Bon Jour All,
Today we head off to Dinan, a town founded in 1000 A.D. by the Lords Of Dinan. It originally consisted of a hamlet around a bridge, a street full of craft workshops and businesses. The town has lovely preserved medieval streets. The houses date back to the 15th and 16th century. The castle and surviving walls is very small in relation to other sites we have been to. The church dates back to 1120 and was commissioned by a young knight Rivallon le Roux, where when he was battling in the Crusades he vowed should he see Dinan again. He also vowed he would pay for the Church, dedicate it to the Holy Trinity and name it St. Saviour's. The craftsmanship is amazing. When you enter the church you feel a distinct difference in temperature. The stone keeps the inside very cool and the architecture show visible marks of the Crusades.
Our next stop is St-Malo. The stone ramparts have stood since the 12th century and were enlarged and fortified in the 18th century. We walk along the wall looking out to the Rance Estuary across to Dinard. Unfortunately the town was virtually destroyed in 1944 with a week-long fire set by retreating Nazis. The older section of the town has been painstakingly restored and St-Malo has regained its role as a busy fishing port, seaside resort and tourist destination. Of the two towns Dinan to me had more character and was very quaint.
Supper was at the hotel as we spent a few hours in the afternoon relaxing. Fred has a good sleep as he was not feeling at all well the night before. Bad timing for us as we have not been sick for a very long time and this trip I started out with a cold (gone now) and Fred a very upset tummy. Me I hit the terrace to catch some sun, and John, Adrienne and Portia enjoyed the terrace in the shade relaxing and reading.
Tomorrow we head to the Atlantic coast of Brittany to stay at a Chateau something Fred and I am really looking forward to.
Bon Soir,
Sandy & Fred
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
June 16, 2007 - Leaving Normandy on to Brittany
Bon Jour All,
Our last stop in Normandy is Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey. This is a unique structure that dates back to 708 when Aubert Bishop of Avranches had a sanctuary built on Mont-Tombe in honour of the Archangel Michael. The abbey is unique as it constrained by the pyramidal shape of the mount. The medieval builders wrapped the buildings around the granite rock. In the 10th century the Benedictines settled in the Abbey. During the 100 Years War the place became a impregnable fortress and a symbol of national identity. During the Revolution and until 1863 the abbey was used as a prison. In 1874 it became classified as a historic monument and restoration started. It was listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1979. Now there are a lot of steps and I do mean a lot of steps. I was amazed by one gentleman who made it all the way through the site and he only had one leg. Sure made me stop complaining. While very impressive on the outside it was rather sparse on the inside. You could see where the different structures started and finished over the years .
We are now leaving Normandy and making Brittany. Our hotel in Dinard has a spectacular view of the bay and port of St. Malo. The concensus is to relax upon our arrival as the guys have been driving a lot since our arrival. So we have drinks on the terrace and check out the lay of the land. We head into town to check out the sites and to have supper.
Tomorrow we are off again to see a couple of more port towns.
Bon Soir,
Sandy & Fred
Our last stop in Normandy is Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey. This is a unique structure that dates back to 708 when Aubert Bishop of Avranches had a sanctuary built on Mont-Tombe in honour of the Archangel Michael. The abbey is unique as it constrained by the pyramidal shape of the mount. The medieval builders wrapped the buildings around the granite rock. In the 10th century the Benedictines settled in the Abbey. During the 100 Years War the place became a impregnable fortress and a symbol of national identity. During the Revolution and until 1863 the abbey was used as a prison. In 1874 it became classified as a historic monument and restoration started. It was listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1979. Now there are a lot of steps and I do mean a lot of steps. I was amazed by one gentleman who made it all the way through the site and he only had one leg. Sure made me stop complaining. While very impressive on the outside it was rather sparse on the inside. You could see where the different structures started and finished over the years .
We are now leaving Normandy and making Brittany. Our hotel in Dinard has a spectacular view of the bay and port of St. Malo. The concensus is to relax upon our arrival as the guys have been driving a lot since our arrival. So we have drinks on the terrace and check out the lay of the land. We head into town to check out the sites and to have supper.
Tomorrow we are off again to see a couple of more port towns.
