Month: April 2018

Bonjour! You know you are ‘getting there’ when the guy risking his life on your roof actually jokes a little with you, in French, and you understand what he’s saying!

Sooooooo…the IWC (International Women’s Club of Auvergne) voted on me last night.  “Off with her head!” (Sorry – a little dark French revolution humor there.)

First voted to the COMMITTEE, then as the new “Madame Prez.”

No, I’m not Queen for a Day.

You KNOW what I am!

P.T. Barnum wasn’t the one who actually said it, but it’s true –

There’s one born every minute!   🙂

Actually, being the ringmaster for this [circus? group? cabal? league?] of international women will be fascinating – Russians, Irish, Scotch, Canadians, French, English,  Vietnamese, Indians, Americans, Belgians, Germans, Columbians…who gets to do this?

Last night was Spanish Night and the Spanish ladies did an outstanding job with homemade empanadas and tortilla souffles, as well as a lesson or two in the art of the Flamenco.  🙂

OK, now here’s a tidbit for you…May 8 is a national French holiday, Victory in Europe Day.  As suspected, there is no corresponding national holiday in Germany…

France has additional national holidays in May, as well as VE Day.  We are setting off Saturday for the Loire Valley in the southwest part of France to see the storybook châteaux.  

This area was fought over by Gauls, Romans, Visigoths and even Attila the Hun. We plan to stay in Tours and see five of the most popular châteaux of the Loire, to see how the other half lived, and hope that the weather cooperates!  Chambord, Chenanceau, Amboise, d’Azay-Le-Rideau, Blois, Cheverny, Villandry.…uh oh….that’s seven…don’t tell Tanner.  🙂

WE>MISS>YOU ~ family, friends, colleagues, neighbors.  Actively miss you!  It’s still a little surreal, even now. Making plans now and hope to see you ALL this summer!

Les & Soraya ~ go kill your finals!  You GOT this, ladies…stomp them out, let them know you were THERE!  We’re pulling for you!

A bon weekend to you ~ tomorrow is a “Le Lion” wine Friday…and I’ll be meeting up with les femmes at the local Café (which is aptly named Le Lion).

BIG BISOUS! (kiss kiss kiss…well, actually, just two kisses in this region of France.  Some regions do three at a time — or four…)

Mindy

FRENCH TYPING =  Nightmare.

What’s wrong with this picture?

The French AZERTY keyboard. 

OK.  Look harder.

The QWERTY keyboard. 

We Anglo-Saxons all just type away automatically on a QWERTY keyboard without even THINKING about the keys, unless you’re a “hunt and peck”-type.  I mean, who has even looked at the keyboard since 9th grade typing class? (I know, it’s not called that anymore. I’m old.) 

And from the travel journal –

So definitely put Charroux en Bourbonnais on your travel plan. Only 50 minutes away from Clermont Ferrand, it’s a tiny medieval village of 350 permanent residents, except in the summer when many artisans call it home.  

Charroux is known among gastrophiles for their special and VERY POTENT mustard. This cobblestoned village should definitely be on your list of stops to make, but only with your most sturdy shoes!

Issoire, France – worth a visit to see one of the most remarkable Romanesque abbeys in France, built during the 12th century.  St. Austremoine d’Auvergne is a beautiful abbey (both a monastery and a church).  It has unusual astronomy carvings of the zodiac around the outside, as well as highly decorative columns and arches.  A nice small town.  With cheerleaders.    WAIT.    WHAT?

Yes, cheerleaders!  France doesn’t have sports in the public schools at all – students are usually off on Wednesdays, which is the day for club sports, or music lessons, or dance activities, etc.  But on that Saturday afternoon in Issoire, there was clearly a gaggle of mini-cheerleaders, pom poms and all, going down the street!

And although the Chateau de Val in Labobre isn’t on the list of Les Plus Villages, it did make a nice mid-week day trip!  You may have already seen some of these, but worth repeating.

It really HAS been great to dust off my camera…I’m so truly grateful for this luxury of TIME.  AND a QWERTY keyboard to blog with!

Bisous,

Mindy

PS – I know many of you are having struggles right now – you are in my prayers.

NO!  You may not!!!  No such thing, kiddo.  Get over it.

Sometime we tend to expect that being in a foreign country is just like being at home – only different.  It’s not! We’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto! 

