Where ever did that phrase come from.....I am feeling baseball...and the stretching they do at the 7th Inning but if you know please enlighten me. That is the phase I am in now "the home stretch". The Wildsmiths have all been and gone...we had some amazing good times in the two weeks they were here!And Bruce and I had the opportunity to get to know Jamie's very special friend Katie a little better as we all dined on French food and drank Burgundy wines....probably more than Katie cared but that is us Wildsmith's. Bruce left on Sunday May 27th heading out on the 6:46 train to Dijon and then onto the Charles deGaulle Airport. I am anxious to hear from him how it all went as I will take the same route home on June 9th. I would have loved to have been with him...it was difficult to see him go...and Mary who bought a phonecard and has been telephoning me periodically phoned me later in the day and got a few of my tears. However, I am OK now and realizing I would have spent a fortune to change my ticket...God bless Air Canada...and would have only been going home to a slew of black flies...surely they must be peaking as I speak..ugh! So instead I went to a wonderful concert of Brass Instruments put on by present students of the Conservatory of Music in Dijon and also former students....who really could do their thing! There were a dozen French horns...not often you get to see that many...and for the first time I realized they put their hand up the large opening called?? to hold onto the instrument... I will have to watch that more closely whan I see our local symphony....there were also trombones and trumpets and coronettes...the location was the St Etiennne Chapel on Place Ziem....probably built in the 1600's...a long narrow structure and the acoustics were amazing...probably too small for the amount of wind that was being blown around from that much brass. They played everything from tangos to my favorite, a piece called" Young Henry at the Hunt" I am sure you get the idea of the hunters being called on the French horns....Violette Amiot stole the show though...a 30 something young woman who played the percussion...she had about 3 kettle drums arranged around her and she exuded rhythm. So that small event kept me happy for the day while my mind crossed the Atlantic with Bruce. He e-mailed me this AM from 100 Acres just before he left for his Sommelier Course and his test on Australian wines.
Can you believe this...it is another holiday in France...some religious holiday which even the French are not too sure about....not sure what it is and who and what will be open....it does not matter as most people are glued to their TV's now as the French Open is on. We had lunch last week with a wonderful Winemaker from Volnay a woman named Josette who is at least in her mid seventies ..she stopped making wine in 1993...and she was telling us that she would be watching the tennis for the next 15 days... I believe it finishes around the time I will be leaving.
Anyway, May is certainly a month of holidays...the last one being a Thursday and then eveyone took Friday off so it was quite a long weekend. And then you have to remember that the French automatically start with 5-6 weeks vacation every year ..none of this 2-3 weeks we Canadians seem to settle for.
I want to make sure as I enter this "home stretch" that I not just fritter away the time reading etc..so I am planning finally to take the train to Dijon....do not let me backout...and tomorrow I am having an Aussie couple I have met...my age...for lunch. Not that I am cooking ...I was down this AM and ordered a lovely quiche Lorraine from my favorite spot for those..however, I probably will do veggies cold asparagus and green beans yes French green beans and put strawberries on ice cream. and of course wine...hopefully it wll be a good 3-4 hour lunch! Bruce left me with 12 bottles of wine.... he just kept buyinh wine.... 4 I am supposed to bring home and the rest I am to drink or put to cellar. So here is the story regarding the cellar...the wonderful young couple who own this apartment and two other rental places actually own a wine cellar under this apartment building. The Town of Beaune has many many cellars or caves underneath it where wine has been stored for centuries. Anyway last week Bruce and I were invited to a wine tasting of a relative of our landlords who makes excellent wine in Savigny les Beaune. It was wonderful but already having what Customs allows us to bring home plus a little extra we were sorry to be passing up these wonderful 2005 vintages when our landlords said ..well if you want to store some with us we will move them to the new cave when it is ready which should be fairly soon...So we now have wine stored here in France for our