The United States and France each are individual countries, that share a unique history from the founding of the states to the liberation of France from tyranny twice. There are many similarities of these two nations including pride for country, love of the land, respect for environment, and a desire to be a good steward among nations. But each have different things they value, and as a wrap up of my trip with my daughter, I'd like to highlight some of those differences.
One of the more interesting things I learned between the US and France is health. The US has seen in recent years a desire to eliminate smoking among the populous because of the impact it has on the lives of those that smoke and those that do not but are exposed to those that are smoking. One in six Americans smoke today. In France, it is higher at one in four. In America, smoking has taken various turns towards methods to reduce the risks including the addition of filters and even the use of lettuce as a substitute for tobacco. But in France, the opposite is true. Lucky Strikes which is typically filter less is everywhere; though there are versions of this brand that now have filters. Still, unfiltered cigarettes are very common in France. Additional evidence of this is the "roll your own" syndrome. While we were in Paris, it was very common to find Parisens rolling their own cigarettes with what appeared to be tobacco. In some cases I could have sworn some weed was included because of an unusual odor that is similar to that sweet smell could be detected. But these are always unfiltered and those that were rolled tended to be either longer than the standard brands or thicker. Given this, it was striking to note that Parisens are healthier! They have a longer life span, and spend 30% less on health than the US. So they smoke more and are more healthy? Yep.
Why are the French healthier? I suspect it's the result of a number of factors. First, the standard work week is 35 hours, not 40. So, they typically only have to work 7 hours a day. In the Spring, Summer, and Autumn months, they do have 20% more daylight than most of America. So there is additional time in the day, between less work and more daylight, to exercise. We did not see lots of people jogging, but what we did see was lots of people walking. The primary mode of transportation in Paris is walking and using public transportation; not necessarily taxis. Another difference in France from the US is that meals served at cafes have smaller portions than those in the US, generally 20% to 25% less. The foods in France are also made with more fresh ingredients than in the US, so the quality of the meals is much higher. A third reason may also be the difference in how we live. In France, there is no urban sprawl. The cities are simply building higher density housing for population growth. So instead of owning individual homes, they live in apartments, or condominiums. Some own homes, but not like the population of the US. So, while the US values its productivity through longer work hours and solitude by owning your own home, at the cost of exercise and meal quality to name a few differences, the lifestyle of the US citizen does not value healthy living like the French; and we pay for that dearly.
Another major difference between the US and France is security. Because of American imperialistic views of the world, and its desire to impose what it feels is better for the world than what the world has, we tend to come across as arrogant. In doing so, we have angered all kinds of people to the point that we, in the minds of some in this world, brought on the terrorist attacks we have endured over the last decade. As a result, our knee jerk reaction is to become hypersensitive to everything we know instead of what we do not know. We have become very defensive. Contrary to that view, the French remain vigilant but are a bit more offensive. An example is security checks throughout the city of Paris. We saw, in our travels, places where police were pulling out cars from traffic and examining the vehicles. While we periodically have sobriety check points, we do not take this avenue of checking vehicles. I suspect if we did, the bomber in NY's Times Square may not have even succeeded to get away from his car.
Airport security is also a joke in the US. Each time some terrorist uses some specific way to bring on a bomb to an aircraft, we begin checking for that particular method on our citizenry. Liquids are limited, shoes have to be taken off, and we basically have to disrobe. It's asinine. In France I was repeatedly asked about my medications, the gelpack I use to keep my meds cool, where are my prescriptions from the doctor to indicate I need these pills, are they pills, and all sorts of other things that the US ignore. They asked about the stacks of quarters I had and why I had them; I had to show them they were actually quarters and not some sort of device. They were offensive in their questioning, but far more secure than the US. To top it off, there were additional screenings before boarding the plane, and it really was random. I felt safer within France than I do in the US. And what struck me as hilarious but also infuriating was that the US security do not trust the French; we had to be re-screened when we entered the US. Security is security, but the US is stupid.
I'm sure there are other differences and I may review this in the future. But the things we value in the US are not necessarily approached the same way in France which provides us a very good perspective to consider.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
L'Escradrille D'Lafayette
Throughout France there are memorials commemorating all sorts of battles, wars, and those that defended France. France is indeed a place to fight for, given its beauty and diversity. As I indicated in Omaha Beach the American Cemetery in Normandy is visited significantly by French citizens paying their respects to the thousands of Americans that willingly gave their lives for the freedom of France. France is covered with many such locations, and several of them are cemeteries. But WWII is not the only major war where Americans fought for the freedom of France.
