On the canals to Abbaye de Vaucelles, 12th century

 

Abbaye de Vaucelles, 12th century

May 8, 2022 by Gary Kirkpatrick

May 7, 2022

The Abbaye de Vaucelles gives you the feeling of being a monk in medieval times, with its stone structures, vaulted ceilings and chilly cellars, the peaceful gardens (forget the work involved), which specifically includes herbs mentioned in the Bible. Perhaps it was those Biblical herbs that had me sneezing as soon as we came near the garden just past the statue of the monk.

The site sits deep in the countryside. It was dark that night at our mooring except for the safety light at the lock just ahead. There are cultivated fields all around, just a few houses in the village, whose bridge was built in the 12th century. Under that bridge flows the Escaut River, called the Schelde once you cross into Belgium. It flows all the way into the North Sea at Antwerp, where it is a wide river with a raging tide. Here the source is not far away from its origin in the hills, where in a few days we will take our boat through a tunnel that is five kilometers long.

Bishop’s residence

The complex was founded in 1131 by Saint Bernard near Cambrai, in northern France. It was Bernard’s 13th monastery, and was to become the largest Cistern monastery. It retains some of its structures. Others were destroyed by the German Army in WWI to keep its food stores from the Allies. The Abbaye, then privately owned, sat on the Hindenburg Line. There was additional destruction during the French revolution, as a result of the Church’s support of the monarchy. It was used by local peasants after the French revolution. The Bishop’s palace was purchased by a woman who lived there with her daughter.

The Gothic church it once supported measured 137 meters in length x 64 meters at its widest. You can see its dimensions outlined where it stood.  Some books from the library, which had 20,000 to 40,000 volumes in 1257, are kept in Cambrai. The Lagoutte family bought it in 1971. They restored what they could and opened it for visitors. It was bought in 2017 by the regional government in 2017.

When Bernard died in 1153, there were 103 monks and about 300 lay brothers who performed the tasks necessary for the running of the monastery and its substantial production. In the 13th century they built the large church, two cloisters and other buildings.

In 1254 King Louis donated a thorn from the Crown of Thorns. At the end of the 13th century , the abbey, placed under the protection of the popes and kings of France, built the aforementioned monumental church, two cloisters and numerous buildings. In the next century the monastery suffered during the Hundred Years War, a war of religion. It was attacked on several occasions, looted, sacked and rebuilt. It was plundered in 1482 and 1543. In 1555 the Truce of Vaucelles was signed here, leading to the end of war between France and Spain. For more information see their website https://abbayedevaucelles.fr/l-abbaye-et-son-histoire

The brewery at the Abbye. They have 4 or 5 beers on tap, jars of pate, as well as smoked sausage for sale

 

We sampled beers made at the Abbaye. There were 4 on tap.

Sculpture made with shredded paper.

Categoriesblog, Blog 2022TagsAbbaye de Vaucelles, France tourismLeave a comment

Arras Via Boat

Arras, site of major WWI battle

May 1, 2022 by Gary Kirkpatrick

The Battle of Arras was a major WWI battle. We toured the extensive caves created for the efforts of the British to surprise the Germans dug in the trenches.   It’s a guided tour, of course. You could easily get lost even with the wall markings still largely in place.   The English/French guide was very good, and there is an audio guide that kicks in with additional information while you walk to the next section.  

Before 1916 the French manned the Arras line, then the British moved in. They brought in coal miner volunteers from New Zealand, called sappers, to dig towards the German lines. Their efforts produces extensive tunnels, . The idea was to allow some 24,000 troops to exit the tunnels close to the German trenches, to gain the upper hand by surprise, in coordination with a French attack. Tunnel tactics date well back in time, to thousands of years before the common era.

The battle took place 9 April to 16 May 1917. It was part of the Nieville Offensive, conceived by the French general of that name. The British assaulted from Vimy to the north-west to Bullecourt to the south-east. The Canadians captured Vimy Ridge. The Third Army advanced along the Scarpe River, which we took to get here. Per the guide the French did not move for several days, contrary to plans, and the British troops paused the attack after its initial success, allowing the Germans to recover. Nonetheless the British advanced further than any previous effort in the trench warfare phase of the War. The blood bath continued until late in 1918 when the US entry in the war helped turn the tide. We visited one of the cemeteries on the edge of town, meticulously maintained to this day.

Arras was nearly flattened by German bombing. Most of the populace fled, leaving just 1200 behind when the battle began.

