Railways

Boys like trains. I did anyway. So to use the train every day should be interesting. At the moment I am trying to work out how the hinges work on the points, but there are none in the station and the train passes the others on route far too quickly. Still it can be a harmless pass-time on the way to work.
The other day my train was cancelled. Whilst I was waiting for the alternative I noticed some loading going on. I went closer to take a look, I had always wondered how they transferred the contents of the goods trains to other places - by road it seems.

A white loader fills a red truck. And a man bangs the underside when needed!

 The train I wanted arrived silently behind me and stopped short on the platform. I turned round just in time to run and catch the first coach.
So when I needed to get the TGV (Train Grande Vitesse - fast intercity train) I made sure I was in good time. The TGV station is the other side of the station I normally use but it takes 5 minutes to walk across the bridge. Mindful of needing to be on the right coach I looked at the platform and decided I could be a long way away, so I asked someone and she at least pointed me to the correct end. In the event I was 3 coaches out, which involved a walk in the train but it could have been worse.

Wide angle view of a straight platform. It is underground and very long to take a very long train.

On the way back, there was a train guide. I chose my spot on the platform. Once aboard, the high speed train is very smooth and after the first stop (mine was the second) it smoothly came to a halt in the middle of nowhere. The driver announced a breakdown - of the train in front! We waited. "Thank you for your patience and understanding". It's a phrase I hear a lot on the trains and metros. When we did go, it was to follow the train ahead which was limping along at 60km/hr, half speed. I arrived home 90 minutes late. I am glad it was on the way back, not on the way out!

Driving

Getting the address changed on your "permis de conduir" (driving licence) can be tricky. It takes a visit to your nearest "préfecture de police". You need the right documents too, so when I found my nearest station was 50 minutes away I prepared before I left. 

- driving licence 

- passport for ID

- gas bill as proof of residence

- check book, although I believe the service is free

- route plan. 

So off I set. Train. Bus. And a 9 minute walk to the cop-shop. 

The village was inside "outer Paris" but it did not feel like it. The streets were wide and the houses stone-built. It looked like the village had been absorbed by Paris as it grew and expanded, but that it had refused to modernise. And I can prove it. The photo below is of the police chase cars. Even non-experts can see that these are well overdue for an update. 

And the address change?

Well the préfecture de police was closed. It is Saturday after all. 

Cordialement 

Terry

Envoyé de mon iPhone

Sauce

Well if I am going to learn to cook, I have to do more than heat pizza. True, chilli and spaghetti have surfaced, and today's offering hardly qualifies me as a "chef". But I bought some ravioli partly to make me make a sauce for it.

This time I read up what I needed to do.

Avoid making lumps was the basic requirement that I gleaned from Delia. That and the proportions of butter, flour, and milk. I used one third of the quantities she proposed, and added cheese in the form of per-grated stuff (French cheeses are impossible to shred) and some parmesan that I did grate.

I used to think that I would have trouble waiting for the cooking times. But in the event I was too busy to be troubled by being sidetracked. I thought I would heat the ravioli after I started the sauce. Simmer the sauce, it said, for 6min; now for the ravioli - ok, in boing water for 8min. I had better get some water on then.

But it all worked out splendidly, partly because the time flew by so nothing had a chance to get cold! And NO LUMPS!

Because you like photos, here is one.

And what would be June's verdict? She would say "there is no colour". She liked it to have some colour. I suppose that is the sign of an expert.

I was happy that it was edible.

Cordialement
Terry

Envoyé de mon iPhone

Teeth

My visits to the dentist have not been frequent in France, so to have only 2 that need attention was possibly quite good. One needs to be pulled, the other is "delicate" and needs a plug made from a mould. Today I had my appointment for the 1st tooth.
I showed the dentist my insurance package and we agreed what it would mean for me. I have to pay something for the expensive filling. Tooth pulling is effectively free - the government pays, bless them.
So he sat me in the chair. Which do you want to do first? he asked. Hmm, I thought, get the mould done, and pull after. So I chose the mould. I was impressed that the anaesthetic took effect almost immediately. There followed nearly an hour of almost painless torture. Open wide, wider. Bite. Open again. Can I spit? No. Lots of whizzy noises, did that hurt? Have some more anaesthetic, this is taking some time to do. This plastic stuff takes 5 minutes to set, and the poor dentist's hand is in your mouth the whole time.
Hmm, I mused, feeling the tooth with my tongue. The hole is much larger now. Yes he said proudly. No improvement yet then, I thought. And then he plugged the hole temporarily. If you have hot or cold pain then call me. I will.
And the other tooth? No, not now, he said. You chose the other one. So I did. We booked an appointment for next Monday to finish this tooth.
He did not let me take photos. I was too tense anyway. So this is a photo-less blog.

Nuit Blanche

Nuit Blanche is one night in the year when Paris offers free events. There is an aid to finding them but I found it difficult to use because it just listed the artist, only when you open the link did you discover what the event was, and when in the night it happened.
So I went and photographed the nightlife. I did ask at the tourist information how to get the best from the evening but she was very honest and said she did not know. We agreed on a trial and error approach - actually hopeless in reality. If you ever visit this event, plan ahead and get to 2 or 3 you want to see. Anything else is a bonus (more that 3 if you want to stay up unit dawn - I didn't).
So here are some photos from the evening. I did get to see the event at the town hall. Cinema clips. I wondered what I was in for, I could not have guessed!
Click to open photos in full size for the best effect.

Notra Dame

Acrobat dancers were here. Not an official part of the night but I had seen them before and they were good.

Cafes were doing well.

This Paris street lamp failed to light up the road.

Hotel de Ville - Town Hall to you and me. Note the London bus.

Samsung high definition, probably in use for the HUGE cinema clips.

Balloons later given away. I did not get one.

The queue. I joined because they suddenly when in in large numbers.

Inside there is a large screen in the courtyard.

When I got in, the screening was of divers under water. No words but lots of diver noises. Then it ended, so I waited until it restarted. When it did, there was no title just a pulsing blob of living stuff. Underwater jelly creature, I wondered? No, the next picture is from the film and is of keyhole surgery in incredible detail. The tube you see on the left will soon shoot out a sack into which the earlier cut out tissue will be placed by pincers. Very graphic. I noticed there were not so many people watching this one.

I went home via the river so had more opportunity for photos. I loved the lights on the water, so you have lots to look at.

Hotel de Ville again, from the other side.

And here with the french flag lit up at the top.

So why "nuit blanche" - I am not sure. But thinking about it, it probably borrows from "carte blanche" since you are "free to visit anything".

If you are prepared to queue.

Comment :
A’ white night’ in English is a sleepless one. It’s probably why they expected you to go on ‘til dawn!
daddad

sailing

In order to take the car for a run (it hadn't moved for a month and was getting lazy) I looked on the map and found a leisure lake nearish-by.  I counted 70 boats (I think) most racing. Here are some of them.

One end of the lake. The other end was just as full.

Suds

This is a picture of the washing machine door mid wash. As you can see it is making every effort to get the cloths clean.

Next time I will put in less soap.