Taming the Savage Garden

Pages From Jan's Travel Journal: Thursday, June 15 2017

Desmond had the day off! The morning was somewhat cool, so we all worked on tidying the "savage garden".  Des and Craig bought a weed whacker, which was a huge help. The day began to warm up rapidly, but we carried on for two hours and really accomplished a lot. We had no way to dispose of the branches and trimmings. That's not something you can haul away on the tram! Instead, they were neatly and compactly piled into a corner where they will quickly decompose. 

Des and Craig clear the garden

A path to the terrace. Time for a barbecue?

After we all had cleaned up with cool showers, we decided to have lunch at a cafe on the square. There were many tables outside, with colorful umbrellas to provide welcome shade. Janey and I chose the plat du jour of lasagna and a green salad. The other special, selected by both Craig and Desmond, was pollock gratin. It was a very tasty, leisurely lunch and we were appreciative of the ice in our drinks. I spoke briefly with a nice young man who was dining with his wife and two adorable little daughters. I think he must have overheard us and wanted to practice his English, which was excellent. 

A lovely view on the square

After lunch, we walked across the bridge to take Janey to Sweety. It's a cute little candy store, and we all picked out an assortment of sugary treats. We noticed a granita machine in the corner, and soon were slurping the icy concoctions as we left the shop and headed toward the art museum.

Janey and Craig at Sweety, Orléans Fr

Des had suggested the art museum as a great place to cool off. We always enjoy the many displays of various paintings, sculptures and other art. The air conditioning was a bonus! We also paid a visit to the little Joan of Arc museum. It was a bit disappointing, though, because they were no longer displaying the many fascinating dioramas which had depicted the life of Jeanne d'Arc. We did, however, run into Celine and were able to chat with her for a few minutes.

Cooling down at the art museum

After leaving the museum, the three of us met Jeff for drinks at the Paxton's Head pub on Rue de Borgogne. The afternoon was still quite warm, and that cherry beer had never tasted so good! We talked and laughed for quite some time in cool, dark interior of the bar. Paxton's doesn't serve food, so after a while we wandered over to Delirium, where could have a snack. Ice cream was about the only thing that sounded good to me on such a hot day, so I ordered a banana split. It was enormous! Janey chose the flammenkueche, which is similar to pizza. She devoured it and then finished my ice cream.

Another good way to cool off on a hot day!

We walked slowly home along the Loire and then ended our day with a movie.