Discoveries!

     There is no end to discoveries here.  As you all know, I have visited France dozens upon dozens of times and have come to believe that no matter how many times I've been here, there's always something else to discover or rediscover.  And living here lends itself to many more observations of those things that are different from what I'm used to in the US.  And that makes me happy!  I often think of a quote from Peter Mayles' "A Year in Provence" when they are experiencing the Mistral for the first time.  The Mistral is a nasty bitter wind that blows through the Provence region and is so strong that it "blows the ears off donkeys"!  Anyway, after they wake up one morning to frozen pipes, his wife asks him if this is normal.  His response is "I've no idea.  Isn't it wonderful?"  She gives him a look of unbelief and says, "What's wonderful?"  "That we've no idea what's normal anymore!" he proclaims.  And that, my friends, is exactly how I feel.
     So now I shall share with you (not in any particular order) some things that I have discovered about living in France these past three weeks:
     *There are no screens in France - no screen windows or doors so when you open said windows and doors you are living with nature - literally!  CoCo stays on a long leash when the door is open so that she can go in and out as she pleases.  I was a little slow getting her leash attached yesterday morning and she took off after one of the cats.  Took us all by surprise!
     *Any time and anywhere you shop you must bring your own bags.  If you forget or need more bags for your purchases, you will have to buy a shopping bag.  I now keep a large mesh bag in my purse and and extra one in my car.  But what a great idea!  Really cuts down on those awful plastic bags that end up everywhere and are not recyclable (except in France!)
     *There are parking spaces in the center of every town and village that are marked with blue lines.  That means you must have a permit to park there.  (The ones with white lines are free).  But the fun thing is that for one euro, you can buy a permanent permit that comes with a little clock feature.  When you park you leave your "clock", marked with the time, on your dashboard.  That's all there is to it!  I must say that I have not seen many French people placing those permits when they park.  But as my landlady said, I would probably be the one ticketed if I didn't do it.
    * Last week I mentioned that all shops are closed between 12:30 and 2:30 (or even 3) everyday.  But I forgot to mention that everything is closed all day on Sundays - except bars and restaurants.  There are 24 hour gas stations as long as you have a credit card that they will accept (see last week's blog post!)
     *I have discovered amazon.fr!  Need I say more??!! :-)
     *I have discovered Groupon France!  (I'm on a roll!)
     *I do miss pepperoni on pizzas (they don't have them in Italy either), but I've surprised my self that I don't actually miss Dr Pepper!
     *The cheap wine in grocery stores is better than most expensive wine in liquor stores in the US
     *Coca Cola tastes better here.  I think because it's made with real cane sugar.
     *The ready made ham and cheese crepes that I buy at Carrefour are cheaper and better than any I could make!
     *Navigating French and British TV has been a source of amusement.  The only American programs are at least five years old and some of them much older.  I am enjoying "MASH", "Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman", "Happy Days", and "Columbo" - again.
     *Getting a bank account in another country has its challenges!  I was so appreciative of Hélène going with me to meet with her banking representative.  She was extremely helpful in interpreting vocabulary that I was unfamiliar with and being a good moral support for both me and the bank lady as she tried to figure out what the computer wanted from me.  She said that since the terrorist attacks which began last year, the banks were asking for nationalities of anyone opening  bank account and verification of where their funds were coming from.  She seemed as surprised as I was about some of the things being asked.  But finally, she was able to fill in all the answers to the satisfaction of the "powers that be" and I now have a French bank account - or will have officially once I get my bankcard.  
     *There are a variety of critters around here.  Hawks, sparrows, swallows, magpies, doves and other birds I have not identified yet.  Moles and coipus (yeah, I didn't know what that was either - they're also known as river rats!).  I have yet to see any deer or wild boar although I know they are in this region.  The three cats are learning to keep their distance from CoCo - except that kitten who seems to have no fear!  She makes me laugh and confuses CoCo who doesn't understand why little kitty doesn't run away from her.
     *Speaking of critters, I finally visited a local zoo.  It's about a 90 minute drive from me.  I'm glad that I went to the Zoo African Safari near Toulouse, but I probably won't return.  It was a sad place.  Obviously an older zoo without any financial resources to help it along.  The drive through was good, but the walking visit just made me sad to see the small enclosures and lack of enrichment and stimulating activities for the animals.  I'm sure they do the best they can given their limited funds.
    

