When comparing our lives here in the south of France to our lives in San Francisco & New York, it's no surprise that there are many major differences, but sometimes it's the little differences that we notice.
Maybe it's just the town where we live (Pézenas, in the Hérault, Languedoc-Rousillon), but it's very common to hear people whistling as they walk down the street. I can't remember the last time I heard anyone in the U.S. whistle. Maybe it's just easier to hear when there isn't constant noise from traffic, & I'm sure the sound bounces off the old stone buildings, but I don't think that's the reason. I think it's just that whistling is a forgotten art in the U.S. (& likely elsewhere as well). Hearing someone whistling a tune as they go about their daily activities brings a smile to my face.
French kids seem to have a different approach to playing -- they actually interact with one another, run, kick a soccer ball, laugh, etc. American kids seem glued to their TV/computer/video games/electronic devices or are reliant on organized activities & have lost the art of pure play. It's quite common to see very young (3 or 4 years old) children riding a 2-wheel bike without training wheels. I can't imagine an American parent even thinking of allowing that. In fact, I'm sure they don't even make 2-wheel bikes that small in the States. It's pretty rare to see anyone -- adult or child -- wearing a helmet while riding a bike, & there are definitely no laws requiring them.
Speaking of youngsters, most American parents wean their tykes off the pacifiers (dummy or soother to you Brits) at a fairly young age -- not here. Seeing a child of around 5 or 6 with a Nuk in his mouth would be considered strange in the US, but not in France. I wonder what it does to the way their front teeth come in.
......and then there's the dog poo. Sigh...... I cannot fathom why people who are otherwise clean, sometimes fastidious, allow their pooches to leave little "gifts" whenever & wherever they please. Hasn't anyone heard of picking up after their dog? The worst was when I was leaving the house one day, & just as I was about to put my foot down I noticed (just in time!) that some pooch had left a gift for us, smack-dab at the bottom of our front step. Ugh!! If you're not going to clean up, please do not allow Fifi or Fido to poop right in someone's doorway. People around here probably think I'm rude or highly introverted because when I walk I generally look down hoping to spot every pile of poop before my foot finds it. A friend sent me this image & it's so true!
Vive la différence?
What little differences have you noticed?
We arrived in Pézenas at the very end of October, 2011 & it seemed that nearly everything in & around the historic center of town was closed. At first we thought it was because it was Sunday evening, but then Monday came & most things were still closed (not unusual in France). The next day was a holiday -- All Saints Day -- so the closures made sense then also. But, we were surprised that in the days that followed, the vast majority of the "old town" was closed up tight, & rather gloomy. Some of the shops & cafés opened for a couple of weeks around Christmas, but then it was quiet again. We could stroll through the streets & not see an open store or another pedestrian.
Then, as spring came, things started opening. It was fun seeing what was behind all those closed doors & shuttered windows. Merchants were busy renovating shops & displaying merchandise, & the cafés were building their outdoor seating areas (usually wooden platforms on top of the uneven cobblestone streets) in anticipation of the warmer weather.
Tourists started coming to Pézenas & the sleepy little town had some life once again. By the time summer was in full swing, the narrow, twisty streets of the old town were crowded & sometimes it was challenging to make our way home, as by June we had moved into our apartment in the old town, & these streets were our neighborhood. We could overhear conversations in a multitude of languages & people were ooh-ing & aahh-ing over the architecture & history of our town.
In July & August many shops participate in the nocturnes & stay open until midnight on Wed. & Fri. nights, & there are events happening all around town. Friends had told us how much different it was in Pézenas during the summer months, but we hadn't believed it until we we experienced it ourselves.
As the summer wound down, so did the activity & buzz. By November, things were quiet again, almost like a bear in hibernation.
As the following spring arrived, what we found interesting was that the vast majority of shops that opened were not the same ones that had occupied those spaces the year before. All that hard work to lay tile floors, paint walls, etc. for just one summer season, only to do it all again the following year. Some businesses moved to new locations, & sometimes someone opened a completely different type of shop the next year. What do they do with the merchandise from the previous year?
