I live to eat

Another day of walking and eating. This time I walked for about three hours (with rest stops, of course). I followed one road to the edge of town and took a dirt road a little way, crossing a cattle guard. It dead-ended at a place where the water flow was regulated, making a small lake by slowing the flow of a small river. It was nice to see the countryside a bit.

Back in town, I stopped for a coffee. The place was very busy, so an elderly woman shared my table. We conversed, but it was difficult. It was a noisy cafe, and her voice was very soft, but we tried. She was very concerned that I was alone. She asked me if I was sad. It's true that one hardly ever sees someone alone in a cafe or restaurant. I'm just an oddball.

I headed back out of town in the other direction, under a highway and railroad track. There I found a nice little road that followed along the bank of a larger river, the Saille, I think. There was a camping area, occupied by only a few men parked alone in their cars. That seemed odd, but then I realized it was about noon and they were probably taking a lunch break. I walked alongside the river as far as I thought reasonable given my limited stamina. I am definitely stronger, but still not up to a full day of walking. The road seemed to go on forever, and it was quite nice walking there. However, I was hungry.

So, I headed back to town and started looking for someplace to eat. I passed one place that had a big sign out front bragging about it's specialty -- head of calf. I was shocked. I visualized a head sitting on a plate and shuddered. I kept going. By the time I sat down to order in a nice restaurant specializing in regional cuisine, I had about decided that the calf's head thing was probably a soup made of meat (and brains?) from the head. Then I glanced down at my placemat and there was an ad for the restaurant I was in. It had a picture of a calf's head on a plate along with carrots and parsley. It had ears and all, with a sprig of parsley resting on its forehead and in one nostril.

The frogs were the most expensive thing on the menu, and the calf's head was the least expensive. I opted for chicken again, this time with a wine sauce, and a half-bottle of an even better red wine than yesterday. I can't get that picture of the calf's head out of my mind. I can't imagine ordering that, cutting into it, eating it. Yechhh.

By the time I had finished (salad with bits of liver, chicken, and creme brulee for dessert, then coffee) I was nearly comatose with fatigue and satiation. I tottered back to my room, flopped onto the bed, and here I am.