Oahu 2023 Travel Day

 I don't have much to day about the plane rides. They were long. I ate a bucket of snack mix w. nuts, dried peas, etc. I listened to my book (The girl with all the gifts), I bought the wifi and the first plane trip it was worth it because I played my game. The 2nd ride was not. Luckily I sat next to a nice young man from Portland, OR and we talked for a bit. It was a really good conversation, actually. As I've heard before, if these kids are our future, we'll be in good shape. I did watch a movie on the first trip - The Come Up, based on the book of the same name, which I read a while ago. The book was better. Much better, actually. I also enjoyed a very long sunset. Big advantage of being on the west coast.

I put on another movie for the last part of the trip but I was going to say, I'm not remembering what it was, but I DO! I finished watching "Everything, Everywhere, All At Once". I stopped watching it after about 30 min the first try and couldn't get into it. I finished watching it on this flight and honestly, I thought it was ok. I get why they had so much fighting, but it was a lot of fighting. However, it made the time went by quicker, no puns intended.

I checked the price of Uber to the hotel, while on the plane and it was about $20. I decided not to take the bus, which would have been $3, but a half hour vs. 15 min. and it would be right to the door. When I got my luggage I checked again and it was now $28, but I was already committed and did it anyway. I'm glad I did. The driver told me about how she got to be living in Honolulu and her brother, who's an artist, and the different places she's lived. And she ended up dropping me at the main entrance to the Hilton Resort and I ended up walking to my hotel, which was farther in the back. As I was walking through, I was very tempted to stop for a drink. The whole place looked like a party! I ended up going to the room and amazing myself at how many things I got into my suitcase. Then I tried to sleep and got a few hours.

Summer NH Vacation - Day 2

We had a leisurely, but not too leisurely, morning. Shara slept until 8:30 am (I woke her up) and we got showered and dressed and headed out for our late breakfast at the Sunrise Shack. A place that has good Yelp reviews. You can view mine there as well. We played hangman & tic tac toe while we waited for our wonderful brunch. Then we were off for our full day at Storyland. Today it was a little drizzly, and not very warm, however that didn't stop us from getting soaked! Shara wanted to go on the Dr. Geyser's raft ride again (and again and again). There weren't any lines so we pretty much got right on. We did that once, then moved to parts more unknown. Up the hill, past the Polar Coaster (looked and Shara didn't want to try it), but did agree to a photo by the North Pole:

Then to the Cuckoo Clockenspiel. Seabands on! But it wasn't too bad and actually we had great fun.

Then we went down and around and to the Swan Boats. These are similar to the Antique Cars, but on water and they're swans! Shara was in the front, doing the driving. We only bumped into a couple of other swans during our 10 minute ride.

We grabbed a coach ride up to Cinderella's Castle, but Cinderella wasn't there to visit. No worries, we still got to see her glass slipper and Shara sat in the throne.

Then we went to see Butterfly Island on the Storyland Queen. It was a lovely trip and Shara thought the little baby on it was really cute. We all clapped when he rang the Fairy Godmother's bell to give us a safe journey.

To finish off this area, we both went on a cool carousel. There are only two in the world like this one. It's from Germany and turns clockwise and the horses are on springs that you rock back and forth, not up and down.

At this point, the sun was out and it was pretty warm so back to Dr. Geyser's! Then Shara needed to try the shaved ice. If you've never seen one before, this is an idea of what it is. She got the rainbow. I had cone - orange/vanilla. Then it started drizzling again but nothing major. It was over in no time and we finished our snack and went to get soaked again.

But this time we went to Splash Battle: Pharaoh's Reign. And we did get soaked. It was fun squirting everyone and getting squirted. Shara really got into it and wanted to go back and squirt the people on the boats from the outside of the ride. Then she got really brave and wanted to go on the Great Balloon Chase - a mini ferris wheel, the all enclosed kind. Back for a last trip on Dr. Geyser's raft and over to finish up at the Antique Cars. Shara got out her driver's license and did a much better job driving than yesterday.