Place des Heros, Arras

Place des Heros today

Hotel de Ville (City Hall)

Hotel de Ville now- beneath are caves also used during WWI.

In the chalk caves beneath the Hotel de Ville, Arras

Photo of soldier projected onto the cave walls

On the Road Again- On our boat on the canals of France

 

April 27, 2022 by Gary Kirkpatrick

We departed our winter mooring of Valenciennes, near the Belgium border, heading south on the Schelde River, known as the Escarpe in France, then to the Canal du Nord. We are now on the seldom traveled Scarpe River, whose ancient locks are too small for modern barges and thus the lack of that sort of traffic. Even few pleasure boaters seek its pleasures, for in France canal boating is not terriblly popular among the French. It’s mostly us foreigners.

We spent the first night in Bassin Rond, near the town of Paillencourt. There’s room for three boats our size on a well maintained pontoon. We were welcomed by our winter neighbors, whom we’d just met in Valenciennes as they were readying their 15 meter barge for summer’s outing. They told us how pleasant a mooring this is so we followed them a day later.

We walked to town of Paillencourt the next morning, a Sunday. The bakery was open, with fresh bread, pain au chocolate, tartalettes and more wonderful treats awaiting. They even had a corn flour baguette-shaped bread. It’s just past the town’s WWI-WWII memorial. There the deaths were numerous during WWI. Several civilians murdered by the Nazis are listed. Down the road there is a plaque to a pilot who died when his plane crashed in May, 1944.

The locals, or at least some of them, were happy to say hello. One in particular wanted to try out his very limited English and even offered to buy us another coffee as we sat outside in the sun. He’s the one who told us about the plaque down the street. His wife joked with us about her husband’s gift of the gab and that he appeared to know everyone. This is not a surprise, I suppose, given that we are in a small pond after all. There are just some 1000 residents.

He tried to remember our names. Mine was the most difficult for some reason. After three efforts I gave him a hint. That did not work. Then I said, “Macron.” “Nooooo” he said. This is the second time I’ve had this reaction, the first in Valenciennes when I joked with the cashier, saying “Macron” as I signed the credit card receipt. I have read that there is a lot of support in northern France for Le Nazi. My take is that people in some areas are more worried about economic issues than being associated with a person with a racist past. They do not want to support any more immigrants- they have many indeed.

After two nights in the Bassin we continued on the Canal de la Sensee, passing large barges being loaded with grain. After a bit we radioed the next lock. He had told us to enter. He returned a bit later to explain that two barges were coming in behind us. Normally the large craft enter first while the smaller ones wait for the barges to completely stop. The two came in behind us very slowly, and given the size of the lock, there was no problem, even given that the one to our side just had the captain aboard. Behind us a woman with purple hair handled the huge lines, gave a big smile and waved hello. That made me feel warmed all over.

In the lock on the Canal de la Sansee

The friendly lock keeper gave us the remote control for the locks on the Scarpe River. He said there were additional instructions at the first lock. After we entered the Scarpe River, we came upon the lock and no instructions in sight, or we missed them. The lock did not operate. The phone number he gave us led only to a recording. After 30 minutes we were still waiting for a reply so I wrote to our winter neighbor. He gave us a number that worked. Soon we had a proper explanation. We thought we were supposed to touch “Avalant” not “Montant.” Montant means going upstream, that is going towards the source of the river, and that is what we are in fact doing. Our error. After it would not open I did try Montant but apparently once you make this mistake they have toreset the system. Finally we entered the lock to find the two rods that fill the lock and open the gates. I pulled down. Nothing. Another VNF truck had come by so I looked at the driver. He said you push up. We had not been told that. I supposed I would have tried that eventually.

We went through another lock without incident, but the third would not open at first. After about 30 minutes I tried again. The gates opened, it filled slowly and gently. We stopped for the night in Blache-Saint-Vaast.

Lock on the Scarpe River. It looks fierce but was quite gentle.

Categoriesblog, Blog 2022TagsCanals Europe, canals France, Picardie2 Comments

Ready to eat! Morelian 'Every Day' Cuisine

Ready to eat!

Morelian 'Every Day' Cuisine

You can eat very well in a restaurant for about what it would cost you to eat at home in the U.S.