It's also a bit strange -- from an American perspective, at least -- that a shop owner wouldn't do even a tiny bit of market research before opening a shop. For instance, there is a shop here that sells a lot of things made of cork (umbrellas, trivets, aprons, purses) & other natural materials. They are open all year, so when another shop opened a couple of streets away, selling a lot of the identical merchandise, we were surprised that they hadn't noticed the first shop, which essentially was a direct competitor & presumably had a customer base.
There was a food shop (épicerie fine) where we had shopped a couple of times that had a sale because they were closing. The owner said that it was too hard to make a living because more shops that sold similar merchandise had opened in town. Then, after closing for a short while, she opened a clothing store in the same location.
What is truly strange is the "moving" bookstore. It's open all year, but is in one location during the winter months, & then moves across the street to its summer location, & then does it all again for the winter. I'm sure there's a logical reason for this back & forth movement, but we can't figure it out. Then, this spring they opened a 2nd small shop around the corner & we wonder whether it will close at the end of the summer.
Now, our third spring here, it's been interesting watching the stores open, wondering what each will sell.
After a long -- 2 years -- hiatus, we're blogging again, this time with a focus on food. There are some foods in France that we assumed were the same as in the U.S., but that's not always the case.
For example, celery in France is not generally eaten raw; instead, it's used in soups & stews. Taking a bite of raw French celery, we were surprised to find out how tough & bitter it usually is. When cooked in soups & stews, the flavor & texture become milder, so it's fine in those cases, but if we want some crudités for a snack, celery is out. On the positive side, if we want to buy only 1 stalk, that's easily done.
Carrots were another surprise. The majority of carrots we find are rather fat & also have a bitter taste when eaten raw, but they are fine in soups & stews. At the market I search for the skinniest carrots I can find, which can take some digging. We occasionally see bags of miniature carrots (which are ubiquitous in the U.S., but unusual here) but have yet to buy them. Aside from their high cost, we worry that they will still have the same bitterness as the large carrots, but in a smaller format.
Most potatoes in the U.S. have a relatively high starch content; not so with most potatoes in France. They are either waxy (like new red potatoes) or watery when cooked. We made our favorite potato salad recipe but it wasn't quite right because it really needed the starchiness of Idaho potatoes. From time to time we find bintje potatoes at the weekly market or buy a bag of specialty potatoes at the grocery store, but mostly we don't eat baked potatoes or make American potato recipes. When we want convenience foods, there are several yummy frozen potato preparations -- duchesse, noisettes, mashed potatoes, etc.
Corn on the cob is something we really miss. While driving across certain parts of France we've seen huge fields of corn, bit it's rarely seen in the grocery stores, & I've never seen it at our weekly market. It turns out that the fields of corn were a different strain of the veggie, destined to become animal feed. On the occasions when we see corn on the cob at the store, it's imported (usually from Africa), of inconsistent quality, & expensive enough to be considered a treat. It's easy to find canned corn (Green Giant is definitely the best brand), so we know the French eat corn, but usually in salads. Actually, corn has only been considered edible within the past 40 years or so; before that, it was used almost exclusively as animal food.
We won't even write about French beef because it's been covered over & over again by many ex-pats.
Canned, condensed soups are not sold here. Soups are either in cartons or jars (not condensed), or are dry soup mixes. A common soup in the in the south of France is soupe de poissons (fish soup), & several variations can be found in any grocery. But -- no clam chowder, so we'll definitely make sure to eat some the next time we're in the States.
On the plus side, duck breast, rabbit & pheasant are easily found & not considered delicacies. Chicken here actually tastes like chicken used to taste in the U.S. because it's not overbred & force fed. We can buy different kinds of chicken -- yellow (corn-fed) chickens, chickens for stewing, for roasting, etc., as well as coquelets (about the size of a Cornish game hen). Eggs are so much better here -- they have taste & are fresh, unlike in the States where they sometimes sit in refrigerators for 6 months before they get to the supermarkets. Here, they are not even in the refrigerated section of the store. All eggs here have brown shells, not white.
It's quite common to see meats in small packages in the grocery store -- a single pork chop or chicken breast cutlet. Not everything is super-sized, which is great when there are only 2 of us.
