la cathedrale

One thing that I remember very clearly from my last visit to Europe is that cathedrals really sneak up on you. You're walking along, minding your own business, trying not to look like a tourist, and wham! There it is. Of course, you'd think they would be obvious. I mean, look at it. It's incredible. Nonetheless, they're still sneaking up on me. This cathedral is on the Maine river overlooking the water. I haven't been inside yet, but there's plenty of time for that.

The weather here is incredibly unpredictable. So far, it's rained almost every day, and if not during the day, it rains at night. But it's a sneaky rain--one minute rain, the next sunshine, the next rain, and so on. The wind is ferocious here as well. This morning it was a struggle to walk through town because of the wind, and on my way back to the house it rained sporadically and even hailed a little bit. And of course because of the wind, it rained horizontally so the backs of my jeans got wet. A little problematic. And strangely enough, the temperature here has been remarkably temperate for winter. Coming from the mountains, I expected freezing temperatures and snow, but every day has reached the upper 40s at least. The weather here is known by its "douceur angevine," which is hard to translate, but it means something like "gentle weather of the anjou region." I don't know if I would apply that term to it, what with all the rain and wind, but the grass is quite green here, and not having to wear snowboots is a mercy (since I didn't bring any). This is a huge difference from the drought-stricken southern US.