Just one minute from our front door is a 'Cocina Economica' (literally 'Economical Kitchen). Similar places are called 'Cocina Casera' and 'Comida Corrida.' At this one, for 30 pesos (a bit over $2.00) you get soup, main course with rice and beans, and a beverage (a watery but tasty juice). The main course, called 'el guisado,' can be chile rellenos, either red or green. I've had both and they've wonderful!. They are dipped in batter and deep fried. 'Relleno' means they are stuffed, in this case with a slice of cheese. They also serve chicken, beef or pork in various formulations, and sometimes leafy greens. All these dishes are out for you to inspect, so even if your Spanish is limited, you'll have a pretty good idea of what you are getting. The beef is served 'encellobado' meaning with onions, or in a 'caldo,' a broth (beef in this case). Pollo (chicken) and cerdo (pork) are also served in a broth or stew of some sort.

Most 'guisados' are served with rice and beans. The rice at our local place has a few chopped vegetables and is cooked in broth. It is better here than in most such places. As for the beans here and most places, I find them too soupy.

The soup is chicken based, entirely free of fat, with some vegetables and pasta if you want it. It's always good.

There are many Cocinas Economicas in town, and most of them charge 40 pesos or so. I had a fabulous chicken mole at some granny's hole in the wall for 40, plus 20 for a beer, so it was twice the cost of our local spot. Mole sauces are very common and there are many variations on the theme. Mole only comes with chicken as far as I know.

What else, in no particular order:

Tacos are everywhere and universally wonderful. I've only had them two or three times when Peg bought 8 of them at 5 pesos each. This was from a spot just down the street. The beef is shredded ( never ground) with lots of cumino and I don't know what else in it. I've seen them selling real small ones for 2.

In some places they cook the meat on a vertical spit like the Greeks and Turks. They slice it as it cooks and wrap it in two tortillas. Always 2. Peg has has lengua tacos. Tongue. I don't kiss her lips for a long time afterwards. Tongue tacos should be included in Leviticus where whatever you don't like can be condemned.

Tacos dorados, golden tacos, are tightly wound with bits of beef or whatever, and deep fried.I seldom see burritos.

Tortas, everywhere. Tortas are sandwhiches. Always on fresh, locally made bread. I had one called una Torta Espanola. Ham and other meats, various cheeses, sauce. Tortas are always moist and filling. They start around 15, up to 28 pesos.

Milanese Breaded fillet of beef, pork or chicken in the style of Milan. No different from what you'd get just about anywhere but always good and inexpensive! Very thin. Might be served as a torta.

Gazpacho. There are little shops selling it everywhere. I was curious because gazpacho is a soup and why would people walk around eating soup? In Spain it's a soup, but here it's finely chopped fruit served with slightly spicy chile powder and grated cheese. Fabuloso!

Breakfast: Eggs al gusto (as you like them) and pancakes, just like the pancakes we know in the US. Most people eat tacos, enchiladas and other everyday items, often at sidewalk stands with a few bar stools attached to the cooking/serving unit. They start as early as 8 a.m.

Savory Crepes: There are savory crepes with ham, cheese, vegetables, and sweet crepes, hold overs from the days the country was run by the French. Maximillian lived here.

Fish and shrimp. Lots of it. Peg had a decent sized shrimp cocktail for lunch today for 25. I had a fish soup with a sizable piece of fish in it for 30. Very mild flavor. The fish looked like it dove in there. No points for presentation.

Hot sauces are served with most everything. They are mostly home made, both green and red. Commercial sauces might have an emulsifier in them so they don't look the same. Some sauces are hot and some are very hot. If you get soup you will get finely chopped chilies and onions. The chilis are spicy and crunchy

Chicharrones (fried pig skins) are on every street corner. Sometimes they are huge, maybe 3' x 3.' Of course you buy bits and they put a red sauce on it.

Fresh potato chips join the list of the ubiquitous. A small bag costs 10. They are good but not much better than what you can get in a bag for less. Served with a red sauce. There are also long thin sticks right next to the potato chips, also served with a red sauce.

Tortilla chips Nary a one.

There are many local specialties but what I've mentioned are what you can get anywhere any day of the week.

Morelia, Part I

Morelia, Michoacan, Mexico April 17, 2009

Morelia Part I:

Charming and Entertaining!

Morelia is a charming city. It has an attractive, sizable downtown area filled with World Heritage buildings, friendly and courteous people, fine cuisine and many free, high quality cultural events. Like Merida, Peubla and San Cristobol de las Casas, it's more beautiful, richer in culture, better organized and cleaner than you would expect. Everything comes together in a way that leaves you tranquil and culturally elevated.

