Saturday, 18 Sept - Clermont-Ferrand

Another busy day - but there are lots of things going on that I don't want to miss.  Fred agreed to make fish for dinner tonight and then suggested stuffed trout.   I went down the street to the veggie store and got the veggies we need for tonight as well as salad fixings and some fresh fruit and (not so fresh) cheese.  Then we both went to the covered market to get the fish.  The first fish vendor had good looking trout, so we are in business for tonight.  I also bought a whole chicken for tomorrow or Monday.

Chickens (and other fowl) are shown in butcher shops with the head and feet still attached so buyers can see what they are getting.  The butcher asked me if I want him to trim it up and if I want the gizzard, liver, etc.  It takes a few minutes for him to get it all ready and in the process, he lit his torch and singed it so it would be free of feathers.


Fred has been telling me we need some back up wine in case we want to have our neighbors or landlords in for an apertif.  We have been keeping nuts and olives on hand for just such times.  So after the market, we went to the supermarket for milk, orange juice, and apertif materials.  I also got a little personal pizza for lunch. 

As soon as I finished lunch, I headed back to Notre Dame du Port, a 12th century church for a guided walking tour.  This weekend is a celebration called Journees du Patrimoine - days of history and culture.  Various tours and programs are available free at locations around town (and the country).   This tour is about sculpture and stained glass in this church and in the main cathedral. 

 The tour is all in French and I am pleasantly surprised to understand most of the tour - when I can hear that is.  Apparently they did not expect 150 people on this tour.  Way too many for one guide, but she appears to be an experienced guide - she does well at being heard and is an interesting guide.

After Notre Dame du Port, we walk to two fountains, the first in Place du Terrail, just outside the old city gat.

Then on to Place de la Victoire and the statue of Pope Urban II with fountain.

After the place, we go into the cathedral for more info on stained glass and architecture.


Two hours later, I head back to Notre Dame du Port where an orchester program is scheduled for the courtyard at 4:00.  Fred has been working, but joins me for the concert, which we both enjoy.  The first number is a bit rocky, but after that, they get better fast. 

It is obvious from the solos that they have some really talented people.   The director explains at the end he can't do an encore because another concert is scheduled shortly in the church.  Fred and I decide to stay to see what happens next. 

The second concert is a three person group doing simple traditional songs of the region.  One fellow sings, accompanied by historic instruments string instruments and drums.  One of the stringed instruments has 30 strings and the player is great.  The singer uses his voice like an instrument and makes maximum use of the acoustics in the old stone church to show his talent.  This photo is of some kids playing in the courtyard after the concert.

When that concert is over, we head home to catch the end of the Kansas State football game.   We are listening now to the last 2 minutes.  Next is dinner and I am hungry - I walked a lot again today.

Wednesday 15 Sept - Clermont-Ferrand

In the morning I took the bus to a hypermarche just 10 minutes away - E. Leclerc.   I needed a surge protector and some electrical tape.  I came away with much more than that, but found everything I needed in one place.  

When I returned home, I repaired the cord to my larger laptop, then ate lunch and headed to school.  On Wednesday afternoons I take an Intercultural awareness class.  It is several weeks of lecture and discussion, then small group work on a presentation where the group presents either their national culture  or compares two cultures.  I will not be in class the last week for the presentation, so I will work with two other students and they will present for the group.  I think I am fortunate.  There is a student from Equador who has lived in the U.S. for 10 years, and he suggested we work on the U.S., but as I am an "extra", he and a student from Morocco will compare the cultures of Equador and Morocco and I will help plan the presentation, but they will present it. 

We had the last 20 minutes of class to work together, but our group decided to stay for a while and talk longer.  We started by brainstorming, just making a list of things that the two representatives of the countries think may be important.  At 5 pm another class arrives and we feel that we are making progress.  We agree to meet again on Friday afternoon after our French class.

