Getting here and after

 Hi all,

I'm here in LaBarde, France, about 20 minutes outside of Bordeaux. I'd like to say it was easy getting here but sorry, no.

I took Amtrak from Wilmington to  Airport.  I highly recommend this.  The train takes you to Newark station and then a tram takes you to the airport.  Easy-peasy.  

Unfortunately, that was the only part that was easy.  I was flying to Munich and on to Bordeaux.  The connection was tight, then non-existent when the flight was delayed an hour. (The 8-hour flight from Newark to Munich had no entertainment because the system was on the fritz.   That was painful.)

By text I got another connection, going through Zurich.  It would be tight but I might make it.  I was told my boarding pass would be waiting for me at the gate.  In Munich, I ran to that gate.  A very mean woman asked me for my boarding pass.  I said it was supposed to be here.  She called someone to complain and then told me I could not board.  This was even though some people had just gotten on the plane and there was a fellow who got on after me.  I asked if there were seats left.  Yes, she said but you cannot board.

She said I would have to go to the Customer Service window.  Obviously, I missed that plane.  I finally got a flight going through Paris and arrived in Bordeaux at 6pm, 8 hours later than my original flight.  I had a two-hour lay-over in Paris and I was hungry.  One thing I remember about Paris.  They have Mcdonald's.  There was one in the airport and I went for it.

My swapping family left their car for me at the airport. The car keys and house keys were in a lock box they attached under the car in the back.  It really worked.  I have to remember that for the future.  

This is strange but on the way from the airport to the house, I had a very distinct feeling that I was in an ancient land.  I could almost see Eleanor of Aquitaine traveling through here.  The vegetation is mostly low shrubs and tall fir trees that appear to have been planted at some time, perhaps to guard against the wind.

The housing is mostly small, orange-roofed places but every now and then you come across a magnificent chateau like this one

This is kind of unusual in that it looks French.  A lot of them look more like combos of French chateau and Spanish hacienda.  I'll get a picture of one for a later post.

The thing that each of them has is a very pretentious gate to the property.

My house, on the other hand, is anti-pretentious.  This can be deduced by looking at the next-door neighbor's property.

The house is small but very comfortable.  And it has a very nice yard.

This is the house.

Since I arrived at the house late, the market was closed and I once again had to search for McDonald's.  I was not disappointed.  There was one about 5 miles from the house.  I promised myself this would be the last time.

The next morning, I woke up at 7am.  I was very proud of myself because I felt pretty good.  I went for 24 hours without sleeping and then slept for 9 hours and felt fine.  I was kidding myself.  By 10 I was back in bed for another hour and a half.

To be continued......