Blois Daily Photo

July 31, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp 5 Comments

The first time I saw a “daily photo” site, I didn’t understand that it was part of a worldwide community called CDP (City Daily Photo), but I have seen several since then which have inspired me, and in particular Stuart’s Amboise Daily Photo site. I thought, too, that it would provide the occasion for Jean Michel, who’s also interested in photography, to publish some of his photos.

I especially liked Korean photographer Ahae‘s idea of taking photos all year round from the same window. You obviously need a better camera than an iPhone 4 to do so, but Jean Michel will be able to use his telephoto lens to get some better close-ups, of nature in particular. We have deer in our little wood and in the vacant land between Closerie Falaiseau and the Loire River. We also have lots of different birds and plants.

So I bought the domain name www.bloisdailyphoto.com from Go Daddy, which cost me 21 US dollars for 2 years and while Leonardo, my son and IT expert was here last week, I got him to set up the WordPress site and host it on his server, along with my other websites (Aussie in France, Closerie Falaiseau and my professional website Kneipp Traduction).

Go Daddy also offers hosting and you can have free hosting with WordPress. Stuart uses Blogspot which offers the same services. The only real advantage to having a domain name is that you can choose the extension e.g. .com or .fr or whatever without having blogspot or wordpress in the URL address. It also makes your site independant.

I chose WordPress and not Blogspot simply because I already use it for Aussie in France and Closerie Falaiseau but I don’t think there’s really much difference.

With WordPress (and I assume Blogspot), you get a choice of different formats (templates) which you can change once you’ve set up the site. You’re not restricted to the template you initially downloaded so you can play around with a few and see what you prefer. Once you really get going though, it’s better not to change or you might have to spent time re-organising the layout.

After that, it’s fairly self-explanatory. The section up the top (Aussie in France and the photo on this blog) is called the header. The bits and pieces on the right are called Widgits and can be changed more or less at will (although I had to get Leonardo to tidy up the Facebook, RSS and Tweet buttons for me).

You also have things called plug-ins which can be used to add various functions. Some of them become widgits (LinkWithin, popular post, Loire Valley Accommodation, Sign up for the latest posts) while others remain behind the scenes such as Akismet which protects your blog from comment and trackback spam. You can find and download them easily most of the time. I simply avoid the more complicated ones!

Jean Michel and I will gradually improve the layout, colours, graphics, etc. on Blois Daily Photo, but for the moment, we’re just trying to put up a photo every day. As we’re not in Blois at the moment, we’re drawing on our stock from the last 18 months. We haven’t made any comments on the photos either yet, but that will come. We also thought it would be a good idea to make it bilingual but that requires a little more time and organisation.

So why don’t you come over to Blois Daily Photo and tell us what you think!

Dieting, French customs, Paris, Travelling

5:2 Diet – Navigating the Metro – Double Giratoire

July 30, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp Leave a comment

This Wednesday’s Bloggers’ Round-up brings three completely different subjects. First, on the subject of fasting and dieting, Jacqueline Meldrum from Tinned Tomatoes, introduces the documentary behind the 5:2 fast diet I’ve been talking about recently. You’ll be interested in her recipes as well. Australian B&B website Petite Paris gives a very practical tutorial on how to use the metro for newcomers to Paris while Abby from Paris Weekender explains how to navigate the confusing French double giratoire roundabout, which I have yet to experience. Enjoy!

5:2 diet

by Jacqueline Meldrum, from Tinned Tomatoes, a self-taught cook and baker, who has been cooking and baking for over 24 years and whose interest in food really developed when she became a vegetarian 22 years ago.

If you live in the UK, you may have seen the Horizon documentary on BBC2, that aired on Monday night.

Eat, Fast and Live Longer.

If you haven’t seen it, then you may have heard people talking about it on twitter or facebook. It’s a hot topic right now.

The documentary featured medical journalist and tv exec Michael Mosley, as he set himself the challenge to live longer, stay younger and lose weight. Three things that I am sure we would all like to achieve. During the one hour documentary Mosley spoke to many people including scientists and found out that a low calorie diet is the secret to these three elusive goals. Read more

Back to Paris Basics – Navigating the Metro

by Petite Paris, an Australian-based service for Australian travellers and fellow Francophiles

With so many new ‘Petite’ friends and first timers heading to Paris we have to remember to re-cap the basic essentials and practicalities of Paris … to help you plan, prepare and book for a smooth arrival and overall experience. So…no better place to start or over than the Metro System!

