Bumped into Dublin

The Temple Bar area of Dublin is popular with tourists, but watch out:
The bars raise their Guinness prices as the night wears on.

We took a different route to the U.S. this fall. Foregoing our usual itinerary that takes us from Bordeaux to Amsterdam to Salt Lake City to Reno, we found a great fare on Aer Lingus and decided to give it a try. The itinerary requires us to spend a night in Dublin both en route to San Francisco and again on the way back to France. Thanks to what I call a happy inconvenience, we incur an unexpected delay and end up having an adventure as well as dodging a few fires.

Posing on the Ha'Penny Bridge, Ken is happy how great our surprise extra day
in Dublin has turned out. 

The Ha'Penny Bridge in Dublin was built in Shropshire,
England, in 1816 and was originally called the Wellington
(as in 'Duke of') Bridge. For more than 100 years,
those crossing the bridge over the River Liffey were
charged a toll of one ha'penny.

Our flight from Bordeaux to Dublin is uneventful, and both our room and our Airbnb host are very nice. We arrive too late in the day to take the bus into downtown Dublin, so we grab a bite at a convenient but uninspiring American-style diner.

The next morning, we arrive back at the airport and are told that our flight to San Francisco has been over-sold and we have been bumped. At first, I am indignant and a bit rude to the bearer of bad news: an Aer Lingus customer service representative (and saint) named Chloe. But as it turns out, I couldn't have ended up more satisfied.

Molly Malone, of 'Cockles and Mussels' fame is a popular statue in Dublin.
For some odd reason, it's apparently acceptable to grope her. The song is the
city's unofficial anthem.

I strongly suspect that these blokes are brothers, busking in Dublin.

Aer Lingus puts us up in a nearby hotel, which we arrive at just in time for a traditional Irish Sunday roast dinner. The receptionist asks what time we would like dinner that evening and reminds us that the next morning's breakfast is also included. The food is delicious, and oh, did I mention that Aer Lingus also paid us 600 euros each for our inconvenience? (This is the law, but it's still a delightful consolation prize as it nearly covers the cost of our airline tickets).

We are urged to go to O'Neill's in Dublin for good food and music,
but we aren't able to stay up late enough. Maybe on our next visit. 

The old and the new provide an interesting contrast in Dublin. 

We also get to spend a lovely sunny afternoon in Dublin (we're told it's the first day without rain in many weeks). And finally, arriving one day late in San Francisco means that we missed the wild fires that had caused traffic havoc the day before. 

Ken stands beside Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin's oldest working structure.

The bronze sculpture entitled 'Homeless Jesus' was installed in the garden of 
Dublin's Christ Church Cathedral in 2015. The same sculpture by
Canadian artist Timothy Schmalz are located in several cities in the U.S.,
Canada, and Europe.

I am sharing pictures here that were taken on that beautiful afternoon, along with some that were taken six weeks later when we passed through Dublin on our return. On that day, we take a pleasant free walking tour of the city, which helps to fill in the gaps on the sites we had seen on our earlier visit. And when we arrive at the airport the next morning for our flight to Bordeaux, I am able to find and thank Chloe for her patience and professionalism. 

Although Dublin Castle is not particularly fancy, it is still a popular tourist
destination. It was the seat of the British government's administration in Ireland
until 1922, and it now contains government offices and ceremonial halls.

Saint Patrick watches over the portal of Dublin Castle's
Chapel Royal.

Trinity College Dublin is home to this bronze sculpture by Arnaldo Pomodoro,
called 'Sphere Within Sphere' ('Sfera con sfera').

If our train from Bordeaux to Marmande hadn't been been cancelled because of les grèves, I would have been able to declare our three-day voyage home practically perfect. Thank goodness for good friends like Paul who drives to the airport to pick us up. Cheers, or as they say in Ireland, mianta!

We duck inside this galleria in Dublin for a coffee and a quick browse.

Dublin's main shopping street is decorated for the holidays.

The lawn Dubh Linn Garden contains a Celtic knot pattern. The park is the site
of the original dubh linn or 'black pool', which gave Dublin its name. The Vikings
anchored their ships here, and today the lawn is used as a helicopter landing
pad for VIPs, few of whom get bumped from their original flights.  

Discover the quiet appeal of Moissac

Written and photographed by Mimi Beck Knudsen

This post originally appeared on the Places & Faces blog for The Local Buzz.

The cloister of Abbaye Saint-Pierre in Moissac is the oldest in the world.

I'm getting to know the Tarn-et-Garonne bit by bit. I now have a small list of sites here I have visited and a longer list of places I'll visit soon. My most recent trip to this department in southwest France included a stop in Moissac, a lovely city in which to spend the day.

