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Post by htmb on Jul 14, 2014 13:39:14 GMT
Thank you, Tod, and thanks too for encouraging me to get going with this! My favorite acquisition from La Rochelle and Île de Ré was a taste for Pineau which I hope I will be able to purchase here in the U.S.
I could go back to the area for another extended stay, for sure. There is so much to do and see with La Rochelle as a base. I would have liked to visit the Marais Poitevin and spend a day there, but we made the decision not to rent a car and to just work within the limits of public transportation. Still, it is very easy to get to La Rochelle by TGV and now that I know my way around a bit I could see going back by myself one day.
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Post by bjd on Jul 14, 2014 13:49:54 GMT
Yes, Pineau de Charentes is good, but we never buy it any more. We drink Floc de Gascogne, similar but linked to the Armagnac vineyards, rather than those of Cognac. The white one is better than the red because it's a bit less sweet. It is our usual apéritif wine.
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Post by htmb on Jul 14, 2014 14:14:56 GMT
Thanks for the tip, BJD. I tend to like less-sweet drinks, as well, so will look for your recommendation first. My friend, C, served it with a little cube of ice, even though already chilled. Is that proper, or just C's preference?
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Post by Deleted on Jul 14, 2014 14:24:47 GMT
Most apéritif wines are served with ice cubes.
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Post by mossie on Jul 14, 2014 14:50:31 GMT
The Ile de Re looks a super place top relax in for a few days. Thanks for introducing me to another part of France.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 14, 2014 14:55:27 GMT
My favourite part so far is the glass of rosé!
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Post by bjd on Jul 14, 2014 15:29:39 GMT
Most apéritif wines are served with ice cubes. Floc is usually served chilled here, not with ice cubes. That would dilute it!
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Post by Deleted on Jul 14, 2014 16:28:21 GMT
Well yes, ice cubes dilute everything.
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Post by lagatta on Jul 14, 2014 21:11:47 GMT
Wonderful! I have no idea how I could possibly cycle with a triathlete unless she or he was Dutch or Danish (they have two modes of cycling - slow and practical, and fast and training-racing). I've cycled for a good four decades and find it much easier than walking a long time, but I do have some arthritis and can't ride hard any more.
I presume that you bought some sea salt.
I had never heard of, let alone drunk any Floc de Gascogne, but I'm astonished to find that it is not only available at our (overpriced) monopoly la SAQ, but available at the three within a very short walking distance of my place. I usually find apéritif wines too sweet (I don't like sweet beverages, alcoholic or not, very much. I take my coffee and tea neat). But I am inclined to trust bjd's judgement.
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Post by htmb on Jul 14, 2014 23:07:12 GMT
Lagatta, I don't typically purchase things to bring home and never buy gifts, however, I bought a small bag of fleur de sel for one of my sons since he brought me something from Italy a few years ago. I also bought my oldest daughter a little bag in Rouen since her name is the same as the brand stamped on the side. We never see anything with her name in the states because it's an old fashioned name. Let's just hope my other children don't read this. ;-)
All in all, I declared €19 at customs.
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Post by lagatta on Jul 14, 2014 23:49:33 GMT
Shameless boasting: My declaration involves books given to me by the authors, art supplies, and er... a couple of bottles of wine. I'm not really a "shopper" either, and I sure as hell am not about to declare a t-shirt or (non-Hermès) scarf I bought, or some socks or leggings if it is cold.
I used to love arty stationery shops in Paris, but a) we have practically the same articles in Montréal now and b) I really don't send much "friendly" snail-mail any more.
I will be sending snail-mail soon, as a friend of mine who is widowed is remarrying, so I must make a painting for them. Postal rates have increased terribly...
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Post by htmb on Jul 15, 2014 0:07:41 GMT
Oh, shipping is expensive, for sure, but a painting! What a nice gift to receive from you.
In the past I've purchased a nice costume necklace for myself on a few occasions, and last year I bought a pair of earrings from a young woman at a street fair in Cambridge, since I'd gone off and forgotten mine. These are items I wear all year round to add a little color to my plain and simple work clothes. I just never got around to getting anything this year. My first item of choice, were I to have lots of space in my luggage, would be books. If there is anything I absolutely need to confess in the hoarder thread, it would be books. I've got a couple nice ones to bring home on this trip.
What I will get around to doing, also, will be to frame one or two of my favorite trip photos and hang them in my office. I've just got to decide which ones.
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Post by lagatta on Jul 15, 2014 0:31:18 GMT
I have at least eight bookcases in my small flat. Have pruned them a bit, but it is difficult. I like being near the one that contains my author friends, as I write all day.
