[Itinerary Page]The Daily Diary of a Wandering Restaurateur
La-Charite-sur-Loire
We both slept for close to 12 hours last night -- well-needed rest, of course, and essential to re-setting the body clock to the time difference. As always in France, the first task of the day is a walk around the corner to the boulangerie for fresh quiche and croissants. Very civilized!
The second task was a trip to the supermarket to stock up on essentials. Many Americans seem to think they must pack everything they might ever need when they make a trip across the pond, but part of the fun (for us, at least) is the adventure of finding at least some of what we need after we arrive. It becomes an interesting exercise in translation.
The weather is still unseasonably cold and cloudy today. We wandered around the town a bit to get the lay of the land but mostly it was a good day to curl up in front of the heater with a good book and just slow down to the speed of life.
The nicest surprise of the day was an invitation from our hosts, Byron and Kelly Harker, to join them at their home for wine, munchies and general socializing -- an offer we gladly accepted. They are a delightful couple -- transplanted Canadians from British Columbia -- and had just returned this afternoon from Christmas with family in the UK. They have been converting old buildings in town to gites (short term rental units) and have lots of fascinating stories to tell about their adventures in French real estate.
They have renovated two units in our building with a third one in the planning stages. It certainly solves the problem of what to do with your spare time! Check out the photos to see what they have created.
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