to do whatever I want.............I'm thinking sketching, sewing, writing, cycling and just generally relaxing in beautiful surrounds.....that is, when the sun comes out and the rain goes away - it has been pretty wet since getting here....that's why I have had time to write this blog - nothing to go out for... hahaha!!

Went to the local Carrefours shopping centre (Lilian the dad said it is a small one) but the cheese area is about the size of a small shop back home !!!  So amazing with any type, flavour and animal making cheeses you would ever want...

Well, after a few days here, you certainly don't learn french by osmosis - I feel like I am drowning when they speak fluently and I have no idea, except for the few familiar words that I catch, what they are saying....they are soooo patient and speak tres doucement por moi but I still find it difficult.  I realise I will have to get lessons as well as having the living experience.....it is tres difficile !!!!

Vanessa's cousin has lent me her bicycle but she is only about 5' tall so it is un plu petit for me but that's ok as I now realise that the roads are not made for cyclists and are pretty narrow - I have bought a map and will go exploring soon...

Next week we are off to the Mediteranean at Canet Plage near Perpignan - a holiday booked before Lilian knew he was going to Reunion - hopefully see sun, surf and good weather ....can't wait!!

PARIS - always beautiful - even in the rain and cold !!

I LOVE PARIS....so decided to stay with a Host Family found by googling Host Family Paris - came up with Veronique and Michael who live in 13e Olympiades station - after lugging my suitcase up the stairs of many of the Metro stations(Tip # 1 - get a wheeled backpack so at these stations you can carry it on your back) - it was not difficult to find  - although an area of contrasts - passing the Polizie then the large African Housing area to get to the apartment.  Booked on line to have French lessons there which were very good but found myself speaking mostly english as they like to practice their english.

HINT: Firstly buy a Navigo Pass for 1 week - the week starts Monday irrespective of what day you buy it but if you plan on doing a lot of getting around - it saves you a bomb because a normal Metro fare is 1.70 Euros and Navigo is 5Euro for the card and then 18.75 Euros for a week - and it is soooo convenient.  Also if you plan on seeing museums and art gallerys get a Museum Pass - you go into a different line when entering and are given preference becasue you have already bought your ticket..

Had a list of what I wanted to see - remembering almost all museums closed Mondays! I have been before a few times and seen most of the major sites,  so in my week long stay I went to:-

Rodin Museum - met and had photo taken with Rick Steves - a famous American travel author (I didn't know him just the Americans were in awe so I asked him for a photo)

Musee d'Orsay - crowd huge so returned early next day

Versailles, fantastic and opulent palace but the best part is the gardens - both formal and country - met a lovely Canadian family Corinne, Kaitlyn and dad, Jerry - hung around with them all day...invited me to their holiday home in Costa Rica in January but I will be in Patagonia then but who knows down the track - I may just visit them...the beauty of travelling alone - meeting great people..

Catacombes - miles of skulls and bones - about 6 million people buried there...a little spooky - the fellow I was walking with had bought a new phone and both here and in a cemetery he went to, it stopped working...ooooooooohhhh!!

Also went to Musee de l'Orangerie - near the Louvre - just terrific with Monets 6 - 7 metre long paintings lining the walls - Monet painted them from 1914 - 1926 and gave them to the French Government just before he died in 1926 - they are so beautiful and so tranquille - it was very special.

Also decided to do a Fat Tire Bike Tour to Giverny to see Monets gardens - just amazing - the lasrgest selection of plants making up the gardens and lily ponds that Monet lovely to paint.

The Journey begins with 3/4 days in HongKong - City/Island of Contrasts

Well I hit the ground running - I think I have seen as much as I can in the 4 days I have here.

When I arrive in a place I like to get my bearings first - walk the streets to get an idea where I'm living and what's in the area.  I had booked into the YMCA in Kowloon on advice which turned out to be terrific - so close to the Star Ferry terminal, shops and everything else that you could need.

Day 1 - Planned a full day...........as usual so went to the Big Buddha, the Peak and the Ladies Market on the first day.  The Ladies Market is like any large market where they sell absolutley anything and bargaining is an artform..

Day 2 - I decided to escape the rat race and go to Tai Po Kau reserve where, just about 1/2 hr out of bussling HongKong you enter the New Territories where you have rainforest and creeks and beautiful walks -I did the blue one -  not the easiest and not the hardest, then onto Lamma Island - did a short walk from Sok Kwu Wan (was going to walk to Yung Shue Wan but met some fit girls who said it was so hot that they took 3.5 hrs to walk it and it should have been about1.5 - 2hrs)  The weather is stiffling hot when you get out of the breeze so I chose the easy option of the short walk to the village. 
After that decided that a bus trip was in order so caught the 126 to Stanley markets - the bus ride there was worth the effort, - it goes around the island on the coast passing Repulse Bay Beach -  I was very fortunate last night to be returning from Stanley markets just before 8pm so caught the ferry and saw the light show that HongKong government put on - it was terrific.  Lights to the sound of music - there's nothing like listening to an orchestral piece and the building lights respond in sync..

Had a rest then went out to Ned Kellys Bar - a jazz bar near YMCA - band very good again - I think they have been the band there for donkeys years - Saturday night it was soo busy but Sunday night the venue was pretty quiet - nowhere near as busy as Saturday night - understandable I suppose.
Tonight I leave for Paris at 11:30pm - will have a quiet day today - may just go to Kowloon Park and contemplate my navel ;-)