View from my window

Two Weeks In France

Hello again everyone! Sun-drenched Cote d'Azur says hello too, though it would be "salut". The weather has improved substantially since I last wrote. We have had a few 20°C days now and I am understandably ecstatic, people here were aghast when I told them that we usually do not receive this kind of weather in Manitoba until May or June. This place constantly surprises me. The people I have met are knowledgeable and worldly, friendly and generous. One guy I met had lived in Montréal for a year and had a very high opinion of Canadians I am pleased to say, and another had lived in southeast Asia for several years. One thing I have noticed is the very low rate of obesity there is here. The largest contributing factor to this in my belief is the food people choose to eat: whereas in North America there would be several fast food outlets in a city the size of Hyères, I have only seen one: a McDonalds (I won't lie) that I have visited on several occasions. The Combes insist I am "not fat enough" and I oblige them on seconds as often as I can. Almost everyone smokes here too. I've been enjoying the favoured regional alcoholic beverage a few times (or more) a week; it's called pastis (past-eece) and I find it delicious. It is made from the anise plant and has a taste much akin to black licorice. I hear you either like it a lot or you don't at all. I'm also a fan of the comparatively cheap Heineken and Carlsburg one can get. Relatives of the Combes are out for a week or so and we have been eating a tour de force of Mediterranean dishes... Couscous and several kinds of meats, including tripe which I had never had before but was actually quite good for being cow stomach, baguettes, fresh fruits and vegetables, salads soaked in vinaigrette, onion quiche with anchovies and of course plenty of French wine. The coffee and brioche I have for breakfast every morn is heaven-sent. Life is good and I feel better than I have in many months. Corinne (my amazing tutor) tells me my French is improving rapidly but it is highly evident to me that I am still pretty bad at it. In our lessons we discuss what activities I did the day before, what I ate, how France compares to Canada, politics, our interests and experiences. She gives me sets of verbs to memorize daily and quizzes me using audio recordings, I practice reading high-level French aloud to improve my pronunciation. At meals when everyone is talking I try to keep up but they speak so gosh-darn fast! Regardless it is still enjoyable as the smiles, laughs and good-natured banter is obvious.  I'm going backpacking for the next few weeks but my plan is to come back for a couple more weeks of French before flying home. As I reread what I have written and look out my window, it would be almost impossible to not want to return here.  A bientôt mes amis,  William

View from villa Castel Sainte-Claire

First few days in Hyères

Bonjour friends and family and welcome to my first blog post EVER. I have left the cold embrace of Canada's winter for warmer climes, and I must say it is so far one of the best decisions I have ever made. Hyères is experiencing a bit of a cold snap right now (hovering around 0 degrees C most days) but that is okay. It snowed here last week for the first time since 1985. It's like the weather knew I was coming and wanted to make me feel more at home. Well it can stop that right now. The palm trees and giant ferns that line my street look decidedly odd with a light dusting of the white stuff on top. I'm staying with Alain and Chantal Combes, a charming couple that have let me into their home with open arms. Provençal hospitality is showing that it is everything I had hoped for and more. Chantal makes the most amazing dishes and Alain and I get along quite well. I had only been introduced to them minutes before and soon we were chatting about Sarkozy, Putin, the Norman conquest and rugby. We just watched a game in which Toulon dismantled Bordeaux. (Toulon is only about ten miles away, so that's their team.) I am taking French lessons from Corinne Seiler, an absolute gem of a woman who can speak English well and although I've only had one 2 1/2 hour lesson so far, she has proven herself to be a great instructor. Yesterday she showed me around the old city, straight out of the Middle Ages. I've been reading history books since I was a kid and have been anxiously awaiting my chance to explore a place as olds this. Today I climbed The hill that dominates Hyères to the north, pretty sure it's called the Costabelle. Beautiful gardens and a small villa called Castel Sainte-Claire on the lower southern side, while at the top more towards the north lies the remains of the old château d'Hyères. My first time scoping out a castle. Needless to say, I had a huge grin on my face the entire time. I took a few pictures on my iPad so that I could post them on here, and took a lot more with my camera. If I ever am fortunate enough to become a millionaire or better yet, marry a girl that already is one, I'm really gonna try and buy a house on that hill. So I think that's all I'm going to write for now. I could talk a lot more about this place, but I'll save it for some later posts. Don't want to give it all away up front.  A bientôt mes amis,  William

Hyères