irishface

Another day of rain! Off to Amboise.

As I drove past Nantes, I thought of one of my great aunts who was here during the first World War. She was a trained nurse and went with a Red Cross unit which was recruited at Mass General before the US got into the was. There was a large army hospital in this area. Wished I had done more research to see if there were any remains to that camp.

When the Us got into the war in the spring of 1917, she went home and joined the army as a nurse. (She is the only woman listed on our town's roll of those who served in WW I)

I reached Amboise midafternoon and checked into a hotel for the next three nights. Did a bit of exploring in the city itself and grabbed a bite to eat. In spite of my raincoat, got thoroughly soaked again.

TravelParis23

I am loving your report!
Just wish you loved Paris as much as I do.

Looking forward to reading more of your adventures esp. Amboise
I thought it was a darling town.

Still have not see Chartres. Train strike last time I was in Paris.

giro

enjoying your report. nice combination of sedate travel and adventure on your part.

irishface

During my stay in Amboise I visited several chateaus an got thoroughly chateaued out. Never thought I'd say that but you've seen one queen's bedroom, you've seen them all. I did enjoy the chapels and kitchens I saw. I guess I like the behind the scenes stuff.

Chenonceau was my favorite. Unfortunately after a dry summer, the river was quite low and full of scum so it did not look as nice as pictures I had seen in books and online before I went. Loved the kitchen garden here. One set of trellises had vines with gourds on them. There were shapes and colors I have never seen before. There were some about the diameter of a cucumber and about four feet long. They were very snaky looking as they hung there.

I also met a man in the garden with whom I shared lunch and we had an interesting discussion of photography. the formal gardens were also lovely but not as interesting as the kitchen garden.

irishface

Amboise was an interesting town. Lots of medieval streets for exploring. Also has its own chateau overlooking the town and the river. Nice flowerbeds, and interesting chapel where Leonardo da Vinci is buried. Also down a side street in the town is the church where he requested to be buried, but the king wanted him to be more honored and had him reinterred at the chapel at the chateau. Good flower beds and interesting people watching at the chateau.

Looking across town from the chateau I could see the church of St. Denis. None of the grandeur of the cathedrals I had visited, but its Romanesque simplicity was a pleasant interlude to a day of much walking. Lit a candle for some friends, said some prayers, reflected and went on my way.

While I was in Amboise, I met a woman in the hotel. She was a local lady who was staying there while her house was being worked on. She sat down with me at breakfast and told me her life story. Then asked if I would go to dinner with her that evening.

She took me down to a little bar across the river where she was obviously well known by the friendly greetings she received. We sat overlooking the river and watched the lights come on at the chateau. The only drawback was there were a lot of mosquitoes (or whatever the local biting insect is called) and I got chewed to pieces. Later that evening the bites itched terribly.

Then we went on to dinner at a lovely restaurant right under the chateau wall. Again she was well known. The hostess said there was not really a table available but for her she could squeeze us into the back room if we didn't mind being in a corner with a party of twelve at the other table. We accepted and had a delightful and delicious meal.

This lady refused to let me pay for anything. She said that the French owed Americans much for our intervention in two wars and should be showing their gratitude to Americans every chance they got. I did mention that we owed the French for their intervention in our Revolutionary War and that we might not be free if not for their aid at a critical time.

irishface

The next day I was off to Chambord on my way back to Charles de Gaulle.

Chambord was interesting, but there were no formal gardens. Paid extra of a "grand equestrian show". It was a well choreographed half hour of entertainment, but not sure its worth the extra bucks (oops, mean euros). This is the chateau with the spiral double staircase where one can go up and not meet someone coming down. It is hard to photograph and even harder to explain.

Ate at the café. We call them yellow jackets, not sure what they are called in French. At any rate they are miserable this time of year. They wanted to land on anything sweet. I had to look carefully before I picked up my glass to take a sip, lest I get a mouthful of stings.

This reminds me of something I found very civilized in France. Whenever you order a can or bottle of soda, they give you a glass as well. I hate drinking from a can and only find a bottle slightly less barbaric.

irishface

My original plan was to head to Senlis for the night. I think Kerouac did one of his essays on this area and made it seem so interesting that I wanted to go. However, the sun came out and I decided to go back to Chartres. I am glad that I did, though who knows? Maybe I missed something fabulous at Senlis. But that is the problem with travel--there is always something else to see.

I went back to the same hotel I had had before and luckily they did have a room available. This was on the fifth floor and had a great view from the window. I could look over the rooftops and see the spires of the cathedral.

It was midafternoon and I went up towards the cathedral. I am so glad that I went back. In the sunlight, the windows just glowed! I had the same sensation as when I first viewed this place forty years ago! My knees turned wobbly with awe.

My foot was doing a bit better so I set off for further exploration in the twisted lanes of Chartres.

One scene made me laugh. A school was just letting out about 4. The kids were maybe 13-14 and they were lined up in an orderly way within school grounds. However, as soon as they were through the gate and onto the street, they broke into a run and sorted themselves into groups. An adult had been standing at thee gate and passing out some sort of notice that I assume was supposed to go home to parents. Later I found a couple on the street. I had to laugh as I thought how like their American counterparts these kids were.

