Blog post 1

 Early days

Things started slowly, which was fine. I was a bit jet lagged, which is unusual for me on arrival in France. Usually, after hitting the ground running, I sleep a long night and wake up in French time.

Luckily, Marie Odile and Doris had made provisions for my breakfast including coffee, milk, brioche (in this case, sliced bread) and jam. I had a good breakfast.

Claude brought his electric bicycle for me to use. When he lent it to me in the summer of 2023, it had represented freedom for me. I was no longer tied to the schedule of the bus system.

Don’t get me wrong. The bus system (like in all of France) is incredibly efficient and very inexpensive. There’s a bus stop 10 yards from my front door. But having the bike was like having a car without the hassle of parking and fighting traffic.

Bike lanes here are clearly marked, and unlike Madison, they actually lead to places you want to go. And cars respect your right to be on the road.

Genviève in front of my house (the middle one)

Claude had charged the battery and inflated the tires. I didn’t ask, but I imagine that the bike hadn’t been used since I was there in 2023. I’ve decided that the bike (vélo) is a girl. She just looks like a girl. I'm kind of thinking 'Genviève.' I’ll have to think on that.

Claude also included his saddle bags which is a godsend. I headed to the only shopping mall in Saumur, the Leclerc Center. It was kind of a convoluted route to get from the far eastern side of Saumur to the near western side. But the route was clearly marked.

Leclerc is like a super Target on steroids. I have a hard time shopping there because I can’t figure out where to find things. It is vast. I wasted 10 minutes looking for salt and pepper. You can buy major kitchen appliances (washing machines, stoves, etc.), small kitchen appliances, (coffee makers), kitchen gadgets, dishes, pots and pans, utensils, men's and women's clothing, baked goods, meat, vegetables, fruit, fish, and a whole bunch of other things I can't remember.

In any event, I bought enough to feed myself lunches and breakfasts for several days, all packed in the saddle bags of Claude’s bike.

I include this picture for my friend Scott,
who thinks that France is an alcohol
Paradise. This is the wine section at Leclerc.

This place is actually a mall with numerous stores. Unlike malls in the US, this place isn’t dying. It’s a vibrant, functioning marketplace. There are people everywhere. Young people who are too cool for everyone else who hangs out there, old ladies with their baskets on wheels as well as young families.

It’s not usually my kind of place. But there’s an energy there.

I was able to buy a wireless mouse in the electronics store for just 15 Euros.

A big difference between a bike and a car is the weather. My friends said that Saumur has had a wet September so far. I can attest to that. As I was riding home from Leclerc, it began to sprinkle which changed to a light rain.

15 minutes later as I rolled up to my house, only the front of me was wet. But it was quite wet.

That evening, I went to the square in front of the theatre, Place de la Bilange, looking for a restaurant. There are several there, but Wednesday night is not a big restaurant night. I chose Le Picadilly just because it looked the most lively.

The bar at Le Picadilly

I cannot usually eat as much as comes with a full French dinner, so I looked at the starters (which the French correctly refer to as ‘entrée’). There was a charcuterie plate. It was referred to as a ‘duo.’ I thought this meant both meat and cheese. No, it meant that it was for two people.

When it arrived, I was like, “Oh crap!” Well, I went through as much as I could, but obviously couldn’t eat it all.

Oh crap!

It was kind of sad because taking home leftovers is not a French thing. When I told the server that I could eat no more, she surprisingly asked if I wanted to take the rest home in a box. My reply was, “If it’s possible.” She smiled and returned with a box in a bag and the bill.

The walk each way was 25 minutes. As I was walking home, it began to sprinkle…