Vroom Droom Adventures

  What a treat we had yesterday; a whole day of being tourists in the town of Caen with 24 other folks from our weekly walking group called the Rislepattes. The Risle is a river that runs through Pont Audemer where the group is based and "pattes" means paws. We normally walk on Wednesdays and every other Sunday, but this was a special outing. Our visit to Caen started at 9:45am where we met a tour guide outside of the church of Saint-Pierre (1300 - 1600). The guide was a font of knowledge and pointed out amazing details we normally would not have noticed. Little did we know, this was the first of five churches, two abbeys, the Caen Castle, the botanical garden, and a museum that we would be visiting! We even saw the tomb of William the Conqueror (in which only one femur remains) and the tomb of Mathilda, his wife that is in entirely another church. The downside was it was extremely cold and being outside for most of the day was challenging due to the chilling wind. Here is a ...

A few photos of the storm damage from a tornado (very unusual in Normandy) that passed through the area last week (Oct 23). Luckily the damage here was only 4 downed trees and a mirror (which broke due to a slamming window). Within 5 kilometers of the chateau, there were several roofs torn off garages and houses and three tractor trailer trucks overturned. We lost power for 22 hours. The storm even made the national news. During a 14 km walk with a couple of new friends in the area, we took several photographs of where the twister touched down. Downed tree on the property where we are living Garage roof in the area which was lifted and dropped Roof tiles picked up on several nearby houses Garden table which was deposited on a wall! New building partially demolished Electric wire pole snapped in two

 For the next six months, we will be living near a tiny town called Saint Maclou in Normandy. After two weeks of living here in a roomy, one bedroom, thatched roof cottage, we are settling into our responsibilities around the enormous property. The duties do not sound like much when listed, but actually have been taking up an enormous amount of time thus far: open/close the gates morning and evening, feed the fountain dwelling fish, walk through the chateau checking for leaks/open windows and set out mouse bait, interface with the gardener, receive deliveries, and unlock doors for cleaner and plumber. Much of our past week has been spent cleaning and decorating the cottage and reclaiming it's overgrown garden. We have had a few opportunities to explore the area. Jan came for a visit and we met some wonderful friends of hers from Bellingham. We enjoyed a sobering outing to the Normandy D Day beaches, went to a market and had a sumptuous meal at a locally sourced restaurant. Herman, ...

September 26th: After a wonderful and busy summer "vacation" to the Pacific Northwest, we are back in SAM and on our way to Paris! In two days I will take the next step towards becoming a Dutch citizen: the Netherlands  "inburgering" exam. This is a 3.5 hour 5 part test of Dutch language and knowledge of all things Dutch a good citizen should be familiar with. The test will be at the Dutch Embassy in the 5th arrondissement. We decided it would be wisest to book a hotel within walking distance from the embassy in order to make sure I arrive on time. Our plan is to park SAM outside Paris and take the metro to the hotel tomorrow afternoon.  What an unexpected challenge... We just crossed over the border between Belgium and France when SAM's "empty gas" yellow light flashes on. Herman was driving, so I opened my phone to search for the nearest petrol station. No internet service on my phone. We are not yet too concerned as we drive through a b...

 Dear Friends and family, As I write this long overdue blog update there is thunder and lightning and the falling of rain, much needed to clear the humid, hot air....if you feel up to filling in some of the many gaps in our travels, take a look at the following Polarsteps album where we have been sharing bits and bobs about our journey since leaving France a little over a month ago. Follow me on our trip ‘Chateau Dumas to Alsettimocielo and beyond...’ at https://www.polarsteps.com/ ElizabethVroom/4940935- chateau-dumas-to- alsettimocielo?s=64455d79- 442c-40ec-aabf-2fb63b4f40cb We had a wonderful time living in France and the area around Toulouse is quite stunning. It was difficult to give up the routines we had created and say good bye to new found friends and neighbors after 7 months in the area. Just before we left, we had a flurry of great outings and visits. Particularly noteworthy were two different couples we know from Bainbridge Island who were independently traveling by boa...