I came back to the cathedral area as the sun was setting. Went to the Snake café again. This time I sat outside. I have never been a beer lover and definitely not a wine drinker, but I was thirsty and soda did not appeal. I asked the waiter to recommend a beer. He pointed to a local beer which he said was very light. I actually liked it!

I had an omelet and salad along with the beer and watched the dusk come over the cathedral. After supper I went over to the square in front of the cathedral to watch the sound and light show. Again I was awed. After sitting through two sittings, I went back to my home for the night.

About midnight I hung out my window. The light show was over and a full moon had risen. It was almost as if I were back 800 years and the moon was the only light. (Well, there was a flashing neon sign to the pizza joint in the street below, but I ignored that.) Forgive this flight of fancy; my imagination carries me away sometimes.

The next morning it was back up to wander. The market was in full swing and all sorts of goodies were laid out. Walked down to the river through crooked lanes, past crooked houses adorned with flower boxes, saw lots of people and kids going about their daily business.

By early afternoon I was on my way to Charles de Gaulle.

irishface

Getting out of town was a bit tricky. Again I looked for "toutes directions" signs. Found them and was doing nicely until all of a sudden the trail went dead. Finally I was on the A11-A10 towards Paris and Charles de Gaulle.

It was a fairly easy ride in spite of the traffic to the periphique. Suddenly I was on a four lane highway with a zillion other motorists!

I kept watching for airport signs and was doing fairly well staying in the correct lane. The traffic became stop and go--mostly stop. Motorcycles were quite unnerving. The would come blasting up between lanes of motorists on my right and on my left. They wove in and out of lanes, sometimes veering right in front of me. I don't know whether I was more annoyed about their noise, about their weaving in and out or the fact that they could keep moving while I was stuck in traffic.

Here and there as I was between tunnels, I could see the Eiffel Tower in the distance.

All of a sudden the exit for CdG was looming and I was in the wrong lane. There was no way I could move over and out. I wanted to cry!

Got off at the next exit and saw signs for airport. Followed them up until all of a sudden the way was blocked and I was stymied. Found a pull over and tried to figure out where I was. Thought I had found the right way, got back on the preriphique, and was going the wrong direction for airport. Shortly a sign showed up, however, that indicated CdG. I got off on another busy road and I could tell by the sun that I was headed in the correct direction.

As I got closer to the airport, I looked for gas stations so that I could fill up and get my deposit back. However, saw none. I thought of the story of a friend of mine. When she was a kid back in the fifties, her family had gone to France and even then the gas deposit was the same. Her father did not want to give the rental company an extra drop and he drove round and round the Arc de Triomph to use up gas. He used up too much and ran out in the middle of one of his rotations. Her mother never let him hear the last of it!

Never found a station before I saw the airport sign and followed it to car rental return. Returned the car with half a tank, darn it!

irishface

One adventure I had on the road with my little Fiat.

I was on a highway and some fodorite had mentioned that their fiat rental didn't have much pep. The little tidbit came floating back as I came up behind a citroen.

Another thought went through my head. I remember a quote from some two bit spy novel along the way. Something to the effect, "The long low citroen's motor purred as it ate up the miles and kept the taillights of the Mercedes in sight." Of course maybe, it was a Mercedes chasing a citroen and I can't remember whether it was the good guys or the bad guys doing the following. I do remember that it was somewhere behind the Iron Curtain.

Anyway I decided to see if I could pass the citroen on a hill. I stepped on the gas and easily passed that guy at 140 kph. Of course she/he probably wasn't even trying to outdo me, and I was lucky that it was not a police car. I had the white car (the good guy), and the citroen was black (bad guy).
Every once in a while these wild thoughts flit through my brain. Usually I only imagine acting on them.

Anyway got the car back into a spot at Europcar rental return without a scratch.

The return office was closed but it was easy to find the office downstairs in Arrivals and turn in the key. I walked out the door and found the shuttle to my hotel easily. I spent my last night at the Ibis. It was a perfectly adequate choice--clean, reasonable, quiet, free computers to use and a place to get something to eat.

irishface

The next morning I was up early to be at the departure by 8:30 for a 10:30 flight. I did not eat breakfast at the hotel as it was 10 euro extra and I thought I could find something lass expensive at the airport. Not much was open but did find a croissant and some juice.

The flight to Dublin was uneventful--no food served.

Back in Dublin airport, it seemed as if I walked a mile to get out of the place, but got to the citylink bus which was fast filling up and bought my ticket to the city.

It was a double decker but my food was hurting enough that I didn't want to climb. At the back was a seat that only had luggage on it. The young woman occupying the other seat of the pair said I should go upstairs as she needed both seats. She spoke English with a heavy accent. I stood my ground and she grudgingly got up and gave me the window seat. She put her bags under my feet and said something about getting off in just a few minutes. I thought maybe she was going to an airport hotel, so sighed and held my tongue. She ended up riding to the last stop with me. I wanted to slap her, but just thought, "Brat!" She sighed all the way and muttered about old ladies who have to sit downstairs!