World War I was probably one of the most terrible wars fought in France. The German army dug into France to hold it's positions, with trenches and tunnels. These structures formed a labyrinth into the French countryside that was opposed by a similar set of trenches and tunnels by the French Army. What was interesting to note was that the battle did not rage on German land; it was waged on French soil. The Germans were also well known for using some of the beginnings of WMD - Weapons of Mass Destruction when they used mustard gas to wipe out thousands of French soldiers in the trenches. The war was indeed really nasty.
But at the time of WWI, America had taken a different perspective on world affairs; it was neutral in the war and had become isolationist. America wanted no part of the world and was not interested in helping anyone. When I took a history class on this, I remember the professor saying that this was an unusual perspective by comparison to today, but America had no interest outside of its borders. For this reason, it would be 4 years before America would enter WWI. When it did, it tipped the balance of good vs. evil, and the war ended quickly. But until that point the war simply dragged on and on.
Even though America had an isolationist point of view, and attempted to remain neutral in this war, a whole host of Americans were against this view. But they could not represent the US and fight for England or France, or any other country as Americans. Instead, if they really wanted, they had to go to these countries and fight with them as part of their Army, Navy, and ever so developing, air force. Americans that wanted to learn to fly these very early designed bi-planes to wage war against Germany had to learn and fly with England or France. Most Americans flew with the Royal Flying Corps, Royal Naval Air Service, and the Royal Air Force in England, and others flew for the Lafayette Flying Corps in France. But another group, developed by Captain George Thenault, was called the Escradrille D'Lafayette. What makes this particular group stand out from the rest was that when the US finally entered WWI, the entire group was absorbed into and became the US Army Air Corps.
The Escadrille was filled predominantly by American volunteers and a few French pilots. They trained in an air field very close to the front lines of the war, unlike the remainder of the air corps mentioned. For this reason, they also tended to be far more effective in their fight against German positions, and were uniquely positioned for serious fighting. Consequences of this were higher stress of flying, more combat altercations in air to air battles, and higher casualties. But these men were effective in adding a new role to the use of an airplane in war. Because of the conditions, the Escradrille was also known for wilder life styles, including the obligatory visits to whore houses, drinking, and general parties. But they were also known to be gentlemen of the skies.
To the Escradrille, two monuments were built. One at La Defance, and one near Versailles at Marnes La-Coquette. On our return trip from the French countryside, we stopped to pay our respect to those Americans that fought and flew as members of the Escradrille. The monument was not too easy to find because it's not on a GPS point of interest list. We got lost several times until we stumbled on it, but we did find the park. The park was beautiful, situated near a pond that most visitors used for fishing. The remainder of the park and monument was generally clean, but covered on the lower parts near the ground with goose poop. There was a stagnant pond attached to the monument where the geese were wading, so their trysts out of the water left their droppings all over the place. What struck me as odd though was that Sarah and I were the only ones that visited when we were there.
The monument is well sized, and beautiful; a real tribute to those that fought for France. The monument is also a tomb for those Americans that died flying for France. I'm unsure why these Americans are buried there, but the indication from the variety of writings etched in stone was that the French government wanted them "buried in the soil they gave their lives to defend." Also on the monument are the men that died and were buried there. Pictures of these were taken and are shown to the right. What struck me as interesting was Skinner's name. If you watch "Flyboys", a recent movie that was inspired by the story of the Escradrille, his name is part of the script. I'm unsure if this is the actual person, but it would make sense if he was really buried there; it would be the only place this man would have received the respect he deserved.
So if you happen to go to France, look up the Escadrille. You will be impressed by the gratitude of France to America, both for WWII and WWI.
Eiffel Tower
The last major place in Paris we visited, on the last day of our trip, was the Eiffel Tower. When it first debuted in 1889 for the World's Fair, it was very different than anything that had been built in Paris to date, and Parisens felt it was an eyesore. It did not receive the kind of respect it does today as an iconic figure in Paris. Of course, from the other posts I've made about this amazing city, Paris is more than the Eiffel Tower. But some in this world consider this the center of Paris life. It is not.
However, it does seem to serve as the center of tourism for Paris. Of all the places we visited in Paris, including Versailles, the Eiffel Tower was indeed the busiest. It attracts the standard fair of gypsies, vendors of Eiffel Tower trinkets, and street performers. On our second day in Paris, we visited the monument from a vantage point closest to my brother's apartment. The venue was between two museums, one of which was the history of the French navy. The second visit occurred on our last day in Paris which was opposite the the first viewing. Throughout the variety of visits into Paris, the Eiffel Tower was a constant reminder; you could see it from nearly everywhere in the city, which is probably why the initial feelings were that of an eyesore instead of the engineering marvel it really is.
