Category: Winter 2014

Here’s what I did today. Keep in mind, I did these things in Nantes, which makes them all the sweeter.

I went for a 7.5 mile run this morning. This took me from Commerce, the center of the city, all the way along the Erdre to the Jonelière Bridge at the north end of the town, the bridge I regularly crossed in the summer when we stayed at the Boudeau’s. I ran across it and along the other side of the Erdre back to where I started. This took me just over an hour and I felt pretty darn good. As you might know, I haven’t been doing much running due to an injured Achilles tendon. But it’s getting better and better!

After my run, I finished up a 52 week kindness curriculum I was asked to create for a project of the Intelligent Optimist magazine. I sent it off and have already heard back about how pleased they are with it. I’ll be using it myself as part of my Kind Living work in 2015.

Having finished that, I rode Line 1 of the Nantes tramway out to Atlantis, the shopping center in the western part of town. The large Decathlon store where I like to shop for running clothes is there so I picked up a couple of new running shirts. I also went into Leclerc and bought a sweater, which makes everyone laugh at me (it’s like buying clothes at Fred Meyer, which I also have been known to do). From Atlantis, I took bus 73 to Orvault Grand Val where it intersects with Line 2 of the tramway. Having heard from Melinda that she wanted me to pick up some wine, and from Chloe who wanted me to pick up some gluten-free biscuits, I stopped in at the Leclerc there.

Shopping done, I got on Line 2 and rode to Bourgeonnière, our stop when we lived in Nantes four years ago. I exited there and walked to the Bertail’s. Melinda, who had spent the day shopping with Christine, had just arrived with Chloe and Ella. We had been invited to dinner.

Now I’m back in our hip apartment at the end of the day, ready to pronounce it all as good. Very good.

(Disclaimer — I *stole* all the images in this post from Romain’s Facebook page. Tee-hee.)

So the apartment in which we are staying in Nantes is atop the Passage Pommeraye, an incredible little shopping center in the center of the city that opened in 1843. Yes, 18, as in EIGHTEEN, 43. For context, go take a look at this link, and this one, too.

The Boudeaus came over at 5pm to have a little goûter, a late afternoon, typically sweet, snack. Manon made banana bread and we provided kouign-amann and macarons from Maison Georges Larnicol, a shop inside the Passage Pommeraye.

After finishing the tasty treats, we ventured into the center of the shopping area to take some photos. The one at the top is a panorama Romain took. Those below should be fairly self-explanatory (other than Melinda’s expression in the one on the left). Apparently, he didn’t get any shots of his parents…

For our final full day in Paris, Melinda and I engaged in a 2 hour walking tour of the Marais, the neighborhood in Paris in which we are staying. I found the tour online and thought it would be a nice, touristy way to wrap up our two weeks in Paris. Besides, it didn’t cost anything, it wasn’t raining (although it is chilly), and it would be a good way to get some exercise.

If you are interested in taking the tour virtually, follow this link. We followed it pretty much to the letter, link by link. Of great interest to me, Café l’Escurial, the restaurant my grandmother and ate at several times when we came to Paris in 1981, is at the Rue des Francs Bourgeois & the Rue de Turenne, right near the end of the tour. I blogged about that on October 25, 2010.

In terms of the exercise, Melinda’s FitBit told us we walked around 7000 steps while on our tour. So to keep up, you may want to visit the website while on a treadmill or something.

Regarding what’s coming next, we leave in the morning for Nantes, taking the TGV. I’m really excited to get to Nantes, as I always am. Melinda’s and my anniversary is next Wednesday and it looks like it might involve as many as three other couples participating in a progressive dinner. Fun!

In the bad news department, both Melinda and Chloe are now feeling pretty crummy (Ella is hanging in there, she with the flu vaccine). Melinda wasn’t going to stay in today on our last day in Paris, but Chloe chose to do so. But Melinda did miss out on going with Chloe, Ella, and me to the late show playing at the nearby movie theatre last night. We saw “Gone Girl” and were mesmerized by it. An odd movie to be watching on Christmas night, but, man, what a thriller.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the first Christmas Eve since Perrin was born that we haven’t been with her (and Melinda’s whole family). Ella was lamenting this a bit as the week progressed, that and the awareness that this is her last Christmas as a “child.” She’s not sure what next year will bring, and those thereafter. On top of that, we didn’t get a tree or cut out snowflakes or anything normal. No poppers, even!

Still, we were able last night to watch Perrin open her presents from us via the marvel of FaceTime. What’s FaceTime? Time with your face, I guess, and the faces of others, as you can see in this photo.

What did Perrin get? A Harry Potter book collection and a sorting hat. Perrin put on the hat and we all immediately heard, “Gryffindor!”

Greg, her dad, put it on, too. “Slytherin!”