Emily in France: it's all about les Alpes.

Joyeuses Pâques !

2009-04-12T04:09:00.008+02:00

Here's how Easter looked in Gap:

My windowsill: Easter cards and pansies enjoying the sunshine.

A bunch of new radishes from the Saturday-morning market, complete with (organic) dirt.

An invitation to Sunday Easter lunch chez my friends Tanya & Thibauld & their son Matthieu.

Strawberry shortcake for dessert!

C'est chouette!

2009-03-13T23:32:00.024+01:00

chouette
1. (adj) great
2. (noun) owl

So this time last week, we were in London, and it was fantastic. The noise, the traffic, the shopping, the restaurants, the sirens, the 24-hour supermarkets, the grunge, the grime, the crowds on the underground... all of it exhilarated me. I really do love big cities. But Gap is not a big city.

Now, it didn't take the trip to London to make me realize this. But after a few months in this sleepy little town, I had almost forgotten what it is like to stand packed into a crowded subway train, amidst people of all shapes, sizes, and ethnic backgrounds and to feel the excitement of all the zillions of possibilities that cities have to offer.

Don't get me wrong. There are a lot of good things about Gap. It's little and charming and you can walk across town in ten minutes or less. People are usually friendly and you never have to wait very long in line (except at the Post Office, but don't even get me started on that...) I often bump into my students or my neighbour when I go to the bank or to a boulangerie to buy a baguette, which give me a nice feeling of belonging. You can see the surrounding mountains from pretty much everywhere in town, and it's sunny almost every day.

But it's small. And often less-than-exciting. That being said, the novelty of living in France hasn't worn off yet, which means that I still get a thrill out of loading up my basket with produce at the Saturday-morning market or ordering "un petit café" after lunch out. I am very happy to remark upon and enjoy the small everyday details that remind me I am in France. I think what it comes down to, though, is the lack of those endless possibilities that the city offers.

We bought "Time Out: London" upon our arrival in the Big Smoke last week, and just thumbing through the pages of listings for movies, live theater, museums, special exhibits, clubs, restaurants and pubs made my head spin. In my mind's eye, I pictured myself flitting from art gallery to chic boutique to trendy restaurant to up-and-coming club. (The reality was more about sleeping in, eating English breakfast while reading "The Guardian", picking a bit of London to wander around in, and then taking a break for tea at a café or a pint at the pub when our feet got tired. But hey, we were on vacation!)

Samuel Johnson is the one who said, "When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life". Well, I'm definitely not tired of London or of life, but I'm maybe a little bit tired of living in a town of 40,000 people. So what to do? I have resolved to find fun things to do here and to make an effort to get out and about as often as I can. I'm sure that I can find enough local happenings to make a (slim) issue of "Time Out: Gap" if I try hard enough, non ?

So, first up on the "fun new things to do" list?

"La Nuit de la Chouette", which is basically "Owl Night". Yep. It's an event organized by the Federation of French National Parks and the Society for the Protection of Birds that takes place once every two years all over France (and in Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and Tunisia, really!) This year is the 8th edition, whee! Basically, tomorrow night we will show up at a meeting spot in Les Écrins, the local national park, armed with our hiking boots and our flashlights. We'll see a film about les chouettes and then, accompanied by a park ranger/bird nerd (!), go tromp about in the woods and try to find us some owls.

Now THAT'S something you can't do in London!

(P.S. Yes, I have tons of photos from our "city break" and will post them shortly... just as soon as I'm done with all this owl business!)

London calling!

2009-02-28T10:00:00.004+01:00

This afternoon, we are off to the Grenoble airport (about a two-hour drive from Gap) to catch our plane to London for a week's holiday! Plans include visiting with friends, taking a break from the Frenchies (except the one I'm married to, of course) and all of the following, in no particular order (chances are we'll start first with the last photo, actually!)

(all photos found with help from Google Images search)

Very encouraging indeed

2009-02-27T13:45:00.005+01:00

Yesterday afternoon it was actually warm enough to sit outside at one of the cafés on Gap's main square, Place Jean Marcellin, and have un petit café. So great, and such an encouraging sign... Sure, that girl in the background has a winter hat on, but FQ actually took off his jacket! Looks like winter may not last forever after all.

Le Crêpe Party

2009-02-26T01:15:00.004+01:00

Mesdames et Messieurs,
It is with great pleasure that I introduce you to "Le Crêpe Party", which has changed my life! Best. Kitchen. Gadget. Ever.

If you are asking yourself, "Self, is that a fancy griddle-type thing that allows you to cook six individual crepes at the same time?", the answer is yes... yes it is.

And if you are now wondering, "Self, would it also be possible to fry an egg on that there device?", I shall waste no time in giving you the answer:

If you need to take a moment to deal with how awesome this thing is, I understand completely. Take your time. Breathe in, breathe out.

It practically goes without saying that "Le Crêpe Party" was exactly what we needed for a little Shrove Tuesday/Mardi Gras celebration.

Is that salad on Tanya's plate? I think somebody needs to explain the whole "Mardi Gras" concept to her...

Speaking of not understanding the concept, I am completely befuddled by the fact that the Frenchies are all about Marshmallow Fluff. Just the other day, FQ bought a jar of it at the local supermarché (what the heck was it doing there??!) and has been putting it on baguettes, on pieces of toast, in hot chocolate... I'm sure he eats it out of the jar with a spoon when I'm not looking. As for Thibault, he went crazy for the combination of "le Fluff et la crêpe". I'm pretty sure the French government will come and take away his passport if they ever see this photo.

Anyway, back to my latest obsession. I have seen "Le Crêpe Party" for sale in lots of stores here. It's made by Tefal, but I have never ever seen such a thing outside of France.

And you want to know the best part? It comes with six tiny frying pans that you place on the burners, thereby transforming "Le Crêpe Party" into "Le Wok Party". Yes, I am totally serious, and yes, we have already tested that out. But you'll have to be patient... "Le Wok Party" is deserving of a whole different post, n'est-ce pas ?

Le Carnaval des Alpes

2009-02-25T16:41:00.000+01:00

Yesterday, bien sûr, was Mardi Gras.

