A Disappointed Trio

Pages From Jan's Travel Journal: Thursday, June 8 2017


I awoke at 7:30 with the sun in my eyes. I loved having the window open at night to allow the cool air to circulate, but I wasn't quite ready to get up! I rolled over and tried to go back to sleep, but then the construction noise began and there was just no way. I'm not exactly sure what the workers were doing in the square, but it certainly made a lot of racket!

Des had the day off and we made plans to visit a flea market in a neighboring town. Desmond had been there before and described it to me, so I was looking forward to finding some bargains. We had a quick breakfast of chocolate chip brioche, which was very good. After checking the website to be sure the flea market was open, we rode the tram to the other side of town and then we boarded a bus for the long ride to the warehouse where the market was held. Poor Janey had motion sickness, but once we arrived at the bus stop, she began to perk up and was soon skipping along quite happily.

There was quite a bit of traffic on the road which the sidewalk bordered, and we noticed many cars and some pedestrians that were headed in the same direction as the three of us. After a ten minute walk, we reached the flea market and were soon disappointed to discover that they were closed while preparing for a big sale over the weekend! Well, that would have a nice thing to put on their website! We turned away and trudged in the heat back to the bus stop.

Walking to the bus stop after an unsuccessful journey.

Janey tried not to complain as her motion sickness returned. She sat quietly, slumped next to me, and I felt bad for her. Des and I decided to stop at the pharmacy on the way home to purchase some medicine for Janey. When we reached Orléans, we treated ourselves to tea at Autour de la Terre. Janey fell in love with the place, as we knew she would. This lovely little tearoom is a peaceful oasis near the cathedral. Actually, it's not so little. There is a cozy front room, a sunroom, and a garden. Each area is charming in its own way. Janey took her time choosing a tea while she paged through the menu/sketchbook. Sadly, none of us had a pen or pencil for her to sketch with.

Janey's tea was served in a lovely iron teapot. Des had chosen hot chocolate. The shop has offerings of coffee, tea, and chocolate from around the world, and I know how wonderful their coffee is, but I chose an iced green tea that was delicious and very refreshing. We promised my granddaughter that we would return another day so that she could add a drawing to the sketchbook.

This tea room is a pleasant place to linger.

Des and Janey at Autour de la Terre, Orleans France.

On the way home, we purchased ice cream cones and ate them as we walked slowly along the beautiful streets near the Loire. That evening, we treated ourselves to Chez Ming for dinner. It was a fun meal and we all enjoyed the food and the conversation. 

Can you spot the kitty?
We saw this on the way to the restaurant.

A beautiful view of the Loire and Orleans, France.

I Get By (with a little help from my French)

Pages From Jan's Travel Journal: Wednesday, June 7 2017

I awoke at 7:30, leaving Janey to sleep in. She had not rested well during the night. Desmond was also sleeping late, which was a treat for him. I leisurely sipped my coffee while checking email and messages from home. Craig was still diligently working on his expedited passport renewal, which was a frustrating activity. It seemed he was usually on the phone for hours and often received conflicting information.

Desmond woke at 9:00 and we talked for about an hour before waking Janey for a breakfast of pain au chocolat. It was a type I had never eaten before, made from a tube of refrigerated dough! We had fun assembling the pastries by placing two little logs of dark chocolate onto each rectangle of the buttery dough, and then rolling them gently into shape with our fingers. We enjoyed them fresh from the oven. Janey was still exhausted and soon crawled back into bed. Des left for work while I busied myself with household chores.

I woke Janey again at 1:30, so that we could go shopping. She had earlier expressed concern that we wouldn't be able to do much without Desmond along to translate. Des had assured Janey that her grandma knew enough French to get by quite well, but Janey still had some doubt.

Pain au chocolat from a tube! It was pretty tasty.

The two of us had fun wandering through the stores in and around Halles Chatelet. Janey wanted to purchase some bulk tea, so we went to Duo Thé et Chocolat, a shop that Desmond had recommended. The proprietor was as nice as Des had said, and even though he spoke only a bit of English we were able to communicate quite well. I noticed that he kept looking at Janey, seeming to study her features. At last he hesitantly asked me if she was Asian. When I replied that my granddaughter was half Chinese, the gentleman became quite animated and began searching through photos on his cell phone. Soon he proudly showed us an adorable picture of his own granddaughter, who is also half Chinese. By the time we left the tea shop, I felt that I had made a new friend. As we walked out into the street, Janey exclaimed, "Wow, grandma! You DO know how to speak French."