As we approached the tower, it became increasingly clear that this structure was no simple monument. In fact, it is probably one of the most complex structures I've ever seen. The intricacies of how this tower is constructed is mind boggling. According to the historical pictures of its construction, the tower was actually built by starting with 4 feet that were erected and eventually curved to meet to form the base of the first observation deck. The tower has 3 observation decks, the lower two of which are accessible by stairs.
When we reached the area under the tower I was struck at it's size and equally a bit nauseous at its height. That's when my sister-in-law asked if we wanted to walk up to the observation decks; her treat. Considering how much walking we had done, and climbing throughout various venues in France, I thought it was a great idea. The lines to the stairs were relatively short by comparison to the lines for the elevators, so climbing could be accommodated. Interestingly, while we were standing in line, two French Army soldiers showed up to ensure safety with the growing crowds, and one of them was armed to the teeth with weapons of all types. It made me a bit nervous and comfortable.
After securing the tickets we began our climb. Now I'll be the first to admit that I am afraid of heights. So walking up the stairs in the open was less than exciting for me. The climbing was not too difficult, there are 1665 stairs in this tower, but the openness seriously freaked me out. When we reached the first observation deck, I realized I was dizzy. Not from the climb but from the height; I was scared for the first time in my life, really scared. I know that the tower has been in good condition for over 121 years, and well constructed. I was simply dizzy from the height and was too scared to go to the edge of the observation deck. In particular was the open hole in the center of the observation deck. The hole was huge, stretching to all four legs of the tower, and extremely well protected, but for the life of me I could not get closer than 10 feet from the enclosed railing. I did manage to make it to the outside deck and take a plethora of pictures around the deck.
From those pictures, and the variety of written information guides, I learned lots about the city of Paris and the tower. The Eiffel was an engineer and a scientist. The tower he built had a weather station at the top of the tower that measured pressure, wind speed, and temperature. From the information gathered over the years of its existence, the tower will sway as much as 10 centimeters or 4 inches at maximum which makes it one of the most rigid structures in the world. When the sun shines on it, the metal expands and that side with the direct sunlight expands enough to warp the tower by as much as 10 centimeters at the top. At the base of the tower, during the early 1900's, wind tunnels were installed on the tower to do aeronautical studies for some of France's early aeronautical engineers. So the tower was not only a place of magnificence, but it was also used for experimentation. In fact the names of 72 different scientists that performed experiments on or at the tower are etched into the tower above the first observation deck; a marvel of ingenuity.
Sarah and Jeannine braved the second ascent to the the middle observation deck. I was far too scared to walk any higher. Fortunately though the stairs themselves were standard stairs and not the original spiral stair cases, like the ones we encountered at the Arc D'Triomphe. Getting down was also an adventure, for what goes up in this tower must also come down. Before heading down though, I looked around at the variety of venues on the first observation deck. The deck itself is so huge that there are 3 restaurants; an open air cafe and two inside places to grab a bite to eat. The food smelled delicious, but I was so nauseated that the last thing I could do was drink or eat; or I'd have blessed someone below the tower with backwash.
As expected, our decent was far easier than the ascent. We did however go down a different set of steps than when we ascended the tower. So we were able to get two different perspectives of the scenery. What was interesting about the scenery, as you can see in the photos of this post is that unlike other Paris photos, you do not see the Eiffel Tower in the photos. So, the pictures are a bit more unique than the others we took while in Paris.
All in all though, we visited many of the high points of tourist spots in Paris. We also visited several cultural centers of the city, including shopping stores and outdoor performances. This city has a serious charm that all should attempt to see once in their lifetime. But make sure you plan to stay at least 2 weeks; there is so much to see and do, it really takes some planning to experience Paris.
Sur Seine
Sur Seine means on the Seine. The Seine River is the primary river that cuts through Paris, France. It is the central marker for the city. When traveling the river, there are locations on the left or right banks, and describes the types of venues and clientele that can be in these regions. The Seine is also a central place for a variety of cultural aspects, including the gypsies that take advantage of people that flock to the Seine - usually tourists - as well as beach goers. Recently, Paris has modified the roads along the Seine to make them "beach" like complete with sand and showers, as well as playgrounds and places for people to sunbathe.
