Deauville--a little too posh for me!
I had received an invitation from my Deauville grandparents to go stay with them from Saturday to Sunday. On Saturday night we were to go to a party where I would meet members of the Jumelage de Deauville (twinning committee between Lexington and Deauville), and on Sunday we'd have breakfast and dinner together. The little party ended up being a big shabang with about 1000 people in attendance, complete with a band and a dance and an enormous meal! It was a party for many of Deauville and Trouville's clubs (like the Jumelage). Even the mayor was there.
The dinner was fabulous. We had appetizers, a salmon salad, duck, potatoes au gratin, winter veggies, a cheese plate, and a dessert plate with three different kinds of apple desserts. I sat next to Philippe Behuet, the president of the Jumelage. He and his wife are extremely friendly and charming. Philippe kept me entertained by telling me about the things he loves about America, which include: Cinnamon Pop-Tarts, Cracker Barrel at 6:00 AM, Wal-Mart late at night, White Castle, and Campbell's soup (which his wife wouldn't let him bring home). He was like a little kid, he was so excited when talking about it! He said that he brought back tons of cinnamon Pop Tarts and he and his wife eat one every other Sunday to make them last and last. It's rare to meet a French person who likes things about America other than NYC, California, our movies, and our TV... but why do they choose things like this to fall in love with?!
I had a large French breakfast at the Lioult's house yesterday morning. I think that because of our language barrier I communicated to them that I wanted way more food than I actually did. They had me carbo-loaded and stuffed with toast, some other sort of sweet bread, a croissant, marmalade, and a soft-boiled egg for which I summoned all of my training from watching Wooster & Jeeves in order to eat properly. After that M. Lioult and I went on a small tour of Deauville in which we saw the beach, the Hotel de Deauville (where the celebrities stay), the casino, and the Sunday market.
For lunch we drove to Honfleur, a beautiful city with the oldest wooden church in the world and a lovely port. We ate at a restaurant that apparently Queen Elizabeth II had visited at one point, according to a plaque on the wall! I had Normandie cider, mussels, and lamb with chocolate fondant for dessert. We also visited a place above the city with a mariner's chapel. Honfleur and Deauville are like little Disney villages. They're so clean, so expensive, and everyone's happy!
I'm still experiencing a lot of frustration, here... I can't for the life of me find French people to converse with in actual French. Weird, huh? They all just want to speak English! Even if I'm better at French than they are at English! Usually that's not the case, but when it is, it's even more aggravating!
The dinner was fabulous. We had appetizers, a salmon salad, duck, potatoes au gratin, winter veggies, a cheese plate, and a dessert plate with three different kinds of apple desserts. I sat next to Philippe Behuet, the president of the Jumelage. He and his wife are extremely friendly and charming. Philippe kept me entertained by telling me about the things he loves about America, which include: Cinnamon Pop-Tarts, Cracker Barrel at 6:00 AM, Wal-Mart late at night, White Castle, and Campbell's soup (which his wife wouldn't let him bring home). He was like a little kid, he was so excited when talking about it! He said that he brought back tons of cinnamon Pop Tarts and he and his wife eat one every other Sunday to make them last and last. It's rare to meet a French person who likes things about America other than NYC, California, our movies, and our TV... but why do they choose things like this to fall in love with?!
I had a large French breakfast at the Lioult's house yesterday morning. I think that because of our language barrier I communicated to them that I wanted way more food than I actually did. They had me carbo-loaded and stuffed with toast, some other sort of sweet bread, a croissant, marmalade, and a soft-boiled egg for which I summoned all of my training from watching Wooster & Jeeves in order to eat properly. After that M. Lioult and I went on a small tour of Deauville in which we saw the beach, the Hotel de Deauville (where the celebrities stay), the casino, and the Sunday market.
For lunch we drove to Honfleur, a beautiful city with the oldest wooden church in the world and a lovely port. We ate at a restaurant that apparently Queen Elizabeth II had visited at one point, according to a plaque on the wall! I had Normandie cider, mussels, and lamb with chocolate fondant for dessert. We also visited a place above the city with a mariner's chapel. Honfleur and Deauville are like little Disney villages. They're so clean, so expensive, and everyone's happy!
I'm still experiencing a lot of frustration, here... I can't for the life of me find French people to converse with in actual French. Weird, huh? They all just want to speak English! Even if I'm better at French than they are at English! Usually that's not the case, but when it is, it's even more aggravating!