The Paris Metro System – Becoming familiar with the Paris Metro and a Paris Metro map is essential to any Paris visitor. However the map of the Metro may as well be in Greek, if you don’t know basic facts about taking the Paris Metro. Read more

The Perplexing Phenomenon of the Double Giratoire

by Abby from Paris Weekender, an American living in Paris who offers suggestions for Paris weekends, either staying put or getting out of town

I was on my way to Nostang, a small town in the Morbihan north of the ria d’Etel, and I came across my second double giratoire.

As many of you know, I passed my French driver’s exam in the fall, and I’m proud. Ask me anything about the French rules of the road, and I can tell you. I was certain I had seen it all — either on the road or in the practice exams.

But there seems to be a new creature in the array of options for the French intersection. At least the two examples I have driven through (and survived) were clearly new constructions. Read more

Austria, Cycling, Germany, Sightseeing

Post-Holiday Depression and Miscellaneous Holiday Photos

July 29, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp 10 Comments

I’m not really sure how much sympathy I’ll get on this one – obviously the best way to avoid post-holiday depression is not to go on holidays, particularly month-long ones.

You can see how cold the wine is! Typical German 20 cl glass.

It’s amazing how quickly you get used to not working and being stress-free. No boring mundane activities either.

A quartet fountain in Germany at the source of the Danube — A quintet fountain in Germany at the source of the Danube

A typical day during our cycling holiday was to get up around 8.30, get dressed, straighten the hotel room (after we discovered the cleaners usually came during breakfast) and go to the breakfast room. We would then put what we needed for the day in our sac de liaison and go out/down to the car. Jean Michel would take the bikes off the rack (unless we drove to our starting point first) while I would get the bags and paniers ready. Then we put on sunscreen plus insect screen for me and donned our caps.

Watch out for snakes on the bike path, particularly this one. I wasn't game to put my feet down. — Watch out for snakes on the bike path, particularly this one. I wasn’t game to put my feet down.

After cycling about half the day’s distance, we’d stop somewhere for lunch, then cycle the remaining distance, visiting various places along the way and picking up something for dinner towards the end of the journey. Sometimes we got back to the hotel around 5, but it was usually 7 or 8, because we wanted to make the most of the long twilight.

Reserved parking for mothers with small children in a supermarket car park

We then had an apéritif (except on fast days), followed by a light dinner in our room or on the balcony if we had one. After that, Jean Michel would write up the travel diary while I answered emails and wrote a blog post. We eventually got to bed around eleven or twelve, then read for a while. We usually fell asleep pretty quickly.

Now, I can’t say there is really a typical day at home because I freelance and weekends and weekdays are different as well. Jean Michel usually gets up earlier than I do to go to work so we don’t have breakfast together during the week so I wake up when I’m ready.

A flood gate to be used when the Danube is in spate in Austria

I prefer to work as much as I can in the mornings though because that is when I am the most efficient, but other things often get in the way. Also with the unusually hot weather we’ve been having so I would much rather stay in my air-conditioned office in the afternoon.

A traditional clothes shop in Austria with a traditional sales assistant

I came home to two very boring translations – one about a patent for an eye dropper that’s designed to use up the last drops in the bottle (I thought they purposely made droppers so you’d waste half the contents to tell you the truth) and another, much longer one, consisting of often cryptic messages in a software program for a company that sells industrial gas cylinders.

My work is not usually THAT boring but my most interesting clients all seem to be on holidays now (state-of-the-art bridges, cosmetics, contracts, etc.). Fortunately I’ve had some light relief for the last couple of days translating IT security recommendations. At least there are real sentences! But now I have to go back to the messages.

Vertical rubbish bins in Linz in Austria

We went down to Blois for the weekend so that we could do something about the jungle that had developed during our 7-week absence. It’s amazing how quickly the vegetation takes over. Virginia creeper was completely covering the number of the house, which isn’t very useful for the guests renting Closerie Falaiseau.