So we were soaked and freezing at this point. The sun was back in and it was about 72 degrees. We went through the candy story - Shara spent her own money on a sour baby bottle thing, and under the road to the parking lot. The car was nice and warm and we loved it! Back to the resort where we changed clothes and had some dinner - leftovers. Gave daddy a call, then made the quick trip to the market to get coffee and some breakfast food. Then Shara talked me into going to the outdoor, heated pool. It wasn't really warm, but once we got in (Shara got in really fast), it was fine. We had fun racing, especially our running races. Were there for about a 1/2 hour, then back to the room for a quick change, throw in a load of laundry, then out for ice cream, because we're on vacation. We went to Trails End Ice Cream just up the road. It was pretty good but I'd like to try someplace else next time.

Summer NH Vacation - Day 1

Shara and Laurie's Big Adventure started well. We hit the expected Saturday traffic to New Hampshire and arrived at Storyland after about a 4 1/2 hour drive. We stopped along the way at a Chipotle, where Shara got a great taco kit kid's meal with a side of guac to share. I can't remember the name of the town we went to but my first attempt was to find a local diner so we headed to the historic section, as indicated by the signs. We found a couple of old farms, the library and very new town hall. Not very business-friendly though. Then we went the opposite way and got to the malls. Oh well, at least Chipotle is fast, eco-friendlier, quality food.

Storyland after 3 pm lets you get 1 1/2 days at the park for just one day admission, which is a great deal. We planned on going on the new Roarasaurus, a brand new wooden roller coaster. This is preparation for Disney because we're signed up for fastpasses for the big rides. Well those passes will be traded in for littler attractions, so this was good information to learn. We didn't start at the Roarasaurus though. We got there, headed to the bathroom, then let the path lead us. It lead us to water - Dr. Geyser's Remarkable Raft Ride (This churn of the century soaking is just what the doctor ordered on a warm summer day.). The picture looks like it's a bright sunny day, but it was in the high 70's and overcast. However, it didn't hurt the fun we had on this ride.

Soaked Shara

We got on the ride fairly quickly - about a 20 min. wait, and were picked to go on quicker because it was just the two of us and we went on with another family. They had two girls, one younger and one about Shara's age. The older girl seemed quite nervous and the dad was funny. Good group to ride with.

Desperado Plunge

Bamboo Chutes

We then headed over, across the railroad tracks to the Bamboo Chutes. I remembered the Desperado Plunge from Storytown, when I was a kid and this looked a little smaller but it's hard to say. We paid the $10 for a keychain with the photo of us coming down the chute. We'll share later.

After all that we needed a snack and got a cone (Laurie) and a refillable slush (Shara). Then followed our path to the Roar-o-Saurus. Shara wanted nothing to do with it. She saw how high it was (not very) and fast (yes, pretty fast) and said, "no". Wandered around some more and then headed to the Turtle Twirl. Got out the sea-bands for that one! Here's a video, which looks pretty slow, but it is not. Shara said she closes her eyes on these if she feels dizzy and I tried it. That really works and we had a great time on it.

We then hopped on the train and went to the entrance where we found the antique cars, "Guided, guest-operated mini cars that put the wind in your hair and the road at your back!" After waiting about 1/2 hour in line, which went by pretty fast, Shara got a pink car to drive. The older men at the start and end of the ride were so nice. I think Don gave her instructions to hold the pedal down all the way. I can't wait until she's 16. Shara is not a natural behind the wheel but she had fun and needed to get her driver's license when we were done. I think she may want to go back today and do it again!

concentrating hard

Here are a couple more photos.