At home this evening, we add a can of white beans to the left over couscous stew, add bread and fruit and have another great meal. 

Tuesday, 14 September - Clermont-Ferrand

I had the day off from class again today,  I studied in the morning, then shopped in the afternoon.  I was going to school to get on the internet, when I decided to try from home again and WOO HOO, I DO have internet in the apartment.  It took me a while to get a laptop and a notebook both up and running, but finally SUCCESS!   

I also attempted to call Fred, but it took three tries to get his number right.  Then when it finally rang, it rang to the front desk where they speak French.  I asked for Fred's extension and was connected.  He attempted to call me, but the phone did not work for incoming calls.  Anyway, I am very happy to be back online!  I spent several hours catching up. 

Eventually, I started dinner - I had planned couscous, but had not found a recipe quite like  I wanted, so I used one recipe for a base and went from there.  Here is what I did:
Couscous with Chicken and Vegetables:
2 large chicken legs and 2 thighs
4 small link sausages
1 medium onion
1 medium tomato
2 large fresh carrots
4 oz fresh mushrooms
1/3 of a medium Celery Rave or celery root (can be purchased at Dillons or HyVee)
3 small potatoes
1 C chicken stock
1/4 C red wine
Olive oil
parsley
black pepper
ground ginger
ground cayenne pepper

1. Heat a large fry pan, when hot, add the oil
2. Dice the onion, peel the other veggies and cut in small cubes
3. Brown the sausages and push aside (my pan has a low spot in the middle, so I can push things aside and they stay warm, but the oil drains to the middle
4. Brown the chicken pieces until golden
5. add the vegetables one at a time, browning each in small batches until you have added everything except the potato.
6. Heat a large stock pot
7. Remove the meat from the fry pan and set aside
8. Remove the vegetables and place in stock pot - add the chicken stock and water to cover
9. add wine to fry pan and deglaze the pan - add the liquid to the stock pot
10. add a dash of ginger and cayenne, then add pepper to taste
11. add chopped parsley
12. Lay the chicken pieces on top and bring to a slow boil
13. reduce heat and simmer for several hours, at least until the chicken falls from the bone
14. remove the meat to a plate and cover with foil
15. test the stew - add salt if needed
16. cook couscous
17. Place couscous in a serving  bowl
18. serve the vegetable stew from a large bowl or tureen
19. serve the meat from a plate

I lucked out having no recipe - it was super!   We rounded the meal out with bread and wine, then finished with fresh fruit (2 varieties of plums here) and cheese.  AND we have leftovers for tomorrow night!!!

Monday, 13 September - Clermont-Ferrand

Today Fred has another 9 am meeting.  When he leaves, I catch up on some chores, then head out to pick up my neufbox - my key to the internet.  On the way home I bought wine glasses and a dish drainer.

I put down my purchases and head off to the local stores for milk, bread, lemon juice, flour,  and lunch.  At the bakery, I found a single serving salmon quiche for lunch and a "loaf" of Pain de Campagne, or country style bread.  I had the baker heat up the quiche for me, then headed home.  I relaxed with the mail and my quiche, then attempted to set up my PC and telephone using the neufbox. 

If we ever get it up and running, is is cheap - 30 euro per month with no contract and no deposit, for TV (which we don't have), unlimited long distance telephone (including international), and internet.  However, we signed up last Saturday, were notified the line would be active on Sept 11, picked up the router and the set up CD today - BUT the line is NOT active, and they only tell us it will be active by October 4.  We were expecting about 10 days, not 3 weeks.  It COULD be sooner, we just have to wait and see. 

They did tell us at the store today that we can copy the CD files onto a stick drive so we can set up our notebooks (they have no CD drive), but I will try that after I get our primary PCs up and running. 

