eLizbits on tour

Chapitô

2012-02-02T07:58:00.000-08:00

We convinced Jean Marc to leave the comforts of the apartment and his laptop and met him in town for lunch at a restaurant of his choosing. And I am so glad he did because we would never have known about this place much less found it if it were not for him. Chapitô shares the premises with a circus school and a gift shop. As you do!! From the street, it looks like just a gift shop. We walked through a one-roomed glass-walled shop with small trinkets and jewelry and exited to a staircase outside again.

The courtyard had a circus tent in it where lots of students were tossing bowling pins in the air. The restaurant was housed in a tall bright yellow building on the far side of the courtyard behind a tree with colorful pins dangling in the sun.

Upon entering the restaurant, we were directed up the spiral staircase to the second floor.

The corner windows allowed for a spectacular view of the city.

Needless to say, the view was the best part of this lunch. The food was only remarkable when talking about how tasteless, cold and oily it was.

We were not unhappy though. A few glasses of port, a free desert from our waitress for our disappointment (which was also not great) and we were satisfied with simply the experience of the view. This is a hidden treasure in terms of the experience and I would happily invite anyone back again for a small drink to take in the view.

Day in Lisbon

2012-01-26T04:27:00.000-08:00

View from hillside across from the castle.

That's where we want to go!

Pat and I decided to walk into town for the exercise... Well, it is a good hour or more of walking past the shipping docks and train tracks but we didn't regret it. It was in the upper 50s and it was just good to be outside in the sun. We made our way through the winding streets, past the Museum of Agua (yes, it does exist), the Museum of Fado, a tango school, under several highway overpasses, into the old city.

Great gig!!

We ate lunch at a place that our stage manager, William, had suggested. Though the streets are small and windy, it is surprisingly easy to find places. He described it as a tiny restaurant with one display window filled with hanging fish and a door to a one-room dining area. Well, that describes just about every restaurant in Lisbon but we found it anyway.

You get used to the rather gruesome displays in the window....


My lunch.

This was delicious. The skin on the swordfish was salty and crisp, the potatoes were boiled and delicious and the broccoli was cooked perfectly. So simple and so good. And so cheap!! The two of us ate for less than 20 Euro.

A short stop to see St. Luzia church.

And on to Castelo Sao Jorge.

View from yard terrace.

Pat looking at cannons.. Boys will be boys.

A resident of the castle

Um, Pat. Behind you....

Random acts of tile.

We finished up the day with a glass of port. And dessert of repanadas. All I could gather from the name and the taste indicated that this was a fried bread, like a doughnut but slightly drier and a little sweeter. The traditional combination with port is cheese but we were very happy a slightly different pairing!

The littlest bar

2012-01-21T07:08:00.000-08:00

We (myself, Kieran and M Denney) found this bar the last time we were in Lisbon, totally by accident, and I was so pleased to find it again and show Pat.

Yes, he has just poured my vino verde from the TAP!!

Near home in Lisbon

2012-01-21T06:59:00.000-08:00

We are staying right near the Casino where the showis playing, same as last time we were here. This is the newer part of Lisbon,the concrete jungle full of malls, restaurants, bars, an aquarium, and a boardwalkalong the river. It is nice enough. Certainly convenient for the things we needlike grocery stores, etc.

There are some interesting architectural examples like the Vodafone building:

The seemingly impossible concrete overhang down by the water:

And not so interesting architecturally, but nevertheless our home for the next two week, the Casino Lisboa:

On the way to Lisbon

2012-01-21T06:52:00.000-08:00

One and a half hours into the flight fromToronto to Lisbon and though I had decided that this short tour of two weekswould remain relatively undocumented, the events that have already transpiredinspire me to write. This is the first tour in a long time that I have donewithout Kieran and it is possible that the lack of a familiar audience to whomto lean over to and utter phrases like, “ holy crap, did you see that?” mightmake me more inclined to share it here. But whatever the reason, I reachedunder my seat, retrieved my laptop out of its nest in my backpack, turned it onand now will tell you about SATA Airlines.

Holy crap. They are bad. Now, I should startby saying that on the positive side, I did not have one issue with getting thefiddle on the plane. In fact, I got the dreaded question that every musiciantrying to carry an instrument on a plane gets which is, “um, excuse me ma’am,what is that on your back?” I answered that it was a violin and the very nice,handsomely dusky agent didn’t even flinch. He gave me my ticket and sent me onmy way. Security was a breeze, not a single person in line with me. It was soquiet that I began to wonder if there had been a bomb scare or a new batch ofCinnabons just out of the oven in some other terminal. But no, it was just aSunday night in Toronto airport. I sat at the gate for over an hour waiting forboarding and watched as the aged and entirely Portuguese passengers for myflight started arriving. The plane was only about half full so I managed to geta two-seat row to myself which is glorious. (This began as a positive but as itturned out, the seats were so uncomfortable, I am not sure that a row of 14seats would have made that journey any better.)

After boarding, I began to take stock of theusual things, looking for the little baggy of on-board amenities like socks, asleep mask, earphones, and the most important thing on a transatlantic flight,the in-flight entertainment options. This is where things began to take on avery different light. There was no baggy of delights except an empty plasticbag for not so delightful things. Thelights in the cabin were the shaky, flickering kind of florescent lights thatgive the cabin the pallor of a stockroom, not an airplane. And for whateverreason, they did not dim the lights as is usual during these overnight flights.They dimmed, turned them on, dimmed them again, and randomly turned them onseveral more times during the flight. I felt like I was being interrogated. Theback of the seat in front of me showed the wear and tear of a seat that hasbeen beaten up by a good few passengers in its day, the latch not reallyholding the tray in, the fabric on the seat falling away from the frame andlots of stains everywhere, the kind that beg you to become a forensics expert.

Now, generally, I wouldn’t care about the state of a latch on a table tray orwhether the fabric is falling off of the frame but it does give one the ideathat the interior of the plane somehow reflects the worthiness and certainlythe sturdiness of the exterior.

I should add that I have just finishedwatching the entire series of Lost. Turning my attention from the sturdiness ofthe plane, I looked to the entertainment. What movies will I watch, hmm? Well,there is only one movie on the SATA flight from Toronto to Lisbon. ONE MOVIEfor 6 hours. And what movie was that? The Facebook movie, Social Network. Thefreaking Facebook movie. I tried to imagine what genius booked this for thisflight looking around again at my aged, entirely Portuguese fellow passengers.(I will say that I had never seen this movie. It was well done. I did enjoy it.And I felt again like removing myself from Facebook permanently….)

The steward staff was by in large male. Theywere of a tall skinny breed……and surly. Really surly. I managed to make friends with one instantlywhen, shortly after take-off, I got up to go to the bathroom. I distinctlyheard the familiar “ding” of the seat-belt sign being turned off, unbuckled andas soon as I had swiveled around to put my hand on the back of the aisle seat,I caught a glimpse of the tallest of the surly bunch waving furiously at me. Itwas like he was dribbling an invisible basketball. In my surprise, I managedonly to make a Sandra Bullock face, point to the seatbelt sign, realize that itwas still on, turn completely red, swivel back around to sit in my seat notbefore seeing the gleeful look on Mr. Surly’s face. I really disliked this guy.(I tried to take a picture of him. Really, I did. I think he sensed that my madtyping was about him and so I think he avoided me after this.)

When I did manage to get to the bathroom- andI got up as soon as it was legally okay to get up- the bathroom was disgusting.The floor was completely wet and the toilet paper nearly gone and off the rod,sitting by the sink, getting soaked on the bottom. It begged the question, “IfI wasn’t allowed to go to the bathroom before that moment, then who did?” Oh,and to top it off, there was no running water, only “sanitary wipes”. Lovely.

The meal:

This ain’t food. Let me summarize thecontents of this “complimentary meal”.

Bread: drywall

Butter: frozen

Salad: one slice cucumber, one olive, onepiece of iceberg lettuce, one small wedge of slightly pink tomato, oh and a massive wedge of lemon.

Cucumber: tasted as if it was brushed withWindex

Dinner: beef with pasta, cold

Beef: was it really beef? Where’s the beef?

Pasta: shaped like potato sticks that hadbeen soaked in too much water and became bloated. Tasted like Styrofoam.

Dessert: chocolate cake. This was the onlysemi-edible thing on the tray. I devoured this in an effort to consume somecalories.

All in all, not a great flying experience. Not the worst, by far but not great. The top of the dinner container read, "it is a pleasure having you in our company." I wasn't feeling the love.

The wonders of Chartres

2011-12-09T17:20:00.001-08:00

There is just so much that is wonderful about Chartres. This time we were in the city center for a our two days off and it was even more wonderful than I remembered.

There is, of course, the cathedral. This goes without saying. Wow.

And then there is the Creperie. A crepe with sugar and butter. One cannot go through life without this delight. Kieran and I shared one of these one day and promptly went back the next day and each had one.

The Creperie

The medieval Tourist Office. Called the House of Salmon. Dates from 1427.

Though the cathedral is the focal point of Chartres, there are several amazing churches here, all equally impressive in their own way.

Saint Pierre's bell tower was built around the year 1000. HELLO?! It was a Benedictine monastery until it became a parish church in 1803. Before the French Revolution (1789), it was the sanctuary of the abbey of St. Pierre dating back to at least the 7th century. The nave and choir date from the 13th century.

Another beautiful church, Saint Aignan. According to the brochure at the church, this parish is the oldest in Chartres. The bishop of Chartres, Saint Aignan himself had a church built on this site in the year 400. It was completely rebuilt in the 16th century after a fire destroyed the building. Only a single doorway survived the fire and it was built into the center of the front of the church.

