An eventful weekend

Where to start. I knew we had a full weekend plan, but I had no idea it would turn out as fun and as eventful as it did.

Thursday

Yes, I know that, unless you're in college, Thursday is not part of the weekend. But I had to include it for a few reasons. First and foremost was because Thursday was my birthday. But it was also something very big in France. It was also the release date of the Beaujolais Nouveau. This is, without a doubt, one of the most successful marketing campaigns that I have ever witnessed. Forget Christmas, forget "Sweetest Day". This is pure genius. On the third Thursday of every November. The first wine made from the grapes of 2008 is released. You've heard expressions about "aging like fine wine". Well what does that say about wine that they let sit in the bottle for about 3 weeks before they pop the cork? Take the not so good stuff, ferment it long enough to make it alcoholic and then make a huge deal about being the first to taste this years vintage. This is the genius of this plan. If they didn't sell it in this manner they probably wouldn't sell it at all; because, after the good stuff is ready, which is just as cheap, no one would buy the other.

The good side for me was one huge birthday party. It felt good to know that virtually all of France was having a glass in my honor. (my version anyway)

It was also a good day because Dana took the afternoon off. We had an excellent lunch featuring some local standards similar to eating fondue. Good stuff for the colder weather. Then we hung out a little at the mall, which reminds me..... French people are tiny. Not necessarily short, but thin and tiny. The clothes, obviously, are made to fit these people. Had you asked me, I would have assumed this to be true, but I hadn't given it much thought. Then I tried to buy a shirt. The tag said, among other things, EU - XXL USA -XXL. Great, I thought. XXL here is the same as XXL at home. Negative on that. The sleeves fit fine and the length was acceptable. It was the "saran wrap" effect on the torso that I doubted would be considered fashionable. I'll be shopping for shirts online or when I return home. Nobody wants the other. Trust me.

Friday

The forecast for the evening was snow. Not a lot, not a big deal, except that I didn't have the tires for it. You see, they handle things differently over here. It doesn't snow enough in France for everyone to have all season tires all the time. If you want to drive in the snow you have to buy "special" tires and have them put on in the late fall. Not a huge deal except that they don't give these away. Quite expensive actually.

Luckily, my "car" guy called me at noon and said our tires were in if I wanted to get them put on before the snow tonight. Great, except that we, the kids and I, weren't free until 4:30 and had a party to go to in the evening (more later). But better than a fiery crash of the side of the mountain, so we said we'd be there for the "15 minute" job.

I was glad to find out that French mechanics keep time the same as American mechanics. 2 hours is a long time to occupy two small children in a tiny mechanic's office. Luckily for us French parties, even those with kids, don't start until 8:00. We made it home just in time to change and head to school, the location of our party, our Beaujolais Nouveau party.

Wait for it. That's right. A party, at the school, to try out the new aforementioned wine. It was also a fundraiser for their equivalent of the PTA, and it was great. But now matter how simple and benign it was, Dana and couldn't get past the wine at a school function part. Just a different culture. You'll be happy to know that even the French don't let the kids drink the wine, at least not at school.

While at the party Dana and I sat in the "anglophone" section; however, I actually spent almost as much time conversing in French. One conversation in particular was quite humorous. I met a gentleman that had recently moved his family to the Grenoble area from Paris. After it came out that I stayed with the kids while Dana worked he gave a very big "Ah-ha". Seems his wife had been giving him quite a hard time about him working too much lately. She had cited me as the "great" father that was always there to drop off the kids and pick them. I guess that it had never occurred to her that she had never seen my wife. He couldn't wait to set the record straight. He even asked me twice if he could go tell her right away. Although I was enjoying practing my French, I hated to disappoint him.

Saturday

A very normal day on the inside. Outside, it started snowing. Snow here is a different concept than back home. Apparently, we live very near the "snow line". When it snows, it most often snows above us and not below us. This was the exact case today. Most of our view is at our level and up, so we were a bit concerned about driving into town. Later that morning when we finally bundled up and headed out, we only had to drive a 1/4 mile down hill before we were almost completely out of it. It'll take some getting used to,but I think I like the idea. Snow that you can see and enjoy without having to drive through. In fact, I'm liking the weather more and more every day. Whithin the last week, temperatures back home have started to be colder than what they are here. Then sometime in late spring, it'll switch back.

Then in the evening Dana and I headed ot our favorite restaurant while a sitter came to stay at the house with the kids. I'm not sure who was more excited, Dana and I or the kids.

The name of the place is L'Auguste. Here's why we like it. It's classic French. It's not too expensive. It's delicious. It's unpretentious. And if you ever visit us and want to have a nice meal. The owner will speak English if you like.

Sunday

Started like every other Sunday. We headed to church and then to the market. It's great to be able to head to the market and pick up a great Sunday dinner. Really gotten used to the rotisserie chicken or duck along with some potatoes. We usually also pick up some fruit, cheese, and bread. I'm already putting markets first on the list of "things we will miss" when we head back to the States.


Then the afternoon. Ever seen one of those funny movies where someone goes to a tiny burg in Europe? Specifically the ones where they have a shot of the hero in his car unable to move because they are surrounded by sheep? It looks exactly like that and just as funny in real life. Remember the sheep living across the valley? Well the farmers had them on the move Sunday eveing. A couple hundred sheep moving down the middle of the road flanked by sheep dogs is quite a site, as is the condition of the road afterwards.