Bon Soir,
Sandy & Fred
June 15, 2009 - Along the D-Day Coast
Bon Jour All,
Today we drove along the coast and visited the sites of The Battle of Normandy. Our first stop is Pegasus Bridge. This was the landing site of Captain John Howard and his gliders who were the first allied troops to land on D-Day. They were responsible for holding the bridge. These British troops of the 6th Airborne Division have a special Memorial to the Pegasus. I found this site very heart rendering. It was very sad to read the letters that sons wrote home to their mom's promising to return and not to worry only to lose their young lives after writing these letter.
Next stop was Ouistreham and the Musee du Mur de l'Atlantique. Here there are relics of the D-Day invasion. Tanks, a landing craft, trucks and artillery guns. We then move onto Douvres-la-Delivrande the site of a German Station. The twin bunkers still standing are now home to a museum which looks at the history of radar.
We now go along to Juno Beach. This is the site where our Canadian troops landed on June 6,1944. The beach today looks huge but the decay of the beach has considerably shortened its length. It is hard to imagine the area of ground that the troops had to cover under fire in order to take the beach. There is a concrete bunker, which appears to be at the top of the beach. However, in 1944 it was on the beach itself. We have just missed the anniversary celebrations of D-Day by a week and the wreath, flowers are still in place around the memorials.
Arromanches-les-Bains gives us a panoramic view of where the US troops landed. They certainly drew the short end of the stick on their landing site. The cliffs that needed to be scaled today still look foreboding and they too have eroded over time. It is also the site of the Mulberry Harbour and shows the ingenuity of the US engineers as it is a man made harbour to ensure the troops met their agenda on D-Day.
From here we head off to Bayeux. This was the first town in occupied France to be liberated in 1944. However, here we tour the town and come specifically to see the tapestry. The tapestry was stitched by English nuns over a 10 year period between 1070 and 1080. It is 230 ft long and 20 inches high. it is a masterpiece of political propaganda and story telling of how William, Duke of Normandy won the crown of England in 1066. The scenes depicted include Halley's Comet, battles, shipwreck and of course the victory of William who was now named William the Conqueror. The needle work is amazing and detailed.
Our last stop for the day is Omaha Beach and the American Cemetery. There are 9,386 white crosses at the cemetery. Again a sad site when you consider the age of the soldiers who gave up their lives and the number of unknown soldiers that someone somewhere is wondering what happened to those poor souls. A beautiful tribute to those lost in battle.
Bon Soir,
Sandy & Fred
Today we drove along the coast and visited the sites of The Battle of Normandy. Our first stop is Pegasus Bridge. This was the landing site of Captain John Howard and his gliders who were the first allied troops to land on D-Day. They were responsible for holding the bridge. These British troops of the 6th Airborne Division have a special Memorial to the Pegasus. I found this site very heart rendering. It was very sad to read the letters that sons wrote home to their mom's promising to return and not to worry only to lose their young lives after writing these letter.
Next stop was Ouistreham and the Musee du Mur de l'Atlantique. Here there are relics of the D-Day invasion. Tanks, a landing craft, trucks and artillery guns. We then move onto Douvres-la-Delivrande the site of a German Station. The twin bunkers still standing are now home to a museum which looks at the history of radar.
We now go along to Juno Beach. This is the site where our Canadian troops landed on June 6,1944. The beach today looks huge but the decay of the beach has considerably shortened its length. It is hard to imagine the area of ground that the troops had to cover under fire in order to take the beach. There is a concrete bunker, which appears to be at the top of the beach. However, in 1944 it was on the beach itself. We have just missed the anniversary celebrations of D-Day by a week and the wreath, flowers are still in place around the memorials.
Arromanches-les-Bains gives us a panoramic view of where the US troops landed. They certainly drew the short end of the stick on their landing site. The cliffs that needed to be scaled today still look foreboding and they too have eroded over time. It is also the site of the Mulberry Harbour and shows the ingenuity of the US engineers as it is a man made harbour to ensure the troops met their agenda on D-Day.
From here we head off to Bayeux. This was the first town in occupied France to be liberated in 1944. However, here we tour the town and come specifically to see the tapestry. The tapestry was stitched by English nuns over a 10 year period between 1070 and 1080. It is 230 ft long and 20 inches high. it is a masterpiece of political propaganda and story telling of how William, Duke of Normandy won the crown of England in 1066. The scenes depicted include Halley's Comet, battles, shipwreck and of course the victory of William who was now named William the Conqueror. The needle work is amazing and detailed.
