Sunset Valley History

Hey guys!

Long time no see!

Well, I was sick (again. I know, it's a thing now) and then found out I could use my sewing machine as long as someone could put the thread in the needle (or if I was VERY patient... Not usually my thing)... So I was busy making stuff. All done now, so back to Vogoël les mouettes it is, specifically the resort... The Tourism board was VERY insistent.

And God, that one was a PITA.

First, tried the classic hotel,Normandy style hotel. Scrapped it.

Then Southern/Provence style... The tourism board hated it, saying it didn't fit with the island vibe. As much as it annoyed me... They weren't wrong.

And yes, the Vogoël tourism board lives rent free in my brain as soon as I open my game. Me weird.

So, Modern resort fight the Germans for the best recliners it is, then.

The tourism board LOVED it!

Plenty of rooms and 2 suites... with view:

Enough recliners to fight over:

A juice bar and a club with the amateur DJ hour

And a kiddie corner at one end, because family friendly of course.

Pool bar and Jacuzzi at the other end, because, well, you know.

Anyway, the Tourism board is very happy with it , named it the ALBA TROSSE RESORT and is now nagging me to do the camping grounds for somewhat lower income families.

But first, I had to rebuild what I 'd lost before. I'm happy to say that FR3 Les Mouettes is back to business, as well as the corporate offices for most of Voëgel business ventures (or at least the partly legal ones)

And coming soon...

Hello hello!

Today (and maybe tomorrow), we, have 2 lots ... And 3 venues!

By the colors, I'm sure French people know what it is already, but we're going to start on the other 2 first.

This is a somewhat weird combo of a Police station and theatre.

The later is officially known as Theatre Madeleine Desmoules, but claimed unoficially as the Salle de Pestacles.

Currently expecting a magic show.

Next door, the police station:

Small thing, but then Vogoël was never too keen on Police forces of any kind to settle disputes. It is here mostly so the tourists can have somewhere to complain when they feel they've been ripped off (often) and the Vogoël Tourism association suddenly becomes elusive.

It's not that there's no crime on Vogoël, but it's sort of hard to handcuff the local pickpocket when he's your little brother.

So the 2 cells downstairs are mostly used to hold on people that may have had a few drinks to many (to rince the taste of local LU biscuits), or in the dreary days of winter, to house the local vagrant and his dog in a warm place.

next door is much more posh

The foyer, with bar, is where you purchase your ticket, or get your card stamped if you got the Luxury Pass!

Luxurious indeed!

Downstairs is the cinema, with a lot of classics.

Floor plans:

As you can see, the spectacles scene noises may be a little distracting for police work, but the Salle du Pestacle isn't going anywhere and space is at a premium in Vogoël intra muros.

A yearly free entrance pass for the officers did a lot to diffuse the tension.

Speaking of tensions:

This place, as any French people guessed, is la Poste.

Here again, small opération, but it doesn't really need to be big

An indoor ATM, some lockers, one solo employee manning the desk.

Upstairs, all the packages, books and newspapers coming from the mainland.

One may notice most of the boxes are open. Thing is, customs seems to get nervous when they see the Vogoël postcode.

One wonder why. It's not like our fishing boats can't make a little detour to Jersey or Guernesey when they got "lobster" on board.

Silly customs.

Next door is the employees changing and rest room

Also, the hub to organise the next Manif!

It is a nice custom: You get to take a nice walk with other people who agree with you,make friends, get some fresh air and shout insults at a government that usually deserves it. it is pleasant in the spring and autumn, when most of those takes place.

Hello! Bienvenue at Vogoël les Mouettes office du Tourisme!

I hope you're enjoying your stay at the resort? No? Why?

What do you mean it's not build yet? (just realised that, I really got to get a move on)

We'll sort this out later, but in the meantime, let me introduce you to one of our best spot, the Musée de la Narine.

Tadaa!

