"My Americans are coming, my Americans are coming!!"
That is what I was saying to myself while waiting for Jo, Gloria and Gail. Days leading up to their arrival I was scrubbing, laundering, bed-making. etc. I was ready and boy did we have plans! Poor Skippy got sent off to the kennel as he had to go anyway while we went to Paris. But I took him early so I didn't have to worry about walking and feeding him during the days here in Josselin, (he has since come home and is just fine!!)
here he is at Sue's a few days earlier......
Jo, Gloria and Gail in front of the oldest house in Josselin. circa 1538 ( the house, not the girls)
While waiting out in the street (so they would see me and the house driving through the main street of town).....I noticed a big dent in my car!! Uggggrrraahhh!!! So of course I was fretting over that and wondering what to do about it. The girls were late. I was pacing. When Amanda and Rob came they got here right at 4pm. Jo estimated 4:30-5:30. I gave them till 5:31. By that time they STILL weren't here and I had to answer Ray's email to that effect. (Gloria's husband)
I sat in a chair out in the street cause I was tired of pacing. Yes, I got "looks", but so what!
Every thought you can imagine was going through my head. You know, the usual awful imaginings. So, I went back inside to call the gendarmerie (police) to make my report. About the dent. What to say?? I don't know when it happened. Or who did it. Or if there were any witnesses, All I could say is when I parked the car in the space near the house and when I first noticed the big dent the following day. I was on the phone about 7pm with the gendarmerie Lady trying to describe what happened when the front door opened and in walked Gail!!! "Kathy, is that you?" "OMG!! GAIL!! YOU"RE HERE!!". I quickly postponed my phone conversation till later.
Believe me, I was so relieved and so were they. We quickly settled in to hear all about what happened on their way here. They had a GPS but it was set in the wrong mode. So they were traveling in exactly the wrong way! Gail finally got it working properly and they made their way here adding a couple of extra hours to the trip. It was really all
Jacques fault. He's the guy in the GPS. With the voice. Speaking in indecipherable French. I came to know him well.
That night we had dinner at Luc's Bistrot and enjoyed it very much.
Later I lay in bed so keyed up I couldn't sleep. I kept hearing someone tossing and turning in a squeaky bed upstairs and was so worried about the liklihood of an uncomfortably thin camp style mattress. Suddenly I reaized there was the extra twin bed in my room I had moved up there months earlier and that the good mattress on it would make for a better night for whomever was in that room. So, without announcing anything ( I think I was really half asleep) I jumped up out of bed and grabbed that mattress (light as a feather) and dragged it upstairs waking everyone up in the process. Everyone was astonished but it seemed such a normal thing to do at the time.
HaHa AND it made a huge difference for Gail. I could have kicked myself for not thinking of it earlier when I was making up the beds. That mattress was right there the whole time! So the girls were in the 3 bedrooms on the top floor. The middle floor has my room and another guest room which Amanda & Rob, and Amy & Dan all have blasted as unfit. ( like sleeping directly on the slats, no offfense, Brigitte!)
The next day we walked all over Josselin, to see the oldest house, the canal and over to Saint Croix.(the little mostly British village across the canal bridge)
Also, the girls went up the 100 steps of the Basilica tower to take pictures over the rooftops. The town was prepping for the weekend Pardon festivities. The Pardon is a church tradition of a processional through town carrying the crowned Lady aloft. A very big deal here. But we left town early on Saturday before all that happened. Still, the town decorated with all the banners and garlands was so pretty. A trip to Super U (pronounced "ooo") to get our groceries and browse around and then back to the house to rest up for home cooking! Jo went with me to the gendarmarie to finally finish my police report.
I had to get that report in the mail to the ins. co. before leaving for Paris. The young, rather hunky officer inspected the car and made his report. He said there was no impact with another vehicle. The dent was caused by a pounding or instrument or something. The paint is not cracked and he thinks it will pop out ok. Jo and I really wanted to take his picture but neither one of us had the nerve. (You know, to document the situation. )
That night, we had some light, fluffy, fresh cod cooked at home with broccoli and a nice salad with our baguette and wine. Then there was the tarte. Berry
Gail, Gloria and Jo at the Chateau du Rohan, named for the family that has lived there since the 12th century. (they're still there) Only 3 of the towers remain, 6 others destroyed by Henry II.
(You know, Peter O'Toole in Lion in Winter)
This walled garden is in Vannes, in the county of Morbihan (on the Bay of Morbihan, pronounced: Mor-bee-ahh) We went to Vannes on Friday, Sept. 6th
In Vannes, Bretagne
Giant Soap Cakes!! by the slice
Celtic bookshop in Vannes (Brittany or Bretagne is a Celtic area)
On Friday, we traveled about an hour south to Vannes to see the old town. Gloria found the roundabouts very exciting. There was one about every 1/4 mile. (or kilometer)
We meandered around the old town and had a lunch of crepes! Yum.
We took the picturesque way home (with Jacques) and went out for dinner that night at the Pizzaria. Really good pizza!!! Thin crispy crust, loads of good cheese! Glass of wine, Good friends, Perfect!!!
We packed up that night for the big trip to Paris and first thing Saturday (7am) made our departure from Josselin. But first, a stop at the Super U Gazola station!!!!
And so off we went to the big city!!! Gloria driving, Jo riding shotgun, Gail & Jacques on navigation in the back seat with me. In between interpreting Jacques' garbled pronouncements such as "turn right on bblournabotre".....Gail could be heard singing strains of "How Ya Gonna Keep "Em Down on the Farm After they've seen Pareee??"
Get Ready Paris, Here We Come!!! stay tuned for the
next installment>>>>>
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(I think I took this one)
