December 27 & 28

December 27, 2009
We got home from Benoit and Marise’s and after I went to bed for a couple hours, I awoke and my mom and Dany were in the same spot they were when I left to go nap. It’s unbelievable how much they can talk. Outrageous. I drank a cup of tea, took my daily walk down to the end of the street to see the donkeys and came back and played around on the internet a bit. I have 5 days from January 5-9 where I’m on my own and want to go skiing, so did some researching. Decided I was going to go to Chamonix, so tried to find some hotels. Finally found a couple and then it was time for dinner. Dany promised me we would have a light dinner. I guess relative to the rest, it was light:

Appetizer: Nothing
Starter: Last of the Pate
Starter: Marinated Mackerel with Bread and Butter
Entrée: Scalloped Potatoes with onions, butter, crème fraishe, and a block of cheese I had never heard of.
Salad: Arugula with vinaigrette
Cheese: Only Camembert this time (although there were others to choose from)
Dessert: Chocolate yogurt & apple

It was delicious, but not exactly light. There was literally a block of cheese sitting in my stomach. Notice that to Dany and the rest of the family, potatoes are considered a vegetable, so you are technically eating healthy. However, the difference being that all of these foods are from local farmers so guaranteed organic. I’m literally eating my way through the farm towns of France. It’s delicious but thank goodness it’s not forever. I don’t get how they do it. They are all so skinny and energetic. I can barely get off the chair to go to the bathroom.

Throughout all of this, I’ve barely gotten out of my pajamas. I’m in sweats, Uggs and my glasses all day long. I haven’t turned on my blackberry since I left and I haven’t watched one bit of TV. Meanwhile, I hear there was another attack on an airplane, which I completely missed. Should be fun coming back home. Are we going to have to board airplanes naked now? Idiots.

We finally turned the TV on as we are all planning to go to Paris on Tuesday the 29th and wanted to hear the latest news on the trains, which are still not working, and got up to date. I decided it was time to get back to technology and see what the world is up to so am now fully connected. I’m still in sweats and my glasses though. I’ll milk that as long as I can. J

December 28
Woke up again today at 11:15. So nice! It’s so quiet and so dark, I’m pretty sure I could sleep there a lot longer, but mom wakes me up so I can join the family for the second half of the day. I have my coffee. We talk again about how I can sleep forever and we start getting ready for lunch. My uncle, Remy, is a man of habit and cannot skip a meal. He needs all courses for lunch and dinner, so Aunt Dany is ready everyday his daily grub. I’m actually excited about today’s lunch as it’s one of my favorites.

Starter: Marinated Mackerel with Bread and Butter
Entrée: Oeuffs a la Coc (Fresh eggs poached, but still in the shell) & sautéed green beans
Salad: Arugula with vinaigretteCheese: Camembert
Dessert: Apple
Truffles: Everything we have in the house

Although this was arguable the lightest lunch, it took the longest. I look at the clock and realize it’s past 3pm. We have sat at the table for over 3 hours talking. About what? I have no idea. I finally get up and take my daily walk down the street. This time I actually see quite a bit of people on the street, which freaks me out a bit. My donkeys aren’t there and I return back to the house and book my hotel in Chamonix. I’ll be there January 5-8. I cannot wait!

We go to my cousin Caroline’s house for dinner tonight and she makes us:

Appetizer: Sausages, Crackers, Chips
Starter: none!! THANK GOD
Entrée: Lamb Curry with steamed potatoes (of course)
Salad: Green salad with vinaigrette
Cheese: Camembert (delicious. I had 2 servings!)
Dessert: Homemade Chocolate mouse and chocolate dipped marshmallows. Such a big helping, I didn’t finish
Truffles: Handmade by her husband Johan’s father
Champagne.

One thing I haven’t listed here is the beverages. Although there is a bottle of water on the table, only about half the bottle is gone after each meal. There are more bottles of wine consumed during all of these meals – lunch and dinner. Between my mom, my uncle Remy and me, we easily go through a bottle, if not a bottle and a half each meal. Wine is water here and I love it. It’s smooth table wine that you can’t find anywhere in the states and costs only about 3 Euros a bottle. The kind I’ve liked the most so far is the Cuvee Jean Baptiste which is a mixture of Syrah and Pinot Noir made in Pays D’Oc. Not a fancy wine by any means, but a delicious fruity smooth wine that easily goes with everything. Lately, champagne has also been a staple at every meal. I have no complaints.

Tomorrow, my mom, aunt Dany and cousin Caroline and I are all going to Paris for the day. I’m then staying the night there with my cousin Valentin and his girlfriend Camille until Wednesday night. Although I love the countryside, I’m really excited to get back to city life and see some people and cars. I’m going to need to get out of my sweats though, which is going to be the hardest part. ;-)