After an action-packed weekend I have a dreadful head cold and have to stay at home for two days. This is not such a sacrifice as it may seem, as school does send me to sleep rather -if an exchange student ever tells you that school in another language is fun all the time, they’re lying!
All French people (making a massive generalization here) hate marmite with a passion, so I was more than happy to receive a close-to-unused jar of (albeit English) marmite. I didn’t even realize I was missing that yeasty goodness until I had it with chips the next day!
NB That would be about the second time I’ve had chips (crisps) in France.
I spent the weekend in Rennes with Claire (the second eldest Brousse enfant) and Nicholas. Didier and Odile (les parents) drove me up there so they could see their apartment. We had a lovely long dinner (with lots of cheese and breaks for games –which I won for once!) and then I was alone in Rennes with Claire and Nicholas as my guides.
I borrowed Claire’s bike card and Nicholas and I rode into town, following the bus that Claire was in –we could actually keep up with it! (Note the rustic French music in the background -not intentional)
Rennes has a really beautiful city centre, with the town hall opposite the opera house, and in between a pedestrian zone (or whatever we call it in English – Fußgängerzone in German) but blah blah who wants to hear about the history of a city/fascinating architectural wonders until you go there yourself….so, I’ll just add in a quick plug for la belle France and entreat you to take your fabulous selves to France (and to travel in general) .
It was also the last weekend of a massive Fête Foraine (fair) and Nicholas managed to convince me, after a long, hard day of sightseeing, that I should see a bit more of Rennes... from above, ie the biggest, most imposing ride of the fair. But, I did it and it was lots of fun (one of those big arms where they swing you back and forth and generally all the way round as well, holding you upside down as he chooses, and hold you there then spin the seats) It was fun listening to what everyone screamed though (like 'oh -la vache, la vache' which means 'the cow, the cow') and seeing the view.
I was in amongst a real French market, without clothes and foreign imports in the mix, and certainly no men with those irritating cheek microphones that celebrities had in the 90s telling everyone how good their perfume is! In my opinion it’s the ultimate French experience (other than a meal, of course!). There were stands selling fruit and vegetables, olives, cows’ stomachs –basically everything you could name (and of course the big dishes of Paella that everyone in my German class gets drilled on every time we have a test). And of course everyone knew their stuff –I could have been there for hours, asking about everything, listening to the buskers (who really do play fiddles, doubles bases and accordions –it’s not just in the movies!) but luckily I was with Claire and Nicholas who knew what to look for, so after a ‘Robiequette’ which is typical only to Rennes and consists of a sausage wrapped in a galette (pancake made with buckwheat, I think; search your memory people in my French class) –we had ours with cheese as well (hyper-yum when it oozes out the holes in the galette). We also had a fragranced hot chocolate later in the afternoon –mine was praline noisette/amande (hazelnut and almond –I’m a nutella junkie J)
Et Le Mont St Michel:
An old monastery on an island from way, way back, that you could only get to when the tide was down. A bit commercialized now, but much better in Winter with hardly any people.
The view from le Mont St Michel
Nicholas having lunch (at 4pm, I might add!)
The church itself
Note to New Zealanders from Europe: use carpooling more http://www.carpoolnz.org/ -It works much better in Europe, of course, with more people and more places to go, but I took the French version (covoiturage) and it was really agreeable and safe -a website with everyone's profiles so you could choose your time and level of discussion preferences (although of course any French person is happy to 'discute' for an hour!) and I was with three other people who didn't know each other.
And another note: the title of this blog entry is a little complicated; to tell the truth I only just learnt it myself. I found a book while shopping that conjugates every verb for you -I kept hinting at going back for it and thinking they had ignored my 'subtle' hints, I found it wrapped up and everything in my bag when I arrived home! (They'd already bought it!)... subjunctive here I come!
And a final note: feel free to read the following blog entry (or delete the jargon after 'blogspot.com' from the web address in that bar up the top of the window whose name I keep forgetting); it's new aswell... http://theytooksomemoneyandplentyofhoney.blogspot.com/2012/01/blog-post.html
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