France 2014

[aggienaut]

For the many new friends from the_lj_revival: I've been slowly posting a memoir I'd been working on of my travels in the 2011-2021 decade (which I'd also been slowly working on at the same pace though I recently finished it in a marathon frenzy, though leaving some gaps). Heck if you want to start at the beginning or read the whoel thing through certainly be my guest

But as to where we're currently at in posting it here, I'd just traveled from Guinea, West Africa, to Sweden, where I spent two weeks on a 18th century sailing ship, and now arrive in France for essentially the first time:

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July 25th, 2014, France, 20:00 – It’s my first time in France, will I experience the famous French rudeness? I’ve spent the last ten days volunteering on a replica 18th century sailing ship in Sweden, and my health is feeling much improved. I’m at the d’Orsey airport on the outskirts of Paris, and need to be in the town of Clermont-Ferrand in the middle of the country by the following afternoon. Recall when I first arrived in Brisbane, Australia, I had a French roommate, and when I left that apartment a gorgeous Brazilian girl had taken my place – at the time I was in a hurry to get the deal agreed to before they fell out with each-other but as it happens now, 16 months later, I am on my way to their wedding.
   The man selling tickets to the light rail is almost friendly. I board the subterranean train and at the very next stop a group of about eight young men and women in their mid twenties board, completely sauced, holding bottles of wine, loudly singing, and with a large penguin hat (it appeared be the ripped off head from a big plush penguin?). As there’s no empty seats and I’m standing in the middle holding the pole, I am essentially engulfed by this mobile party. One of them, a pretty brunette with green eyes says something to me in French and puts the penguin hat on my head. Welcome to France, maybe it’s not so bad!
   After a few stops I have to transfer to another line, and the roving party moves with me, apparently making the same transfer. When she wasn't busy singing I ask the green eyed girl what they were celebrating. Turns out they are all former flatmates but they are all moving out so this is their last hoorah together. They are all friendly and eager to (drunkenly) try to speak to me in English, inviting me to come out with them, but as I have all my luggage with me, it would be a bit awkward hitting the town with roller luggage, I must regretfully decline. Altogether a nice amusing and friendly welcome to France though.

Saturday, July 26th - Hotel is just across the street from the train station at least, so after a complimentary breakfast that is actually good (in wild contrast to the traditional American hotel breakfast) I trot across the street with half an hour to spare to catch the 7:00 train. Easy peasy. I navigate through the automated ticket dispenser without too much despair ... and then it wants me to insert a credit card, but American credit cards still only have magnetic strips, not the electronic chip the rest of the world has already transitioned to. Card readers in the rest of the world can't read our neanderthal cards. I have euros in cash but it won't accept cash. So I have to wait in the long line to talk to the human ticket salespersons. The line is full of foreigners and old people and moves slow like molasses .... and I miss the 0700 train. There is, however, a 0900 train they could sell me a ticket to. This would get me to Riom outside Clermont Ferrand around 11:00. Matt had told me to show up for the wedding at noon on this day. I'd tried to give myself a 24 hour buffer, but after missing my original flight out of Sweden and the 7:00 train, I’ll be arriving with only an hour to spare!

   The trainride is nice, the beautiful French countryside rolls past out the window. Farms and quaint towns of houses all huddled together medieval style, topped by a church spire. The occasional castle. Rivers with roman bridges. I still have one last source of stress though: I'd be getting off at Riom, a small town nearest to Matt's village (Enval), and he said I was to call him when I arrived -- but my phone (which I generally avoid using if I can at all help it, to avoid outrageous international charges) for some reason can't get through to his number. As we roll along I have visions of missing his wedding after traveling 99% of the way there, stuck in a neighboring town!
   Finally I get my phone out and unclick "disable mobile data," thus exposing myself to truly outrageous international data usage charges, and facebook message him. I fret that he'll be too busy getting ready for his wedding to notice a facebook message though. Fifteen minutes before my arrival though he writes back, saying he is coming to get me!

   The village of Enval is just six kilometers from Riom. Matt takes me to a nice little hotel where his other out-of-town guests are staying. It turns out the wedding isn't actually beginning until around 3:00 so I have enough time to rest and have lunch.
   The dining area of the hotel is disproportionately large, it evidently serves as a restaurant for more than just the few hotel guests. I’m directed to a table, and a carafe of wine shows up unsolicited, the way they bring water in America (there was also a carafe of water). The staff have to hunt down the one person who speaks English, who may be the owner, to come take my order. There is a choice of one of just three main dishes (turkey, fish, and beef, though the full descriptions in French sound very gourmet), which they will bring out once I’m done helping myself to the salad bar for an appetizer. I order the beef-with-mushroom-sauce dish and go to load my plate with the varied and interesting things at the salad bar. This isn't the salad bar from an American family-friendly chain with bright lights and sneeze guards mind you, there are all sorts of strange French things I don't know the name of. Most memorable is something I thought was mashed potatoes but it tastes like it is somehow almost entirely mayonnaise. The main dish comes out on cue when I've finished my plate (sans the mayonnaise stuff which I just can't stomach), and then there’s even dessert (some kind of cheesecakey thing)! All in all it’s a fun and delicious dining experience and only comes out to like €10, which is shockingly low.



   At an American wedding there is usually a table near the entry for depositing wedding gifts. It turns out this is not the case at French weddings. And therefore, I am left awkwardly holding this giant wooden spork from Africa I had intended to give them as a wedding gift. Finally after the ceremony in a public building in the quaint village of Enval I’m able to foist the spork into Matt’s hands. Then we all proceed to the great hall of a nearby castle (Château de Chazeron) for a five course meal and drinking until the wine runs out at 4am.

Sunday, July 27th - One last travel panic! I had planned to take a taxi back to Riom this afternoon, I had plenty of time and everything was in hand … until I tried to actually book a taxi. There are literally no taxis operating out here in the countryside on a Sunday!
   I consult the hotel proprietor about my plight, and even though he is the only one on staff at the moment he volunteers to drive me to the train station. Altogether my brief experience of France has been very friendly and pleasant.
   Soon I’m flying through the troposphere across the Atlantic, back to the states. I have a ship to catch in three days after all.

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Perhaps a bit inconsequential, I'd even thought about skipping it entirely, as the focus is more travel in Africa, but I'm telling myself there's merit in some travels in Europe for comparison, and so many people say people are rude in France I feel like my experience of people being really kind there is a counter-argument to that travel meme that has merit.

(original entry on the above events)