Janey was becoming tired and hungry, so we headed toward home while looking for a place to have a snack. We chose Garden Ice because it had a nice view of the Loire. After looking at the menu, I realized that there was really nothing snack-sized from which to choose. Janey ordered a plate of pasta carbonara, and we both had a coke. She dug into the pasta with eagerness, while I nibbled on a small piece of the accompanying bread. We were able to take the leftovers with us, which is something that is becoming more common in France.

A "snack" at the Garden Ice Cafe, Orleans.

On the way home, we stopped by the hardware store to purchase a fan. I'm glad the store wasn't far from home, because poor Janey was worn out. She kept apologizing for slowing me down, but I told her not to worry and that this was her vacation, too, and I wanted her to enjoy it. When Desmond returned from work, we relaxed over some cherry beer and nibbled on veggie chips. Janey had a glass of water with a splash of flavored syrup in it, and she really enjoyed those chips. For dinner, we ate the delicious lemon cream chicken that Des prepared. After that wonderful meal, we watched a movie and went to bed rather late. Janey didn't feel well, and cried and said she should have not have come to France. I comforted her as best I could, saying that she was still a bit jet-lagged and reminded her that she was not used to so much walking. Even so, she didn't fall asleep until 3:00. Still, it had been a good day.

Lemon cream chicken
 with spinach and sun-dried tomatoes.

Crepes for Breakfast

Pages From Jan's Travel Journal: Tuesday, June 6 2017

How good it was to awaken in one of my favorite places on earth! The night had been wonderfully cool, and after a sound sleep, I felt alert and ready to enjoy the lovely day ahead. I was able to chat for a few minutes with Desmond as I drank my morning coffee, but soon he was out the door to go to work.  Janey slept on, curled beneath the blankets and looking very cozy. 

I was reluctant to leave, even just to cross the square for pastries. Concerned that Janey might awaken and feel disoriented and frightened, I settled on a breakfast of packaged blueberry crepes that were surprisingly tasty. Janey slept late and crawled out of bed feeling groggy. It took a while for her to become awake enough to want to go out. 

Packaged crepes.
Who knew they could be so good?

We rode the tram to the university and had lunch with Desmond. We had wanted to grab a bite at a nearby restaurant, but found it was closed, so we picked up sandwiches and chips at a local supermarket and took them back to Desmond's office.  It was Janey's first time there, and she was interested in everything. We were able to talk with a couple of Desmond's coworkers while we ate.

Later, we all shopped at Carrefour to pick up ingredients for dinner. Before going in to the market, we enjoyed coffee and pastries at Paul. When we returned home and were prepping the vegetables for dinner, Jeff called. He was immediately invited to stop by for drinks and we all had an enjoyable time together while we nibbled on cheese, sausage, and chips. We had purchased some non-alcoholic beer for Janey, which made her feel a part of the fun. 

Azur seems to be waiting for his share!

Jeff was unable to stay for dinner, but after he left we weren't very hungry, so we ate rillettes, spread on a fresh baguette. For dessert, we savored our own French version of strawberry shortcake, made by spooning sliced berries over some mini Tropezienne. Yum!

Summer In Kansas

Once again, I am taking a small break from documenting my travels. In this post, I wish to tell you about our summer. Desmond was able to return from France with us and since he is a teacher, we were thrilled to have most of July and August together! 

It was delightful to have our son at home. We all tried to make the most of his time here by seeing lots of friends and relatives, eating out at Desmond's favorite restaurants, shopping, and taking a few day trips. We visited both of Desmond's grandmothers regularly. Desmond and I often cooked together, which is always fun. He made noodle bowls on a couple of occasions, and they were so delicious that we will be making them at home on a regular basis!

One of Desmond's delicious
noodle bowls.

We visited Botanica in Wichita, which is a lovely botanical garden that has grown and improved over the past several years and is definitely worth visiting again and again. It's a peaceful and beautiful place.

I love the colors in this scene at Botanica in Wichita, KS.

The dragon wall in the Asian garden at Botanica.

Craig and Desmond entering
 the Children's garden at Botanica.

One day, we drove up to Cottonwood Falls. We had lunch in town and then headed toward the lake and waterfalls. The lake was nearly deserted and the day was warm. The path to approach the falls took us directly across the spillway. The scenery was beautiful, and as we made our way down along the trail through a wooded area, we listened for the sound of the waterfalls. Alas, due to lack of rain, there wasn't much to see when we reached our destination. Had we been there in the spring, the falls would have been quite a sight! We really weren't very disappointed. The scenery and the small trickles of water made a peaceful and lovely tableau.

This pic was shot from the spillway at the lake.

