It's strange to think that, a few months before the CELTA, I randomly picked Lise and Christophe off of a list of possible housing choices. They've turned out to be two of the most wonderful people I've met in France - genuine, easy-going, friendly, and curious; they turn simple outings like museum visits or walks along the Loire turn into lively adventures. At my request, they wholeheartedly agreed to put me through three days of French immersion boot camp. Lise's strong Alsatian accent presented the most difficulties for me, paired with her always-poetic prose, but my listening and speaking had become much more fluid by the time I left Wednesday. French grammar has been coming back to me quickly, but vocabulary is a different story; I've been collecting new and forgotten words in a notebook. I've gained some interesting and technical words from visits to museums and churches. Lise and I had an excellent time trying to use some of these words in conversation after she helped me to understand the definition:
un plat à barbe - shaving plate
les voûtes en berceau - a type of arches often found in Roman and Gothic churches
truculent - eccentric, colorful, original (as in a personality)
La Faïence |
View from the apartment; Palais ducal de Nevers |
Also well worth a visit is la Cathédrale Saint-Cyr-et-Sainte-Julitte, to continue with my theme of beautiful buildings that were destroyed in wars and are still undergoing restoration. In the summer of 1944, the cathedral was accidentally hit and almost completely destroyed by an overnight airstrike. Most of les vitraux (stained glass windows) have now been replaced by four different artists, and the result is absolutely stunning if you visit mid- to late-afternoon.
The best part of Nevers was spending time chez Lise et Christophe et leur chat (their cat) Vodka, who's grumpy as ever and still hates me. Lise cooked excellent meals; she even made delicious escargots for me when I said I'd never tried them. (It took me a few tries to get the technique down - I accidentally flung one poor escargot across the room, like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman - but I perfected my skills!) There's a jazz festival in Nevers in November, and I'm hoping to visit again then - there's a train connection between Nantes and Nevers in the city of Tours, so I can travel between the towns without sprinting through Paris. And Christophe insists I have to try frog legs next time.
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