The rhinos seemed to like their area

The zebras shared an area with the wildebeasts

The hippos were enjoying a swim

I wasn't sure he was going to let me through the gate!

I love the black panther

And the Arctic Wolves - I saw four in this enclosure

A baby tapir and his momma

The petting farm was fun with miniature goats, sheep and ponies

The seal pool was the best part of the zoo.  I missed the show but they were still really active

     And now it's time for me to watch the Broncos with my nfl gamepass!  Until next week . . . and we'll see what the next bend has in store for me.  Merci!

I Love Thursday Mornings!

     Thursday mornings in the lovely 2000 year old town of Eauze there is a wonderful market.  It draws everyone from surrounding towns and is well worth the visit!  2000 years, you ask?  Well, originally (predating the Romans), this was the capital of a Celtic tribe called the Elusatii.  It continued to be important through Roman and Merovingian times before being trashed by those dang Vikings!  The church there dates from the 15th century as does a half-timbered house where the mother of King Henry IV lived (unfortunately that's about all that she's known for, poor woman!).
    But, back to the market . . . One can pretty much outfit one's entire home from the vendors that set up here from 6:00am until around noon every Thursday.  Besides all the fresh fruits and vegetables and other foods such as meats, cheeses, breads, pastries, honey, jams, wines and the local brandy called Armagnac, you can also buy linens and clothing, shoes, baskets, soaps and lotions, toys, books, glassware and pottery.  It's amazing!  I've been twice now and can't imagine a Thursday morning that I wouldn't go to this market.
    To get there I have to drive about 15 minutes along little winding narrow hardly-room-for-two-cars roads.  There are no shoulders on these roadways so if a car is coming from the other direction you just hope that it will pull over to the far side of the road while you pull over to the far side on your side and grit your teeth and don't close your eyes!  If I weren't so keen on watching for oncoming traffic I could really enjoy the beauty of the surrounding countryside.  It's all farmland - mostly vineyards and fields of sunflowers.  So quintessentially French that I have to smile the entire way to Eauze!
     There are some things to get used to:  All shops are closed beween 12:30pm and 2:30pm to allow for everyone to go have a nice leisurely lunch.  So forget running any errands during those hours.  Nothing is open: not the bank, or the post office, or the pharmacy, or the grocery stores, or the gas stations, you get the idea.
     One of the local supermarkets likes my US debit card and the other one does not.  I don't know if their machines are different, but my card doesn't work at the Intermarche, but does work at the Carrefour!  I have tried not to use my US debit card because of the transaction fees, but I don't have a French bank account yet.  That happens tomorrow, hopefully!  Keep your fingers crossed.  Once I have a French bank account, then I can get a French phone and then I can buy a used car (I have found some RAV4s nearby), then I can start looking for a French home to buy!  Whew!
     Besides the market trips I have ventured into the mountains going both SW and SE.  The Pyrenees are south, but that's a long stretch of mountains.  They are the border between France and Spain.  I can't decide which views I like the best.  So I think many more visits are needed! :-)
     Here are a number of photos that I have taken in the past two weeks since my arrival at the cottage.  Thank you for being with me on this journey.  The road goes ever on . . .  Merci!

The town square in Eauze.  I had a Coca at one of these table!

The 15th century church in Eauze

Inside the church

The market in Eauze

More market finds

My market purchases

Close to the SE mountains

Near the SW mountains

More of those beautiful mountains

     Until next week . . .

