Firstly I would like to qualify this as this has been my experience and I'm sure, like in all places, living with a family is diiferent from one home to another but this is my experience with a small family of 2, mother and son and husband away with work.
To say a bit about how I have found the french people. Since living here I have realised that, unlike how we perceive the french (usually as arrogant people), the local french people are very gentle - they speak quietly, are patient and gentle in their manner and it even comes across with their food, - although this is more difficult to describe. It is made in small quantities, precisely but with a generosity.....served in courses ...slowly and usually late but absolutely delicious....WHERE I LIVE:
I am living with mum, Vanessa, (about 34yrs) who is lovely and her son (LouLou for short - 6yrs old). They have very generously allowed me to stay with them. The husband, Lilian, speaks English but he left for work with the army for Reunion Island, just after I came here and the others speak no english. I knew all this before I arrived...I haven't come across anyone who speaks english so my french is really being tested...
The town I live in is Magnac sur Touvre - last night in bed I went onto Google Earth with my iPhone and you have to love technology....it pinpointed exactly where I was, my phone showing as a blue spot, even to the point of being in the back part of the house. It is a very small village and we are only a short walk to the la poste, boulangerie and tabac (post office, bakers and newsagents). The local Mairie (Mayor's office) does everything that others don't do....I needed to photocopy something so I went there and the lady kindly did it - charge?....gratis... then I had to fax something so back I went, after asking at the bank and post office so the lady there (who has an incredible amount of silver in her teeth) did it very kindly again - gratis....I have tried to get French lessons here one to one but because it is holiday time (like Christmas in Australia) nobody is available and I'm sure if they are, they don't want to work! Bien sur! (Of course). I am enrolled in French classes in Antibes in 21 Aug - 3 Sept so that will be great.
We are about 8 kms from Angouleme - I rode there the other day on the bicycle I have been lent - it is a bit small for me....about a good foot too short but it gets me around and I love riding.....but because of the height my derriere kills me after about 1 hour....
I have been to places that Vanessa hasn't....yesterday I rode to the Bois Blanc - the white wood? - up quite a good hill - so good for me to do this....then we all went walking in the forest which was just so peaceful and Loulou could race and just be free.
Angouleme, the closest large city and 8 kms from Magnac, is very old - we went the other day and in front of the Mairie (Mayors house) is a statue of Marguerite...it says she lived there in 1465 and was a part of the Renaissance....the Monastery was built in 1045 or thereabouts....the age is hard to fathom when you think Australia was discovered in 1770? or a few years before....
Here's an extract from Wikipedia:-
Angoulême (Iculisma or Ecolisna, later Angoulesme) was taken by Clovis from the Visigoths in 507. In the 9th century, it was invaded and plundered by the Normans.
In 1360 Angoulême was surrendered by the Treaty of Brétigny to the Plantagenets; they were, however, expelled in 1373 by the troops of Charles V, who granted the town numerous privileges. It suffered much during the French Wars of Religion, especially in 1568 after its capture by the Protestants under Coligny.
The Counts and dukes of Angoulême were established in the 9th century. The most important of the early counts was William Taillefer, whose descendants held the title until the end of the 12th century. Withdrawn from the descendants on more than one occasion by Richard Coeur-de-Lion, the title passed to King John of England at the time of his marriage to Isabella of Angoulême, daughter of Count Adhémar. When, widowed, Isabella subsequently married Hugh X in 1220, the title passed out to the Lusignan family, counts of Marche. On the death of Hugh XIII in 1302 without issue, his possessions passed to the crown.
My time here and in Normandy has made me so much more aware of history like in Normandy - the Vikings and with the Bayeaux Tapestry - William the Conquerer and here - Richard the Lion Heart - the fables you hear but seem to think are just fairy tales....possibly because of the hollywood versions and I must admit I thought they were just stories with no basis but I realise now they are real and part of the history of this and so many other countries....
My young 6yr old friend, keeps me on my toes. I love the way that his mum calls him "mon coeur" - my heart....or I suppose, my love...He can be soooo challenging a bit more than my children at the same age and one forgets the things they do.....because he is an only child he is the centre of life...in a way...but I think he is very intelligent and just loves stimulation...he has a computer in his room and the other day he asked me to come in and see it - I was expecting a modern one but it was an old laptop and he only has songs and childrens movies on it...and Hairrry Potttter (as he says it).... Anyway he put a song on and started dancing and the 2 of us were bopping around the room - it was such fun and soooo funny....what a great time I had - he's only 6 and I'm 56 but we had such a ball.... Other times he can be so trying but the good make up for the bad.
FOOD:
I can only speak for the experience I have with my family here so it may differ elsewhere but breakfast, as I have described in a previous post is a bowl of hot chocolate (usually made on milk (usually UHT) and cruskets or some other form of dried bread. We then have a coffee after a while. No eating in between meals.
Lunch is often 2 courses, the first being maybe tomatoes, or boiled broccoli, cut up in a vinaigrette dressing or pate and bread (baguette) then the next course is meat with perhaps cucumber (skin and seeds removed, cut finely and served with vinaigrette dressing) and/or artichoke (freshly cooked - yum). If you feel like it there is cheese for dessert.
Sunday we went to the local market and bought Moule (mussels) for lunch avec Curry sauce and Huitres (oysters) for dinner - lunch was great - I can only imagine what dinner will be like !!!
Around 6pm we have an apperro - either whisky or Pastis (licourice flavoured alcohol) with water and some nibblies like olives, chips, dip with cruskets.
Then around 8 - 8:30pm we sit down for dinner - some vegies fried with meat followed by cheeses. Cheese is considered dessert and not eaten otherwise. Rarely is a sweet dessert eaten at our home. There is plenty of food but small portions are eaten and hardly any fruit...I bought a few grapefruit and apples but they aren't eaten, unless I eat them....
I have never read the book "Why French Women don't get fat" but I can understand why...even as we eat, I don't think you would put on weight....Many of them smoke and often replace food with cigarettes as well but even without that they food is wholesome, eaten in small quantities and without sweets to follow...
PLACES to SEE of interest:
Cognac is the city, the distilleries are Remy Martin and Couvoisier - huge areas of grape growing and distillery here - went on a tour of Remy Martin - so interesting....have decided that XO is the one for me - only 3500 euros a bottle for the exclusive one.... haha!!
Also the beaches here are lovely but, I didn't say this (because I didn't know how to.... probably....) but not a touch on Perth or Qld beaches....
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