The Polar Express

Kellie and I have been busy this past week hauling people to the North Pole and back on the Polar Express. Our neighbor, Mike Anderson, has this train and every Christmas he has the Polar Express which takes a journey through several yards with visits to all the lights, the North Pole (where the kids get to see Santa) then through a series of large posters depicting the life of Christ. I was fortunate engough to be able to help out this year and I got to drive one of the trains. (There are two of them that are constantly running during the event). I was kind of scared at first because not only did I have to drive the train but I had to run the music that goes with it. So... let's see.... I ran out of gas, once; I derailed, once; the music died on me several times; but all in all I guess I did pretty well. It was fun to meet so many people and see the reactions they had to the whole experience. I think I look rather dashing in my engineers outfit, by the way...

Kellie's job was to be my safety. She would keep an eye out on the passengers to make sure that they didn't lose things or drag things like scarves that could get caught in the wheels. Also she would make sure they weren't bouncing around too much which could cause a derailment. And... if we did derail, she would let me know so that I could stop the train. She was also responsible to call in to the North Pole to let them know when we were a minute out from them.

Last night was the last night and Mike was sick so I was glad to be able to help out. This is a large undertaking for him and I, as well as many others, are really grateful to the Anderson family for giving so much to all of us so it was good to be able to give a little back by helping. Oh, and I've got to admit, it was fun, too!

Paris!

Well, all good things must come to an end. The day arrived that we finally had to say goodbye to everyone and head back to our mundane normal lives. Of course it is always good to get back to that which you are familiar with. My own bed, for example, felt really good. It is, however, a little lonely around the house since there is only the three of us left there. We've been home for a day and a half and we are still putting things away from the trip, doing laundry, and just getting back into our normal routine. Before flying home, we did get the chance to spend a day in Paris. So sit back and enjoy the final few days of our trip to France.

One final picture with the family at the train station as we take our leave and head for Paris. Everybody was crying because it'll probably be another three to four years before we see each other again. Daniele's dad was doing most of the crying and her mom was telling him to stop it because it was making her cry.

Thank goodness we had first class seats on the train rides. It did make the trip a little nicer. It takes about five hours to get from Bergerac to Paris with one train transfer at Libourne. Now one of the things that really irks me about the train station in Libourne is that to get from one platform to the other, you have to go under the tracks which means you have to go downstairs, through a tunnel, then back up the stairs. No problem... unless you are loaded down with a bunch of baggage. I had a rough time with ours because one of them was really heavy. I managed to get everything over to the other platform then I helped some lady who was pushing a baby in a stroller, dragging another along and loaded down with a bag that was heavier than mine. I think she was somewhat surprised that someone would stop to help her.

We stayed at the Campanile Hotel at Roissy en France which is just on the other side of the freeway from the airport. The rate was pretty good but the room was really small. But for 45 Euros per night, what's to complain about...

... except Kellie had to sleep standing up in this closet. Not really! There was a pull out bed underneath our bed but when it was pulled out, there wasn't much room to get around at all in the room. Fortunately, all we did was sleep there. Paris was the object of our visit. Not the hotel room. The hotel had a free shuttle back and forth to the airport where the train station was located so we got an all day pass for each of us to take the RER and the Metro all over Paris.

Paris! I love this city! What more can I say?

First stop for the day was Sacre Coeur. Actually it was about the jillionth stop because we got off the RER at the North Train station and decided to walk over to Sacre Coeur. Of course there are a jillion shops in between so we had to check out all the stores. I did find a bag for 4 euros which I needed because one of our bags had a big hole in it. The bag has some cheesy looking dice on the outside like we went to Las Vegas instead of Paris but for 4 euros, what should I expect? Sacre Coeur sits on top of a hill in Paris. It is a basilica built in the late 1800s early 1900s. The architecture is beautiful and the view from on top of the hill is spectacular. More about Sacre Coeur.

Next to Sacre Coeur on the hill is the Montmartre neighborhood, a popular hangout for artists. We took a stroll through there then...

...got an ice cream cone for Kellie. She has gotten a taste for pistachio ice cream.

Afterwards it was back down the hill and we did some more shopping. This time we got some food for lunch. Nothing like some french bread, fresh tomatoes and sausage. Somehow, however, after this stop, I ended up with a big box of flan mix that I had to pack around for the rest of the day. My arms were getting pretty sore by the end of the day.

To the subway station for our next stop. Of course, the subway station closest to the big religious landmark on the hill is Pigalle which is basically the red-light district of Paris.

Subways are so much fun. Actually, it is quite an efficient way to get around Paris. Generally you are no more than 500 meters from a subway station anywhere in the city.
Paris Metro

Next stop: The Eiffel Tower. What is a trip to Paris without going to one of the most famous landmarks in the world? Kellie was a little too fast on the shutter so you don't get to see us kissing. Too bad. We spent a little time here just relaxing and enjoying the view. It is mid-August and it is full tourist season so with the mile long lines to go up the tower, we just decided to enjoy it from the ground.