Mardi Gras in Gap meant "Le Carnaval des Alpes", which involved masses of kids and adults parading through the streets. I couldn't help but wonder where all these people came from. I had never seen Gap so crowded!

There were some fantastic costumes. The theme this year was "les animaux". Can you tell?

There was also plenty of confetti. Who doesn't love confetti?

And even a few Rio-style samba girls, who must have been freezing!

So yes, it was a big day out in Gap. Even the newspaper was all about le carnaval. This ad for our local paper, Le Dauphiné Liberé, says "Carnival: T-minus one. A look behind the scenes." Excitement builds!

For me, the best part of the afternoon was spending time with my friend Tanya and her son Mathieu (a.k.a. Le Cowboy), soaking up the winter sunshine and enjoying the festivities in what is usually such a sleepy little town. Crowds, confetti, and cowboys = good times!

Rose-coloured snowshoes

2009-02-19T23:14:00.000+01:00

Winter in the French Alps actually is not as bad as I expected. Sure, minus 8 Celsius sounds chilly... but, as long as you are bundled up properly and you keep moving, staying warm is no problem at all. Such was the case when we went snowshoeing last Sunday in Le Valgaudemar, a valley about 30 kms from Gap. Tons of snow, beautiful mountains in all directions... and just look at the colour of that sky!

See all the photos from our day "snowing-shoeing" (as my Frenchie likes to say!) here.

How to have a fantastic Valentine's Day lunch in 8 easy (?) steps

2009-02-16T23:00:00.001+01:00

1. Drive 15 kilometres on windy, snowy mountain roads from Gap to Rabou, a little village of about 75 people.

View Larger Map

2. Park the car next to the tiny town hall and look for the trailhead sign. Wonder if the 20 minutes walking time to the auberge was estimated in summer or winter.

(Those tracks? They're from the inn's owners' 4x4. This is the only road in, mes amis !)

3. Start the trek, armed with one ski pole each (better than nothing, non ?)

(See that cabin in the background? It's coming up, about 10 minutes down the path...)

4. Stop along the way for some icicle fun.

5. Slip and slide downhill to the half-way point, the stone bridge and little cabin.

6. Catch breath. Then start walking uphill... and up and up and up, until voilà !

You have arrived at the Auberge de Moissière, which dates back to the 12th century (!!!) and features an inn with room for 14 guests and a restaurant.

7. Proceed to spend the next three hours eating the most amazing lunch of all time. I didn't want to single myself out as the tourist by taking photos of my plate, but it was simply incredible:

apéritif cocktail
+
amuse-bouche (basically a pre-appetizer appetizer)
+
appetizer
+
main dish
+
half a bottle of wine
+
cheese plate
+
dessert (OK, three mini desserts!)
+
coffee
+
digestif (a shot of strong alcohol to help you digest)
=
three hours à table
=
one amazing Valentine's Day date!

You can see all the pictures of the day here, and visit the Auberge de Moissière's site here.

(And if you come visit me, I might just take you there for lunch!)

P.S. No, I didn't forget Step 8: Hike out back to civilization. And yes, the path did seem a tad bit slippier after the apéritif, wine, and digestif. Just in case you were wondering.

Sweet!

2009-01-27T17:36:00.003+01:00

Alpes 1, the radio station François works at, recently had little packets of sugar printed up (50,000 of them!) Since the French are all about coffee, these sugar packets will surely be an effective form of free advertising around town.

Alpes 1 sucre, coming soon to a café near you... if you live in Gap, that is.

J'apprends à skier!

2009-01-06T11:47:00.013+01:00

Last Sunday, I had my very first ski lesson! I have to admit that I was filled with more dread than excitement as we drove the 30 minutes or so to Chaillol, a local ski hill. Anyone who knows me (or who has ever eaten at the same table as me) will be able to tell you that I am pretty darn clumsy.

So I figure take one clumsy non-skiing Canadian, add a bunch of snow, a pair of skis, and a mechanical apparatus or two... sure recipe for disaster. Mais non! To my great surprise, here are the things I didn't do:

- break something
- cry
- fall down constantly (only twice!)
- panic on the T-bar lift thingy (ok, just a little...)
- need to be rescued by helicopter

Here are the things I did do:

- learn how to stop (very important)
- make charming banter with Jean-François, my ski instructor
- ski hand-in-hand with J-F as to avoid faceplanting (ooh là là!)
- look somewhat sporty in my snow gear, Roots toque, and sunglasses
- promise J-F that I would remember to thank him when I was on the podium after winning gold at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics (swoon!)

So all in all, a very positive experience. Bonus: I was even able to get out of bed the next day without my legs crumbling underneath me. I am actually only a little bit sore, but in a good "I excel at winter sports" kind of way!

Without further ado, here are some pictures of our journée de ski. I won't lie to you: the "look how high up on the mountain I am" photos were all taken by François. I didn't stray from the bunny hill all afternoon. But aren't the mountains gorgeous?

My favourite part of the whole experience: the après-ski crêpe!

2008: What a year!

2009-01-02T23:14:00.009+01:00

So I think, over the last twelve months, I've changed just about everything a person can possibly change!

Let's review, shall we?

A year ago at the beginning of January, I was living in Vancouver, working in ESL, dating a cute Frenchie, surrounded by my family and friends, and all about Starbucks and sushi. Fast-forward to January 2009, which finds me living in France, married to aforementioned Frenchie, far from home, and having traded in the London Fogs and wasabi for wine and baguettes.

Can anyone say, "major lifestyle change"?

In the interest of being concise, I have put together this photo collage to share some moments of 2008 that really stood out. With all that took place, it was hard to choose!

(Click on collage to enlarge)

From left to right and top to bottom:

February: Having some Inukshuk time as a break from packing up my West End apartment.

Mid-March: Going to Austin, Texas with my mom to visit my grandma. Three generations!

March: Spending a week with François chez his brother, who just happens to be lucky enough to live in NYC.

End of March: Arriving in France and visiting François' village, Pommiers.

April: Reuniting with Laure & Sophie during a visit to Paris.

June: Packing up (again) and moving to Gap in the French Alps.

July: Cheering on the Tour de France !

August: Spending time in the South of France. The reason why we look so happy is that we just then decided to get married!

September: Celebrating my birthday with sushi in Paris.

September: My parents come to visit!