We saw many beautiful  wildflowers, dragonflies, and birds. The falls step down in a long series of natural rock terraces. (When I was a child, I often visited a similar place with my cousins where we cooled off by sitting on the "water stairs".) There were fish in the deeper pools, and tiny schools of minnows darting about in the shallows.

We attended, with Marjorie, the Threshing Days parade and festival in the tiny town of Goessel, Kansas. The festival and the museums there highlight the importance of farming and the role of the Mennonites who immigrated to this country, bringing with them the Turkey Red wheat. Desmond was able to view photos and other items in the museum that were brought from Europe by his ancestors. There were plenty of tractors and harvesters on display, many of which were over 100 years old and still running! A lunch was served, which consisted of several traditional dishes such as verinika, German rope sausage, borscht, tender zwieback, bierocks, and more. 

Craig, Marjorie, and Des wait for the parade to begin.

I was fascinated with this old steam tractor.

This candle mold was brought to Kansas
 by Mennonites fleeing Russia.

August 21, just one day after my birthday, was the solar eclipse! Desmond hadn't planned his visit to America to coincide with the eclipse, but we were all very glad it had worked out that way. In order to view it in totality, we needed to drive to the northeast part of the state. The forecast was bleak for that entire area. I was willing to stay at home and at least be able to see a partial eclipse, but both Des and Craig were urging me to agree to a road trip for this rare event.  

We drove in light rain for much of the journey.  Desmond had created a playlist of songs which featured the sun or the moon. As we listened to the music, the three of us were in high spirits despite the cloudy skies. We had packed snacks and a picnic lunch because we anticipated crowds wherever we happened to end up. As Craig was driving north, I began to search the weather map on my phone and it looked as if little Marysville, Kansas would be our best bet for clear skies. We arrived in time to settle down on our picnic blanket and enjoy lunch in the shade before moving the blanket to a grassy slope where we could lie back and watch the show. There were a few fluffy clouds which soon disappeared. Every now and then, some high, thin clouds veiled the sun just a bit and then floated away. We knew we were in for a treat.

The park wasn't overcrowded, and everyone there was in a high state of anticipation. Children were laughing and running through the grass or playing on the wonderful playground equipment in a shaded area of the park. We donned our NASA-approved eyewear and looked to the sky as the eclipse began, taking frequent breaks to look away. As the great moment approached, everyone in the park grew silent. Then, when the sun disappeared, cheering and applause and exclamations of wonder were heard throughout the entire park! It was a phenomenal event and was a thrill we will never forget!

Craig and Desmond viewing the eclipse.

It was a wonderful summer, and of course it went by all too quickly. Before we knew it, we were seeing Desmond off at the airport. I'm sure he was ready to return to his life in France. We all had made some wonderful memories together and look forward to our next trip to France.

An Easy Day

Pages From Jan's Travel Journal: Monday, June 5 2017

I slept well and woke at 7 AM. Janey was still slumbering. I knew she had been unable to sleep on the plane, so I left her snuggled beneath the blankets and went into the other room to make coffee. I opened the windows to a beautiful, sunny morning and sipped my coffee as I gazed out at the courtyard. There were a surprising number of birds around, thanks to the many secluded courtyards, parks, and other green spaces. They were singing cheerfully and I enjoyed their sweet twitters and chirps as I relaxed. Azur was soon sitting on the window ledge, alert to all the activity outside.

Azur greets the morning.

Desmond soon awoke, and before long we were headed over to the bakery on the square. Within minutes, we were munching on tasty lemon tarts. We lounged around, discussing Craig's ordeal and his urgent quest for an expedited passport renewal. It was a helpless feeling, knowing there was nothing we could do to speed up the process. We missed him terribly.

I finally woke Janey at 10:00. We had decided on an easy day and at 11:30 we took the tram to Parc Floral. Janey had seen many photos of the beautiful botanical garden and she was happy to view it first-hand. We wandered aimlessly, serenaded by birdsong while admiring the lovely floral displays. We also stopped in to see the butterfly house and then continued our stroll through the gardens. After a while, Janey began to have an allergic reaction to something there. Her eyes were beginning to itch and swell, so we cut our visit short.

A pretty resident of the butterfly house.

We stopped at Auchan to purchase food for the evening meal.My granddaughter enjoyed wandering around the huge grocery store and she picked out some snack cakes and cereal for herself. That evening, Desmond made an incredible meal of orange duck, pureed sweet potatoes, and sauteed cherry tomatoes. The tasty orange sauce was a perfect topping for the creamy sweet potatoes. Our day ended with a nostalgic movie. 

A wonderful meal!

TRAVEL TIP: Always be aware of the expiration date on your passport. Go check it. Now. 

