April 2026

The weather remained grey, rainy and in the mid 50’s, although it was starting to warm up a bit. We had a quiet Easter dinner in, choosing lamb chops, potatoes and asparagus since we’d be eating out during our travel to the U.S. The few houseplants we have are doing well and were well taken care of by our neighbor, Audrey while we traveled. And by the time we returned, Spring had sprung.

The big exciting news for us is that G finally got his ten-year Carte de Resident (over a year later than I got mine). It was a stressful issue for him and in earning it, it relieves the very considerable pressure on us regarding language fluency. We have 10 more years before reapplying for the next resident card and depending upon what changes occur, passing any required language test at that time, should be achievable. It is a very big deal for us.

We spent the first week of the month sewing up obligations and visiting with Caren and Bret, friends who had returned from a lengthy trip. Then there was packing, gathering required travel documents and solidifying our arrangements. We took the 30-minute train from Lille to Brussels, staying overnight before the early flight to Chicago. We prefer to fly from Brussels rather than Paris, due to the cheaper flights and the always present CDG chaos.

Security and customs lines were much more manageable at the early time. The 9 1/2 hour flight was uneventful and smooth. G remained in Chicago, catching a chauffeured ride to Milwaukee as he was spending a couple of days with his sister and niece’s family. I transferred to a connecting 4 1/2 hour flight to Portland.

Arriving at our hotel in downtown Portland about 7:30 pm local time, I was throughly brain fogged from spending 14 hours in the air. After checking in, all I could think about was showering the travel funk off and having a hot cup of tea. On the way up to the room, I mentally registered that although the downtown Hyatt hotel had been decent when we stayed there 8 years ago, it had worn poorly in the years. We picked it because it was within walking distance to our condo, where our niece lives.

The hotel room door was sitting cracked open so I left the luggage in the hall as I entered, turning on lights throughout, inspecting to ensure that it was truly empty. Satisfied, I brought in my luggage, locked the door, pulled out the tea I had packed and looked in the kitchenette for a mug, to no avail. Taking a guess, I found they were dirty, in the dishwasher. I looked at the microwave since there wasn’t an electric teakettle and was dismayed at how filthy it was. Inspecting the bathroom and shower, I found a disposable razor left by the previous clients. The grunge factor was overwhelming but I couldn’t muster the energy to deal with it effectively. At least the sheets appeared to be clean as well as the towels and there was no evidence of bedbugs, which is prudent to check for these days. I called down to the desk, explaining the condition of the room and asked for clean cups to be brought up. The front desk explained that rooms were cleaned every other day but I relayed the fact that this unit had not been well serviced after the last client but put off any further discussion until the following morning since I didn’t have the wherewithal to deal with it. But I did take photos to document the rooms biggest issues.

After a shower, a cup of tea and clean pj’s, I FaceTimed with G about the situation. I relayed the front desk’s offer to send in a cleaning crew in the morning but we both agreed to require a new room and if none were available then I would switch hotels. During the call we both searched for alternative accommodations, settling on one before ending our conversation. The next morning I went down to desk with my bags, still unpacked, prepared to taxi to the next place.

The front desk manager, Cody was extremely apologetic, immediately offering another room and arranged for everyday cleaners during our stay – something I had not asked for but certainly wasn’t going to turn down. It was a very easy, non confrontational exchange. The only snag was waiting for the new room to be cleaned which meant that I sat in the lobby for 2 1/2 hours until it was ready. So basically my first day there was spent getting this taken care of, then after inspection, unpacking and getting situated. Although they had no restaurant, an alcove in the lobby carried frozen dinners and beverages. After settling in, I picked up a few items and spent the rest of the day in the room, FaceTimed with G and making arrangements for meeting my niece the next day.