Our first day at Storyland ended happily and off we went to the resort. Alan was right about cell service and the GPS wasn't the best in the car so we had to rely on the old fashioned method and I finally gave in to Shara's wish that we stop and ask someone. No biggie - took a left at the intersection instead of a right. We found the resort and got a big surprise when we checked in. I verified we had a mini-fridge and microwave in the room and found out we had a one bedroom townhouse! 2 bathrooms, one bedroom, full, but small, kitchen. And I believe it's a new unit. Little, but perfect for us! We found the building, which is off in the back, over the train tracks, in front of the Saco River trail, which we'll check out later. We got unpacked then decided where to go for dinner. The restaurant on the property was pretty attractive, since it was easy, so we started walking there, didn't find the path that looked like it cut through from our side of the grounds to the entrance, so came back around, ended up at our car and I convinced Shara to go to the place that I had found on Travelocity. I wouldn't have saved it if there weren't good reviews, so we went, and again, took a left instead of a right. That really blew her confidence in my sense of direction around here - but I just need to find out which way is west and which is east - today's task. Turned around and headed the correct way, with Shara in the back saying, "ok, prove it. If we don't find it, we're going to the restaurant at the resort." That was fine and we did find it and had a good meal. My Yelp review.

We didn't get back until late and it's 8:20 AM. Shara's still sleeping. I'll let her sleep another 10 minutes but if I don't wake her up, she'll be upset at me. We haven't decided if we're going out for brunch and have leftovers for dinner or what the plan is, other than going back to Storyland. We'll let you know!

Spring Vacation - Day 6 (last full day)

After such late nights, today Shara slept until about 9:30 AM. It was certainly a leisurely morning and we didn't leave the condo until about 11 AM. We obviously had a late breakfast, which we had at the condo every day but the day we went to Washington, and headed out to GoApe! I found a brochure at the rec. center of the resort and it looked interesting. I am not fond of this sort of activity but I do look for challenges like this and if Shara was into it, which I didn't think she'd be, then great for all of us! She was into it. She thought it looked like a lot of fun. We got there and the first thing we saw was a little girl on the zip line all by herself. That was encouraging.  We went in, read the directions, signed the wavers, and our instructor took us out back for a very short lesson and help putting on our harnesses. That was the easy part. We let Shara pick the order and she wanted mommy to go first (yea!) then Shara then daddy. So up the stairs I went to the first obstacle. It was really hard to do the first round but as we made our way around a second, then third time, the only really scary issue were the bees. Hopefully they won't keep Shara inside all summer!

After GoApe! the activity continued with Alan and Shara going to the resort's pool while I started packing things together to go back home. When everyone was showered, we headed out to eat. We took a chance on a Greek place and it was very good. Unfortunately there was a TV on, with CNN, so Shara got to see the hunt for the Patriot's Day bomber. This did cause some concern, but we had spoken to her about it and answered the unending questions.

Our evening activity was a ghost tour of Colonial Williamsburg where we heard some fun and slightly creepy stories about the families who used to live in the town at its beginning.
Can you see the ghost in the window?

Before it ended, I think we were at the last house, it started sprinkling. Then, before I could get the umbrella out the skies opened and it started raining gumdrops. Needless to say the tour pretty much ended since all the other participants ran to find cover. Shara had her rain jacket on, as did the rest of us, but we were soaked. When we got back to the condo I tried to ring out the clothes and get them a bit dried. Shara only had her one pair of sneakers and it would have been pretty uncomfortable driving all the way home in them. Lucky we had the drier to begin with. I'm not sure what we would have done if we didn't. Maybe the oven?

Spring Vacation - Day 5

We had to wake up early today to catch the bus to Washington DC. I'm so glad we went on a bus trip and didn't have to deal with the traffic. We were able to wake on time and get to the Kmart at 6:30 AM. The bus ended up leaving closer to 7 AM but there were 19 people and they had to collect all the money and get everyone checked in. Normally they use a large van but this time the woman said she had to take out her father's first bus, and I can't remember the name of it. It wasn't too old and as told, she was reliable.