This butcher shop was open for less than an hour! We kept passing this beautiful facade (I seem to have failed to take a picture of it..) wondering what it was. Then, all of sudden at about 4pm, it opened for an hour and this gentleman, decked out in a suit and tie and apron, butchered meat for a long line of women. Fantastic. I LOVE France!

Christmas Chartres Cathedral.

The setting sunlight on the cathedral.

Lorient

2011-12-09T17:09:00.001-08:00

A place I am always dying to go to. And do we have any time here, do we stay in town? NO!! Oh, well. Next time.

My run was great. I was concerned at first as the hotel seemed to be surrounded by nothing but office park and commercial centers. Luckily, there was a country road behind it that went for miles.

And there was a little treat for us as we were boarding the bus the next morning:

Bourges and Concarneau

2011-12-09T17:00:00.001-08:00

Now the tour is getting unremarkable and nearing the end. A few snapshots:

My run outside of Bourges. I had to cross several highways to get to this. It was worth it!

Concarneau, a seaside town. I got 5 minutes to run outside to take a picture.

Oh yeah, this is catering. Lovely, isn't it?!

Nantes run

2011-12-09T16:43:00.001-08:00

D'auld Google maps directed me to a river. Fabulous. It was a bit of hike to get to it but once there along the river, it was a tree lined path through the woods alongside a beautiful river, quiet and perfect. The only downside was a pack of three old men who when I passed them the first time, were sitting and chatting at a park bench. When I ran by, there was some chatter but I am used to this by now. Seemingly there are very few buxom blondes who run here. (In fact, there are just not many people who run here at all!!) You must understand that over the last year of walking/jogging/running nearly every day in several hundred towns across the world, I have been pointed at, stopped and stared at, talked to, jeered at, giggled at (this is especially great for the self-esteem), winked at, nearly followed, yelled at, and even congratulated. I have been chased by dogs, children, and various kinds of birds. I can take anything. On my way back along the river's path, the old men were on the path, stopped in a huddle in the middle of it, chatting away. Two of them, when they saw me, moved slowly to one side of the path. You see, as luck would have it, the path narrowed at the very spot where they were standing. On either side, there was nothing but a deep muddy swamp. The third man, clearly aware that I was heading towards him, didn't move. Stood there like a statue on Easter Island. Now, normally, I would head around him and just chalk it up to the ways of French men but I was forced to stay the course and had to come to a complete stop, nearly nose to nose with Mr. Congeniality. He remained stoic and I struggled to find the french word for "Really?", then said "Really?" in English, and managed to squirm around him and continue on my way. I am sure I am still the topic of many a conversation in that family. If only I had had my camera.....

La Civelle, Nantes

2011-12-09T16:21:00.001-08:00

Jean Marc offered to take us to lunch in Nantes, a city he knows well. I will let the pictures speak for themselves.
But if you want to see more about the restaurant, go to www.lacivelle.com

St. Brieuc, November 27th

2011-12-09T15:56:00.001-08:00

We have played here before but the only thing I remember from the last time was the great catering and the fact that for whatever reason, the place was outfitted with doors that slam shut, no matter what you do to prevent it. Such are the memories I have...
This time, we had decent catering that included a rhubarb crumble for desert that was to DIE FOR and a lot of slamming doors. No picture of the crumble. Sorry. We all ate it too fast...
As for the doors, well, you don't need a picture, do you?

The town itself isn't much. I went for a walk before the show and came straight back after finding nothing. We were here for a day off but were housed outside of town- not that it mattered. There was nothing there either. I ate at Courtepaille twice and had our packaged soup in the room. Kieran went for a walk for many hours to find us a restaurant in town and came back with nothing to report.

There was a train station and it did photograph well..

Nevermind the pack of goth kids below the bridge and the many langballs meandering around, all outfitted with german shepherds. Hmmmm.

I did find a nice run. A long run too. I got lost and was gone for over two hours.
When I checked Google maps for my usual green spot, I realized, "duh", we are close to the ocean (the Channel). It didn't look that far so I set out.

There was a small town, Langueux, and then nothing but farm land and a country road. And a very steep hill down to the seaside town of ???.

I don't think you can appreciate how steep this hill is from the picture. I can tell you I was cursing it knowing I would have to come back up it later!!!

Marshes out to the sea.

Turning around after 1.5 hours to come back. I made the grave error of going up that hill you see in the picture. Turns out I didn't come down that hill.....

I could have used this AN HOUR AGO!!!

Going up that damned hill.....


Best part of the day. Nearly home and I found a small house with a garden full of flowers. It is NOVEMBER?!?

Orleans, November 21

2011-12-09T15:25:00.001-08:00

I am doing a lot of backtracking and catching up. The last few weeks of the tour were a bit busy and the internet was just sparse enough to make it difficult to keep up with the blog.. I can sit quietly now in Boston and update away!

Where did I leave off? Oh, yes. Orleans. I don't remember being here before though I think we have stayed on the outskirts and/or played in the area in the past. We stayed in our old friend, the Ibis in city center and had a day off here to enjoy the sites. Orleans has an impressive church and the Loire River runs through the city as well, providing a wonderful place to run and walk.

Orleans was liberated from the Plantagenets by Joan of Arc (and some other Generals...) during the Hundred Year's' War. The church, looking very much like Notredame in Paris, has some stunning stained glass and a good few of them depict her triumph as well as her

execution.

The church itself was begun by Henry IV and was built over a period of a hundred years and is in fact one of the last cathedrals to be built in France. We were amazed by the sense of wide open space inside, something even Notredame does not have. It was a bright sunny day and this made the viewing of the windows simply spectacular.

There is not much to report about the rest of the town. We had lunch at a Vietnamese place that was quite good and then had a walk around the older parts of the city. It is not unlike many other towns in France, colorless buildings and winding streets. The modern shopping areas were located around the train station and had all of the familiar names, Devred, H&M, FNAC, etc.

I had a good run on both days traversing the many bridges that cross the massive green Loire river and finding my way to a park up stream.

Beaune run

2011-11-21T15:15:00.001-08:00

The hotel was located just south of the ring road circling the walled city. I ran around the ring road and out to a park just outside the city (note the lake on the map). There was small doorway in the wall around the lake and park. From here, there was a country road that snaked up a steep hill overlooking the vineyards.

Map of the vineyards. The blue in the center is the lake in the park. The gate to go out to the vineyards is pictured below. Our hotel is not pictured but was located just below the map around the ring road. I ran up from the lake and across to just below the "V" in "Vignoble" and down the diagonal road back to the lake.

Going up the hill on a misty morning.

From atop the hill on the way down

Belfort run

2011-11-21T15:08:00.001-08:00

Courtesy of Google Maps, as always!

This is the run I did in Belfort. The lake was amazing and much larger than I imagined. It is surrounded by allotments which was a very cool thing to see. Being the weekend, there were so many people out camping, fishing, tending to their gardens as well as walking and running the paths which followed the shape of the lake, in and out of the woods. This was one of the best runs I have found in France.

Belfort

2011-11-21T09:57:00.001-08:00

Belfort is located on the plain between the northern end of the Jura Mountains and the southernmost part of the Vosges Mountains, an area also known as the Belfort Gap. Its location has made it a common target for military action over many centuries. Julius Caesar used this route to moved his troops to defeat Ariovistus and his German tribes. This American just does not know how to conceive of this...

The town itself was not much. It had a coldness about it in terms of architecture. Even the old part of the city would not be considered beautiful compared to other towns we have seen but I won't completely discount it because there were some great views from atop the citadel.

A Couscous dinner with the band:

Beaune, the heart of Burgundy

2011-11-21T09:12:00.001-08:00

We had the great fortune to be housed in Beaune for the week. All of our gigs were within a few hours drive and it meant that yet again we could settle into a hotel and get to see something.

Beaune is quite a beautiful little walled town with remnants dating back to Pre-Roman and Roman times. There is a ring road surrounding the walls of the city and outside of this road, there are acres and acres of vineyards. Beaune is most famous for its annual charity wine auction held on the third Sunday of November (we missed it by two days...) which is held in the Hospice of Beaune, a hospital built by Nicolas Rolin, the chancellor of the Duke of Burgundy, and his wife in 1442 for the sick and needy at the finish of the Hundred Years War. The length of the auction is still dictated by the timepiece used back then, the lighting and burning of two candles.

Some views of the walk into town:

The Hospices de Beaune:

The chapel, beds made so that the very sick could attend mass.

Detail of the ceiling. The human faces along the wall were to make fun of the bourgeois.

Close up of the beds. Each patient was given a pewter set of dishes. This was supposedly more sanitary than using wooden dishes.

Yes, this is for drilling into the skull.

Skull drilling set dating from the 17th century....

The kitchen

The pharmacy

The polyptych painted by Rogier Van der Weiden.

The rooms where the polyptych and the tapestry pictured above were housed also had a host of other items dating back to the 15th century. Most impressive to me were not the religious art work- though these were indeed very impressive. It was the collection of twenty or thirty wooden blanket trunks, massive, some elegant, intricately carved in wood with metal details like handles on the sides and locks as well as hand carved family symbols. They looked like small buildings with their careful and thought out architecture. So cool.

Evian

2011-11-15T17:32:00.001-08:00

The coolest venue we have been in yet....

Everything in the place was made of wood. The audience was the best we have had on this tour. They were enthusiastic, the theater was incredible, the sound was amazing, and we were all walking on air when we left. Incredible.

We got a bit of a morning in Evian before leaving for the next town. Evian is on Lake Geneva just across the lake from Lausanne, the town in Switzerland where we played about three weeks ago.The town is small but quaint. Some sights from our walk around in the morning:

So typical... Notice the opening hours. Open two hours a night, 5 days a week...

Pat by the lake

The piper and the fall leaves!

