Surprising discoveries

Spent the day wandering around the city with Laura. We went first to a museum/gallery-type-place on the other side of town to try to sign up for some classes that the city offers, called the Universite Populaire. There are conferences on economics, politics, history, music, and literature. While we found that we couldn't actually sign up, the woman was very nice and gave us lots of information about the program.

The building is located in a beautiful park called the Jardin Publique. Laura and I had no idea that it existed and were happy to wander around for a while. We stumbled upon a mini-zoo within the Jardin, a huge wooden boat (that probably has some meaning...), and amazing views of the city. 

After that, we decided to browse the "junk shop," called Troc. It's a kind of resale shop for just about everything you can imagine (the first of its kind in Europe, of so the sign says). The other assistants have bought lamps and dishes there, as well as other trinkets. It was huge and had a ton of great stuff, for really good prices. I had to stop myself from buying things I won't have the space to bring home! 

All in all, a good afternoon and another newly discovered part of the city. I love the Vieux Laval area, with its cobblestone streets and cute little shops. I love that there's a zoo hidden in a forest in the city. I love that the French are only just learning what a resale shop is.

Tonight we are having a little party and going out for Charlotte's 20th birthday. She's from Scotland and has one of the greatest accents I've ever heard. Really looking forward to seeing a bit of Laval's nightlife!