Settling In

     First of all, to answer the question that many of you have been asking:  yes, my pink suitcase showed up!  I'll pick up where I left off last Sunday.  After spending the night in the crappy hotel near the Toulouse airport, I had a quick traditional French breakfast of a croissant, jam (they forgot the butter!) and hot tea.  (They also forgot the applesauce).  Since the breakfast was brought to my little room on the back of the hotel building I didn't want to walk all the way around to the front to get the butter and applesauce.
     The rooms were arranged like an American motel where each room is on the first level with a door leading out to the parking lot.  The only way to get to my room from the lobby was to haul my big suitcase, backpack, CoCo and her carrier all the way around to the back of the building through the long parking lot - and then back again.  At that point I was glad I didn't have the other suitcase!
     The lady in the tiny lobby called me a taxi to take me back to the airport to retrieve my other bag and pick up my leased Peugeot.  That was easily done and so now I'm arriving in the Toulouse airport on the day I had originally planned.  Except that I'm 6 hours earlier than I had told the Peugeot people so I wasn't sure if the car would be ready for me.  It stated quite clearly on the paperwork I printed off their website that the car pick up was by appointment only depending on the flight arrival.
     The paperwork told me where to find a public phone in the airport to call the toll free number for the car park.  That phone did not work.  So I headed to the other end of the airport where there were some shops thinking that there might be another phone down there.  And along the way I was looking for the door with the button outside which would connect me to the baggage storage area.
     I found both.  The public phone at that end of the airport didn't work either!  But there was an information booth close by.  I stopped in there (remember I still have my big suitcase, my backpack, CoCo and her carrier) and asked if they could possibly make a phone call for me since neither of their public phones worked.  They said they would be happy to.  I told them I would return once I had my other suitcase so that I would be ready when the car people showed up for me.
     Now I headed to the door with the outside buzzer.  And no one answered.  Other people showed up at the door and they all tried and still no one answered.  Someone else showed up and pushed another  button for another service and the door opened - so we all rushed in!  The people ahead of me were out of luck as their suitcase had still not shown up, but luck was now on my side (about time!) and there was my lovely pink suitcase!
     Then I realized I had to go through customs again and a plane load of people had just arrived and I had seen four military guys in uniform with their very big guns walking down the concourse so I figured I couldn't just slip through like I did the day before.  But, there was still no one manning the customs area!  Not a soul in sight!  So, once again, I just breezed through - with my large suitcase, my pink suitcase, my backpack, CoCo and her carrier!
     Back to the information desk where they called to see if by any chance my car was ready as I came in early.  And, hooray for lady luck, it was!  So I hauled all my stuff outside to wait by the curb for the guy from Peugeot to pick me up.  And then everything went smoothly.  I got a cute little Peugeot, managed to fit everything inside and used my GPS to get me to the nice hotel that I had already reserved for Thursday night.  What a wonderful change from Wednesday night.
     Le Deauville is situated near the airport but close to the Garonne River and so had a feel of being out in the country even though it wasn't.  We were able to get into the room right away.  I left the big suitcase in the car as it was packed with winter things.  The young girl at reception insisted on carrying my pink suitcase upstairs (very few French hotels have elevators) and CoCo and I settled into a lovely air conditioned room away from the noise of the city.
     After getting cleaned up we took a stroll into the little village to a place that had caught my eye when we drove by it.  It was called "Hero Coffee, Burger, Frites"  Since I wanted two of those I thought I'd give it a try.  The reason it's called "Hero" is because it's decorated with all the Marvel Super Heroes and the burgers have corresponding names.  I got a bacon cheeseburger - the Iron Burger - with a coke and fries to go.  Took it back to the room and decompressed for the rest of the evening.
     After a good night's sleep I had a quick breakfast and then was on the road towards the town of Lectoure where I would spend Friday night before heading to my cottage Saturday morning.  Lectoure is a wonderful medieval walled town with an ancient 12th century cathedral.  The hotel has the odd name of "Le Bastard".  Really!  Apparently there was an extremely wealthy family of that name who owned the estate which later became the hotel.  What a lovely setting - right on the ramparts of the old city and overlooking a garden and the countryside below.  The room was small, but the property was amazing.  And I woke up the next morning to hot air balloons!

