Friday, February 26, 2010
Je parle francais en France!!
Bonjour mes ami(e)s,
I arrived in Bordeaux yesterday and managed to stay awake after a very long day on airplanes. My connections went very smoothly and I practiced not talking to strangers (that's for Radhika). My friend Cassie met me at the airport in Bordeaux and we took the tram to her home. France is even cooler than I imagined! Right outside the window is an ancient castle wall/gate that used to meet up with the river (now a few hundred yards away) and beyond that is a bridge commissioned by Napoleon. I will take photos today around Bordeaux.
Cassie and I toured downtown BDX yesterday, and spent some time at a wonderful little park where we happened upon a puppet show in the tradition of Kukla, Fran and Ollie (UTube it). We participated with the children in warning the hero of impending harm from the crocodile behind him and sang songs with another character. We laughed so hard.
Bien sur, we took cafe many times during the day to keep me awake; I practiced my French conversation and Cassie was VERY patient. We stopped into a shop of American Vintage clothes and tried on some unique gowns; today I'll try to find it again because below it was a cool sweets shop. I love the amazing architecture and I have already picked out the apartment that I would buy. We happened upon a friend with a labrador as we walked toward home along the river...the dog Zoe was very friendly (as was the woman with her) and she played fetch with me. I know Jake would instantly fall in love with her (her accent was very French and she was SO fair skinned).
Our dinner last night was exquisite (French restaurants are now smoke free!!!!!!) and we shared creme brulee, a dark chocolate cake and a tira misu that tasted nothing like what they make in the US. Cassie assured me that French wine would not give me a headache and she was right. Great philsophical discusssions in two languages, above the din of many others undoubtedly having equally world changing conversation, made the evening pass quickly. We walked home, had another bottle of wine from the vineyards that Cassie represents and watched an old Star Wars movie. I slept soundly.
This morning Nico (Cassie's fiance) made me cafe to die for and it's raining a little. The man next door is singing opera, and I'm sure its because I'm here living large in France. It's so nice of them to all re-inforce the French stereotypes just for men (sic).
Once in while the brilliant blue sky peeks through and warms me up again. As I look onto a marvelous cathedral, the people also hanging out of the windows reminds me that I am the luckiest girl in the world and that I need to stop typing and go on my adventure today. I will take the tram all around BDX and back again - getting off to take pictures or have another cafe and croissant.
Carol
I arrived in Bordeaux yesterday and managed to stay awake after a very long day on airplanes. My connections went very smoothly and I practiced not talking to strangers (that's for Radhika). My friend Cassie met me at the airport in Bordeaux and we took the tram to her home. France is even cooler than I imagined! Right outside the window is an ancient castle wall/gate that used to meet up with the river (now a few hundred yards away) and beyond that is a bridge commissioned by Napoleon. I will take photos today around Bordeaux.
Cassie and I toured downtown BDX yesterday, and spent some time at a wonderful little park where we happened upon a puppet show in the tradition of Kukla, Fran and Ollie (UTube it). We participated with the children in warning the hero of impending harm from the crocodile behind him and sang songs with another character. We laughed so hard.
Bien sur, we took cafe many times during the day to keep me awake; I practiced my French conversation and Cassie was VERY patient. We stopped into a shop of American Vintage clothes and tried on some unique gowns; today I'll try to find it again because below it was a cool sweets shop. I love the amazing architecture and I have already picked out the apartment that I would buy. We happened upon a friend with a labrador as we walked toward home along the river...the dog Zoe was very friendly (as was the woman with her) and she played fetch with me. I know Jake would instantly fall in love with her (her accent was very French and she was SO fair skinned).
Our dinner last night was exquisite (French restaurants are now smoke free!!!!!!) and we shared creme brulee, a dark chocolate cake and a tira misu that tasted nothing like what they make in the US. Cassie assured me that French wine would not give me a headache and she was right. Great philsophical discusssions in two languages, above the din of many others undoubtedly having equally world changing conversation, made the evening pass quickly. We walked home, had another bottle of wine from the vineyards that Cassie represents and watched an old Star Wars movie. I slept soundly.