A few of our dancers and musicians

Our tour manager, Jean Marc.

Some views of the drive away from Evian

Carcassonne at night

2011-11-15T17:30:00.001-08:00

Carcassonne gig

2011-11-15T16:38:00.001-08:00

Our show in Carcassonne was in a rather scrappy little place just between the old castle city on the hill and the new “old city” shopping area. Someone remarked that we should never play in a place that has “carcass” in the name...

The audience was wonderful and we had a few days off here to explore the castle and the town. Apparently, Princess Carcas, wife of the Saracen, Balaak, after seeing Charlemagne lift the siege of her town, ordered the bells to be rung. People then cried, “Carcas sonne”, or “Carcas rings” and this is how the town got its name.

Seeing the old fortified city up on the hill is hard to describe except that it was impressive.

This is pathetic, I know but I just can't find the words. The fortress looks impenetrable from a distance and certainly looks no less impenetrable when standing within its thick stone walls. You can walk the nearly the entire perimeter and the views from the various towers and entrance-ways are incredible. Again, words fail me..

The site dates back to 3500 BC and the first fortified settlement being built around 100 BC by the Romans. We walked the entire castle and watched a short movie about the history of the fortress and the restoration that began in 1849. It is hard to believe but this place was ignored for so long that it fell into disrepair and was very close to being demolished. Experts are still trying to understand the construction of the fortress. You can see many "floating" fireplaces on the facades of the buildings and places where a wooden support or flooring had been, sometimes several floors off the ground which indicates that a room existed there at one time.

Within the city walls surrounding the castle walls there are shops and restaurants. A city within a city.

And private residences as well!

Being homeless, it made me fantasize about living here and giving out my new address as “Liz Knowles, Castle Carcassonne, Rampart No. 1, Carcassonne, France”.

Pat and I did the castle tour and then went to lunch at L’ecu D’or, a small restaurant along one of the winding streets in the castle city.

As you walk in the door of this place, you must immediately go down a set of stairs into a dining room that looks more like a living room. Well, a living room that dates back several centuries at least. Large exposed wooden joists, stone walls and floors and simple wooden tables and chairs. Our lunch was superb. Pat had the local speciality, Cassoule Carcassonne which is basically a bean and meat stew and I had the Poulet Carcassonne, chicken cooked with leeks and onion. I started with a vegetable soup that was as simple and delicious as it could be, just leeks, carrots, and potatoes in a vegetable broth.

Fantastic. We finished off with coffees instead of desert as we could not stuff in any more than that!

My run in Aix en Provence

2011-11-07T14:55:00.000-08:00

When trying to find a good place to jog, I always consult Google satellite maps, look for anything green and run towards it. This, in general, has been a really good way to find parks, lakes, and smaller neighborhoods. The green spaces in Aix-en-Provence are very small and are further away than in most of the places we have been recently. I did find a neighborhood of rather large houses sprinkled on a steep-ish hill that I found by accident when I decided to run towards the highway. And even though the highway was always in earshot of even the most remote part of this neighborhood, there were some wonderfully quiet sections along this small road.

Aix en Provence

2011-11-07T14:38:00.000-08:00

View from the hotel window.

It has come to this... Catering has become part of contractual negotiation and so now I carry a bag full of food, a kettle, tupperware, a bowl and silverware. I wasn't feeling too badly about it until I saw the same homeless guy on the street every morning with the same bag of food and a better kettle than the one I have!!

Here is the route we have traveled in the last week or so. We were based out of Aix-en-Provence. It has kept us in warm and rainy fall weather and I have loved it!

Draguignan

2011-11-07T14:20:00.000-08:00

The only view of Draguignan I got- out of the dressing room window!

Lille and back again

2011-11-07T14:18:00.000-08:00

Lille

Friday was a day off so I went back to Lille to get my bows from the shop. The guys at the shop like the show very much and had cds for us to sign. They were very nice and I wished I had more time to spend with them and in Lille, possibly my favorite town in France. We walked around the town for a couple of hours, made the obligatory stop to buy chocolate from Meert's and then got back on the train to Arras.

Dinner was at La Cave de Saveurs, the cave of flavors, located in the square adjacent to the Place des Héros. My dinner was a work of art and the dessert… well, I didn't get a picture of it before I ate it…..

La Cave de Saveurs with William, Jean Marc, Fran, and Marco

Anzin

2011-11-07T14:10:00.000-08:00

The gig in Anzin. Rehearsals for the new accapella with whistle and bodhran.

The theater was quite old. This being a small town, the audience was more than appreciative. The gig itself was uneventful, really, except for a wonderful wooden creature backstage. The pieces of wood were chosen so well that its face had a personality and its hind legs seemed to prance as only a horse can.

Highlights of Arras

2011-11-07T13:58:00.000-08:00

The street I took to get to the laundry. Only in France...

The square, Place des Héros- beautiful by day or night.


And the most amazing apple tart I have ever had. I needed help to finish it but we got 'er done!!

Based in Arras

2011-10-26T04:07:00.000-07:00

Don't say the title of this post too many times out loud...

This week, we are in one hotel. Happy days. Our gigs are all in the area and Arras is a wonderful place to start from each day. We know this place well having been here several times before. Our favorite Ibis is located in the center of town just off the town hall and belfry square and the Place des Héros where there is a market each morning, Wednesdays to Saturdays. Lavaries are close, shopping is plentiful, cafes and restaurants are fantastic.

This morning, took the train to Lille to drop two bows at a shop for rehairs. I am really missing my favorite bow rehair guy, Eric Swanson! But it is really neat to get to explore various towns for their luthiers. They always seem to be located in the oldest and most beautiful parts of town, go figure! I found JM Panhaleux Luthier on Google maps and was delighted when I saw the shop and met the gentlemen that run the place. The shop is located in an old building behind a big heavy door on a cobblestone street. Perfect. One of them even plays a bit of irish fiddle and will attend the show on Thursday.

Casino theater

2011-10-19T01:48:00.000-07:00

The lake run

2011-10-19T01:44:00.000-07:00

Some views of the lake and the walk to and from the hotel. Below our hotel, there is an arboretum, a gorgeous park with tall statuesque trees, herb gardens, flower gardens (which are still in bloom!), tennis courts, benches and a small creek running through it. The thermal baths for which Contrexeville is known are located here as well.

The lake on a misty morning

Some curious new friends

A wild flower patch near the lake

The Arboretum below the hotel

In the herb garden

Another curious creature along the road to the lake

Lac de la Folie

2011-10-19T00:57:00.000-07:00

I discovered my morning jog route using my reliable friend Google Maps. Where there is green, I run for it! In this case, I saw the blue and ran for that. Our hotel is where the "A" is and the lakes are in the northwest corner of the map.

We have had so many days off here that it is has been wonderful to have such a wonderfully peaceful place to walk and run everyday. The leaves are changing daily, the air still carries the warmth of summer at one moment and the chill of fall in the next and with every breeze you can hear chestnuts falling.

Contrexeville Casino and Hotel Cosmos

2011-10-17T03:19:00.000-07:00

Windows and doors

2011-10-16T01:21:00.000-07:00

Hotel window view in Contrexeville, France

Stage door, Lausanne, Switzerland

I realized today that I spend a lot of time looking out of windows and finding doors. Looking out to realize where we are and where we are going, looking outside to check the weather, looking out to recognize something, anything. Doors are the way back in. The door of the bus opens out and pulls aside to let us in every morning, after every rest stop, and every evening after the show. Stage doors have become my constant. Each day we arrive to a new venue and there is the inevitable and sometimes hilarious search for the right door. Dressing room doors mean a moment of quiet and solitude, something rare. Finding the right door is imperative. The right hotel room, the right dressing room, the right bathroom, the right theater. Little pictures of life, framed by windows and doors. Our life is full of them. The stage itself, the curtains, the proscenium box, all creates a frame through which we see our public and through which they see us.

Lausanne, Switzerland

2011-10-14T12:26:00.000-07:00

Another beautiful drive through the mountains and through several tunnels only to emerge in Switzerland. This country is just stunningly beautiful. No offense France, but it is!

Lausanne is the fourth largest city in Switzerland and is only a half and hour or so by train from Geneva. It is a very clean, vibrant city perched on a hill overlooking Lake Geneva. It is the international headquarters for the Olympics so you see the colorful olympic rings everywhere. More importantly, it is located in the middle of a wine region, the Jura mountains being just north-west of the city. (We were invited to a post-show reception for the donors and we were served the red and white wine of the region. Fabulous.)

The ferries launch from a town at the bottom of the hill called Ouchy. I thought this was funny, especially since every sign we saw for it also had the word "Maladiere" on it! We didn't get to see much of the city except for right around the theater. The bus couldn't get to the hotel very easily so there was a lot of time used just getting bags into the hotel and then down to the theater. The audience here was amazing as well, a packed house. They were somewhat reserved at first, typical of Swiss audiences in our experience but then they were on their feet at the end. A wonderful experience for us all.

I was able to take a long walk early this morning before we left and took some pictures with the iTouch. They are not great but actually capture the cold misty morning better than my other camera would have.

A modern building

Lake Geneva is in the distance

Vierzon

2011-10-14T12:13:00.000-07:00

Our next gug was in Vierzon, a tiny little town in the center of the country. The city is bisected by the Cher River (yes, Cher.) During World War II, the northern part was German occupied and the southern part was the French free zone and so half of the city was destroyed by Allies. Our hotel was right down in the center of town on the canal. Now, before you imagine some bustling mecca of commercial delights, think again.

That is our hotel, just to the left of the black light post near the center of the photo. This town was quaint enough but filled with a rather interesting medieval facial features. There are some old world genes rambling around these parts! And there were hundreds of young teenagers roving about in a not-so-comforting-sort-of-way as well, adding to the air of seediness. The people we met at the gig were absolutely wonderful though and it ended up being one of the best audiences we have ever played for.