After spending some time attempting the internet set up, I walked to school and sat in Fred's office to use the internet for an hour.  I got some posts made to this blog and looked up some recipes, including Veal Picatta, which we will make tonight for dinner.  I found that I had guessed well and had purchased what we need on my shopping trip this morning.t

At 3:30 we both headed to the bank to pick up our debit/credit cards, which we were notified by mail were in.  That actually went well, and we now have an account with money transferred from the U.S., cards, and online banking is set up and working. 

On the way home we stopped at the internet store to ask about the line and were told that the sales folks say 10 days, but the real maximum time is now 3 weeks (explained above). 

Then we went to a chain droguerie to find a sponge mop, to no avail.  I will probably go back to the neighborhood droguerie tomorrow.  I also found that I need a power strip to get the whole PC/router/phone set up without wires strung across the room.  Hopefully I get most of this done before my other classes begin - as I will be too busy then to run around town shopping all day. 

Fred reminded me that we have gotten a lot accomplished and he is right.  And finding this apartment with most things furnished was a lifesaver!  It's not just the money, it is the time it takes to find all the little things.  Of course if we had had to start from scratch, we would make do with less, but still - it all takes time. 

We were both tired, so had a little appertizer, then a salad, then cooked the veal and pasta, using a recipe I found online this afternoon, and it was WONDERFUL!!!!  Just the right mix of lemon, butter, and capers, and Fred got the veal so tender - YUM.

For those who know us well, we have been here since Sept 1  - not quite two weeks, and have only eaten out 4 dinners and a few lunches.   That means breakfast at home every day - George and Connie and Connie in Dover will not believe that.  We have eaten breakfast out for years.   Fred skips lunch some days, but dinner is usually later - like 7:30 or 8 at the earliest, so we do need a snack mid day. 

Tomorrow I need to find the power strip, then study.  So for now, I better hit the hay!

Sunday, 12 September – Clermont

Today we have nothing planned – we have the day free!  We start with breakfast at home, then walk to the nearby churches to find mass times so we can get to church most weeks, sometimes in different churches.   There is a church about a block away, but it is being renovated and services are held in other buildings in the neighborhood.  There is a map posted of nearby churches, so we head out to another in a part of town we are not familiar with. 

We return through the train station, noting the open hours for a butcher shop we have been referred to by our neighbors.  We have walked 1 ½ hours already.  We take a short break, then are off again. 

We walk by one of the oldest churches in town, Notre Dame du Port, a Romanesque basilica, dating from the 12^th century.  It is on the UNESCO World Heritage list.  When we lived here 10 years ago, we attended this church often.  For the last 4 or 5 years there has been ongoing construction to clean and repair it inside and out.  Many of the older churches in France now belong to the state or city, mostly because of historical significance and cost to maintain.  They are considered national monuments and are open to the public.  We make a note of the normal mass schedule and then go inside.  It is beautiful and has been nicely restored.  When we were here before, we remember it as being mostly gray inside, but now it is shades of yellow and appears much lighter.

Then we wander through the center of town, built on an old volcanic cone, searching for a restaurant Fred has been in and wants to try again, but we have no luck.  In the process we walk another 90 minutes.  We stop to rest in Place de la Victoire, next to the main cathedral. 

Place de la Victoire

The gothic cathedral is built of black volcanic lava stone on the top of a volcanic cone in the center of town and is quite imposing. Construction began in 1248 by the architect Jean Deschamps and was not completed until the towers were added in the 19^th century by the architect Violet-le-Duc.   In the open square there is a staute of Pope Urban II, as he held a council in Clermont in 1095, calling for the first crusade. 

We have a snack of cheese and a fresh peach, then go on down the hill from the cathedral.  In front of us is the main shopping street, Rue de Gras.  In the distance is Puy de Dome, an extinct volcano. 

We pass through our old neighborhood, then make our way toward Chamaliere.  Fred wants to find the Chamaliere Bridge Club building where he used to play chess.  We stop and sit on park benches along the way.  When we locate the building, it is quiet, so we stop for another snack – chausson au pomme, or small apple pie.  A man comes out of the building and Fred asks him about the chess club, which used to meet on Sunday afternoons and on Wednesday evenings.  The man finds a contact name for Fred and says they may have stopped for the summer and have not yet resumed. 

