Heading Out Again

Okay folks.  I'm heading out on another motorcycle tour through a large part of Europe.  Hope you'll go with me.  The blog for that trip is: European Ride - 2010.

Tentative Travel Plan

Sunday in the Park

Staring the need to work some, and play golf (last opportunity for four weeks) in the face, I woke early and went looking for my café and croissant (I've about given up on the fatback and grits idea).  I decided it was time I kept another promise to myself so I headed toward the train station.  Across from the train station there is a restaurant I was pretty sure would be open.  Even if it wasn't, I knew a continental breakfast would be available in the station.  And across from the station is the Jardin des Plantes (Garden of Plants).  Jardin des Plantes.

I 've been passing this garden now for six months.  It is surrounded by high hedges offering only fleeting glimpses of what is obviously a wonderful place sequestered in the heart of the city.  Every time I pass I would promise myself I would set aside a couple of hours one weekend and see it.  This morning I determined to make good on that promise.

It began as a medicinal plant enclave just outside the city wall in 1688.  Evidently some of the medicinal properties of the plants remain since it has fallen into disuse several times only to spring back to life in new and ever more exotic form over the past three hundred years.   Today's garden contains over 11,000 species of plants and trees, many from the United States.

Entering from the south-east corner from the Boulevard de Stalingrad

A petting zoo for the wee ones

A refreshment stand for all

The beginning of the beautiful

The "rope garden" near the entrance

(The Lynard-Skynard section)

A variety of species here, too

"Why can't we all just get along."
(Rodney King, 1991)

High rise, multifamily dwelling

Low-rise, multifamily, state-sponsored dwelling.
In all societies some levels of freedom must be surrendered for security.  The question is always, "How much?"

I guess not all caged things are unhappy.  There's time, and security, to pitch a little woo.

The gentleman owning these lifeholdings entered with me when the park opened.  Not allowed to sleep here, he made for the park and its bathroom for his morning ablutions as soon as it opened.
Not all "freedom" is free.  I suspect he's as caged as the parakeets.

Seeing this my thought was "society's detritus." 
On confirming the meaning I thought how apropos:
1) ...or other material worn or broken away from a mass...(he's not part of us...is he?)
2) any disintegrated material; debris

But life goes on...for both of us.

I don't know what these flowers are, but they are quite beautiful.
The webpage mentions 600 varieties of camilia.  I don't know.


(Where's my buddy Carl D.?  He'd know)

They remind me of chrysanthemums...which, in turn, reminds me of Steinbeck's 'The Chrysanthemums,' undoubtedly one of the greatest short stories every written.

The designers definitely have "the eye."  Notice the way they use the yellow trimmed shrubs to set off the flowers in front of them.

Then use the white ones here to set off their bedmates.

Why am I reminded of Procol Harum?

Drawing your eyes "up the shoot."

Where lurks a little waterfall.

A magnificent, and interesting, Serbian conifer

And behind the conifer, a mother and child gaze upon the pond. 

A mother and child, or The Mother and Child?

I believe this may be the 219 year-old Magnolia mentioned in the Wikipedia writeup.

 

With bloom

 A little statuary

Some more "rope" work

More "view"

Another pond

Don't know the variety, but can you believe the size of these elephant ears?

Set up for the next puppet show.

Lots of stuff here in France geared toward the children.  They do a great job here.

Just more of more.

A jogging track for those with more energy than I.

A memorial to the gentleman most responsible for the park's last resurrection before the turn of the twentieth century.  A well deserved tribute in my opinion.







And a nice Sunday morning in the park for the fat kid.

Murphy's Law...alive and well

Okay, most are aware my driver's license was boosted along with my wallet in the Rome metro on June 28th.  So, I returned home and immediately sent my application for a replacement Fed-Ex to my buddy W.T.  The reason for that is the application requires an $11 payment.  Not much, but have you ever tried to get a money order in USD in France.  It can be done, I guess, but by the time you're through you're out about 30€ and a day in wasted time.  So I sent it to W.T. asking him to front me the money and re-mail it to the Texas Department of Safety.

Their webpage stated it could take up to 45 days to get a replacement.  So, recognizing that state governments have been facing serious funding shortages and the inability to grow their departments and services, I included a short note stating that I was in France driving without a license and would really appreciate anything they could do for me in terms of expediting the process.  Of course my main concern is I'm scheduled to leave on a very long motorcycle ride through Italy, Croatia, Slovenia, Austria, Germany, etc., etc. on July 31st.  I could have mentioned that but figured why chance the possibility that it winds up on some civil servants desk who would cop an "I'm stuck here processing license renewal applications and this yahoo is riding through Europe and I'm supposed to break my pick helping him?" attitude.   So, I sent the note without mentioning the scheduled trip. On reflection, probably a mistake.