We had a day off here and there some question as to how to fill a day in a place like this. Kieran wasn't feeling well so I rambled around on my own. There was a 12th century church in town so I thought I would go and check it out.

There was also a long canal with paths on each side so I was able to take a longish run as well. Loads of people use these canal paths to get into town for shopping and for pleasure walks and bicycle rides. I met a few dogs along the way which was nice. There are however swarms of little gnats that like the canal and trying to jog around the swarms is sometimes difficult unless you want to throw yourself in the water. I think I ingested about 240 million of the little buggers.... protein, eh? The only other danger is the falling chestnuts that seem to exist everywhere we have been in France so far. I have been hit in the head from falling ones and nearly took several diggers by running on them on the ground.

Below are some more pictures of the town. This part of town had some of the really old buildings left.

A chestnut in the park

The interior of our hotel

The hotel was filled with American posters.

Biarritz

2011-10-14T11:35:00.000-07:00

Biarritz to Vierzon to Lausanne, Switzerland

This first part of the tour, though a bit light with dates, seems to have already dissolved into a haze. We have had long drives and we are still in the midst of training new technicians so our sense of time, even what day it is, gets lost quickly. We have a new bus company as well. (The driver is young, VERY young, 23. He is quite good and is a safe driver so no worries there. But, yikes. Do you think I am officially old now?!?) The bus is brand new but has experienced a litany of issues and something new breaks each day. And of course the usual catering issues are ever-present, at times even worse than before. It might be some comfort that our little ship still plugs forward despite the many hassles. I have said it a million times but if it were not for the core group of dancers, musicians, and our stage manager, William, we could not do this. Someone remarked the other night that we were like a family and that is more true now than ever before.

We had played Biarritz before and recognized it immediately when we entered the town. Ger was even able to direct the bus driver to the theater as the SatNav refused to locate it. It was extremely warm, in the lower 80s I am guessing. The audience was great. We were really wishing we could have stayed there for a day off!

Fall tour 2011.. beginning again!

2011-10-12T13:53:00.000-07:00

We are beginning our fourth year with Celtic Legends. Can't believe it... And we are back in France. It is starting to feel more like home each time. Things seem more normal here than anywhere else for us.
Our first few dates took us here:

This tour consists of slightly smaller venues and towns which is nice because we will get to see some new places. I particularly like St. Marcel (Vernon) and the old houses perched on the hill.

The drives have been quite nice. I love this time of year when the trees are changing color and the fields become swaths of bright gold, browns in every shade and bright green. A (sometimes) artist's rendering:

And, yes, the french are brilliant at the auld straight tree line! They can't stop doing it...

Corsica

2011-10-12T06:41:00.000-07:00

A few shots from the last trip.

A Corsican dinner

My first pair of running shoes going in the bin. Over 300 miles on these puppies!!

Location of first Corsican dinner

Ferry in the harbor

Corsican water

Note the whiskey measures

View from the last hotel in Corsica

Gardens in Corsica

Napoleon memorial as backdrop for the show

Corsican ferry

The troupe waiting for the boat

View of France from the ferry

Margaree River Guest house

2011-10-12T05:58:00.000-07:00

We spent the last days in Cape Breton at a beautiful spot on the river, a bed and breakfast run by our dear friend, Mike Hilton. If you ever get a chance to go to Cape Breton, you MUST stay at the Margaree River Guest House. It is a stunning house and the property overlooks the valley and the beautiful teeming Margaree River.

Mike Hilton (pictured above) is a very generous proprietor and you will never forget this place.

Cape Breton summer

2011-10-12T04:34:00.000-07:00

Traveling, whether by plane, train or automobile, invariably puts one in contact with random people with whom sometimes the only common ground among us is the fact that we are all trying to get somewhere from somewhere. There is a lot to discover about the world and the people in it if you choose to find out. And then there are just times when you don’t want to know anything about anybody nor do you want anyone to know anything about you. And then there is the mundane but sometimes comforting middle ground when idle chit-chat happens just to pass the time. The conversation generally starts with “Where are you coming from?”. No one really cares about the answer because we are all coming from somewhere. But, when you are standing in line for the bus from Logan Airport to the parking lot and get to say “um, well, Mallorca”, it is kind of cool. This was the start of our vacation, Mallorca to Cape Breton via Paris and Boston.

We decided to park the car at the airport since the tour was really short and drive as far as we could towards Cape Breton, jet-lag and all. We noticed on our drive from Chicago to Portland a few weeks ago that we would break 200,000 miles on the car on this Cape Breton trip. It was as if the car knew this and we, and it, heaved our way to Bangor and collapsed for the night. The next day, we had the long but beautiful drive to Cape Breton. There is nothing like seeing the causeway for the first time in a year. By nighttime, we were safely ensconced at the Denney’s, playing cribbage and eating fish. Glorious.

We had a crib tournament with our favorite people in the Margaree Forks and Belle Cote area:

There were amazing sunsets nearly every night:

We heard music at the Southwest dance several times and at the Doryman and got to see Shelly Campbell, Andrea Beaton, Mike Hall, Allen Dewar, Kinnon and Betty Lou Beaton, and Colin Grant. A lot has changed in the years I have been coming up here. Jobs are scarce and many people have left for work out west but the culture is still strong here and who can deny that it is one of the most beautiful places on earth. Kieran and I took a drive around the Cabot Trail and went to White Point where Winston Scotty Fitzgerald was born and ate at the Keltic Lodge (Yes, this is the correct spelling!). The park views were stunning.

Las Tejas

2011-05-22T12:43:00.000-07:00

Trying to recreate my Ribeirao Preto experience of "insta-Googling somewhere to eat and hitting the jackpot", I did a quick search for a decent restaurant for our one and only night off. Fodor's listed this place, Las Tejas and true to the description, it was a hole in the wall down from the street and could be easily missed if you weren't looking for it.

The review said that we would get simple Peruvian food for middle of the road prices. We got so much more than that.

The pisco sours were perfect down to their milky white color and the drop of bitters on the top.

He has good reason to look so happy....

The waiter was funny and helpful. Kieran and Pat ordered the chicken with rice and vegetables. The chicken was perfectly grilled in the open air kitchen pictured here and the vegetables were plentiful and tasty. I ordered a fish soup, house specialty and a side of the vegetables. This was way too much food! The soup ended up being mostly octopus which I can handle but in much smaller doses. It does look kind of horrifying now that I see the picture.. The broth however was simply- our dear friend Mike Denney says it best- "bathable".

The best part was the accompanying selection of sauces, a chimichurri, no heat whatsoever, a green one made of cilantro and parsley and peppers that was a little bit spicy, a yellow one that was supposed to be a bit more spicy but had more of the sweetness of habaneros than anything else and a red hot one that Kieran and Pat devoured. Even the waiter was surprised that they finished it.

Lima, Peru

2011-05-21T15:41:00.000-07:00

I had no idea what to expect from Lima having little or no time to do any research about the place. We are quickly becoming passive travelers and I can see a time coming when we arrive somewhere with absolutely no idea where we are...and maybe why.....Yowza. Wake up, Liz.

Here are some views from the hotel and from the park along the cliffs at the ocean. Lima has nearly 9 million people in it but it certainly doesn't feel like it to us. Of course, as usual, our life is confined to the area around the hotel, the venue, which in this case, is a military facility in a heavily guarded area (don't ask) and whatever area we can get to by foot or by will and desire. Our hotel is in the Miraflores district which boasts the nightlife and restaurants. That's convenient, indeed.

The city was leveled in 1940 by an earthquake and and most of the city had to be rebuilt hence the modern look of the place. Most of the buildings are white- or gray-washed and do not have much architectural interest though I found a few that peaked my interest.

Running to the venue now. More later!!

Shrimp night in Natal

2011-05-17T09:59:00.000-07:00

Shrimp dinner night in Natal. We got a Thai shrimp dish that was out of this world. And I love the broccoli rice in this country. This dinner ended with a wade in the lukewarm ocean and few more caipirinhas. Ouch.

Crashing in Natal

2011-05-17T09:50:00.000-07:00

I forgot to post this... Our bus crashed into a car on the way to the gig. These people are crazy drivers!

We asked this guy if he could take us to the venue...

Drive to Recife, pitstop at a local buffet

2011-05-17T09:40:00.000-07:00

The drive to Recife was only about 2 hours and along the way, we had to stop for lunch. Antonia, our fearless logistics woman, was kind of worried that we would not be able to eat because of the types of towns were passing through on this journey. We had to stop in a small town along the ocean where there was only a local buffet place. Even the driver was mortified when we stopped. Little did they know that we couldn't have been happier! This was our first introduction to beans and rice. Fabulous.

Koh Pee Pee

2011-05-17T09:06:00.000-07:00

Though the name of this restaurant makes me want to say, "I have to go pee-pee", we were so excited to find this restaurant in Porto Alegre. We had a night off (after a long day of travel with delays) and arrived to the hotel after 9pm. We have begun to adopt the South American way of eating dinner at 10pm. Not great for having an early morning but worth it in other ways.

Koh Pee Pee

This place is not cheap but the food was amazing. We had a beef salad and chicken satay to start and rate among some of the best we have ever had. The beef salad could have been a little hotter (am I really saying this?!) but it had all the flavors that we have come to obsess about in Thai cuisine. Honestly, it was like one of Kieran's homemade versions and it took just as long to make. A good sign!
Pat and I shared a chicken stir fry with ginger, Kieran had the green curry and William had a shrimp and rice dish that was to die for. Sorry for the lack of pictures of the food. By the time we got the food, we dived in before anyone remembered to take pictures.