We move on and stop again by a shopping area in Chamaliere.  There we find an art exhibition that is open and spend some time enjoying the show.  Then on toward our goal, Le Biniou in Royat, a smaller town further up the hill.  Royat has been known for years as a spa town.  There is a stream running through town that is harnessed and used in a hydrotherapy spa.  There is also a casino (gambling variety) in town and lots of mostly older people from around the country come here in spring, summer, and fall for the fresh air and water.  We just think it is a pretty place with a really nice park, and our favorite restaurant. 

We are early, it is only 5:30 and we try not to arrive for dinner until 7:00 pm, so we stop at a sidewalk café and have a mini beer and watch the people.  Apparently this  bar/tabac is the only place open to buy cigarettes and magazines on Sunday afternoon – it is quite busy.  It begins to rain, but we are under an awning, so we sit and relax. 

At 6:30 we move on toward Royat, walking beside a lovely park, with flowers along the street. 



Eglise St Leger, Royat, France



Place Cohendy, Royat, France

The church in Royat is across the stream and up the hill.  It also dates from the 12^th or 13^th century. 

We see that there is also an art exhibition in the local museum, but can find no notice of mass times.  Part of the related fortress is now home of the cycling association – remember, most of the older churches are now owned by the city or state. 

Royat, France

Then we make our way down to the restaurant.  Last week when we were here, I asked about the veal which is on the menu, but is crossed out.  This week they have veal in sauce porto, fabulous!  We start with our usual green salad with warm blue cheese dressing.  I end with raspberry tiramisu – WOW, and Fred has a 3 dip chocolate Sundae – our rewards for walking all day. 

We walk part way home, then hop on the bus.  Even so it is 11 pm when we arrive.  Fred has a 9 am meeting to off to bed we go!

Saturday, 11 Sept - Clermont-Ferrand

Fred worked this morning at new student orientation. Since I bought fish yesterday, we decided to cook Pescado Yucatan, a mexican dish we make at home



For this we needed cilantro, poblano peppers, small hot peppers, avacado, and beans.
In France this is not so easy. I started by taking our glass recycling down the street - there is a glass receptacle on the street corner just a half a block away, on my way to the Jardinier.


There I find tomatoes, and lime, but no cilantro and no peppers. He has avacado, but he asked if I would use it today and I said yes. Apparently his are not quite ripe, so he would not sell one to me.   It is good to know he will let me know these things, but now I have to go somewhere else as we do want to use the avacado tonight.


I went around the block to Leader Price and found some peppers I thought might be poblano, and bought some paper products as well.   On the way home I stopped at the pharmacy close to the house and found vitamins.


I unloaded my purchases and headed off toward centre ville or center of town. I know there is a north african grocery on the way to the main covered market, so I stop there. They have only dried peppers, in a large bag.   I pass on that and go on. I have been looking everywhere for canned beans and find lots of white beans, but no black or even red.


I eventually find a small shop that has dried black beans, and select those. I stop at the ourdoor market and ask a woman who is selling bell peppers if she has small "piments fort" or hot peppers. She directs me to the last vendor on the left and he DOES have some small hot peppers.


He also has some herbs, so I ask if one is cilantro - he says it is coriandre and lets me sniff it - I believe it is cilantro, so make my purchase. All of this conversation has been in French, so I am getting better at understanding very quickly.


I go on to the enclosed market to check out the vendors there. We would like to plan this same for guests, but need to know where to get the ingredients before we do.


Then I go on to another shop I found in the yellow pages and they have "exotic" foods - meaning specialty asian, african, and indian ingredients. I wonder around and select some hummus for our indian meal.  By this time it is noon and I am hungry, so stop for a "salade de chevre chaude" or green salad topped with heated goat cheese on little toasts - we have had this before and love it.


