Rennes 3

Sunny but not so hot today. I was up early to pack, eat breakfast, load up the car, before a 9am start at conference. It would have been nice to get the breakfast I paid for, but alas was not to be this morning. I first went downstairs at 7.15 to find the dining room closed until 7.45. I returned at 7.50 to find about 8 people milling about, waiting for it to open. I joined them. Gradually our number increased. As people starting talking rather than just wait quietly, it became apparent that one of our number was the breakfast lady! However, she did not have a key, which she usually obtained from the reception staff. Reception was firmly shuttered. I felt so sorry for her. In an English-speaking environment, I'd have been trying to make her feel less bad by making some (often inappropriate!) joke. I thought about saying "you'll be able to laugh about this tomorrow" but I was too worried about how that would be received. Do the French say that? Most were patient. One lady was a bit less so. One man was telephoning head office and demanding action. Guests checked out - well, they left their keys with the breakfast lady. I didn`t starve - I had some food in my "studio".

At 8.30 I went to check out and found a young man behind reception - with a big queue! I fetched my folding bike from the car and cycled up to the conference centre. What was a 10-12 minute walk became a 3 minute bike ride. It's definitely the way to travel in Rennes, although there's also the metro and lots of buses.

The seminars were interesting, but again, I couldn't understand everything. If I listen carefully, to a slow-talking older lady, then I can distinguish almost all the words. It's impossible to simultaneously translate though, so I just listen, and get the gist. Together with any presentation, it's enough. Others (generally men or younger women) seem to talk faster and less distinctly. There are always exceptions of course. I found it difficult to listen intently if there were other noises around (people moving about etc).

I left at lunchtime and cycled back to the hotel underground car park to collect the car. I'd told Alice I would be home at 4pm so I didn`t want to be later than that. Oh. Garage locked up. Hotel locked up. Yes, even the main front doors. It was 1pm after all. Ils mangent :-) Having given in my key this morning, there was no way I could get to my car. So I cycled into the town centre again, walked around, and found a nice cafe for a baguette sandwich.

I also had a look around la Cathédrale Saint-Pierre de Rennes, on the left in the photo. This is a vélo-star station - I rode one of these yesterday.

I eventually got to my car at 2.15 and set off. No sat nav. Fortunately, there are still road signs so I just followed "autre directions" until I finally found a sign for Brest - not that I go to Brest, but it's west. There's a silly rhyme there. West is best for Brest. Or something like that.

I arrived home at 3.50, and Alice was very pleased with her new toy cat. It's good to be home.....and to be able to speak in English :-)

Alice excitedly told me about this morning. On their way back from taking Softy to the vet (for his monthly injection), they had to stop at a level crossing and waited for the steam train - la vapeur du Trieux - to go through. Alice has been longing for that to happen for months!