After consulting the Metro map then having my Metro ticket eaten by machine, (we had to wait for someone to come to the station to retrieve it.. they said they had been having trouble with that machine doing that) our final destination for the day...

Notre Dame Cathedral. This building truly has some of the most amazing architecture in the world with it's flying buttresses and all. We tried to find Quasimodo but I think he had gone on vacation with all the other Parisians. Again, with the tourist season, there was a huge line just to go inside and look around so we passed on it. Besides, I've been in there a few times already.

So we rested up in the park behind the Cathedral and fed the pigeons. The one in front of Kellie was pretty brave and would eat right out of your hand. After this, it was back to the hotel and we packed up and headed home the next morning.

Brantome

Yesterday, we had another excursion. This time we went to see some friends up in the Angouleme area. Along the way we stopped in Brantome which is known as the Venice of France since the city is built on an island in the middle of a river. Of course the whole thing was another two hour drive but we managed to survive. When we got to Brantome, it was market day and they were set up along the main street which is already pretty narrow. We got there just as some of the marketeers were packing up so to add to the congestion, there were trucks parked also. We managed to get stuck for a while because the traffic in both directions couldn't get past each other until we jockeyed a few cars around. The truck driver was real obnoxious and everyone let him know about it. But we finally made it and Brantome is a pretty town.

One of the ancient gates to the city is behind me. There used to be two but the other one is long gone. A lot of rock quarrying was done around this town which left a lot of excavated caves. No problem, they just added fronts to them and built houses and stores right in the caves along the street. You can see one of the to my left (right side of the picture.)

Me with a local street musician playing the accordion. One thing I've noticed over the years is that the French look less and less like French people. The world is just becoming one big blend. This guy, however, still retains a French/European look. He played some pretty snappy music with his squeeze box.

Another view of the stores built into the side of the rocks which have been excavated.

Looking across the river into the island city.

Sitting by the river eating lunch. French bread, ham, cheese... mmmmm

Brantome seen from above

More about

Brantôme

After Brantome, we headed on up the road towards Angouleme. We went to visit the parents of Daniele's best friend when she was growing up, the Demolombes. Unfortunately the father was not there because he had gone into the hospital earlier for some heart arrhythmias. We were fortunate enough, however to have their oldest daughter, Marie-France, there who was visiting from Tahiti where she lives. This was a great visit because this is truly one of the families in France that I love. They were really kind to me when I was a missionary some 34 years ago. The Angouleme area was where I really felt at home after having been over here for a year and a half.

Daniele, Marie-France and Jacqueline

The gang (except for me who is taking the picture) out for a stroll through the neighborhood. (l-r: Robert, Jeannine, Jacqueline, Bernadette, Denis the son of the Demolombe's son, Marie-France, and Daniele)

The time was too short there. I will always have a soft spot in my heart for Angouleme and the good people that I know there. The train always passes through there on our way to Daniele's family and I'm always glued to the window of the train, as we go through, wishing I had time to get off and just wander for a while. Of course, this is where I also met my future wife so it is a double special place for me.

More about

Angoulême

Soiree

We had a nice evening visiting with friends. We ate and then the entertainment began. Daniele's mom sang a few songs from an era long gone by. Here is one of them...

Bernadette made a huge heart shaped cake. After seeing Amber's creations, she decided to take the challenge!

The food was good, as usual.

and so was the company

Bergerac

So things are starting to wind down around here as we approach the end of our vacation here in Bergerac. The last couple of days has just been visiting with family and neighbors, doing some shopping for things to take home (mostly food items that we can't get over there) and just trying to avoid the heat and humidity. Of course, I have a few new photos of food and some of the town.

We ate this salad last night. It is rice, tomatoes, lettuce, cantaloupe, grapefruit and for the brave ones, you can add that fake crab stuff. I was a bit skeptical at first but it was actually pretty yummy and refreshing. With the heat and humidity that we've been having, it was just right. Then we went over across the street to the neighbor's house and he tried to get us to eat foie gras, the goose liver pate that just isn't appetizing looking at all to me. Bernadette, however, loves it and she not only ate her portion but ours too.

When it comes to camembert style cheeses, this kind of stuff is just the best. It's double cream. It has a very creamy taste, is very smooth and is a heart-attack in disguise for those who can't tolerate that much cholesterol.

Dark chocolate. If it isn't dark then it isn't chocolate. This is my favorite type. It is 65% cocoa with little crunchy roasted bits of cocoa bean mixed into it. I've polished off half a bar already and I gave the cover to the family so they will know exactly what to send me for Christmas.