Apart from spending an hour cycling to and from the mushroom wood to no avail, and a couple of hours with our friends and neighbours on Saturday, the two days were completely taken up with gardening. On the Saturday evening, our lovely young German guests invited us to a most enjoyable barbecue!

Special bike locks at Melk Abbey in Austria

So today I’m feeling very depressed, particularly since Leonardo’s now gone to Berlin to work for a few months and I have to get back to the software messages. Looking at the photos has made me even more nostalgic. I selected some I thought were typical.

Germany

Berlin at Last!

July 28, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp 3 Comments

Leonardo’s come back to Paris. Well, not for good. He’s just spending a few days here before he goes to Berlin which is really just a stepping stone for San Francisco while he sorts out his US working visa.

The most moving moment in Berlin - one of the last remaining sections of the Berlin Wall — The most moving moment in Berlin – one of the last remaining sections of the Berlin Wall

We’ve been to Berlin before. One of Jean Michel’s sons, Forge Ahead, was doing an exchange at the faculty of medicine there for six months so we decided to all go and pay him a visit at the same time – my two children, Leonardo and Black Cat, and Jean Michel’s other son, Thoughtful.

The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe

After consulting with the German exchange student who was staying with us, the first thing we did was to book online for a hotel in the Mitte district for a long weekend and reserve our flights, with the exception of Thoughtful, who wanted to take the train and stay longer with his brother.

The Brandenburg Gate is the trademark of Berlin. The main entrance to the city, surrounded by the wall for thirty years, was known throughout the world as a symbol for the division of the city and for the division of the world into two power blocs.

Do you remember that volcanic cloud from Iceland that hovered over Europe and caused havoc with European flights in 2010 for five weeks? Well, it was exactly then.

The Berlin Parliament or Reichstag Building

Like the Australian that I am, I suggested we could drive there, but Jean Michel pointed out that it would take us so long to get there and back that it wouldn’t be worth it. So, with the exception of Thoughtful, we had to cancel everything, hoping that we would be able to postpone our bookings and not lose them altogether.

We finally found another date that suited everyone in May – not an easy task – and re-scheduled our flights. Unfortunately we lost the hotel booking as there was no room left on the weekend we chose. Thoughtful took another overnight train ticket.

The day he was to leave, there was a massive train strike in France and his train was cancelled. We jumped on the Internet to find a flight for the next morning. Our plane was full, but we found an earlier one for him. I didn’t double-check the departure date and had pressed the button before realising I had bought a non-reimbursable return ticket for the following day.

Thoughtful then reminded us that he would be coming back by train as planned so we found another one-way ticket and I let Jean Michel press all the buttons this time …

Leonard, Black Cat, Jean Michel and I got to Orly airport next morning in good time (Thoughtful had already taken off) and checked our flight on the board. “There’s a problem with our flight, Mum”, said Black Cat, “It’s been cancelled”.

By then, I was beginning to wonder if the whole thing was jinxed.

A squat in Berlin - a most unusual experience — A squat in Berlin – a most unusual experience

We made a beeline for the airline information counter. It turned out there was a strike in Madrid and our plane hadn’t been serviced. We finally managed to find another flight to Berlin via Amsterdam that would only make us 3 hours late but we would have to hurry to make it. Fortunately, we all had carry-on luggage only otherwise they wouldn’t have taken us!

When we finally touched down in Berlin, I heaved an immense sigh of relief! And as you can see from the photos, we had a most enjoyable weekend. You’ll also be pleased to hear that we arrived home without any further mishaps.

French language

Friday’s French – blocage

July 28, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp 4 Comments

I’m introducing an Australian acquaintance to Jean Michel. “Bonjour”, she says, then turning to me, somewhat flustered, “I’m tongue-tied. How do I say that in French?”

“Langue coupée”, I say rather doubtfully. “No, I know, je suis bloquée, j’ai un blocage.” “Ah, then it doesn’t mean the same as the English word ‘blockage'”, she laughs.

Definitely not!

Bloquer et blocage are actually used quite a lot in French and are often rather annoying to translate into English.

La porte est bloquée : I can’t get the door open.

