A bumpy start on another trip to France

Hi,

I'm trying something a little different. I have found that it is getting harder to write one long journal each week of a trip, particularly on trips that only last one week. I keep good notes each day, but just don't seem to have the time like I used to transferring my thoughts and notes to the computer.

So even though I am three months and two trips behind, from now on I am going to try shorter updates on this blog, sending you the links to this location and to my pictures as I progress.

In late October I left for what was to be a two week trip to our France office on the English Channel, only do not call it that to the French. To them it is simply, "La Manche" or "the sleeve". I was hesitant to leave as planned because my wife's father had been hospitalized for a month, and we had already cancelled a planned vacation when things didn't look so good. But he kept rebounding, and just a few days before I was to leave he was showing remarkable improvement, so I felt better about leaving for this trip.

At least my mind felt better - my body was fighting a head cold, and at the airport I strained my elbow lifting my computer bag to the security table. I didn't sleep as well on the flight over as I normally do because of the pain, congestion, and a lot of turbulence on the flight. Fortunately, for this trip I had agreed to have a driver meet at the airport in France for transit to Le Havre on the coast, so I was able to catch some additional sleep on the drive.

Once in Le Havre I kept awake by strolling the town and seeing some of things I had missed on previous trips. First stop was the market, or Le Halles ("the halls"), where French shoppers do their grocery shopping. All through the building were counters with fresh fish, fresh meat, cheese, at least two produce stands, wines, chocolates, bread and pastries, and coffees. I picked up two kinds of French honey and some Normandy cider. A few blocks away across from the docks were stalls where the fishermen sold the catch of the day from right off the boat. I didn't pick up anything here.

Near the docks is an 18th century shipowner's house open for tours. It is several stories high, built around a floor-to-roof atrium with each room on each floor opening onto the landing of the atrium. As I left the house, a film crew was just outside doing a shoot about the house (they went in just as I was leaving), so perhaps I have been on French TV. Hmm?

Cafes are a part of the French culture. I stopped at one during the early evening mainly just to people watch. The place was quite busy with almost as many dogs present inside as people. There were two terriers, a spaniel, and a German shepherd (which one of the terriers did not like).

One little terrier was sitting in his mistresses lap and would at times rest his head on the table. From where I sat, it looked almost as though he was looking longingly at her glass of what I guessed was a beer.

While I was there, two elderly women sitting at the bar got up to leave. They paid the proprietor, but before they left one woman stopped in "les toilettes." While waiting for her friend, the second woman ordered another glass. Before she finished, the first woman finished her business and came out to leave, but seeing her friend enjoying another beverage ordered one more herself!

Seems that too much conversation and too much waiting for friends is good for the cafe business.

You must wait a little longer, and I will soon post the next part of this trip. Just don't wait at the cafe. :-)

In the mean time, enjoy these pictures: http://scottshots4.shutterfly.com/424