The trip took about three hours to get to Arlington Cemetery, our first stop. We made a pit stop at a McDonalds for breakfast. We got it to go so we wouldn't waste time. That was fine because it gave us something to do while we travelled. We didn't plan very well and couldn't rely on our phones much for entertainment because we didn't have anywhere to recharge all day. This is where having a solar charger would have come in handy. Shara did read a whole chapter book though.

Our driver, John, was very good and gave us some information on Arlington Cemetery and how to get around it and where to go. Good thing too, because we had no idea what to expect. We got there and the place was packed with several other tours, many of which were schools. The cherry blossoms were beautiful and the day was overcast and drizzly, but that didn't detract from how lovely a location this was. It really is amazing how many people have served our country. The graves can be five deep and I didn't realize that family members can request to be buried there as well. John said that they have enough room for another 15 or 20 years. What I found most interesting were the memorials for whole troops, such as this one that I think is TREE #17, Section 48: Jumping Mustangs – Kwanzan Japanese Flowering Cherry.

The website for the cemetery is amazingly detailed. I recommend visiting it. You can search, browse, view maps, etc. They even have a mobile app which I would love to download and use for a future visit. And I would like to go again when we have more time. That was the good and bad about this trip. It was a nice overview and I'm glad Shara got to have this type of introduction to DC, but we need to come again and be able to see it in more detail.
After seeing most of the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers, we started to head over to view JFK's grave site but needed to get to the bathroom instead, so next time we'll see that.
Once back on the bus we were able to get good views of the Pentagon and the very well done U.S. Airforce Memorial. Our first stop took us in the area of the Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Memorial and Korean War Memorial. Then back on the bus to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial and FDR Memorial. There was hardly time to see the FDR Memorial but it's so interesting we have to come back and take our time going through. It characterizes each of his terms in office. Very impressive. The last leg of the tour was around the city a bit, pointing out Ford's Theater and the various government buildings, as well as the White House. That put us in position to drop us off near the Smithsonian Museums on Independence Ave. We had already decided to go to the Air and Space Museum but needed to stop for some sustenance first. Alan had a hot dog, Shara had an egg roll and I had a pretzel. We pretty much shared everything. So into the museum and it was suggested we start in the kids hands on area to learn about flight and the physics that go into it. Shara liked pushing the buttons and pulling the levers. She did seem to learn about friction and had fun sitting in a Cessna cockpit.

After that we looked at some of the other exhibits, nothing super impressive but nothing disliked either. They had a replica of the space station and we could walk through a section. They also had the original Wright brothers first plane that actually flew. This was cool, and done very well. It was a whole exhibit that gave information on the times as well as the science behind the flights.
We had about two hours of free time so stayed here rather than flit about. We also took a snack break so was able to see most things, at a relaxed pace, and leave with just enough time to go to the bus. What we didn't do was the Planetarium, but we can do that back home at the MOS. We met the bus at the original Smithsonian Castle, which is now an information center. What a beautiful information center! Shara didn't want to pose because of the bees.

 Back on the bus we saw a movie - Daddy Day Camp - lots of bathroom humor so perfect for the men on the bus and an almost 9 year old. It was pretty funny and nice to have a diversion from the driving because there was a ton of traffic, even though we were in the HOV lane. It took us several hours to get back to the car and we stopped at a real truck stop for a break. You could even buy a shower! Shara picked a double bacon cheeseburger and a pack of carrots with ranch dressing for her meal and I kept saying that I couldn't believe I let her have truckstop meat. She loved it - I quote, "livin the life". And she ate it all. Alan and I opted for cups of fruit, which were also surprisingly good and fresh. We thought we'd go out and get dinner back "home". Turns out with all the traffic we didn't get back until close to 8:30 PM and settled on Panera take out for Alan and ice cream (again) for Shara and me. Yup this was a sugary vacation. 