The Seine is also a place to shop for some interesting items. When I was here 28 years ago, I remember touring along the Seine and purchasing souvenirs for friends and family. I recall finding some tapestries that had woven into them pictures of the Eiffel Tower, the Arc D'Triomphe, Monte Mart, and the Opera house. But this year these were not available. Instead, there were prints on nice card stock of these venues. Some were in color, some were in water colors, and others were in sketch form. But what caught my eye was the first place we visited with my sister-in-law, oil paintings on canvas. These were some of the most beautiful paintings I had seen in a very long time. I suspect they were made my starving artists because there were several of the same venue, such as the Eiffel Tower, but it was clearly detectable that each one was painted by hand because they were not entirely identical. Some colors were different, and others had different shades. But they were of high quality and at 15 Euros of one and 25 Euros for 2, it was a good deal. After shopping some of the other vendors for other types of prints, we headed back to the oil paintings and I purchased 6 of them. Fortunately I had Jeannine with me; she's a real shopper and negotiator. According to Jeannine, the vendor did not speak French all that well and felt she could get a better price. She haggled with him in French, and was able to get him down to 65 Euros for all six paintings, or barely 11 a piece. It was awesome.
After shopping for some of these works of art, took some photographs on the Pont Neuf (New Bridge) which was built as the first bridge to connect the left and right banks several hundred years ago. We headed further down the Seine a few bridges, and then crossed. We were approached by another gypsy trying out her craft with the ring trick, to which I simply walked away and said NO! They have this trick they do where they kneel down to the ground and pick up what they suggest is your lost ring. If you want it, you should pay them for it. Sometimes they do a slight of hand trick for you, and then expect payment. Jeannine's father was approached this way when he visited, and simply took the ring and said thanks, then walked away. The gypsy was lost as to what to do, so came after Mr. Reynolds. Fortunately my brother was there to tell the gypsy to scram; fortunately for the gypsy he did. I was not interested in an altercation on my last day in France. So I simply let it go.
When we reached the end of the bridge we were crossing, we came across another gentlemen painting. He was painting water colors, and they were simply magnificent. The paintings were so good, it seemed they might not be real. But according to Jeannine the were as real as they get. We took some pictures of him painting and eventually purchased some of his work. They were not cheap, at 10 Euros for a small 4" square, but they were worth it. Throughout the remainder of the day we visited several art galleries, either by window shopping or actually going into the gallery. I was impressed that the art of painting is still very much alive in France, and I look forward to a future trip to explore what develops next.
After lunch, Jeannine took us to the Luxembourg Gardens. The gardens have a palace at them where some famous Catherine once lived. I cannot remember the details because by this point my brain was saturated with information. But the gardens around the structure, which is now used by the French Government Senate, were breathtaking. In the back of the building, there were lots of garden spaces, but also a pond with a central fountain where children were playing with sailboats. It made for a nice post lunch place to relax. The chairs that were all over the place were extremely comfortable. The temperature was in the lower 70's with the sun behind the clouds, and a gentle breeze made the entire experience the easiest place to fall asleep, thus adding to the relaxing charm of Paris. After waking up, we headed out of the park towards a shopping area to purchase some wine glasses for rob and Jeannine. Just before we exited the park though, we came across a set of tables that spanned several square meters where men and women were playing chess under the canopy of the trees. We watched one game which was very exciting until the older of the two playing made a really stupid move and lost the game. It seems that he either gave up or was put off by the crowd. Nonetheless, it was interesting to find such a place.
For Parisens, Sur Seine is definitely a place to relax and enjoy life. I enjoyed it immensely and look forward to another visit in the future.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Clean Windshield
After securing the car with the GPS, my brother felt in the interest of time, that he should drive back to his apartment so we could get packed and on our way. During our limited orientation for the car, the AVIS clerk asked if we wanted a briefing on how to use the GPS. I really think he wanted to simply drive the car to see what it was like and what kind of power it would have. It was clear during our trip home on a very straight street that he had fallen in love with this car because he had commented that, "it has balls." We were also supposed to have picked up the car at 11am, but had not returned to the apartment until 12:30p, and Rob forgot to tell Jeannine we were on our way.
We loaded the car, adjusted mirrors, tried to understand the GPS and eventually began driving. It was a little rough initially because I had not driven a standard transmission car in 10 years. It was like riding a bike, within the first few changes of gear, I felt I was "back in the saddle." As we drove down the street from Rob's apartment, we missed a turn and were immediately lost. Based on the map of the GPS, I had made it to the correct road but I couldn't turn in the direction needed. As with many other GPS units, I made the turn I could make and the GPS updated our route. Once I made my turn, the GPS immediately indicated I should make the obligatory U-turn, but it gave me explicit directions of where to do that, which is different than other GPS units I have used.