G was having a great time with the gang in Milwaukee, sending me a stream of photos as they sent their well wishes. We had not met G’s grandnieces, who are now 11 and 9 and they remained understandably shy during his stay. He seemed to spend most of his time enjoying great cuisine – Mexican and Dominican Republic – while enjoying his family. They took him on a tour of downtown Milwaukee, showing him the places where they lived and some great, renovated, historic neighborhoods. He said it was fun !

It was another day of rest – we were not in the mood to go racing around and we had a whole week to do so. We did have a wonderful dinner out with Amanda at a tiny Szechuan place called Northern Flavors touting handmade noodles. I had the General Tso’s chicken and just couldn’t get enough of it. I’m really going to have to learn how to make this. Amanda and G had the wide handmade noodles but I wasn’t trading any of mine ! In returning to the room, it was again, not serviced and this time I called down to the front desk to ask that it be cleaned and the sheets changed. Jayden at the front desk found that the cleaning crew and manager had left for the day, so huge surprise to us, she came up herself armed with tons of towels and bedding. Whipping about like a Tasmanian Devil, she put the place in quick order, impressing the heck out of us. Girl left with some French chocolates and a big tip. The rest of the week went better as we had housekeeping each day. It was clear from what we saw during our stay, that the staff worked very hard but there was not enough budget spent for house keeping staff numbers. The rooms are cleaned every other day and the hall carpets were vacuumed only once during the entire week, despite desperately needing it. Without some attention, we don’t think the Portland downtown Hyatt will stay open in the long run. These are photos of the second room we got.

Tuesday was the day to take care of business. We had a 9 am appointment at the DMV, which was almost completely empty at that hour. The woman behind the counter could not get over the fact that we were surrendering our expiring driver’s licenses and simply requesting Real ID’s. Most people as they age are extremely opposed to giving up their driving rights because it means giving up a large portion of their independence. For us, since we live where we don’t need to drive, it is not a sign of giving anything up. After quite a few reassurances to the representative, signing paperwork that stated we were doing this willingly, we walked out within the hour with our temporary Real ID’s and assurances that the permanent ones would be mailed to our condo within two weeks.

That was one of the main reasons for our flight to the US and that taken care of, we relaxed some into tourist mode. We took the streetcar to downtown Portland and admired the pieces of architecture that remained from the late 1800’s, and of course, the famous Powell’s Bookstore.

The state of Oregon is incredibly green, Portland included. Lille has very little green and the entire week, we kept marveling overall of the lush growth present wherever we walked. We also got a great view of Mount St. Helen’s on the highway as we were headed shopping.

Our first target in downtown was to go to the main library, which is a historic landmark and it did not disappoint. Large arched interior, wonderful woodwork and staircase, each space was well thought out.

The next step was Macy’s as G was looking for a particular shoe brand called Johnson & Murphy which, according to the internet, was carried by Macy’s. However the downtown store turned out to be permanently closed, so we did some wandering. As a result we fell across a very old western shop called Portland Outdoor store. What a gem ! It smelled of waxed leather and carried Pendleton clothing, cowboy boots, hats, even a saddle for sale, fancy western shirts and jeans.

G had also wanted to replace his 20 year old Wrangler jeans, which they carried and we left with three pair. Talked to a nice kid who had worked there for a year who told us people came from all over the world to the store. It was not surprising because you really don’t see that kind of store anymore. Another store we came across and fell in love with was Kiriko, a Japanese textile store, of all things. Absolutely amazing cloths and repurposed clothing. Its sister store, carrying food stuffs, kitchenware and home decor was across the street, which was equally amazing.

For dinner, we returned to the condo for another nice treat. I had ordered a shipment of pastrami and corned beef from Katz Deli in NY, truly the best, which had arrived the day before. I was determined to eat great things that we absolutely could not get in France (hence our concentration on Chinese and Mexican food) and pastrami is one of G’s loves. Amanda was kind enough to put up with our eccentricities and sat with us to feast on pastrami and corned beef sandwiches also on Katz’s rye bread and their incredible mustard and pickles. We enjoyed a nice evening out on her balcony that has some great views.

