Rabelais wrote that the heavy chain used to close off the harbor entrance to boat traffic at La Rochelle in past centuries had also been used by Gargantua to chain young Pantagruel to his cradle. The chain can still be seen at the Vieux Port in La Rochelle.
The plaque below tells the Rabelais story about the chain.
This is a mooring ring on the quay. It's called un anneau d'amarrage in French, I believe.
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On another subject, I'm happy to report that the little Peugeot 206 has passed its biannual inspection one more time. The diesel-powered car, which I bought in 2003, will be 18 years old at Christmastime. Here's a post about the Peugeot, with photos, from two years ago.
There's been a lot of talk over the past year about how the European Union is tightening up the inspection rules for older cars, and I was afraid the Peugeot might not pass this time. I really like the car and want to keep it running. It has nearly 116,000 miles (186,000 kilometers) on its odometer at this point. I've had the clutch replaced and a new set of tires put on over the past two years. Between December 2016 and now, we have driven it a grand total of 4,600 km (less than 3,000 miles). It's our "runabout" for errands and grocery shopping, and a lot of fun to drive. I've had the car twice as long as any other car I've ever owned.
Glad to hear about the Peugeot!
ReplyDeleteMan, that is some heavy iron chain.
The media (or government propaganda) really made it sound like older diesel cars would have a hard time passing inspection in 2018 and 2019. I still have to have the Citroën tested and inspected in January. It should pass. It's only 11 years old! We rode in it to Chambord, n'est-ce pas?
DeleteBravo for the Peugeot!
ReplyDeleteThe Peugeot is a nice looking little car. Looks big enough to be practical for hauling stuff around but not so big that it's a chore to drive and park.
ReplyDeleteI've owned a lot of German cars: an Opal in the '70s, three VWs (in the 90s, when my life was all about commuting), and two Subarus in the '80s. And yes, the Subarus were German too, as a German mechanic explained to me one day. A German car factory was set up in Mexico, but it was unsuccessful. The factory was later bought by a Japanese company and relocated to Japan, and the Subaru was the result. The nameplate was/is Japanese, but the fundamental technology was first German.
DeleteFrench cars have really improved in quality over the past generation. The Peugeot 206 is very much adapted to driving and parking realities in France.
You made a good choice when you bought that Peugeot! And, you obviously take good care of it! Well done, Ken and Walt!
ReplyDelete