Got out at Heuston Station and bought a ticket to Limerick. Had an hour for which I was grateful as it gave me time for the WC and to get a sandwich and drink. Heuston has been spiffed up a lot since I was last here. It was relatively clean and bright. The train ride was relaxing and it was a joy to watch the Irish countryside go by the window. A young woman restored my faith in youth as she helped me lift my bag into the overhead rack. She even got it down for me before she got off before Limerick. As the train was not crowded, it fit on the seat beside me.

Limerick station has not had any such facelift and seemed a bit gritty. There was an hour wait for the bus to Shannon where I was to pick up the rental car. Later I learned that I could have gotten a bus directly from Dublin airport to Shannon. should have researched that a bit more!

Picked up my car and off for two more days of exploring in the Shannon region.

irishface

The next day I drove to Kilrush as I was hoping for a boat trip to Scattery Island. It was a gorgeous sunny day, but the trip was cancelled as it was too windy. Next trip I guess.

I stopped at the grocery store and bought some fruit, a sandwich and bottle of water for a picnic later.

I continued on my way out to Loophead. Amazing cliffs, lots of wind and cattle grazing at the very edge. The lighthouse was closed, but I enjoyed walking some of the paths, watching the waves crash at the foot of the cliffs, and seeing birds wheeling overhead. There were only a couple other cars in the lot.

As I sat in my car with my lunch, the couple in the car near me came back for their lunch. They had done things up very well indeed. They took out a couple of folding chairs and set up their picnic on the back deck of their car. They had two thermoses of hot water for their tea, all sorts of goodies that they dished out onto their plates. cloth napkins. They sat down in their chairs to enjoy their lunch and the sun.

Drove back along the "beach road"--a scenic but at spots hair raising ride. Every time I saw one of the brown signs which indicate a sight, I went down the road to check things out.

Later I got onto a road that took me up into the hills. Wonderful scenery and lots of wind turbines generating electricity.

From the main road I noticed a ruined church and turned around to explore Clare Abbey which I had not known about before. I chugged down a narrow windy road between fields of grazing cattle. When I got to the abbey, there was another car at the gate and no turn around space. I thought I would have to back up that road for the mile or so, but the fellow explained that the gate was shut with a chain, but not locked--just a hook holding the chain together. Beyond the gate, there was a small place which was marginally bigger that one could turn around in.

The couple and I chatted a bit, and then they went up the hill and I was left alone to explore the ruins. A few crows were flying over the tower, and black clouds were rolling in. As I left, the sun broke through and lit up the stones. Too bad there was no good place to pull off and take pictures.

irishface

Last day and feeling rather sad.

Today had planned on Thoor Ballylee, Yeats's summer home where he did much of his writing. The turn off was very sharp and I almost missed it, but the brown sign caught my eye. Had to go up a bit farther to find a turnout where I could turn around. I kept following the signs and the road kept getting narrower and narrower. Then there were no more signs. I lucked out and chose the correct direction. By the time I got there, the road had narrowed to driveway width (and I don't mean "driveway" such as you find in new housing developments either). It was partially paved but grass was growing in the middle like you find on old farm roads.

Unfortunately after all this whiteknuckling, the place was closed for the season. Next trip perhaps.

Then it was over the road to Kilmacduagh, more monastic ruins.
The round tower here is the tallest in Ireland and leans off vertical. (The former two facts are courtesy of stuff told to me over the years, so can't vouch for its veracity.) No one else in the parking lot.

Climbed up over the stone wall via stone steps. Wandered and took pictures. There is a cemetery here which is still in use. I was interested in the paradox of religion/humor. One grave had the usual Celtic cross and then all sorts of little doodads leaning against it. One of the little markers was a porcelain marker announcing, "I prayed for you at Knock". Right next to it was a donkey led by a grinning leprechaun. There were other religious rememberances--a rosary with beads marked by little white stones, prayers, the Blessed Virgin in various poses, another saint unnamed. Mixed in were little leprechauns, a porcelain cat, plastic flowers, etc.

It did start to drizzle while I was there, but one other car had pulled up. I pulled out my trusty poncho and was fine to wander some more.

Then I drove over the Burren on my way "home". The sun came in and out which made for some dramatic lighting. I met nary a car until I was onto the last road on the way to Ennis. Then I had my first accident ever in Ireland. A truck came barreling down the hill at me on a road barely two cars wide, and I overcorrected left. I scraped the left side against a stonewall and hedge. I was lucky; it could have been much worse. At least the car was still drivable, and I had taken out the full insurance (which cost twice as much as the actual rental.)

Shortly there was a pull out. I got out to assess the damage and calm my shaking hands. It was not quite as bad as I had thought, but bad enough so that I was very glad to have taken the full insurance (no deductible).

I was relieved to get "home" without any further incidents. My landlady for the evening was very sympathetic and clucked over the car. She told me that one of the problems was that many of the truck drivers these days are from other countries and don't get driving on the left or speed limits.