On my walk today, I took a few pictures of the gabarres that run tourists up and down the river. The gabarre is the ancient boat that people used to transport goods down the Dordogne. For a brief history, you can read about them here. GABARRE

This is the old church in the the old section of Bergerac. This one was built on the foundations of another church somewhere before 1147. Of course, it has been upgraded and added to since that time so probably only the foundations are that old by now.

Anyway, it is called 'Eglise St. Jacques and is of the gallo-roman style where the walls were thick and didn't allow for large windows and other openings. This church served the community for many years until the 1800's when it was decided that a larger Church was needed hence...

Eglise Notre Dame de Bergerac was built in 1863. We looked around inside it today and it had a couple of old paintings in there dating back to 1450 and 1550 respectively. They were in excellent shape and the colors were still quite bright. It is built in the neo-gothic style, using exterior buttresses to hold up the walls so they could be thinner and have larger openings in them for large stained glass windows.

Tonight, we are off to another friends home which is out on a small farm. We'll be eating dinner there. And that is it for today.

Driving in France

We didn't do a whole lot today. I went for a walk this morning and just kept going and going. I'm going to need some new shoes when I get home. I put in over ten miles on my shoes today. Anyway, here is a few more food item updates...

Here is the raisin bread I got from the bakery this morning during one of my walks. Yes, Casey, we went to La Mie Caline without you and we don't feel guilty at all.

We went to the supermarket this afternoon and got some Oasis drink along with some other good stuff for dinner this evening. We got the tropical flavor and we thought about Casey while we were drinking it.

So speaking of going to the supermarket... Kellie wanted to go swimming again at AquaPark so I decided to take her instead of having Bernadette drive us around. Now, driving in France is a real experience. The first thing you have to do is to cram yourself into a little teeny tiny car with an engine about the size of a lawn mower engine.


Narrow streets. You have to be fearless to drive down the streets here. People think nothing of passing each other when there is barely enough room for one car to navigate the street. Of course, you see a lot of cars around here with the sides all scraped up. Notice the tape on the side rear-view mirror on the car above.


Next are the round-abouts. Normally a car entering has priority over a car in the roundabout unless there is a sign that says otherwise so you have to watch for the priority sign as well as all the signs that tell you which road to take once you are in the round about. We aren't talking about an intersection of two streets but usually there is a conjunction of five or more streets. Fortunately, if you miss your exit, you can just keep going around until you come back to it. Below is a roundabout where you give the right of way to those in it already and beyond you can see a sign telling which directions a certain road will take you.


Now, because many of those streets are pretty narrow, a lot of them are one-way streets so don't count on returning back to where you started the way you got to where you were going. Bergerac is pretty tricky in some places to get back to the house. But not to worry, if all else fails, just follow the signs. Especially the ones that say "All Directions". You're bound to end up somewhere and hopefully it is somewhere that you recognize.


Of course there is always this little dilema that Jeff pointed out one time....


Here is a sign that says "All directions" to the right but then there is that curious one pointing the other way that says "Other directions". So what others are not considered to be part of all? Anyway, also remember that there isn't a straight street in all of France so the other directions will probably get you back to the all directions in a circular manner one way or another.

Central Bergerac

Good Food

Yesterday was a laid back day... sort of... I mostly puttered around the house fixing things and then spent some time working on some work stuff (mostly just boring code change reviews.) Today was church and then we had the neighbors and one of Bernadette's friends over for dinner. I thought today would be a good day some show some photos of food and eating.

Every meal must start with some sort of melon. French cantaloupes are particularly good.

This was something I've never had before. This is an omelet with truffles in it. Truffles are quite expensive and are usually found by a trained pig or dog. They tend to grow on oak tree roots. They can cost anywhere from $300 to $900 per pound hence the reason I've never had it before. A friend of Bernadette gave the truffle to her. Her friend's dog found it on their property out in the country. The truffles had a taste of a very fine and delicious mushroom and the omelet was quite delicious.

This is a black Perigord truffle. The type that was in the omelet.
More about truffles

Sometimes we eat outdoors when the weather is nice...


and sometimes we eat indoors when the weather isn't so good.

Sometimes we invite the neighbors. (Michel and Nicole who live across the street)

Today we ate indoors and we had couscous which you can't see very well in this picture but you might be able to see some of it in the 'indoor' pictures above. Bernadette really loaded up my plate and I wasn't able to eat it all. I put the leftovers away for a midnight snack. This couscous had chicken, lamb, hot sausages (merguez) chick peas, zuchinni, tomatoes, celery, carrots, turnips, raisins, and probably other stuff that I don't know about (but I know there were no onions).
More about Couscous

Well, time to go eat again. Ciao! (or is that 'chow?')