Fête Gemmoise

Today Jocelyne took Dionne and I to this festival in a village just outside Angers called Saint Gemme. It was a celebration of the harvest, with flowers, fruits, vegetables, and tons of local products and antiques. We saw a man making “sucettes” (lollipops) out of what started as a big blob of sticky sugar. I bought a framboise and citron flavored ones for my roommates. There was a man playing an old instrument that uses cards with holes punched in it. He pulled me out from the crowd to turn the wheel. I did a pretty crappy job, but it was a good laugh. Jocelyne bought us a cidre at the buvette, the stand that served as a sort of temporary bar. It was a gorgeous afternoon. I couldn’t have dreamed up a better day for the celebration. The weather here is bazaar. I’m in a café the morning after listening to the rain pound on the street. It has been on and off the entire time I’ve been here, which is in a weird way soothing because it makes me think of Seattle. Jocelyne told us that there is a vine that is very specific to the Anjou area which is unique because it stays so warm until late October. She also brought us to the Point, where the river Maine flows into the Loire. Most of the inhabitants of the town live on the upper floors because it floods so often. About every 5 years or so there is a big flood and you have to enter the buildings from behind, where the land is higher, and some islands are completely isolated and have to traverse the river by boat. Many have to repair their houses after the floods, but they don’t mind because it is their way of living with the river. The Loire is the only river that is still “living” in France. All the others have been made into a sort of canal because of the buildings constructed on the shores, but the Loire has been left alone for the most part so far. There are many locals who are very insistent on keeping it that way, as well as preserving the wildlife such as birds and even different varieties of apples. It is so impressive to see how passionate people are about their land and its fruits.