This lunchtime, I went to eat alone at the university restaurant. I sat at a table in front of a window overlooking a parking lot, then the road, then la Maine. From time to time, my gaze met the eyes of other students as they passed me on their way out of the ru and onto the footbridge outside. Many cars were on the road and others were parking or leaving the parking lot. I spotted a student saying goodbye to a gentleman, who was probably his father, as he set off again. A little further on, a gardener was tending a green area that had been damaged by the winter cold. With his spade, he was removing weeds and placing them in a large dustbin. I could see all this perfectly well, but I couldn't hear anything because I was in a place well isolated from the outside, and the hubbub of the various conversations behind me completely masked the noise of the road. I couldn't hear a distinct conversation, but a few laughs overcame the hubbub, and I could also make out the different languages spoken by the different students.
