thu, 11 March 2004 Metropole Paris 9.1O/11 – Monday, 1–8 Mar <h3>Number 9.1O/11:– Monday, 1–8 March</a> <!-- the below lines check to see if 'print' has been called. Then it inserts the correct link into the right of the navbar. Notice the second line of 'echo $_SERVER' code - and notice the '?media=print' after it. When you are in 'screen' version, this is the link that will be displayed - and this is where the 'print' call is sent to this page. If it is already 'print', no '?media=print' is inserted into the URL, telling the php to compile a 'normal page' -->
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<p><img src="horzline.jpg" alt="horz line" align="middle"
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<h2 class="c3">On the Road</h2><img src="life910a.jpg" alt="photo: ducal palace, nevers" align="middle" height="220"
width="330" />
<div class="c1">
<p class="c4">The Ducal Palace in Nevers is not a
B&B.</p>
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<h3 class="c5">Paris Life – No 4O</h3>
<div class="c1">
<p>by Laurel Avery</p>
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<p class="noindent"><b>In France:– Saturday, 14. February
2004:–</b> Dimitri and I left Saint–Marcel with
the intention of returning to Paris slowly over the next
three days, so as to enjoy a leisurely ride through the
wonderful little towns that make France so enchanting.</p>
<p>We stopped for lunch at a place advertising their plat
du jour for 10€. This seemed reasonable, so we stopped
in. The 'plat du jour' turned out to be four courses,
including coffee. The total bill for lunch for two people,
including a pitcher of wine came to all of 22,50€.
"Dorothy, I don't think we're in Paris any more."</p>
<p>I had driven along similar narrow two–lane country
roads before, but invariably would come<img src="life910b.jpg" alt="photo: gilded boot, auxerre" align="left" height="235" width="170" vspace="2" hspace="5" />
across a slow–moving vehicle that obliged me to pass
it, which on a small road with blind curves made for a
somewhat stressful drive.</p>
<p>No such problems with our 2CV! We were, with the
exception of one gargantuan tractor we came across, the
slowest vehicle on the road, so there was almost never a
car right in front of us unless it had just passed
us.</p><i>Sight for Dimitri's sore eyes – a gilded
boot.</i>
<p>After a number of hours on the road we decided to stop
for the night at a place that advertised 'chambres
d'hôtes.' These are usually rooms in a private home,
where you can have a decent bed and breakfast the next
morning for a reasonable price. The one we found was on the
outskirts of the town of Nérondes.</p>
<p>Our hostess suggested a couple of places we could eat
that evening – one a few kilometres to the west, and
the other being in the town of Nérondes. But, she
warned us, the one outside of town only served dinner until
about 19:00, so we had to get there soon. Dinner no later
than 19:00? In Paris you're still practically digesting
lunch at that hour.</p>
<p>So, though we quickly got in the 2CV and tried to find
the place our hostess described, we found nothing but
tightly–shuttered houses in the direction she
indicated. Then we turned around and decided to try the
place she mentioned in Nérondes.</p>
<p>Nérondes on a Friday night is about as lively as
Chernobyl after the meltdown. The restaurant our hostess
mentioned was closed for renovations – of course!
