Bordeaux to Paris. Our last 2 days in France (for now).

 You may think this photo is odd...or that the floor of this shower is rather dirty. You would be correct on both counts, actually. It is odd to lead off a blog with a photo of a dirty shower floor, but the fact that the shower floor is this dirty is new in and of itself. Confused? Good.

We find that cleanliness is highly subjective both in practice and in theory. That this is the shower in a reputable French hotel (not French brand, I might add), albeit a brand of 'small' hotels with 'small' rooms (I kid you not, on the latter) makes the fact that this shower stall is really dirty even more disgusting. I might just send this photo to their head office. I was appalled to find it thus, on entering our hotel room.
We have struck this many times in our travels in France. Cleanliness seems to be singularly lacking. At least our definition of cleanliness. Public toilets (when you can find them) are not pleasant places, and places like airports (Charles de Gaulle in particular) has no soap dispensers in it's bathrooms, just water, and an air dryer. No paper, which I find rather ironic in a country hell bent on reducing waste, yet we find we have more recycling there than we do in the USA.
So, back to the cleanliness of hotels...or lack thereof. This one is in Bordeaux. Will I name the Hotel? Ok...Ibis Styles, Gare St Jean, Bordeaux.
Previously we stayed in the Ibis Budget, just around the corner, and I think the shower stall there was cleaner, though the toilet wasn't. Never mind that the Hotel chain is renowned for its low prices...not that I call 98 euros per night low, in the scheme of things, but we managed to get a special price of 44 euros for our first two nights in the Budget Hotel. The room isn't large enough to swing a kitten, let alone a cat, but we aren't there all day, as I think I have mentioned before, so as long as the bed is comfy, we don't really care. I do care, however, if the bathroom facilities are clean!

Ok..I'll leave that one now and carry on.
With our bags already packed before going to bed, we were ready to leave Bordeaux for paris. Our TGV train wasn't going to be a fast one this time, with stops along the way, but we didn't mind. We had nothing else to do, and an extra day in Paris up our sleeves, the next day. No rush.
This is our favorite restaurant opposite the Train Station in Bordeaux. We have had a few meals there now, and enjoyed all of them. The Taverne du Midi.

 It rained! And it rained some more...heavily! The pavement was awash, and we wished we didn't have to run our bags through all that water, on the way to the station.
As usual we were early. Sitting around waiting can drive us nuts! I have to get up and move, so I go walking around the station, camera in hand, enjoying the sights and sounds, the quirky, the beautiful, the interesting and sometimes just the colors...of everything.
Crowds came and went. They all bunched around the screens announcing the departures and arrivals of the various trains, and we sat and watched with the rest of them.
I made the mistake of putting our bags on seats. I was slowly but surely edged out, and in the end, squished between two people who made it plain that my bags should not be on the seats, those were for people to sit on. Ok...message received!
Shops selling specialty items around the outside.

Before checking out of the hotel (we had until noon) we walked in the rain across to the nice restaurant inside the Train station and sat at the bar for brunch. The menu was limited, and I didn't bother taking photos, sorry. We ordered Grand Crème, of course, and now neither of us can remember what we ate! For shame. This is what happens when I don't take photos, and too many days pass before I write it all up!

I walked around the shops in the station, buying a Newsweek and a Time magazine...in English, which set me back 11euros! ouch! but it did provide some reading matter on the train and again on the plane, two days later.

Plenty of sweet treats being sold in the specialty shops.

 These Canales ( Can nelaye) are a Bordeaux specialty, and come in many flavors. I could also buy copper moulds in the shop, but they would set me back a pretty penny.

 Waz reading Time magazine while guarding our bags. We got squeezed out!

 Now on the TGV train. We learned that first class is more comfy than cattle class, and were satisfied with our accommodations for the 3 hour trip from Bordeaux to Charles De Gaulle Airport, Paris. We decided to stay there instead of our usual place in Montparnasse.

 First class train travel. Pretty comfy.

 It rained most of the way, and was cold! Looking out the window didn't reveal much other than dreary grey and cold cities and towns, farm buildings in the middle of large expanses of crop fields and occasional vehicles on lonely roads.

