A French Dining Experience

On Wednesday night we were invited for dinner, along with our fellow 'foreign' players, to the house of one of the rugby league club's board members, Vince. The experience of dining out in France is one that we have experienced often, but to be hosted at a home and truly experience the French hospitality is something that is worth sharing with you.

Vince is a lovely man, who was of great assistance to us when we arrived, and seems to take the foreigners under his wing when needed. We were able to call on him a few times to help us through some challenges, such as having no hot water in our house when we arrived; Vince sorted out this issue quick-smart.

So the six of us foreigners - three Aussie players, two Kiwi players and myself - headed around for dinner with Vince, his wife and daughter. As is custom, we all arrived with something to contribute, having coordinated this to ensure all bases were covered; between us all we gifted bottles of wine, flowers and a tart for dessert to our hosts.

We were invited for 8pm, which by now we know didn't really mean dinner would be at 8pm. Vince wasn't yet home, having worked slightly late, so we were invited to sit in the lounge and offered all sorts of beverages to get us started; Blanquette, red or white wine, beers, or our choice of a large selection of spirits. The boys settled with cold beers, and I was happy to enjoy a white wine.

The table was laid out with various food to nibble on as we drank and talked; calamari, muscles, olives and chips. Vince arrived around 8.30pm and joined us with his small glass of Blanquette. Two hours and three wines later, we were invited to take a seat at the dining table. But at 10pm, it still wasn't quite time for dinner just yet.

 

The table was laid out with bottles of red wine, two loaves of bread which were larger than our usual baguette, and two plates of pate. We have gotten used to having pate as a starter or entree, and enjoy it perhaps a little too much. We were told this particular one is made locally by a family that has been making it for over 50 years, and as I'm reminded of what pate is made of, I decide to leave some room for dinner.

Dinner was finally served at around 10.30pm, and was simple yet delicious. We were offered the choice of stuffed capsicum or artichoke, served with riz a la Provence - a dish of rice flavoured with vegetables. I was intrigued by the flavours of the rice, so Vince's wife offered to show me how to make it as she had to make another batch to feed us all. It was very simple, and she gave me a packet of the rice to make my own at home.

The wine continued to flow as the third course was presented - cheese, grapes and yet more bread. We each cut a small chunk of cheese and ripped off some bread, as we were taught a new way of eating this common course - take a bite of cheese, bread and a grape all at once. The sweetness of the grape complements the cheese nicely.

It was midnight by the time the dessert was put on the table, with only a few of us able to fit in a slice of the fruit tart. By this stage the wine bottles had been emptied, and Vince had opened a special bottle of homemade alcohol for us to sample. We could smell the alcohol as Vince told us it was 50% strength and poured a small amount into a glass for Marty to taste. I was invited also to have a taste, however my hesitation prompted Vince's wife to show me how ladies drink it: place a cube of sugar into the drink to let it soak, and then nibble on the sugar. While I'm sure this was more palatable than drinking the liquid straight, one small nibble was more than enough for me.

We left the house at around 12.45pm, thanking our hosts for such a delicious meal and a great French experience. The next morning we woke at around 11.00am, wondering how the French do this on a regular basis.

Spring in Limoux

The sun is finally shining on the south of France, and we Queenslanders couldn't be more happy about it! We've put away our jackets and boots and exchanged them for shorts and thongs, and reintroduced our (now very pale) skin to the warmth of the sun. It's Springtime in Limoux!

When we returned from our trip to the Mediterranean coast we spent the next week indoors, sheltered from the cold and rain. A week of grey skies is enough to dampen any spirit, and after our trip to the beautiful coastal towns and some sunshine, we were craving more.

Then late last week the weather seemed to change, as if Europe realised that it is supposed to be Spring. The skies cleared to the most beautiful blue, the sun's rays warmed up, and the mercury rose to reach the low 20's; a much more recognisable temperature for us.

The town is a different place when the sun is out and the weather is warmer. People are wandering around everywhere, or happy just to sit on a park bench, and the town square fills up with people enjoying a wine in the sun.

Every round-about and traffic island has a garden bed that is full of colourful blooming flowers. It is such a pleasure to walk through town and take in the colours that line the streets.

Flowers on a traffic island

These bloomed in our
garden this week

Daffodils in our garden

Our garden has come alive as well. We started to see various flowers bloom from the overgrown garden beds a few weeks back, but with the added warmth of the sun more flowers have unexpectedly come to life.