Our last stop for the day is Omaha Beach and the American Cemetery. There are 9,386 white crosses at the cemetery. Again a sad site when you consider the age of the soldiers who gave up their lives and the number of unknown soldiers that someone somewhere is wondering what happened to those poor souls. A beautiful tribute to those lost in battle.
Bon Soir,
Sandy & Fred
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
June 14, 2009 - France Normandy Coast Towns
Bon Jour,
Today we head out early to Cabourg with stops along the way at various coastal towns.
Our first stop Abbaye de Jumieges. This is a imposing ruin of a Benedictine Abbey founded in 654 by St. Philbert. It was plundered by the vikings in 841 and then rebuilt by William Longswood Duke of Normandy around 940. The Abbey was not concecrated until 1067. The French revolution forced the evacuation of the remaining 16 monks and the abbey was then auctioned off to a timber merchant who promptly demolished part of the buildings to sell the stones. The site is amazing and what remains has been well preserved.
Our next stop is Honfleur a port on the Seine estuary. It is a old town full of cobblestone streets and half timber houses. It was here that the first voyages to Canada in the 15th & 16th centuries.Jean Denis set off to discover the St.Lawrence river estuaryin 1506 and t he most notable being Samuel de Champlain who came up the St Lawrence and discovered Canada a century later. From here we went on to Trouville and Deauville both seaside towns that were much like Myrtle Beach in structure. The two ran into each other with one being more upscale then the other. Our last stop before Cabourg was Houlgate another seaside town. The beach is long and sandy and there was a volleyball tournament going on.
Our resting place for two nights is Cabourg. We walked into town and lo and behold they have rolled out the red carpet for us. :)! The main street has a large red carpet right down the main street and the road has been blocked off. The place is very busy
with tourists, families and buskers entertaining the crowds. We head back to the hotel for a short rest and to regroup to decide where we should have supper. We decide to drive into town for dinner and experience our first lesson on french traffic lights. We are stopped at a light and are sitting for what seems to be a very long time. The red light is not changing and some drivers have driven around us to cross. Finally a gentleman knocks on the window and explains that we must be move up close to the light. It then recognizes a car is there and the light changes. Who knew!!
The other thing is the French really love their dogs. Dogs are allowed in restaurants and pretty much anywhere a person can head off to. Lots of dogs everywhere and they all seem to be well cared for. No strays anywhere.
Now for your chuckle when in Rouen I learned that at 55 years of age you are considered a senior. So you get a break on charges in the hotels and one person of a couple eats for free with breakfast. John has turned 55 in March so poor Adrienne is traveling with a bunch of seniors :).
Well Bon Soir for now,
Sandy & Fred
Today we head out early to Cabourg with stops along the way at various coastal towns.
Our first stop Abbaye de Jumieges. This is a imposing ruin of a Benedictine Abbey founded in 654 by St. Philbert. It was plundered by the vikings in 841 and then rebuilt by William Longswood Duke of Normandy around 940. The Abbey was not concecrated until 1067. The French revolution forced the evacuation of the remaining 16 monks and the abbey was then auctioned off to a timber merchant who promptly demolished part of the buildings to sell the stones. The site is amazing and what remains has been well preserved.
Our next stop is Honfleur a port on the Seine estuary. It is a old town full of cobblestone streets and half timber houses. It was here that the first voyages to Canada in the 15th & 16th centuries.Jean Denis set off to discover the St.Lawrence river estuaryin 1506 and t he most notable being Samuel de Champlain who came up the St Lawrence and discovered Canada a century later. From here we went on to Trouville and Deauville both seaside towns that were much like Myrtle Beach in structure. The two ran into each other with one being more upscale then the other. Our last stop before Cabourg was Houlgate another seaside town. The beach is long and sandy and there was a volleyball tournament going on.
Our resting place for two nights is Cabourg. We walked into town and lo and behold they have rolled out the red carpet for us. :)! The main street has a large red carpet right down the main street and the road has been blocked off. The place is very busy
with tourists, families and buskers entertaining the crowds. We head back to the hotel for a short rest and to regroup to decide where we should have supper. We decide to drive into town for dinner and experience our first lesson on french traffic lights. We are stopped at a light and are sitting for what seems to be a very long time. The red light is not changing and some drivers have driven around us to cross. Finally a gentleman knocks on the window and explains that we must be move up close to the light. It then recognizes a car is there and the light changes. Who knew!!
The other thing is the French really love their dogs. Dogs are allowed in restaurants and pretty much anywhere a person can head off to. Lots of dogs everywhere and they all seem to be well cared for. No strays anywhere.
Now for your chuckle when in Rouen I learned that at 55 years of age you are considered a senior. So you get a break on charges in the hotels and one person of a couple eats for free with breakfast. John has turned 55 in March so poor Adrienne is traveling with a bunch of seniors :).
Well Bon Soir for now,
Sandy & Fred
Monday, June 15, 2009
June 13, 2009 - France
Bon Jour All,
We have encountered some problems getting internet/e-mail access during the trip and we think it has do to with the provider the hotel is using, Orange. John was able to get access using both his iPhone and allowed Fred to get passwords etc, so we'll at least get day one's travel news updated.
We headed off to the Chunnel bright and early and as we arrived early at Folkestone we were able to get an earlier train to Calais. We did have a Holy Shit moment as we are about to leave the motorway exit for the terminal. We are forced off the road by a stupid British women. She pulls over into our lane not even looking, after some serious horn blowing by Fred she waves at us and carries on. The train ride was a very interesting experience for us. You drive your car onto these large freight cars. We were directed onto the upper level, and then drove forward through several rail cars. Once in place engines are turned off and hand brakes are engaged. You then sit in the car and get a ride via high speed train through the Chunnel under the English Channel. The trip takes 35 minutes in all and it is kinda of eerie. You have a sense of movement and I heard some sounds or creaking. But in no time at all you are driving off the train and are on your way. Customs clearance is completed in England so there is no time wasted in France to get clearance. After a short ride in France it was time to stop in a petrol station (Gas Station) to refuel and grab some lunch. The area is very large and has a marshland complete with ducks, picnic areas, playgrounds, food concessions both hot and cold as well as the usual fuel and souvenir stands. Everyone replenished we head off to our first stop Rouen. The speed on the highway is 130 km/hr and they drive on the same side as Canada. It is weird as we now have a English car the passengers side is were the driver should be and the drivers side is the passenger so my comfort level drops a bit. The road is a divided highway so that is one blessing and we are following John.
Rouen- Was the Capitol of Impressionism in the second half of the 19th century with the masters Monet,Renoir and Sisley using the banks of the Seine in Rouen to capture the natural light. It was also here Joan of Ark was imprisoned then burned at the stake. The Gothic structures are also very amazing. The best way around is walking as most of the city centre is pedestrian walkways.
Finding our hotel took us a while as we lost John our guide and the GPS kept telling us to turn were we could not go. At one point we drove up a street that had goods all in the street and people walking about. Pretty sure we went were we were not supposed to go as some French man had quite a bit to say to us which I figure was not very nice given his tone and gestures. Oh well we do finally get to the hotel and checked in after a number of phone calls from both John and Adrienne as to our whereabouts.
A great walking city and very lively on Saturday afternoon. We visit the Notre Dame Cathedral which was built in the 12th century on the foundations of a 4th century basilica and is an 11th century Romanesque edifice. The structure is perpetually evolving since having been destroyed first by the vikings in 841 and much later damaged in 1944 by allied bombardments. We stop for a drink by the Great Clock which has been in operation since the 14th century until 1928 after more then 5 million hours without stopping. It was fully restored in 2006. We also stop at the Jewish Monument and Saint-Maclou Church and the site where Joan of Ark was burned at the stake. Fred and I head down to the river bank to get some pictures of the Seine while John and Adrienne go sort out Portia before our dinner. We find a little pizza bistro outside Saint-Maclou church. A full day and lots of sites seen on our first day in France. Pictures will be posted on Flickr once we get to Italy and have good internet access.
Bon Soir,
Sandy & Fred
Thursday, June 11, 2009
June 10, 2009 - Life in Liverpool
Greetings All,
Well we are relaxing at John's in London and have e-mail access. It is amazing how dependent we are on this technology to keep in touch with family and friends. We sure have come along way since smoke signals or the written letter :).
Since it seemed, in my last blog, that I have done nothing but complain I thought I should share with you just how really different things are here.
Post or mail is delivered 6 days a week and you get your mail very quickly. If I send a letter to you today you will get it at the most in two days if you are in the UK. Most times it is received the next day.
