A weekend spent in wine country, and I can honestly say that basically all I did was eat and drink. Julia Child definitely had it right - the French love their food and their drink. Namely, their cheese & wine.
Four days in a French-speaking home and my mind was on overdrive! When I got on the train, I thought I could do it, but when we got off the train, I had a minor freak-out. Who did I think I was, trying to speak French to this family? It defintely went better than I expected. However, I have never felt so incompetent at expressing my ideas. On the flip side, I've never improved my French-speaking skills so quickly. There's so much to learn. I think even if I spent another six months here, I wouldn't be fluent. I am lucky that everyone I talk to is patient with me!
I went to my first vineyard & winetasting - which was really fun. We saw a great private Picasso collection there, which was cool too! It made me feel very grown up, and very French! Other than that, we ate a lot, talked a lot, and did make a fast stop at the Musee des Beaux Arts in Dijon (not as good as Lyon, has a dark feel, not my favorite museum)
A word on eating in France - it's more about leisure than anything else. When I was in Beaune, we would sometimes sit at the table for several hours just casually eating lunch. It's so different from the US "grab and go" concept, but I like it. It gives you time to spend as a family, to catch up with each other. Not to mention, it was all delicious.
It was a fabulous & relaxing weekend, with great company! Oh France, you spoil me!
No comments:
Post a Comment