As we walk the streets of European towns we often pass servers and clerks taking their breaks, often it is a pause fumeurs, a smoking break. While we were in Basel, Switzerland I started capturing some candid shots. My interest has expanded to other folks just doing life.
What better way to end this post than with a candid photo of my travel and life partner, The Accidental Photographer.
If we ever left France and returned to the USA, which would not be a bad thing since we love the PNW, there would be things I would miss. Here are just a few that come to mind.
When we first moved to France we spent a lot of time visiting châteaux and old churches in the area. However, after seeing a bunch of châteaux they do tend to all look alike. After a few months we just quit looking for new ones to visit. We do still visit churches whenever we can, but that is for more than the architecture, there is a spiritual element going on there. Yet I would miss living in a country where views like this, the citadel of Carcassonne, are the norm, not the exception.
We drive through village after village, each one is postcard-worthy, but, here in France it is the normal ambiance, the terroir of the place, and I love it. I would miss living in a place where old buildings are a common site, not torn down to “put up a parking lot.” (Joni MItchell)
Being the foodies that we are we love the outdoor eating scene, with city squares filled with restaurants, each with an outdoor eating space. In the USA many restaurants do have outside seating, but it is hard to find a place with ten restaurants within a 200’ x 100’ square like we found in Arles. This view is along the Sorgue river in L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue – there are five restaurants in this photo. Most of the river in the city is lined with wonderful places to eat and enjoy friends.
In France, and much of Europe, eating outside is just the way you eat out, unless the weather is so inclement that it is impossible. I have had coffee, wine, and food many times in the winter months, sitting outside, and no one thinks it strange. I would miss living in a place where al fresco is the first choice, not an afterthought.
As often as I write about my morning coffee and sketches it is quite easy to understand how I would miss that. Starbucks just isn’t the same as something like this.
Then there is the cheese, oh my! Not only is the variety mind boggling, the prices are unbelievable. Here are some of my favorites, and just a few at that. None of these is over 4€ here. Most would not be readily available in Seattle or Portland unless it was a specialty shop with specialty shop prices.
There is more than food and history I would miss, how could you not miss a country where in the park you can’t ride a bike, play soccer, or walk your dog, but there is an urinal close at hand. Such facilities are the norm in this country, no one thinks a thing about it.
For years we loved visiting France and Europe, as a place to travel for les vacances it is wonderful. Now that we have lived here, it is the everyday environment that becomes more appreciated.
I like Europe. I particularly like France. Since moving to France over sixteen months ago, we have had the opportunity to visit twelve European countries, a few of them we had already visited at least once before we moved here – that is more than I ever dreamed I would get to see. If you take all of our European travel over the years we have been to fourteen countries in Europe.
The first conclusion is that I really like Europe, or at least Western Europe. The next conclusion is that I like France the best. With all of its paperwork, penchant for complaining, and unpredictability, it is still my favorite.
Just a week ago we drove back from spending time with Tricia’s sister in eastern France and Switzerland. Tricia was taking a nap as we cruised along the A11 at 130K. My thoughts pondered, what is it about Europe that I like so much?
When I visualize most anyplace in Europe it is cafes, cathedrals and castles, and a communal mindset that comes to mind.
One of the most striking features of Europe, and of course France, is the plethora of cafes and restaurants, most of which have outdoor seating. Al fresco, or en plien air, is the norm here. In Europe, the first choice is sitting outdoors for coffee, eating, and hanging out. The time of the year makes little difference. In the dead of winter, folks sit outside with un cafe or a glass of wine chatting with their friends.
The cafe culture, which France is famous for, is more about people than what is consumed. People watching is an ubiquitous pastime here. In most cafes, the chairs face the street so you can watch the people parading by. There is no rush at a cafe, and you will never have a server indicating that they need the table – a 2€ un café entitles you to sit at the table for as long as you like. The cafe scene, just hanging out over a cafe, is something that most of the population takes part in regardless of status or age – cafes, en plien air cafes, are in the very fabric of peoples lives and outlook on life. It is a time to slow down to experience la joie de vivre. I like it a lot.