The French people have been VERY nice, with the exception of that ONE WAITER who wanted to throw the visitor I was escorting out the window (over table preference). He was so angry that he practically slung the food at us.  I felt like I was in a cartoon!

Now then, WHEN (not if) you come to stay with us here, I have some simple advice about ordering from the menu when eating out.

WHEN IN DOUBT, DON’T.

A beautiful terrace bistro today overlooking a lovely valley below – and le menu du jour was mostly intestines, snails, and other delectable delicacies.  I had the burger.  If you aren’t sure what it is, don’t guess! And remember to say “bien cuit” (bee-en kwee) when you order the beef, or else the cow will still be mooing on your plate.  I hear it’s an acquired taste!

On the flip side – it’s SO BEAUTIFUL HERE.  Now that Spring has arrived, I feel like I’m seeing CF for the first time, without the gray filter of winter.  Green grass!  Mountains!  Flowers!  Julie Andrews bursting into song!

Quick day trip today to Chateau de Val, about 1h20m away.  Gorgeous drive with farm lands, mountains, cows, and snow off in the distance.

And it warmed right up today — 77 degrees.  I opened up the windows in the apartment, really for the first time, and found out that flying bugs can get as high up as the fifth floor – with us.  Who knew?  I think we are going to be SOOOOOOO happy soon that we actually have A/C – and may become the most popular kids on the block!  (Let’s go play at MINDY’S house!)

Working on the French drivers’ license paperwork (although I don’t know WHY, since I haven’t driven ONCE here in France.  Yet).  We each need FIVE identical photos, driving records from the South Carolina DMV, lots of French forms, and all of it has to be “officially” translated into French by a certified translator.  Oh, and pay $$$, too – all within ONE YEAR of your arrival in France.

However, I’m not complaining.  FRENCH citizens must take a private driving course, which BEGINS around $1,000, and pass the written and practical test. So there aren’t a lot of kids driving! The US has a reciprocal agreement with France, so you can surrender your state license for a French license without having to take the written or driving exam (or pay for the driving school).  THANK GOODNESS!  Canada, however, has no such agreement with France…and our English-speaking Canadian expat friends are either struggling with the very difficult French written test or just not driving at all!

I MUST start practicing on the manual transmission.  I’m gonna be SHAMED as that mooch that always needs a ride! Besides, I’m a better driver than they are, anyway.  🙂

This whole experience would be ideal if you didn’t have to speak French!  hahahahahahaha  It’s actually coming along, albeit slowly, and I like my instructor.  She’s pretty hard core, and that suits me just fine!  [Thank you, Madame Page, for all those years of French at Edison!  I’m dredging it up from wayyyyy back in those brain cells!  Je souhaite maintenant que j’avais travaillé plus fort à l’époque!]  I’ll be back at the Université in September, but working with a tutor right now.

We’re 1/6th of the way through this adventure…hopefully life will have some rhythm before long and we can enjoy the merry-go-round!   WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?  GET THAT PASSPORT RENEWED!

Bisous,

Mindy

Smile for the day –  French law says a woman needs permission from the police to dress like a man.  French law also allows you to be divorced if you smoke too much or are too interested in football.  And you can write a cheque on toilet paper.  

You hate me now if you played the song above – you’ll be humming it the whole #%&@ day!  Heeheehee. That’s SO MEAN.  I know.  Couldn’t help myself.  🙂

Found another specialty grocery store, like Fresh Market or Petty’s, and was struck by both the vastness ~ and smallness ~ of the world. The gorgeous tomatoes, apples, papayas, and beans were from Ecuador, South Africa, Brazil, Spain ~ traversing continents and oceans to end up in a small little store in the middle of France.

  A guy did fuss at me for taking pictures of his produce. TDB, IMO.  (If you don’t know, don’t ask. LOL.)

I did have my first serious pangs for some REAL American food…sweet pickles, Chicken of the Sea tuna, turkey for sandwiches, Rotel dip…STEAK! REAL steak.  Not fake steak. You may see packges labeled “American” but seriously…a frozen pizza with PICKLES?  Mississippi Ketchup?

The bad news – I took quite a spill on the rainy street last Wednesday and seriously banged up my elbow and knee.  (Coach Espey said I should know to always ‘tuck and roll!’)