return next May! And if I cannot drink all that I have here at the apartment...which I am sure I will not... I will move that to the cellar for next year also. We have a very hard time passing up this wine we are trying at these tastings. This recent tasting was very interesting as we were tasting with the "vigneron" the person who actually made the wine...he had no store of bottle from previous vintages as all of his wine is sold to local folks. In fact several dropped in while we were tasting to pick up their supply and one discretely told me..."this is the best winemaker in Savigny les Beaune". I must say it is hard not to think so when you are in his Cave drinking his wines and also having the privilege of trying some still in the barrels...the 2006 vintage which has not yet been bottled. Now there are wine tastings everywhere here ..all up and down the Cote d'Or.."degustations" and the tour books say to stop at the winemakers tasting and try them out. But many times the winemaker is in his fields or unavailable or his English is not so great and our French as bad...so they are not too successful...however this tasting had been arranged for us and was an amazing experience! We were very privileged. So today has dawned a little cooler than the past week or so and it seems to rain in spurts..soft rain for about 20 minutes and then sun...after ordering my quiche this morning I went over to the Place de la Halle where they are holding a 3 day Antique Exposition. It was very similar to what we would hold at home...a small fee to enter and inside about 20 dealers have thier antiques all on display. Lots of old linens and Quimperware...books and furniture. The prices seemd very high to me but then I also kept translating them from Euro's into Canadian dollars which adds another 60% to the price.... the display I found most intrigueing was of old military items...a German helmut from the 2nd World War which he was asking 485 E for but was willing to sell it to me for 400E ..he said I could get 800 ? in Canada ...he also had an Americam helmut and French helmuts...I hope I told you in previous blogs that when I am here in France I become very interested in the 2nd World War....and Josette the winemaker rom Volnay was telling us about that era when she was young and Volnay was occupied by the Germans and what it was like.... Bruce and I cycled to Meursault last week and passed through Volnay...it is on a hill and has a beautiful view of all the vineyards below. As we were looking out over the area I could not help but think about Germans marching through this area and taking over the towns....once the French army gave up people in the Towns had very little weaponry and were better off keeping what weapons they had and using them as part of the Resistance Movement. When I come home I think I will make a more detailed study of this time in France. Anyway I am off now dinner is calling and I have a bit more tidying to get ready for my guests tomorrow. Hope Spring is starting to show its head in whatever part of the world you find yourself and welcome back to my Blog. Bisous from Miss A as Bruce calls me or Princess A as some friends in Baltimore call me..hi Cindy and Pearl...got your last e-mail!!
Monday, May 28, 2007
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Beaune Toujours
Every morning when I walk around the Town of Beaune I think I must write my blog about Beaune and my impressions . Now after close to 4 weeks living here I think I am ready. Every morning when I step out of my door and proceed on my walk what strikes me first is the chorus of birds. In spite of the sounds of life in Beaune, especially cars and trucks, the birdsong is amazingly loud..unlike what I hear at even that perfect spot 100 Acres. They call to each other from tree tops everywhere I walk...I find it amazing. And even when I sit eating my breakfast with those wonderful shutters open wide I can hear their song echo through the house.
So Beaune has about 20,000 inhabitants and is actually a divided city ... the old midievil part where I live and then the more modern part ..the suburbs. The dividing factor is what is called a ring road....about 3-4 lanes in different sections all going in the same direction. There are lots of trees and city flower plots all along the ring road as well as parking areas. This is a great spot to leave your car rather than take it into the town proper and folks actually park their camping wagons here. At lunch when you walk by these vans the folks are aways inside having their lunch because having lunch at noon is very much a part of the French mentality. Even when I walk out in the vineyards as it gets close to noon the little mini trucks start leaving the vines on a rush home to get lunch.