Once properly heading in the correct direction I noticed the windows, and in particular the windshield was filthy. With my polarized glasses on, it was very cloudy. We came upon a turnout to a gas station and I figured I could get a paper towel or two to wipe down the windshield. I parked the car next to the station after getting turned around a few times in the fueling area. Seems the gas stations have particular directions you must move the car to get fueled; saves on space. I went inside, used the "restroom" and came out and purchased a soda for for Sarah and I, then went to car and gave Sarah the sodas. I proceeded to the fueling area to look for some paper towels. I found none. So, I went back into the station and struggled to communicate with the clerk of what I needed and realized how unproductive that was. I then went to the section of automobile care and tried to find an appropriate set of wipes. Of course they had wipes like armorall and others to shine your car, I eventually found what appeared to be windshield wipes. But there was a warning on the back in English, the only English on this package. "Not for use in hygiene. Don't get it near your eyes or mouth." I figured it was suitable for my purpose, purchased them, and went to clean the windshield. All these wipes did was make the mess worse. Wonderful. So I took out my sweatband and began to wipe down the mess; I figured ho much worse could it get. The sweatband worked very well, and I was able to clean the windshield. I asked Sarah to put these wipes on the door for use later, if we needed anything else cleaned.
As I have said in other posts, the bathrooms on the highway are numerous, every 10 to 15 miles, outside and practically unisex. When we left Rennes for the American Cemetery at Omaha Beach, I had considered taking the role of toilet paper with us. At home in the states, I have small duffel bag that has jumper cables and other things including TP for those unforeseen occasions. As we were traveling north, I had a sudden urge to purge. Luckily a rest stop was about 3 minutes away when the urge hit. I pulled off, parked, and decided to bring those windshield wipes with me because I was unsure of the cleanliness of the toilet I was about to defile. When I entered what was basically the men's room, I found a stall and entered. It was not a stall, it was a shower. But on the door of this shower was a trash can filled with paper towels covered in poop. Then I found "the" stall. The toilet had no seat! It was a metal bowl and considering how cool the outside air was, I knew my ass was going to pucker the instant I sat down. I also noticed the floor was wet. I then looked up and realized the stall was covered with a screen, no roof. Since it had rained, I figured the floor was wet with water, but I was taking no chances. Also, there was no toilet paper and no towels either. Fortunately I had the windshield wipes. So I wiped off the bowl edge, pulled down my pants enough to perch but not rest on the floor, sat and puckered!
When I finished, I used those windshield wipes. Fortunately for me, my skin in that area is not too sensitive or I could have and a red ass like those baboons that we see at a zoo. I can say though that my ass was the cleanest in all of France, and there was no need to wash because my hands were chemically clean. That was good because the sink had poop in it too. I returned to the car, told Sarah what happened, and continued the trip. Above all, when traveling in France, take TP or wipes; they are useful for a variety of purposes.
We loaded the car, adjusted mirrors, tried to understand the GPS and eventually began driving. It was a little rough initially because I had not driven a standard transmission car in 10 years. It was like riding a bike, within the first few changes of gear, I felt I was "back in the saddle." As we drove down the street from Rob's apartment, we missed a turn and were immediately lost. Based on the map of the GPS, I had made it to the correct road but I couldn't turn in the direction needed. As with many other GPS units, I made the turn I could make and the GPS updated our route. Once I made my turn, the GPS immediately indicated I should make the obligatory U-turn, but it gave me explicit directions of where to do that, which is different than other GPS units I have used.
Once properly heading in the correct direction I noticed the windows, and in particular the windshield was filthy. With my polarized glasses on, it was very cloudy. We came upon a turnout to a gas station and I figured I could get a paper towel or two to wipe down the windshield. I parked the car next to the station after getting turned around a few times in the fueling area. Seems the gas stations have particular directions you must move the car to get fueled; saves on space. I went inside, used the "restroom" and came out and purchased a soda for for Sarah and I, then went to car and gave Sarah the sodas. I proceeded to the fueling area to look for some paper towels. I found none. So, I went back into the station and struggled to communicate with the clerk of what I needed and realized how unproductive that was. I then went to the section of automobile care and tried to find an appropriate set of wipes. Of course they had wipes like armorall and others to shine your car, I eventually found what appeared to be windshield wipes. But there was a warning on the back in English, the only English on this package. "Not for use in hygiene. Don't get it near your eyes or mouth." I figured it was suitable for my purpose, purchased them, and went to clean the windshield. All these wipes did was make the mess worse. Wonderful. So I took out my sweatband and began to wipe down the mess; I figured ho much worse could it get. The sweatband worked very well, and I was able to clean the windshield. I asked Sarah to put these wipes on the door for use later, if we needed anything else cleaned.