Last Monday I started calling their customer service number.  That didn't work very well.  On each occasion I got a phone machine telling me they were quite busy and asking me to call the very same number I'd just called.  Since I don't have my license yet I will forego the opportunity to expound on that particular example of customer service.  Noticing a place on the webpage to leave an e-mail I elected to do that.  The problem: well, they ask for two phone numbers but will not accept overseas numbers.  (I'm foregoing yet another opportunity here.)  I left my U.S. number through which I can get voicemails, and W.T.'s number as an alternative.  The good news: I received a phone message today.  The bad news:  They have scheduled to mail my new license on July 30th.  That's exactly one day AFTER I LEAVE!!!!!!!!  I could give them a FedEx number and it wouldn't do any good.   Isn't that interesting?  You can call me seven days before you do something because you have "scheduled" to do it, but you can't just bloody DO IT!  "Hi, I'm from the government, and I'm here to help you."

So now I'm trying to think of ways to make the trip without my license.  I have a color photo copy of it, and a copy of the application for the replacement and, now, a phone message from the Department of Public Safety stating they are mailing it, so I'm hoping that'll will work.  If I were staying within the European union I would feel pretty good about it.  But Croatia, Slovenia?  I can just see some border officials eyes light up with $$$$ signs as I sit here.

But, as I've said before, feces occurs.



Update - Thursday, 29-JUL-10
Earlier in the week I left yet another message on the Dept of Public Safety webpage to no avail, but I was able to talk to someone who actually helped me.   I called the department in Austin and was routed to the same customer service number I note above twice.  Managing to hold my temper (they are, after all, holding my license ransom), I called back and was answered by a nice lady who laughed when I pleaded with her not to put me through to that number because no one "ever, ever, ever, ever, ever answered it."  She put me through to a nice lady who informed me they were planning to send my license to my Texas home address instead of the French address I had requested originally.  That was the change I was seeking, though I note that it wasn't what was requested BY THE CUSTOMER!  But, this time I'll take bad service if it yields the desired result.  Thanking her profusely I pushed my luck and asked if they could, perhaps, mail it today (Monday) instead of Friday.  She told me she couldn't make that happen.

So, the plan is to watch my mail forwarder's website for their receipt, then to request them Fed Ex it to me at a city in front of me.  Don't know where that will be, but I'm hopeful.  Of course, Murphy's Law is still out there: I'm scheduled for an automatic shipment to my French address on the 4th.  I can just see that one getting my license which will mean I'll get it back when I return.  Of course I'm going to request they sit on that shipment until I receive this needed piece of mail and then forward it to me on the road.  The saga continues.

Let's eat!

Saturday morning I headed out looking to pick up a couple of shirts.  As often happens on my travels (and travails), I got a little sidetracked.  First, there was the need for some café and a croissant.  What I really wanted was some fat-back with grits and eggs.  It's amazing what you want when you know you can't have it; but I couldn't, so café and a croissant was the thing, both from an availability and a good sense standpoint.

The food thing taken care of I went walking looking for a shirt store.  I was walking around just looking in shop windows hoping to stumble upon what I wanted when I found myself in the Talensac area.  In the early 1800s this area was " La tuerie aux bestiaux, " the killing place for animals, i.e. slaughterhouse.  I don't know where they're killing them now, but the area is one of my favorites.  It has lots of neat stores, restaurants, and "Tobac" stores and, for some reason, perhaps because it's not as crowded and cloistered as the "Commerce" area, I've grown to really like it.  It represents, for me, the real people of Nantes, not just a bunch of tourists in shorts (like me).

As I walked I noticed a rather large, flat building with a bustling crowd going in and out.  I immediately guessed, "Saturday market!"  And it was.  I went back to the car, moved it to the Talensac parking garage, and grabbed the camera.   I figure it's time we ate.  But first we have to shop for our meal.

The picture gremlin evidently ate my shot of the building from the outside front.  But, hey, feces occurs.

Just outside the rear of the market is a vendor selling flowers.  We need to pick up some to decorate the table a little.

We'll need some vegetables for a nice salad, of course.

Plenty to choose from.

And, since they're right here next to the vegetables, we should pick up some sauces, honey, and other sweet stuff.

Some paté for our appetizers

Olives make great appetizers

 Oh, and some shrimp, too.  You gotta have shrimp cocktail for an appetizer.







Now...for our main courses some ideas.

Lobster would be nice.  But there's some excellent looking flounder and great Red Snapper.

And some of the "nameless"

Paul, these are for you.  I know how much you love them.

Or, perhaps, you prefer a big, juicy one.

 Some beef for the meat eaters among us.

To market, to market, to buy a fat pig,

Home again, home again, jiggety-jig.

(This is why I can't be Jewish or Muslim.  I just love pig!)

 And plenty of wine to go with all courses, of courses.

Oh...and some fromage for desert, or appetizer, or the hell of it whatever.  These folks know cheese.

A little fruit to clear the palate.

And, might I suggest, for desert?

For you:  To good friends, good food, and good times.  May they always be yours.