That morning, Desmond showed up at the hotel with fresh pastries. We woke up over coffee and conversation, and then left the hotel to explore. Our first stop was the public library, or bibliothèque. That may seem like a strange destination for tourists, but with the three of us having worked at our own local library, we just had to take a look. The library in Orléans is a large, modern structure not far from the train station. There are some lovely views from the huge windows overlooking the town.
The library in Orléans.
I couldn't resist taking a photo
of the very orange stairwell at the library.
of the very orange stairwell at the library.
Once outside again, we took a wrong turn and were momentarily lost in a very old and lovely residential area. We soon located the tram, which took us across town to Auchan. Desmond and I enjoyed showing Megan around the huge store. I bought some cherries, which were sweet and delicious. The weather was drizzly and cool, but that did not prevent us from going back into town to shop. There are many unique stores on the main streets in Orléans and we had fun poking around in them.
An interesting place we visited was Halles Chatelet, an indoor market with a wide variety of shops. The hall was built in 1882, and in 1977 was enclosed. There are bakeries and delis, in addition to clothing stores, a cheese shop, a butcher, and gift shops. I picked up a small container of strawberries at a fruit market, which were tiny and delightfully sweet. I couldn't seem to get enough of the delicious fruit there!
Dinner that evening was at Bombay, an Indian restaurant situated on the Rue de Borgogne. The food was wonderful and we had the added bonus of entertainment provided by a trio of musicians. Desmond and I purchased one of their CDs as a souvenir.
Desmond's year of study had almost come to an
end. He would soon be returning to America and said he would definitely miss
his friends in France, as well as the beautiful country, food, architecture,
etc.
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