Loire Valley Castles

The Villandry Gardens in backdrop.  Cold, chilly morning start to the Loire castle tour

Fall Bounty

Azay-Le-Rideau

Azay-Le-Riddeau resident cat

Chenonceau

Chenonceau window

Chaumont with a couple on same tour

Chaumont- enormous hunting lodge built by early french king

Angers

Tom & I visited Angers, a city south of Laval this past Saturday. The big draw for us was the castle and the tapestry collection of the story or Revelation. Popped by a couple of other museums for sculpture & fine art.

Food in France

At the Laval Samedi(Saturday) Marche(market)

A bread shop that Tom & I love.  Not the closest boulangerie, but the best so far

The sell cheeses of all sorts at the marche

A cool seafood window display

A simple lunch of smoked mackerel, salad with strawberries and vinagriette, cubed cooked beets and bread that is so good you don't need butter.

Moules(mussels) et Frites(fries).  Our dormitory had a feast for the residents which was delicious, and we got to meet some of the people who live here

My first baguette 

Tom waving from behind a sculpture of a lion attacking a tortoise

At the top of the castle in Laval.  Our guide told us some of the wooden beams are super old

 

This was one wickedly tight staircase.  I did not make it down very far with the camera.  Needed both hands

 

Made a friend today

Took a walk along the river Mayenne, and ended up in La Maison D'Europe. It is a place where people can find out about travelling in Europe including some local information.
I was merely wanting to find out how to buy a ticket to get to some towns in france by autocar(bus). I asked the front desk if they spoke any Anglais. They pointed me to another office. The young woman at the desk was shy at first, but she scribbled a map to get to where I needed.
She asked what I was doing in Laval, and though interrupted on the phone a few times, seemed genuinely interested in our conversation. She asked me if I would be interested in meeting next week. She wants to improve in her Anglais and would be willing to help me in Francais. "C'est bonne" I replied in my most enthusiastic french. I honestly was not sure how to make a connection like this, but it just happened. The icing on the cake is that she has a musician friend she said she could introduce me too.

Laval:mon premiere semaine

To the left, a monastery I passed by on my way to river.  Did not get to look inside, but I really love the way the leaves are changing colors, and how it's captured on many walls around town.  Another house bedecked with fall colors on right.

 E.S.I.A. the technical school where Tom works at seems to be one of many small schools in the area.
This past weekend the cafeteria that serves the students in this side of town burned.  You can see the picture of the car, which supposedly was the culprit for the damage.  The staff at the school, Eric & Laurent were a bit unsure what to do since the students were starting this week.

On my way to 6Par4, a concert venue on the other side of the river.  I was able to get tickets for a show on Sunday.   A group called Tinariwen, which coincidentally are playing in Santa Cruz later this month of Oct. 

You can find them on youtube or home page above, they seem to be international artists who have played with Carlos Santana & Robert Plant.

picture in laval