Back to Orléans

Pages From Jan's Travel Journal: Tuesday, June 20 2017

We woke early so that we would have time to clean the gite before we checked out. After coffee and pastries, we swept the floor, took out the trash, and washed the few dishes we had used. I had a moment of panic when I learned that we would not be able to get a taxi in time to make our train. There wasn't even a bus! I quailed at the thought of dragging suitcases on a gravel road for an hour or so. When our wonderful host realized our dilemma, she very kindly offered to drive us to town. It was an effort for her to remove her children's car seats from her vehicle, but we were very grateful. She received our effusive thanks plus a large tip. What a lifesaver! 

Our good fortune continued when we reached the station and learned that had our train not been delayed, we would have missed it. As it was, we had two minutes to spare! Whew!  The trip back to Orleans was uneventful. Craig and Janey had fun using an app on his phone to check the speed of the train. It reached 120 mph.

Janey and Craig at the train station
 in Amboise, France.

Around noon, we walked across the bridge to have lunch at a brasserie near Halles Chatelet. I enjoyed a croque monsieur, which was served with crisp fries and a small green salad. We then wandered over to the bookstore because we knew it was air conditioned. It was fun to browse among the books and gift items. Janey had seen an Anime shop on another street, and really wanted to visit it. It wasn't far, so we browsed in there for a while.

On the way home, we made a stop at the ice cream shop. They always have a large variety of interesting flavors. Janey chose lychee rose and cactus flower sorbets. I ordered a scoop of pear sorbet and one of chocolate orange. When Janey said she really didn't care for what she had chosen, I made a swap with her. No problem for me, tasting four flavors of sorbet! 

We went home to cool down and rest. By then, the temperature had reached 95 degrees. We didn't do much but sit in front of the fan. Jenni had been invited over for a barbecue, so we unpacked and cleaned house in short bursts, going back to the fan in between. When Jenni arrived, it was still hot. We had drinks and some tasty bites of boursin wrapped in ham, along with some olives, and chips. It was slightly less hot in courtyard, so we moved everything outside and then fired up the grill. The Toulouse sausages were great and we also grilled some turkey for Janey. We had cold side dishes of tabbouleh, shredded celery root in a mayo dressing, a salmon pasta salad, and a salad of marinated peas and carrots. Jenni is a sweet person, and so much fun to be around. She entertained us with funny stories of her life in Ireland. Craig and I always enjoy meeting any friend of Desmond's. The evening ended with a beautiful sunset.

Enjoying a barbecue.