Another striking feature in Europe are the buildings, especially the churches, chateaus, and castles. Every city or, in a large city, like Paris, neighborhood, has a central area with an old church. Usually the weekly market is nearby, often a castle on a hill overlooks the whole scene.
It is quite clear that this is an old culture which people are quite keen to embrace. One of my favorite scenes from the movie LA Story is when Steve Martin is giving a tour of the city and he says with incredulity, “Some of these houses are twenty years old!” We live in a house that is over 230 years old and we are surrounded by houses just as old. A twenty minute drive from here we can eat at a restaurant that sits in the shadow of Chateau de Domfront, over 1000 years old.
Joni Mitchell got it right when she sang, “They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.” In the US we tear down buildings. In Europe they update the building while valuing its history. In Europe, there is a connection to history which gives a different perspective on the future than if society is just focused on the next new thing.
The communal attitude of Europe and France stands out as well – public transportation and healthcare are two of the best examples. Trains and subways make it quite easy for many folks to never own or really need a car. Bicycles are common all over Europe, as are motor scooters. What is rare are large SUVs and trucks.
Healthcare is seen as a public necessity, not something connected with a job or only for the well-off financially. Yes, it has its frustrations, to expect otherwise would not be realistic. It is comforting to know that the societies of Europe are willing to pay a bit more in tax for the benefit of the community.
Individualism is quite acceptable here, and there is acceptance of live and let live. There is less of the attitude that has grown so divisive in the US where one group feels the need to intrude on the lives of other people’s lifestyles, lifestyles that most often have nothing to do with them. The US claims a separation of church and state, yet the church today wants to impose its beliefs on everyone. France is officially secular, which does not mean anti-religion. What it does mean is that you are allowed to practice your religion and just let me practice mine. (Sadly, recently this is being tested by far-right groups wanting to oppress some races and religions.)
Europe is not perfect, and like a good Frenchman I can complain with the best of them about the bureaucracy, the frequent waiting, or that we still have 3G phone service half the time. Yet, I like it here. There are a few places I know in the US that are close, like the part of Portland where our friends live, and a few pockets in Seattle, so if/when we return to the US we will need to seek out such a place. But, in the meantime, I will enjoy France.
Next week I will explore why I like France the best.
It has been less than two weeks since we got back from Japan, we have two more trips on the calendar, and are already talking about our next trip to Europe. Anticipation is as much a part of the journey as the trip itself.
The next trip is a quick jaunt to Eastern Washington for a dinner at VanArnam Winery. They are a small winery in the Rattlesnake Hills AVA, part of the Yakima Valley wine region. Unfortunately this area does not get the recognition of the Washington Wineries further East. The landscape is much more like the Oregon or Sonoma regions, more green and hills. The vineyards are interspersed with the fruit orchards, VanArnam actually started as apple growers and still do.
A week later we fly to Sonoma, a few days in wine country – sipping, eating, and hiking. Then we drive to Crater Lake National Park, more hiking and some painting. Then we drive home through Eastern Washington, just might need to make a stop along the way to pick up a wine club or two.
Next year though, Europe is on the radar. I have only spent 2 days in Italy, Tricia has not been there, so it is about time. Tricia has a friend who lives north of Inverness, I have a friend near Edinburgh, so Scotland is in the mix. There is a used bookstore in York, and San Sebastian in Spain is enticing. You can see there is lots of talk, web searches, and planning to come. Nothing like a glass of wine, some cheese, and maps to make for a perfect evening.
Personally I am on a quest for a Victorian Journal. I saw two on our last trip to Bath, England. Long before the days of recording life with photos and Facebook, people would have a journal that they would take when they went to visit friends. They would exchange the journals during their time together and each would make an entry in the others. Sometimes a paragraph, or maybe a poem, a sketch or a cartoon. These were treasured, a record of friends and family more personal than selfies on Instagram. The two I saw were at a book fair, for sale, but sadly not in the budget on that trip. So this trip we plan to hit used book stores and watch for book fairs.
We are always traveling, even on a Saturday morning like this, while sipping green tea made in the teapot I brought from Japan. I guess this is what they call wanderlust, a favorite pastime for theWinesketcher.
Been There, Eating This 