A trip to Myrtille

Yesterday I finally found the fabric store named "Myrtille," which has a reputation for lower prices. I asked for directions from many people before I finally found it. I was surprised by the size of the store, the selection of fabrics, and the prices. I think I've previously mentioned that France does not manufacture fabric. At Myrtille there are fabrics of all kinds: wool, linen, cotton, silk, polyester, and more. There are all kinds of solids and prints, wovens and knits, fabrics for clothes and fabrics for home decor, and notions such as buttons, ribbon, not to mention used patterns, etc. Many fabrics are sold for as low as 2.50 and 2.95 euros per meter. In fact, a large poster advertised "l'anti-crises" fabrics, which translates to anti-crisis fabric. That didn't surprise me since all you hear on the news over here, on television and radio, is about the economic crisis. I'm surprized that all of France isn't depressed. However, after leaving the Myrtille textile shop, I saw many people shopping around and sitting outside at the bars/cafés in the city center. People still seem to have money to spend in the midst of the crisis. As chilly as it still is here, many bars and cafés downtown have outdoor seating for their customers. However, it is too cold for me to sit outside at this time.

While walking around the city center yesterday, I felt overwhelmed by the size of Angers. There are so many sections of the city, so many shops, cafés, restaurants, banks, boulangeries (bakeries for bread), pâtisseries (dessert shops), épiceries (grocery shops), charcuteries (meat shops specializing in pork), and boucheries (meat shops specializing in red meats), etc. In fact, I must have seen a boulangerie and a pâtisserie on every block. I even saw my first McDonalds restaurant downtown Angers yesterday, where the average price of a typical McDonalds meal is 6.50 euros, give or take. I also walked by a Levi Jeans specialty shop. I was also surprised by seeing my first flower garden here filled with colorful flowers, pansies. Apparently it is not too chilly for pansies to grow here this time of year, unless they were recently planted. I noticed lots of Old World architecture throughout the city center yesterday; even some half-timber construction. The contemporary buildings here are very square or rectangular compared to these old, more ancient buildings which display more curves and carving. There is no comparison. Many of these old downtown buildings are hundreds of years old and still maintain their charm and nostalgia from the past.

As far as the environment and climate go, there is still greenery on many bushes through the winter here, but all of the deciduous trees seem to have lost their leaves for the winter. I don't even see buds on them yet. Pigeons here are more light gray and typically have white rings around their necks. I don't see black birds, crows, or ravens here like in Maine. However, I often see a bird that is black and white, with a patch of indigo blue on it's back, which is a bit smaller than a raven and perhaps a bit larger than a crow. It also makes a different sound than the crow or raven.

Herbal teas here are typically called "infusions." In fact, the box or container of tea bags says "infusion" on it.

That's all for today. It's going on five weeks since I arrived in Angers. Continue following my blog, since I will continue updating it.