So What If It's Raining!

Pages From Jan's Travel Journal: Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Another day of teaching for Desmond. We were able to have breakfast together, which consisted of more of his yummy chocolate cupcakes, and then he headed off to the university while I went shopping. I didn't have a particular destination in mind, so I just meandered through town, popping into any shop that looked inviting. I eventually walked all the way to Place D'Arc, where my final stop was CarreFour. I purchased several items, though it took much longer than it should have. The store had been rearranged a bit since my last visit and I had some difficulty finding the things I needed. 

In the produce department, I bagged some fresh vegetables and was attempting to use the little self-service weigh-and-tag machine. There were no instructions; it's really a simple device and I had used one the year before, but I couldn't seem to get it to work. After waiting for some time for an employee, I was able to flag someone down. I could see she was a bit annoyed at being interrupted by a foreigner who spoke toddler-level French, but she patiently began the process of weighing and tagging my veggies. I felt slightly gratified when the machine refused to work for her. I even understood when she said "C'est cassé" (It's broken). We found another machine which not only worked perfectly but also had a set of instructions that even I could have read! 

Those round zucchini! So cute!
 

It was around that time, just as I was paying for my purchases, that I received a text from Arno. He wanted to know if I would like to meet him for a late lunch and a bit more shopping. We met at his home, where I left my purchases, and we made our way over to a bar near the Loire. We chose a variety of tapas to share and sat for quite a while munching our way through chips and guacamole, calamari, fries, ham, and chorizo. We spent a lot of time laughing over silly stories and jokes, completely oblivious to the darkening skies. By the time we left the bar, a heavy rain was falling! We stood beneath an awning, waiting for the rain to let up. When it eased a bit, we opened our umbrellas and walked a short couple of blocks to one of Arno's favorite shops. It was a place that sold polished stones, essential oils, and a few other items. I enjoyed our time there, and Arno surprised me with a lovely polished jasper. 

Later, Desmond met us at Arno's. We all relaxed over apero, and then went out for dinner. We ate at the Korean restaurant I have mentioned in a previous post. I ordered the bibimbap, and it was as delicious as I remembered. The restaurant was crowded. No one was dining outside, as the rain was still falling lightly. Just before we were served our dessert of chocolate eggrolls, which were incredible, a woman sat down near us who was wearing so much perfume that our eyes watered and we could barely breathe! Des and Arno had such a violent reaction that they had to go outside. As we were leaving, we noticed one of the servers frantically opening windows!

A delightful Korean dish - bibimbap.

Arno walked through the rain with us until we were almost home. Then we parted company and were soon settled into a warm, dry house. The next day would be Craig's travel day!