As I have said in other posts, the bathrooms on the highway are numerous, every 10 to 15 miles, outside and practically unisex. When we left Rennes for the American Cemetery at Omaha Beach, I had considered taking the role of toilet paper with us. At home in the states, I have small duffel bag that has jumper cables and other things including TP for those unforeseen occasions. As we were traveling north, I had a sudden urge to purge. Luckily a rest stop was about 3 minutes away when the urge hit. I pulled off, parked, and decided to bring those windshield wipes with me because I was unsure of the cleanliness of the toilet I was about to defile. When I entered what was basically the men's room, I found a stall and entered. It was not a stall, it was a shower. But on the door of this shower was a trash can filled with paper towels covered in poop. Then I found "the" stall. The toilet had no seat! It was a metal bowl and considering how cool the outside air was, I knew my ass was going to pucker the instant I sat down. I also noticed the floor was wet. I then looked up and realized the stall was covered with a screen, no roof. Since it had rained, I figured the floor was wet with water, but I was taking no chances. Also, there was no toilet paper and no towels either. Fortunately I had the windshield wipes. So I wiped off the bowl edge, pulled down my pants enough to perch but not rest on the floor, sat and puckered!
When I finished, I used those windshield wipes. Fortunately for me, my skin in that area is not too sensitive or I could have and a red ass like those baboons that we see at a zoo. I can say though that my ass was the cleanest in all of France, and there was no need to wash because my hands were chemically clean. That was good because the sink had poop in it too. I returned to the car, told Sarah what happened, and continued the trip. Above all, when traveling in France, take TP or wipes; they are useful for a variety of purposes.
Camping of Sorts
France is located on a latitude similar to Canada, and northern United States. Paris and cities north are in line with northern parts of Ontario. Since the latitude is so high, the summer months see an abundance of sunshine, from 5am to 10pm - 17 hours. Dusk is late and sleeping is not so easy.
Another side effect of higher latitudes is cooler weather. Virginia, and in particular our home in Williamsburg, has seen some amazing heat and thunderstorms. Temperatures have remained in the 100's reaching as high as 115F with humidity. In France, the temperatures have hit 90F, but generally are 70F to 80F. A twenty to thirty degree shift is comfortable, but still not as comfortable for sleeping.
Without the hum of an air conditioner, and the need to keep terrace doors and windows open, our trip has felt like camping instead of a luxury vacation. The trip itself has been awesome, spending time with my brother and sister-in-law is extra special. But the environment has been a bit harder on my daughter and I than one might expect. And the primary difference between this vacation and others has been the environment.
When you leave open windows and doors, there is a loss of security. It's a bit unnerving to have doors open where prowlers could easily enter, especially at a hotel. Then there's the early dawn. With the early light, nature gets started with life. Birds awaken, seagulls or ocean chickens begin their trumpeting, cars and trucks can be heard either passing by or starting and idling for wat seems like eternity. So there's plenty of environmental noise, light, and no security; we are camping.
We have no tents to pitch, fires to set, although the hotel was ablaze, no fishing or hunting for food and fire materials. But we have all the other elements of camping. We have to pitch and unpack clothes, clean our rooms, and otherwise prepare for the day. Shower in tiny stalls or tubs without curtains, and generally use public toilets. Without any visual entertainment in English on television, reading, writing, and playing games helps pass time in those off hours. Overall though, spending time with my daughter is time well spent.
Another side effect of higher latitudes is cooler weather. Virginia, and in particular our home in Williamsburg, has seen some amazing heat and thunderstorms. Temperatures have remained in the 100's reaching as high as 115F with humidity. In France, the temperatures have hit 90F, but generally are 70F to 80F. A twenty to thirty degree shift is comfortable, but still not as comfortable for sleeping.
Without the hum of an air conditioner, and the need to keep terrace doors and windows open, our trip has felt like camping instead of a luxury vacation. The trip itself has been awesome, spending time with my brother and sister-in-law is extra special. But the environment has been a bit harder on my daughter and I than one might expect. And the primary difference between this vacation and others has been the environment.
When you leave open windows and doors, there is a loss of security. It's a bit unnerving to have doors open where prowlers could easily enter, especially at a hotel. Then there's the early dawn. With the early light, nature gets started with life. Birds awaken, seagulls or ocean chickens begin their trumpeting, cars and trucks can be heard either passing by or starting and idling for wat seems like eternity. So there's plenty of environmental noise, light, and no security; we are camping.
We have no tents to pitch, fires to set, although the hotel was ablaze, no fishing or hunting for food and fire materials. But we have all the other elements of camping. We have to pitch and unpack clothes, clean our rooms, and otherwise prepare for the day. Shower in tiny stalls or tubs without curtains, and generally use public toilets. Without any visual entertainment in English on television, reading, writing, and playing games helps pass time in those off hours. Overall though, spending time with my daughter is time well spent.
