Monday 23rd August 2010.

We spent most of the day travelling today to get to a town called Munster in the Alsace region. I can’t wait to work out how to say, in French, that we have a Munster in Ireland too!

Denis was very excited before we left home when he discovered a site called Airbnb.com (Air B and B) where people offer a room in their house (or their entire apartment or entire house) for holiday rent. Look it up, if nothing else you get to see into other people’s houses! I was a bit dubious at first because I though there might be only air beds, but the air seemingly refers to travelling (by air maybe?).

So we’d been trying since last Friday in Rouen to book a bed close to Reims. (That was the complication that led to our adventure in the Reims hotel). The problem is that room owners are doing this as an interest so they don’t always check their email and there’s no phone number. You pay with credit card on site and the owner has 36 hours to contact you and agree to take you in or disagree. If they don’t contact you, there’s no charge.

I hope you’re keeping up with this?

Anyway, we didn’t know about the 36 hours clause and booked the day before (24 hours) and waited for Elen (the owner) to contact us. We then drove to Reims (after Denis had an adventure with some Gendarmes, more later) and still no contact. It was hot and sticky, we needed a shower. So we checked into our Reims hotel, connected to the internet and cancelled the airbnb room.

But Denis really wanted to give it another try. For our second attempt, we started early – 48 hours before we were due to arrive – and waited for a reply. And waited. When 30 hours had passed I started looking up hotels on booking.com. Thanks to our friend the receptionist in Reims, you’ll remember, we have learned to book our hotels online before we arrive. Then I noticed this owner had included a website and on the website there was a phone number, yaa! And she spoke perfect English, yaa! It’s still the little things!

Denis has a way of sticking with something until he gets what he wants. He tries lots of different approaches but he doesn’t give up. It can look like he’s lucky, but it’s a luck he works for. It can look like he’s stubborn… Well he is, but it’s also very useful!

(Our house in Munster)
So it all worked out and we arrived at the apartment on the top floor of a three story house (again). The floors creak (again), the furniture’s old (again) and I love it!

(View from sitting room)

(View from kitchen)

Monday 23rd August 2010.

We had another brilliant idea about breakfast.

But first, what happened this morning (Monday) when we checked out? Well… As we came downstairs we noticed the original receptionist was on the desk (she hadn’t been around since we checked in). We carried our luggage to the bike and I pretended I had stuff to do out there in the secure courtyard so Denis went back, alone, to pay the bill. And the brave lad, when asked for his credit card replied “Could I just check the bill first, please?” Guess what? We got the second night for the internet price! Oh! we were so happy, it’s the little things that can bring so much joy!

Ok back to the brilliant idea about breakfast. Last night we decided since we were leaving Reims in the morning we’d beat the heat and travel early. And, we’d have breakfast on the way at one of those motorway restaurants. So we’d really get a head start on the day. So at 9am we were ready. My idea of early and Denis’ are poles apart. Never mind, we were off and as luck would have it rush hour has not been invented in Reims yet (or maybe it’s earlier?) We passed the first motorway stop after 20 minutes but as only wimpy motorbike riders take a break after a mere 20 minutes we kept going… Then there was a sign for the next stop, just forty km, perfect. I was getting a little peckish, thinking about croissants, maybe two today (even though I’m off wheat….) when I realised we had left the motorway. This is not good. There are no motorway restaurants OFF the motorway. Well hang on a minute, those restaurant are not all that great anyway, some of them only have coffee machines and pre-wrapped croissants. We’d find a nice cafe/bar along the road with really good coffee (I don’t drink coffee, I was generously thinking of Denis) and fresh croissants.

So we drove on and on… and on…..

Finally I gave Denis the sign that I had to have food now (hitting him on the back while shouting through open helmet, “Food, Food”, we didn’t buy the latest blue tooth communication system, I prefer to spend the money on food and what would we talk about anyway?) and he took the road for the next signposted town.

(McDonalds, somewhere off the road…)

And you’ll never believe what we found….. McDonald’s. Now, I know there’s some among you who would not eat breakfast (or anything else) in Mc Donald’s, I was like you. After I read the book Food Nation  I couldn’t darken their doorstep. But.. like I said in Reims, French McDonald’s is different. Ok, ok, I was hungry and there was nowhere else! This was not a McCafe but they did have little pancakes.