Spring Vacation - Day 4

Alan and not too happy Shara at the Palace

 After a morning of being scared of bees and not wanting to go outside, we made our way to the Palace for a tour. It was told with the background story of the Governor and his family leaving the palace in the middle of the night after worries over the magazine (where the weapons are stored) being raided. Yesterday we heard that part of the story so this was an interesting connection with a different perspective.

the pantry

The sisters' bed chamber

Stairwell - guns and swords displayed all over the house

our tour guide

After the palace, we took a walk to the newer part of the town for lunch. We had a great lunch at the Cheese Shop. Shara had a bagel with lox and cream cheese - her second bagel for the day, and an artichoke salad and some cole slaw. Alan had a combo sandwich - ham & turkey on rye and I had a turkey on french bread. All were wonderful and there were no leftovers.

We also visited the candy store and Shara got a very sour bag of "watermelon" cotton candy. I got a small piece of caramel fudge that was just ok, but I managed to eat it all anyway. We walked around a bit more and made our way over to the museum. This was an interesting place. The entrance was a replica of the original public hospital that cared for the "insane". That led to several questions and an update on how modern medicine has helped a lot of people. Shara also grudgingly enjoyed most of the museum as well. She found the coin display fascinating - these were original coins going back to the 1500's. Then we learned about harpsichords and organs and then an exhibit of folk art that was creepy and funny too.

We didn't realize how late it was when we left the museum but found it was time to head back to the resort. Shara wanted to go in the pool again so Alan took her while I went to pick up more water - the tap water here is undrinkable, and a few veggies for dinner and more caramel apple pie for dessert, which we had in the condo. We had several leftovers. Some of the Turkish food from Nazar's and the southern from Aroma's. All in all, we still didn't get to bed until after 9 PM. We tried to get an early bedtime, at least for Shara, since we had to wake up to catch the bus to D.C. at 6:30 AM the next morning.

Spring Vacation - Day 3

Our day started at the Raleigh Tavern for a lesson in manners. We saw how to make and serve tea and a minuet. Shara was happy to be inside since there were big bumble bees about and she was rather "concerned" she'd get stung. We figured an early lunch would be best and went to another of the tavern's.

After we went to the courthouse to view a few trials. These were interesting - they took original trials that went on in Williamsburg and had volunteers act them out - read from cards. The volunteers were very good and showed the social lives of people back then, such as a female tavern owner and another woman who supposedly came in monthly with complaints ever since her husband died. The first trial we heard was for tax evasion. A man claimed he didn't owe taxes because he was inbetween residences on the day they were collected. He was made to pay what he owed for himself and his slave (even though he ran off) as well as fines.

Shara locked in the stocks. She could hardly wait for the picture to be taken. I guess it is very uncomfortable.

Shara, as well as Alan and myself, really enjoyed the reenactments. We got front row stands for this one, telling of the early stirrings of basically marshall law. People were tarred and feathered for speaking out against the new republic.

Alan is conscripted to fight against the King.










After we followed the fife and drum procession from the reading of the Declaration of Independence at the Capitol to the street leading to the Palace, we parted ways. Alan and Shara went back to the resort to go swimming and I stayed in town and looked around the modern shopping area. They met me later for dinner at Aromas Coffeehouse. A jazz band was going to be playing and I planned on grabbing a table. I did, but it ended up being outside because inside was too loud. We had a very nice dinner. Shara had the pulled chicken sandwich. Alan had bacon/bbq chicken mac & cheese, and I had the BBQ shrimp w/ grits. It must have been full of heavy cream. Everything was great. Shara had to wait a little while for her sandwich but they awarded us with a huge slice of chocolate cake!

Spring Break - Day 1

Today we went to Monticello to see Thomas Jefferson's home. It was really fascinating. I never realized he was such an inventor and we got to see many of his contraptions first hand and even got to see how they worked. The walk up to the house wasn't appreciated because there were a lot of bumble bees and being outside was very scary. When we got up to the house it wasn't so much different, but once we got inside the tour was interesting enough that it made the rest of the day more enjoyable too. Shara didn't want to go on another tour about the slaves - she said they spent a whole day at school learning about them, and she did hear about Sally Hemings before. The tour guide spoke about their relationship a bit and we got to see where the slaves had lived and the working part of the house. We did take the shuttle back and she enjoyed that more. Then we stopped in the museum (not so exciting, surprisingly) and the shop (way more exciting) and surprisingly no interest in the kids discovery center.