Eastern Atlantic Water
After waking up a bit later than we have since arriving to France, since the fire last night had us in bed by 3am, we realized that breakfast could not be served in the "Breakfast Room". The fire destroyed the entire first floor of the hotel where we were staying with significant smoke damage. See "Wee-Woo" for more details. So a call to the room service proved interesting; their English was very limited. We were able to secure croissants, baguettes, marmalade, strawberry preserves, butter, orange juice, and black tea. Eggs? No! No eggs were permitted in the room. No reason was given. I think they were worried the chickens that laid the eggs were going to come looking for there peeps. Regardless, the other foods that were delivered could be used to make a psychedelic mess. But no eggs.
After breakfast, we dressed and headed to the Atlantic Ocean and the English Channel, one in the same at the place we were staying. Our walk took us by the central market and what a market it was. Parking on the streets was permitted in places that would not usually permit it because this market was now in full swing the entire months of July and August. We parked our car near the hotel and kept it there, free of charge from the city, because this market needed the usual places we would have parked. The market itself had the usual trinkets and souvenirs, but it also had needlepoint pillow covers, at least 5 purse vendors, the same for jewelry vendors, fruits, nuts, vegetables, cheese (which was rather aromatic), and meats with surf and turf. I never saw a fully cooked lobster on ice, so I'm not sure how or why you'd eat it cold. I wanted to stop and get some things at the market, but my daughter was insistent that she had waited enough to find a place to get into the water and nothing was going to stand in the way; as if the water would dry up before the market would close. So, we kept walking to the beach.
We arrived at the same location as the previous day and slowly took off our socks and shoes so we could make it to the water across the beach. I had determined I did not want to enter the water because of the aerobic exercises required to re-don my compression stockings. The stockings make my feet and legs feel awesome by eliminating the water retention, but it is easiest getting them on when the skin is dry. Since we had no beach towels, drying my legs would have been difficult in the moist air that was blowing off the water onto the beach, and if I got any sand inside the socks, I'd be sandblasting my legs the remainder of the day.
The beach was soft. Most of the beaches I have experienced in tourist areas are so compressed that they are like walking on concrete with fire below the surface. But the beach in Deauville was soft and cool. It was quite comfortable to walk along the beach, and rather relaxing. We walked to the water, and I stayed on the beach while Sarah waded into the water. She was shocked at how cool the water was, and was not interested in going too far into the ocean. She did have clothes on, and her jeans were pulled up to the thighs, but she was in her glory. My daughter is an Aquarius, the water bearer, so it's no wonder why she loves the water. Being a Cancer myself, I too love the water, but can find fun out of water as well. But Sarah is happiest in water. So, she was most pleased.
As I watched my daughter explore the water and the beach, I realized I had traveled over 5000 miles to the eastern Atlantic. We live on the western side of the Atlantic, and figured I had made it this far, I might as well get my feet wet. So, I motioned for Sarah to come back towards me. She helped me take off the stockings, and I placed them in my shoes with my socks. Then, we slowly headed to the water. Initially, it was cold, but not piercing cold; just cold. According to the weather reports, the water temperatures were about 65F. For my father, it might as well have been -200F; there's no way he or others in his generation would consider this water for swimming. But I'm more like a polar bear and this water was rather refreshing. So we began walking along the beach, while maintaining a water level to just above our ankles.
As we waded in the water, I noticed I had quickly become acclimated to the temperature and had wished I had worn a bathing suit so I could have ventured in deeper. Then, we noticed a rather interesting looking object on the beach. It was shinny, deep indigo color that it originally looked like some sort of glass. When we went up to it and poked it with a shell, we realized it was a jellyfish. This was not the typical type we had encountered. Then, within 20 feet of this one, we found another jelly, but it was clear with blackish brown tentacles emanating all around the dome. There were jellyfish here and the last thing I needed was to get stung in a country that I did not know the language. So, finding these jellies simply validated my decision to not go any further into the water. Since we were wading in the ocean, I did not take any pictures for fear of getting the camera wet. So, no pictures of these jellies are available.
After walking along the beach and water for a mile or so, picking up a couple of shells and other strange artifacts that Sarah found some intrinsic value in, we headed back to the boardwalk. I looked specifically for a place along the boardwalk that was more elevated than the remainder; there's a bit of a step down from the boardwalk to the beach. I wanted this to act as a bench for drying my feet in the sand and sun, then re-donning my socks. We found a good spot and redressed. As we rose to begin our walk back towards the market, we encountered a gentlemen painting the beach and its wares, and the Danish couple we met the previous evening during the fire. We talked for a while, and decided to exchange pictures. They were a really nice couple. We also encountered these buildings with railings that had the names of movie stars on them. We read in a history of Deauville that these names were the names of famous individuals that had been to the Cannes film festival. Check out the variety of names; we were shocked to see Buzz Aldrin.
