I can die now
Louhans, Bourgogne, France – I’m in heaven. I forgot how much I love being in France.
This morning I took a long walk, including a long uphill stretch along a highway (to keep in shape) and a pedestrian-only stretch across a river and through some woods (for pleasure). That worked up an appetite, so I had a wonderful lunch at my hotel, the Cheval Rouge.
First, the wine list – I ordered a half-bottle of a local pinot noir that was very nice. Next, the food -- a salad with delicate slices of smoked duck, and the regional chicken dish which comes with a cream sauce. I ordered dark meat. The chicken was small, but the meat tasted much better than the typical American chicken. It tasted like it had had a life. There was a side of four different vegetables chopped into tiny pieces and arranged in quarters on a little circular shell-like dish -- carrots, potatoes au gratin, mushrooms, and cabbage. Of course I had to have dessert. I wasn’t quite sure what I had ordered except that it was chocolate and required ten minutes to prepare. It turned out to be a hot chocolate muffin filled with chocolate sauce. Alongside it was a tiny ball of ice cream, like a sun whose rays were slivers of pear cooked in something wonderful. In a circle around the edge of the plate were tiny morsels of pomegranate.
After this, I went back to bed for two hours to digest. Whew! I think I’ll skip dinner and go to a French film tonight.
The first day in France was spent traveling and feeling very awkward, afraid to talk, settling for saying “Je ne comprends pas” whenever spoken to. I’m doing much better today. I think all those hours listening to Michel Thomas audio French lessons has helped a lot. I haven’t been here for a few years, and I seem to be speaking and understanding better than the last time I was in France. The hotel staff are very nice. It’s nice to not be in Paris where everyone switches to English the moment I say anything in French. Here, they work with me until we communicate in French. I bought toothpaste in a shop, where I learned to pronounce Sensodyne in French. First, though, I had to point to the toothbrushes and ask for the thing one puts on them, since I didn’t know the word for toothpaste (dentifrice).
I must try frog soon. It's one of the regional dishes, legs I presume.
This morning I took a long walk, including a long uphill stretch along a highway (to keep in shape) and a pedestrian-only stretch across a river and through some woods (for pleasure). That worked up an appetite, so I had a wonderful lunch at my hotel, the Cheval Rouge.
First, the wine list – I ordered a half-bottle of a local pinot noir that was very nice. Next, the food -- a salad with delicate slices of smoked duck, and the regional chicken dish which comes with a cream sauce. I ordered dark meat. The chicken was small, but the meat tasted much better than the typical American chicken. It tasted like it had had a life. There was a side of four different vegetables chopped into tiny pieces and arranged in quarters on a little circular shell-like dish -- carrots, potatoes au gratin, mushrooms, and cabbage. Of course I had to have dessert. I wasn’t quite sure what I had ordered except that it was chocolate and required ten minutes to prepare. It turned out to be a hot chocolate muffin filled with chocolate sauce. Alongside it was a tiny ball of ice cream, like a sun whose rays were slivers of pear cooked in something wonderful. In a circle around the edge of the plate were tiny morsels of pomegranate.
After this, I went back to bed for two hours to digest. Whew! I think I’ll skip dinner and go to a French film tonight.
The first day in France was spent traveling and feeling very awkward, afraid to talk, settling for saying “Je ne comprends pas” whenever spoken to. I’m doing much better today. I think all those hours listening to Michel Thomas audio French lessons has helped a lot. I haven’t been here for a few years, and I seem to be speaking and understanding better than the last time I was in France. The hotel staff are very nice. It’s nice to not be in Paris where everyone switches to English the moment I say anything in French. Here, they work with me until we communicate in French. I bought toothpaste in a shop, where I learned to pronounce Sensodyne in French. First, though, I had to point to the toothbrushes and ask for the thing one puts on them, since I didn’t know the word for toothpaste (dentifrice).
I must try frog soon. It's one of the regional dishes, legs I presume.
posted by Cranky Ol' Lady at 8:39 AM
2 Comments:
You make France sound heavenly. The only time I had frog legs was in 1966 at the Guthrie farm. My dad took me gigging at night and I gigged one bullfrog and Gene and my mom prepared it for me. Because I loved frogs and turtles and such I could never gig another one. I've never tried escargot, so please write a savory story about that.
hi,
it would be great for me if you could help me translate,"je sourirai avec toi...les mots ont laissé tacite...les héros ont le droit de saigner."
Help me, translate this into English.
cheers,
vive
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