Il s’est garé trop près, il a complètement bloqué la sortie : he parked too close to me and stopped me getting out.

Bloquer la vis: turn the screw until it won’t go any further.

Il faut bloquer la porte avec une chaise : you have to keep the door open with a chair.

So how do you say “blockage” in French? In the medical sense, it’s obstruction except when it’s intestinal and then it’s occlusion.

You can sometimes use boucher as well e.g. l’évier est bouché: the drain’s blocked.

I should also mention that people are often intimidated about speaking French in front of me, but they shouldn’t be. I’m always so grateful that they can talk to Jean Michel who is a victim of the atrocious French language teaching system and has a poor memory for vocabulary. Remember – I was once a beginner too!

Food, France, Paris, Restaurants

Early Morning Paris

July 25, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp 8 Comments

Because I work from home, I’m rarely outside in the street at 8.30 am, although I can see the Palais Royal Gardens through my office window any time of the day.

When Black Cat lived nearby, she would sometimes suggest we go to breakfast together before she went to work but she moved to another part of Paris a long time ago. Today, however, I was to meet up with some visiting Australian friends at Angelina’s in rue de Rivoli.

Paris was wearing another face. In the Palais Royal, a business man was reading the paper next to the fountain before the water was turned on. Joggers were running under the trees.

There were no children playing on the Buren columns and no tourists posing for photos or throwing coins into the water below.

At Café Nemours people were having coffee before work and half the seats were empty.

Most of the souvenir shops along Rue de Rivoli were closed.

Others were setting up their stalls for the day, mopping the floor or having a morning coffee break.

There was no one on the Big Wheel currently stationed in the fun park in the Tuileries Gardens.

When I got to Angelina’s no one was queueing!

I chose my favourite award-winning Bourbon vanilla slice (mille-feuille bourbon) and Angelina’s extra-thick hot chocolate.

There wasn’t a sole person in the boutique.

By the time I left at 10.30 am, all the souvenir shops were doing brisk business. Maybe I should go out to breakfast more often!

Food, France, Italy, Sightseeing

Annecy Adventures – Tapenade – The Shores of Lake Como

July 24, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp 2 Comments

A little late this week, but here is this Wednesday’s Bloggers Round-up, with an all Australian cast. Jill from Gigi’s French Window takes us to the beautiful town of Annecy in the foothills of the French Alps; Phoebe from Lou Messugo, who lives in Provence, tells us all about tapenade; while Andrea from Rear View Mirror, brings us some stunning photos of Lake Como in Italy. Enjoy!

Annecy adventures / Les aventures d’Annecy

by Jill from Gigi’s French Window, French ponderings from an Australian who must have been French in another life

A few years back, I spent 3 seasons in Annecy, France…yep, that’s right,
3 seasons, but it only took 3 days to do it….:).

It’s a gorgeous, ancient city, near the Swiss Alps, that I just fell for.

We stayed in Hotel Au Faisan Dore… which was a pleasant surprise when it came to space, after all the prior shoe boxes. Oohhh sooo warm, as well, which turned out to be a lifesaver! Read more

Tapenade – a Provençal classic

by Phoebe from Lou Messugo, a traveller, francophile, expat, mum and foodie now living in Roquefort les Pins where she runs a gîte after many years of travelling and living in Asia, Eastern Europe and Australia

Walk around any market in Provence or the Côte d’Azur and you will see stalls heaped with glistening olive pastes and tapenades, usually next to an enormous array of different olives and other pickles.

Tapenade is a typically southern dish made with olives, capers, anchovies and olive oil, chopped finely or blended together into a paste. Its name comes from the Provençal word for capers, “tapenas“. Read more

The Shores of Lake Como

by Andrea from Rear View Mirror and Destination Europe, a fellow Australian who, after 6 years of living in France, has given up herParis apartment to live a nomadic life slowing travelling around Europe, experiencing each destination like a local

I should know better than to book a popular tourist destination for mid-summer. I find it hard to get a feel for a place when there are crowds and few locals around and I usually end up being disappointed. Bellagio, Varenna and Como in Italy are massively popular destinations in July and August. Of course they are popular with tourists for a reason, I get that. They are beautiful cities surrounded by imposing mountains on the shores of Lake Como. Personally I’d much rather visit in the off-season but on this occasion I was meeting friends from Australia which made all the difference. Read more

Accommodation, Paris

A Barge on the Seine in Paris – what better holiday accommodation can you get?