September 20: Making it official!!!

September: Honeymooning in Nice and Italy... with my parents but minus FQ.

October: Back to Italy, this time to Torino... with my new husband.

November: Fall colours in the Alps and our new (to us) car.

December: Joyeux Noël!

Whew! I think it might be hard to outdo 2008 in terms of eventfulness, don't you? All the same, I am looking foward to 2009 and all the adventures it may bring.

Bonne année tout le monde!

Première Neige à Gap

2008-11-24T19:13:00.009+01:00

Here is the view from our bedroom window this morning:

I'm actually quite excited about the snow! But if you check back with me in a few months, I can't promise that I'll be feeling the same way...

Emily vs Winter in the French Alps... should be interesting!

September, wow!

2008-09-30T22:35:00.012+02:00

September 2008 has surely been one of the busiest months of my life! I have zillions of photos to post on here and just as many stories to share with you about all my adventures over the past few weeks. In the meantime, let me whet your appetite with a few choice photos from the "September of Em"!

As you can see, I was here, there & everywhere...

Paris...

Nice...

Italy...

and somewhere in-between...

!!!

Birthday brunch and beyond!

2008-09-12T00:34:00.004+02:00

Spending my birthday in Paris was one of the better ideas I've had. Needless to say, it was fantastic!

My day started out with brunch at "Breakfast in America", a good old American-style diner. As we sat down at our red vinyl booth and opened our big plastic-coated menus, Laure said, "I feel like I'm in an episode of "Happy Days!" I couldn't blame her...

Please note the grille-pain at our table so we could toast our toast exactly the way we like it! That was way too fun. Equally awesome? The old-school Michael Jackson tunes on the stereo, the deliciousness of perfectly-cooked bacon and (most exciting of all...)

Dr. Pepper. In a can. With a bendy straw.

(I am no longer a teenager. Far from it. But yes, I drank pop through a bendy straw at breakfast and enjoyed every moment of it!)

So after the gluttony that was brunch, we burned a fraction of the calories with lots of window-shopping and a little bit of buying and then a walk through the Palais Royal gardens near the Louvre.

Next up was a matinee of "Mama Mia" at the movie theatre and then an evening of champagne, take-out sushi (yum!) and dancing to ABBA in Sophie's living room. So fun!

More photos of my birthday celebrations and my week in Paris soon...

And now off to bed, as I'm going to meet my Mom and Dad at Charles de Gaulle airport bright and early tomorrow morning. Then we're off to Pommiers for a few days, to a dance festival in Lyon, to Gap and surroundings... followed by a week or so in Italy. All this before the month of September is up!

La semaine des "birthdays" à Paris

2008-09-08T22:29:00.003+02:00

So here I am in Paris again (swoon!), visiting les filles, wandering around all my favourite haunts, and celebrating not one but two birthdays!

My lovely friend Laure's lovely daughter Lilas turned one on Saturday! The birthday girl was in top shape and ready for a party in her honour:

Laure & I were also feeling quite festive in our party clothes:

There was cake, bien sûr:

And, after Lilas was snug in bed, there was apéritif, followed by Laure's famous lasagne and festive beverages. Cheers to birthdays!

To see more photos of Lilas' party, click here.

Summer Vistors

2008-08-31T22:49:00.041+02:00

Summer's almost over! Tomorrow is Labour Day so I'm thinking of all my teacher friends back at home... bon courage !

We have been lucky enough to have quite a few visitors come see us in Gap this summer. First up was Andrea alllll the way from Galiano Island. She and I used to teach together at JLS College in Vancouver. She was on a whirlwind trip to France, Italy, and Scotland and managed to arrive in Lyon just in time to meet me for the Leonard Cohen concert. I have never swooned so much in my life! It was beyond fantastic.

The next day we hopped on the train from Lyon to Gap. It takes about three hours to get from one place to the other, and the clickity-clack of the train was all too much for poor jet-lagged Andrea.

Once back in Gap, I was thrilled to show Andrea around my new 'hood. Here we are enjoying the view from chez moi:

François and I also took her to our favourite swimming hole about 45 minutes from Gap, complete with lovely cool fresh water and a stone bridge built by the Romans way back when!

Our second set of visitors were François' sister, Delphine, and brother-in-law, Eloi. They arrived for the Bastille Day long weekend, which we kicked off with a group picnic at Les Gorges de la Méouge, the aforementioned favourite swimming spot. Picnics are always yummy fun, especially in France... with a bottle of rosé!

Later that weekend, Andrea continued on her way towards the south of France and Italy, while we stayed local and rented a boat on the Lac de Serre-Ponçon, which is a huge lake near Gap. It was created when they built what turned out to be Europe's second largest dam back in the 1950s. Artifical or not, it's still a beautiful spot and it was so fun to be out on the water on a beautiful summer day!

Click on the link below to see more photos of our
afternoon out on the lake:

Lac de Serre-Ponçon

Moving right along, our most recent visitors were the lovely Florine, Alice, and Emie from Lyon, who came to see us in mid-August. What you need to know: Florine and Alice are sisters who spent a lot of time with Francois and his family while they were growing up, due to the fact that their parents were/are good friends. (Despite this, the girls seem to be pretty much normal! Hee hee...) As for Emie, she is Florine's brand-new daughter (only 3 months old!) and was definitely the star of their visit to Gap.

We had a lot of fun drinking tea and playing with Emie at the apartment, having picnics in the park,

and going out for gelato in the evenings.

It was nice for me to have a good dose of "girl time"... and while François was at work, the girls kept me entertained with stories of how much of a goofy, nerdy kid he was (not much has changed, apparently!)

To see more photos from the girls' visit, click here:

Al, Emie, Flo à Gap

So now you are all up-to-date with the summer visitors to 14, rue de France. Next up to check into the guest room? My Mom and Dad! That's right, my parents arrive in France on September 12th for a three-week visit. I am so excited to see them over here, introduce them to Francois' family, and be tour guide extraordinaire !