Even our house has undergone a makeover with the warmer weather. The vine that covered our house when we arrived in Autumn has begun to refresh its leaves, while another plant that has seemed to thrive in winter has begun to bloom small yellow flowers all over it. Branches covered in flowers have grown across our window, greeting me in the mornings when I draw back the curtain.

Our house in Autumn (October)

and in Winter (February)

Covered in snow (January)

and in flowers (April)

Another sure sign that Spring is well and truly here is the length of the days. Daylight saving kicked in about two weeks ago, and with the extended light hours that this part of the world already experiences in the warmer months, the sun is now up until around 9pm. This is a new experience for us, with our bodies taking some time to get used to eating dinner in broad daylight. We have a whole new appreciation for the thick block out curtains in our house!

Spring in France is a beautiful time of year. After experiencing the coldest Winter we have ever had, we feel so lucky to be able to experience this change in the season and all that France has to offer as the weather warms up.

Resident Tourists

Last week we were able to take advantage of some time off and head away on another short trip. As the weather has started to warm up, we couldn't go past a visit to the Mediterranean Coast and French Riviera.

We decided to travel by train, as the transport system in Europe is fantastic, and much less stressful than driving in large foreign cities! So we packed our backpacks and headed off to experience the beauty of this part of the world.

Nice by name and by nature

The pebbly beach of Nice

Nice is a pretty French city, much like other larger French cities that we have visited, in that it has big open public areas, great shopping and most of the buildings are only three or four stories high. However Nice has the added attraction of being on the coast.

While the beach was pretty to look at, it seemed slightly impractical to us, as large pebbly rocks lay where there should have been sand, and the water was calm with small waves on the shore. None the less, people were out enjoying the sunshine and peaceful surrounds of the coast.

The picturesque old town of Nice

Wandering through the flower market

We spent two nights in Nice which gave us plenty of time to experience some highlights. We wandered the small alleyways for great restaurants, enjoying traditional Italian and a fondue, as well as the first proper breakfast we have had at a restaurant in France (as the traditional French breakfast is a croissant and coffee!). We also enjoyed a walk through the fresh flower and produce markets, which are held daily.

Monaco - the playground of the rich

Monaco's harbour with the Royal Palace in the distance

Monaco was a 20 minute, 3Euro train trip from Nice, and the day we spent there was well worth it, with it now officially my favourite city that we have visited to date. It is no wonder, as my parents have always said that I have champagne taste...only my budget is more at the beer end of the scale. You only have to see the harbour at Monaco to know that it is the playground of the rich; it is full of yachts the size of a house...and I don't mean a small house!

Walking through Monte Carlo and Monaco-Ville was surreal, like we had walked on to the set of a movie; the streets were clean, buildings were beautiful and gardens very well manicured, with yellow tulips (my favourite flower) blooming in every garden bed.

Marty at the
Fairmont Hairpin

The pretty streets of
Monaco-Ville

The beautiful gardens infront of
the Monte Carlo Casino

I received an education of sorts on the famous Formula 1 race that takes over the city as we watched traffic slow down to circle the 'world's most famous bend' in Monte Carlo, and saw the beginnings of the construction of the massive grandstands that will stand along the harbour. We curiously watched on as police blocked off the main street outside the Hotel de Paris to allow for an escorted convoy to deliver who we can only assume was a Japanese dignitary, and again when supposed VIPs arrived at the Royal Palace.

The ancient city of Nimes

The Roman amphitheatre in Nimes, France

It was my choice to visit Nimes, but as soon as I showed Marty what was there he was impressed. Nimes is a city that was founded as a Roman colony in the first century, with the French city now having a population of around 150,000. The influence of the Romans is still evident, with one of the world's most well-preserved Roman amphitheatres, built around the 2nd century AD, standing proud in the middle of the old town. Just down the road is the Maison Carree, or 'Square House', which was built as a temple in 19BC.

The columns of the Maison
Carree tower over Marty

Marty providing perspective
to the Pont du Gard

The Maison Carree in Nimes

Nimes is also a short bus ride away from the Pont du Gard, a famous and well-preserved ancient Roman aqueduct that was built in the 1st century AD to transport water to Nimes. We were able to walk alongside the bridge that crosses the Gardon River, and trek into the hills to see remnants of this amazing structure, originally built 50km long. We were very impressed.

The Pont du Gard

We were excited to be able to spend the four days visiting areas that are famous, pretty and so close by to where we have been living. The south-east of France is another area that we can tick off our 'must-see' list.