July 22, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp 25 Comments

I haven’t seen my cousin Geraldine in about 50 years and it’s her first time in Paris. I advised her to try and get accommodation in the 1^st arrondissement because it’s so central. I’ve been following her adventures in Lucca in Italy on Facebook and am stunned when I see her first photos of Paris.

She is staying on a péniche – a barge – on the Seine, right in the middle of Paris. What a location! “I knew that this would be good but not THIS good”, she comments.

Lunch at Café Diane in the Tuileries Gardens

We meet up at one of my favourite lunch spots, Café Diane in the Tuileries Gardens, where you can always get a shady table and eat an excellent quiche Lorraine accompanied by a glass of cold rosé. We deserve it – it’s over 30°C!

Le Cathare from Pont des Arts — Houseboats on the Seine in summer

“Do you still want to see the barge?” asks Geraldine at the end of the meal. Well, of course I do! I’ve dreamed of living on a barge since my high school days when I followed the adventures of a French family on a barge on TV. She thought that having lived in Paris so long, I would be completely jaded. Not so!

“Oh no!” says Geraldine, when we reach the barge. “They’ve all gone out and I don’t have my key. It’s in my other bag”. When she left to meet me, her husband Ian, and their daughter and her partner were watching a State of Origin football match but either the match is over or the wrong team won.

Geraldine rummaging for her missing keys

Geraldine is very apologetic as she rummages desperately through her bag, but I don’t care. I am already sitting on the deck watching the world go by. It is sheer magic. It’s amazing how actually being on the river makes you suddenly a part of Paris.

Geraldine tells me that the day they arrived, they couldn’t tear themselves away from the deck, even with the Louvre so close. I can understand that perfectly!

There are not only tourist boats (Vedettes du Pont Neuf, Bateaux Mouches, Vedettes de Paris) plying the Seine, but also the Batobus, a police boat and numerous working barges. There’s even a bullet-proof government boat taking VIPS to the Finance Ministry!

We text Ian and drag him back from the Louvre. He opens the hatch and I’m close on his heels, eager to see the inside. He good naturedly makes me coffee in the well-equipped kitchen. He and Geraldine opt for a cold beer.

The interior is surprisingly big, with an attractive open-plan galley and living room and dining area although they usually eat up on the deck. Can you blame them?

After they bought the barge in the 1970s, the owners loving restored it in perfect respect of its original style – a Dutch tjalk built in 1902. That is why the only furniture on the deck is a teak table and chairs.

There is a double bedroom down one end with a bathroom and separate toilet and two single bedrooms down the other. I see there are heaters for winter and a pot-belly stove which must make it nice and cosy. There’s also wifi and a flat-screen TV.

I have a peek into the engine room as well. I know Jean Michel will want to know what it’s like.

Ian and Geraldine living it up on the deck

Downstairs is a bit hot (but no more than any other Paris apartment in a heat wave) so we take our drinks up on the deck where I sip my coffee and eat macaroons from Ladurée. This is the life!

Sadly, Geraldine has to go back to Australia tomorrow, flying via Dubai with Emirates. “But I’m coming back”, she says. “And definitely staying here if it’s available.”

You can find house boats on the airbnb.com website from 250 euro a night. Type Paris, then enter “barge” in keywords.

Architecture, Germany, Travel photos

Monday’s Travel Photos – Munich

July 21, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp Leave a comment

Although we had already been to Bavaria, we hadn’t been to Munich. We prefer to visit major cities during an extended weekend rather incorporate them into a road trip as they say these days. But Munich was on our way from Andelfingen to Aschach so I insisted we have our lunch break there.

It was a Sunday, which meant no traffic problems but unfortunately for us, the annual Stadtlauf München or Munich City Run was on and the main square, Marianplatz was absolutely crowded. We were able to visit the main sites, however, and had an enjoyable visit. We’ll have to go back again on a different date!

Marianplatz in Munich — Marianplatz, the main square in Munich with the new town hall

Detail on the new town hall built between 1867 and 1908 in Gothic Revival architecture style.