 The train we had just arrived on at the Airport train station. It is quite an architecturally interesting building.

 The Ibis Styles Hotel at CDG is relatively new, with a Star Wars theme, which was interesting. Our nightly rate included a very comprehensive breakfast, which we enjoyed two mornings.
This was our room! At least it was a little larger than the previous ones we had enjoyed.

 The closet!..yep!

 Arriving just after 7pm, meant we were in the dark, literally, when we arrived at the hotel. Waz had done his homework per usual and found where we had to go to find this place. We caught the automated tram to Roisseypol station (warzypol) and walked 400 meters, and voila! Ibis Styles Hotel. Modern (ish), full up to busting with new arrivals at the tiny check in desk. We waited our turn, found our room and then went out for dinner. Waz again came through with the reviews on the food available for purchase at the hotel restaurant as being nothing flash at huge prices...think Captive Audience desperate for food and nowhere else to go!
He ascertained that the hotel across the forecourt, the Pullman Hotel, had a restaurant that was more worthy of our time and euros, and so we went there. FASCINATING!

One of the many lovely decorations. Room rates at this hotel run in the high 200 euros per night. This is where the Emirates Airline staff stay when in town!

 It was more classy all around, to our way of thinking, and the menu was 'interesting' to the point of not being able to make an easy decision. Waz chose whole Young Chicken with a bowl of small roasted potatoes...eh? yes. No other veg, and you have to choose and pay for any veges that you want in addition to the meat. Hmm....but the taties were really nice. His chicken was well cooked and he enjoyed his meal, except there was nowhere to put the bones...minor in the scheme of things? Not if you have nowhere to put them! lol.
My 'SALAD' was one like I have never experienced before.
Avocado, white beans with pomegranate seeds and acai berries, baby spinach, wilted kale and deep fried kale for garnish, baby green beans and something else I cant remember. Again, not appropriate to be taking food photos in this place. I have to admit to the salad being a wonderful laxative, lol. Excellent prior to long airline travel!
Thus satisfied, we headed back to our hotel. We sat in the lounge area with a free cup of tea, and then off to bed. We didn't have to rise early because we had the day to ourselves. Intending, if the weather was nice, to trot into Paris central, we would make that decision on the morrow.

See what I mean about the Star Wars theme?? Yoda kept tabs on the free drinks section.

It was freezing cold outside and wet...very wet. Running between hotels was relatively dry, but the huge overhang between the two didn't keep us entirely dry.

We slept well, and came downstairs for breakfast later than anticipated, at 9.30am. Breakfast was on until 10am, so we just made it!

Breads of all kinds including sweet loaf varieties, mini viennoise (croissants and Pain chocolat) cereal that had sugar mixed in, and fruit salad (not fresh, strangely), meats, cheeses, yoghurts and hot drinks out of a dispensing machine. What more could we ask for??:)

Today with the high winds and freezing cold we made the decision not to spend 40 euros return journey into Paris, and instead took the opportunity to go back into the Airport terminals and really take a long walk around and discover where secrets. Normally we arrive and head to the train station and leave. Today was quite a revelation, Im happy to report.

We love the automated tram system between the terminals. It is quiet and fast. 

Here is the tram in the station.

 We sat up front and watched the tram cross effortlessly on the tracks.

 I doubt there is any airport in the world that doesn't have construction of some kind, going on.

 Plenty of food, of course. They are expensive though. Those captive markets are there to be exploited, obviously. A plain Croissant which we would normally pay .90 euros for in a Boulangerie, are 1.80euros here.

 Macarons were larger, but also pricier.

 Love some of the signs! When we got onto the tram, a Chinese man with a large suitcase offered me his seat, having already sat down. Kind of him, and I didn't take it, but when we got off the tram, he rather steamrollered his way through the crowd, and we watched with some amusement that he almost toppled a few people on his way.

 Processes are endlessly fascinating, and this airport has refined some of those processes well. The tram system being one of them.

