Boire et Manger en France

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I've loved the last 2 weeks in France. The wonders of unpacking, sleeping in the same bed for 13 days and being with my best friends will never cease. The house in Belv\232s (150 miles east of Bordeaux and north of Toulouse)is pretty with a small infinity swimming pool.

I've seen more exotic dishes (duck confit, fois gras, anchovies, tureens of ?, etc.) than I thought possible, a situation caused by the adventurous tastes of Hal, Jenn and Callan and also my continued ignorance of terms on the menus. We've eaten and drunken our way through the Dordogne region and been from Bergerac to Albi to Cahors and back again. Luckily, there have been a few athletic pursuits as well as Callan found some beautiful hikes through the countryside and Jenn and I took a canoe trip on the Dordogne River and passed by chateaus perched on the rocks above us. The trip ends in Lyons where we again will go our separate ways on Saturday.

I'm most happy that my French continues to improve after a long absence. My grammar is horrible though. I revisited Provence before we drove over and went to the school in Aix where I studied abroad -- eek, 13 years ago! (Mom and Dad your money was well spent.)

Aix is still as beautiful as ever, although the Cours Mirabeau seems to be forever being renovated and in a state of disarray.

Some thoughts on Europe. I find that globalization has rapidly diminished our differences compared to when I traveled in Europe 13 years ago. The kids dress the same, the music is mostly similar, fashion is much more down-scale and sportive. Also, the amount of self service, fast-food is a little scary. Franglais and English usage everywhere is peaking as usual.

Well, Italy for a week just went by too fast, so instead of going on to Spain and Portugal as planned, I'm going to go back to Italy to soak it all in. I'll be in Siena for the next couple of weeks. What could be better than the Tuscan sun and Italian men? I thought I might also try to learn a little Italian too.

Ciao, Elizabeth