Week-end de 15 août

2008-08-27T20:28:00.003+02:00

I'm starting to wonder if the French even have ordinary, normal two-day weekends. It seems like we are constantly burdened with long weekends. What a bore, non ? Earlier this month was no exception. August 15th is Assumption (which, according to Wikipedia, is "important to many Catholics as the day that Mary was received into Heaven" - don't worry, I didn't know either...), so François had the day off (along with everybody else). We hit the road (along with everybody else!) and went to spend the weekend in Malaucène, a village about two hours from Gap. Why Malaucène? Well, Nicolas (FQ's brother) and his wife Stéphanie, along with Arthur (FQ's nephew/godson) are currently renting a house there for a couple weeks of summer vacation. Most of the time, they live in New York City (you'll remember that FQ and I spent a week in NYC chez eux back in March). You can imagine the view from their apartment in Manhattan is just a little different from the view from the maison de vacances :

If you're wondering what that bump in the middle of the photo is, you're not alone. Apparently, it's the remmenants of an old fort. Nowadays there's a chapel up there, a few olive trees, and a beautiful view of the village:

The house Nicolas and Stéphanie rented is the one just to the left of the centre of the photo (can you spot the white parasol?)

Of course we never get tired of taking the classic "long-arm" self-portraits whenever there's a nice view to be had:

And please note how my new shortish French haircut goes well with the French scenery:

And how cute FQ is in his new stripy sweater:

Speaking of cute, here is FQ's nephew/godson Arthur, who turns four next month. I love the moustache de lait !

OK, enough French cuteness! Back to the long weekend recap: we had a lovely time doing not much at all, French-style. In the mornings, we wandered into the village to buy croissants and newspapers, came back, ate breakfast, read the paper, played Lego with Arthur, opened a beer as soon as the village church bells told us it was noon, ate lunch, took a walk, took a nap, had apéritif, BBQed something for dinner, drank some wine, chatted, went to bed. Ahhhhh.

You can see all the photos from the long weekend by clicking here:

Weekend du 15 août

Reporting live from the French Alps to Bejing, this is François Quairel!

2008-08-14T16:55:00.014+02:00

Wow, it's been a while since I last posted. This blog seems to be taking on a bit of a sporty theme... first Le Tour de France, and now Les Jeux Olympiques !

As you know, François is a journalist at Alpes 1, the local radio station in Gap. And he's crazy about his job and the profession of journalism as a whole. Crazy enough to get up many mornings at the crack of dawn to do the a.m. news broadcasts at the radio. And even crazy enough to wake up at 3:15 a.m. to go cover a special news story. Yes, 3:15. In. The. Morning.

"Why??!" you ask?

Well, there is a French swimmer called Alain Bernard who comes from Châteauvieux, a little village of 450 people close to Gap. At least 150 of those villagers are just as crazy as François, because they chose to get up in the middle of the night to watch Alain Bernard swim in the Men's 100m freestyle event. Which, with the time difference between here and China, took place at 4:45 a.m. French time. It must have been a very festive atmosphere there in la salle des fêtes (the community centre) with a big-screen TV set up and champagne bottles at the ready. Alain Bernard's parents and relatives were there, along with the village mayor and other folks. The swimmers started the race and the atmosphere was tense. Everybody clenched their fists and cheered on their hometown boy. And then somebody stepped on a cable and the TV image went blank. Zip. Zero. Rien.

(Note: that "somebody" is not me! I was, of course, home fast asleep during all this. My retelling of the story is thanks to FQ and the news report he filed.)

Can you imagine the panic? The disappointment? The desperation?

Luckily somebody had brought a radio, so they tuned it in just in time to hear that Alain Bernard had won the gold metal. Champagne all around!

Anyway, it sounds like it was all very exciting and FQ's report for the AFP (Associated French Press) was sent straight to Bejing. He has since received congratulations on his reporting from the AFP, their team of reporters in Bejing, and (most exciting of all!) François was on national TV as part of a news report on the whole hullabaloo. Whee!

To read the report FQ filed for the AFP (en français, bien sûr), click here.

To see the video on the LCI website (basically, the equivalent of French CNN), click here! And keep your eye out for the cute French reporter in the red shirt! (Dave and Ange, are you loving the Stanford plug?)

Le Tour de France

2008-07-20T17:32:00.021+02:00

Le Tour de France was in my 'hood this weekend! The cyclists didn't pass through Gap this year, as they have in the past. However, they started out today's leg of the race from Embrun, which is about 40 kilometres east of Gap. Was I there? Mais bien sûr! Did I mill around in the pouring rain, shivering along with all the other commoners? Mais non!

Francois is a journalist, right? And journalists get special privileges, right? And Canadian girlfriends who are thrilled at the prospect of cheering on Le Tour de France get to take advantage of those privileges, right? You bet! It is thus that I am currently proudly sporting a very yellow, very official Tour de France wristband that allowed me access into the Tour de France village, for V.I.P.s only, baby!

So great!

We arrived around 9:45 a.m. and there was already a party going on in le village. For someone who loves freebies (moi, for example!) it was paradise. Free coffee, breakfast pastries, newspapers, shopping bags, even wine! (Personally, I felt that having a glass or two of red before 10 a.m. was perhaps a bit much, but there were others who were not of the same mindset!) Wine or no, it was very festive, with music, people on stilts, crazy bicycle demonstrations, and oh... did I mention the freebies?

Actually, I was having so much fun in the freebie zone that I somehow forgot to go back out and join the unwashed masses (!) in order to see the start of today's leg of the race (which, by the way, started in Embrun and ended 183 km later in Italy. You can see a video with highlights from today's leg here.) And check out my super-exclusive yellow-wristband-only photos from le village !

Tour de France

Salade Niçoise

2008-07-17T12:36:00.005+02:00

I've noticed the trend (especially on blogs written by North Americans living in France) of taking photos of yummy food. I am slightly embarrassed to join their ranks with this post, but don't you love the salade niçoise I made for dinner last night? Yum. It was actually really easy. Just required a little boiling and a bit of chopping... et voilà ! The green beans and new potatoes came from FQ's parents' garden in Pommiers (delivered to Gap by his sister Delphine when she came to visit last weekend) and the tomatoes were bought at the Wednesday market here, which was full of delicious fresh produce. Salade niçoise originated in Nice (hence the name) but is found on restaurant menus all over France. If you'd like to make your own, here's the recipe I used. Bon appétit!

P.S. How cute is my new tablecloth?