Inside the ring road are the ramparts...these were used in the old days to defend the town and between the road and the ramparts there is a long- ago moat..no water there today..instead gardens and even in some places a parking lot. You can walk the ramparts and there are old old houses and even small turrets that once were part of the lookout system. I enjoy walking the ramparts but it also has little pebbles which are not conducive to a quick walk so when I am excercising I choose the ring road and its bicycle path to walk. Yes there is a bicycle path all around the city and it is even marked with green paint right on the pavement and very well used! We could learn from that. Today when I walked the city workers were filling the flower beds with impatience and flower pots hanging from lamp posts were also being filled.
Outside the ring road there are still some ancient buildings but it is also where there are single homes being built and a shopping area as well as the plants that service the wine industry.
But it is inside the ring road that I live and that attracts all the tourists...very very old Beaune where there is nothing modern to distract you...except the cars and wires....where everything looks very much like it did in the 1500's..the Hospice de Beaune was built in the mid 1400's before Christopher Columbus sailed to North America.
The streets dart into Beaune from the ring road somewhat like spokes on a biycle.. and then there are lots of little streets that criss cross every which where... I have been on them all. I know because I have marked them off with a pen on the map of Beaune and can say that for sure. The spoke streets converge on the Place Carnot..another circular spot..the heart of Beaune..with its gazebo structure,bits or greenery, benches where people of all ages sit and the carousel..what a pleasure to sit and watch families enjoy the carousel! to read a book and watch the fashion parade and dog life. Here is where you find lots of shops and eating places with their tables and chairs set out to enjoy the weather. The town is alive in the Place and this is where everyone walks around 5 PM before they go home to dinner. Needless to say I am a frequenter of the Place. The other morning a very large bus ended up in the small street that circles the Place....a no no for buses and the police were there moving barriers to get him out..and lots of us gawkers watching the "event" of the day. There is a map of the town which every tourist will have in their hands...this map seems to be what seperates the ' come from aways" from the residents...I no longer need my map so I am "at home " with the Town. The Ville as they call it.. I am not sure if it is a city or a Town ...20,000 is a lot of people. On Saturday morning they hold the big farmers Marche. There are a few sellers in the Place Carnot but most are around the corner in a large square called Place de la Halle...diagonal to the Hospice. The Marche spills out into the Place Fluery and right up the Avenue de la Republique...every town has one of those so called streets. The market bustles with people and sellers hawking everything from books to bras and cheese to roti lapin. This Saturday I will be there with my wagon...getting the strawberries and veggies to feed the crew of Wildsmiths due to disembark at the Charles de Gaulle at the same time that I am shopping.
In my last blog I talked about the number of hair salons..by far the industry most represented in the town. Close on its heels though are the wine stores...stores representing big and little wine producers. I have my favorite now and he seems to represent an interesting variety of producers. For some reason he has been closed for the last 4 days..but yesterday I noticed many boxes both inside and out and empty which tells me he might be in the middle of receiving inventory. There is one large church not far from the centre of town called the Collegiale Notre-Dame.. a few Saturdays ago there was a big funeral here that was attended by a great many bikers who had all parked their motorcycles in front of the church...the tourists watched this with a great fascination and lots of pictures were taken. I have taken very few pictures amazingly enough. I think it is because I never have taken pictures..at least since a teenager and just lost the desire/need to remember the trips with photos. But photo taking is certainly what tourists do. Beaune is full of tourists! Today there were buses from Checkoslovakia and Ireland at the main Tourist Centre on the Ring Road...that is two ends of the EU. I would say that the main tourist guide is the Michelin Green Book.... I see that the most anyway..and I have seen it as Burgundy, Bourgogne and Burgund...three languages. After that I think Rick Steeves...and those carrying Rick are most likely Americans.
I love to watch and I love to listen...eavesdrop really...the distressing thing is that lots of times I am listening to arguements/disagreements about where to go,how to go when and why.... I find that distressing and glad sometimes that it is only me making decisions for me....
