Tag: France 2014

One of the things we’ve been saying to Chloe* about our trip is how cool it is to be integrated into the homes of French families. It’s not a vacation in which you are staying in a hotel, going out to touristy places during the day, and then eating in restaurants.

Case in point, today. Ella and Chloe* got up and had breakfast at the Bertails, then went into town by tram (Line 2, of course) to go shopping with Celeste and Claire. The four girls stopped for lunch and visited the Nid (the Nest), before returning home to the Bertails for dinner.

I arrived from my excursion to buy running clothes at Decathlon to see Maxime, the oldest of the Bertail children, and snap this shot of the dinner table.

This isn’t “visiting” France. This is “living” in France.

I got up at the Boudeaus at about 9 this morning and went for a 7+ mile run. This run took me from the Boudeaus, across the Erdre, along a favorite trail of mine, past the Bertails and our sabbatical house, a lap around the hippodrome, down a trail to another along a creek, across Line 2 at the rink where the Nantes hockey club plays, down to the Erdre, along a trail, back over the Erdre, and home to the Boudeaus.

I rinsed off in the cabana shower and then had the pool to myself for a while. Melinda arrived with Ella, Chloe*, Celeste and Claire. The girls jumped in the pool (hence this picture).

In short order I will be going to the store as I’m on dinner duty tonight. I’m thinking a chicken dish in coconut milk sautéed with spinach, onions, and walnuts.

Speaking of this day, take a look at what I was doing on each of the last four July 23rds:

– 2010: Day 23 (23 July 2010) – Pornichet Library
– 2011: The New Racetrack (Day 365 + 23)
– 2012: Parc de La Noé Mitrie
– 2013: A Review

Omaha Beach.

It’s hard for me to believe but it was three years ago that we were here. So much has happened since, and so little. The “so little” part of it kind of hits you when you walk among the thousands of graves at the American Cemetery at Omaha Beach, where we were today. It looks like it did three years ago, which is as it should be. This place shouldn’t change. To call being here an awesome experience doesn’t get it right. There are no words that get it right.

I tried to express it three years ago in words and don’t think I can do better now than I did then. So do me a favor and read that post.

On that note, maybe read the post I wrote three years ago about our visit then to Utah Beach, too.

So, Omaha Beach is where we went today. We followed our two plus hour tour of the cemetery and accompanying museum by driving down to Omaha Beach itself. The weather was beautiful and hundreds of people frolicked on the sand and in the water with the tide out. We ate our lunches and enjoyed the company of dear friends. We did that on Omaha Beach.

Omaha Beach.

No more words…

Most cases, I think, when one is in Normandy and talk begins happening about Easy Company, it has something to do with the American 101st Division and their role in World War II. In fact, I’m pretty sure that my conversations outside of Normandy having to do with Easy Company have something to do with the American army.

But in this case, on this entry on this blog, despite the fact that I’m writing it while in Normandy and having visited Utah Beach and Brecourt Manor, where Easy Company took out 4 German cannons on the morning of June 6, 1944, the easy company I’m referring to is the close friendship represented in these two photos, that of Ella and Chloe*.

The first photo was taken at the entry point to Utah Beach. I think Ella is playing the part of anyone happy to see someone else, while Chloe* is playing the part of anyone unhappy to be hugged.

In the second photo, taken at a recently constructed tribute to the more famous Easy Company at Brecourt Manor, I’m not really sure what roles the girls are playing. Maybe I just snapped this picture at the wrong time?

I am sitting in an incredible manor house in Normandy, not far from the city of Caen. It was acquired by Bernard’s parents in 1991. As I write, there is a discussion going on in French about when the house was first built. Let’s just say it was a long time ago, and that it was built, floor by floor, over many years. That it has Wifi is a new thing, however, maybe just for the summer, even. This is where we are spending the next two nights.

Today began at about 8am when we started out caravan style, Melinda, Ella, Chloe* and I following the Bertails to Normandy from Nantes. Many things have taken place since, many too many to summarize here, so I will present just this picture. We ate lunch on blankets at Utah Beach. Yes, that Utah Beach. A person, or group of persons, can have a picnic there.

Not quite the case 70 years ago.

It’s just past midnight here in Nantes, meaning I am writing this on July 20th, my mom’s birthday. So I present this post as our happy birthday card to her. Given we are leaving in 8 hours for 3 days in Normandy so Ella and Chloe* can see the D-Day beaches, cemeteries, and museums, AND that we may not have Internet access until we’re back in Nantes, it’s important the birthday greeting gets sent.

Happy birthday, Granny, Mom, Carib!  What we got you this year is the experience of giving your old laptop to Bernard. That’s him in today’s photo, getting it all set up and registered in his name. As I think I mentioned, on Wednesday in Seattle a kind-hearted worker at the Apple Store wiped clean the hard drive and for free uploaded a newer operating system. This, in essence, made your computer factory setting new, albeit circa 2008. But it’s brand new to the Bertails who now have another way for their family of 6 to connect to the Internet. Carib, you would have delighted in seeing Claire’s eyes light up when she saw what her dad was doing.

There was much joy in response, exactly what a birthday gift should provide!

15.3km. That’s how far Laurent & I ran this morning. In miles, it’s 9.5, for you kilometer-impaired.

I uploaded the run to my Nike+ account, and then took a screenshot of the result. I know you can’t really tell where this is, but it’s north of the center of Nantes. The beginning and end point is the Boudeau’s house. We crossed the Erdre River using the Joneliere Bridge and then ran toward the north.

By the way, Melinda gave me a special GPS watch as a holiday gift last December and I use it to track all of my runs. One of the things I was excited to do in France this year is upload a run. And here I did it!

This was also made possible because I brought along my dad’s old laptop. He and my mom bought new ones a couple of weeks ago. They passed on the old ones (from 2008!) to me to make use of. I’ll report on what has happened with my mom’s old laptop in a future post.

Oh, if you’re wondering, it took us 82 minutes to run this far. Laurent is training to run the New York Marathon this fall.

There she is, Chloe*, hiding from the camera. I told her I would keep taking pictures until I got one I liked. This one appealed to me. There is something about the combined jet lag, unplanned afternoon nap-hair, and her listening to a bunch of people speak French that makes this picture work for me.

Well, that and the fact Chloe* is holding a “crack brownie.” What’s a crack brownie, you ask? It’s a crazy-delicious brownie made by Christine that got its name due to its immediate addictive tendencies. Learn more here and here.

A drug therapist friend of mine once explained how he defined adolescent drug “experimentation.” This was in response to parents minimizing their kids’ drug use by passing it off as experimenting. My friend said, “The first time is an experiment to see what happens. The second time is an experiment to see if what happened the first time happens again. The third time, though, is using.”

By the way, Chloe* ate two brownies.

*Chloe in this case does not refer to Melinda’s and my daughter, but to Ella’s friend, who just so happens to be named Chloe and who is with us this summer.