The Clock at Musee D’Orsay

 

Normandy - a Journey Not to Forget on the Anniversary of D-Day

Travel connects one to historic experience in ways that reading or hearing about it never can.  I will never forget certain moments in certain places where for an instance I have felt the link across time and space in a way I never could before.   Visiting Normandy, being at the place where American soldiers waded through those rough waters, climbed those steep hills only to be met by gunfire and for many death.  The field of white crosses extending to the end of the plateau that meets the drop onto the beach below is so stirring I cannot find the words that don't sound trite in describing it.  Only the pictures tell story well.  And in humble tribute to those soldiers that died 68 years ago, the American Cemetery at Normandy remains.

The People of France -- Who Ever Said the French Were Unfriendly?

A Charming Small Park in Paris 

When discussing  our recent stay in France, people have too often said to me "but the French are so rude, unfriendly."  This is an unfortunate perception that has clung to the French for many Americans like those horrible adhesive labels you can't  remove from a recent purchase.  Too frequently those who have held this opinion in their minds and hearts have never been to France or visited only briefly on one of those tourists' jolts through Europe.

French Lady feeds birds near Notre Dame

As an example of their "rudeness" one fellow American related a story of how he was looking for the Opera in Paris, and asked someone on the street how to find it and he refused to answer.  I wondered. First, I noted how this fellow pronounced it "OP ER AH" with a strong midwestern accent.  Also, did he as many Americans tend to do, stand too close without any introduction in some basic "travel" French, and shout out his question.  Did it occur that the French person might have been frightened or rightfully perturbed by this approach? Wouldn't the same American  be equally taken back  if someone approached him on the street in the U.S. in an equally baffling way shouting in a foreign language?

I know it happened to me --  in France.  A large American woman not knowing who I was, or what language I spoke -- I don't tend to carry any clues with me and dress very inconspicuously -- came up to me, tapped me roughly on the shoulder, and  shouted a question at me in poor French.  I was so shaken by her approach that  by the time I composed myself she had walked away to trouble someone else.  Undoubtedly, I became part of the "rude" French.

Rene  Hotel Sainte-Pierre Saumur, France

Contrary to this, what we found, more so than ever on this trip, was that the French people are incredibly friendly and gracious.  I think there are a couple reasons for our experience.  One, we did take the time to think about our approach first in French..."bonjour, parlez-vous anglais" and no touching.... and softer voice.  The other has to do with a real  change we have noticed from years ago.... more French people especially in Paris speak at least some English and many younger French speak it very well.  This has gone along way to help improve communications and dissolve misunderstanding.

Kind Shopkeeper in Boulangerie in Paris

Bottom line, I can relate that we were greeted enthusiastically and treated very courteously by hoteliers like Rene above and the lovely young woman, Veronique below.   Rene, who I had exchanged emails with, exuberantly welcomed us outside the hotel and carried all our luggage personally into the hotel.  Several  French women took time to carefully redirect us when we were lost in one area of Paris or another.   Shopkeepers went out of their way to attempt conversations with me in my very awkward French.  Taxi drivers were polite and went over-the-top to point out attractions.   While there was the occasional gruffness or misunderstanding, where anywhere in the US doesn't that happen.  Overall, we felt welcomed and  longed to linger and certainly return again and hopefully again.

Veronique Hotel L'Addresse Paris

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Savoring the Beaune Market -- A Gastronomic Paradise

There is no doubt when I breeze through the many photos that I took while in France recently that "food" was definitely one of the major themes of my trip. And no wonder. Not only does the food in France taste better than in the U.S., and I truly believe it does, it looks so alluring. Whether it's the richness of colors and texture, the presentation or arrangement in a food stand or on a plate or just the food itself, the food in France is as dazzling to the eyes as it is to the tastebuds.

Perhaps this is why the French Market is such a attraction for tourists, even if timing doesn't permit a single purchase. While in recent years local markets are becoming more omnipresent in the US, the French market is still unique.  Americans see shopping at a local market as more of a novelty, the French (at least in the smaller towns) rely more on the markets for the weekly produce despite the growing presence of the supermarche. And the Beaune  market is a gem... with stand after stand of cheeses, sausages, fruits, vegetables, crafts, clothes and more.