As for banking you already have been given some insight. It is a catch 22 for new comers to the country unless you get some one to sponsor you which we did not want or need given the funds we brought in. Also they input the females name in first when setting up the account. Now I am not sure if in our case it was because I am not a Brit and Fred is as they used both of his passports but now I HAVE THE POWER!! LOL Credit card was issued under my name which I am sure some of you will get a great chuckle out of as Fred is the money man in our family.
Having my nails filled here is somewhat expensive as they charge pound for dollar for a fill. I did find a place in Liverpool that was most reasonable compared to others but again they do not have the technology I am used to. No machines to file, or air brushes, everything is done by hand. So a fill took almost two hours. The young girl did tell me that if I can find an oriental place that they may have what I am used to. She did a good job just not the nail art that Kim spoiled me with.
Food choices here are excellent. We have a larger variety of healthy food choices in what I would call fast food selection. That is ready made meals that you pop in the oven all fat and salt reduced should you choose. Potatoes here come in 26 different varieties (don't know them all yet)and the strawberries are sweet but smaller than in Canada. We have had some good feasts already on these. I also like that they seem to have more choice in getting smaller portions for your meat. Something I know supermarkets in Toronto were starting but still have a way to go. They have less frozen meats and more fresh I would guess because people here tend to shop for food more frequently than in North America. Fridges also tend to be smaller so this will be an adjustment I need to make as food shopping for us was once every two weeks most of the time when we had a separate freezer as we bought our beef by the hind and chickens by the dozen. Those days are long gone for a number of reasons space not being the only one.
Petrol or gasoline as we know it is twice the price than in Canada but then Fred is getting 51.5 miles to the gallon on his Mercedes which is diesel. So that kinda evens things out.
Overall the Brits are somewhat laid back about getting things done and don't have the urgency we have to get going and get it fixed. I am sure we will adjust over time or else just learn to deal with it.
Well that is all for now. Take care everyone and we will soon have some travel news for you as we head off to France.
Cheerio,
Sandy & Fred
Well we are relaxing at John's in London and have e-mail access. It is amazing how dependent we are on this technology to keep in touch with family and friends. We sure have come along way since smoke signals or the written letter :).
Since it seemed, in my last blog, that I have done nothing but complain I thought I should share with you just how really different things are here.
Post or mail is delivered 6 days a week and you get your mail very quickly. If I send a letter to you today you will get it at the most in two days if you are in the UK. Most times it is received the next day.
As for banking you already have been given some insight. It is a catch 22 for new comers to the country unless you get some one to sponsor you which we did not want or need given the funds we brought in. Also they input the females name in first when setting up the account. Now I am not sure if in our case it was because I am not a Brit and Fred is as they used both of his passports but now I HAVE THE POWER!! LOL Credit card was issued under my name which I am sure some of you will get a great chuckle out of as Fred is the money man in our family.
Having my nails filled here is somewhat expensive as they charge pound for dollar for a fill. I did find a place in Liverpool that was most reasonable compared to others but again they do not have the technology I am used to. No machines to file, or air brushes, everything is done by hand. So a fill took almost two hours. The young girl did tell me that if I can find an oriental place that they may have what I am used to. She did a good job just not the nail art that Kim spoiled me with.
Food choices here are excellent. We have a larger variety of healthy food choices in what I would call fast food selection. That is ready made meals that you pop in the oven all fat and salt reduced should you choose. Potatoes here come in 26 different varieties (don't know them all yet)and the strawberries are sweet but smaller than in Canada. We have had some good feasts already on these. I also like that they seem to have more choice in getting smaller portions for your meat. Something I know supermarkets in Toronto were starting but still have a way to go. They have less frozen meats and more fresh I would guess because people here tend to shop for food more frequently than in North America. Fridges also tend to be smaller so this will be an adjustment I need to make as food shopping for us was once every two weeks most of the time when we had a separate freezer as we bought our beef by the hind and chickens by the dozen. Those days are long gone for a number of reasons space not being the only one.
Petrol or gasoline as we know it is twice the price than in Canada but then Fred is getting 51.5 miles to the gallon on his Mercedes which is diesel. So that kinda evens things out.
Overall the Brits are somewhat laid back about getting things done and don't have the urgency we have to get going and get it fixed. I am sure we will adjust over time or else just learn to deal with it.
Well that is all for now. Take care everyone and we will soon have some travel news for you as we head off to France.