 See what I mean about the interesting architecture? This is the Train Station at Charles de Gaulle Airport.

 It is lovely and light, ,but does echo horribly.

 This Sheraton Hotel wasn't there last year, so we were interested to see how it was inside. The Christmas trees beckoned me into the foyer. Waz waited outside.

 We stopped at a Starbucks for a Latte...11 euros for two...ouch!  We sat and watched travelers and were somewhat pleased that we didn't have to go anywhere in particular, today.

We spent about 2 1/2 hours walking around two terminals, and found a restaurant that looked like we might enjoy an evening meal there. Frenchy's Restaurant didn't disappoint, when we returned to Terminal 2 for our evening meal.
I ordered a chicken breast with sweet potato schmear (you know how they plop puree on the plate and then smear it across the rest of the plate? Its called a SCHMEAR! lol.
AND...they also had deep fried cubed (parmentier) sweet potatoes in a tiny metal basket. No greens. Chicken and sauce and Sw. potato 2 ways.

Waz enjoyed his Lamb shank which fell off the bone, with a dark gravy and a normal white potato schmear. That was it! No greens...and two TINY tomatoes.
We had a glass of white wine to finish our stay in France, and home on the tram to Roisseypol terminal station.
Glad to be inside with the freezing cold out.
Coffee at the free drink station, a sit before bed, and an early start the next day.
That wind was vicious! The Christmas trees at the front entry to the Hotel all fell over.

We had a 5am start to our travel day, and were downstairs for breakfast, which opened at 4.30am. Others had already started their meals, and we joined a growing number eating so early. By 6.15am we were out the door with our luggage and on the final leg of our homeward journey. It was with mixed feelings that we were leaving.
Our flight to Newark, USA was 9.25am, and we had a bit of waiting around. We were glad to be there plenty early and get ourselves through security etc and able to relax.
I don't know why I am always earmarked for extra security checks, but they did the whole body run over, on me. Waz gets to wait and watch! ha!
The food on the flight was forgettable...salty and dry, a scamble with cheese and potatoes wasn't nice even. That was followed some time later with an ice-cream of British origins, Toffee flavored with nice crunch bits was the best part of that meal. An hour before touch down in Newark they issued us a dry roll with turkey and cheese in it...somewhat warmed. Blech!
Two good things about arriving back in the USA:
1. Plenty of toilet stalls in the bathrooms, and SOAP!
2. People who smile. (French people aren't naturals when it comes to smiling! Who knows why?)

I'm sure I could make a long list, but those were the most outstanding, lol.

2 1/2 hours waiting for our flight from Newark to Jacksonville, and arriving there around 7pm, meant it was already dark...though we were treated to a glorious sunset, while in the air.
Waz had uploaded the UBER app before we left home, and we used that to efficiently find transport back to the boat for very little money...$24! I tipped the cheerful and 'really nice' driver, and was happy to do so. I'm not a tipping kind of person, so he must have been nice:)

It was nice to get back to a sweet smelling, dry boat that had been just been washed on the outside. I did make the request from our caretaker and it was so nice to find our baby clean.

De-bagging was quick and painless, but now the boat is full of 'stuff' again. We will have to de-stuff as we have a broker coming this weekend to take a look at her.
Sleep was welcomed, in our own bed, and we were in bed by 8.30pm. Waking at 4 the next morning, we realize this jet lag thing will take us week. Never the best part of coming home, we adjust and drink coffee! What else can you do at 4am?

The past two days have been spent doing chores, going to appointments, laundry (at 5am!) and sorting out the food requirements. We did a Sams run today, and of course my membership had run out, so our bill was greater than expected, with the additional membership $ tacked on. Oh well, we have that for another year, and we did get a bonus check from them to offset the fees.
Soup made and consumed, more food filling the fridge, and the prospect of some stew in the slow cooker tomorrow. Things are back to normal, methinx.
Time to get some sleep. We slept 10 hours last night, so are feeling less spacey tonight.
We have plenty of pre-Christmas celebrations to attend to this coming week, so we are going to be busy.
Night, night.