Elsien's Traveblogue

Saturday 3^rd December 2011

I have a real love-hate relationship with Christmas, like a lot of other people, I imagine. I loathe the commercialisation of it, yet I quite enjoy the Christmas displays, even the Christmas 'tat', cheap rubbish no one in their right mind wants to receive and yet lots of people buy it … I hate the crowds, but at the same time I enjoy the buzz of the shoppers. I love the fairy lights and even the awful Christmas muzak. I love eating all the Christmas food, even though I have to go on a diet and exercise regime afterwards and even though I have to jostle to get the food and drink I want to serve up to my friends and family ….

It's quite exciting being in Montpellier for Christmas: it looks pretty, the food on display looks great – I am already planning the French Christmas menu in my head and I am trying to select Christmas presents for my English family that are neither liquid nor heavy as I have to fly them across by EasyJet …

The poor 'indigné(e)s' are not putting on much of a show in Montpellier. For a start, there's only a few of them, I think and the whole of the central square, the Place de la Comedie, is taken up with a large Christmas tree, a permanent fountain and an extensive Christmas market, so they find themselves squashed between the fountain and the Christmas tree, sharing the square and competing for attention with the 'normal' beggars, most of whom can play the accordion … I saw a few 'indigné(e)s' crunching organic apples outside the Bio-Shop, but most of them seem to hang out at McDonald's at the corner …

We already have a Christmas tree, which has survived three summers on the terrasse in Brussels and has come with us down South. She looks fairly healthy … have to buy some decorations for her... Got the large dining table to groan with French dishes and a LIDL round the corner (as well as a Carrefour and little 'artisanat' shops. I have been paid by one of my employers, so can start planning and buying!

posted by Elsien Gale  # 3:24 AM 0 comments

Montpellier, 1^st December 2011

It's all slowly coming together, We now have a French bank account, a French cheque book. Not much money in it, mind, because both of us are still waiting to be paid by the European Commission in Belgium, but ah, la! It'll arrive eventually – as long as they don't give it all to Greece! Sent off a cheque to Renault France who have to vouch, in exchange for our 145€ that our Belgian Renault has been built conform to French standards ... A real money-making con! Once that certificate comes back, we have to pay over more money to get French number plates.

We did manage our first lunch party, on our beautiful new French dinner table, with four very French people. Served them Scotch smoked salmon, olives, crisps, saucisson, then sweet potatoes, which none of them had eaten before, and red cabbage, stewed with plums and apple – my Dutch grandmother's recipe – followed by French cheeses and little mini cakes from the local bakers' ….

I hope we'll be able to get a few more neighbours round for drinks before Christmas, but it doesn't look that easy as some of the ones we tried to invite are not speaking to some of the others .... There are only 14 or so couples living in this block ….

Other than that, very happy! Temperature here often up to twenty. Great walks by the river or into town. Went to see a play, the other day – lovely little theatre, but the French really should leave English plays alone. Albee ('Who Afraid of Virginia Woolf?' is hard enough when you are English or American, but it's almost impossible in French. The French have a very different theatre tradition and while they have lots of playwrights of their own, are constantly trying to put on English or American plays. It doesn't really work, however good the translation.

Too much work with my telephone students right now to do much writing, but I hope to get a few thousand words written over the weekend. I might put a bit on here, we'll see ...

posted by Elsien Gale  # 10:32 PM 0 comments

Saturday 12^th November 2011

In progress … just about everything! Still no washing machine as we still have no French bank account; the car is still Belgian, so we have to leave it parked round the back – we can have cheap residents' parking but only once we are proper residents with a French-registered car …

However, the electrician is here and is fixing all the dodgy cables, light fittings and sockets, has mounted ceiling lights, so we can switch on when we come in in the dark. We've now got a tremendous chandelier in the living room, to go with the amazing dining table, six chairs and big buffet. Just need a butler now. I'll have to go to Brussels next week, so no more progress then.

It's a little lonely here on my own, with only my e-students, telephone and email for company. I'm really pleased the phone and Internet work now though. I talk to shopkeepers and neighbours, and yesterday and today the electrician, but he is no great conversationalist. Great exchange with a typical (?) Frenchman in the local shop this morning. He was in a wheelchair and asked me to get three bottles of wine for him off the bottom shelf – 1.37€ each! Got myself one to cook Boeuf Bourguignon with! Yes, he said, he liked to sit and have a glass of wine and a nibble of cheese in the evenings. On checking out I noticed he had got a bottle of cheap Pernod as well … Didn't see any trace of cheese.

Food here is superb. I go to the covered market off the main street where they have splendid fresh fruit and vegetables, fantastic fish, nuts and dried fruit and pretty plants and flowers. I love the way French food is still quite local and seasonal, like cooking plums, celeriac, pears, lots of pumpkin and other squashes, mushrooms, asparagus and artichokes, although there are more and more imported things in the market.

posted by Elsien Gale  # 4:44 AM 0 comments