Up and after all the housework done, went into town to go to the Citadelle. Walked up the steep path to get in, I think the kids counted 180 steps along with paths and road for a start.
A pretty impressive structure, the kids walking along the ramparts gave me the jitters. Heaps to see and do, we spent ages going around the zoo, the monkeys were adorable and many different varieties, some I had never seen or heard of before. There were lots of little babies and we all enjoyed them. You could get really close to them and there were 2 really little white ones, they would have been able to easily fit in amongst the kids soft toys on the bed. I would have taken them home if I could!
Just around the corner there were a different type and they could get out and were running around just above our heads. We were standing there mesmerised as one descended and reached out to Hermione, she put her hand out and it held her hand and then tried to bite her finger! What a touching and very cool happening. The highlight of her day! I actually thought it was going to leap on to her shoulder. They also had a section “Petite ferme” where you could wander in around the animals and touch and pat them. The girls loved it, the goats followed you around and they had chickens, roosters, rabbits, guinea pigs and turkeys.
After this, to the aquarium and amphibian house. Loved the amphibian house it had heaps of different frogs (the ones they have not eaten!) all mainly from the rainforest and brightly coloured.
The insectarium also was well done and had a huge selection of insects from around the world put into a realistic settings. Very cool! Some of those beetles and horned things were actually really huge!
The noctarium really was just a huge stink and it only had different types of mice and rats!
We were then starving as it was now 4:00 and had left home at 11:00 and had had no lunch. So off in to town in the hopes of food but town was packed of people for the music in the streets and typical Sunday – nothing open! Did however find an ice cream – glace !
To catch a bus home was the problema s all the bus routes were changed due to the festival. Got to the correct stop eventually and found we had missed bus by 3 minutes and had 56 to wait! Which we did as all had sore feet!
This journey however turned into disaster and we had our first run in with the law!
At one of the stops 4 men in black suits got on. These turned out to be bus/ticket inspectors. Not worried I had bought bus passes for us all for the month of October! BUT….. the line is so busy the 2 days before end of the month that the lady in the bus office said she would post the girls ID card (plastic like credit card with photo)and gave me the card for the other side – October!
So the man came up we showed the pass and he ranted and raved for ages. It came to our stop and luckily we were allowed off with THEM! He could tell I didn’t understand what was wrong and he still went on. I tried to explain the lady was posting them because they were so busy. He kept on and wrote out a ticket which I think is for 60€! He then wanted ID but I don’t carry my passport – which I think I might start doing! – It went on for ages, him ranting, me not understanding. Any way I think we were supposed to buy a ticket if the girls didn’t have card but noone had said to. I had just paid about 65€ for all the passes for the month had no idea couldn’t use it!
So this was a really horrible experience, I was quite upset,shaken and frustrated afterwards. Still have no idea what to do with this ticket – will go to the address tomorrow and see what happens! Could be an expensive lesson! Hope this doesn’t go on a record as we have an appointment with the “Prefecture” on Wednesday to get our “Carte de Sejour” another Visa type process now that we are here! This also costs us again and apparently have to have another medical and Xrays as they don’t believe Dr in NZ. The next frustrations of French Bureaucracy!
So a very disappointing finish to a good day!
By the way the 99c Champagne was lovely as is the slightly more expensive 1€19 floor scrapings for a red tonight! I say this as nowhere on the bottle does it say what type – pinot, merlot…etc it is!
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