19-21 March 2025
In fall of 2019, I visited this city and thought “a perfect stop. I wish I had more time.” Well, the time has come as Gabrielle and I lodge here for the next two nights. I choose the same hotel as I know it offers parking and an easy walk into the Intra-Muras, inner walls, of the old city.
(more…)20 March 2025
Departing Saint-Malo, we drive west through farm land, lush forests, and small villages to the headlands of Cap Fréhel. Occasionally, we spy peeks of bays and a rugged Brittany coast. Stone buildings dot the way. This land has seen the passage of everyone from the Knights Templars to Resistance Fighters and Allied soldiers of WWII. Now us.
(more…)19 March 2025
Caught up on blessed sleep. Weather is sunny and cool. With rain predicted for later in the week, we adjust plans accordingly.
After a coffee and biscuit, my niece Gabrielle and I returned to Rèn’s modern train station, maneuvering its many levels and services. Our destinations over the next few days seem best reached by automobile. Therefore, we retrieve our Peugeot rental car and drive the 45 miles to Mont-Saint-Michel along the western coast of France.
(more…)18 March 2025
Sometimes the most challenging part of visiting a foreign country is pronouncing your city of destination. One wrong inflection, and I would find myself hundreds of kilometers from my room for the night. Such is the case with our first stop: Rennes. I may think I correctly pronounce the city’s name, but the French say differently.
For Americans, European train travel is so civilized and convenient. But then, we are not apt to discover big bombs, well, at least not WW2 ordinance!
Earlier this month while replacing a railway bridge just a few miles from here, construction workers discovered what SNCF described as a “really huge” unexploded ordinance. The 1100 pound bomb dropped some 80 years ago, contained over 440 pounds of explosives. Enough to make a really, really big hole!
(more…)17/18 March 2025
In the midst of movement and chaos, keep stillness inside you. – Deepak Chopra
Chaos is chaos no matter how you experience it. You either adapt or die. – Pat Bunyard
Always create a Plan B. Just in case, develop a Plan C. When traveling, it could be wise to have a Plan D at hand.
(more…)3 January 2025 Nancy and I ushered 2025 into the world in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The land is grand, the food good, the culture exciting. But, it is always good to head home with fond memories and a wish to see more -someday. We drive back the Santa Fe Read more
2 January 2025 Another slow morning, waking to a chilly room and a hot cup of coffee. The Inn is quiet as we walk across to breakfast. Kitchen will cook to order. Times like this, I wish I enjoyed something other than yogurt in the mornings. Logs burning in the Read more