My aperitif and a book while waiting for my room to be ready

Looking down on the garden

     After breakfast CoCo and I headed to our new home for the next eight months - Lassénat St Georges and were welcomed by Hélène and Guiseppe with the traditional kisses on each cheek.  It was so nice to finally be "home".
     Next week I'll treat you to all the adventures I'm having in this little corner of France called the Gers - the little shops, the outdoor markets, the winding narrow roads, the countryside.
     Thank you for joining me on this grand adventure - on French roads with bends and turns and bumps!  Merci!!

Bonjour France - A Bumpy Ride

     I am writing this to you from my lovely little cottage near Vic Fezensac, Gers, France.  I'm out on the patio with my iced tea (I know what you're thinking, but I love iced tea - and it wasn't easy getting ice!) and my laptop.  There's a nice breeze and nice views.  This morning CoCo and I went into town to do a little exploring and sat at the Cafe Sport, with most of the town's occupants I think, had a Coca and did some people watching.  It seems the French thing to do on a Sunday morning is sit at a cafe/bar and have a beer! 
     Let me tell you what all I went through to get here!  I flew from Colorado Springs to Houston with no problems.  Then cousin Pat and Aunt Carolee (bless her little 91 year old heart!) came and picked me up at the hotel and we grabbed some fast food and came back to the hotel to eat in the lobby.  It was so good seeing them again.
     My flight from Houston to Frankfort was to leave at 3:45.  I planned to leave the hotel around 11 to make sure I had plenty of time for check in as I had my 2 large suitcases with me.  United said they could not check them all the way through as I had an overnight in Houston and would be traveling with a different airline.  Fortunately, the hotel let me leave the suitcases in their office so I didn't have to get them up to my room on the 5th floor.
     I decided it would be a good idea to double check with Lufthansa that even with my overnight layover in Frankfort, my luggage would go all the way through and I would not have to go through customs.  CoCo's international health certificate was in French as my vet tech assured me that we would not need it until arriving in Toulouse.  Well . . . . the catch in the system, as the Lufthansa lady told me, was that my layover was longer than 24 hours so I would have to collect my bags in Frankfort and go through customs - with the wrong papers.  Now I start to panic.  My visa for entering France stated the entry date as 9/1 not 8/31.  And CoCo's paperwork was not in German. 
     But I decided it was better to enter France a day early than risk the wrong paperwork for CoCo and having her quarantined in Germany or something equally awful since I didn't have German papers for her.  I asked Lufthansa lady if she could help me change my flight from Frankfort to Toulouse and when she checked on that she said that since I had made the reservation with my United Miles I would have to call them to change the reservation. 
     So, now I'm calling United and explaining the entire situation once again to someone I'm hoping can help me out.  All the while that I'm on the phone, I'm trying to get everything packed back into my backpack (which is completely stuffed) with one hand and calming CoCo who is wondering why my heart is beating like crazy.  The United reservation lady is very nice (I'm sure she could hear the panic and pleading in my voice) and tries to help as much as possible, but it seems every question I ask I am being asked to hold while she finds out the answer. 
     At this point I'm on the shuttle to the airport, juggling the phone, the backpack, my 2 large suitcases and CoCo!  It is about halfway from the hotel to the airport that she tells me her supervisor was able to help get me on a flight from Frankfort to Toulouse (there are only 2 of these per day) at 4:05.  This means I'll have a 7 hour layover in Frankfort - a far cry from the relaxing overnight I had hoped for.  But at least it meant that neither CoCo nor my 2 large suitcases would be going through customs in Germany.  One hurdle over - but more to come.
     Now we're on the wonderful Lufthansa 380 airbus with a seat on the upper level.  It's very nice up there, not as crowded as the lower level and there's a very nice German man next to me.  But I am feeling rather cramped as there's not much leg room with CoCo's carrier barely fitting under the seat in front of me - and no room in the overhead bin for my backpack which now has to be stowed on the next row over.
     About 10 minutes before departure they make an announcement that there are seats available in premium economy.  If interested, please inform a flight attendant.  Yes, I'm interested.  Let's make this 9 hour flight as comfy as possible after the rush of leaving the US!  So for $299 more I was shown to a much larger seat with lots of leg room and extra amenities and there's even an empty seat next to mine so that I can put CoCo's carrier in it instead of her having to stay on the floor the whole time!  yay!! 
     After landing in Frankfort, we went through passport check but no documentation was needed for CoCo!  But now I have about 5 hours to kill before I need to check in for the flight to Toulouse.  I don't want to sit the whole time as then the jet lag will really set in.  I need to keep moving.  I find the information desk and ask about a tourist bus that would take me into downtown Frankfort.  He suggests that I get the train pass for 10 euros that is good for all day and I can just ride the commuter train from the airport to downtown.  Then ride it back once I've done some exploring in the old town area.
     Sounded like a good idea . . . I checked my backpack and CoCo's carrier into the baggage service area, easily found the train platform (just underneath the baggage claim area) and headed into Frankfort.  We wandered for about 30 minutes, then had some lunch, then wandered some more and took a few photos. 

