France
Saint-Mandé

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    • Day 64

      weekend in normandy with Madeleine

      March 10 in France ⋅ ☁️ 8 °C

      Hi everyone! after a horrendously stressful week of exams (4 to be exact,) with much crying and existential dread, it was time for a break. Luckily my lovely friend Madeleine invited me on a small weekend trip to her house in normandy, about a two hour drive from Paris. I took the metro to her house and we set off in the family car, accompanied by loud singing and many creative French road rage expressions.

      Madeleine's house is very similar to the one we have on LDI. It's small, charming, and well-decorated, with a different pattern of 70's wallpaper for each room. (Plaid for the kitchen, green for the living room, flowers for the bedrooms.) The house has only two floors and a basement, where the family stores drinks, garden tools, and walnuts. The house itself is filled with old wooden furniture, comfortable beds, and family memorabilia, with oil paintings of sailboats on the walls. When you enter it, it feels like a warm hug, like the house is saying "welcome weary traveller, I know you've come a long way. Life here is simpler than the one you left behind." It also has a wonderfully large collection of French Asterix and Obelix comics. (If you know, you know.) After a brief trip to McDonald's for sustenance, I passed out under a thick cotton comforter and had the best sleep of my life. No light pollution and noise makes for a deep, delicious rest.

      Madeleine's brother Gabriel and her grandmother Elisabeth woke up before us. Elisabeth speaks no English but she is such a warm, hospitable woman who clearly loves having guests. That morning, after a breakfast of jam, toast, and nesquick, we set off for the town of Bayeux to see their cathedral and a 1,000 year old artifact called the "tapisserie Bayeux". It's a spectacular hand-embroidered tapestry that measures a whopping 70 meters in length and depicts the Norman conquest of England in 1066. It served as a kind of medieval comic book, educating the largely illiterate peasant population about the important historical event. An accompanying museum gave details about the restoration and the many times it was almost lost in history. The cathedral and town offered us a cute little walk during which I learned more about swearing in French than history.

      After that we headed to a place called the point d'hoc, an important military outpost for the Germans during WWII. The barracks and bunkers are mostly intact (you can even enter them), and you can still see the places where the cannons and machine guns were mounted. The landscape is dotted with deep craters left by American bombs that are now overgrown with lush grass. These remnants of war offer a stark contrast to the beautiful expanse of blue ocean that greets you just over the edge of the cliff. There's a stone monument there commemorating the 77,000 Allied troops who lost their lives during D-Day and the resulting Battle of Normandy.

      It began to rain. We sprinted to the car and drove to our next stop, a home-depot adjacent store called "Jardiland", to buy supplies for the work we needed to at home. Once we got there, we helped Madeleine's dad and uncle remove the clusters of invasive mistletoe from the family's orchard of fruit trees, which include cherries, applies, pears, and quinces. Mucking around in the grass with buckets reminded me so much of home. Madeleine showed me their vast garden, the stream out back, and the house of a neighbor that they don't like.

      After a short break, grand-mère called us to dinner with a steaming plate of coquilles-san Jacques (Brittany scallops), white wine, and crusty bread. A lovely apple tart and lively conversation followed. After dinner, Madeleine and I headed upstairs to watch a movie called "fatal bazooka", a popular French comedy about a rapper who falls from grace. A cultural experience that saw us both fall asleep at the end. A lovely day and a restful sleep, there nothing that I love more.

      Sunday morning was, well, sunny. The perfect weather for our last planned activity, which was to visit the beach. Madeleine drove us through a cute French seaside town and showed me her great-grandmother's old house, only to find out that the town was hosting a marathon that blocked thru access to the beach. After finding a hole in the runners, we crossed and walked down the beach boardwalk to the shore, lined by a stately hotel and bistro. We sat down on a large beach towel in the sand and picked up shells while staring out at the misty blue sea. Watching the waves unfurl on the shore and chatting with Madeline was so peaceful and serene that the hours ran away from us. After awhile we packed up our things and took a meandering walk back to the car, which we drove to the carwash (a cultural experience in itself that I won't get into). We were called home for lunch soon after.

      Lunch was grand-mère's final piece de resistance before our departure in the afternoon. First, she served us a slightly pungent paté that looked like head cheese, and smoked brittany sausage, with more baguette. But the real star of the show was a dish called boudin, which is basically congealed pig's blood encased in its own intestine. We have something similar in Germany so I wasn't too alarmed, but it would have been enough to make any vegan shake in their boots. I had less of a problem with the flavor and more with the texture, which is like blood jello. When eaten with strong horseradish mustard, however, it's actually quite pleasant. We cracked walnuts from the basement stores and drank Coca Cola until grand-mère emerged from the kitchen with more apple tarts. Nap-time followed. Before I knew it, it was already time to head home.