C'est la fête nationale de la France!

2008-07-14T12:17:00.001+02:00

I am just watching (live, but sadly via the TV) the hugely enormous military parade that takes place on the Champs-Elysées in Paris. Wow. Marching bands in all their finery, jets performing a fly-over with coloured smoke in red, white, and blue, tanks rolling along towards the Arc de Triomphe, parachutists armed with the French and EU flags jumping out of planes, floating down over Paris and then landing right in front of the French president... Not too shabby.

There will be a military parade here in Gap this afternoon. There will surely be less fanfare than in Paris, but hopefully lots of handsome French soldiers and firemen all the same! This evening, Francois and I have been invited to a "garden party" (I'd give you the word in French, but they use the English term so what can I do?) Such parties seems to be a typical way of celebrating Bastille Day. That plus fireworks, which happen tonight at 10:30. C'est la fête!

Les Nuits de Fourvière (in other words, R.E.M. and Leonard Cohen come to France and play in a Roman amphitheatre in Lyon just for me!)

2008-07-07T23:08:00.002+02:00

I am way too excited. This time tomorrow night, I'll be sitting in a Roman amphitheatre in Lyon watching R.E.M. live on-stage!!! And then (as if R.E.M. is not enough!) on Wednesday night, I will be back in said amphitheatre but this time to see Leonard Cohen!

It's all part of a big music/theatre/dance/cinema festival, Les Nuits de Fourvière, that takes place in Lyon every summer. Right now I am too keyed-up to explain in any more detail, so go have a look at the festival website if you like.

Now, before I sign off, let's recap, shall we?

R.E.M. (who I've loved since I was 16 and have already seen three times in two different countries but who's counting?) and Leonard Cohen, who, as I explained to François, is pretty much the Serge Gainsbourg of Canada. While doing my degree in Canadian Literature back in the day, I took a semester-long course in Leonard Cohen. And now I'm going to see him. In France. In a Roman amphitheatre. Really, the mind boggles, n'est-ce pas?

Le 4 juillet en France

2008-07-06T23:00:00.001+02:00

This past weekend, thanks to my friend Camille, I had a chance to celebrate the 4th of July here in France.

Camille invited François and I to the traditional Independence Day BBQ that she has been helping organize for a good many years now. As you can see, it was très authentique, with chicken and (hooray!) potato salad.

Like any successful summer gathering, there was swimming. François and Nina (Camille's grand-daughter) jumped into the pool the second we got there.

There was also a bit of relaxing...

and a whole lot of chatting, in English and French!

There was, of course, la table des enfants. Look how nicely French kids wait for their dinner!

Meanwhile, back at la table des adultes...

All in all, it was a very cool way to spend a sunny summer afternoon.

Weekend à la Lavande

2008-07-02T20:53:00.005+02:00

Did I tell you that François and I have a pact to go away overnight at least once a month? Well, we do. June was crazy with our arrival in Gap, FQ's new job, the apartment-search, the moving... Despite all that, we still managed to squeeze in our monthly getaway. We decided to go to Valensole, a village about an hour and a half from Gap, that is famous for its lavender fields. After calling the tourist office to make sure that it is indeed the right moment for lavender-viewing (?!), we reserved at a B&B and hit the road Saturday afternoon. I was way too excited to see the lavender fields. Not being a big gardener or crazy about sachets of dried lavender in the undies drawer, I was surprised at how keen I was to go wander among a bunch of purple flowers for the weekend. But really, lavender is so French. How could I not love it?

It was amazing. I'd seen photos galore of rows upon rows of lavender growing next to fields of wheat with a big blue sky above... but the real thing is even more beautiful than I expected. The whole experience reminded me of when I went to see Stacey in Japan for cherry-blossom season. Before witnessing it with my own eyes, I thought, "people sure get excited about a bunch of blossoms!" But once I was there, it was amazing, gorgeous and mesmerizing! Ditto for the lavender fields. And it smelled so good! All fresh and summery... not at all like a dusty old granny's dresser drawer!

We managed to tear ourselves away from taking endless photos of lavender fields long enough to explore the village of Valensole, have a little BBQ on the patio of our B&B, visit a boutique selling all kinds of lavender products (what else?) and go swimming! It was hot hot hot. At least 35 degrees and dry! I felt like I was in a giant kiln. What a relief to find some water to cool down in.

Back here in Gap, our apartment has become "lavender central". Lavender soap? Check! Lavender oil for the diffuser? Check! Lavender water (a kind of spray you can use as air-freshener or put on your pillow to sleep better)? Check!

Think I'm going overboard? Consider this: I've seen lavender-flavoured yogurt and ice cream in the grocery stores here. I imagine it would taste a lot like soap. Non, merci.

So, if you have lavender-scented hand cream or similar, now is the time to bust it out in order to fully enjoy my beautiful photos from last weekend.

Valensole June 2008

Fête du Cinema

2008-06-30T23:42:00.010+02:00

Well, France is certainly very festive in the month of June! After the Fête de la Musique on the 21st, we are now in midst of the Fête du Cinema, which lasts three days. It takes place all over France and is a movie addict's dream. Basically, you buy one admission at the full price and then receive a kind of pass that allows you to see any subsequent movies during the three-day period for only 2 euros per film. Ce n'est pas cher! Gap has three movie theatres (all within a few minutes walk from my apartment, hooray!) and they are all participating in the Fête du Cinema.

Sunday I wasn't able to take advantage of the whole deal, as FQ and I were in Provence oohing and aahing at lavender fields (more on that soon), but tonight I made up for lost time by watching two movies back-to-back. First I saw "There Will Be Blood" in version originale (yay, no dubbing!) and then "Sagan", which is about the French author of the same name. And nobody sat right in front of me. And the theatre is air-conditioned. Bliss! Tomorrow is the last day of the Fête , so I am going to try and squeeze in another movie or two in the afternoon. All that before getting ready for "Canada Day en France", which looks like it's going to include tacos (very Canadian, I know) plus vanilla ice cream with maple syrup for dessert. Oh, and I must mention how excited I am about using the maple leaf tattoos that Erin mailed to me! The party never stops around here, eh?

Dîner à la Pastorale

2008-06-27T20:45:00.013+02:00

So last night François' friends Les Passeron invited us over for dinner at their humble abode in a small village near Gap.