     I decided I wanted to give myself plenty of time to get back to the airport and pick up my backpack and get checked in for the Toulouse flight so we headed back with about 3 hours before check in time.  The train ride to the city had taken only 15 minutes so I felt good about the time returning.  However, once I got into the station and looked at all the timetables and wondered which train I needed (there was only one train that left the airport, but numerous trains that left from this downtown station).  I decided the quickest way to find out was to ask an information person.
     He told me I needed the train to Weisbaden and get off at the 5th stop.  I knew it was 5 stops coming from the airport so that made sense to me.  However, the 5th stop on that train route was no where near the airport.  It was a teeny tiny town on the outskirt of Frankfort.  I got off anyway and decided to just take a taxi from there to the airport.  But teeny tiny towns do not have taxis!  So my only choice was to take the train back into Frankfort and either find the right train or take a taxi from there.
     I still had some time to spare and so did not start panicking until I realized that the next train going back towards Frankfort did not come for another 30 minutes!  I had no choice but to wait there for the train and then hope that everything from that point on went smoothly.  When I got off at the station I immediately went outside to the taxi spot and a very nice lady driver said she would do everything she could to get me and CoCo to the airport quickly!  By then it was 2:00, when I was supposed to be at the passport check in for my flight at 4:05.  I still had to get my backpack and CoCo's carrier from baggage services and find my way up to the departures area and then find the correct passport line to get me into the Lufthansa concourses.
     At 2:30 I was on the right concourse and found my gate.  And collapsed on a chair, drenched in sweat and extremely thirsty.   I was so happy to be in the right place with time to spare and was saying not nice things about the information guy in Frankfort who told me the wrong train!  Then, wouldn't you know, the flight to Toulouse was delayed by 30 minutes!  Well, that gave me a little more time to dry out.
     I shall end this blog post by telling you that the entrance into Toulouse was also an adventure.  Passport check was very easy.  Then it was on to baggage claim to get my 2 large suitcases wondering how I was going to maneuver both of them, my backpack and CoCo's carrier out to find a taxi to take me the last minute reserved hotel room (remember I'm arriving in Toulouse a day earlier than originally planned abd so hotels.com helped me get a cheap hotel room near the airport).  I spotted my large white suitcase immediately and then waited and waited for the pink one. 
     Everyone else had claimed all the bags and the carousel was empty.  My bag was nowhere to be seen.  So now I'm filing a lost bag claim and worried about my phone going dead.  You see, in my hurry to leave the hotel in Houston I forgot to grab my phone charger, which didn't concern me too much because I had packed an extra one - in the pink suitcase! 
     Thankfully I still had a change of clothes  and everything I needed for one more night in my backpack and the lost baggage man assured me that my suitcase would be coming in around midnight and I could pick it up anytime after 10 the next morning.  I had to come back to the airport the next day anyway to pick up my rental car.  So I grabbed what I did have, found all of CoCo's paperwork to present to the customs official and  . . . . there was no customs official.  No one at all in the customs area!
     I spent no time wondering about that, walked outside into the French air, and found a taxi to take me to the little crappy hotel to spend the night.  Stay tuned for next week's account which will take up where this one left off.  I am so glad that you are all sharing in my grand adventure.  I promise to keep you all informed of every adventure I have.  With pictures, of course!!  Merci!