The ride back was as uneventful as the ride there. We figured out where to go for dinner - Nazars, a Middle Eastern restaurant. We were the only ones there and the food was good, but had many different flavors than we were used to. We discussed going to D.C. and what if there were bees, which there would be, and that most of the day would be spent outside, etc. and we agreed we'd "man up" and deal with it. We then checked out the closer ice cream place and had a huge laugh on our way home when Shara said, "and they have a CVS too!" and I mentioned, "yes and a PNC bank". Shara said, "that's hysterical!" and a few seconds went by before I got it, then started laughing and she started laughing and that went on for about 5 minutes.

Shara taking a picture of the stables

random beauty

us and tom

standing by the lily pond

awaiting the shuttle

Spring Break

Got a bit of a late start but we're about halfway to Virginia. Just going over the Delaware memorial bridge. Stopped for a good lunch in a jersey diner. It's been a pretty good day. Shara's got to see the NYC skyline but was more impressed with the Newark airport and the low flying planes.

The trip took a very long time - about 12 hours. We stopped for an hour for lunch and maybe three bathroom breaks, which were pretty quick, but traffic wasn't very cooperative. We didn't have any meltdowns though. Shara read two books and played several "hanging with friends" pass and play games with Alan. Lunch was good. We stopped at the Phily Diner near the end of Jersey. Alan wants to go back. Next time I think I can be confident splitting a meal with Shara will work out well. I gave her some of my turkey patty melt and cole slaw, she ate her fries and some soup, didn't touch her grilled cheese. Much too much food, but we'll know next time. Assuming we want the same thing, of course!

We got to the resort, checked in and went to the condo/apartment/room. 

tv, real fireplace, and little compartment to hide in.
What more do you want?

Shara's cabbage - contest to see who can grow the biggest.
So concerned she wanted to bring it on vacation to tend to.

Sums up Shara's take on the place.

Dinner was yogurt for Shara, caramel apple pie for Alan and Laurie. But she'll probably have a slice with breakfast. We're on vacation, you know, and I imagine the sugar quota will be high this week.

Morning ritual - Shara still sleeping.

Day 1 - fairly good nights sleep - king size beds are great for three. The size of the condo is rather large. We did get one of the renovated rooms. It still amazes me that anytime we've gone to a timeshare, the condition of the room is poor. A hinge is coming off our bathroom door. The cover over the microwave vent is missing, etc. Yet a decent hotel room shows hardly any signs of these issues. Anyway, love sitting, having coffee and not being in a rush to get out the door (we are letting Shara sleep in after a very early morning and a very late night).

Quebec 2012 - Day 6

For our last day in Canada, we decided we should go back and do some shopping and looking around Quebec City. When we went for the tour, we didn't really go into any of the cute shops and I had a restaurant or two I wanted to check out. We had fun. Shara said she liked "window shopping" and I explained that now it means to go into the stores to look around but not buy. She was enjoying just looking into the windows. We had a very delicious lunch at Le Petite Cochon Dingue. When we went into the cafe, the hostess asked if we were going to eat in or take out and if we'd ever been to the restaurant before. She explained the menu, which wasn't too complex really. There was a lunch special of a sandwich of the day and it came with soup or salad and a drink. Alan and Shara both had the sandwich special - roast beef, cornichons, mustard, cheese, lettuce & tomato. I don't remember what the cheese was, but the sandwich is toasted, before the lettuce & tomato. Alan had the mushroom soup, Shara had the salad, for me. I had the roast pork, brie & caramelized apple sandwich. It was wonderful. The thin slice of brie was the perfect amount. I assume there was mayonnaise on it, but not too much. Alan & I both had the ice tea. I was surprised it was sweetened. I was also surprised I liked it. We ate on the patio, which was on the sidewalk, next to a pretty busy road, but also facing docked ships. The weather, as it had been all week, couldn't have been more perfect. Mid-seventies, sunny, breezy, amazing! We had a relaxing lunch and then more relaxing while I peeked back inside to take a couple of photos. Alan & Shara hung out on a bench while Shara tried to drink more of her sparkling lemonade.

