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I just recently came back from La France, the nation where my girlfriend was born and raised. It had been 2 years since we last visited but, with the upcoming move, we could only afford to visit for a week. We flew in to Paris overnight on Zoom Airlines; we’ve flown with them in the past and their prices are usually cheaper than the main carriers.
We arrived at Charles-de-Gaulle’s Terminal 3 and took a train into the city. As exhausted as we were, we wanted nothing more than to sit back, close our eyes and catch a snooze while the RER wound it’s way towards the Gare du Nord where we would jump onto a metro to her brother’s apartment.
Our brief rest was interrupted, however, by a duo whom I have dubbed “Gypsy Lady and Her Son, the Accordionist”. As far as gypsy-singers go, she seemed to have the technique mastered, and her son handled the squeeze-box like a pro. Unfortunately for them, we were not in a generous mood that fine spring morning. Sorry Gypsy Lady, maybe next time.
We met up with her brother and his wife in downtown Paris, and then hopped into the car for a 4 hour drive to the western coast, where the rest of her family lived. I had a few observations as we headed out of the city: To say that Paris is crowded is an understatement. The place is packed. Living space comes at a premium in Paris, with an apartment that would normally go for around 700$ in Montreal clocking in at a hefty 1000 euros in gai Paris. The city also seems to fear right-angled roads as much as the plague.
Parisian motorcyclists follow their own set of laws, which do not include barbaric restrictions such as “You may not drive between lanes when traffic gets heavy.”
One thing that stood out to me (for a bizarre reason I have yet to fathom) was that the trucks in France have their axles opposite to their North American counterparts. Take a look at your basic 18-wheeler. The cab has three axles; one forward, two aft and the trailer has 2 axles at the back. French cabs have 2 axles while the trailer has 3. I assure you it was a fascinating revelation at the time.
After 4 hours on the highway (the quality of which puts Québec roads to shame) we arrived in the beautiful Vendée region. It seems that square blocks is a North American phenomenon, as here as well the streets are as crooked as Québec highway contractors. See what I did there?
The week went by all too fast, fueled by delicious French cuisine served up by Soizic’s mother, who really outdid herself. Rabbit, duck, fondu, Coquilles Saint-Jacques, barbecue, crêpes, and so on and so on. We were filled to bursting and it was all we could do to waddle away from the table, trying to burn as many calories as possible before starting again.
They say that France has it good when it comes to food. This is a gross understatement. The selection and quality of cheeses, wines, breads, pastries, meats, yogurts and other grocery items was astounding. Top it off a fractional price point for one final kick-in-the-balls you filthy Americans!
We had brought some gifts with us, which included a copy of Ruse & Bruise; a delightful card game that everyone seemed to enjoy. I would recommend anyone to give it a try.
While in town we saw Bienvenue Chez Les Ch’tis, a comedy that recently swept the nation. We found it hilarious, but anyone unfamiliar with French culture would likely consider it unremarkable and probably confusing, which is a shame. It’s due to hit theatres in Québec this summer. We also visited the beach, and a zoo, which was worth it just to see a pair of cheetahs doing it ‘like they do on the Discovery channel’.
By the time we had started getting over the jet lag, it was time to head home. We had no problems with the flights and we are now back home safe and sound. The only downside is that we are both deep in the throws of “Time Zone Limbo”, which is a condition I would wish on no man.
Posted by Aaron on April 23, 2008, 8:52 pm permalink top | general
interesting… it seems that we were not in vacation together ^_^ : we actually arrived at terminal 2 and we did not eat rabbit even if we spoke a lot about it
For the record (after checking the plane tickets), we did arrive at Terminal 3
>_>
<_<
no comment about the rabbit
Sounds like the two of you had a really good time! I’m drooling at the mention of all the food (even the virtual rabbit) So any plans of inviting the French family over to French Canada so that they can see the brutality that is our roads?
“trying to burn as many calories as possible before starting again.” Oh yes…that’s the french way too! Waffles anyone? Hope you didn’t “burn calories” on her mom’s bed :/
Sounds like you had a fun exhausting week off of work…I won’t call it a vacation…
I too wish to feast upon the VR… perhaps it’s a creature commonly found on Tamarin?
The French family has already been invited other but they do not plan on visiting us yet: my mother is scared by the flight :(. However I do not know what would be the most criticized: roads or food ^_^
Waffles is a belgian speciality, not a french one
but we have a really good recipe at home anyway :P.
Waffles! Now you know what that means AugustClo!
And yeah, I know about your “waffle recipe” lol! Just kidding around of course!