The Countryside according to Tammy

So, it seems that I am monopolizing this blog since all my friends are too busy flirting with all the cute French boys here. It's true. The boys are crazy, fun, amusing, good-looking for the most part, and very fast (if you catch my drift).

Today I spoke so much French, that I find myself naturally lapsing into it, which is a good thing. And I made a couple French language faux-pas that amused everyone quite a bit. "Produits du terroir" = product of terror.... no! And others.....

Now, about "les WC", it's true that it is an adventure in itself trying to figure out how to flush those things. They are not dirty; they are not non-existent. All the French that I have met are very clean and more modern than many Americans. They do take showers everyday. It's my friends from America who are too lazy to shower; ironically.

The countryside: just like how I imagined. The villages are so charming; life is slow; the air is fresh; the land is tranquil and rich; the landscape is all vineyards and red-roofed villages as far as the eye can see. The champagne here is very good--that cannot be overstated. (And I discovered that I'm quite the picky drinker!) I'm so glad that my first champagne tasting ( goûter de champagne) was in Champagne-Ardenne, France. How much more perfect can you get?! The cheese factory is not as good per se. Smelled and tasted weird. And the soil where we picnicked was white!!!!! Maybe that's good for champagne?

I also saw Renoir's studio and final resting place. He lived in a small village that is surrounded by beautiful landscapes and chateaus. There's a good reason for his genius. His hometown is full of artistic inspiration!

The French do eat a lot. And the food is very good. Everything is better; even the milk. Usually, I will not drink cow milk because it has a raw taste. But here.... not the case.Chocolate in the cereal. Crackers with chocolate. Everything is chocolate. All the food is rich and tasty, but not heavy. They even manage to jazz up Fanta and Schwepp's! They party a lot, but they dance in groups, not couples--which I find interesting, since France is the land of love.

The soccer game was fun. I had quite an experience buying a souvenir. I was communicating fine until the lady asked my size. I realized that I had never learned how to say "size small". My friend Annie and I kept saying "petite" "plus petite pour adultes". We all got so confused. The lady took out all the baby clothes she had. Cute, but not what I wanted. And Annie and I were totally lost about what to do. But thankfully, the ladies were nice and understanding. I love the people of Troyes! And no, Valenciennes won the soccer game, not Troyes. Oh well. I still saw a game of two of France's best teams.

I love Troyes! It is such a perfect city for French life. America is really inefficient, immobile, and so backwards compared to here. Ugly too... Even the Rockies and California don't compare. It's true: the French are right when they say that. And I am a pure-hearted American who loves America saying this. The people are wonderful--forget the stereotype. Please!

Okay that's all for now. Oh did you know that euros are so pretty!?!? Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm easily amused. :)