Another beautiful day which was spent in La Rochelle. On the way there Thierry drove off the highway onto a side road so we could see the storks nesting on the power lines. We also so some swans but the storks are much more impressive.
There was some kind of a festival going on at the marina in La Rochelle as there were a lot of tall ships at dock and a band playing some jazz.
We walked along the harbor and saw the twin towers that guarded the inlet. Seems to be the theme throughout France and I’m sure all of Europe. When you go back centuries in time with all the invaders this was a way of life. It’s great that so much of it has been preserved. The tide was out as we went deeper into the city so the boats in the harbor were all stranded for now.
Then we noticed a couple of French sailors. They wear black pants, a white blouse (no buttons in the front), a square neckline and a white, flat hat with a red ball on top. And as most men here they both had a cigarette.
We had lunch in a middle eastern restaurant close to where Mia goes to her French classes. Mia really was excited about have cous cous which is a rice like grain but the kernels are smaller. Wes & I had a kebob sandwich as we just weren’t quite sure if we would like cous cous. We tasted it when the meal came and it was okay. What was cool was the waiter pouring hot tea. How would that be cool? He did that neat thing where he holds the pot of tea way above his head and pours the hot tea at waist level. And didn’t spill any.
After lunch we went through the gateway along with a horde of other people into the center of town. The crowd thinned out some as we made our way to city hall.
Pillars and arches are everywhere but at the city hall they are elaborate along with the watch towers at each corner.
After we left the center of town we walked back along the harbor. After city hall, we split for a bit as Mia wanted to shop a bit.
The tide had come in so the inlet is now full of water. In the harbor there were now swans which seem to be looking for handouts as they stay near the walls watching the people. If the people didn’t toss them food they moved on to others.
Once we got back to the outside food vendors we stopped for something to drink and I also got some chi-chi which is kind of like churros only better.
We thought we were going to be able to spot Mia & Thierry as we were going to meet here. After we finished we walked down a bit further and found Mia & Thierry were already there having some food and drink.We made it back home in time to pickup the boys after school. And from there we had snacks and drinks with Thierry’s Aunt Monique & Uncle Gilles.
They have a lot of items from her grandparents who lived in Northern Africa. All of Thierry’s aunts & uncles beside his parents have many items from Africa in their homes. They have masks, figurines and a lot of other memorabilia displayed. Also Gilles makes model homes & buildings from matchsticks. He has made models for almost all of the family of their homes. He soaks the matchsticks in water to bend them so they can be shaped correctly. He said it’s very time consuming but he enjoys it. As with everyone but Stephane and Rose-Marie, Thierry has to translate. We had our snacks and drink in their backyard. The first night we were here they had told us about some old photos they had from their grandparents while they were in Africa. They brought out a very old photo viewer. You turn a knob on the side and it flips through the old photos that are 3D. The photos showed them in native villages and in a very primitive lifestyle. They have a very nice home and the backyard is beautiful with all the flowers and a big covered patio. They have just gotten a bluebird to move back into a birdhouse they had on a fence covered with vines. And while we ate and talked the bluebird came and went in it’s house. They are quite a tiny little bird but very blue.
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