So next time we’ll stop at the first motorway stop…. there’s something about this that reminds me of the Menu Board Dance……

Sunday 22nd August 2010.

Sub-Title: The Gendarmes have the bus.

Yesterday morning while we were enjoying our McCafe breakfast it started to rain. I had planned to do the “funny looking open-topped single decker red bus” tour of Reims. You have to, don’t you? But maybe not on a wet day? As I’d remembered to pack a raincoat and the rain was easing I decided to chance it. So, while Denis went back to the hotel to work I headed to the Cathedral where the bus would be. But it wasn’t. I was a little late and had been hoping they didn’t adhere too closely to the timetable. Anyway, I went into the tourist office to buy a ticket for the next bus.

(Tourist Office)

Again, using my version of French I asked for a ticket for the bus. I’m not entirely sure but I think she said ” ..we don’t know when the tour will begin, the Gendarme have the bus”. I couldn’t believe my luck, who would think a bus tour could be so interesting? Then she asked me for something and since I didn’t have a clue what it might be, I gave up my charade of being a French speaker. So we reverted to English which she spoke beautifully. She had been asking for some photo identification so that she could give me an audio guide. It turned out she was Spanish and my drivers licence looked exactly the same as the Spanish version. Anyway, off she went to photocopy it. While she was there her colleague started talking to her in rapid French. Almost hypnotic to me and completely incomprehensible.

My new Spanish friend returned looking very apologetic, “em, there seems to be a problem with the audio guides, also, it may not function”. I assured her that it was not a problem, after all if the bus didn’t come, I wouldn’t need it. She gave me a booklet in English and I went outside to sit on the wall and wait. The Cathedral was beautiful so I took some pictures.

 

(There’s a little angel on top of the cathedral)

And within minutes the bus arrived, and also thunder and lightening – I’m not making this up. Earlier I had wondered if there was a cover that went over the bus when it rained – there wasn’t. When the little group of people waiting got on the bus, the very friendly driver moved down the aisle handing out see-through umbrellas! I only wish I could have taken a picture of the bus speeding down the Rue de Mars with all of us passengers hanging onto our umbrellas. You’ll just have to imagine it…..

 

(A bit of the funny looking open topped red bus from inside (driver’s section covered))

One of the practical things we learned so far has to do with breakfast. It’s much more sensible to go to the nearest cafe or bar than to eat at your hotel. For at least two reasons: it’s cheaper and you get to choose where to eat.

Actually the second reason isn’t always an advantage. At each food opportunity in a new city we (and many others) do the dance of the “menu board”. This involves walking confidently up to the board where menu options are displayed, outside a restaurant. A quick glance to discern if it’s in English. Then a more leisurely perusal as you wait for something to “grab” you (not literally). Then you turn to your partner and say either “well this seems ok”, or “nothing grabs me”, or (whispering) “much too expensive”. Your partner’s reply depends on how many menus you’ve seen for this meal. Less than 6: “ah no, let’s have a look at that one over there”. Between 6 and 10: “em, I think I like the one two streets ago better”. More than 10: “I’m so hungry, this’ll be fine”.

Today for breakfast we gave up the menu board dance…… and went to McDonald’s!

But French McDonald’s is not like Irish McDonald’s, they have espresso machines! And croissants and green tea. Well they do in their McCafe, anyway. Isn’t France great?

It’s day 4 of our Journey on a Bike in France and we seem to be landing in very beautiful cities. We finally said goodbye to Rouen and now we’re in the city of Reims. Very beautiful and at the moment very hot, 30 degrees.

We found our hotel on Booking.com but due to complications (!) we didn’t book it before we got here. So we arrived at the desk and asked in faulty French if they had a room with Internet access (first priority as Denis needs to work each day we are away); if there is secure parking for the motor bike (second priority, the bike is our horse and it needs stables); and if there are restaurants nearby (third priority, it’s no fun having to drive to dinner in full rain gear and heavy boots,so we want to walk to eat). And yes this hotel has everything but the price is €27 more expensive than the Booking.com price. The receptionists explains (in perfect English) that the cheaper price is only if you book on the Internet before you arrive but if you just turn up then you must pay the full price.