The internet has greatly altered the value of those I don't have. There was a large German dictionary on sale for $1 at a street sale nearby, and another about "key points in history", but alas most of that is available online (and I do have German, German-French and German-English dictionaries). Idem the New York Times Cookbook. I'm sure I can find almost everything online. There is a joy in perusing books, but there is also a joy in not dying from thousands of volumes collapsing on the collector.
I made another "wedding" painting for friends who were Scottish and Filipina. This pair are German and Nigerian. Neither pair is composed of young people. I know that at least three are second marriages; I don't know about the Nigerian lady, but suspect that is also the case. And to avoid stereotypes, we were also celebrating a recent wedding in which the woman was from the North and the man from the South.
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Post by htmb on Jul 15, 2014 2:00:39 GMT
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Post by htmb on Jul 15, 2014 2:09:16 GMT
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Post by htmb on Jul 15, 2014 2:28:19 GMT
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Post by bixaorellana on Jul 15, 2014 4:57:09 GMT
Beautiful, absolutely beautiful!
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Post by fumobici on Jul 15, 2014 5:23:34 GMT
Indeed they are. Well chosen.
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Post by bjd on Jul 15, 2014 6:46:29 GMT
This miscellaneous set of pictures really give a nice idea of Paris -- more so that a whole series on the same thing. My thoughts on seeing the man and boy feeding the Canada geese is that they should be careful -- there will soon be thousands of the damn things crapping in the parks and never going away. Thanks, Lagatta, for trusting my judgement on drinks. I too am surprised that you can find Floc in shops where you live, although it's a good neighbourhood for imported food. I hadn't realized that the producers had managed to export it. We drove through the area again last week (bought 2 bottles), and there are lots of producers advertising it. There is a shop that sells some, although it specializes in Armagnac. When I saw the prices, I asked whether they sold much, and the clerk told me that a bottle of Armagnac, especially the old bottles that can cost up to several hundred euros, is often bought as a gift by a group of people for a special occasion.
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Post by tod2 on Jul 15, 2014 13:38:10 GMT
Super photos htmb - please tell me where number 75 photo is located? Such a beautiful building! I'm guessing the church is in the grounds of the Chateau de Vincennes?
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Post by htmb on Jul 15, 2014 14:03:07 GMT
Thank you, Tod! I've posted random photographs so the buildings in #75 are all different, from varying locations in Paris. So that post contains photos of a theatre, a church, Vincennes, Notre Dame, etc.
I am going to post another series of photographs and then will be done, as this thread could go on forever! As Mossie mentioned in his recent report, we spent a most pleasant day together touring Belleville. Mossie is an excellent tour guide and a most interesting individual!
Being in Paris for three weeks gave me lots of opportunities to wander and to take photos without thinking about the rest of life for a while. It's a way to recharge, regroup, and brace myself for a return to work and the mundane chores of daily life. Everywhere I looked there was something interesting to see. I also wish to thank Kerouac for his patience in answering my myriad of questions and for all his marvelous posts here on AnyPort.
There is so much to do and see in France, I feel that in seven trips I have barely begun to scratch the surface.
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Post by htmb on Jul 15, 2014 14:10:11 GMT
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Post by htmb on Jul 15, 2014 14:16:45 GMT
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Post by htmb on Jul 15, 2014 14:23:47 GMT
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Post by bjd on Jul 15, 2014 15:07:41 GMT
Well, you certainly got around Paris. Nice mixture of photos.
Does the statue in the last photograph look like anything from the other side?
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Post by htmb on Jul 15, 2014 15:59:45 GMT
It's a giant head. I'll try to find a better shot when I can.
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Post by bixaorellana on Jul 15, 2014 16:41:35 GMT
Oh my goodness! Your last set was wonderful, but these are possibly even more exciting. There is such a sense of life and a beautifully shared personal vision to each of them. I think you should think seriously about mounting an exhibition of these in your home town.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 15, 2014 16:58:37 GMT
Oh, I remember being baffled by the stripey bollards in the Palais-Royal. I finally looked them up today. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Deux_PlateauxMy god, your photos are making me want to visit again, but I don't know when I'll be able to go. My husband is not a big fan of Paris and, as he lovingly took me there for our honeymoon in 2011, I'd feel churlish to make him go again. The best I can hope for is a quick couple of days as we pass through to somewhere else.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 15, 2014 18:24:13 GMT
I believe tod2 is referring to the Sainte Chapelle of the Château de Vincennes. It is a copy of the one in Paris, unfortunately without the stained glass.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 15, 2014 18:29:01 GMT
But it has far fewer tourists!
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