A Night on the Town in Civray and A Visit to My French Friend in La Rochelle

A Night on the Town in Civray
My American co-worker and I decided to see if there was really a nightlife in Civray.  First, we were surprised to see a little brocante shop (that she's never seen open) was open on Friday evening, so we stopped in.  The proprietor was very nice and I plan to go back now that I will have a French home to decorate.

We then headed to the beer bar for a pre-dinner drink.  There were a few people in there, but when we returned after dinner, there were several groups both inside and out.  As the evening went on a number of people came and went, with many groups still lingering when we went home after 11:00 pm.  It seems that you can go out on a weekend night and have a decent chance of socializing, although it mostly appeared to be boys barely of drinking age (18) and both men and women around retirement age.  There seems to be a limited number of people in their 30's and 40's who were out, despite being able to bring children into the bar (at all hours, regardless of food service).

La Rochelle
The next day I was off to visit my first French friend, Rita, in La Rochelle.  We wandered around the area with shops, had lunch and chatted about what was going on in our lives.  We shared some comparisons of life in the US vs France and she told me funny stories about her classmates in her training program - she's becoming a customs enforcement manager!  Part of this involves learning how to use a gun, which is a very odd thing for French people since they only own hunting rifles (if they hunt), but no other guns.  While I would have enjoyed working with her, one of the advantages to her leaving the company is that I'm not her boss, so we can be friends instead!

I had such a good time with Rita that I forgot to take any photos!  So, I will instead share a picture of my Sunday drive to one of my favorite restaurants, L'Argentor (yes, I stopped fully to take them).  The roads here are crazy narrow considering they're for two-way traffic doing 90 km/hr; I have no idea what you do if you come across a giant tractor going the opposite direction!  As you can see, it would be a challenge to get around it!

Yes, this is a 90 km/hr road

L'Argentor is popular with both the English in the area and the French.  Due to this, it can be quite busy and you may have a bit of a wait; however, it's well worth it!  The food here is exceptional every time (ok, my toast was a little burnt this time) and they cook many of the meats on the open fire.  When they are very busy though, expect to take your time - I arrived at 1 pm and wasn't ready for my café until shortly before 2:30 pm.  This was not because I'm an American either, the French weren't leaving any faster than I was!

A delicious salad, but I liked their old vegetarian version with a grain patty better

The burger appears small because it is - I ordered the "petite"

I really believe there is a reason that many cultures in the world drink a hot beverage after a meal (mint tea, green tea, coffee, etc) because one of my favorite habits in France is an espresso after a meal (decaf after dinner).  Food just seems to settle better with a nice hot drink after!

Living (and Loving) the Island Life! And do NOT use "Bit" in France!!!

Before I forget, I have to share an amusing translation issue again!  It is common for Americans to say, "in a little bit" or "just a little bit" . . . so imagine our horror when, after a year for my American co-worker and almost 2 months for me, someone finally bothered to tell us that "bit" is a slang French term for male "parts."  Even funnier was watching the French guys die laughing about it, "little bit, little bit . . . I was wondering how does she know?"  Yeah . . . be warned that "pine" as in pine tree is also off limits!  This conversation came about as a result of us telling them that they could NOT translate a product as "nut bag" (or nut sack) in English since it can either mean a crazy person or, well, slang for other male "parts."  Ah yes, the fun that comes along with words having a much different meaning in other languages!  Even more awkward is needing to have them at WORK to ensure there aren't language snafus for your coworkers or company.

So, despite being ill, I started my day off by driving to the island of Île de Ré.  First off, the main attraction here is apparently a lighthouse, which was really nice and all . . . but it costs 8 Euro to get onto the island.  I promise you the lighthouse is not worth 11.20 Euro with the entry fee!  If your only interest is a lighthouse, go to Biarritz or something.

Having said that, I'd recommend visiting, but for more than just the lighthouse!  There are lovely beaches, old abbey ruins and a couple of adorable towns . . . plus, donkeys in pants apparently!  While the donkeys had no pants this time, they are super shaggy and adorable!  On my way to the abbey ruins, I stopped by a coffee shop and had my now usual "French breakfast" - pain au chocolat and espresso.  I should note here that while I was between the 2nd & 3rd hole on my belt when I arrived, I now have to use the 1st hole (smallest) - again, how can you not love a country where you eat chocolate for breakfast and dessert with virtually every lunch, yet lose weight?

After soaking in a bit of the sunshine, it was off to the abbey!  Somehow in my many adventures here, I've yet to visit an abbey, so these ruins were my first.  It was actually rather stunning to see it because they've kept the area cleared - you can pull out to take a photo of it at a distance or walk around inside.  I opted for the close-up trip!