Ok, we understand, we are sad (;-)) but we can learn from this experience!

When we go upstairs the room is lovely, the shower is powerful and the Internet connection is strong and there is a great courtyard behind a huge locked gate for the bike. So we decide to stay a second night. And, learning from our previous experience this time we book online for the second night and get the cheaper price. Just in case there’s any problem, Denis goes downstairs to explain we are the people who have just booked online and we want to stay in the same room for the second night. It’s a new receptionist by now and although she looks confused, she says that’s fine (again in perfect english).
So tune in next time when we (you and I) find out what happens on Monday morning when we check out – will we get the cheaper price for the second night? Or will we have a different experience from which we can learn? Maybe about ourselves, or the French culture, or the hotel booking systems of Europe or how to remain calm in the lobby of a French hotel while the receptionist calls the Gendarmerie! No matter which scenario pans out we will have an experience and we will survive. For now the one I want is : the cheaper price for the second night. I’ll let you know…..

Well, we liked this hotel so much we decided to stay a second night. It’s the Hotel Morand and its a really old building. Our room is three flights up a very cute winding staircase.

I think I like the hotel because it reminds me of the house I grew up in, in Cashel. It’s got sloping, creaky floors, old wallpaper on the walls and has probably looked the same for a 100 years – it’s got character.

Of course when I was younger I didn’t appreciate the character of our house. It was already at least a 100 years old at the time. As a teenager I thought everyone else lived in newer, fancier houses and ours was old, creaky and the floors sloped! The furniture was from the ark and the bathroom was two flights up.

Then I went to college in Limerick and that first summer I brought a friend, Jean, home for the weekend. It was revelation to see the house through her eyes. The size of the rooms, “you’d fit our whole house into this sitting room”. The height of the ceilings – “wow”. The views from the top floor, “you can see the Rock of Cashel from your bath!”. The furniture “everything here looks like an antique, it’s beautiful”. She didn’t seem to notice the creaks or the slopes or the peeling wallpaper.

She noticed the character.
Now in Rouen I notice the character of this house and I remember the character of that house and I consider the character trait of noticing the beautiful.

Our first stop – Rouen. Famous holiday home of French Impressionists Monet, Gauguin, Pissarro and others. For those of you struggling with your dream, Gauguin may inspire you. He lost his job as a stockbroker in the recession of 1882! So he thought he might give his painting hobby a try. He went to Rouen because of its popularity with other painter friends and as there were rich merchants living there who might buy his work – they didn’t. He had to leave Rouen after 10 months because he could no longer afford to support himself and his family. But he continued to paint. Somehow he survived and his beautiful paintings have also survived as a legacy of his life. Imagine if your dream was, like Gauguin’s painting, something that ultimately enriched the world.

Wouldn’t it be selfish not to pursue it?

We left Greystones yesterday and stopped after an hour for a snack! An hour later we arrived in Rosslare Harbour for lunch. Something tells me food is going to by important on this journey!

We got a great cabin, around the corner from the shop and only one floor up from the bike! We went out on deck to look around and it’s very windy, maybe wearing a skirt was a bad idea?

This morning at breakfast everyone looked really tired except the children. I was drawn to one little boy who was sitting quietly with his family until another lady joined them. Then his face lit up and he hugged her legs as she tried to manoeuvre her tray onto the table. When she did eventually put her tray down he hugged her and told her about his cabin, all the time with the happiest grin on his face. It was difficult for me not to stare, because the scene was so attractive and I also wanted to know who this woman was, who created such happiness. I was not brave enough to ask but one of the little boy’s siblings called her Aunt Mary. So, she was his aunt.
Often we don’t realise the positive impact we have on others, the joy we cause them, the smiles we bring out when we arrive. Because children show their emotions so easily it is possible to notice when you have made an impact.
Today, because of that little boy I am remembering all my nieces and nephews and the other children who have at any time been happy to see me! Try it yourself, it’s fun :-).

My husband, Denis and I will be undertaking a journey by motorbike and ferry, our first stop will be the city of Rouen in France, on the 19th August 2010. There we have booked a hotel near the centre of the city, with wifi Internet access and secure parking for the bike. After that first night we have no idea where we will go. We are happy with this arrangement!
There will be pictures!