  Volcanic lava rock streets are completely unforgiving.  A women even got out of her car to make sure I was okay, which was really nice.  Although whining a good bit about it for several days, at least I didn’t break it – a friend from Greenville did the same thing this week and snapped her bone just below the arm socket!  #Strawberriesaren’tfun

News of the day – yours truly just couldn’t say no.  Wasn’t that the slogan several administrations ago?  JUST.SAY.NO.  If you don’t say NO, OUT LOUD, it’s a de facto YES.  So…

     I’m now the ‘president-elect’ of the International Women’s Club of Auvergne. https://www.iwc-auvergne.com/

The WHAT?!?  The IWC is an outreach and social program designed to be a source of contact for English-speaking women in the region.  About 100 members from all over the world, who leave in our region – some expats, mostly permanents, British, French, Canadians, Belgians, Irish, Scotch, Africans…

How tough can it be???

All women = TROUBLE.  🙂  Consider it fodder – er, ‘material’ – for ToFranceandBack.com.  hahahahahaha.  If you have some good TEAM BUILDING exercises and ice-breakers, let me know!  

Finally put gas in the car since December, at $6.53/gallon. You read that right. $6.53.PER.GALLON, at current conversion rates, which are killing us anyway. Have some GREAT pictures to show you of a few day trips – Charroux, Issoire, and Le-Puy-en-Velay – working on them right now!  They are three of the many official “Les Plus Beaux Villages de France.”  Here are teasers for the next blog…

In the meantime, lessons with a serious French professional tutor, planning our journeys, getting the rooftop terrace set up with some flowers and seating, slogging through FRENCH taxes/FRENCH insurance/FRENCH driver license protocols and issues, hosting some Greenville work folks coming this week (read: dinner at our home)…and even with all this circus – and beauty – around ~ we miss you all!  Almost six months….crazy, eh?

Love,

Mindy

Proverbs 18:24  One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

PS ~ extremely missing my chilluns!  They are busy with their lives (good) and hard to find with the time difference (bad). 

You really should play this lighthearted, happy version, even if it’s snowy and cold where you are!

WHOA! The sun came out today!  It’s amazing what sunshine does for your attitude, your outlook, your well-being!  I’m not gloating.  It’s going to rain, OF COURSE, for the next 10 days…again…but TODAY, ah, TODAY, there is SUN!

After some recent mixed feelings about the whole experience of la vie en France (to be expected), I had a lovely French  moment this morning.  I had my hair trimmed (by a beautiful young Filipino woman named Alex), my new white sneakers on (very chic en France), and a coffee outside in the SUN (coffee = expresso in France).  One of those moments that warms you up inside.

We were amazed by all the blondes in Amsterdam.  Darker skinned people and brunettes, to be sure, but the contrast was distinctive…

And speaking of multi-culturality (is that a word?), yesterday’s Café Day was interesting…from left to right, Texas, Sri Lanka, Greenville, India, England, France, Vietnam, Canada, Oklahoma, France, Ireland, and Virginia, and USA.  Some Michelin expats, some permanently assigned to France, some non-Michelin, some Clermont born-and-bred. Quite the blend.  Or jumble!

Two French people recognized me on the street by name yesterday…so I guess we really do live here now, huh?

  So…a quick jaunt tomorrow with mon mari to Charroux for the famous Mustard.  Brown spiced mustard, of course.  “French’s Yellow Mustard” is strictly American…only Grey Poupon here! By the way, Grey Poupon originated in Dijon, France.  I’m just full of fun little ‘tour-guide-y’ facts.  🙂  [For Lisa & Mike – do you know how fast that kelp grows?]

LOTS of activity coming in late April & May.  A day trip to Le Puy-en-Velay soon, then a longer weekend driving to châteaus in the the Loire Valley, Vienna & Austria week of May 5, and maybe meet Tanner in Budapest over a weekend.  Aye-yi-yi!  Also planning France trips with Larry, Myrna & Megan, and Susan and JD, AFTER we fly to the States in July/August to be with la famille, les amis et les enfants (Oklahoma, South Carolina, & Georgia – and Florida)!

Good news for Pulsar Man – his first post-op heart echocardiogram/evaluation yesterday showed much improvement, after his two surgeries and continued daily meds.  #GRATEFUL.  “Come back and see us in June.”