Hanging baskets hang out along this street in Moissac.

Moissac's war memorial stands in the center of a pretty roundabout.

Known mostly for its remarkable cloister, Abbaye Saint-Pierre, the small city of around 12,500 is fortunate to be situated along the Tarn River and the Canal des Deux Mers. If the weather is suitable, one can spend some time inside the abbey, and the rest of the day, walking or biking through the streets of Moissac. The day can include a boat ride too, as the Tarn bateaux operate all year round (check online hours and days of operation). And of course, one needs to fuel up for the day, and luckily Moissac has plenty of restaurants. We ate in a bistro on Place des Recollets and had a delicious 13- euro lunch with amazing slice of Basque cake for dessert.

These sculptures by Jean-Louis Toutain can be found in the plaza in front
of the abbey in Moissac.

Although we easily found a parking spot a block from the abbey when we arrived in Moissac, we decide to leave our visit to the cloister until last. After lunch we stroll south to the river. Along the way we see sculptures by artists Jean-Louis Toutain and Charles STRATOS.

This stainless steel sculpture by STRATOS in front of the Mairie is one
of several pieces by the artist in Moissac's city center.

The Tarn river can be seen through this stone gate in Moissac.

When we reach the banks of the Tarn, we come across a bit of history that we had been unaware of. During World War II, hundreds of children taken in by the Jewish organization Éclaireurs Israélites de France (EIF) found refuge in Moissac. The city and its people offered a haven to these children throughout the war. The Esplanade des Justes along the Tarn was built to honor the city and its heroic citizens.

The Esplanade des Justes in Moissac honors those who sheltered 500-600
Jewish children here during WWII.

Dating from the Middle Ages, this mill along the Tarn in Moissac
was a flour mill-turned luxury hotel.

Also along the river is a hotel/spa that has a rich history. Built in 1474, just after the 100 Years War had ended, a mill was built on the ruins of another mill that had recently burned down. Over the course of several centuries, the mill became the largest in Southwest France and its flour was considered to be excellent. But during World War I, the mill burned and the site was abandoned. During the Roaring Twenties, the mill became a luxury hotel, but it closed at the start of World War II. It is here that many of the Jewish refugee children lived during the war. After the war, the mill was briefly a technical school. Then in the 1970s it was reborn again as a luxury hotel whose famous guests included President Giscard d'Estaing and actress Catherine Deneuve. The hotel failed again in the 1990s but was purchased and restored. And so today, Le Moulin de Moissac is a popular hotel and spa.

Ken catches some sunshine along the Tarn River in Moissac.

Ghost-sign advertisements for yummy things can be seen on the side of this
building in Moissac.

We've covered a good part of the city during our afternoon stroll and have admired the architecture. In 1930, a flood devastated part of Moissac's town center. The flood killed 120 people and left thousands more homeless. Dozens of architects from Toulouse helped to rebuild the city, favoring the Art Déco style. The most notable building from this period is Hall de Paris, and other examples can be found in the Sainte-Blanche district along the Tarn.

Abbaye Saint-Pierre in Moissac is topped by this red-brick bell tower.

The southwest portico of the Abbaye Saint-Pierre in Moissac is considered
to be a masterpiece of Romanesque art.

Doors from Abbaye Saint-Pierre lead to a sunny plaza in Moissac.

My visit to Moissac is capped off with a self-guided tour of the cloister at Abbaye Saint-Pierre. Completed in 1100, the Romanesque-style cloister is oldest and one of the finest in the world. Here stands 76 capitals, most adorned with scenes from the Bible or from saints' lives. I spend about an hour here, enjoying the peaceful setting and checking out the various exhibits. Entrance to the cloister is 6.50 euros, but entrance to the church is free. The intricately carved tympanum above the southwest portico depicts Saint John's version of the Apocalypse. The abbey and Moissac's tourism office are open every day except Christmas and New Year's Day. 

Inside the cloister of Abbaye Saint-Pierre in Moissac, one can find 76 adorned
capitals depicting biblical scenes, saints, or leaves.

Floor tiles in the cloister of Moissac's abbey are preserved and studied.

This Reliquaire de Saint Jacques is one of the artifacts on display in the
cloister of Abbaye Saint-Pierre in Moissac.

Exhibits such as this at Abbaye Saint-Pierre in Moissac allow visitors an
up-close look at the cloister's capitals.

This sculpture in the Abbaye Saint-Pierre in Moissac is from 1476.

This very vertical house in  Moissac contains charming
old shutters.

Ile de Ré is a biker's paradise

À velo is my preferred mode of transportation on Ile de Ré.