On Wednesday, it was another reason for our trip, as we met with Tim Saeland for lunch, our previous condo realtor and now friend. Wonderful to see him again, as we’ve kept in touch since purchasing the Portland condo. We got to do some massive catchup in what turned out to be a two-hour lunch and encouraged him once again to come out to visit us in France. His partner is a reluctant traveler and it’s unlikely that we will get them to come out. Still great to see him and give him big hugs. After lunch, we met with our property manager, Kevin Little, who is fabulous to work with, conducting more business and catching up. Once finished there, we took the streetcar to the downtown Nordstrom, where G replaced his 20-year old Johnson & Murphy shoes (quality really does count and he really does put it to the test, but doesn’t trust his French enough to shop in Lille).

Thursday, G’s buddy from high school, Jim, and his wife Anita drove up from Eureka, California to meet us !! We met at their hotel, chatted for a bit before driving to a flower market that was connected to Jim’s former employer for many years. He was able to see some previous collegues while we got to peruse their wonderful assortment of plants and flowers.

It was great to see them both and get more conversation in at a little taqueria for a quick lunch. Before parting, we made plans to see them again on a September trip they will be making to various points in Europe, including France.

Friday we relaxed the first half of the day in the hotel before we met up with Amanda again for lunch at a really wonderful, truly authentic Mexican restaurant called El Cantarito. I got so excited being able to eat really good Mexican food, I damn near ordered everything on the menu (some photos below). When we trudged back to our hotel, we had enough leftovers to last us the rest of our visit. Nope, wasn’t sad in the least.She had arranged a dinner with good friends, Becca and Joel and my nephew Brian and his wife Casey. It was a fabulous beef brisket, salad and oven baked vegetables. We ate, drank, laughed and talked until well after midnight. It was just tremendous. Again, we couldn’t get enough hugs in.

Saturday started out with a bit of a complication. While flossing, a molar crown popped off my back tooth. Never had that happen and after some whining via text to a friend, found out that there were repair kits available which would temporarily adhere it back on. Who’d have known? I certainly had never heard of that. For the record, in my defense I do want to point out that ignorance is not the same as stupidity. But I should have figured that out, so maybe my argument doesn’t really stand.

So, G found two sources and we took a streetcar to one of them, a CVS. Not only did it state on the web page that they were in stock, when we couldn’t find it, the pharmacist insisted they were indeed on hand. A march down the same aisle we had been searching in vain for it, she gave up and said after looking at the empty shelves, that according to her computer, they should have it and also a store brand kit. On our way back to the streetcar, we got a call from Casey who came to the rescue with Brian to pick us up and take us to Walgreen’s. We all talked about how hard it was for brick and mortar stores to make it these days with competition, pricing and the internet. Plus to have a computer system the staff relies on to incorrectly inform them of their stock, had to be a real blow. Hooray that Walgreen’s did have the repair kit and we headed back to the condo.

By that time my brother Patrick had arrived after driving up from LaPine ! After I fixed the errant crown (yes, the kit really works!), it was more hugs and then some – the whole gang was together. Lots of laughing, Patrick teasing his son Brian and daughter Amanda, with Casey, G and I joining in. They all made us feel so welcome, truly a feeling that you can’t buy.

The day was beautiful so we all headed off to the Saturday market for lunch. We passed by the famous Voodoo Doughnut shop and saw lots of people with doughnut boxes, but surprisingly, no line which had been prevalent in previous years. The market had loads of food choices and G and I picked a stall that sold Kielbasa rolls, while others got a wide variety that I’ve forgotten but there were; tacos, asian noodles, dumplings, pirogis, lasagne – just to name a few choices. Their Saturday market has an incredible amount of artisan stalls and we easily spent a few hours at it before returning to the condo. I saw a shirt I fell in love with and bought at the market – Volkswagen Vanagon – which we’ve owned several in the past. Yep, that’s me ! We’re breaking our rule of not including ourselves in photos. Must be our age…

