I took a little cycle tour away from the ship today, to Donges near Nantes in France. It was 20 degrees C and the sun was melting me, being clad for Swedish winter weather. Good to get some air other than ship air, I would say fresh air but the refinery in the nearby gave the air a tang of metal and oil.
The slightly dilapidated Hotel de la Gare is probably not a fair representation of the little town but it gave a bit of poetic feeling of times past. It was fairly sleepy today apart from a gang of youngsters on mopeds trying to look hard, they eyed me up suspiciously as I went around on my bike. The customers in the local supermarché gave me plenty of eyeball also when I went in to do some purchasing, I don’t know what it was that made me stand out but I guess it is a small town. In the queue for the till in front of me was a beret wearing old man, he turned around and looked up at me and shrugged his shoulders only the way a French old man can do, and apologised for having so much stuff, I said “pas de problem” and his bushy eyebrows lifted up a few notches and he asked me “quelle nationalité?”(what nationality?) it was probably the question half the shop wanted to ask but he was an old guy so he didn’t care. I said Irish and this pleased him no end, he went on to inquire how I got to Donges (bateau?) and who I thought would win in the rugby game between France and England. I said France, it being my preference and he shrugged his shoulders again, he had a feeling England would do it and they did. I should have asked him if it was ok to photograph him, he was a pure stereotype, a wicker shopping basket with champagne, cheese, baguette and other delicacies and the beret all he was missing was the striped sweater and a string of onions.
The loading master and surveyor were in mourning after the defeat to England in the rugby, a sad day for France they said, a tragedy, a catastrophe, I gave my condolences saying that they probably won’t win the final, but knowing England anything is possible.
A roadsign outside the huge refinery at Donges, looking slightly worse for wear… I wonder could it be acid rain?
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