Most of the streets are named after people'''oh the history I know nothing about..but there are two streets not far from the church whose names intrigue me Rue d'Enfer and Rue Paradis... two ends of the spectrum after death. Speaking of death..my bum is killing me from sitting so long... it is wonderful outside so I think I will head out to the suburbs to a park... Parc de la Bouzaize. Au revoir !
So Beaune has about 20,000 inhabitants and is actually a divided city ... the old midievil part where I live and then the more modern part ..the suburbs. The dividing factor is what is called a ring road....about 3-4 lanes in different sections all going in the same direction. There are lots of trees and city flower plots all along the ring road as well as parking areas. This is a great spot to leave your car rather than take it into the town proper and folks actually park their camping wagons here. At lunch when you walk by these vans the folks are aways inside having their lunch because having lunch at noon is very much a part of the French mentality. Even when I walk out in the vineyards as it gets close to noon the little mini trucks start leaving the vines on a rush home to get lunch.
Inside the ring road are the ramparts...these were used in the old days to defend the town and between the road and the ramparts there is a long- ago moat..no water there today..instead gardens and even in some places a parking lot. You can walk the ramparts and there are old old houses and even small turrets that once were part of the lookout system. I enjoy walking the ramparts but it also has little pebbles which are not conducive to a quick walk so when I am excercising I choose the ring road and its bicycle path to walk. Yes there is a bicycle path all around the city and it is even marked with green paint right on the pavement and very well used! We could learn from that. Today when I walked the city workers were filling the flower beds with impatience and flower pots hanging from lamp posts were also being filled.
Outside the ring road there are still some ancient buildings but it is also where there are single homes being built and a shopping area as well as the plants that service the wine industry.
But it is inside the ring road that I live and that attracts all the tourists...very very old Beaune where there is nothing modern to distract you...except the cars and wires....where everything looks very much like it did in the 1500's..the Hospice de Beaune was built in the mid 1400's before Christopher Columbus sailed to North America.
The streets dart into Beaune from the ring road somewhat like spokes on a biycle.. and then there are lots of little streets that criss cross every which where... I have been on them all. I know because I have marked them off with a pen on the map of Beaune and can say that for sure. The spoke streets converge on the Place Carnot..another circular spot..the heart of Beaune..with its gazebo structure,bits or greenery, benches where people of all ages sit and the carousel..what a pleasure to sit and watch families enjoy the carousel! to read a book and watch the fashion parade and dog life. Here is where you find lots of shops and eating places with their tables and chairs set out to enjoy the weather. The town is alive in the Place and this is where everyone walks around 5 PM before they go home to dinner. Needless to say I am a frequenter of the Place. The other morning a very large bus ended up in the small street that circles the Place....a no no for buses and the police were there moving barriers to get him out..and lots of us gawkers watching the "event" of the day. There is a map of the town which every tourist will have in their hands...this map seems to be what seperates the ' come from aways" from the residents...I no longer need my map so I am "at home " with the Town. The Ville as they call it.. I am not sure if it is a city or a Town ...20,000 is a lot of people. On Saturday morning they hold the big farmers Marche. There are a few sellers in the Place Carnot but most are around the corner in a large square called Place de la Halle...diagonal to the Hospice. The Marche spills out into the Place Fluery and right up the Avenue de la Republique...every town has one of those so called streets. The market bustles with people and sellers hawking everything from books to bras and cheese to roti lapin. This Saturday I will be there with my wagon...getting the strawberries and veggies to feed the crew of Wildsmiths due to disembark at the Charles de Gaulle at the same time that I am shopping.
