Simple Things

Pages From Jan's Travel Journal: Monday, April 25 2022

We awoke to a beautiful morning and the sweet sounds of birds chirping in the courtyard below. A tarte citron, coffee, and milk made a yummy breakfast. We didn’t have big plans for the day, as Desmond would have to go to work that afternoon. A long walk beside the Loire that morning was just perfect and the weather couldn’t have been better. 

A pretty blooming tree

Swans float serenely on the Loire.

Craig and Desmond on the river path

On the way home, we cut through the Jardin des Plantes and enjoyed seeing the gorgeous blooms and unique plants. Des veered off to a market to pick up items for lunch, while Craig and I ambled through the gardens. 

For lunch, Desmond made a delicious dish of goat cheese ravioli topped with grilled eggplant. He left for work while Craig took a nap. I threw a load of clothes into the washer and after Craig awoke we had afternoon coffee and a game of Scrabble before taking our clothes to a nearby laundromat to dry. The laundromat was directly across from the Loire, so we had a nice view while we waited for our clothes to dry. 

Desmond had made pizza dough before he left the house, and for dinner that evening we had a treat. Pizzaclettes! This was a little invention of his, using a raclette oven to bake the dough. We then cut the dough into small wedges and topped them with fresh mozzarella, mushrooms, red bell pepper, and grilled eggplant. The filled raclette trays were placed under the heat until the cheese bubbled. It was such a fun and tasty meal. For dessert, we enjoyed oranges and some bread topped with Desmond’s homemade chocolate spread.

Pizzaclettes!

Baking pizza in the raclettes oven

Back to Orleans

 Pages From Jan's Travel Journal: Sunday, April 24 2022

We were up early to clean our apartment prior to catching a train to Orléans. It didn’t take long, and soon we were in an Uber on the way to Gare d'Austerlitz. The train station was nearly unrecognizable with all the construction going on inside. We had to weave our way through a maze of partitions and closed-off areas just to find the waiting room. We purchased coffee and something to munch on. We were glad to leave the noisy station and board a quiet, comfortable train. As we rolled through Paris, I listened to the happy chatter of some children who were seated nearby. It looked as if they were on an outing with grandma. After about an hour, we arrived in Orleans and made our way to Desmond’s home by tram. It was wonderful to be back and we greeted Azur with soft pats and a scratch under the chin. He such a sweet and cuddly cat.

 

Flags in support of Ukraine line the street
leading to the cathedral in Orleans

A familiar sight in Orleans.
It was good to be back!

I unpacked as Desmond prepared lunch using ingredients he had on hand. He created noodle bowls made with a delicious sauce and some roasted sweet potato along with a fried egg. It was a tasty lunch. That afternoon, we went for a lovely walk along the Loire. We followed a path along the river, and it was quite peaceful down there below street level. 

Desmond in the woods along the Loire

A peaceful scene along the Loire

This was our view from
the little riverfront bar in Orleans.

After a while we climbed stairs up to a sidewalk and continued on to a little outdoor bar. A cold beer and a view of the river made for a pleasant break. For dinner that evening, Desmond served brandade de morue. It was a dish of cod and potatoes mashed together with olive oil and then baked. It was very good. He served it with some creamed spinach, and we had clementines for dessert. We watched some cute videos on TV and then Craig went to bed. Desmond and I stayed up a while longer, chatting while he played a video game. He made a little snack for us of his homemade cashew butter which he spread onto a piece of dark chocolate.  A small glass of fresh raw milk went well with that tasty treat!

A sleepy Azur