Toussaint Vacation came and went. It started off a bit rough because of the greves (strikes) that have been happening everywhere because of the raising of the retirement age. So my train from Paris to Angers (it may look like Anger, but it is pronounced ON-JAY) was late because there were strikers on the railways blocking the trains.
In Angers I met with my friend Kat who is an English assistant in a primary school in Angers. Our other friend Dianne met us the next day. Dianne and I went to the Chateau d'Angers where they have the Apocalypse tapestries. I didn't know that when I went and I just followed the sign to the Apocalypse, like I told Dianne, when there is a sign that tells you there will be an Apocalypse you HAVE to follow. They were actually pretty interesting, accept I kept mistranslating a word, bete, which can either be stupid or beast. I thought it was stupid, which wasn't making any sense in the context.
In Nantes, Dianne and I wanted to go to this Renaissance Chateau but without a car I guess it is practically impossible. But it actually turned out for the better because we went to L'ile des machine (The island of machines), which is a magically wonderland of Jules Vernes machines. They are trying to make a 3 story carousel filled with little animals that one can ride. Dianne and I, each got to try one, it was a lot of fun! We also went on this 30 meter high elephant that walks. It was a great afternoon. We also saw the Chateau de Nantes which was pretty cool as well.
The elephant!
Me inside a fish!
One day Kat, Dianne, and I went to this little town called Samur which is about 45 minutes outside of Angers, where there is this Chateau that overlooks the Loire river. When we got off the train we asked for directions on how to get there, and the people just laughed at us, but actually it wasn't that far of a walk. But the views from the Chateau were fantastic, even though the Chateau wasn't that pretty. Unfortunately we didn't have enough time to go to the Mushroom Museum(!!!), even though they were in the middle of a Mushroom FESTIVAL, because we had appointments for a guided tour of the Cointreau factory!
Me in front of the Chateau
At the Cointreau factory, we were the only non-French speakers but we still we able to understand everything the guide told us! I learned that Cointreau is the first triple sec, and it's the best! It uses real essential oils you can tell if you add an ice cube, the way the water mixes it looks silvery. The name triple sec, comes from the French word - sec meaning dry, so it's 3 times more dry, or less sugary than the other liqueurs on the market at the time. After the tour, there was a little "degustation" or tasting of Cointreau where we learned how to make different drinks with it. It was really good =) Another little interesting fact, 85% of the Cointreau that is made is sold to the US.
Kat and I smelling the different orange peels that they use for Cointreau
After all that fun, we all went down to Bordeaux. There my only goal was to go to a vineyard and we went to TWO! Unfortunately the day we went, I was bit by a bug on my eyelid and my eye swelled so it was a little hard to see. Luckily it is all better now.
Me in front of a vineyard (Notice my large sunglasses covering my giant swollen eye)
But before the bug incident happened, there was a carnival in town! And it was Halloween it was a lot of fun! (A lot better than the carnival in Grenoble, no near deaths incidents) We went on a special Halloween themed ride, it was actually scary, complete with a man that came out in the dark and grabbed our shoulders, I am almost 100% that would not be allowed in the US, for fear of a lawsuit. We also went on a ferris wheel at dusk and got to see all of Bordeaux, it was gorgeous.
Halloween Themed Ride
View of Bordeaux from the Ferris Wheel
Then I had to take a 6 hour train ride back to Metz, but all in all it was a great vacation with great friends, and even better food =)
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