      The ride home was largely quiet. Grand-mère pointed out the stables where the famous racehorses are bred (apparently the prince of Monaco bought one) and pastures with grazing sheep and cows. I learned that the word for water tower is "chateau d'eau", which literally means water castle. Madeleine and I both took a nap, and when I woke up we were already almost in Paris. Of course, it was grey and traffic-filled, like it always is. I wished in the back of my mind that we could have stayed longer, but it was enough to have been once. When we said goodbye, Grand-mère gave me a kiss on both cheeks and wished me well. Madeleine brought me to the metro station and hugged me. I got on the train and I was staring out the window something strange happened. We crossed the Seine, directly by the station next to the Eiffel Tower. The clouds broke and a ray of sunlight shone through, illuminating the tower and a river filled with boats and people in a beautifully picturesque scene. There was an audible murmur, and a child shouted out "look outside!".

      Paris is a city designed to be marveled at. It is beautiful thanks to the careful design of architects and tasteful people. But it is still capable of moments of spontaneous beauty that are not preconceived, like when it greets its residents with a moment of rare sunshine. Or perhaps it knew I was returning, and wanted to say "I may have more rats and snobbish people than Normandy, but I am still your home."

      a bientôt everyone. See you next post :)
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    • Day 4

      First day on the trail!!

      September 2, 2023 in France ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

      Saint Jean-Pied-de-Port to Orrison
      Day 1 - 13km

      Those who know us well won't be at all surprised to learn that at the very first intersection we came to after leaving SJPP, we turned the wrong way. 🙄 We turned right instead of left...This resulted in us hiking 6 km in the wrong direction, up hills, and in a massive thunderstorm ⛈
      However we walked through beautiful country side with amazing views over the mountains and still got here ( soaked to the skin!) at 1pm.
      Nothing that a hot shower and a glass of wine couldn't fix!!
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    • Day 2

      Paris

      June 17, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

      Der Verkehr durch Paris ist immer ein Erlebnis. Erst fährt jemand rückwärts auf der Autobahn, dann streiten sich ständig zwei Fahrer und lassen sich gegenseitig nicht durch und überall ist Stau. 🙈
      Das gelebte Motto ist definitiv: wer bremst, verliert.
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    • Day 6

      Paris Day Four

      April 3, 2023 in France ⋅ ☀️ 12 °C

      Recovery day means a day on the couch - or maybe a show - right?

      Nah.

      We went to the hilliest place in Paris - Montmartre.

      Arrived and it was soon apparent that everyone else had the same idea. The lines for the Basilique de Sacre Couer were nuts. The laneways were completely over run by tourists - us included. Its a wonderful place and completely understand why it gets such rave reviews - but every third shop is a souvenir shop.

      Then we went to the Paris Zoo. The last thing our Uber driver said when we arrived was ‘don’t you have zoos in Australia?’
      Well yes, but this was a whole different set of animals and it was very cool. The Mozambique section was a genuine highlight. Clare came alive - for the first 2 hours - and then faded and it was time to find some hot chips.

      Finally stopped off at a little brasserie and had Wine, Cheese and Chips and rested the legs after 15000 steps.
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    • Day 2

      Bienvenue a Paris

      March 1 in France ⋅ 🌬 7 °C

      The flight to Paris was very pleasant- Premium economy suited us well. We arrived and we're pleased that immigration and customs were so easy. Our driver was waiting for us, and we got to see that I-95 in rush hour has nothing on the Parisians. On our way, I received the confirmation boarding pass for the apartment.

      Great! Ready to relax and weather the jet-lag. Until the part where the lock-box where I was supposed to get the key was empty. I called the number on the email, and was told that someone was in the apartment and we couldn't check in until 4 pm. (Only 6 hours...). I was just shy of livid- no offer to help us out in any way- We couldn't even go for a cup of coffee with all our stuff. We sat in the building's vestibule with all our luggage for about half an hour, when a very nice man named François asked what was going on. We told him our sad story.

      François is a gem!!! He offered to let us put our things in his apartment, and gave us keys so we could hang out there until our place is available.

      We finally got into our "apartment." It's truly an efficiency. And very cozy- although lacking the charm that cozy infers. 10x10 is a generous guess- including the efficiency kitchen and washing machine. We can turn around in the bathroom. It apparently was a pest control business.

