Tours Week 4

Like always, my week was filled with events and was even more busier than before. This week, a couple of festivities have drawn all sorts of people from their homes, and never before have I seen Tours so crowded. First, on Tuesday there was the Music Festival of Tours which attracted visitors from all over France. Each plaza and park was packed with people and temporary stages were built to host various musicians over the course of the day. Each and every type of music could be heard; in fact, one every other ten feet. A walk in the park at the center of Tours made me feel like I just walked into Georges-Pierre Seurat’s “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte”.  During the evening after dinner, we went to Place Plumereau (the iconic plaza surrounded by old European style buildings) to enjoy the tip of the iceberg, and we were awarded with delicious treats and wonderful music.

Also during the week is the national bi-annual sale, and the central pedestrian road, Rue Nationale, was packed from start to end with people hoping to land a deal. I loved shopping in the grand shopping malls and little shops, but I loved to walk around the markets even more. There, one can find flowers and second-hand jewelry, fresh pastries and fruits, and what’s more, one can sharpen french oral and bargaining skills. All of the sellers love to chat with you, and each one is eager to hear about stories from United States and my hometown, Beijing.

On the weekend, my host family took me to a charity club meeting, of which my Madame was the president. We cooked finger foods in preparation for the event and then drove to the reception close to the castle Villandry. The meeting composed of a casual pot-luck dinner and a handicap representative who gave a speech thanking the board for their efforts throughout the year. Even though they were reluctant to speak in English, all were very nice and tried to explain to me what was going on. During the dinner, I found myself talking members of the charity on issues such as handicap facilities in the USA, the presidential election, and the EU referendum—all in French!

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