We went in the rain.. a pleasant soft rain which helped carry the wonderful smells of roasting chicken, cheeses, and flowers. The stalls melded together through the shower in an impressionistic blur of color.

It was Saturday, Beaune's main market day. Visitors come from all around to taste and see the harvests of local farms, local aromatic Burgundian cheeses, tantalizing dried sausage, sweet freshly-picked lopes, and, of course, breads, wonderful, wonderful breads. The market on this rainy day bounced with umbrellas. And I suspect it was less congested than on a sunnier morning. However, we started our venture through the long winding cavalcade of delights under cover in the indoor part of the market -- the Halles.

Most French towns and large villages have a stationary covered market (marche couvert) frequently called "les Halles." The Halles in Beaune houses mostly the fresh meat, cheese, eggs..but some candies and fruits as well.

From here, you wander down a main artery of Beaune toward's the town's primary tourist attraction, the Hospices de Beaune, the medieval building which housed a hospital for the poor. (Definitely worth a visit while in Beaune.) Vendors anxious for you to notice and perhaps buy their wares offer tastes of incredible cheeses, fruits and other savories as you meander past their stalls.

It only takes a few visits to these traditional local markets with their abundance of fresh, local meats and produce to appreciate the heritage of this slower way of life. It also explains in many ways why food is France is so darn good.

Wanderings in France ...in one word delicious "diversity"

Just a brief post on coming home again after a month of travel... I've been remiss in not posting during my trip, but in trying to pack in as much as possible during the day, I found it difficult to miss a moment of wandering to sit and write..

France is a feast for the senses.... the sights, the smells, the tastes, the sounds....  For weeks we wandered -- walking, climbing, walking, climbing absorbing these sensations. We..

Ascended the steps in Montmartre to Sacre Coeur...

Waited in line at Berthillon for ice cream on Ile St. Louis....

Watched tourists taking photos of giant bubbles near the Beaubourg...

Watched tourists taking photos everywhere..

Peered through the golden gate at Versailles ...

Marveled at a medieval buildings.... (this one Medieval Hospital in Beaune):

Roamed through miles of underground wine caves:

Rambled aimlessly through the rooms of many, many chateaux...

Visited a piece of America on French soil...

My lasting impression from a month in France is  in one word...diversity.  On any given evening we  would be mingled in a Paris cafe with Ghanians, Italians, New Yorkers, Chinese, Germans, Algerians and, of course, some Parisians.   On the block where we stayed in Paris, there were Indian, Chinese, Italian, Moroccan, Japanese, and two French restaurants, for one of which, a steak and frites joint,  people queued every night down the street to get a table.

And on just about every block in Paris and in the small French towns we visited,  patisserie windows bedazzled with tormentingly diverse selections of delicacies luring you like the Sirens did another traveler.

We roamed the neighborhoods of Paris through centuries of architecture, art, music and culture -- from the ancient alleys of the left bank and isles in the Seine to the ultra-modern towers of La Defense, from the small wine towns of Burgundy through the Loire Valley to Normandy.  Every day we tried to see and taste and hear all we could.   And along the way the genuine joy of living cascaded over us like an immense waterfall.   

19th Century Travel Book with Charming Notes on Visiting the 5 famous Chateaux in the Loire Valley of France

While researching an upcoming trip to France I came upon pages from a compilation of old travel narratives done for the Nation Magazine in the 19th century. In there was a charming piece though full of misspellings on visiting the five major chateaux of the Touraine (the former province of France in the Loire Valley) where the Kings of France built castles in the middle ages that were later converted or rebuilt into Renaissance chateaux. The five chateaux discussed are among the ones most visited and mentioned in today's travel guides: Chenonceaux, Amboise, Chaumont, Blois and Chambord.

Here are the first few pages of the article...






And for the entire book: