One tram stop away from our stop is one named “Recteur Schmitt.” Chloe, Melinda and I just returned from there, having made a dash for it in order to transfer to Bus #72 which would have taken us to Manon’s volleyball game tonight. But as our tram was pulling in to the stop on time, there went the 72 pulling away, two minutes early. As a result, we weren’t able to see Manon’s game. The next 72 didn’t arrive for another 35 minutes which would have caused us to miss too much of the game to make the bus ride worthwhile. Bummer!

Heading back home, Chloe and Melinda both commented how much they miss having a car. Melinda mentioned how she’d like to just hop in a car, turn up the heat, and cruise around Nantes tonight. Chloe, who was brought home by car from a Saturday afternoon babysitting job, said how different the city feels from the perspective of a car. Me, I’m not so much missing a car although I do understand what both were saying. It’s so funny to not have driven since before leaving Seattle. That’s almost 7 months!

Back to Recteur Schmitt. Today’s photo was taken from inside the tram as we were pulling into the stop a couple of days ago. It’s an interesting stop. There is a park and ride here, and many connections to various bus lines. There is also a trade school right next to the stop, meaning lots of young men are typically hanging out here. In other words, there’s a fair amount of smoking and spitting happening. Chloe and I think a group of these guys would make a good-looking band. We call them “Recteur Schmitt & the Drop-Out Boys” and think their first album should be called “Expectorate.”