Ribeirao Preto

2011-05-17T08:24:00.000-07:00

Another city where we saw very little. The hotel was a tall building on the side of a steep hill with lots of construction in the surrounding area. I found a park at the bottom of the hill which was a nice discovery in this concrete jungle. The air quality was quite bad in general but still worth the walk. I also Googled a restaurant for lunch and found Laura's Restaurante, a restaurant in the typical lunch buffet style. Laura's is a modest place but really good.

These buffets are not like the American buffet experience which can range from horrible to okay. The Brazilians have this down. They offer fresh salad greens (pictured above are the most amazing arugula leaves I have ever had, spicy and fresh) and all kinds of fresh vegetables, sometimes sushi (this sounds frightening but is excellent quality), fish and other kinds of grilled meat, and the glorious, wonderful, nutritious rice and beans. Kieran, Pat, and I love the rice and beans. Most Brazilians kind of laugh at us for this because they consider it just normal home cooking. This is what we love!!!

Laura's was perfect. It was so good that I made a to-go box for dinner, having had one too many sweaty sandwiches for dinner at the venue.

The only view of Belo Horizonte

2011-05-15T07:35:00.000-07:00

On the way to the gig after getting to the airport at 1:30 for 3am flight, arriving to the hotel after 10am. The gig was in a venue inside a park in the city. This about all I remember.

There is great graffiti in this country...

But if you want to know more about what we didn't see, you can read more here.

Natal

2011-05-15T07:28:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Natal, tired and ready for a day off. Natal is on the eastern-most point of Brazil.

The hotel was located in Ponta Negra which was a beach cove just south of the city and one of the city's highlights. Natal is reported to be sunniest city in Brazil (3,000 hours of sunlight a year) but in the 2.5 days we were there, it managed to rain quite a bit as this is their rainy season. This was some relief, though not for long, because the heat was unbelievable. You can even see that in my first photos of the view from our hotel balcony that the camera started to fog up with the humidity.

Being outside was like living in someone's mouth. Yuck. I hate this kind of weather. The dancers ate it up and spent every waking minute at the beach. Fair play to them. Most of them had a day off and could enjoy it. Kieran and I and some of the dancers had interviews and TV spots to do throughout the day (Interviews booked throughout the day at the last minute= not a day off) so there wasn't much time to stay quiet for long. In between these engagements, I stayed out of the sun and heat as much as possible, living like a lizard, scampering between shady spots and air conditioning. My running/walking regime had to be modified too. Normally, running on the beach would be a fabulous idea but I just couldn't bear it. There was a small gym at the bottom of the hotel just around from the small pool out front. Luckily, it was slightly air conditioned. I think I sweat more getting from the front door of the hotel to the gym than in the gym itself. Kieran and I had a few walks late at night down by the beach. It was much more pleasant after dark but still ridiculously hot. One night, coming back from a wonderful dinner at Camarao, a famous shrimp restaurant in Natal, we even took a stroll straight into the sea. The water was lukewarm, not in the least refreshing, but it took the edge off.

Natal is a city of less than a million people and is supposedly one of the safest capital cities in Brazil. Maybe the heat has something to do with it. I can't imagine anyone committing a crime that would require that they run for it in this heat! Natal reminds me of parts of Florida and other southern beach climes in the US. The architecture is mostly concrete and very basic, ie. easy to clean, an absence of soft coverings or anything that would have difficulty drying out in this humidity and everything has a slightly dingy feel to it. There is an active beach community with beach bums, surfers, tourists, and lots of little merchandisers selling hats, bikinis, water, flip-flops, turtles made out of glass and rock and other little trinkets. And along the beach, there are roving salesmen and women selling everything from sun tan lotion to beer out of homemade carts. Life kind of stops here during the day and comes back alive at night after the sun has gone down. The people, as in most places we have been, were wonderful to us. The dancers found two young lads on the beach who stayed with them all day, teaching them dances and selling them endless amounts of beer. (It might have been the latter than kept them there but the former that made it all worth it.)

Elevator PR

2011-05-14T08:25:00.000-07:00

Random pics from Brazil

2011-05-12T12:29:00.000-07:00

This leg of the tour has been incredibly difficult. The scheduling is such that we have been playing a show every night in a different city- cities that are not an easy drive away. We have already had 7 flights in 10 days and as many gigs and we have a few hard days ahead of us still. We missed an entire night of sleep getting to Belo Horizonte, one of the first shows in Brazil, because we had to catch a flight at 3am and it has been a whirlwind since then. Internet has been spotty in some of the not-so-nice hotels and the time to use it has been next to none. So, needless to say, the blog writing has gone by the wayside. I can't even remember where we have been much less what it looks like! Here are a few pictures from the few views we have gotten along the way.

We have had only a few bus drives which is a real bummer considering that this is the only way we get to see anything in this country. Below are some views from the drive from Sao Paulo to Santos. Lots of winding roads up the mountains and down again into the beach town of Santos.

We had a gorgeous view from our hotel. Alas, time only to take this picture and run to the theater!

View from the drive back to Sao Paulo at 6am. I desperately wanted to sleep but this was too gorgeous to miss.

Sao Paulo, Brazil

2011-05-05T12:20:00.000-07:00

We left Santiago at 5am on Monday and arrived in Sao Paolo after a three hour flight. Unfortunately, I had a middle seat over the wing so I have no photos from the plane. It is decidedly more humid and warm here. Our hotel is a considerable distance from the city center but it is hard to tell what the center is as Sao Paolo is massive. It is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the western and southern hemispheres and is one of the five largest metropolitan areas in the world... that is, on the planet! I must say that our first views of it this time only brought one thought to mind: China. The amount of construction needed to support this massive population is staggering. You have a real sense that people inhabit what space they can and that city planning as a concept is something that is optional. Our hotel is along a strip of hotels near a big mall and a scattering of furniture shops, car dealers and restaurants (that were all being renovated or closed) and across the busy street is a huge park. This is an oasis amongst all of this rubble and ramshackle development. After visiting the "fitness spa" on the 14th floor- a generous way of describing what was simply three broken down machines in a small room with an open shower- I looked down on the park and saw a few women running on their own so I ventured out. The 14th floor was good for something, a great view:

Some random views of Santiago

2011-05-02T01:00:00.000-07:00

View of downtown

Tree in a park with the largest root system I have ever seen...

The famous Pisco Sours!!!

First views of Chile

2011-04-28T13:52:00.000-07:00

From the plane, landing in Santiago, Chile.

Day off in Locarno

2011-04-23T03:01:00.000-07:00

Locarno is another Swiss town on a lake about 45 minutes from Lugano. Kieran and I had a lovely day walking around the town.

Still feeling a bit peaked but not willing to stay inside and miss seeing this place, we headed out for the day. We had lunch with Jean Marc at a cafe in the Grand Piazza and then went for a walk around the town.

We saw the old city:

What is the guy on the right grabbing?....

And the Castello Visconteo that was most likely designed by DaVinci:

There was a small train that you could take up to the Madonna del Sasso in Orelina

and from there, a cable car to the top of the mountain, a place called Cardada.

At the top, we walked through the woods a bit and took in the view. Incredible. You could keep going and take a ski lift to the top of the next mountain, but we opted not to go any further.

After taking the heart-stopper trip down again, we decided to take a pass on the train and walk the rest of the way down. This was a very steep stone path going down.

Switzerland

2011-04-23T02:13:00.000-07:00

After two nights in Divonne, we headed on to Lugano, Switzerland. It during this drive that I had one of my typical tour moments of “wow, I had no idea we were going to spend the next 4 days in Switzerland”. Sometimes you just stop reading itineraries..

These few days in Switzerland were incredible. The drive to Lugano was absolutely stunning. (I need to find some new adjectives...) I think I will have to see the Himalayas to beat these mountains. I am sure that the pictures do not do it justice. The trip took us on highways that coiled around the foot of these mountains but also dipped in and under them, through long tunnels, the longest of which was 20km. Each time we emerged, there was a new beautiful sight to see. Even the sleepy dancers were awake to see this. Little villages and vineyards spread out on the aprons of the massive mountains and we were constantly amazed at how far up they can farm. Some of the vineyards seemed to hang straight down off the sides of the cliffs.

Arriving in Lugano, a ridiculously beautiful town on a lake that seems to drip of wealth, we discovered that our crew had gotten lost the night before and arrived at 6am and that the local crew had done no work and were not ready for us at 5pm. There was a gorgeous public park with one flower garden more beautiful than the next and amazing views of the lake and mountains so we all took walks to wait for the stage to be ready.

The language here is Italian, another little fact I should have checked into before arriving here. But, everyone seems to speak English so we were not completely lost. My mouth was watering at the restaurants along the water and so you can imagine our disgust when we returned to the theater to do sound check and saw what was on offer for catering. It was dismal. A few slices of terrible white bread and some cheese and ham.. oh and a plate or two of potato chips. When we asked about the vegetables on the rider, they ran out and got a few carrots and cucumbers. After slicing some of them up and watching people gobble them up, they began to make carrot shavings and cucumber sticks so that they could stretch out the few bits they had. Despite the backstage issues, the show was great. The audience was fantastic, even better than French audiences! We sold a ton of cds and got to talk to some of the people at the show who were gushing with compliments. This made us feel really good.

Divonne les Bains

2011-04-23T01:52:00.000-07:00

We have just finished the second leg of this tour (France and Switzerland) and day after tomorrow, we will be in Chile to start the third leg. The last few weeks have been quite a blur. Between being under the weather for about three weeks now and a rigorous schedule, there wasn't a lot of time or energy to do daily updates.

We had some interesting gigs and some respite from the constant moving from hotel to hotel every day. Let's see... the highlights....