Morelia is in the province of Michoacan, with a population of about 685,000. It sits at an altitude of 1920 meters (6300 feet) with an average daytime temperature of no more than 85F. Rain is infrequent; the skies are always blue. The downtown area has over 1000 colonial buildings and churches that are World Heritage designated. Cost of living compared to the US is about one half. Medical care is excellent and as affordable as is most everything else.

There are some concerns, of course. Recently a mayor who fired his police chief for corruption was assassinated, and there have been some attacks on police or army installations by drug traffickers. However, most of the violence in this province as elsewhere in Mexico is between competing drug trafficking gangs. Most of that occurs in non-public settings so safety is not effected. My other main concern is air quality. Pollution from cars and buses on main thoroughfares can be quite offensive. The constant breeze means the problem ends up somewhere else.

We arrived on in Mexico on March 24, 2009. At the bus station in Morelia you pay 35 pesos (currently at $13 pesos per $US- they use the $ symbol here too, in fact the word dollar comes from Spanish) at a desk inside the station for the taxi ride to town. There is no dispute about how much the ride costs, and there is no extra charge for an extra passenger or luggage, getting visitors off to a good start.

Peg found our place using the wireless internet in the $20US a night hotel in downtown Morelia. In less than two days we moved into an apartment run by the Baden-Powel Institute. BPI has about 7 apartments rented to students studying Spanish. There were plenty of spare apartments so they rented us one. We negotiated a discount from the weekly rate but still a lot more than we would pay for an apartment elsewhere in the city. Since we are going to be here a relatively short while, and since the rent includes all utilities, a cell phone, weekly maid service, a water purifier, cable TV with lots of subtitled movies and other English language programs, wireless internet and a very convenient location in the historic center, it makes sense to pay a bit extra. So far it's worked out very well, although our first apartment was a bit noisy being right on the street. Now we are on the second floor, it quiet, less dusty and we are not bothered by automobile fumes.

One of the many beautiful buildings in downtown Morelia showing tyical stonework

Since we arrived we've seen 1) a two-day outdoor weekend international folk dance festival with participants from 7 or 8 Latin American countries, 2) an outdoor production bu a modern dance troupe 3) an excellent outdoor production of Jesus Christ Superstar, and, 4) the first three of four evening performances of the 19th Annual International Guitar Festival and competition. Total cost to us: $0.

There is also live music at many of the bars. One night we saw a very good belly dance performance by 3 women at a restaurant; one of them also did a few flamenco dances. Our total bill for a very good meal, 2 beers each included, was $42US. That's for four people, not two. That's about as expensive as it gets here.

We Gotta Get Out of This Place! El Salvador Part IV

We Gotta Get Out of This Place

All of the charm of Nic village is in it's people. As charming as they are, that was not enough to keep us here for long.

Ramon and Lucy were extremely generous to us. They made us several meals. One was a deep fried fish. It was whole and deboned, and quite tasty. On Christmas day she made sandwiches, a local tradition. These consist of slow-cooked beef, as tender as you can get it. It was served in it's own juices but not so liquid that the Bimbo (that's the brand name) white, very white and very floppy bread couldn't hang together long enough for you to eat it. It was very good. For the first time since we'd been here (by now about a week), they served beer. Nic explained that el Salvadorans frown upon drinking. They think that if you drink at all you drink to excess. There is no in between.

Another meal we had some tamales. These tamales, unlike the other's we've had in el Sal, have some meat in them. In one I ate there was chicken, a chicken leg with the a bit of the bone included! As usual, the masa was quite tasty. One day we had a wonderful chicken stew. They chicken was probably running around the yard earlier in the day. Peg ate some of the eggs. The chickens have chosen a spot to lay right next to Nic's door. It's easy to see how many eggs you have, and just as easy to step in chicken poop as you walk in and out. Makes you be thankful for shoes and makes you wear them all the time.

Ramon works for someone in the village who has some bees. They use some German technology which has significantly boosted production. He says you can work with the Africanized bees. You have to use more smoke and exercise greater caution. Ramon let us taste the honey, served with the comb. It was good honey. Out back he has a coconut tree. He said compared to the coconuts you get in the US, these are much more tender, and much better. He was right about them being more tender, but both Peg, I, Nic and Jeanine find them to be unpleasant, being mushy, and tasteless at best.

