Here, Easter is a 3 day weekend: Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. So that means Road Trip. We left Sat. morning for a 300 km drive to Angers. The estimated 3 hours turned into 4 because, though we left at 7:30 a.m., it took nearly an hour to get out of Paris. The traffic was bad because not only was it a 3-day w/e for some, the Easter holiday weekend also marks the beginning of the spring break for all Parisian schools, so everyone leaves at the same time, on the same highway. Patience is a virtue.My attraction to Angers was the 14th century tapestry based on the interpretation of St. John's Apocalypse. There is also a fantastic hospital, riverwalk, and a central square in the medieval section that is currently under construction. There are the a few of the really old board and battan buildings, with the clever carvings on the outside.
The weather was cold, windy and rainy, but we trooped through their Sat. market to a great little lunch (salad french style - mixed greens with shrimp, avocados, pecans and grapefruit sections topped with shaved Parmesan and a light sweet dressing. Or in Pat's plate was mixed greens, sliced potatoes, sliced smoked ham, and chevre on toast).
Then it was off to the castle - or chateau as they say here. This one was very interesting because it had a lovely courtyard in the center, and the moat had now been converted into a striking garden with an elegant design using lots of annuals for color.
Inside the large gates were several separate buildings, all with their own story, I'm sure. The most important to me was the newest renovation - where they hung the tapestry. It was
originally over 400 feet long, I am estimating 10 feet high and they had in fact reassembled it nearly as exactly as the original had been designed. In this case it wove around a corner and so hung along two very long walls. I tried to get the whole effect here, and some good photos.Anyway, after we left the chateau, we wandered around and found a couple of other interesting stops, and finally took a coffee break. I g
uess it was the cold, I was beat! That was enough to perk me up, and off we went for another hour as we ambled back to the hotel for more clothes and a suggestion for dinner.We went to a lovely resto for dinner, in the old town, and on the way encountered a group of about 6 very loud 30-something year old men, one dressed rather bizarrely. He was the groom, and he promptly described himself as out selling himself to make money. 30 centimes (cents) for a kiss, more for a photo - but since I needed a photo of a bad hair day for my latest scavenger hunt - we coughed up the €1 for a good cause and got a great story for the trip.
All in all it was a rather quiet and interesting trip to somewhere truly off the beaten path, but within shouting distance of our house.
These guys were rowdy and bizarrely dressed, but apparently that's the tradition for the upcoming groom. He had shaved portions of his head, was wearing funny makeup and had a sign around his neck explaining the cost of his services. It was a riot. We have seen other groups, usually the brides, decorated in feathers and crowns with a sign saying their wedding date and something funny about them. The other members of the group are usually wearing matching t-shirts or sweaters, or something, in bright colors, and I have the feeling -- they drink a bit, too.