We played a casino in Divonne les Bains.

The audience was fantastic and, as you can imagine, the staff at the casino loved us. (Why wouldn't they love a bunch of young beautiful dancers with money to burn and a tendency to stay up all night?!) The venue was something in between a massive tent and a semi-permanent structure with glass all around the perimeter and a white curtains to shade the light from the outside. Inside, the interior was hung with black fabric and several elaborate chandeliers hung from the ceiling.

There were a few issues with our rider including a tiny backstage with barely room for three people to change much less 20 and no run-around for the dancers to get from one side of the stage to the other behind the band. I do think that the half-dressed dancers that were smoking outside in full view of the audience before the gig helped to sell a few tickets…

The casino itself was housed in what looked like a very old grand hotel and in fact, the hotel is called the Grand Hotel. It is quite large with many long tall hallways with various restaurants, a small hotel bar (fabulous and cozy), and many plush seating areas in which to sit and have a chat. It felt like the kind of place that you might happen upon a movie star.. In fact, Kieran swears he saw Prince in the ballroom behind reception..

The rooms were gorgeous, decorated with golden curtains against earthy walls, a bed with enough pillows to drown in, and tall windowed doors that opened to a balcony overlooking the patio and garden.

I was in heaven. I have been fighting this throat infection (or whatever the hell it is) and the fact that the bathroom had a massive tub was not wasted on me! (I should add that these bathrooms had not one but two sinks. Marriage is just easier with two sinks...) Down in the bowels of the hotel, there was a grotto-like room with a sauna and whirlpool and a small gym so I made a point of sweating it out for a couple of hours in the gym and then took a long bath. All of our meals were provided by the casino but Kieran and I decided to take lunch in the town. There wasn’t much there except for a few high-end shops. We ended up eating at a place just in front of the casino. The food was great but the waitresses were as slow as molasses going uphill on a January morning... Two hours later....Kieran was nee pleased.

Ibis Berthier

2011-04-14T04:34:00.000-07:00

Our beloved Ibis Berthier is going through a major renovation. They have removed the large drive up to the hotel and put in a temporary outdoor staircase and behind the hotel, where there used to be a scrappy empty lot beside the train tracks, they have put in a modern park with a skateboard area, play place for children, a pond with ducks and rather rigid straight pathways.

I wouldn’t call it a comfortable park- yet- but maybe when the trees grow a bit taller, it will feel a little less barren. This whole area is going through a bit of a transformation. It has always had a refreshingly cross-cultural bent to it and at times, it has felt a bit edgy but there seems to be move to revitalize this area with all the building going on and new hip and trendy shops popping up here and there.

4.3 Toulouse

2011-04-14T04:25:00.000-07:00

Our last gig with Katie, Pat and Finn. We will miss them!!

The next day.....
I took a walk in the morning and saw this floating in the river and couldn't help but chuckle...

3.31 Le Mans

2011-04-14T04:12:00.000-07:00

We arrived to the venue located in an area of town with really small streets on a steep hill. The bus had quite a hard time getting to it but we were so early that it didn’t matter. By the time we finished the sound check, the pipers had already arrived and started warming up, and because the place was so small, we had to get the hell out of the place for fear of losing our hearing or at least some of our minds. Those bombards are loud!! On the bus on the way in to town, we saw an old city perched on the top of the highest hill so we went in search of it.

This was a really neat place, the tall stone buildings hovering closely over the small streets. It felt almost ominous, certainly helped by the overcast skies and chilly breeze and it was so very quiet, not a soul in sight except for the odd tourist. This city was first mentioned by Ptolemy and still has remnants of a 3^rd century amphitheater. It still has the original Gallo-Roman walls surrounding the city and is the birthplace of Henry II of England. Today, Le Mans is most famous for the 24-hour car race, one of the oldest endurance races in the world.

Try and find the scary teddy bear in the window. This was weird.

3.30 Lille

2011-04-14T03:12:00.000-07:00

This sums up Lille for us… one of our favorite cities but we are not here for long and we are all tired. (Don't worry, I removed the laptop from Pat's lap before it went crashing to the ground...)

We played the same venue, the Zenith, and the audience was fabulous, as always. I went for a walk the next morning, early, just to see some of our regular haunts, the opera house, the beautiful Meert chocolatier, the winding cobblestone streets that wander into various large squares, shops lining the perimeters. Alas, it was raining hard so no pictures and a good soaking.

Park in Paris

2011-04-08T03:03:00.000-07:00

We love staying at the Ibis Berthier in Paris because of its proximity to laundry, coffee, cafes and the subway. It is only four or so stops from the center of Paris or you can walk to Notredame in less than an hour. We know the area around the hotel quite well but this time decided to venture in and around the side streets. This little park was nestled in an up and coming neighborhood that I could imagine living in... tomorrow.. They really have the park design thing down here. The pathway through the park meanders, always giving you a different view from each curve and turn. There are multiple ways to get from one end to the other and the paths are varied, some paved, some gravel, some grassy, that wind over bridges and under trees. The flowers and trees were in full bloom and the place was filled with the sound of french children playing.

Life in....

2011-04-08T02:50:00.000-07:00

Dinner at Au Chien Jaune

2011-04-08T02:47:00.000-07:00

Just to the right of the theater is this cute little restaurant, The Yellow Dog. We have eaten here before and decided to bring Pat to share the experience or as William would say, "share a moment!"

I will let the pictures tell you the story of the night...

I must say a word about this dessert. Yes, I did order this and yes, this is a one person serving. Wow. This would not be found in the Weight Watchers guidebook for fear that it would top the charts for the most amount of points possible in one sitting- profiteroles. This was a massive plate, filled with a sea of the finest chocolate with little islands of pastry filled with heavenly fat-filled-no-apologies-vanilla-ice-cream and more chocolate over the top. I was able to eat one of these islands. Positively heavenly.

Tours

2011-04-08T02:14:00.000-07:00

One of our favorite cities. And we were housed in a great location, the Ibis beside the train station. This was our first real day off in a month that didn't involve hours and hours of travel. A day in one place with nowhere to go. Shocking. What to do?!!?

I was able to do laundry (15 minutes walk) and have a morning to myself (a rare and wonderful occurrence). It was supposed to rain all day but other than a little mist this morning, it cleared up and turned in to a gorgeous day. I took a walk around to the cathedral and along the river and then met Kieran and Pat in the old city. In order to get to the cathedral, you must walk right by the venue where we will play tomorrow night.

Then you walk down a small street into the heart of the restaurant quarter in Tours and around to the Beaux Arts Museum (unfortunately not open today). The gates were open though and inside the courtyard, there stands a massive cedar tree that was planted in 1804.

Its mammoth trunk is the width of a car and its long and heavy branches snake out from under the canopy, some so heavy that they have had to be supported by wooden stakes.

Behind this courtyard is a beautiful garden with spring flowers and manicured topiaries.

The cathedral is wonderful. I must say, I am getting a bit jaded, now having seen so many cathedrals in France. I, at times, have to force myself to pay attention to the distinguishing details of each one so that I don’t completely lose the ability to be amazed and awed by their splendor. This one has an incredible collection of stained glass windows and they have done a beautiful job of rejuvenating the paintings on the walls.

I then walked to the old city to meet Kieran and Pat. This square is the heart of Tours and is walled in by medieval buildings. And if that wasn't fantasy enough, we sat at a cafe that was playing cds of Edith Piaf. It was one of those "COME ON!!!" moments, like someone somewhere was staging this for our benefit. Ridiculous.

Strassbourg walk

2011-04-08T01:16:00.000-07:00

Kieran and Pat and I went for a small walk after arriving to our B&B (all together now, “ in the middle of nowh…..”). The hotel was located on a busy street that had small pockets of neighborhoods tucked in behind various commercial buildings. From the bus, we saw a small canal with a pathway beside it but we didn’t know how to access it from the hotel. I get so happy these days when I see a straight-away path along some body of water. Sometimes, it’s the small things….

Strassbourg

2011-04-08T01:08:00.000-07:00

This was our last gig with the pipe band Bagad Avel Mor. One of the biggest personalities of the band, Alain, was so full of life, always happy to see us, always excited about the gig and up for fun. Our company has often been accused of being too loud in hotels in France. Compared to this band, we look like teetotalers.

Me with Mathieu

There were a few young kids in the band as well who were an absolute delight.

3.25.11 Nantes to Caen

2011-04-07T11:14:00.000-07:00

Obviously, the gig in Nantes was uneventful and mostly unremarkable, as I have no memory of even what the venue looks like much less how the gig went. This is a rather disturbing occurrence on these tours or maybe it is the signs of early senility brought on by too much traveling. In any case, no offense to Nantes but there is little to say.

Another four hours drive to Caen. We had an 11:30am check out and an immediate stop in a commercial center for lunch. This kind of stop suits the needs of everyone in that there is a grocery store as well as restaurants and other kinds of shopping. We had an hour and fifteen minutes so Kieran, Pat and I went looking for a proper lunch. Luckily, this was the typical French “mall” and it had a Creperie. Pat has never had the delights of a galette and we thought it was time to share it with him. My favorite galette (this is a rather large round wheat-based, more often than not, buckwheat, crepe with any number of fillings, savory or sweet, with the corners folded down to make a square) is an egg galette with a green salad. The egg is cooked right in the crepe on the grill and the salad is put on top once the corners are folded in. If you really want to go the whole way, you order a traditional cider, or cidre, which is not like Irish cider. It is quite tart and fermented tasting, incredibly refreshing and a delicious combo with the buckwheat crepe. Heaven. Pat, who would not have tried this a year ago, loved it.