We went on several visits during our time in La Dumpa. We met Adepio and Marta, both warm, friendly and welcoming, and maybe one or two of their eight children and perhaps a batch or two of grandchildren. Marta has been to the US. Nic likes their 'comida' the best. I think they severed us some tamales, rice and beans and tortillas, of course. They were joking about how one of their grandsons had injured his penis. He jumped off a ledge, which shoved a sharp object in his pocket into his penis. He screamed far louder than necessary, they said, but they took him to a doctor in San Sal for some stitches anyway.

We ate on our laps. This is a common practice. I recall only once sitting at a table. Here we got to sit on chairs. At Lucy's we sometimes sat in the hammock. I preferred to sit in the hammock at Lucy's, because it was indoors while the seats were on the porch, where the two annoying dogs begged, the chickens constantly tried to climb in your lap and if unsuccessful would poop on your shoe.

While we are they sat. This is also common practice. Visitors are fed when they get there, and often the family has already dined.

Another day we visited the House of Women. The mother had five or six daughters, the husband gone or dead. The daughters who had children all had girls, four or five perhaps, and the fathers were gone or dead. They were such lovely people I didn't suspect them of murdering any of the fathers.

Theirs was the most attractive house we'd seen in the village. It was fairly new and paid for largely by remittances from the oldest daughter, who works for Neiman Marcus in personnel. I gathered she made no more than $30,000 a year. She had no high school diploma or if she did, that was all she had, so I could not imagine her making even that much. She rented an apartment for something like $600 a month and had a roommate. But her English was quite good, so she could be very helpful dealing with Spanish speaking employees.

One day Nic took us on a walk up the hill to the cisterns. A previous Peace Corps couple helped set up a water project which brought potable water to the village for the first time. The area mayor put up the $80,000 it took to build the cisterns and lay the pipe. The cisterns are filled from a small stream. The pipes are about ½ mile in length and are gravity fed. The pipe installed in one cistern was installed too high so that cistern does not feed the system. As a result of this or other issues, there is not enough water pressure to serve the whole village, so only one section at a time has water.

There are three sections. One can be shut off independently, but the other two can not. A villager goes to each house and turns the water on and off. Some villagers want their water on when it's supposed to be off, so the section being served at that time does not always have enough pressure. By the time we left, the village council had established a fine for anyone who turned their water on during off periods.

Ramon has a well so during off periods you still have water, but you can't drink it. But you can take a shower and flush the toilet. But you can't really flush Nic's toilet by operating the handle because it is clogged. It will flush if you pour enough water in it. No one had gotten to the point where finding a plunger or snake seemed like the thing to do.

My 'guests' chose this time to make their grandest exit. This only involved minor inconveniences unless someone else was in the bathroom. As it happened, I nearly died only once. Nic was trying to get the toilet to drain while I danced around the living room, Jeanine watching my face get increasing pale. As this was going on she explained that PCVs (Peace Corp Volunteers) in el Sal spend a lot of time dealing with issues like this. How lovely.

But at least I was sleeping well. I still can't figure out why. The bed Peg and I were sharing was at most a single. I spent nights perched on the 2x4 frame edge. But this seemed better than what Nic and Jeanine were doing- sharing the hammock. Not a double wide one, just a single. They looked like they were in hog heaven, and if the sounds coming from the backyard were any indication, that's exactly where they were.

Beach restaurant in Fuoco

Within a few days I found myself singing “We Gotta Get Outta This Place”. Jeanine heard me and laughed. Two bus rides later we were in a beach town, El Fuoco. It has to be one of the world's ugliest beach towns. The beach is lined with tin roofs held up with sticks. Dogs wander about, some looking not too healthy. Our hotel cost $35 a night, with threadbare sheets and no hot water. Just as well. When there is hot water in el Salvador, it's produced by a device attached to the shower head. We've both received shocks when we tried to adjust the water flow or temperature.

We ate a lovely dinner in a dumpy hut on the beach (none of the restaurants had names) . It was a deep fried fish, it was very good, and it was only $5.00, but we just had to get out of that place.

el Sal part III

In the dumps

We're back in the pickup heading back to San Vincente and then to Nic's place. On the way, while hanging off the back with his feet on the bumper and sending text messages, Nic explained the situation between him, Jeanine and Wendell. Wendell and Jeanine were in the process of splitting up, and both agreed to the divorce so there were good feelings all around. Nic and Wendell were still good friends. Nic had been worried that we might think he was having an affair with a married woman. Nic forgot we lived through the 70's when it was shameful if you weren't!