Roast Pork w/ Brie & Caramelized Apples

Roast Beef

Pastry case

cramped quarters - chaotic ordering but it worked.

cute

We spent the afternoon looking around, listening to music, enjoying people watching, and even rode the funicular. Some more pictures from our shopping in Quartier Petit Champlain.

Mural - taken by Shara

Adorable entrance to Le lapin saute

Alan & Shara enjoying an erable pop and listening to music

Quebec 2012 - Day 5

This day was a relaxing one, travelling around the I'Ile d'Orleans, the island just to the east of Quebec City. It has been the main source of produce for the city and markets the island as one for foodies. A wonderful article is available at: Taste Report. The first stop though was to check out Le Parc de la Chute-Montmorency. Shara was very opposed to walking uphill and was only interested in the lift going up the hill. We compromised and walked down the hill, but first needed to go up a couple of staircases to get over the bridge to the other side, where we walked down a large set of stairs and then got splashed good by the mist.

Our day on the island began at La Boulange, since the toasted cranberry, raisin and apricot bread and apples and strawberries didn't seem to fill us up enough at breakfast. Actually, by the time we got there it was close to lunch time. Alan and I shared a three cheese, basil and olive pizza, and a bowl of delicious and well flavored, herbie, vegetable soup. It came with a thick slice of white bread that we all shared. Shara loved and devoured her jamon and fromage croissant with cornicon and dijon mustard.

Shara's artistic interpretation of our pesto pizza

We took a little walk up the road and stopped in a gift shop of mostly pottery, another shop that had interesting wooden sculptures and some stained glass work, and a shop on the list that sold cassis products. We learned about white, red and black currants. Tasted a few vinegars and purchased a bottle of the black currant wine vinegar. We then headed back to the car, which was parked across from the boulangerie. Alan and Shara went to the car while I went back in the bakery to use the bathroom and buy some snacks. I couldn't resist a frambois danish and picked up another cinnamon bun. They were so big! They also had some imperfect breads for sale and I got a wheat sandwich bread to put in the freezer. As far as I can tell, it just has a little strip of black on the side, probably from touching the fire. When I got back to the car, I could see Alan and Shara off in the distance, down by the water. We were parked in a lot next to a beach near the river. The beach wasn't sand but looked like sandstone, stripped red and beige, and when wet, like clay. They had gotten a few shells and rocks. When I got down we switched. Shara wanted to show me the beach and we made our way down, closer to the water. It was another perfectly beautiful day. Mid-seventies, full sun, gorgeous.

We went to several but our favorite was the Chocolaterie, which we saved for the end. We all had ice cream - Alan and Shara both had a caramel toffee and I had a waffle cone of the caramel toffee and an almond. It was wonderful and refreshing and not too heavy. It was some of the best ice cream I've had, though now I'm reading the soft ice cream dipped in chocolate is what the real treat is. I assumed it was just what was available at all the other hundreds of lateries in the area - but it's not. This place makes their own soft ice cream with very few ingredients, all natural, no preservatives. And the chocolate is actual melted chocolate, not the commercial product. Regardless, our hard ice cream was fantastic too.

relaxing at the Chocolaterie

After a day of snacking, we had a light dinner and then headed back out! This time to the free Cirque du Soleil show! We wouldn't have known about it had we not taken the tour on the first day. Apparently the students at the cirque school are the performers. It starts at sundown and is right under a highway overpass. Crazy - the cars & trucks are going by as the show is running.We got there right on time and got places up at the front. Alan held up Shara through most of the performance so she could see. It was a real treat. More special than any of the ice cream.