Sick and tired

I've managed to cover the two kinds of cold: weather and head.  Guys at work started asking me if I was feeling okay Thursday afternoon.  I told them I was fine, then, about noon, Friday, my head turned into a water pump.  Took off about 2:30 pm, stopping by the supermarche (super market) to get three boxes of tissue.  I've spent the rest of the weekend consuming those soft little pieces of paper.

We had our French language session Saturday morning, but by noon I was essentially out of it.  I managed to lay on the couch and participate some, though I was (falsely, I'm sure) accused of snoring at one point..  Since it looked as if I'd have to get better to die we elected to forego the lesson for Sunday (today).   Took my cold and miserable sinuses to bed at 9:00pm and was there until 10:30 this morning.

By 11:30 my heart had started and, though still feeling relatively miserable, I decided cabin fever was worse than any cold and called Morgan and asked him if he'd like a short road trip.  He said yes, so I gassed up the buggy and picking him up, headed south and east from Nantes.

Destination: Machecoul, hereditary home of Gilles de Rais, Seigneur and Baron de Rais (1404 - 1440).   Old Gilles was a companion-in-arms of Joan of Arc, a Breton knight, and a Marshal of France.  But he comes down to us through the pages of history as a truly prolific (and horrific) serial killer of children.Gilles_de_Rais - Wikipedia

Leaving Nantes, we wend our out way out of town, past the airport, hitting D758 just outside of Port-St-Pere.  Our friends at Garmin told us to turn left just before Sainte-Pazanne onto D95, but the tall spire atop the huge edifice dominating the town just down D758 said, "stick around awhile, and look at this."
So we bore right and entered the small town of Sainte-Pazanne, following the tall spire into the center of the city.

(Google Earth)

(The Google guy had better light than I)

Again, more of that wonderful craftsmanship so painstakingly created...I am totally out of adjectives.  Same thing happened to me on my Alaska ride looking at God's handiwork.

 

Wonderful stained glass windows.

Turning back we finally get the "Garmin" lady to shut up by taking the right road into Machecoul.

Entering the town of Machecoul.  I just love these quaint little towns where, as Morgan pointed out, no "cookie-cutter" housing exists.

Yet another of the ubiquitous churches, this one probably attended by Gilles de Rais.

Then a little further down the little road from the church, Gilles' place.  It is open for tours between 1-June and 30-September so we couldn't get in.  At -1 degrees C, I barely wanted to get out of the car, so my feelings weren't hurt.  But we did get out of the car for a few minutes.

 

An appropriate symbol outside this gate.

Bad jokes and plays on the saying "Suffer the little children..." spring to mind, but are quickly obliterated by the shear horror of this guy.  There's not a hell hot enough for people who prey on children, but, evidently, the Church is more forgiving than I.  Gilles de Rais was excommunicated then immediately reinstated and allowed to make confession, and buried in the church of the monastery of Notre-Dame des Carmes in Nantes.  Perfidity, thy name is organized religion.

Couldn't get in so we moved around the gate area looking for a place to "peak" in.

 

 

When spring comes I want to ride Betsy back out this way.  The small country roads are great.  After 1-June I can see it up close.   The following are photos from Google Earth.

Okay, he was a bad guy.  But it's still amazing to be looking at a structure where a general who rode with Joan of Arc was born and lived.  History is every where you look around here.  And I love it.



Tomorrow: back to work. You've heard of Typhiod Mary, well I'm "Cold-Carrying Jerry."  Probably infect the entire plant.  Note: Decided to work from home today and not infect the entire plant.