When we made it back to the market, it was closed. So we went next door for lunch and continued to relax for the remainder of the day. But we were both satisfied that we had finally reached water on our trip. It was not as extravagant as we usually enjoy in swimming pools or ocean resorts, but it hit the right spot for this trip.
After breakfast, we dressed and headed to the Atlantic Ocean and the English Channel, one in the same at the place we were staying. Our walk took us by the central market and what a market it was. Parking on the streets was permitted in places that would not usually permit it because this market was now in full swing the entire months of July and August. We parked our car near the hotel and kept it there, free of charge from the city, because this market needed the usual places we would have parked. The market itself had the usual trinkets and souvenirs, but it also had needlepoint pillow covers, at least 5 purse vendors, the same for jewelry vendors, fruits, nuts, vegetables, cheese (which was rather aromatic), and meats with surf and turf. I never saw a fully cooked lobster on ice, so I'm not sure how or why you'd eat it cold. I wanted to stop and get some things at the market, but my daughter was insistent that she had waited enough to find a place to get into the water and nothing was going to stand in the way; as if the water would dry up before the market would close. So, we kept walking to the beach.
We arrived at the same location as the previous day and slowly took off our socks and shoes so we could make it to the water across the beach. I had determined I did not want to enter the water because of the aerobic exercises required to re-don my compression stockings. The stockings make my feet and legs feel awesome by eliminating the water retention, but it is easiest getting them on when the skin is dry. Since we had no beach towels, drying my legs would have been difficult in the moist air that was blowing off the water onto the beach, and if I got any sand inside the socks, I'd be sandblasting my legs the remainder of the day.
The beach was soft. Most of the beaches I have experienced in tourist areas are so compressed that they are like walking on concrete with fire below the surface. But the beach in Deauville was soft and cool. It was quite comfortable to walk along the beach, and rather relaxing. We walked to the water, and I stayed on the beach while Sarah waded into the water. She was shocked at how cool the water was, and was not interested in going too far into the ocean. She did have clothes on, and her jeans were pulled up to the thighs, but she was in her glory. My daughter is an Aquarius, the water bearer, so it's no wonder why she loves the water. Being a Cancer myself, I too love the water, but can find fun out of water as well. But Sarah is happiest in water. So, she was most pleased.
As I watched my daughter explore the water and the beach, I realized I had traveled over 5000 miles to the eastern Atlantic. We live on the western side of the Atlantic, and figured I had made it this far, I might as well get my feet wet. So, I motioned for Sarah to come back towards me. She helped me take off the stockings, and I placed them in my shoes with my socks. Then, we slowly headed to the water. Initially, it was cold, but not piercing cold; just cold. According to the weather reports, the water temperatures were about 65F. For my father, it might as well have been -200F; there's no way he or others in his generation would consider this water for swimming. But I'm more like a polar bear and this water was rather refreshing. So we began walking along the beach, while maintaining a water level to just above our ankles.
As we waded in the water, I noticed I had quickly become acclimated to the temperature and had wished I had worn a bathing suit so I could have ventured in deeper. Then, we noticed a rather interesting looking object on the beach. It was shinny, deep indigo color that it originally looked like some sort of glass. When we went up to it and poked it with a shell, we realized it was a jellyfish. This was not the typical type we had encountered. Then, within 20 feet of this one, we found another jelly, but it was clear with blackish brown tentacles emanating all around the dome. There were jellyfish here and the last thing I needed was to get stung in a country that I did not know the language. So, finding these jellies simply validated my decision to not go any further into the water. Since we were wading in the ocean, I did not take any pictures for fear of getting the camera wet. So, no pictures of these jellies are available.
After walking along the beach and water for a mile or so, picking up a couple of shells and other strange artifacts that Sarah found some intrinsic value in, we headed back to the boardwalk. I looked specifically for a place along the boardwalk that was more elevated than the remainder; there's a bit of a step down from the boardwalk to the beach. I wanted this to act as a bench for drying my feet in the sand and sun, then re-donning my socks. We found a good spot and redressed. As we rose to begin our walk back towards the market, we encountered a gentlemen painting the beach and its wares, and the Danish couple we met the previous evening during the fire. We talked for a while, and decided to exchange pictures. They were a really nice couple. We also encountered these buildings with railings that had the names of movie stars on them. We read in a history of Deauville that these names were the names of famous individuals that had been to the Cannes film festival. Check out the variety of names; we were shocked to see Buzz Aldrin.
When we made it back to the market, it was closed. So we went next door for lunch and continued to relax for the remainder of the day. But we were both satisfied that we had finally reached water on our trip. It was not as extravagant as we usually enjoy in swimming pools or ocean resorts, but it hit the right spot for this trip.
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