In my last blog I talked about the number of hair salons..by far the industry most represented in the town. Close on its heels though are the wine stores...stores representing big and little wine producers. I have my favorite now and he seems to represent an interesting variety of producers. For some reason he has been closed for the last 4 days..but yesterday I noticed many boxes both inside and out and empty which tells me he might be in the middle of receiving inventory. There is one large church not far from the centre of town called the Collegiale Notre-Dame.. a few Saturdays ago there was a big funeral here that was attended by a great many bikers who had all parked their motorcycles in front of the church...the tourists watched this with a great fascination and lots of pictures were taken. I have taken very few pictures amazingly enough. I think it is because I never have taken pictures..at least since a teenager and just lost the desire/need to remember the trips with photos. But photo taking is certainly what tourists do. Beaune is full of tourists! Today there were buses from Checkoslovakia and Ireland at the main Tourist Centre on the Ring Road...that is two ends of the EU. I would say that the main tourist guide is the Michelin Green Book.... I see that the most anyway..and I have seen it as Burgundy, Bourgogne and Burgund...three languages. After that I think Rick Steeves...and those carrying Rick are most likely Americans.
I love to watch and I love to listen...eavesdrop really...the distressing thing is that lots of times I am listening to arguements/disagreements about where to go,how to go when and why.... I find that distressing and glad sometimes that it is only me making decisions for me....
Most of the streets are named after people'''oh the history I know nothing about..but there are two streets not far from the church whose names intrigue me Rue d'Enfer and Rue Paradis... two ends of the spectrum after death. Speaking of death..my bum is killing me from sitting so long... it is wonderful outside so I think I will head out to the suburbs to a park... Parc de la Bouzaize. Au revoir !
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Bisous from Beaune
Is not that word Bisous wonderful....my landlady Laura who is young and beautiful ..and smart to boot, so her husband tells me..introduced me to that word the other day when she sent me an e-mail. I put my sleuthing abilities to work and came up with the meaning without needing to ask...kisses on the cheek...two kisses here in Beaune with nice big kissing sounds! So" bisous" to all you out there who read this blog. Today was my loneliest day for lots of reasons.. I have been away a month..and also Bruce's Aunt Trudy died...she was about 85 had developed leukemia in the last year and bravely fought it...but I guess being over here by myself you just feel the loss a little more strongly with no one to talk with. Bruce is also away and "incommunicado" All these deaths have greater significance as the Torch is being passed slowly but surely! I just came back from my before dinner walk -about where I had started stalking anyone I heard speaking English...how desperate is that.
Well, other than feeling sad today I did have a good one having gone for my first haircut in France. It was a huge challenge picking a "coiffure"..there must be 2 for every person! Oh I exaggerate but you get the idea that there are lots out there..and what wonderful factors determined which salon got to cut my white locks??? nothing more than stumbling upon a place I had not noticed before and saying this must be a sign...the gods of beautiful haircuts sent me up this alley so it must be the place for me.. So the first mistake was that I should have studied the French words associated with haircuts a little more diligently before I started out on this adventure as no one in the shop spoke much more English than I did French. The forty year old chic lady who I had initially thought would cut my hair turned me over to the lovely Jennifer who was about 20. She gave me such a beautiful wash and head massage I thought well this must be her speciality and the other dame would eventually take her place at the cutting station. But, no, Jennifer was going to see me through this ordeal..and so began the hand signals etc as to how I wanted my hair cut and what products I would want on it! Well young Jennifer could use those sissors..and away went my hair. I had always thought the French preferred razor cuts. Anyway, we understood soft on the side and back, and just a "leetle" off all round...with a medium puffiness when she blowed it dry. I have never been asked how much "puffiness" I wanted and medium sounded safe. Well I want you to know that I have the best...no the BEST haircut Ihave ever had and I should be going to Napoleon's Ball tonight. They all watched me as I left the salon...three (3) coiffurees but I was Jennifers product...actually I think it was the white hair..they were all staring in disbelief that I had not asked for the Cleopatra red dye job!!!Anyway, I have been strutting my stuff all day inspite of a few tears of lonliness here and there. In fact I went shopping afterwards and bought one of these very chic French suits that everyone is wearing...capri pants with matching jacket...this is so chic Iam not sure where I will wear it in Union Square but I love it.Mybe that little Italian restaurant just over the bridge. giggle giggle