No, sir, it is NOT the museum of the nose, I don't care what Google translate says.

La Narine was Commander Desmoules admiral ship, sent by Louis XV to curtail a bunch of early sea faring venture capitalists in the region.

There was a lot of action and swashbuckling that your kids can replay on the deck, and a exhibition of the Vogoël nautical past, with guided tour.

What do mean, "whose side the Vogoëlians were on?" Profit. Don't be silly.

Speaking of profit, you can have a drink at the Buccaneers' rest:

Or take the stairs down...

The first landing, you will see only in the brochure... or if you book the luxury guided Pass.

It is the staff level to work the magic down below!

We have a few especially talented people who provide animations in the big pool, and again, with the luxury Pass, you could enjoy some swimming with fishes time.

But the main event is downstairs.

Vogoël Aquarium!!

We have a lot of magnificent displays.. and some crazy ones.

Say cheese!

(I had not noticed how worried that tuna looks)

And yes, the educational remains... The Vogoël Tourism Association takes safety VERY seriously, and children (and a surprising number of adults) need to be reminded that the sea is beautiful, but is a harsh mistress. Often, if our coast guards are to be believed.

Once the children stop crying, you can take a rest at the gift shop/café (your free drink ticket with the luxury pass can be used here if you haven't indulged at the Buccaneers), and enjoy a comfortable seat to watch the animations.

And one more dazzling display!

And for my long time readers, you may notice a canon in there... Who says canon, means Lerequins comes a callin'... However Michel Orkas current Vogoël mayor and proud descendant of both commander Desmoules and the above mentioned capitalists, told both Lerequins to take a hike.

Babette was so shocked she stopped smiling for a full 5 minutes.

And to be perfectly petty, Mayor Orkas had the requins moved to another tank. Looking for an octopus now.

Hello hello! I hope you all have a nice weekend.

And we have our first completed lot in a long time!

As promised, Le Musée de la Narine with it's magnificent galion ( and thank you @mspoodle , you did great for Vogoel tourist economy, yay!)

But first, one of the town employer, la Biscuiterie Lamère Urbaine.

This is the on site factory shop.

Now, if you look closely, you will notice that the so-called Biscuit Factory also sells... canned tuna and sardines.

WTF?

Well, it starts with a mariage:

Once upon a time, in the 1870s, Pierre Louis Lamère married Germaine Urbaine, with great pomp and flourish.

It was not a love match, it was a merger.

Pierre Louis was the president of Vogoël's fishermen association, and Germaine was the heiress of the local biscuit factory. Now, space is a premium in the island, and the fishermen really, really, REALLY wanted to be able to process their catch on site.

Marine life is abundant around Vogoël, and let's be honest, it was a bit silly (not to mention expensive), to have to sail to the continent to have it processed.

Far better to do it at home, and, well Germaine's dad was getting on years, and ah, well, the money was good.

And so, the Entreprise Lamère-Urbaine, or LU was born (faster than their first born Victor. Pierre Louis was distracted and Germaine not in the mood).

Shall we visit?

First part, the fish stocks were they're cleaned and gutted. It's wet, and the smell is... unique. Miam.

Next door is "ZE MACHINE!": Fish goes in, cans come out. It has 3 settings, sardines, tuna, and mackerel... and the occasional kite but nobody is perfect.

Speaking of perfection:

This what's left of the "other half" of the LU cie.

Now, what happened?

Well, it may surprise you, but as the canning part of the enterprise grew, the biscuit side developed a very ... particular taste.

The locals are used to it, it's almost a badge of Vogoëlian citizenship to have a pack of LU biscuits in the kitchen... and to be able to eat them!

Also useful to prank tourists, as a "rite of passage".

All in all, the biscuits side survives modestly on island pride and (weird) sense of humour, not to mention the tourist who take some home as souvenirs for people they've got score to settle with.