– and the only places open were the PMU, one bar, and
a take–away pizza truck.</p>
<p>The streets were practically deserted, and the only
indication of life came from the windows of a dance studio
where we could watch a dozen women clad in leotards and
tights, rehearsing for a performance.</p>
<p>It being way past our usual afternoon aperitif time, we
decided to first check out the little bar and see if they
had any advice as to where we could find something to
eat.</p>
<p>The bar was called the 'Jubilee,' and was not much
larger than my living room. It was dark and decorated in
70's<img src="life910d.jpg" alt="photo: tour d'horloge, auxerre" align="right" height="225"
width="180" vspace="2" hspace="5" /> kitsch style with a
genuine thatched–hut overhang above the bar. The only
patrons were three guys standing at the counter. But it was
a friendly place and a glass of vin rouge cost just a
little over one euro.</p><i>The Tour d'Horloge in
Auxerre.</i>
<p>The owners, a friendly husband and wife, could not think
of any place open that evening for dinner. Luckily, with
our options severely limited, we noticed that the pizza
truck was still in operation, so we asked the owner if he
would be willing to sell us a bottle of Côtes du
Rhône, which he did, and ordered a 'Napolitana.' With
our pizza hot out of the oven, we returned to our chambre
d'hôte and had a lovely improvised picnic of pizza
and red wine. It was truly wonderful.</p>
<p>On Saturday morning after leaving Nérondes we
stopped in the city of Nevers to pick up a few tasty items
at the outdoor marché for a picnic lunch. We parked
in front of the Ducal Palace, a stunning example of 15th
century architecture.</p>
<p>There was a couple having their photo taken on the
steps, having just been married. Another couple appeared
soon after, then behind them yet another.</p>
<p>I thought this a bit odd, even for a Saturday when
people traditionally get married. Then I remembered that it
was Valentine's Day. The whole city was filled with the
sound of honking horns, and I wondered how many marriages
must have been taking place throughout France that day.</p>
<p>We bought a few items for a picnic and set out of town
in search of a bucolic spot along a quiet country road.
There are quite a few official 'pique–nique' areas
throughout France, as people often pull off to the side of
the road as the noon hour approaches to enjoy a pleasant
lunch. If you want to make quick driving progress through
France, the best hours to do it are often between noon and
two, when everyone, including truck drivers, seems to pull
off the road to eat.</p>
<p>In the midst of enjoying our roast chicken and
chèvre with pears, a hunter wandered by, rifle at
his side and wished us 'bon appétit.' Another couple
came by a short time later and wished us the same thing.
It's one of those little niceties that still exist here.
The couple was carrying a large bucket, and they were going
escargot–hunting.</p>
<p>The image of anyone 'hunting' an escargot is hilarious.
Do the hunters carry tiny guns? And they have to be sure to
keep a keen eye on their prey or those wily escargot just
might get away with their lightning–quick speed!</p>
<p>We decided to stop for the night in the city of Auxerre.
Yet another charming medieval town. I was beginning to get
them all confused. This one was larger than the others we
had seen on the trip, and featured many architectural
beauties.</p>
<p>The old gateway to the city is called the Tour d'Horloge
due to its large 15th–century painted and gilded
clock. Its narrow, twisting streets were surrounded by
quite a few ancient timber–framed houses that still
maintained their original wood beams, often elaborately
carved with vine patterns or fantastic creatures.</p>
<p>We found a hotel, then walked around looking for a
likely place to have dinner. Unfortunately, Valentine's Day
is not a good evening to look for something to eat if you
intend to have anything better than McDonald's.</p>
<p>Every restaurant we went into was fully booked. Being
tired, hungry, and sick of walking all over town in search
of a place, we decided to make a reservation for 22:00 at a
seafood restaurant<img src="life910c.jpg" alt="photo: no people, just grass" align="left" height="170"
width="240" vspace="2" hspace="5" /> that was just around
the corner from the hotel.</p>
<p>Our table was waiting at the appointed hour, and though
I nearly fell asleep in my plateau de fruits de mer, it was
absolutely delicious, and well worth the
wait.</p><i>Between towns – lots of air and green
stuff.</i>
<p>The next morning we headed back to Paris, taking the
small roads the whole way. We arrived in the city greeted
by an uncustomary lack of traffic, and realized this was a
winter holiday week in France and most of the usual traffic
jams were now taking place in the Alps instead of
Paris.</p>
<p>Altogether a wonderful trip to 'la vraie France.' After
it, like other Parisians, one day I hope to have a little
place in the country myself.</p>
<div class="c1">
<p class="c2">Text & photos, Laurel Avery ©
2004</p>
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