Goodbye Nantes, hello Tours

Goodbye Nantes, hello Tours

Yesterday I wandered into a department store, thinking I could get a pair of tights to keep me warm. I should have known what kind of store it was when I saw guys wearing scarves and women carrying their bags on their elbows... It was a David Jones store on currency steroids. I got out of there fast once I saw the prices in case there was a tax for browsing. 
Mostly Europe is kind of expensive. The prices are similar to Australia but you have to factor in the exchange rate. A hot chocolate is €2-3 which is what I'd pay at home but really costs $3-4.50. Strangely the liquor and cigarettes are cheaper even with the exchange. 

The walk to the train station this morning was not as long as I thought which was great. I actually have a slight bruise on my shoulder from carrying it so far Sunday night. 
I was waiting at the train station and a lady sitting next to me asked if I could watch her bag when she went to get a coffee. She was in plain sight the whole time and came back pretty quickly but it struck me that as much as I hate lugging my boonty backpack around I would have taken it with me. 
The scenery was pretty through the countryside of the Loire valley. 

It is nice to spend time in a place where the church bells still ring the time. 
The old part of Tours is so cute - if it had a cheek I'd pinch it. The houses are like Strasbourg but they have them all around little squares. The sun came out as I stopped for a hot chocolate but I decided to sit inside. It's still really cold plus the French smoke a lot - so you get sun but no fresh air. 
Guess what - I found an English bookstore and couldn't resist buying book two of the hunger games. In the first bookshop I asked in French if they had any english books and the lady said no but then continued on in French. I kept smiling and made note of her hand movements and directions and said the occasional "oui" then merci when she stopped talking. That's the only trouble with knowing how to ask for something in French - I don't know how to understand the reply. A lot of the time I can guess what they're asking (do I want anything else to buy/eat) and mostly I say no thanks. Too bad if they're telling me they want to give me a million dollars. 
My accommodation is right in the centre of the city and near the train station which I arrived on and will depart from. I have another attic room but I don't mind not being able to straighten in one half of the bathroom because the bed is soft. In Spain the hotels were classy with marble bathrooms but really hard beds. I think I could live in France if their beds are like my last hotel. 
I wandered along the banks of le Loire and enjoyed the privellage of travel. It really is easy - all you need is money and time - mainly money. I don't understand people who say they've always wanted to travel to Europe but haven't. If the idea of blowing $6000 for four weeks keeps you away then I guess you didn't want to go enough. Yeah I could have spent the money on something else (like a house deposit) but I love seeing places I've only read about or seen in movies. You realize how lucky you are in your own country while appreciating how varied the world is. The history is truly amazing as we just don't have as much as Europe. The culture is facinating too - the Spanish eat dinner at 10pm even kids, the French smoke and drink and live longer than us, the Swiss  have no language of their own but use the one from the country closest then put their own slant on it. 
Enough ruminating. I am off to read my new book. 

Carolyn, I can't email from my phone for some reason but can receive. I'll get in touch when I meet up with the laptops - I mean family. Haylee did mention a little of life and I want you to know that I am thinking of you.

Thanks for reading. 
Kym