G and I were done in and had to nap at the hotel before coming back to join everyone. We almost missed saying goodbye to Patrick who was leaving to drive home. With a sick pet, he had driven three hours to Portland and the three hours back – all to see us, still without leaving his cat alone. It was a shame that the time was so short but we were so lucky he could make it. And he missed a fabulous dinner. Casey had slow cooked an Osso Buco, which we had with salad and vegetables. SOOOO good !! These guys fed us, pampered us and entertained us. I could lie and say we protested every inch of the way – but why bother? Even caught them watching me out of the corner of their eyes, since it was known that I was having balancing problems. Walking around, I always had someone within grabbing space. It was a little amusing and made me feel 90 at the same time. Yeah, I’m gonna have to get that problem fixed. I hate scaring the people around me that I’m going to face plant.

Sunday, our last day, Casey and Brian drove us to a Men’s Warehouse so that G could replace his sport coat, another 20 year old relic. He had worn the one he had since his work days and he absolutely loved it. He brought it on the trip practically thread bare and as much as he hates shopping, he was doing it yet again with our strong encouragement. He found two that he liked and back to the condo we went for more hanging out. Spent the afternoon swapping stories and news before heading out for dinner at a really interesting place called Raven’s Manor. On the way there, we passed by a wonderful hat shop that I just couldn’t pass up without looking in the windows at their incredible wares. I don’t wear hats but I’m betting with this stock that this staff would really know what would compliment your head and face. It was closed, which is probably good or one of us would have left with a hat to stuff in the luggage.

At Raven’s Manor, it was decorated to the max as an Edgar Allen Poe type theme with coffins, skeleton’s, lit drinks served in lighted cauldrons, tequila shot glasses with lychee floating like eyeballs. Great execution and we had a wonderful round of tapas – it was the perfect ending to our weekend together. With great regret, we returned to our hotel and bid them all goodbye.

Monday we were up early and off to the airport for the long journey home. It was the same route; airline Portland to Chicago and Chicago to Brussels, Brussels train to Lille – all without the overnight hotel stays. We arrived the following day around noon. We hadn’t anticipated having such a long wait going through security and customs coming into Brussels. With the new EES (Entry-Exit System) for non-EU citizens, we waited in line for almost 1.5 hours before we got to our train.

There is nothing compared to the feeling and deep relaxation that I get from walking in my own door after a long trip. I’m not sure if I can convey all of the things attached to returning home. It isn’t just the sight of our own familiar household but almost what you could call the muscle memory of your surroundings. Your auto response kicks in – no guessing where the bathroom is, where your tea, coffee and cups are located, the removal of the travel shoes for your inside shoes. When you visit with others, you are ‘on’ 24/7. When you’re back in your own space, you can completely turn off so many required responses. Unless you have kids. That’s an entirely different conversation. But nowadays, after traveling so much, I also get the traveler’s lag. That’s when you first wake up and are lying in bed trying to remember what hotel or city you are in before realizing that you are in your home, in your own bed. Fortunately, unlike jet lag, it doesn’t last long.

Sliding back into our lives, there was the obligatory dental appointment (with more to follow of course to replace the misbehaving molar crown), the neurologist appointment (a follow-up to my MRI and PET scans which found no Parkinson’s or memory issues beyond aging 🥳 but clearly more investigation needed on the balancing issues), the bills, the laundry, stowing the suitcases, getting groceries since we emptied the refrigerator before leaving and all of the familiar routines as we move along. We got to see Bret and Caren before they were off on another lengthy adventure.

The days continued to get sunnier and warm up, which I am so thankful for. Loved to see everyone we got to see and at the same time, loved returning to our home in Lille. Wishing teleportation was a reality. Last day of the month – enjoying a treat of a light snack at home with crackers and cheese from our local fromagerie !