Now shopping in French clothing stores is a very pleasurable thing...once you get over the fact that us North Americans are just much bigger than the French women and who cares...that was my attitude today anyway. French sales people do not like you to handle the clothing...they like to show it to you...they will abide just so much of you pawing through their merchandise...and will definately not let you attempt to try on anything they think will not fit you! They must size you up as soon as you walk into the store...no no no she shakes her head and shows me how if you measure across my back this definately will NOT fit. So she gives me sizes that will and since I am the only one in the store for a good hour I have a ball! And I will wear this outfit on my 60th birthday when I will know for sure that I can do ANYTHING because I will be home from this trip... Anyway I had put dinner in the oven before I started this blog and so will take it out and enjoy! I am having"roti poulet" what else, with a very nice Louis Latour Pouilly-Fuisse 2005...not that expensive here even though for some Louis latour conjures up gobs of money. I am getting in as many whites as I can before the testosterone-laden Wildsmith's arrive..the ones who drink only red/rouge!..Bisous and more bisous
Well, other than feeling sad today I did have a good one having gone for my first haircut in France. It was a huge challenge picking a "coiffure"..there must be 2 for every person! Oh I exaggerate but you get the idea that there are lots out there..and what wonderful factors determined which salon got to cut my white locks??? nothing more than stumbling upon a place I had not noticed before and saying this must be a sign...the gods of beautiful haircuts sent me up this alley so it must be the place for me.. So the first mistake was that I should have studied the French words associated with haircuts a little more diligently before I started out on this adventure as no one in the shop spoke much more English than I did French. The forty year old chic lady who I had initially thought would cut my hair turned me over to the lovely Jennifer who was about 20. She gave me such a beautiful wash and head massage I thought well this must be her speciality and the other dame would eventually take her place at the cutting station. But, no, Jennifer was going to see me through this ordeal..and so began the hand signals etc as to how I wanted my hair cut and what products I would want on it! Well young Jennifer could use those sissors..and away went my hair. I had always thought the French preferred razor cuts. Anyway, we understood soft on the side and back, and just a "leetle" off all round...with a medium puffiness when she blowed it dry. I have never been asked how much "puffiness" I wanted and medium sounded safe. Well I want you to know that I have the best...no the BEST haircut Ihave ever had and I should be going to Napoleon's Ball tonight. They all watched me as I left the salon...three (3) coiffurees but I was Jennifers product...actually I think it was the white hair..they were all staring in disbelief that I had not asked for the Cleopatra red dye job!!!Anyway, I have been strutting my stuff all day inspite of a few tears of lonliness here and there. In fact I went shopping afterwards and bought one of these very chic French suits that everyone is wearing...capri pants with matching jacket...this is so chic Iam not sure where I will wear it in Union Square but I love it.Mybe that little Italian restaurant just over the bridge. giggle giggle
Now shopping in French clothing stores is a very pleasurable thing...once you get over the fact that us North Americans are just much bigger than the French women and who cares...that was my attitude today anyway. French sales people do not like you to handle the clothing...they like to show it to you...they will abide just so much of you pawing through their merchandise...and will definately not let you attempt to try on anything they think will not fit you! They must size you up as soon as you walk into the store...no no no she shakes her head and shows me how if you measure across my back this definately will NOT fit. So she gives me sizes that will and since I am the only one in the store for a good hour I have a ball! And I will wear this outfit on my 60th birthday when I will know for sure that I can do ANYTHING because I will be home from this trip... Anyway I had put dinner in the oven before I started this blog and so will take it out and enjoy! I am having"roti poulet" what else, with a very nice Louis Latour Pouilly-Fuisse 2005...not that expensive here even though for some Louis latour conjures up gobs of money. I am getting in as many whites as I can before the testosterone-laden Wildsmith's arrive..the ones who drink only red/rouge!..Bisous and more bisous
Monday, May 7, 2007
Viva La Difference !
