Adjusting...

What's kind of interesting is the adjustments one has to make upon the return. Jet lag is obviously a crazy phenomenon that can take two days or so or weeks--too early to tell at this point.

Typing on my own keyboard, to which I am so accustomed, is one of those things with which I have great difficulty now. French keyboards are different, first of all, and second of all, I've been typing on them for the past 7 weeks. So here's a quick guide if there are letters out of place in my messages to help you decode: ; equals the letter "m".... / equals ! .....q equals a. Those seem to be the most common errors I have been making so far.

Speaking seems to be an issue as well. After having spoken exclusively in French for the past several weeks, my native tongue seems to be twisted. Witnesses say that I have been inserting French words into casual conversation and that I have difficulty finding the English word and can only think of the French equivalent.

Sacré Bleu! Its an odd feeling knowing that you know but you don't! Hard to describe, perhaps its the language barrier again!

Cheers to all,

Rachael

Back from France

Its always a bittersweet feeling leaving a wonderful destination to return home. I was most anxious to see my family and get back to a life I am used to and an old hat sort of routine. On the other hand, I so enjoyed myself in Angers and Paris that the spontaneous life I lived there was just as appealing. I miss the food and friends already but am glad to be home at the same time. The last flight always seems to be the longest because you're in transit in an undesirable location. For me, I was in Newark dealing with cancelled flights and weather issues with the original intention of returning at 7pm. With all the unforeseen activity, weather wise, I returned at 2:30am which is nothing like 7pm! So for those of you anxious to contact me, take heed because sleep is not something that my body has taken kindly too because it knows I'd rather be in the Angers/Paris time zone! Thanks to all of you who posted comments on this blog or sent messages--at least I know my efforts were not in vain!

Merci a Delphine!

Thanks to Delphine and a friendship that has lasted since 1993, I had a wonderful time seeing her again. She was the perfect hostess and was so accomodating and made sure that I enjoyed myself. We visited the Musee de Cluny, France Miniature, the Catacombs and various other sites as well.

Catacombs of Paris

Wednesday, Delphine and I met up with her friend, Sophie and headed to Paris. Les Catacombes de Paris was our destination for the day to view the final destination of many. There are many fascinating stories surrounding the when and the why's of this burial venue. Deeper than the métro itself, is where they can be found and are far reaching beneath the lively city. I was lucky to be with 2 nurses who stopped frequently to identify various pieces of bone because anyone who knows me well, knows that this expedition is borderline science (at which I never excelled). The temperature is held naturally at 14°C (approx 55°F). The cool and damp tunnels added to the eeriness of the experience.

The Problem with France...

1. Beautiful buildings that can only be seen here.
2. Excellent bread that can be made elsewhere but never duplicated.
3. Abundance of castles is so far reaching its not probably that any one person will see all of them.
4. Amazing history that exceeds timelines.
5. At any moment, a new and charming scene presents itself and one cannot always be prepared.
6. Hospitable people that will bend over backwards to please you even when one does not deserve the luxury.
7. The cuisine is so savory no wonder the French stay at the table for 2 hours or more!
8. This small country is jam-packed with culture and its impossible to see everything.
9. Ambiance that is abounding you can't help but feel chic while here.
10. The biggest problem......I don't visit often enough!

In short, this country overpowers me every time. I must be a glutton for punishment, for I am a francophile so far gone I will never recover!

St Germain-en-Laye

We stopped here for the afternoon and visited the chateau of St. Germain-en-Laye where Louis XIV was born. Breath-taking as most castles are with a great view of La Défense, business section of Paris. Before going on to the grounds of this chateau, we stopped at a café for a drink with a view of the castle.

Potager du Roi

Since I have visited Versailles on several occasions (most of them with Delphine), we decided to see something else even though we drive by the Palace on a regular basis--its a rough life, but somebody's gotta do it! Tuesday, we visited the King's Vegetable Garden, or the Potager du Roi. It was huge, for starters, and lovely as well. It was a beautiful day, weather wise, so we took advantage of doing something outside without the doing the same old Versailles thing. There were many statues and fountains and odd types of fruit trees, etc. Definitely worth seeing, if you're in the area!