OK, OK... I can't fool you. They operate a gorgeous B&B (called La Pastorale) six months of the year but they live there year-round.

The grounds are lovely, complete with fountain...

... and resident dog, Carotte. (I know, she's not even orange... but that's what's so funny!)

Breakfast for the guests is served here...

... but we ate dinner outside.

And, as if the outdoor dining wasn't aesthetically-pleasing enough, this was the view across the street.

Ah, France! What else can I say, really?

La Fête de la Musique

2008-06-22T13:03:00.007+02:00

Yesterday was not only the first day of summer but also la Fête de la Musique here in France. In 1982, the French Ministry of Culture established June 21st as a day to celebrate music. Free concerts are held in every city, town and village, usually in outdoor spaces. It's a pretty great idea, and one that has apparently spread to more than a hundred countries. According to the official Fête de la Musique website, free concerts were organized in Halifax, Moncton, Quebec City, Montreal and Toronto. (Come on, Vancouver!)

Back in June 1995, when I was just finishing up my stint as an au-pair near Paris, I went to see Edwin Collins (Some of you will remember his big hit at that time, "Never known a girl like you before...") It was hot and Laure & Sophie & I (along with zillions of others) packed the Place de la Bastille to see him perform. So fun! Less fun was after the concert, when we realized it was too late to get a train back to the suburbs and had to hitch-hike home... but that's a whole different story...

Here in Gap, la Fête de la Musique was pretty low-key. There were lots of different local groups playing in the squares and other little nooks and crannies and tons of young folks and families strolling the streets and sitting in the cafés. We wandered around for a couple hours and heard accordion tunes, a swing band (with lots of couples dancing), a local rock group, and some musicians playing music from the Andes... it seems that the pan pipe has international appeal! By far my favourite group of the night was "No Name", which, according to the local programme, promised to pay us pop anglaise. Sure enough, we were treated to a version of "Runaway Train" by Soul Asylum (remember them??) Now I know it's hard to sing, especially in front of an audience, especially in a different language. Really, I don't think I could do it. But that doesn't change the fact that the lead singer's garbled version of the lyrics was totally and utterly incomprehensible and gave me a serious case of the giggles. I could have been listening to pop pig latin for all that mattered! Very amusing. François suggested that I wait until the end of the set, and then hand the singer my professeur d'anglais business card... I would never be that cruel, of course, but I won't deny the fact that a crash course in English pronunciation would really help matters.

In other news, it's hot. The first two weeks after we arrived in Gap, it rained (poured!!!) every single day. This was very discouraging for several reasons:

#1. Trying to visit apartments/drop off resumes in a city you don't know in the rain means huddling under an awning with a dripping umbrella in one hand and a soggy map in another. Fun? Not so much.
#2. I am in France, not Vancouver!
#3. In addition, everyone here assured me that I was going to be living in the south of France, where the weather is always nice. They promised me that Gap is famous for having 300 days of sunshine per year. Huh.

After two weeks of ominous clouds, full-on thunderstorms and constant drizzle, I was having a hard time believing them on point #3. But now it's summer, and, just as if somebody turned a giant switch to "on", it's hot. Very hot. It's 1 p.m. and it's 28 degrees. This afternoon we are going to find a shady forest to take a walk in.

Le marché du samedi

2008-06-21T13:29:00.003+02:00

Voilà the view from my apartment this morning! How great is it that the Saturday morning market in Gap is right outside my front door? So great! We grabbed wallets and shopping bags (mental note: must buy a basket to look really French!) and went downstairs. Came back home about 30 minutes later with tons of fresh, lovely, delicious (and cheap!) fruit and veggies. Now off to make lunch!

Je suis chez moi!

2008-06-19T23:30:00.001+02:00

Well... chez nous, to be exact!

That's right... FQ and I are all moved in to our fabulous new apartment in "downtown" Gap. The move went as well as moves go... pretty smooth apart from a few tense moments whilst hoisting heavy furniture up the spiral staircase. Let's just say that I got to hear the full range of FQ's dad's very French expletives!

Swearing aside, we owe François' parents a huge merci because, if they hadn't camped out here for two days after the move, we'd still be without an operational stove, washing machine, or kitchen cabinets/counters. They are très handy! Thanks to their help, we are pretty much all systems go, besides a few random boxes left to unpack and a total lack of decor... but not of ideas!

For the time being, I am just so happy to be chez moi and to be able to relax on my sofa with my cup of tea while gazing out the window at my Napoleon! Love it!

Here are a few photos from moving day last Sunday:

Moving Day!

Cours d'anglais, anyone?

2008-06-13T22:35:00.003+02:00

Today I placed an ad in Top Annonces, which is similar to the "Buy & Sell" paper at home. It will run for four weeks. Hopefully soon I'll have so many private students that I'll have to beat them off with a stick! Fingers crossed, anyway...

My annonce also gets posted on the paper's website, so click here if you're in the market for an English tutor in Gap!

In other news, today was Moving Day #1 and it was busy busy busy. I signed the lease bright and early. (Was the lease six million pages long and did I have to read and initial each page? The French don't hold anything back when it comes to paperwork!) Then I went to 14, rue de France and spent the morning waiting for/welcoming appliance delivery men, the locksmith, the guy to read the gas metre, the people from the rental agency... The two guys who had to haul our lovely new fridge up the three flights of stairs were not at all impressed. They really struggled. I was seriously worried that they would both have heart attacks! Also that they would slip and the fridge would fall (I was half a flight of stairs behind them) and crush me to death in my lovely spiral staircase! Yikes.

This afternoon we went and bought a bed and frame and somehow FQ and I managed to haul it up the stairs of doom ourselves. So at least we have something to sleep on once we are finally done moving. Tomorrow we are leaving at the crack of dawn to go back to Pommiers to pick up the rest of the stuff, then we'll come back here Sunday to finish moving in. Oof. Bring on the backache!

Cultural Difference: Appliances (or not)

2008-06-12T21:53:00.008+02:00

So as I mentioned in my previous post about 14, rue de France, rented apartments here in France come with no appliances. Zero. Zilch. Nada. Rien. What a nuisance. But also, what fun to go shopping for shiny new things!