I have received a number of e-mails wondering what I am up to..am I all right as the blog has been silent for a week. I am alright but I guess I overdosed last weekend with the wine report and then the blog on being "alone" that I took a break. I have been doing my usual walk to Pommard...this time for lunch and a visit to some wineries to try their fare. I have found a Library with nothing but books and materials on wines and have spent already a few hours there reading and trying to determine who is saying what about Burgundy wines. Then on Saturday I attended a class at the L'Ecole des Vins de Bourgogne...where I learned the classifications of wines in Burgundy and the importance of the terroir as well as how to taste wine...we then tasted 6 different wines from various appelations in Burgundy all of which were very representative of their terroir.Now alot of this I had learned in my Sommelier course last fall but I decided to do a beginner course as it was totally in French and the important part to me was to taste the wines they were providing for us and hear what the professor had to say about each od these wines which were so indicative of Burgundy.Listening to the spoken French was difficult however he had lots of overheads and handouts and that was much better. It is always amazing to me how much of our own language incorpoates French vocabulary and how much we as Canadians can read French...so that was not too bad. At the luncheon a young woman who had done her MBA at the University of Colorado sat across from me and helped me out a bit with the conversations going on around me.
And then there is just the everyday walks around the town and housekeeping etc..and where does the time go? The idea for me was not to pack this trip with loads of activity but to "live " here...going to the market, the post office, and sitting in the Place de Carnot..reading my book. The Post Office by the way always has a line-up and they seem to do all kinds of banking there...in fact there is a sign over a door announcing financial matters.. like folks go there for loans etc...and people always seem to be paying bills or sending money...mailing letters is not the #1 priority.
I feel like I have become the "voyeur de Beaune"...watching the families,watching and listening to couples as they have lunches or coffee,gazing at rooftops and yards, fashion and flowers and just everything that is going on around me...also trying out different foods...I have to watch out how much of that I indulge in.
So this morning when I emerged from the apartment I could see that France had not fallen apart after the election..the postman was right outside my door parking his bicycle...they deliver mail on bicycles...yellow ones...and trucks were delivering products and people were on their way to work just like on other days. I had rushed home Sunday evening to watch the results of the election on TV...not too hard as it got very quiet early in the Place so everyone was home and watching. But here was a difference...they just came on at 8 PM and said who had won...there was none of the reporting of polls like we would have ..polls from across the Country so you could see who was voting how in what parts of the country. I missed that suspense that comes with how we do our elections. But once again I did drop into a polling station yesterday just to see how busy it was...and it was very busy..and it looked to me like they run them very similarly to how we run ours...and they still use paper ballods.And some people were frustrated that they could not vote because they did not have the proper identification.
And then there is the toilets...straight down they go...it seems to me to be superior to our loops and turns of the pipe which probably leads to more cloggings...how come we adopted such a different model? And even today in the restaurant the toilette was both male and female and we all washed our hands together..no urinals. And also the electrical outlets...here they are round prongs with always a grounding third prong...whereas ours in North America are flat pongs and not always a grounding prong. But again why the difference?
Here is something I find interesting...I have been in this apartment now more than three weeks and although there are 7 apartments I have seen no one for all this time... is that not amazing? I am in and out frequently but have met no one in the halls...other than on the first day I arrived. Now I can hear some people...voices and footsteps in the hall..but I do not know what anyone looks like. I feel like there is a reserved nature to the French....totally my opinion.... I have been noticing how people live behind walls or high brick fences...they have courtyards behind the fences...small gardens ..gravel drives ...very little grass...at least here in Beaune.The most grass I have seen is at the Place and even there it is a pretty small patch. But anyway grass is not the issue it is the fact that the houses are organized so differently from what they are at home....they come right out to the street...so that you open the door right onto the street...and step inside to a hidden world..another world..a private world. And then there are the windows with the shutters which are open in the day but at night are shut..well some folks do leave them shut in the day to keep the heat out and cool in...but you don't get to see the lights inside...the shutters are wood and impermeable to light...so one of my favorite things to do is impossible ...that is walk around and see that people are home at night and moving around their homes.Lots of people even drive their cars right into the courtyards and shut the big arched doors to the world. Even today when I was walking in what could be described as suburbs ..the houses are surrounded by walls with gates...you can look in a little easier as I did but the message to me is still ... this is a private area...