We arrived in Caen to our Campanile hotel on the outskirts of town. Kieran and I went for a walk and discovered that this town has quite a number of really old homes as well as brand-new construction, all jumbled together in a rather disturbing way. There was a huge estate just off the first round-a-bout near the hotel and it seemed so out of place, though it was clearly there before everything else, in the middle of this housing development and highway nearby. I chose to only take pictures of the old parts...

Upon arriving to the theater, I remembered it immediately when I saw our big red dressing room. I love this room. A little bit of glamour goes a long way for me these days! Sound check took all of 8 minutes and then off to dinner. Catering was limited but good: salads, cheeses, French bread, and a shepherd’s pie thing for dinner. I had the main course and it was the best comfort food in the world. We spent our few hours between dinner and the gig running through the new material for the show we did in the fall. There will be no time to rehearse the new show at the end of this tour. We are doing the last Dances gig and the next day, we start the new show. This is shocking enough for those of us who have done the new show already but we have two new band members coming in as well. This will be interesting….

The next morning, though we were leaving at 8, I decided to go running anyway because we had a very long bus journey ahead of us and possibly no time for any activity. Instead of heading into the town where Kieran and I walked, I went the other way across the bridge and ended up on a misty horse path behind a housing development. It was a bit eery to say the least at this time of the morning, and thoughts of mass murders, rapists and thieves crept into my over-active drama-queen brain until I saw a figure up ahead. I was pretty sure this was my assailant diving into the bushes to wait for me until I realized it was Pat. We both said hello and started jogging in the same direction until we came to a tunnel. He said that he had already been here and decided to turn back halfway in the tunnel because he was…. well, scared. Ha ha!! We headed back in the tunnel, strength in numbers, right? It was an absolutely beautiful run. These paths snaked through trees, alongside a small crystal-clear creek and back around under the highway, well worth the small bit of invented fear.

Now, I am sitting on the bus, trying to wake up my ass as it fell asleep about 145km ago, writing this, knowing that I will not be able to post this until much later. There is no internet at the theater and we are in a B&B tonight so who knows how much I will be able to post tonight. It is now raining and hazy outside. Half the dancers are asleep, the other half are sharing headphone splitters and watching movies. Someone tried to play “Hating Sara Marshall” on the big tv but the DVD was so scratched that it kept stopping so we finally ejected it. There are small miracles….

3.24.11 Lyon to Nantes

2011-04-07T11:10:00.000-07:00

We were up early for an 8 hour drive Nantes and a gig. This is by far the hardest week for travel and work and we still have not had a proper day off since we left the United States. Weary, party of 21…..

I chose not to get up early and run/walk in our lovely prostitute-filled neighborhood, though the river walks are lovely in Lyon, and instead walked on the bus breaks and lunch break. I had a pathetic chicken (can we really call it chicken?) salad on the bus. It was unusually warm- we thought at least 70 degrees- and everyone was photosynthesizing outside as much as possible when not cooped up on our very uncomfortable tin can of a bus. I don’t know what it is about this bus but it is a back-breaker....

3.23.11 Lyon

2011-04-07T11:09:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite cities in the world and all have to show for it this time around is a photo on the way in and a photo on the way out, a slightly bitter reminder that we are definitely not tourists here. We caught glimpses of the familiar sights, each with happy memories attached: the river bridges and barges, the roman amphitheater on the hills overlooking the city, and the Brasserie George. Lyon feels like a slightly dirty city but it teems with life. I am not sure if it is the way the city is nestled under these hills or the fact that it is divided by rivers but the light here always seems different than in any other place in France. There are long expanses of ornate buildings along the banks and almost glow in the evening sunset. Walking down any street, not that we got to do that this time around, you will see every shape and color of person imaginable. It is one of the things I love most about this place. It is quite a colorful place, indeed, when you consider that on our way into the city to the hotel, we were slowed by police monitoring seat belt usage, this while standing next to a gaggle of prostitutes exhibiting their wares and services openly.

We played the Bourse du Travail theater located on the right bank of the city.

It is a small venue for our production when we travel alone and seems even smaller with this production. It is in a part of the city where the streets seem to shrink. Our bus could not even get to the theater down these small bustling streets so we had to walk to the venue. Inside, the building has the same congested feeling with small dressing rooms up a tower of stairs and no back stage area to speak of. Between our cast and the pipe bands, we were like a teeming ants’ nest, little workers crawling over each other. The audience was great and we really enjoyed ourselves once we were on stage. I have always said that the one time I get to relax and be alone is on stage and at this theater, it is even more true! After the gig, we had to pile onto to the pipe band’s bus since our driver had to rest for our all day journey tomorrow. It was quite funny to see their reaction when they dropped us off in our red light district hotel. Ah, we get all the glamorous hotels… mind you, this one was quite nice on the inside….

3.21.11 Day off, drive to Montpellier

2011-04-07T10:57:00.000-07:00

9 hours drive to Montpellier. An absolutely gorgeous day, it is just a shame that we are spending it on a bus. The first four hours were spent in sleepy silence and then a lunch stop and four hours more. The lunch stop was at a place near Volcania, a rather bizarre theme park based on volcanoes, located in Saint-Ours-les-Roches, Auvergne. The view from the rest stop was incredible.

We also drove over the Millau-Viaduct Bridge, the tallest road land bridge in the world!

We arrived to Montpellier around 6:30pm. The marks of the south of France are the terracotta roofs, palm trees and the baked light brown dirt under the mostly scrappy landscape. As per usual, our hotel (an Ibis, thankfully) was located on the outskirts in a commercial area. Pat and I took a long walk to see what was around and, by accident, found a canal with landscaped paths on both sides that stretched for quite some distance. The architecture was not exactly memorable. There were American-looking office buildings on both sides and some restaurant complexes filled with chain restaurants, but the water was a teal green and there were patches of green grass and ducks swimming which gave us some hope of a nice walk. The old city stretched behind the restaurant complex but we stayed on the walk by the canal just to see how far it went. Kieran did the same walk the next morning while I jogged next to him and it was even more glorious in the morning light.

Just out of the hotel... not promising

There is something up ahead....

And now the canal!

Kayak classes

View from one of the bridges

We had another FNAC showcase in the afternoon but for a few moments in the morning I felt as if I were on a day off and it was delicious until reality set in. These showcases are great for the few people that just happen to be in the store but in reality, I think they are a waste of time and they certainly do not contribute to an increase in cd sales or ticket sales. However, the staff is always very nice and like I said, the audience, however small, always appreciates it so it is not all bad. We took cabs to the venue for the sound check. There was a mad game of soccer in the parking lot. Unfortunately, I was dressed only for the showcase and couldn’t participate. I won’t forget the shoes next time! Catering was served by the same people that gave us a Thanksgiving dinner last year. Aidan, one of the cooks, who is from Limerick, was happy to see us again as were we to see him. As it turns out, he is originally from a place within minutes of Cathall’s house. Weird small world, indeed.

The gig was great. The audience was one of the best we have had. After having a few drinks and laughs with the pipe band at one of the hotels last week, we are on more familiar terms with the other artists and backstage is a bustling happy place. This is a really fun and easy show and all of the people involved are genuinely enjoying the experience. It gives us more seasoned (subtext: “jaded”) travelers something to aspire to or at the very least, something for which to take note. Most of these people are still working their day jobs before coming out for the show and they are just so happy to be a part of the experience and get to do this spectacle every night.

Back to the hotel after the show and a few glasses of wine and then to bed. Kieran and I decided to do the walk (jog) again and get a small load of laundry done. It was so sunny and beautiful, we ended up staying out for nearly two hours. We loaded the bus at check-out and went for lunch before leaving. We are now on the bus for 4 hours and will go straight to the Lyon venue.

3.20.11 Paris Olympia

2011-04-07T03:10:00.000-07:00

I was extremely tired after the last few days and Kieran graciously offered to get up and do the laundry at some ridiculously early hour. He is a saint.

We stayed in the B&B at Porte Villette, our old stomping grounds. Not as nice as being at the Ibis Bertier but we don’t have much time here anyway so it doesn’t really matter. We wish could go to the Rolling Stone, one of our favorite restaurants in the area, but the schedule doesn’t allow for it. We walked to the open market next to the hotel.

The smells of fish and vegetables were only overwhelmed by the sounds of the vendors yelling prices to passing customers. Fantastic.

We were bussed in to Paris for a noon sound check.

These gigs at the Olympia are always great. The Parisian audiences are fantastic and loud. Kieran can even say that he sang on the Olympia stage. It was Katie’s birthday and he made the usual announcement at the end of the show and began the sing-a-long. Love it!

And, let’s face it, Paris in spring is something everyone should see, at least once. Before our part of the first show and between shows, we had some time to walk around. It was lovely spring day with lots of people roaming about, shopping, sitting at cafes, chatting, watching, strolling. Absolutely gorgeous.

After the show, we all ended up at a tiny little café bar across from the stage door.

on the way to Limoges, lunch stop in Rossignol

2011-04-07T02:51:00.000-07:00

I wish we had more time here. This little town in the middle of nowhere was just what an American wants out of a little French town. A river running through it, stone buildings lining the cobblestone streets and people out and about, sitting at cafes and shopping.

Pat and I found a little hotel restaurant that was serving lunch.

As it turned out, William, Jean Marc and the rest of the producer’s crew had found it as well so we sat at the table next to them. As we all know, Pat does not have a great grasp of French pronunciation still and he cracked us all up by leaning back to ask Jean Marc what the “nickozey thon” was… it was nicoise thon, pronounced “niswaz tun”.

Jean Marc, to this day, breaks out in laughter at random times on the bus when he looks at Pat. Hilarious.

3.18.11 Limoges

2011-04-07T02:38:00.000-07:00

We played the Zenith in Limoges, another spaceship type venue.

Catering was superb. Pork and lovely salads.