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A year ago, we had NO IDEA of what would happen in the next 12 months.  It’s somewhat overwhelming, actually! Really drives home the point that we are given THIS DAY, THIS DAY ONLY.  Treasure it, regardless of your circumstances!

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Okay, trolley in hand, off to lug groceries, run errands, and get my miles in today…wish I had started a Fitbit counter when we arrived last October!

BEEP BEEP!

Bisous,

Mindy

Psalm 118:24  THIS is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Happy EASTER!  He is risen, indeed!  Luke 24:34

A great four-day weekend traveling together, despite the late winter-early spring rainy, cold weather!

By very good fortune, we managed to fly regardless of the Air France strike that started Friday, March 30 – the day we left France for Amsterdam (of course!).  We took a walking tour of the city on Saturday morning and continued to walk the rest of the day, until we could walk no more!

It’s so crowded!  Amsterdam has a million people.  The sidewalks are crunched up with people everywhere, and avoiding the bicycles is like the 80’s video game Galaga, raining down near death!

AND Amsterdam has more bicycles than people. Hard to imagine if I didn’t see it with my own eyes.

The Dutch people are savvy business people who are all about the money.  If it sells, sell it.  They like order, process, taxes, and profit.  So, yes, prostitution – yes, cannabis – yes to just about anything, as long as it’s regulated, government-controlled, taxed, and not bothering someone else’s business.  Sounded a lot like the Mafia to me.  Regulate it, sell it, control it, profit from it.  (They do say NO to ‘hard drugs,’ though. Whoop-ee.)

Selling cannabis is actually against the law – BUT, if you are going to sell it, please register with the government so we know where you are selling it.  Really?!?  Coffee shops have licenses to sell pot (and DON’T SELL COFFEE), and everyone’s happy and making money, as long as you are discreet about it.  Not too discreet here

Owning a marijuana plant is illegal, but every family is allowed to have several.  If you have one child, you can have four plants.  Two children will get you six plants.  Please register your plants at City Hall.  Huh?????

If you really want COFFEE, don’t go to the Coffee Shop – look for a Café! And pancakes – they are famous for little pancakes with powdered sugar!

The country is the Netherlands, the city capital is Amsterdam, and the region is South Holland.  The people are “Netherlanders,” but also are okay with being called “Dutch,” a derivative of Deutsch (German).  They were ingenious about maritime shipping, making money, and reclaiming land from the sea.

The land is so flat, you could see the airport tower from 8 kilometers away.  Much of it is below sea level, which they control by canals and waterways and incredible pumping stations.  No wonder it’s bicycle heaven!

Rembrandt spent many years in Amsterdam and painted the majority of his work from this house, in the old Jewish quarter.

And the Van Gogh Museum here has the most extensive collection of his work in the world.  We didn’t get in.  Note to self – buy tickets online months in advance next time!

And haute couture – some really bizarre designers live in Amsterdam!

The Easter Bunny visited the canal – he threw a chocolate egg up to us on the bridge.  I ducked, but Tanner caught it!

There were many reminders of WWII, as well.  The Anne Franke house, where she and her family hid in an attic until their discovery, is in Amsterdam.  There are bronzed tiles on the streets in front of houses where Jewish Nederlanders were forcibly taken and murdered, with their names and dates of birth and death, and location of concentration camp.   

In 1944-45, the people of Amsterdam were freezing and there was no food due to the occupation of Nazi Germany.  The people were literally starving to death and, for the first time, tulip bulbs were eaten.  The growers couldn’t export them, so they sold them as food because of the high starch content.

Keukenhof on Easter Sunday

And the TULIPS! Tulips actually came from Turkey / China, but the Dutch seem to have the Midas touch with commerce.  Over 2 BILLION tulips are exported every year, and more than 1 billion lilies.  Pretty impressive!

It was too early for the full bloom outside, but the inside gardens were breathtakingly beautiful.

If you want to see more pictures, click on this link to the short gallery.  Click here.

We had a great time…now back to France where we can understand what people are saying!  😊

Bisous,

Mindy

PS – The airport security at Schiphol was intense.  They even opened our umbrellas, scoured through every nook and cranny, even took Tanner’s toothpaste away.  (DARN THEM! I went to great lengths to get that toothpaste here from the US!) Maybe threat levels were red, or it was high traffic weekend, but it took over an hour just to get through security.