Then there is the wine....We live in the Languedoc, the world's largest vineyard, so we are surrounded by wine. Walk or drive nearly anywhere around Pézenas & you will see vineyards. Wine is not considered a luxury here & wine snobbery is not as prevalent. Many local residents buy their wine "en vrac" (in bulk). Simply bring your plastic jug (5 or 10 liters) & have it filled at the tanks. Our local wine cooperative (here's a link to their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/lescaves.moliere.1) sells 4 varieties of everyday bulk wines at great prices -- around 1.20€ per liter (white, dry rosé, merlot, red table wine). Their bottled wines are quite good as well. They are certainly not the only caveau in the area that sells wines this way; it's the norm around here.
Little by little we are getting used to the differences & are embracing them, but right now we are craving a dinner of American steak, corn on the cob & baked potato.
Life has been moving along here in Pézenas. Spring has finally arrived, & we are glad to be rid of the freezing winter weather. The trees are no longer bare, & the grapevines are now fully covered in beautiful green leaves, making the countryside beautiful. The shops here in town have re-opened for the season, & the town has come alive. Tourist season is kicking into high gear & there is much more life and energy in Pézenas.
Also, we have found our new home and are getting ready to move. This wasn't as easy as you might think. We had decided to rent rather than buy, giving us more flexibility if we want to move at some point in the future. The real estate market here is suffering from some of the same challenges as in the U.S. & we did not want to be stuck with a house we could not sell in the future. Renting seemed to be the best option for us. Well, it would be if we had income here in France. Our income is all from the U.S. In a nutshell, because of rental laws, it is very difficult to evict a tenant, and landlords carry certain insurance, which they cannot get if the tenant does not earn an income from a French employer. We spoke with several rental agencies; one told us it was impossible to rent, & another wanted us to put down an additional deposit equivalent to one year's rent. This was getting expensive & difficult. We also looked into renting directly from owners, but the few places we looked at were pretty awful.
Then, through a friend, we found a great apartment here in Pézenas. Our friend knows a couple from New Zealand who live in the building, & they had faced the same problem, but the owner decided to take a chance & rent to them. He opted to simply not take out the insurance -- such a simple solution, but one that puts a landlord at risk.
After looking at their apartment (theirs is 3 bedrooms/2 baths, ours is 2 bedrooms/1 bath, but with a similar layout), we decided to look into it. We spoke with the owner, sent him our financial information (proof of income, etc.) & he agreed to rent to us if we like the apartment. We then made an appointment with the agency to view the apartment & decided it suited our needs perfectly. After a few more phone calls & visits to the agency and the apartment, we signed the lease & will be moving sometime during the first week of June, as soon as our household goods arrive at the port & clear customs.
The building has a long history -- the first parts of the building were built in the 14th century, with later additions over the following century. It was fully renovated 2 years ago, with lots of attention to detail. It's bright & cheery & gets lots of sunlight. It's in the old part of Pézenas, full of charm, winding streest, & great shops. We look out onto a small plaza, see rooftops, the church steeple, & the hills beyond that. There is a glassblower's shop across the plaza, & he sometimes moves his work outside the shop, so we get a free show from the window. There is a great little café/bistro downstairs & around the side of the building, & a number of other cafés & restaurants just a few steps from our front door. It's the best neighborhood in Pézenas. The only downside is that we have to walk up 2 flights of stairs, but I like to think of it as getting daily exercise. In our current house, everything is spread over 3 floors, & some days we go up & down 20 times, so it's really not much different.
Because apartments in France rarely come fully equipped, we went shopping for a fridge & oven (there is an electric cooktop installed already). We also bought a TV & a DVD player. We need some lamps as well. Appliances here are much more expensive than in the States. One thing the apartment has that is unusual is closets. We have a big closet in each bedroom, & a fair amount of cupboards in the kitchen.
The Internet service package we started last November (which we'll be moving to the apartment) includes TV, but as our current house has satellite TV, we never activated it. Yesterday we picked up the converter box for the TV, & when the TV is delivered (along with the fridge), they will install it. Can't wait! I just hope we can move the main Internet equipment & phone ourselves without any problems.