A seat became available as we talked but I was unaware of nothing but the strange things Nic was doing with his lips as he stood inches above the road. They were pursed and seemed to be pointing. This turns out to be Salvadorans often do when you ask for directions. For example, if you pass their table and ask for the bathroom, they'd purse their lips in the direction of the toilet. The movement is so subtle that at first Nic thought they were just ignoring him.

I think we transferred to another bus in San Vincente and on to San ______ where we got the bus to to Nic's site, _______. San ______ must be the patron saint of ugly dusty villages. At least it would give him a following, as there are probably tons of these in el Sal. ______ may be one of the most in need of something, anything at all, that isn't ugly and dusty, and gotten to by means of an axle busting dirt road that crosses several creeks, dry now but flowing in the rainy season so sometimes you just can't get through.

_______ in all its glory

The chicken bus that serves this route is the ugliest one I've seen. Not a drop of chrome, the seats badly torn and the stuffing long since worn. The hour and a half ride is only $1.00, which under the circumstances explains the condition of the unit. There's a sign that says, “We'll be serving you until Jesus comes.” The buses en el Sal (as well as all of Central America) are full of Jesus things. Apparently there are some Jehovah's witnesses around, as I saw some references to Jehovah. These are my favorite, because of the way Jehovah sounds in Spanish: “Hey - ova.”

Chickens scurry, pigs snort, and a herd of cows walks in the middle of the road as we arrive, only grudgingly moving to the side. It's a short walk past the town hall, a recently completed structure without windows, which is the case with most of the houses here. Several people were painting it as we walked past. Everyone stopped to greet Nic. The kids were especially fond to see him, but everyone greeted him with great warmth, a warmth that contrasted with the dust and trash and dreary concrete huts we passed.

Nic's concrete house is located off the road. You have to pass through two yards. His landlord lives in one, just 30 feet away. Ramon is in his 40's, married to his second wife Lucy, who is 19. She's round faced and round everything else, both friendly and reserved simultaneously. They have a 5 or 6 year old named Marvin (pronounced 'Mar- VEEN'). Marveen, Lucy and Ramon bath openly in the back yard. There are chickens running everywhere. There's a pig behind Nic's place. Nothing but dirt in the yard. It must be awful in the wet season, but even now the smell us unpleasant. My 'guests' don't seem to like it much, but at least Nic and Ramon have flush toilets. Nic's is permanently clogged, though it does eventually drain. Good, because although I feel better, my friendlies are not ready to leave quite yet.

Nic has a shower. There's hot water for about 10 seconds because the pipes cross the hot roof. Since it's about 80 degrees F, the cold water is tolerable. The gray concrete floors and walls don't exactly make your bathing experience something to be savored, but at least you can get clean.

When he moved in Nic did some painting. There's a cow with the saying, “La Vaca Sabe” beneath. If no one knows the answer here, they say, 'the cow knows.'

Nic never has to cook when he's in ___________. People are always feeding him. Because he's very slender he's an object of concern. Salvadorans are rather plump by choice (can't blame it on the automobile here!). The first night we are at Ramon's. I think we had papusas, which are always served with 'cortido,' a vinegary coleslaw. They were good as papusas go but I am already sick of them and the 'guests' agree. They're happy, I'm happy, they're not, neither am I.

On Sunday we took the 6 am bus to __________. Nic has to appear on the English teaching radio show. After Nic went off Peg and I had breakfast at 'Comedor a la Vista.' They Comedor offers freshly made papusas from their sidewalk grill but Peg and I took the guests inside. Me and my guests wanted more of the delicious stew. Their coffee is brewed but like everywhere we've been so far, they don't have milk. It's cremora instead, and this turned out to be the case everywhere. But breakfast for two costs a mere $4.00, a third or less of what you'd have to spend in the US, and it's very good!

By the time Nic was done and we walked to the bus station, we found that the last bus for ______ leaves at 10:30 on Sunday. This meant we'd have to walk home from the main road, an hour on the shorter of the two routes. Nic says if anyone comes along they'll give you a ride. We walked the entire way without seeing anyone. Fortunately it was not too terribly hot, and only a few hills are steep. It actually felt good, although doing that walk once was enough on that barren, dusty route.

Next: We Gotta Get Outta This Place!