Day 20: Pau, ☀️ 34°

The Patisserie Challenge!

It’s a Tuesday in Pau after a long weekend. The shops are mostly open, there are people in the streets and it’s hot here!

I think I made a comment to my family that I am a little bored sitting around waiting for things to develop. I didn’t come here for this, I came to walk and see some magnificent countryside. Unfortunately, life got in the way, and now I’m waiting, waiting, waiting!😅

My daughter Erin, sensing my frustration sent me a challenge to work on this week.

Having not much else to do, but determined to get some walking in today before it got smoking hot, I set off on my first patisserie inspection.

The first place that I selected received a 4.5 rating on Google maps. That’s not a bad rating, though one might argue it’s a bit low for France. The French are so particular about their food that discussing and criticizing it has become a national past time. I’ve heard this from a number of French people during my travels. So a 4.5 seemed a pretty decent place to start.

There was already a lineup for service when I arrived at Patisserie Jean-Baptiste Garngé. I took this as a good sign. While I waited for service, I checked out their inventory.

I initially settled for a couple of cookies, chocolate chip cookies! Generally understood by many to be my favorite.

With the chocolate chip cookies in my day pack, I set off to find in the next patisserie. I was thinking that all these patisserie in one day might not be the most healthy undertaking. Unhealthy perhaps, but definitely fun! I decided to reread my instructions, and was relieved to find that I was to visit only one patisserie per day. 😅 In fact, by the time I reread my instructions I was already at the next patisserie. Fortunately, I was able to reroute myself before turning in to said patisserie! I will return tomorrow and check it out.

It was now approaching about 11 o’clock and it was getting pretty hot outside

It was then that I checked my weather app and saw that it was going to go up to 34°! And that would be in the shade! No wonder I was already sweating.😬

I continued on my walk and decided to go see what was up at the indoor food fair. For one thing, I knew there would be air conditioning. And there was, but there was more. Lots of great food!

By now it was approaching lunchtime and I didn’t have the desire to sit down and eat a large meal in a restaurant. I had planned to do so today, and then have a light dinner, but it was too hot for that. Besides, once I saw sandwiches in the patisserie I knew that that’s what I wanted. So I walked back across town to the patisserie where they had about seven different types of sandwiches to choose from.

As you can see, it’s made with really nice looking bread, not the standard French bread. It had chicken and all sorts of veggies in it. When I’m in France, I really like to buy one of these and then go find a nice green space, sit back and people watch while I have my lunch.

However, it was already 30° and I decided to go to the little grocery store by my place to purchase a cold drink and then return to my apartment for lunch. Fortunately, my apartment doesn’t face the direct sun. There’s no air conditioning, but I do have a fan.

I’m hoping for a call today from the insurance company in Canada, but I’m sure it’s taking time for them to connect with the hospital. I have extended my arrangements with the owners of this apartment until Friday. I would like to get to Vancouver before the weekend because it’s my granddaughter Ciara’s birthday, and I would like to surprise her. I did find this car for her today, painted in her favourite color!😂

So day, one of the great patisserie challenge. I would rank today’s patisserie with a very good, but I wouldn’t return here just for thisthis patisserie. The 4.5 rating is a fairly accurate representation based on my limited sample. I’ll be having the chocolate chip cookies tonight, so that might shift my opinion.

That’s it from Pau for today. Stranded in Pau…

Geoff🍪🍷