Last weekend, we bought a washing machine. I know, I know... the idea of carting dirty laundry down three flights of stairs, lugging it through cobblestone streets to the local laverie, chucking the right amount of euros in the machine, waiting around for the clothes to get clean, and then schlepping everything home again, up and up and up the (lovely wooden spiral staircase) may sound romantic. Please trust me. It's just one giant pain.

We also bought a fancy dancy silver fridge made by LG. (Hello, global economy... here's a Canadian girl buying a Korean fridge in France!) While looking on-line for specs on said fancy new frigo, I stumbled across "Mister Good Deal", a site selling all sorts of appliances. Joy of joys, Mister Good Deal himself made a little video praising our new fridge to high heaven. So are you ready for some French appliance salesman cheese? Make sure you wait for the wink at the end!

Moving Day #1 tomorrow... I need to be at the agency at 8:30 a.m. to sign the lease, then at the apartment to let in the delivery guys who will be bestowing upon us the power to make drinks cold and clothes clean at the touch of a button! Perhaps I'm getting old, but I'm actually quite excited about these new appliances. Whee!

Cultural Difference: Job Applications

2008-06-11T23:30:00.000+02:00

So now that the apartment search is over, I'm running around trying to scrape up any/all ESL teaching work in Gap. It's proving to be quite a challenge for several reasons... here's the lowdown on what I've sussed out so far:

1. Gap is small, right? About 40,000 people live here. Not exactly the population needed to sustain a Berlitz or an EF or even a JLS. Zero language schools to be found.

2. That being said, there are quite a few organizations, both public and private, that offer English classes in Gap. These are in the form of continuing education, or nightschool, or in-company training. But my timing is rotten because almost everybody is headed off on summer vacation. I've met with several places that seem interested, but everybody tells me I have to wait for la rentrée (back-to-school), which here happens in September or even October, to find out if they need me.

3. So, between now and la rentrée... hmm. I've put up lots of notices advertising private lessons and I am planning to take out an ad in the local paper as well. I've also been told there are possibilities to do telephone or on-line tutoring. (Would I have to use the webcam, or could I stay in my PJs until noon?)

4. The other avenue I am planning to explore is tourism, which there is a lot of here. People come in the summer for la nature and in the winter for le ski. Tomorrow I am going to apply to the Tourism Office (fingers crossed!) and I am also in the process of applying to the hotels in town. Today I went to pick up an application form at the local branch of a national hotel chain. An application form which turns out to be three pages long. And contains many questions that would never ever be asked when applying for a job in Canada. But then again, this is France. Things are different. Ready for your jaw to drop?

Top 10 Politically-Incorrect Questions on Hotel Application Form

10.Birth date and place
9. Nationality
8. Martial status
7. Number of children and their ages
(And then, under the "état de santé" heading:)
6. Height
5. Weight (!)
4. Clothing size (!!)
3. Sports practiced (!!!)
2. Current salary
1. Photo - passport sized - to be attached.

Do you love it? Sometimes I really miss Canada...

14, rue de France

2008-06-08T00:42:00.025+02:00

I spent most of my first week here in Gap apartment-hunting like a madwoman. I visited the good, the bad, and the ugly... most of which happened to be on the third floor with no elevator. My poor legs! The great news is, after several days of full-on, intensive searching and stairclimbing, I found us an absolutely fabulous apartment!

Top 10 Things I Love About Our New Apartment

10. It's on "rue de France". Enough said?
9. It's less than 30 seconds from the main square in Gap, which has a fountain and restaurants/cafés galore.
8. It has hardwood floors AND a fireplace.
7. It has views of rooftops, a church spire, mountains, shops, aforementioned fountain, a bakery, pedestrians below, and...
6. Way back in 1815, Napoleon (!!!) slept in the house across the street. Not. Even. Joking. Wait till you see the mural!
5. Even though the building is super old, the bathroom was redone a year ago and is gorgeous.
4. Skylight!
3. Spiral staircase!
2. The bedroom upstairs used to be the "chambre de bonne" (the maid's quarters), I figure. It has a tiny sink, a view of the rooftops, and it's just big enough for a bed. C'est tout!
1. The weekly market in Gap on Saturday mornings takes place on rue de France, downstairs, right outside the front door. Really.

So (as you can tell) I'm very happy - and relieved - to have found such a great apartment so soon. We get the keys next Friday and move in next weekend, after making a quick trip all the way back to Pommiers to pick up FQ's furniture/dishes/TV etc, plus the rest of my stuff... Hooray!

That being said, renting an apartment in France turns out to be quite a pain. The French love their regulations and endless paperwork, and this is no exception.

Top 5 Annoying Things About Renting an Apartment in France

5. Although some rentals are arranged directly with the owners of the apartment, the majority of places are rented through real estate agencies, which means you must fork out an agency fee (ours was 288 euros... ouch!) just to be able to sign the lease.
4. Rentals in France come without appliances. None. Zero. You have to provide your own fridge, oven, dishwasher, washing machine... Can you say "bonjour, 10 easy payments?"
3. No utilities are included in the rent. Our lease says "charges comprises" (charges included), but that just refers to the cost of the lighting in the entrance and communal areas, plus a cleaning lady who sweeps the staircase every so often. We have to pay our own gas, electricity, and water bills.
2. If you encounter any sort of problems with the apartment, you have to go through the agency to fix them. This, according to common belief, results in said agency trying to rob you blind.
1. There's no minimum time span specified on the lease, but if you want to move out, you must give the agency (grr) three month's notice. Sheesh!

But anyway... let's leave the ranting about French bureaucracy aside for the time being. We have signed the papers, bought the fridge and washing machine, and are set! Now let's go back to swooning over the apartment. Ready for the photos?

14, rue de France

Je suis à Gap!

2008-06-02T20:01:00.002+02:00

I know, I know... when you think of "Gap", this is what automatically springs to mind. And I really don't blame you. But what if I were to shake things up? What if, through this blog and my experiences to come, I were to introduce you to a whole new Gap? A Gap that doesn't include jeans and t-shirts, but is rather a city in the French Alps where I have just moved to? Are you ready for it?

Hmm...?

