AND HERE WE GO AGAIN...FOOD & WINE - FRANCE

AND HERE WE GO AGAIN…FOOD & WINE - FRANCE
June 1, 2011


Final touches in Canmore? Stashing the car at friends, saying goodbye to our cat buddies…getting ready for warmer weather. We didn’t spend the winter here but the winter of April 2011 alone was enough for us! A few days before our flights we brought the three bike boxes, jammed with bikes and stuff and things, to Air Canada Cargo in Calgary for their shipment to Paris the day before us. Yes, Air Canada on the passenger side has a bad reputation but the folks at Cargo are incredibly friendly and helpful. Even put the bikes on priority with a 40% discount off the standard rate! Thought seriously of booking another box with Dawn in it.

Then it was our turn. Shuttle from Canmore to Calgary, overnight, a large glass of wine to prep us for the coming efforts of professional wine drinking in Europe. May 2 to 3, Calgary to Toronto, Toronto to Paris; 11 hours flying plus all the fun one would want at the airports, security, super expensive fast food, etc, etc, etc. Slept on the flights? Not a chance. Sat next to a young guy from Vancouver going to Europe for the first time. His plans for two months included all the major areas and cities on the entire continent! We suggested he come back again. The following morning, we were met by good friends (who had come to see us in Canmore in 2009) with a van and trailer for 4 large duffle bags and the 3 bike boxes which we had to get from Air Canada Cargo at a different location near (not really) the airport. Clearing customs was a snap and only a small fee was due. We were so tired that once we went to bed later that day we didn’t rise till 1:30 pm the next day! We had just missed lunch and the accompanying wine. Not a good start!! Training had to continue!

For May till the end of July we’ll be in the same small apartment we were in for a year in 2005/2006. In the picture the main house is behind, the church you see (not part of the property) is XIth century, and the part we’re in is the upper floor of the building closest. It’s in Areines, near Vendome, some 200 km (120 miles) southwest of Paris. We know the owners well, it’s peaceful, and…more importantly…we have a place to stash our wine(s). And the place comes with the use of a car. The little pink sign in the left side of the back window reads “Baby On Board”. We’ve decided to hold off. The license plate ends with “EH” (pronounced like “may” without the “m”). If that ain’t a Canadian, EH! Plate, I don’t know what is! Mark…that one’s for you! Areines is also close to my uncle, aunts and friends in the area. Dawn says she feels “at home” again, not just in the apartment, but in France as a whole. May have a tough time getting her out this time. She insists again on going to the local farmers’ market every Friday where over the years we’ve come to know some of the merchants. Many know us as “The Canadians” and were shocked to find out that we were not British. Sorry.


We’re right back into the baguette, wine, cheese and salted butter. Wine during lunch? Of course! A drink, called an “aperitif” before dinner? Of course! Wine during dinner? Butt uv coarse! (By now things tend to get hazy.) To work it all off we’re cycling again whenever the weather is right which this spring has been most days. For those of you who have cycled through France, you know that the riding here is amazing with winding roads, flat or rolling terrain, and full-on climbs in the Pyrenees or Alps, wheat fields, vineyards. But…this spring has been the warmest since 1900 and the driest since 1950. The crops are in bad shape and some farmers are forced to sell some of their herd because they have nothing for them to eat. There’s an even bigger potential problem. France produces something like 90% of their power from nuclear plants which use lots of water for cooling the reactors. Many of these plants were built near rivers to provide this water but some of these rivers are drying out. In one case they may have to truck in additional water to prevent a meltdown. Not good.

However…and there’s always a “however”…we are in the throes of French bureaucracy. We’ve managed to quickly get into the French medical system…a big plus. Understanding how vehicle insurance works? Not so simple. And exchanging a driver’s licence so that we can drive here longer than one year? Pure Hell! It was much simpler when we lived in Indonesia. Need something done? Fill an envelope with small bills…hand to person in charge…receive services required. Done! In France a classic example of doing things by the rules, which seem to change daily, was when we went to the medical insurance office to be signed into the system. We were the only ones there. We sat to wait. The clerk called us up to her desk. We were asked to sit in other chairs across the room. We were given our number. It was 001. We waited. At the appropriate time, our number was called. “NUMERO 001 !!” Looking around at the totally empty waiting area, we said, “Guess it’s our turn.”.

Some of you may recall from our blog on our 2005/2006 stay in France that we made friends with donkeys just down the road. Yes…real, live, donkeys. This time there are three adults and two babies. Once in a while we leave a bag of carrots by the gate for the owner to give to them. We met the owner the other day and he said…“Oh, so you’re the carrot people. You can come see them anytime.” We will.

Went to a live theater show in Vendome with friends and acquaintances the other night. The artists played many instruments interspersed with funny dialogue and props. It was a gas. It was called “Out of This Earth Fantasy”…kinda like our life has been. A few days later we went with friends who were taking a funky “heelo” ride. We took pictures.

So now we’re in the process of looking for a van we can set up inside with a bed, fridge, stove, etc…(did we mention the wine rack?). We may have something by next week at which point the work inside can start. We’ve looked locally and in other parts of France so we’re looking forward to this next stage. As part of it all, we’re looking for things we’ll need…cooking stuff, linens, and the like. During the hunt we found something called a “Croch Phone”. Not certain it’s something we actually need but the ringer alone could prove enjoyable.

And as always, we started buying our wines in the grocery stores. Then we quickly progressed (not sure that’s the right word) to buying from a vintner in volume, this time in 10 liter “chateau cardboard”. Same people we bought from when we were here previously.

But the French story of the day is about the radars throughout the country. (Jean…what do you think of this one?) Fixed radars were set up just a few years ago. They originally took a photo of the front license plate. The pic and the fine were then sent to your home. When a few politicians received a fine with a photo of them and their mistress in the car, this envelope being opened by the wife, the radar cameras were quickly changed to take a photo of the rear license plate. The radars also had a warning panel, some one to two kilometers before, to indicate a radar was coming up. “Why?” you may ask. Cause this is France. The government finally figured out that wasn’t smart so they recently announced the removal of the warning panels. “NO FRIGGING WAY!!!” was the immediate response by the opposition and the populace. “IT’S NOT FAIR TO HAVE RADARS WITHOUT BEING WARNED AHEAD THAT A RADAR IS AHEAD!!” Anyone receiving this blog wanting to comment please sent a note to www.go_figure.com. Welcome to France.