Pays enough to afford the lawyers for that century long lawsuit from the OTHER LU cie, who's NOT fond of Chocolate chip cookies with tuna aftertaste bearing their name.

Go figure.

Well, hello there!

And yup, Vogoël les Mouettes is back on track!

I know, I know, I said I was going to desert to 4 because pretty cc and all that, but that didn't stick... There's something about building 4 that just doesn't agree with me.

Well that and the crazy EA "updates" that have a knack to break everyone's game and CC... It's been so long, I sorta forgot about those in TS3.

And let's be honest, I was missing Vogoël and my seagulls dulcet tones

Now, I had quit because the game started acting weird in a way I'd never seen before... But was it totally dead?

Well, that save, yes... BUT... but I had the old save from the last time I switched worlds (since I have a save per world)

So, I dusted the old one, and...

Well, goodbye Farm, winery and Hippie semi restored ruin!

Adios, Prehistoric & nature Museum (vip)!

Hasta la vista, Town dump & recycling factory!

Au revoir, veterinarian clinic!

And last but not least, farewell, business center!

I HAD been busy, and it was all down the drain... Oh, well.

But not all was lost, and I had my Vogoël back! (happy dance). So, in the near future, you will get :

Le chateau Musée de l'Alba Trosse, nearly finished but I want to do all the lots in the fortress first

And this one: on the left, a local factory combo you wont see anywhere else, for good reasons... And the Musée de la Narine.

Not a Typo. La Narine wast commander Desmoules flag ship (out of 3!), and it has been lovingly restored by the Vogoël Historical Society.

It is a Naval history museum...

And an Aquarium!

Now that one turned to be a bit of a challenge, but it's getting there.

The CC hunt was epic!

Hello everyone! How is it going?

Me, steady but slow, which explains why I didn't post this sooner (and sorry for typos, left hand is still a bit out of touch)

So, the Parmentier house

We already met Auguste Antonin Parmentier, a man who apparently likes to dine out even in pouring rain (but met the little riding hood!)

But is he on his own ? of course not, a man of his standing needs a least one servant:

Meet Appoline Convert, a very pretty girl Auguste picked up (purchased would me a most honest term) in Louisiana during his world tour.

Her natural habitat is supposed to be the kitchen

But she's not in it all that often... Well, there's quite a bit to clean:

Salon

Master bedroom

Biology lab:

Guest room:

And her own, of course...

"Honestly, why are you not talking about ME yet?"

"After all, I am ze most important person here"

Ah, yes, meet Mi Chi, a talkative Siamese that sort of picked Auguste when he stayed a little time in Canton.

Hid himself in the luggage as a stowaway, earned his passage by killing a few rats during their sail to Pondichéry, and then, doing away with a cobra that had hidden in Auguste canteen there, earning himself permanent cherished pet status forever.

"Yes, I did time that one perfectly, didn't I ?"

Since then, Mi Chi's main job is to help (sorta) with the plant life...

or whatever needs adjusting...

And a slide of people watching...

"My latest creation for you Appoline!"

"They are soo pretty"

"I am going to barf in afew minutes aren't I?"

"Appoline..."

"Augustin..."

"Appoline!"

"Augustin!"

"barf"

"Told you so... Those two, I swear!"

Mi Chi!

"What? It's not as she really likes him all that much, even if she got her Freedom papers once they got here. But where would she go?"

But Auguste...

"Is shy, so feels better with her than all the town ladies who are looking for a bit of fun... You have no idea how I'm fed up with all that creeping upstairs or downstairs in the middle of the night... It's not like it's the romance of the ages."

AH... Well, okay I guess.

Right, now I have a confession to make: I switched to TS4.

Yes, I know, 10 years (Already?!) later. I still don't like the build mode all that much.... But the CC! OMG the CC!!

And I do admit that the Sims themselves are deffo cuter in 4.

Winderburg I already got, and it's the ideal world to turn historical, and since there are much fewer lots in TS4 , it is much faster to sort of make it your own, now that there are cheats to remove excessive decor.