Went for a long walk in the rain.

The next morning, I went for a walk around our B&B in, you guessed it, the commercial park. There was nothing around other than office parks until I ran into the Haviland Factory. Somehow I thought this would be so much more glamorous, with manicured gardens in front and a butler to meet you at the door. Well... guess not..

3.17.11 Roanne to Clermont Ferrand

2011-04-07T02:32:00.000-07:00

Just got on the bus for our daily drive. It is not too bad today, only a couple of hours. It is a soft misty day which was perfect for a jog/walk this morning against the backdrop of cattle farms. Another good reason for regular walks: getting out of the crappy hotels. Our hotel experience did not improve overnight- apparently I was being unreasonable when I asked for another towel in addition to the single miniature hand towel provided - and I was only too happy to get out of it this morning. Just behind our scrappy little hovel, there is a pretty little church at the top of the hill and behind it, farms with green hills and stoic cows watching in their way.

We played Roanne last night and Annecy the night before. These places had great audiences, our best yet on this tour. I am still amazed that these audiences sit through what is nearly a three hour show and are still so enthusiastic at the end. The appreciation for live entertainment is not something we are used to seeing in the United States. My affection for French audiences grows by the day!

The drive to Clermont Ferrand (William's hometown!) wasn't very long and we arrived in time for lunch. Just across from our hotel, there was a triangular building with a bar and restaurant in the front that looked a bit drab from the outside but also had the look of a diamond-in-the-rough-locals’-place, so we tried it for lunch.

Le Petit Caillou (“the little stone”) was in fact a locals’ favorite and had a reputation for great food. It was a bar in the late 1800’s and still had that old world feeling inside. Upon entering the side door, there was a small bar set into the wall. Behind it was a small dining area and kitchen. We had an absolutely gorgeous lunch. There was a limited menu, two or three options for entrees and two options for the main course, turkey or tongue. I chose a salad for starter and the main course that wasn’t going to taste me back… I realized instantly that I made a serious error. “Oeuf meurette”, the starter that William recommended but I refused, is a small ramekin filed with a shallot and red wine sauce and a floating egg in the middle. You dip a little bread in the sauce and egg and, I don’t know, think that maybe life can now be happier, more fulfilling and certainly more complete? I do not have the words for how incredible this was. The reason I know this is that when it arrived in front of him, half the table was glaring hungrily at the tiny little ramekin and he let us all taste it. A very generous act indeed. The waitress who took my order and gave me a little face when I changed my order from the oeuf to the salad, gave me another look of “I told you so”. No need for translation here..

The main courses were served family style. The turkey was unlike any turkey I have ever had. It was falling off the bone and in a broth that was to die for. The tongue, though, I was a bit horrified at the thought, even looked good. Pat, also trying to be conscientious of what he was eating, asked that the sauce on the tongue be put on the side, a request that sends all French waiters and waitresses into shock and disgust. To separate a main course from its sauce is a “gastronomique” sin and obviously should be punishable by thin-lipped looks for the rest of the meal. Pat was trying to avoid the cream sauce factor but it turned out that the tongue actually came with a brothy tomato herb sauce that looked and smelled good enough to eat on its own as a soup. I wish I had a picture of the waitress’s face when she saw him pour the sauce on the tongue after all of that. If her eyes shot daggers, his back would look like a well-used dart board.

Despite our faux pas, the waitress warmed to us- possibly because we drank several bottles of their best wine. The owner, who was tending bar, came over to chat as well and we ended up inviting them to the show that night. Kieran announced them from the stage to great applause. The next morning, we had a coffee there and the proprietress gave us a complimentary bottle of wine with a message written on it, thanking us for the show and the mention. In and among the sometimes drab grayness of bad hotels, commercial parks and the monotony of our grueling schedules, the possibility of experiences like these is enough to keep me coming back over and over again.

The owner, Kieran and William

Roanne

2011-04-07T02:24:00.000-07:00

We arrived to a pretty shitty hotel, Helioz and realized that this was the same hotel used by the Campanile on the last tour to house some of our cast as there were renovations going on in the first hotel. This hotel manager was a complete nightmare (subtext: ass) and was horrible to the dancers if I remember correctly. Even the very façade makes one think that this is a place where people go to commit suicide. The chipping yellow plaster exterior, the austere rooms with a concave bed that appears to be shrinking when you look at it, the slightly tilted bedside ledges and the bathroom, reminiscent of a port-a-potty, toilet, sink and shower made out of the same material. There is even a depressing little pool at the front entrance. It sits there maybe trying to be a reminder of some lost luxury but in reality, it just leaves you more depressed than ever.

I don’t remember much about the gig. The days and venues are starting to fade into one another. As much as I try to keep them straight by keeping notes on various details about each place, I am still falling behind and then have to spend an hour here and there comparing itineraries and dates on pictures to find out where we have been. When we ask each other about where we were in the last few days, the questions usually begin with, “do you remember that venue where the catering was upstairs behind the red door?” So, if I talk about food more than the gig itself, it is only because our moveable feast is the only thing that distinguishes one place from the next.

3.16.11 Annecy

2011-03-26T23:12:00.000-07:00

As you saw in the last post, the commercial park itself is rather unsightly but the mountains behind are pretty spectacular. I am not sure which direction it is but Switzerland is there somewhere. There is a little neighborhood behind us called Argonnay and housed dot the hillside going up and up. Today was rainy but warmish so we walked the hill.

The architecture here leans toward the "alpine" style for sure.

3.15.11 Day off on the bus, Rouen to Annecy

2011-03-26T10:23:00.000-07:00

I felt very sore from running the night before so I walked on every stop on the long drive. It was quite warm and sunny. Wonderful to let go of winter!!

After 8 hours on the bus only to discover that we were yet again housed in a commercial park near nothing.

The driver (a new driver, the boss, in fact, of the bus company and already he has hit several inanimate objects... we are somewhat concerned) kindly agreed to take us into Annecy for dinner and pick us up again. We walked and walked and found a small place to eat along a small canal.

It was not the gastronomique experience we were looking for but it was really good and certainly far better than the pizza options around the hotel.

Jean Marc

Pat Broaders, hungry....

Katie Else

My scallop dinner

Kieran's dinner

A few musician shots at a venue

2011-03-22T11:47:00.004-07:00

This is what we do after doing soundcheck.

Katie Else at her iPad (lucky woman...)

Pat Broaders, sleeping


Finn and Cathall talking over Angry Birds

The girls' table.....

Champniers, March 11

2011-03-22T11:34:00.000-07:00

Our day off and we have a three hour drive to Angouléme. We are staying in a Kyriad ("A" in the map above) just outside of Angouléme, where we will play tomorrow night. Pat and I decided to explore and find a route for running/walking and discovered the way to Champniers, a small town Kieran found on the map. Other than this little town, there is not much here but large wide open expanses of fields and farms.

A few pictures on the way to Champniers, a little neighborhood called Les Rossignols.

Spring is here!

Someone's garden. Love this.


The view down into Champniers.

Champniers, main square

Town hall


Church. Fantastic facade.

The interior of this church was quite cold compared to the warm spring weather outside.

Back to the Futuroscope

2011-03-16T13:21:00.000-07:00

We played the Futuroscope in Poitiers again- I think this makes the third or fourth time. Our hotel is across the street from it and Pat and I walked over to do our morning hike. This is view from our hotel.

And from the walkway under the highway.

We are finally feeling some spring weather. After the snow in Ireland, Chicago, and Portland for the last two months, it is wonderful to see green grass and feel the warmth of the sun on our faces.

And, just to give us a bit more life to add to the bursting of spring, this is what we saw on the way home to the hotel.

I nearly stepped on this "stick" when I realized that it was a long, nearly 10 foot chain of caterpillars, attached head to tail, writhing slowly across the sidewalk.

They seemed completely oblivious to us, and thankfully so since I nearly wiped out a foot of them with my foot...

3.10.11 Reims to Bressuire

2011-03-12T06:56:00.000-08:00

After a few stragglers this morning, we left over 15 minutes late for our long travel day. We had the obligatory lunch stop at a truck stop and then on to Bressuire which is a smallish town slightly southeast of Nante. We have played this venue before as well (it is rare anymore that we play a venue I have not seen- maybe we have been here too long!) and it is located outside of town in a small commercial park along with a hotel, a restaurant, and bowling alley.

Due to someone’s brilliant planning, we couldn’t leave the venue after the show until 1am as our bus driver was required to stop for 9 hours rest between long drives. So, what to do but go to the bowling alley?!

After two hours on the road, we arrived at a Kyriad hotel in Angoleme, or at least the outskirts of it. We had the evening off so Pat, Kieran and I went wandering on a walk even though Pat and I had already done a walk that morning along the canal in Reims. We found a long loop off the highway, north of Angouleme where we are playing tomorrow night, through a little village called Les Rossignols, and down a long hill into a small town called Champniers and back to the hotel.

It was about an hour and 10 minutes walk and with the unusually warm and sunny day, it made for a delightful late afternoon. We decided to eat dinner at the restaurant next door and it was fabulous. When would you ever get this in America, a two-star hotel on the side of a highway with a fabulous gourmet restaurant next door?!

View of our hotel along the motorway

One little perk at the hotel was that it was laid out like a horseshoe with our rooms located down two arms creating a courtyard in the middle. All of our rooms opened out to a green grassy area and under one of the trees was a cage with two rabbits- the cutest rabbits I have ever seen. Kieran said they were probably dinner and when we saw the owner of the hotel carting them away in a bucket later, we got worried..They were only taking them in for the night. Whew.

Our dancers gazing at the bunnies

Holy cow (or rabbit), this is cute

One of the Breton musicians, working on some music, OUTSIDE in March! Love this weather.