Weekend en Provence

2008-05-26T22:10:00.013+02:00

Long time, no post! It seems that I have been far too busy enjoying life in France to bother with such things as keeping my blog up-to-date... Last time I posted, I was heading off to visit François' gran in her little village near Dijon. Since then, I have taken day trips into Lyon to visit the old city and the market, celebrated both François' dad's birthday and French Mother's Day (So many family lunches! So much good food!), and spent a few days in Provence. Whew!

So, let's start with the most recent news. I just got back from a weekend trip to Provence. My Paris friends Laure and Sophie, along with their respective British boyfriends and (last but certainly not least!) la petite Lilas, rented a country house for a week in the south of France, not too far from Avignon.

François and I decided to join them in their home-away-from-home village, Crillon-le-Brave, for a few days of R&R and south of France sunshine. We rented a bed and breakfast just a few minutes from where the Paris crowd were staying. It wasn't quite hot enough yet to take advantage of the (outdoor non-heated) pool, but the weather was just right for sitting around drinking rosé and eating delicious BBQ meals (even shish kebabs taste so much better in France... why?) Lest you think we were completely lazy, we did stray farther afield than the BBQ. We went to the Friday morning market (just wait till you see the gorgeous fruit and veg photos!) and to a fancy dancy restaurant in nearby Carpentras. We also spent some time in our hood (not too much to see in Crillon-le-Brave, but there is an incredible hotel that takes up at least half of the village... excellent photos!) Another village we visited, Pernes-les-Fontaines, was lovely in that it boasted more than 40 fountains scattered in its winding cobblestone streets (as if market and snazzy hotel photos aren't enough, there are plenty of fountain snaps too!)

All in all, it was great to see my friends again so soon after my trip to Paris, to visit a new part of France, and to relax and enjoy my last little while of vacation before things start to happen... Could it be that my days as a lady of leisure are drawing to a close? Mais oui ! More details in my next post, very soon. I promise! In the meantime, enjoy the photos of Provence!

Weekend en Provence

Weekend au chocolat

2008-05-08T13:09:00.013+02:00

It's yet another long weekend in France (there are three public holidays in May alone!) so François and I are going to see his grandma, who lives in a little village called Flavigny-sur-Ozerain in the Burgundy region of France, about 2.5 hours from where I am in Pommiers.

Why the movie poster, you ask? Well, it just so happens that Chocolat, which starred Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp, was filmed in the very same village where François' grandma lives!

You can read more about Flavigny by clicking here.

The closest city to Flavigny is Dijon, which is about an hour away. Can you say "mustard central"? I am way too keen on the idea of visiting the "museé de la moutarde"! No, I'm not even joking... life doesn't get much more fun than this!

Lilas

2008-05-07T22:11:00.000+02:00

My friends Laure and Ian had a beautiful daughter last September (just four days before my birthday... so she and I are practically twins!) My trip to Paris last week was my first chance to meet the lovely Lilas. She is probably the most photogenic baby on the planet... see proof below!

Lilas, Paris April 2008

La fête à Paris

2008-05-05T18:39:00.005+02:00

My excuse for going to Paris (as I need an excuse to go to Paris!) was to attend my friend Sophie's birthday party. We celebrated in style in her fabulous Paris apartment. Please note wood floors, high ceilings, wraparound balcony with gorgeous view... and champagne and party dresses galore!

Sophie's Birthday in Paris

Déjà vu à Paris...

2008-05-03T20:01:00.007+02:00

Montlignon (suburb of Paris), Summer 1995

Paris (9th arrondissement), Spring 2008

I just got back this afternoon from ten fabulous days in Paris with Laure and Sophie. We first became friends when I was a fille au pair in France way back in 1994-95. As you can see from the photos, we've changed quite a bit since then (for the better, n'est-ce pas?) but we are still great friends. When you put the three of us together, I feel like no time has gone by and I have the impresssion I am still 20 years old, skinny, tanned, and living an overseas adventure for the first time. Sigh. Anyhow, we had a wonderful visit and I took a zillion photos (the majority of them are either of Laure's beautiful daughter, Lilas, or of us girls under the influence of too much champagne at Sophie's birthday party... but I think there are a few Eiffel Tower shots in there as well!) Stay tuned!

Paris, Je t'aime

2008-04-23T13:00:00.000+02:00

I am taking the 15:00 Paris-Lyon TGV today... it only takes two hours to get from one city to the other... am I silly if I wish it would take just a little bit longer because I love riding the train?

I will be staying with my friends Laure and Sophie (they are no longer roomies but luckily they live within a ten-minute walk of each other!) I am so excited to see the girls again, to meet Laure's seven-month old daughter, Lilas, and to be in my favourite city for the first time in six years! When it comes to me and Paris, there's never enough time... I'll just have to make do with ten days on this visit. Then it's back to Lyon and on with the job search... but let's not think about that quite yet, shall we?

For the moment, Paris, here I come!

En Peugeot... let's go!

2008-04-22T22:10:00.003+02:00

View Larger Map

As you can see, Francois and I covered a lot of territory on our road trip through the south-east and in the French Alps. Tons and tons of photos coming up... stay tuned!

Déjà une semaine!

2008-04-05T20:01:00.000+02:00

I've been in France for one week now... seven glorious days of sleeping in, eating pains au chocolat for breakfast, admiring the view from Francois' parents' deck (I thought I'd miss my English Bay view, but so far... nope!), having wine at lunch, maybe a little walk (or nap!) in the afternoon, then dinner, and salad, and cheese, and dessert... Lest you think I'm a total sloth, I have also been out exploring Pommiers (Francois' hometown of 2000 people, located about 30 minutes from Lyon) and a lot of the surrounding villages. It's beautiful here. I feel like I'm walking around a movie set, to tell you the truth. So scenic!

View Larger Map

2008-04-05T19:59:00.004+02:00

Photos of Pommiers
to see them, click below and then use the "slideshow" function. Enjoy!

Pommiers

Bien arrivée en France!

2008-04-01T22:42:00.012+02:00

So here I am in France (hooray!) with a whole year of adventures ahead of me! In anticipation of all the wine-drinking, cheese- tasting, baguette-buying and escargot-avoiding experiences to come, I have decided to start a blog. This way I can share my stories and photos with you. How do you say "geek" en français?