For context, I invite you to go read this post from July 8, 2010, the 8th day if the sabbatical. It’s okay. I’ll wait.
As you might be able to tell from this photo, I repeated the experience earlier today for my lunch. I offered to share with Melinda, but just like she did 7 years ago, she declined. Honestly, she doesn’t know what she missed. It really is surprisingly tasty. This is especially true because there is nothing like it in the US.
I decided to post this because Melinda’s mom, Michele, got a big kick out of me eating coq au vin from a can back in 2010. I think she especially likes my rendition of the sing-song, “Coq au vin, in a can.” I made it up, in case you were wondering.
In our little kitchen at noon today it all came back to me, Michele. I dedicate this post to you. Maybe you’d join me?
Burger and beer at Berlin 1989, a burger joint in Nantes.So here’s a little more detail from our Friday night in Nantes.
The Bertails planned all along to take us to a fairly new burger joint, knowing how much I like hamburgers. You longtime blog readers will recall Ella’s and my search for the best cheeseburger in France during the sabbatical in 2010-11 (get a refresher here). Since then, finding a delicious burger has become much easier. Aveze & Ricard taste like vacation to me.Those Melinda and I had last night at Berlin 1989 rank right there with any gourmet burger you’d find in the states.
Prior to going out last night, we had an aperitif at the Bertail home. Me, I made that delicious Aveze-Ricard combo I wrote about last year in this post. Melinda thought the color matched my glasses and snapped this photo.
I think the picture turned out really well, maybe because I’m not looking at the camera. Can you see relaxation, contentment, and appreciation in it?
Everyone likes to laugh at me about this, but so be it. There are certain clothes I like to buy at French grocery stores. Shirts, pants, socks, underwear… I draw the line at shoes. Today, Bernard snapped this photo of me in the men’s clothing section at Leclerc. That’s a fan under my arm, a story for another time.Prior to Leclerc, Christine and Bernard took us to Emmaus. It’s a flea market just outside of town where we’ve found some fun French items in the past – drinking glasses, key chains, playing cards. I got a cool Ricard glass this year to add to my collection.This photo is from last night when we went out with 4 couples (including us). That’s Laurent and Sandrine on the left, whose daughter took English “lessons” from Melinda and me during the sabbatical. The others, of course, are the Bertails, the Boudeaus, and us.
So with Line 2 closed, the city provides folks an alternative, what they call the Relais. Chloe and Ella will remember this from the sabbatical year. They will also appreciate this selfie that I took less than an hour ago while on the Relais. Moments before that, I was providing directions/explanations to a man and his daughter about where to catch the Relais in order to head into town. That’s right. I know answers to these things. Melinda wants to get me a tram button that says, “Ask me. I know.”
That’s right, it’s Bentsen’s birthday today. One whole year, which means he is no longer a puppy, right? To commemorate the day, I took some photos at the park in Champtoceaux where we had lunch on Monday. I thought Bentsen, and those who love him, would appreciate them.
Photo #1 tells you to keep your dog on a leash while inside the park.Photo #2 is, well, a photo about #2.Photo #3 is a step-by-step guide to using the topic of Photo #2. No translation needed.
What I did on my summer vacation – Spent the entire time waiting for my beloved tram line, Ligne 2 in Nantes, to re-open. That’s right. It’s not operating this summer.
So, I’m either staging a hunger strike, praying for the return of the line, or too distraught to look at the camera. Perhaps it is all three.
I may still be there at the tram stop, waiting for Line 2 to arrive. I’m not telling.
For a little history, when I contemplated proposing marriage to Ligne 2, check out this blog entry from 2011.
Today, Bernard and Christine took us on a day trip to see the town of Champtoceaux, about a 30 minute drive from Nantes. We had a picnic lunch at a scenic park overlooking the Loire River. After lunch, we hiked to see and learn about the centuries-old ruins there. I snapped the photo above in the midst of the ruins of the citadel. If you’re interested in learning more, check out the town’s English language website.
Laurent is looking for what? The sun, I think.An interesting thing to note since the sabbatical year in 2010 is how I’ve recognized the important things that have taken place on this day each year. I’ve found it to be a fun thing to do, to consider what I (and others) have done on the same day over time. And for some reason, July 23rd stands out.
Mirrors are part of the art theme this year, I think. Here we are along the trail. Note our legs in the nearer mirror near the bottom of the photo.If you’re interested in checking this out, you can use the “View by Month” feature to the right. Click on the Select Month pull-down menu and select July of each year. Scroll until you find the 23rd and read each post. You can also look at my post from 2014 for a further sense of this.
Now about this year’s July 23rd, it started out with having to regroup. The initial plan was for us to travel with Frederique and Laurent to Pornichet to see their (and our) friends Luc and Isabel. The plan for the men was to run along the boardwalk for maybe an hour or so. And the women were going to do an exercise-walk in the ocean. Still looking for the sun?Melinda even bought some special shoes for this purpose yesterday! But then the weather turned on us, rainy and chilly, and the planned trip was scrapped. This is a classic situation of plans being “rained out,” to use an American baseball reference (the “game” is tentatively rescheduled for next Sunday).
So instead of the trip to Pornichet, Frederique and Laurent walked to Melinda’s and my apartment. Then, together, the four of us walked into the center of Nantes. This is an important route for me, in that I’ve run it many times. And there are some fun art installations along the way. We had brunch in Nantes, wandered around town a bit, and then walked back. All together, this was 17,000 steps, according to my pedometer.
All of the photos, including the selfie below with its lovely message, come from today’s walk. July 23rd, you know how to treat me.
It’s been a full day, completely influenced by jet lag. Melinda was wide awake at 3am, and my turn came a few hours later. Then it was overwhelming waves of exhaustion that felt like bouts of vertigo. Thank goodness Manon made this delicious dessert!
We had a great day today, from breakfast in Amsterdam to arriving in Nantes to have dinner at the Bertail’s with the Boudeaus. I’m tired, though, so this post is brief, just this photo from the airplane on our final approach to Nantes. That’s the Hippodrome in the center of the photo, in case you were wondering.
For context, I invite you to go read this post from July 8, 2010, the 8th day if the sabbatical. It’s okay. I’ll wait. 
Andy Smallman 