Upon approaching the lighthouse . . . well, that is nearly an 11 Euro view!  What a gorgeous day!  And it really does stand out nicely against such a blue sky!

This is about the point when I started wondering what I'd gotten myself into, especially with being sick!  Really?  A lighthouse?  Who climbs up a lighthouse sick?!?

Having made it to the top though - what a view!  Again, *maybe* an 11 Euro view . . . maybe.  I haven't seen any other lighthouses here yet, so it's hard to compare!  The first view was of the "old" lighthouse, which is funny since the "new" lighthouse is from the 1800s.

Ah . . . not so bad when this is the beach that is 90 minutes from your house!  On my way down, I had to take one more picture of the lovely staircase and the date on the floor at the bottom - 1845 is the year of the new lighthouse, to be specific!  Shortly before this shot, the young boy in the photo was well in front of his group and moving quickly when he tripped and started to fall past me . . . years of being an older sister have apparently left me with quick reflexes though as I caught him before he fell too far!  He was solidly in the middle of the adults after that!

I'm in Love!

with La Rochelle that is.  Don't get too excited!!!  First off, I'm definitely a budget traveler when it comes to hotels (see prior blogs on this), but I scored a bargain on the place in this town (Hotel de la Paix)!  It was the nicest looking room I've had, plus the location was stellar!  I certainly appreciate a nice room, even if it isn't a priority (since I'm hardly in them).  The room was tiny, but that's one thing I appreciate about Europe - you have the option to pick a "junior" room or sometimes even a "single" at a discounted price.

I was walking distance from the market and the WWII bunker that had been found intact during a construction project, so I headed that way.

The bunker was really interesting, but would have been a bust for somebody who had no French at all . . . unless you buy the extra 5 Euro book.  I didn't see the book until I was leaving, but I'd recommend it as it translates the signs and includes several nice photos as a keepsake item.  It was really interesting to see this space, which had been occupied by Nazis, painted by women who were traveling with them and to read about La Rochelle while occupied.  Contrary to some of the stereotypes about the French, a significant number of people in the city joined the Resistance and tried to thwart the Nazis.  FUN FACT: once the US broke German code using Enigma, the life expectancy of a German submariner was THREE WEEKS.

All of these little coastal towns tend to center around the port, so after I finished at the bunker, I walked toward the port.  The port area was the central hub as usual!  Plenty of shops, restaurants and, of course, sidewalk cafes!  La Rochelle is known for the two towers on it's port, shown below; however, there is a third tower.  Since the towers were closed for a lunch break, I walked to the furthest third tower first.

As I headed there, I noticed the remnants of yet ANOTHER old city wall.  I just love these old city gates and how decorative they all seem to be!

The third tower demonstrates something I've noticed in other places - there seems to have been a typical "castle" defensive tower built . . . and later, a pretty dome added or a nice extra tower.  If you notice the tiny railing near the top, that is where the next picture was taken from!

Here is a close up of the "pretty part" of the tower:

The views were stunning from the tops of all of the towers, but each tower had a different theme inside.  This tower had preserved carvings made by prisoners who were held here at various times.  Here is a particularly nice one from 1872 - many of them included boats or ships.

At about the time I entered the second tower, it occurred to me that my scratchy throat wasn't random and I was actually getting sick :-(  Given how pretty and relaxing the city was, I decided that scaling back on what I would see was a good plan!  The second tower had various items about the French colonization of Canada and America.  You have to love the map with "Barbary" and "New France" on it!

Upon reaching the top, the view of both the third tower and the first (main) tower were well worth it!  Such a gorgeous place!

As I walked around to the first tower (there is no crossing between them), I took one more lovely picture of the old port . . . and this bird decided to pop in at just the right time!

The main tower didn't have a particular display, but rather a paper guide that walked you through how the tower was used (as a home at one point), which was interesting, but overall the tower tours weren't super fascinating; however, the views were worth the money!  One thing that is oddly common in France (and Belgium) is very artistic and colorful graffiti.  It just seems to be everywhere in random places!

All-in-all, certainly visit the town of La Rochelle!  Even the little bridges here are pretty:

I also appreciated that, when I bought cold medicine, the French seem to acknowledge that, well, your brain doesn't function properly when sick and you might need assistance remembering if you've taken your medicine . . . voila - medicine packs that include a reminder of when to take them!

I wrapped up my time in La Rochelle the next day with noticing that even the PARKING entrances are pretty . . . and the horses on the really old carousel here were just creepy looking!!!