We're busy notifying everyone about our new address, but also needed to notify La Poste, and request mail forwarding service. In France, it is not free. We paid 23€ (about $30) for 6 months of forwarding. The U.S. may be the only country that offers this service for free. On the other hand, we notified our French bank of the move, & we do not have to pay to get new checks printed.
Next on our agenda is telling the local police the date the movers will be here (for traffic control & permitting), & to find out if the same situation applies to delivery of the fridge, etc.
Well, that's it for now.
We know that when we think of the south of France we think of palm trees, warm weather & outdoor cafés. Well, not at the moment. There are still palm trees here, but the cold weather that is hitting the rest of Europe has hit us here as well. Temperatures have dropped very low for the past week, sometimes nearly hitting the teens -- not counting wind chill. It's 9:30 pm, & according to weather.com the temperature in Pézenas is 24°F, but feels like 10°, & no doubt it will continue to drop as the night progresses...& this isn't even the coldest day this week. The mistral winds are blowing fiercely, adding to the discomfort. This wouldn't be quite so bad if we were living in a house that was well insulated & had central heat. The reality is that the house is stone & was built in the 1640s (think of the 3 Musketeers), has tile floors & windows that don't completely seal. Life these days means wearing multiple layers all the time, & we're beginning to resemble the Michelin Man. We can't wait for this weather to end!!
Speaking of cafés, now that smoking is banned in all indoor public areas, people who smoke continue to sit outdoors at cafés so they can smoke. They must either be made of strong stuff or they are truly addicted. We watch them to make sure they still move & haven't turned into human popsicles.
Having lived in the SF Bay Area for 30 years, we've become a climate wimp, even having grown up in NYC. Even the shores of Lake Ontario, where Holly went to college & which gets upward of 300 inches of snow each year, is without snow this year. Go figure. Weather is strange all over the world.
For the first time in living memory, Lake Geneva is frozen solid, & the Black Sea (it's salt water) is 2/3 frozen for the first time anyone can document. Rome had the worst snowstorm in more than 20 years & the Pope has opened part of the Vatican for the homeless. The Vistula River in Warsaw is nearly completely frozen, & the homeless & poor all over Europe are dying like flies.
Of course, living in the largest wine-producing region in France -- if not all of Europe -- we worry about the effect this weather will have on the grapes. We haven't heard anything mentioned around here about adverse effects of frost, but time will tell.
A couple of weeks ago we took a short drive to the small village of Loupian, the site of a Gallo-Roman villa from the 5th century AD. The drive there was lovely, passing through small villages, vineyards & pastures. The countryside & the layout of roads hasn't changed much since Roman times. The villa system in place during the late Roman Empire was essentially the precursor of medieval castles. Large, strongly defended villas were surrounded by vineyards, fields & peasants, & each villa was practically self-sufficient. In times of trouble everyone would go to the villa & defend its walls. In many cases the owners of these villas became hugely wealthy. This villa, discovered in the mid-20th century by a farmer who, when plowing his fields, repeatedly came across colored rocks. These turned out to be tessera -- mosaic tiles from elaborate floor designs.
We were given a small discount off the entry fee because we had visited the nearby Abbey of Valmagne & had our ticket stubs with us. You enter the site via a small museum, & your guide walks you across a small field to the actual villa, which is now indoors to protect the site. After entering the building the tour takes you along walkways, both on the same level as the floors, & above it so you can look down on the villa. It's a great vantage point, but made photography a bit challenging. There are some photos below, but it's difficult to give any sense of perspective or show where the mosaics are in relation to one another.
Being off-season, the guided tours (the only way to view the villa) were only offered in French, but we were able to follow most of what our guide said. If you are in the area, we would highly recommend a visit to the villa at Loupian.
We finally arrived in Pézenas, our home town for the winter. The first 2 nights we spent at a B&B where we received the warmest welcome from Robert & Isa, our hosts, who went out of their way more than once to help us. It was Sunday evening & we found that dining choices were pretty limited, a preview of things to come. We ate at a Breton restaurant in the cellar of a 14th century building. The salads were some of the best we've ever had, but the galettes (buckwheat crêpes) went mostly uneaten. Wine was inexpensive & good. Portions in France have changed radically over the last 20 years and, sadly, are imitating the American "more is better" style.