      We headed out to a restaurant in the block- La Mére Pouches. Open throughout the day. W had onion soup and a cutlet, and fries. I had eggs Benedict with salmon that came with salad. We were tuckered out. After opening the sleeper couch and futilely trying to get the TV to give us anything to watch, we retired early.
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    • Day 14

      Dunkerque

      June 28, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

      The hire car was ready at 9am so we caught the free bus service back to the Gard (station) to pick it up from Avis. We will keep this car for nine days as we head down the coast towards Normandy.

      It is a tiny Toyota manual - cheap and cheerful. Just enough room for the two of us and our bags. Now for the difficult part. Sharon is terrified of me driving on the wrong side of the road, so I suggested we start with a short 6-minute drive to the Dunkerque Wednesday market.

      We managed to find a park and went shopping. Sharon bought a pair of jeans while I was more food orientated and went for the fromage. So cheap and such good quality. More fruit and bread were added, and we made our way back to the apartment. There was a park just around the corner from our digs so that's enough car driving for today.

      In the afternoon we took a long walk down the beach which is dead flat and about 15 kms long. The buildings along the shore are mostly from the 50's or newer. The bombardment of Dunkerque destroyed 80% of the town. The old buildings really stand out.

      The beach is a hive of activity. Wind sailing and cart sailing seem popular. There were a few kites up as it gets windy in the afternoon here. The boardwalk is very wide, and most restaurants have indoor seating, out the front seating and then on the actual beach tables enclosed to protect from the wind.

      Tonight, we dine next door at Brasserie de la Plage. We think it specializes in steak and seafood.
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    • Day 1

      Eine lange Fahrt

      September 18, 2022 in France ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

      Kaum in Frankreich angekommen, wurden die Straßen voller und voller. Der Grund: unsere Route führt durch Paris.
      Den Eiffelturm hat Lilo verschlafen, aber außer den im Stau stehenden Autos, hat man ohnehin nicht viel gesehen.
      Nach und nach wurde es wieder leerer auf den Straßen und pünktlich zum wirklich schönen Sonnenuntergang und nur eine halbe Stunde vor Ankunft, war dann auch Lilo wieder voll dabei (erneut einzuschlafen).
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    • Day 4

      Highlight 👾

      June 12, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

      Ich habe ja doch ein wenig Kontakt mit der pariser SpaceInvader Community, viele sind derzeit selber unterwegs, aber Alfred hatte spontan Zeit in seiner Mittagspause und dafür sind wir extra aus Paris rausgeradelt nach: Montreuil!
      Es war total spannend, er gehört auch zu den Teams, die SpaceInvader reaktivieren und da wir leider bei seinem nächsten Event nicht dabei sein können hat er uns paar SpaceInvaderGifts mitgebracht!! Hach, man fühlt sich so verstanden. Er klebt selbst Pixelavatare von der Community. Seines konnte ich auch in Paris finden! Es war wirklich herzlich und wir werden uns bestimmt nicht das letzte Mal gesehen haben! 🤩👾🤩 Er hat uns auch verraten, dass nur paar Straßen weiter wohl das Atelier vom Invader ist. 😱
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    • Day 7

      Château de Vincennes

      October 3, 2022 in France ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

      Ein Freund aus Paris hat mir empfohlen, das Château de Vincennes zu besichtigen. Und da es eh auf meiner Bucketlist stand, habe ich mir das nicht 2 Mal sagen lassen. Und siehe da, es es hat sich gelohnt. Die Festung ist eine der bedeutendsten in ganz Frankreich. Bis 1682 residierten dort auch die Könige, aber Ludwig XIV hat das prunkvolle Versailles als Wohnort vorgezogen. Somit blieb Vincennes Bastion zum Schutz gegen Eindringlinge und wurde über mehrere Jahrhunderte als Gefängnis genutzt. Marquis de Sade war einer der bekanntesten Insassen. Da sich die meisten Touris in Versailles tummeln, hatte ich hier meine Ruhe, das war toll.Read more

    • Day 7

      Parc Floral

      October 3, 2022 in France ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

      Danach ging es in den direkt hinter dem Schloss liegenden Parc Floral und auch dort war kaum ein Mensch. Das war herrlich, nur die vielen Enten und Gänse haben geschnattert. Da es entgegen der Vorhersage noch ziemlich kühl und neblig war, bin ich nur eine große Runde gelaufen und habe mich dann auf den Weg nach La Défense gemacht. Dafür musste ich nur in die Metrolinie 1 steigen, die direkt durchfährt.Read more

    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Saint-Mandé, Saint-Mande, سن-مانده, サン=マンデ, Сен-Манде, 생망데, Sanctus Mandetus, سن مانده, 94160, Санкт-Манде, Сен Манде, JPM, سینٹ-مندے, 圣芒代

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