Cheerio,
Sandy & Fred
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
June 10, 2009 - We are finally in but lots needs to be done
Greetings All,
Well we have been out of contact for some time. We finally moved into our flat late Tuesday June 2nd just over a week after when we were promised it would be ready. We were glad to finally get in but and it is a Big But there is a lot of stuff that needs to be done. The place was stated as being professionally cleaned but I beg to differ. Now those of you who really know me know I am not the worlds greatest housekeeper but this was unbelievable. We did see the girl cleaning but she was more impressed with our view and the space we had. She did point out some things that needed attention but we would have needed to be blind to miss them. So once in we went back into town to get cleaning tools. Bleach was the order of the day and I still think I can smell it. Despite one hell of a cold I have developed (first in 5 or 6 years) so I am not a happy camper. Our boxes arrived on Wednesday around 3:00 PM and the delivery person was a saint. He helped us carry the boxes up the two flights of stairs (14 stairs each flight) not that I counted:)! So boxes in, cleaning started I unpacked it all much to Fred's amazement. He wanted me to take it easy as my back was killing me but I needed it done yesterday so I got it done. All boxes were unpacked by Friday and for the most part each item had a home. This is to be our home for 12 months at least and I want to feel like I belong. Now having said that I also needed to remind myself that we are just renting so some of the things I want to do will need to be thought out more.
When we moved in we were given a inventory list and the agent said anything that was wrong we should make a note of it. As I stated earlier the Big But!! We listed so much on the sheets that was wrong that the agent said he had to come out a review it again. Like get real I don't think he looked at it in the first place. So now we wait. The extra furniture that was not on the inventory list was removed on June 9th but other issues will have to wait until we return form our trip to France/Italy and back through Switzerland. So no e-mail access, phone or TV until after July 8,2009 when we return.
Now I know this all sounds very negative but I think our expectations of how life should be did not really take into account the differences there are in a different country. Even though it is English speaking in certain aspects it is entirely different than Canada. It is like England is the colony not the other way around. Our experience with the opening of a bank account was a eye opener. Glad to say we finally have a account and bank cards just took over a month.
Well things can only look up now. Bonus to all this is I've lost 7 pounds even with all the restaurant eating. Well we are heading off France on Saturday and have a couple of days in London before we head off so we are back in touch again.
Cheers,
Sandy & Fred
Well we have been out of contact for some time. We finally moved into our flat late Tuesday June 2nd just over a week after when we were promised it would be ready. We were glad to finally get in but and it is a Big But there is a lot of stuff that needs to be done. The place was stated as being professionally cleaned but I beg to differ. Now those of you who really know me know I am not the worlds greatest housekeeper but this was unbelievable. We did see the girl cleaning but she was more impressed with our view and the space we had. She did point out some things that needed attention but we would have needed to be blind to miss them. So once in we went back into town to get cleaning tools. Bleach was the order of the day and I still think I can smell it. Despite one hell of a cold I have developed (first in 5 or 6 years) so I am not a happy camper. Our boxes arrived on Wednesday around 3:00 PM and the delivery person was a saint. He helped us carry the boxes up the two flights of stairs (14 stairs each flight) not that I counted:)! So boxes in, cleaning started I unpacked it all much to Fred's amazement. He wanted me to take it easy as my back was killing me but I needed it done yesterday so I got it done. All boxes were unpacked by Friday and for the most part each item had a home. This is to be our home for 12 months at least and I want to feel like I belong. Now having said that I also needed to remind myself that we are just renting so some of the things I want to do will need to be thought out more.
When we moved in we were given a inventory list and the agent said anything that was wrong we should make a note of it. As I stated earlier the Big But!! We listed so much on the sheets that was wrong that the agent said he had to come out a review it again. Like get real I don't think he looked at it in the first place. So now we wait. The extra furniture that was not on the inventory list was removed on June 9th but other issues will have to wait until we return form our trip to France/Italy and back through Switzerland. So no e-mail access, phone or TV until after July 8,2009 when we return.
Now I know this all sounds very negative but I think our expectations of how life should be did not really take into account the differences there are in a different country. Even though it is English speaking in certain aspects it is entirely different than Canada. It is like England is the colony not the other way around. Our experience with the opening of a bank account was a eye opener. Glad to say we finally have a account and bank cards just took over a month.
Well things can only look up now. Bonus to all this is I've lost 7 pounds even with all the restaurant eating. Well we are heading off France on Saturday and have a couple of days in London before we head off so we are back in touch again.
Cheers,
Sandy & Fred
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