Old Townhall in Munich — Old Town Hall or Altes Rathaus built between 1470 and 1480

Musicians waiting their turn at the Victuals Market — Musicians waiting their turn at the very popular Victuals Market

Alter Hof — The old town hall from the other side, opposite the Victuals Market

Statues on a façade — Statues on a Renaissance façade

Beerhall square — Platzl with the Hofbraühaus on the right

Musicians in Munich's most famous beerhall, the Hofbraühaus — Musicians in Munich’s most famous beerhall, the Hofbraühaus

Signs in the beerhall — Signs inside the beerhall

Frauenkirche - Notre Dame Cathedral - late Gothic church, taken from the side - there are actually two towers — Frauenkirche – Notre Dame Cathedral – late Gothic church, taken from the side – there are actually two towers

Alter Hof or Old Court, the former imperial palace of former imperial residence of Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor

Accommodation, Austria, Cycling, Restaurants, Sightseeing

Cycling along the Danube – Passau to Linz: the S-bend

July 18, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp 11 Comments

We’re staying at Gasthof Dexler in Niederranna on the Danube close to the S-bend between Linz in Austria and Passau in Germany so are able to start directly from our hotel. It turns out to be one of the highlights of our trip.

The bike path in front of Gasthof Dexler

The sky is blue and it’s 22°C when we leave at 9.30 after saying goodbye to the Aussie cyclists. We come to the end of our shady cycle path at Au and take a little ferry across to Schlogen.

We cycle towards the second bend at Inzoll and take a rest stop at Gasthof Steindl and watch the river traffic.

Coffee break on the Danube at Inzoll — Coffee break on the Danube at Gasthof Steindl in Inzell

We continue on until we are opposite Untermühl. It’s wonderfully quiet and peaceful with no cars. However, by now I’m severely bitten by mosquitos because I’ve stupidly forgotten to use spray and although the little waterfalls along the way might be cute they’re a great breeding ground.

A little waterwall along the bike path between Inzell and Obermühl

We locate the ferry opposite Untermühl, but there is no sign of a ferryman so I go to a nearby gasthof where I am told in German with appropriate handsigns that I have to press the button on the intercom near the ferry.

The intercom at the second ferry crossing opposite Untermühl

Fortunately a young German couple who speak English have arrived by then and are able to interpret the message that the ferryman will be there in 10 minutes. He soon turns up on his little tractor, jumps into the ferry and takes us across while Jean Michel studies the next part of the trip.

Studying up the route on the second ferry

From Untermühl, we cycle back to Obermühl crossing a couple of rivers on the way and have the most delicious wiener schnitzel and a very cold glass of riesling on a shady terrace overlooking the Danube. By the time we get there, it’s 2.45. I just love the way they serve meals all day in Germany and Austria!

Lunch in the shade with a view of the Danube

With renewed courage, we continue on to Steinbruch where we are to take another ferry which is already halfway across the Danube.

An Austrian couple waiting to go in the other direction (Aschach) tells us in English to call the ferryman on the intercom so he can come back and get us. I ask the man if he would mind doing it for us as I am afraid of not being understood.

This time, the ferry is bigger and our trip back up the river takes about 20 minutes – a little mini-cruise in the middle of the Danube.

From our ferry on the Danube — Looking back towards Au

We get out at Au and cycle back to our hotel, a total of 59 kilometers and a cycling time of 3 ½ hours. My knees are feeling a little wobbly!

Map taken from our travel diary showing Niederramma on the left where we began and Untermuhl where we began the return journey — Map taken from our travel diary showing Niederranna on the left where we began and Untermuhl where we began the return journey

It’s only 4.30 so Jean Michel suggests we go up to a blick (lookout) near Schlogen and get a bird’s eye view of the loop we have just ridden. We park the car and walk through the forest for about a quart of an hour before we reach the blick. The view is absolutely stunning.

When we get back to the car the sky is threatening and we can only spend a few minutes on the terrace before the rain starts. I have the brilliant idea of taking the table and chairs into the room so we enjoy our apéritif watching the rain and reminiscing over our truly exceptional day.

Aussie in France

Monthly Archives: July 2013