Anyway time for a little supper...I will write some more tomorrow...maybe I haven't really felt like writing...By the way Bruce will be here in a few days...
And then there is just the everyday walks around the town and housekeeping etc..and where does the time go? The idea for me was not to pack this trip with loads of activity but to "live " here...going to the market, the post office, and sitting in the Place de Carnot..reading my book. The Post Office by the way always has a line-up and they seem to do all kinds of banking there...in fact there is a sign over a door announcing financial matters.. like folks go there for loans etc...and people always seem to be paying bills or sending money...mailing letters is not the #1 priority.
I feel like I have become the "voyeur de Beaune"...watching the families,watching and listening to couples as they have lunches or coffee,gazing at rooftops and yards, fashion and flowers and just everything that is going on around me...also trying out different foods...I have to watch out how much of that I indulge in.
So this morning when I emerged from the apartment I could see that France had not fallen apart after the election..the postman was right outside my door parking his bicycle...they deliver mail on bicycles...yellow ones...and trucks were delivering products and people were on their way to work just like on other days. I had rushed home Sunday evening to watch the results of the election on TV...not too hard as it got very quiet early in the Place so everyone was home and watching. But here was a difference...they just came on at 8 PM and said who had won...there was none of the reporting of polls like we would have ..polls from across the Country so you could see who was voting how in what parts of the country. I missed that suspense that comes with how we do our elections. But once again I did drop into a polling station yesterday just to see how busy it was...and it was very busy..and it looked to me like they run them very similarly to how we run ours...and they still use paper ballods.And some people were frustrated that they could not vote because they did not have the proper identification.
And then there is the toilets...straight down they go...it seems to me to be superior to our loops and turns of the pipe which probably leads to more cloggings...how come we adopted such a different model? And even today in the restaurant the toilette was both male and female and we all washed our hands together..no urinals. And also the electrical outlets...here they are round prongs with always a grounding third prong...whereas ours in North America are flat pongs and not always a grounding prong. But again why the difference?
Here is something I find interesting...I have been in this apartment now more than three weeks and although there are 7 apartments I have seen no one for all this time... is that not amazing? I am in and out frequently but have met no one in the halls...other than on the first day I arrived. Now I can hear some people...voices and footsteps in the hall..but I do not know what anyone looks like. I feel like there is a reserved nature to the French....totally my opinion.... I have been noticing how people live behind walls or high brick fences...they have courtyards behind the fences...small gardens ..gravel drives ...very little grass...at least here in Beaune.The most grass I have seen is at the Place and even there it is a pretty small patch. But anyway grass is not the issue it is the fact that the houses are organized so differently from what they are at home....they come right out to the street...so that you open the door right onto the street...and step inside to a hidden world..another world..a private world. And then there are the windows with the shutters which are open in the day but at night are shut..well some folks do leave them shut in the day to keep the heat out and cool in...but you don't get to see the lights inside...the shutters are wood and impermeable to light...so one of my favorite things to do is impossible ...that is walk around and see that people are home at night and moving around their homes.Lots of people even drive their cars right into the courtyards and shut the big arched doors to the world. Even today when I was walking in what could be described as suburbs ..the houses are surrounded by walls with gates...you can look in a little easier as I did but the message to me is still ... this is a private area...
Anyway time for a little supper...I will write some more tomorrow...maybe I haven't really felt like writing...By the way Bruce will be here in a few days...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)