First year at Harvard Business School
was difficult, but I was able to convince my boyfriend that we deserved a break
... and where more pleasant to go than France in the Springtime of 1975?
I had a good friend who lived in Angers, a wonderful journalist,
Brigitte, who had been a writing intern during the summer of 1970 in the
communications department of the College of Agriculture and Environmental
Science, Rutgers- The State University of New Jersey. She'd been my
houseguest for the summer, too, and we formed a solid friendship. She'd
married artist and art teacher Robert Clisson, and we were welcome to stay with
them, she assured me.
This was Chad’s first visit to France, so it was
important to get him Frenchified as soon as possible. Brigitte took him to her favorite hat shop,
and voila! Chad-with-beret!
There is much
to enjoy about Angers. A key city in the
middle of the Loire Valley, which is more or less the breadbasket of France,
the offerings at local outdoor markets were appealing.
The market also featured an area to choose a pet
bird…
And a famous monument to visit! The ancient castle, Chateau d’ Angers. We took time to storm the ramparts!
Walking around the city; everywhere you look, charm and history! It’s a beautiful city. The Maine River flows through Angers and into the Loire River
We wanted to go for a drive in the countryside, so
we knew we had to provision for a picnic.
A baguette, of course, and some wine!
I think this is where I learned to love Chateauneuf-du-Pape.
No visit to France is complete without some time in Paris, of course. We only had a week, but there was time to walk in some parks, and go up as far as possible on the Eiffel Tower.
Not sure what park these statues were in… but great
photo opps.