Some Rules Never Bend

Pages From Jan's Travel Journal: Saturday/Sunday, June 3 & 4 2017

Imagine the excitement of the three of us - me, Craig, and our granddaughter Janey as we arrived at our local airport for our big adventure. We were all looking forward to 3 1/2 weeks in France with Desmond! And now imagine the shock of being told that you will not be allowed to board the plane because your passport is due to expire THREE MONTHS FROM NOW! Craig was turned away as Janey and I stood there in horror, all of our plans crashing down around us. We were so stunned that we were unable to react. We said goodbye to Craig, who promised to follow us as soon as he was able, and as we were going through security the reality hit me like a ton of bricks. I was practically sobbing as I made my way through the line. Janey tried to comfort me as best she could. I squared my shoulders and decided that this unfortunate plot twist would not ruin our vacation.

Janey turned out to be an excellent traveler. She was adept at reading airport signs and following directions and she helped tremendously. Our flights were back to back with no layover: Wichita to Houston, Houston to Chicago, Chicago to Paris. We were delayed at the gate in Chicago and had just five minutes to make it across the terminal for our connecting flight. That plane was completely full, and we were seated in the middle at the back. There was a lot of turbulence, but Janey took it all in stride and remained completely unruffled.

We were very happy to meet up in Paris with Desmond after we made it through the long line at border control and retrieved our luggage. Des had thoughtfully brought along coffee, pastries, and sandwiches for our bus ride, as there were no trains running between Paris and Orleans that day, due to maintenance. 

At last, we reached Desmond's apartment and were able to put our luggage away and have a bite of lunch. We greeted Azur, gave him some treats from America, and then walked to the old part of town to show Janey around a little. She was in awe of the beautiful architecture and happy to see for herself the lovely town where Des lives. It felt good to get out and walk for a while after the long travel day we had endured.

Welcome to Orleans!

Janey on the bridge. 

We decided to have a barbecue since it was such a lovely evening.  Janey helped with setting the table and even tried to clear a path in the overgrown courtyard. Just as the sausages, turkey, and potato puffs were almost done, Chris and his parents arrived to say hello. We insisted that they join us for dinner. Des quickly prepared more food. We had a fun meal together outside in the cool evening air. I was happy to meet Chris' parents, Marilyn and Rodney. They had to leave just before dark because they were biking. Des, Janey, and I cleared the table and carried stuff upstairs. Later, we ate incredible desserts. They were decadent little cheesecakes with a chocolate crust and topped with ganache. By then, we were exhausted, so we unpacked and went to bed.

Changes

May 15, 2017


In less than three weeks, we will be on our way to France! It feels as if this trip has been a long time coming. Certain events have occurred in the past several weeks which have kept Craig and I very busy.

About six weeks ago, Craig's mother, Marjorie, broke her foot. And around that same time, my own mother, Ruby, fell and had to be hospitalized. Craig and I have been assisting Marjorie with errands, household chores, and doctor appointments. Meanwhile, a difficult and painful decision had to be made regarding Ruby. Even though one of my sisters had been living with and caring for mom, her needs had accelerated beyond what Susan, or any of us, could provide.

Alzheimers is a tragic and devastating disease. My family was fortunate to find a good memory care facility staffed with sweet, caring nurses. Moving mom was terribly traumatizing to her, but thankfully, within just a few days Ruby began to adjust. It has been almost a month now, and mom is happy and well cared for. We are all able to sleep a bit better at night knowing that this sweet lady is in good hands.

Ruby in the garden.

Craig and I go up to visit several times a week. There is a lovely courtyard which Ruby enjoys spending time in. She sits beneath a shady gazebo, sipping coffee, while we tend to and plant flowers in the gardens there. Gardening was always a passion of hers, and she loves to look at the flowers.

The gazebo in the courtyard.

A view of one of the flowerbeds we are tending.

Mom loves birds, also, and we have hung a feeder outside her window. She laughs at the antics of the birds that fly in for a bite to eat. The cheerful house finches are a favorite.
We will have peace of mind while visiting France, knowing that Ruby is being well taken care of and that any emergencies which may arise will be deftly handled by her caregivers.

I created these memory pages for Mom's door.

This year, we will only be in Orléans for three weeks. Our twelve-year-old granddaughter is going to accompany us, and three weeks is about as long as her mother could bear to be apart from Janey. This trip is the fulfillment of a promise made by Janey's mom several years ago.

Janey is thrilled and a little bit nervous about such a long journey. She's looking forward to the sights, sounds, and tastes of France. And of course, she can hardly wait to spend time with Desmond!