Winter 2008
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| On the rocky shores of Blonville-Sur-Mer in Normandy (Feb-2008) |
Journal Entry... Francoise, the apartment owner, invited us for a day at her beach home in Blonville-Sur-Mer in the coast of Normandy. Regardless of the season, one gets sidetracked to the beach. Like us on a winter day...
10-feb: Normandy excursion... Hubby and I got on the train headed to Deauville, connecting at Lisieux-Trouville from Paris's St. Lazare station... where Francoise picked us up. Before driving down to her beach home, we made a quick detour to an open market, where Francoise bought a tray combining the day's catch of the freshest clams, lobsters, and shrimps from the Normandy seas. Francoise had another female friend over that day, and the four of us shared on that seafood tray. Well... hubby and I are used to a larger serving, but in France, the French portion is what it is.
Francoise's retriever dog, Shangga, also present gallivanting at the beach home, thankfully, had its own fare of dog food. (Speaking of Shangga - the dog was grinning at me for mistaking the dog blanket in the rental apartment for a human blanket, which I put on my bed - gah!)
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| Photo-op with Francoise at Blonville-Sur-Mer |
Francoise's retriever dog, Shangga, also present gallivanting at the beach home, thankfully, had its own fare of dog food. (Speaking of Shangga - the dog was grinning at me for mistaking the dog blanket in the rental apartment for a human blanket, which I put on my bed - gah!)
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| WWII bunker remains in the Blonville-Sur-Mer shoreline |
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| On Normandy shores |
Hubby and I excused ourselves to check out the beach area, after lunch. A history buff that he is, hubby curiously inspected what was left of those WWII bunkers by the shoreline... and would now have a clearer image of it when he re-reads those war books. Caught up with Francoise walking the shoreline for a photo-op... Late afternoon, Francoise got busy in the kitchen baking another batch of her delectable flourless chocolate mini-madeleines; an earlier batch of it had awaited our arrival at the Suffren apartment, which I had completely devoured with gusto without excuse. I watched, while Francoise was working up another batch. When Francoise halted for a second, to reveal the secret ingredient to the madeleines... nope, it's not the melted chocolate... but an entire block of the rich, French BUTTER!!! "After knowing my secret ingredient to the madeleines - butter - you might have a change of heart eating it," Francoise teased me. The mere thought of having finished off earlier a batch of those butter-loaded madeleines was enough to give me a heart attack! OMG
That night, hubby and I returned to Paris, hitching a ride with Francoise who was driving a Toyota Prius hybrid car being the environmental advocate that she is. Good thing, Francoise did not drive her other Smart car, otherwise hubby and I would not have fitted in the little car and had to take a train back to Paris. I must have dosed off during the drive, whilst I opened my eyes to the lighted Eiffel Tower as Francoise drove by it on the way to the Suffren apartment.
Thanks, Francoise, for the Normandy excursion!
Link to>>> Journal Entry: A Parisian Flair #france #paris #winter2008
That night, hubby and I returned to Paris, hitching a ride with Francoise who was driving a Toyota Prius hybrid car being the environmental advocate that she is. Good thing, Francoise did not drive her other Smart car, otherwise hubby and I would not have fitted in the little car and had to take a train back to Paris. I must have dosed off during the drive, whilst I opened my eyes to the lighted Eiffel Tower as Francoise drove by it on the way to the Suffren apartment.
Thanks, Francoise, for the Normandy excursion!
Link to>>> Journal Entry: A Parisian Flair #france #paris #winter2008