So I downloaded a ton of CC I'm putting bit by bit in game... It may not last... But is the next few weeks, maybe months, I'm afraid this place will be TS4, since I've build a few things already

Or at least a family closely associated to them, the Parmentiers.

*Downpour*

But first, a little bit of history, an apology to our neighbours to the East... And maybe treason?

This somewhat "risqué" bit of architecture is the Parmentier house.

The name may ring a bell.

This lovely gentleman is Auguste Antonin Parmentier.

Auguste:"HIIIIIIIII!! Bath. naked. out!"

So, he his not THE Parmentier. That's his older brother, Antoine Augustin Parmentier (I know, I know, too many kids and parents start lacking imagination), the man who invented potatoes.

Or so that's what we were taught at school when I was little, not with a little amount of pride.

I call BS. Potatoes have been around in the Andes for 8000 years, and the mayas and their descendants knew how to cultivate and consume without the help of any Frenchman, Thankyouverymuch.

There was no need of any French help either to help spread it around Europe.

However, those potatoes were almost relegated to animal feed, and often accused to enable leprosy, in France in particular, wich was silly because the climate was going to the dump thanks to a volcano, wheat didn't grow and people had to eat.

And the magnificent potato is wonderful with that. You need very little more outside of them to achieve food security, as many Irish farmers could testify to before said potato illness and the great famine.

Enters Parmentier the elder, who decided to engage in a bit of reverse psychology: "Since they don't want it, lets have guards around it 24/7, they'll think it's precious and want to steal it.

Worked like a charm.

And it didn't take that long for potatoes to win cooks over. It is not only filling, but extremely versatile, much more than it's predecessor the turnip.

Anyhow, this is Auguste Parmentier. Riding on his brother fame, he studied botany, and then went on a complete world tour.

He is now back in France, and in Funfet as a full Botanist and science teacher at the local university.

Tis not the Sorbonne, but it's a decent job and leaves plenty of time for a side little gig he's got going.

Auguste specialize in tropical plants he collected all ober the world... especially one:

A simflouz tree!!

A quite unique plant, at least around here. The aritos, who are feeling the pinch, are fascinated and falling over of a tree growing money.

Some have tried to more or less throw their daughters at him... Wich is unlikely to work for a reason we'll see later, with the house tour.

Now for the apology: The French fries.

They're not French.

Here, I said it. They're most likely Belgian because honestly, Moules frites.

But in our defense, it's not our fault. Americans apparently got co,fused because geography during WWI, and the name stuck.

In English, because in French it is simply "les frites" ( The miam afterwards is optionnal, but frequent.)

Oui, okay, I know that I said never again, but... The CC is SOOO pretty!

I have one thing though, wich is bothering me.

TS3 is mine because I have the disks... Now, my question is :

Can I play Sims 4 without Origin or whatever they're calling it these days highjacking my Sims 3 game?

I remember it was an absolute PITA to get rid of that thing, and to revert my game to before the update from Hell. If I can... well, I have ideas about turning Widerburg in a Rococo world.

If not, I'm outta there and back to funfet Valley

So, Paris or any French towns were all Hotels Particuliers and such (still does, in a way). They had also their share of slums (will get to that later) and Immeubles de rapport, a lot of them owned by the Church.

They were almost shells, with some beautiful (if I say so myself) buildings facing outside... and a core of smelly waste , gambling and pleasure houses...

... and sometimes a tiny garden with a well.

I plan to put my version of Casanova in there... And maybe a few ladies of dubious morals.

BTW, do you guys know WCIF:

Sims3 Lulamai, of course. Unfortunately the @thesimstomb download link is dead, and I have the Sims file share on speed dial... But my spanish is not what it used to be and after awhile, I'm not sure if I downloded cortinas 17 or not.

What can I say, I'm getting old? Sad but true.