Tag: Life in France

Life in France

Elvis does wine tasting

Place Carnot on a rare empty day
Place Carnot on a rare empty day

One of the many things that we really like about Carcassonne is that there’s so much to do and that the city documents much of it on YouTube. The main square, called Place Carnot, has the fresh fruits and vegetables market three days a week and then at least two nights each week (and up to 7 nights a week in the summer) there is some kind of live entertainment there. Before we found our place to rent, we looked at several attractive apartment listings that open right onto the square. While quite convenient to everything in town, we might not have enjoyed all of the sounds coming up from there on so many nights of the week. It’s really nice to walk there, participate in the events, and then walk home to our quiet neighborhood. Continue reading “Elvis does wine tasting”

Unknown's avatarBob
Life in France

Flirting with the waiter

 

Le Blé Noir
Pete, Bill, and Gaynor at Le Blé Noir restaurant, Carcassonne

Before we made our first trip to France a long time ago, we tried to read all that we could about how to make your visit especially enjoyable. One of the most curious tips was to flirt with your waiter. Although the article was written by a woman, she was careful to point out that flirting had nothing to do with the gender of the server but all about rapport and that it’s a two-way street. The last time we were in Paris we showed up at 7:00 PM without a reservation just as the restaurant was opening so naturally the place was empty. In my best French I explained that we had not booked in advance but could we please have a table. The gentleman who greeted us looked around, then back at us with a sad face, and then promptly placed us in the window seat facing the sidewalk. By 8:00 PM every seat was taken and we still remember the meal and the wonderful service. Continue reading “Flirting with the waiter”

Unknown's avatarBob
Life in France

Would you like a rose bush with that dog food?

Garden and pet food store
Garden and pet food store

Today we went to see what kind of dog food we might find for Heather…at the garden center. Yes, in France it’s really quite common to buy your favorite pet her/his food at the same place you would pick up potting soil or a hanging basket of begonias. At first I thought that was really bizarre but considering that there are at least two nationwide chains of stores that sell exactly those products together it made me wonder if we did anything similar in the US. Ever hear of Feed & Seed stores? Continue reading “Would you like a rose bush with that dog food?”

Unknown's avatarBob
Life in France

To or from?

Canal-du-Midi walking path
Canal-du-Midi walking path

This morning we were out walking Heather when we stopped to talk with our neighbor, another dog walker, at the top of the street. He said with a grin that he and his wife had already looked into the closest airport to Carcassonne (you know, the one right there at the edge of town that we could walk to, if necessary) and asked if we would be missing things here. My first reaction was to look askance at him as if to say “Are you kidding?” but immediately I realised our motive for moving has never been one of escape. Continue reading “To or from?”

Unknown's avatarBob
Life in France

Cake & Bake

Butter croissants
Butter croissants

If Bill and I were to open a boulangerie (bakery) I’d want to call it Cake & Bake. The French would understand the words and any Americans who grew up in the 1960s watching TV commercials for the meat coating called Shake & Bake® would get the added connection–“and I hepped”.  I’ve wanted to be a baker since childhood perhaps to be surrounded by all of that wonderful bread right out of the oven. There’s something almost magical about mixing some dry ingredients with a bit of water, popping it into the oven, and then coming back 30 minutes later to a delicious baguette. Continue reading “Cake & Bake”

Unknown's avatarBob
Life in France

He had what, where?

A colorful caleçon collection
A colorful caleçon collection

There are 3 regional newspapers that include Carcassonne in their coverage. This morning a headline that caught both of us by surprise included the line “du sh*t dans le caleçon” except the paper did not substitute an asterisk for the vowel. OK, then, what does that mean?

The story was about a driver who habitually ran through the toll gate on the highway leading into Spain without ever paying, 38 times alone in October. When the police arrested him he gave them four false names and was never able to provide a driver’s license so they added those charges to the primary one of avoiding the tolls. But what about that “stuff” in his underwear/pants (le caleçon)? Did they scare it out of him? Can you be arrested in France if they do?

Continue reading “He had what, where?”

Unknown's avatarBob