Saturday, June 20, 2009

June 14-15, 2009 - Orleans (Day 1)

I must say that when I first arrived in Orleans, I wasn't impressed. The area around the train station seemed dark and dismal and there wasn't a taxi to be found. I found a very nice chain hotel not far from the station and checked-in for 2 nights or so I thought. I went upstairs and took a nice cool bath in my pretty tub. Then after spending a good few minutes trying to figure out how to turn on the TV, I snuggled up in my nice, comfy bed and watched TV until I fell asleep.
The next morning, I slept until 9am, then decided to do a little work on my blo while I had internet access. At 12:15, I get a phone call..."Il est midi et quart et nous avons besoin de notre chambre." ("It's 12:15 and we need the room.") WHAT!?! But I asked for 2 nights. He said that was impossible because they were booked solid for tonight. I reiterated that I had requested 2 nights and that the woman who checked me in had said nothing about being "complet." He assured me that he would find me another hotel room, and indeed he did. The hotel was a chain and they had a room at a slightly discounted price down the road. SO, I had to quickly pack up my things - no time for another bath =0( - and walk a half a mile or so down the road. The new room was similar, but no bathtub - DARN!
That afternoon I explored the town a little. I tried to find a grocery store or a washeteria, but alas I found none. Since I arrived in France, my diet has consisted mostly of bread - bread for breakfast and some type of sandwich for lunch or dinner. I generally eat 2 meals a day. Anyway, my body is craving vegetables and fruits, but they are proving difficult to find. So instead, I bought a SANDWICH (imagine that) and ate at a cafe at La Place du Martroi (Martyr Square) across from the Jeanne d'Arc (Joan of Arc) statue. In 1429, Joan of Arc, dressed as a male soldier, went to Chinon to petition Charles VII for an army to fight the English in Orleans. They won and it was the turning point of the Hundred Year's War. Eventually, France won back all of the lands that had been occupied by England. For that reason Joan of Arc, though burned at the stake for heresy, is considered as a saint and a national heroine of France, and especially a heroine of Orleans.
During that first outing into Orleans, my first perception was that the people in Orleans were not as warm and welcoming as they had been in Chartres or Chateaudun. I said "Bonsoir" to a woman I passed in the street ( standard southern girl courtesy.) She replied "On se connait?" ("Do we know each other?) I said "Non?" And then she was like "No really, do we know each other?". I didn't realize that in Orleans, I have to know you to greet you. The warmest conversations I had on that first outing were with the two (Bob Marleyesque) African guys who were flirting with me at the cafe, and the dirty (both literally and figuratively) old man who asked me to marry him on the way back to the hotel. After I turned him down, he offered to give me a massage. Yeah - I THINK NOT!!!!!

Day 2 - to follow shortly....=0)

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