We did have a printed manual, but it was full of vocabulary I didn’t know, like pedal d’embrayage (clutch) (and the car was automatic). However, a nice young man from the rental desk came and set the GPS language to British English (and also the computer instr. language). He couldn’t turn off the radio, either, but, at my request, found a classical station (pour les vieux).
Our hotel was built in the 16th century and housed Victor Hugo, Napoleon, and Emperor Maximilian. We got upgraded to a room on the 2nd, which is to say 3rd, floor w/ high ceilings and a huge, very elegant bath. S confounded by the bidet.
We napped & then ate at a restaurant (L’Epicerie) in a little church square. ½ the patrons were American. We split a bottle of wine – I wasn’t sure how I’d make it back to the hotel, but was fine. S had tangine de veaux and I had duck breast & we were happy.
Today was lovely and fair, and not hot. We spent the morning at the Palais des Papes, used 2x; once for the unified Papacy –once when they’d elected a French Pope who didn’t much like Rome, and once when the church split.
The courtyard had huge, stone balls hurled by trebuchet (a 12th century variety of catapult)—I was so excited. Mostly huge, bare, stone rooms, but one (le chambre du cerf) had wonderful frescoes (had been a papal bedchamber). I learned all kinds of useful vocabulary looking up words in my handy pocket French dictionary (Langenscheidt)
a cerf is a stag
etourdeaux are starlings
fastueux is showy, or sumptious
The dictionary also has an emergency conjugation section.
The French placards for the Palais des Papes were pretty good, but the English translations were only partial. A kitchen had an 18m high arrangement of grills & spits to roast meat. Can you imagine?? 54’!!
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