Monday, july 10, 2006

Arrival in France

Thursday we left definitively to France because we wanted to be ahead of the holiday rush. We left at two in the afternoon, much later then originally planned, because all sorts of things intervened as usual.

The bathroom

Originally we wanted to drive via Paris, but because of the traffic and rush hour we refrained from this. I set a rural detour via Gent, Mons, Reims, and so on. The view was astounding but the journey gave me the same feeling as if in a dream where you run but do not progress. After numerous detours and driving behind slow carts with hay or tree trunks we covered a distance of 233 miles (375 kilometer). At 21:00 we gave up. We took a lovely hotel in a hamlet east of Paris.

The living

My first encounter in the hotel was a cursing cook who chased a smoking dish in front of him. The green carpet on the floor was worn to the thread and everywhere there were wooden planks against the walls. The walk to our room caused a load of squeaking. The room was large and without my lenses I thought myself in a princesses room as Deirdre described. Apart from the toilet, which flooded after pressing a mysterious white button on the rear till the turds almost floated over the rim and then unexpectedly slurped down the whole content with enormous force. Burp.

On friday night we arrived at two o'clock at our apartment in Espalion. The apartment turned out to be much better then I originally expected, tidy, well maintained, nice color on the walls, but packed. Around four we finally went to sleep.

It is strange to be here and think you will never return. It seems like holidays, but that it is not. One moment I am thrilled that our dreamed of life is within our reach, the other moment I'm intensely sad about all we left behind.

Due to a injury at my right knee, I have experienced and looked at the French live mostly from the inside. And so I have learned that the French pass a great share of their lives in utter darkness. I even see houses where the shutters never open. And why not if your blessed day in and day out with sunshine. It is to keep the heat outside, and it works! I must say, living like a mole agrees upon me, no more house with light from all sides, we will keep the shutters nice and tight.

The view with shutters closed

posted by Ruud at 11:45 PM

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