I didn't get a chance to fo to FNAC to buy a CD player or browse for books, but feeling pretty good about how to get there again, I figured why not go to Vannes today? Great plan. I dropped Erin off early and then came home to get ready to go. I hopped in the car and remembered I needed gas.....well diesel actually. So I went to the one station in Quiberon that I knew, but they were closed (I've stopped asking why a place is closed, places close at random times all during the day). So I headed to Vannes and figured I'd get gas on the way.
I went to the big SuperU just off the presqu'ile and got it there. I first parked and got out my trusty atlas to make it look like I was lost and I observed how others paid with cash since our cards are no good here. Then I got to the pump and freaked! It didn't say diesel anywhere but I had seen it on the big price sign and it was in yellow. I saw a frenchman finishing up and I quickly got out and said "excuse moi, monsieur, c'est disel n'est-ce pas?" and pointed at the yellow pump that read "Gazole" and he said "oui, c'est gazole". Oh awesome, the pump that says gazole is gazole - thank you mille fois! But I confidently (ok, if I was the captain from Emily Travis' pirate joke, I would be asking for my brown pants) put $20 in knowing how the french hate coins and all I had were 3 $20 bills.....well, I missed $20 and landed on $20.01 - chouette! So now I have no idea if the car will explode from the wrong gas and le mec taking my money will throw 3,000 daggers at me with his eyes. So I get in the car and very hesitantly I start it.....cool, no explosion. I make my way up the the guy and hand him $40 for $20.01 - I say "je suis desole" and he asks me to see if I have any change. Oh yes, I just felt like giving you $40 for $20.01 of gas (that might explode on me at any second) just for fun! I say no, sorry, and he grumbles and then gives me my change. We say au revoir and I fumble with the change but then realize I should get far away from others as quickly as possible so when the car explodes I'm the only casualty. Finally I get on the road and after about 10 minutes I decide that if it was going to explode, it would have by now.
Now its Vannes or bust.....but I feel pretty good that I won't bust!
After I bought the CD player I went to carrefour and oh la vache it's huge! So I spent about an hour in there and decided to buy butter, cheese, and a baguette and make my own sandwich. I get back to the car and start assembling my sandwich as half of the country decides to park next to me or walk past my car. Yes yes, I'm the pathetic american ripping my baguette with my fingers and scraping slivers of butter off of a huge block of butter. Once my sandwich was made I found a place all to myself in the shade (the only place I knew a frenchman wouldn't walk by me and stare at my awkwardness) and slowly ate my sandwich savoring the fleeting calmness.
I got in the car and headed home and stopped along the way to watch the waves at mane guen, port blanc, and port bara. I also stopped at the war memorial in portivy. Then I made it home. I got an email from Erin saying she would get a ride home and that she had to stay late for a psuedo open house. I was tempted to go out surfing since the waves at mane guen were nice - but I just didn't have the strength for that today. So I fed kitty and opened my CD played and then watched TV and tried to rest.
Just to summarize, I endured a day of stress and awkwardness for a 19e CD player....nothing is easy!
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