Ditch the car and ride a bike on Ile de Ré. On a recent trip to this beautiful island off the coast of La Rochelle in the Charente-Maritime department, it doesn't take us long to realize that driving here can be a nightmare, and riding a bike is the simplest and sweetest way to get around. The island, which is about 30 kilometers long, offers 110 kilometers of bike paths — and nary a hill to climb.

Part of a bygone stone structure sits in an Ile de Ré marsh. 

Salt and seafood, particularly les huîtres, are farmed on Ile de Ré 

My friends and I have planned this trip for the week following rentrée; the children are back in school and most vacationers have returned to work. There are still a bunch of people here, and getting a table at a choice restaurant might require a reservation. But the weather is gorgeous, and I'd be hard-pressed to find an actual throng of tourists. An added bonus for my friends: The end-of-season promotions offer some good deals on summer clothing. 

Phare des Baleines on Ile de Ré, was built in 1854 to replace
a lighthouse that was destroyed by fire. 

257 steps lead to the top of the main lighthouse at Phare des Baleines on Ile de Ré.

Since my armoire is already too full, I forego the boutiques and take off on my own to check out some tourist attractions. I've been peddling along at sea level, so it's time to see the island from above. In two days, I'll climb hundreds of steps to the top of the lighthouse at Phare des Baleines and the Clocher de Saint-Martin de Ré. My efforts are rewarded with amazing views and a couple of much-needed calf workouts.

The old tower and the museum are seen from the top of the Phare des Baleines
lighthouse on Ile de Ré 

I look to the east from the top of the Phare des Baleines lighthouse on Ile de Ré.

The citadel of Saint-Martin de Ré was once a jail, housing prisoners on their way
to New Caledonia and French Guiana. Guillaume Seznec, Alfred Dreyfus and
Henri Charriére (Papillon)  were among those who slept here. 

There are a mere 117 steps to the top of the clocher (bell tower)
of Saint-Martin de Ré. 

The views from the bell tower at Saint-Martin de Ré are spectacular,
particularly at sunset.

Interesting angles appear as the roof lines of the
Saint-Martin de Ré citadel converge.

Something else that gets a workout here is the bell on my bike. Crowded paths require one to adhere to the rules of the road: Signal (by bell or yell) that you're passing, and don't stop and block the bath. Not surprisingly, many of the bikes seem to be rentals, their requisite wire baskets hang from the handlebars. And in many of these paniers (as well as inside many of the trailers pulled behind) are little dogs. I have to wonder: Are the dogs thrown in for free when you rent a bike?

Those buying sea salt at this roadside stand on Ile de Ré can drop their
payments down the steel post on the left.

The Rivesaline stand on Ile de Ré offers a delicious assortment of sea-salt goodies. 

I'm also surprised by the salt stands along the paths. Riders looking to buy some sea salt can help themselves and pay on the honor system. One stand offers an array of gourmet salt products. I figure I can't go home without some sea-salt caramels, cumin-spiced sea salt, and a jar of salicornes, which I've never heard of. (It's a succulent plant that grows in salt marshes. One of these days I'm going to try it sauteed with garlic.) We tuck our money in the little tin can, wave at the security camera (which may or may not be real), and continue on our way. 

It's low tide in the Saint-Martin de Ré harbor.

Determined to maintain my régime, I savor the seafood here and limit myself to ice cream only twice (the island is known for its glace riche et crémeuse). The best meal I have all week is a salmon salad in La Rochelle, before we crossed the 3-km bridge (with a 16 euro toll!) onto Ile de Ré. I also enjoyed a take-out Greek salad bought at the daily market in Saint-Martin de Ré and eaten on a bench overlooking the harbor. 

One of the best swimming beaches on Ile de Ré is in La Couarde sur Mer.

Late afternoon before our last night on Ile de Ré, I check out the beach. Since I'm alone and don't want to leave any valuables on the beach, I don't dive all the way into the ocean, but I wade in up to my waist and gaze to the west. Way out there, across the sea, are some of the people I love the most. Today, by chance, is my granddaughter's first birthday. "Happy birthday, sweet Vivi!," I yell. And a part of me believes she hears me.

This merry-go-round in La Couarde sur Mer on Ile de Ré is charming.

Ars en Ré is a lovely village to have a drink and dream of owning a boat. 

The white bell tower with the black point in Ars en Ré is
a famous emblem of the island.

The exact date of the construction of this Saint Catherine Church of Loix on
Ile de Ré is unknown, but it is first mentioned as far back as the 14th century.

This flowery passage in Saint-Martin de Ré is named in honor of Alan Cope,
an American soldier in WWII who lived here until his death in 1999.

Red shutters, sashes, and doors delight the eye in Saint-Martin de Ré