This morning Nico (Cassie's fiance) made me cafe to die for and it's raining a little. The man next door is singing opera, and I'm sure its because I'm here living large in France. It's so nice of them to all re-inforce the French stereotypes just for men (sic).
Once in while the brilliant blue sky peeks through and warms me up again. As I look onto a marvelous cathedral, the people also hanging out of the windows reminds me that I am the luckiest girl in the world and that I need to stop typing and go on my adventure today. I will take the tram all around BDX and back again - getting off to take pictures or have another cafe and croissant.
Carol
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Too many gifts - no room in the suitcase for clothes
For everyone who knows that I would LOVE to have an excuse to buy clothes while I'm in India, the title comes as no surprise. But, alas, I have no need for more sari or kurta, so I'll just have to make do with what fits into the suitcase.
Ok, so I've decided to BLOG. I hope it won't be too boring for my friends who didn't ask me to blog about my travels, but find themselves reading this. The friends who asked me to blog say that I make them laugh in real life, so that I must be funny as a writer. HAH, we'll see. I apologize to everyone in advance who have aspirations (or some competency) for professional writing - I usually write as I speak and I am NOT great with grammar, sentence structure or themes. I will not attempt plot and probably not re-write and re-write. I overuse the exclamation point (I talk in exclamation points really) and dashes. You have been forwarned.
I hope also to use this blog to communicate to Ms. Bierl's classes who are studying the the five major religions; I will write about my experiences of present day India and where it intersects with the ancient stories of each as I travel. Upon my return, I will visit with them to evaluate how helpful this experiment was and what they learned.
It's my third trip to India, but this time I am stopping through Bordeaux on the way. Yeah, it's out of the way, but I have a friend in Bordeaux and I don't have a friend in Paris where my stop over is. My thinking is this: I hate the 16 hour direct flight from New York to Mumbai. It's grueling being in the same plane for that long and the stop over in Paris is not bad since I can practice my French listening skills (notice I didn't say speaking skills). Well, heck since I'm in France I might as well see some of it! I am excited to see Cassie and her fiance - they're planning a wedding!!
I am very fortunate to be taking this 'adventure' (my grandson Matthew and I are great adventurers he says) and want to share my passion for other cultures with anyone who will listen. Of course my hidden (or not so hidden) agenda is to teach tolerance and acceptance of people different from ourselves by sharing my experiences!
Namaste,
Kavita (Carol)
Ok, so I've decided to BLOG. I hope it won't be too boring for my friends who didn't ask me to blog about my travels, but find themselves reading this. The friends who asked me to blog say that I make them laugh in real life, so that I must be funny as a writer. HAH, we'll see. I apologize to everyone in advance who have aspirations (or some competency) for professional writing - I usually write as I speak and I am NOT great with grammar, sentence structure or themes. I will not attempt plot and probably not re-write and re-write. I overuse the exclamation point (I talk in exclamation points really) and dashes. You have been forwarned.
I hope also to use this blog to communicate to Ms. Bierl's classes who are studying the the five major religions; I will write about my experiences of present day India and where it intersects with the ancient stories of each as I travel. Upon my return, I will visit with them to evaluate how helpful this experiment was and what they learned.
It's my third trip to India, but this time I am stopping through Bordeaux on the way. Yeah, it's out of the way, but I have a friend in Bordeaux and I don't have a friend in Paris where my stop over is. My thinking is this: I hate the 16 hour direct flight from New York to Mumbai. It's grueling being in the same plane for that long and the stop over in Paris is not bad since I can practice my French listening skills (notice I didn't say speaking skills). Well, heck since I'm in France I might as well see some of it! I am excited to see Cassie and her fiance - they're planning a wedding!!
I am very fortunate to be taking this 'adventure' (my grandson Matthew and I are great adventurers he says) and want to share my passion for other cultures with anyone who will listen. Of course my hidden (or not so hidden) agenda is to teach tolerance and acceptance of people different from ourselves by sharing my experiences!
Namaste,
Kavita (Carol)
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