On Tuesday we got the key to our house & went to look at it before bringing our luggage, etc. From the outside it is essentially a tower, 3 vertical floors, one room per floor. It was built around 1640 at the height of the Religious Wars when houses were built both for comfort & defendability. Like most houses in the area it has a beautiful wrought iron balcony.
We came inside & found that the ground floor is decorated nicely with a large wood table & chairs, a small sofa & a corner kitchenette. There isn't quite enough room to cook gourmet food, & the stove/oven are not great. There is a washing machine (no dryer); we used it once but gave up using it because the spin cycle does not work & the clothing comes out clean but dripping wet. There is a laundromat within walking distance, but it is very expensive.
Up the first flight of winding stairs is the living room, shower room & WC. Again, it's tastefully furnished, but don't look too closely at the Ikea quality. On the top floor (again up a winding staircase) is a large, sunny bedroom overlooking the roofs of Pézenas.
There are, however, a few "interesting" features here. There is air in the pipes so every time the toilet flushes it sounds very much like the beginning of the Kirk Douglas movie, "The Vikings", when the ships come into the fjord & someone blows on a 10-foot horn trumpet to signal their arrival. It seriously can be heard blocks away.
The shower leaves something to be desired as it has a starburst shower head that only drips; the hand-held shower nozzle works, but feebly. The room that has the shower & sink is barely large enough for one person. Aaahhh.....We are growing fond of it.
Our television is interesting in that the Irish owner of the house bought Sky TV & we can have our choice of English-language news channels which all have the identical news feed, except for RTV, the Moscow-based English language Russian news station. The have a very different take on news events & we wish everyone could see this.
One thing that didn't make us happy when we first got here was the weather. It rained every day for the first 3 weeks. We were told it was not normal, but it was still depressing & made it difficult for us to walk around town or do anything. Luckily, things have gotten better, weather-wise.
We are only 2 short blocks from the small shops in town & the weekly Saturday market, which is famous in this area. There is a large (bigger than most Safeways) grocery on the edge of town, about a 7-10 minute walk, & there are some other groceries, etc. in that direction as well.
The food in a French grocery store is generally of a quality hugely better than what you'd find in US groceries, unless you tend to buy your food in gourmet shops. This is nice & it makes us happy. If we want pheasant or duck or lamb, or any other thing that's considered a delicacy in America, it's available at every-day prices.
One not-so-great thing we discovered is that Pézenas must be the dog poo capital of France, if not the western world. Those of us who remember New York City before the pooper scooper law will have a small understanding of what we mean. New Yorkers, however, always made sure their dogs pooped in the gutter; not here. To be fair, in much of the town there aren't really sidewalks wider than a few inches so there aren't really curbs. The locals feel that leaving a gift of poop in front of your door is a nice gesture. We've learned to look down when we walk & wipe our shoes well when coming into the house. To be fair, most houses have shoe scrapers on the outside -- not ours. The Piscenois seem to really love dogs, because it looks like nearly everyone here has one.
Our laptop battery ran out of juice shortly after we arrived in Pézenas, & our small 220/110 converter blew, so we were without a computer. This was a disaster so we quickly bought a new laptop. The challenge is that the keyboard is different & the commands, etc. are all in French.
Also, our Rosetta Stone language software is loaded on our US laptop & the discs are in storage in the Bay Area, at least until our furniture & household goods arrive this spring. This means we have fallen behind in learning French, but it's amazing how many things we've managed to accomplish. We arranged for Internet & phone to be installed, we bought a new cell phone, we opened a bank account, got car insurance, mandatory rental insurance & are getting our health insurance. There are still many bureaucratic hoops to jump through, but we're taking them one at a time.
We discovered that public transportation in Pézenas is limited. There is no train station & there are only a few bus routes here. This was more important to us between the time we returned the rental car & when we picked up our car at Le Havre.....More about that in a future post. Meanwhile, here are a few photos of Pézenas that we took shortly before Christmas.
