Southern Postmortem

To begin with, a round of applause please, as last night was the first I did not imbibe any alcohol in approximately three weeks... However, this was mainly due to the fact that I was trapped in a car beside two bickering teenagers and trying desperately not to throw myself out of a moving vehicle for 8 hours... To be fair, it may have been one of the first times I feel alcohol would have been supremely justified...

That being said, a bientoooooooooot le sud de la France!!! I am now currently back in the north with the family I have been staying with these past three weeks. Their home, charming and small, is located in the tiny village of Toul, not far from Nancy. As they say whilst oh so full of mocking, " Toul is Cool" or "Toul is Wonderful" meaning there is pretty much nothing to do at all. However, for the first time I am able to have consistent wifi for a couple of days and perhaps finally overcome my chronically bad technological karma. As I mentioned to a friend the other day, I must have some anti-technology gene lately, like anti-matter or something. Inconsistent wifi, no internet on my phone, a failing laptop to begin with that now has no functioning keyboard, and continual issues figuring out how to use my iPad correctly...

But I digress... Here are my final thoughts on the south for now... I never stepped foot in any of the big southern cities I had actually heard of before, aka Cannes, Nice (technically I stepped foot there in the airport), St Tropez, Montpellier, etc... I did, however, see beautiful landscapes, quaint villages, stunning mountains, serene lakes, and had obscene amounts of home-cooked French food accompanied by wine. I tried foods I never would have attempted to eat in past, and I possibly turned my bloodstream into pure rosé. I experienced a great deal of real French culture, though as I mentioned, I take total consideration of the fact that this was a French family on holiday... More time spent together can lead to more bickering, more annoyance, and more tempers flaring. But it also meant I heard more French language, realized why Americans SHOULD be jealous of the French's ability to enjoy rest and relaxation, and was even forced to accept some of that myself. This was my first trip to the south of France, but will not in any remote way be my last...

The final city I visited was called Menton, where we spent the day with some of my host's extended family, who were amazingly kind and welcoming people. We indulged in a deliciously heavy lunch and dinner at their beautiful apartment, and I got to see some of this exquisite seaside city... I'm sorry, but I think I do look rather darn fetching in front of the deep cerulean blue backdrop...