Talmont is one of Pam and Fred’s favorite places to spend an afternoon and it quickly became ours too, when we visited in February. A fact which will surprise no one: the village is a member of the Les Plus Beaux Villages de France (the most beautiful villages of France) association.
This time around, Bassac felt familiar and yet entirely different – this time we had the pleasure of being accompanied by my parents, of visiting with Pam and Fred and witnessing the astonishing transformation of France in bloom.
I’ve been thinking about favorite days in Europe now that we are almost half way through our trip. Here’s the little list I came up with:
In every town we’ve visited here in France there is a World War I memorial. These are the names of those killed in action, who were sent to war from that particular town.
The sun came out yesterday so we hopped in the car and drove to the coast, taking backroads through the countryside, weaving through miles and miles of patchwork fields, vineyards and small towns.
My mom, Barbara, recently visited us and it was delightful, to say the least. What a treat to experience this calming, picturesque place through my mom’s eyes for the first time.
Driving in France has turned out to be quite easy, and a great way to see the vast countryside. For a country of modest proportion, it is enviably diverse in landscape and cuisine.
The differences in privacy between cultures probably has a lot to do with climate and adjacency to one’s neighbor, but regarding France in particular, homes and shutters are part of the French culture’s intuitive sense of what’s intimate vs. what’s public.
I’d hate to be the car that is confidently driving down the street one minute and wedged between two homes the next, although I’d love to be the amused bystander.
Traveling in a foreign country where you don’t speak the language is a guaranteed roller coaster of emotions – giddy excitement at all the newness and possibilities paired with nagging insecurity and alienation; the pride of someone mistaking you for a local met with sheer terror that they will try engage you in conversation.
Adam and Molly Go 