Then I walk home, still carrying my purchases. I put on the black beans to boil and soak while I go on my next adventure.


I read in the newspaper that in a neighboring town, there is pedal vehicle race today, and it looks like the "vehicles" are decorated, so I take the city bus to the site.  They really are decorated recumbent bicycles, pedaled by teams, all in costume. This is an annual event and apparently a serious competition. I have read that the entries are judged on both speed and on costumes and decor of the bike.  I get there in time for the introduction of the teams, which is a spectacle and takes 20 minutes longer than scheduled.

Chamalieres, France 

I stay to watch part of the race. It turns out the race is actually 2 hours long, in a circle around city blocks. I will try to post some photos of the event.

 Then I ride the bus home where Fred has started dinner. We wait for the beans to get done, then cook the fish with a sauce of tomato, green olive, capers, onions, garlic. We serve this with thinly sliced zucchini sauteed to limp and just beginning to brown, with butter and onions.  Fred thinks the taste of the fish and sauce is not "authentic" but I think the meal is wonderful.

Friday 10 Sept - Clermont-Ferrand

I have no class today!!!



I start the morning at the local covered market - it is only held on Tuesday (I think) and Friday mornings. Vendors come to the market with some farm fresh goods. I find the fish vendor outside working out of a truck. He does have some fileted fish, but of course they are marked with the French names and my small dictionary doesn't include them. I eventually decide to try on of the filets. HE doesn't have much english but calls another vendor over for help, but I still don't recognize the type of fish, but am clear that is it fileted. He is also offering shrimp, to I get 4 for an appetizer.


I run some other errands and get to school by 11:30. I have received my temprary sign on for online banking and want to look at my french account to see if the transfer I made last weekend has arrived. If not, we will need to call our bank at home and have the transfer researched. Fortunately I get signed on, change my passcode, and see that the transfer has been credited. The site is all in French, so I am feeling pretty good that I got this far.


I go home for lunch and heat up leftovers from the night before, then pack up and go out for more shopping. We have a list of items I have not been able to find - utensils to use in our non-stick pans, listerene, oven thermometer, etc. I have decided to go to the suburbs to a hypermarche that we have seen before. It is sort of like a Walmart with electronics, tires, appliances as well as a huge food store.


To get there, I get out my bus schedule and map and figure the quickest way, but I am not sure where the bus stop I need is located. I eventually find it about 10 minutes from the apartment. I find almost everything I need except the oven thermometer. The landlord says the oven is old, but may cook hot, so not to turn it as high as indicated. By the way, French ovens have numbers from 1 - 10 and no degrees on the dial, so we think the thermometer idea is best. I also check out the seafood department, so I know what they have. Not to worry, it is a huge department and they have lots of fresh fish.


When I finish shopping it is about an hour before I need to be home, so I take a different bus home, one that will take me through several small towns on the outskirts of Clermont-Ferrand before returning me to Place Delille, between home and school. It is a great ride up in the hills surrounding town and it is a beautiful afternoon, so I relax and enjoy the 40 minute ride. Fred texts me and we agree to meet at Place De Lille and walk home together.


We arrive home about 5:30. He has made an 8:00 pm dinner reservation at Fiesta Grande, a Tex Mex restaurant that we love in the center of town. Our neighbor has invited us to an art exposition at a not for profit gallery she works with, so at 6 pm we leave the house to walk to the gallery. It is a nice event with wine and snacks. We meet our neighbor and a colleague from school. It is really nice to be away from home but to run into folks we know.


From there we walk to the restaurant, meeting another American family we have recently been introduced to on the street in front of the restaurant. We get our usual margaritas and enchiladas and finish with a hot apple tart. Everything is superb as usual and the proprietor is happy to see us. He also remembers what we order.


We have had a great evening and are feeling quite at home.