la vie est belle en France

With the bags packed, all the oysters consumed and some delectable Jersey fudge bought, Sue, Guy and I left Jersey on April 6th by boat, destination: Le Chalet at the foothills of the Pyrenees. The ferry crossing was perfect; the sea was 'slight' and it felt like we were gliding on ice while we ate our sandwiches and crisps (chips).

Disembarking at St. Malo on the northwest coast of France, we zoomed off and covered about 500 km before stopping just outside Bordeaux where we overnighted. Continuing south early the next morning, we didn't stop until just outside Mirepoix where a bunch of student protesters were holding up traffic at the town's roundabout. They were protesting the new employment law that they claim gives them less job security and rights in the workforce. We were tired from driving all morning and just wanted to get to the supermarket to do our shopping. So we signed the petition and were eventually let through. At the store, we saw a few dozen students stocking up on the essential goods required for any mass protest: bags of crisps and crates of beer. Some customers were obviously angry by the holdup and had absolutely no sympathy for the students, throwing looks of disgust at them. Some were quite supportive and showed their enthusiasm by honking and hollering along. For me, it was strange to see about half a dozen police officers in their sunnies, hands on their hips, just watching the whole show and not doing a thing about it. I guess their only concern was that nothing too disruptive was happening. The French way perhaps but probably also the wisest.

Nestled just a few steps away from the quaint village of Courtauly, Le Chalet is surrounded by a picturesque scenery of forest, hills, mountains, all enveloped in tranquility and peace (pic 1). After nine months of non-use, Le Chalet was in remarkable condition and all we had to do was sweep out the flies, turn the water and gas on, unwrap the dishes, cut up a few slices of bread and cheese, uncork the wine bottles and in no time, we were dining on the porch in the glorious spring sunshine (pic 2). What's more, we were treated to a rare sighting of two deer and a fox, all within a couple of hours of arriving!

The next few days were spent exploring the area by car and foot. We hiked through La gorge de la Frau, up to Mont Segur Castle and through the narrow streets of Mirepoix market. We also visited the old Thornington camping spot when Matt was a boy and saw the towns of Toulouse, Carcasonne and Limoux. When not walking off our calories, we were consuming them by the bucketful. It really doesn't get much better than cheese, wine and bread. Delicieux!

Thrilled to be able to brush up on my French, I also got a chance to reconnect with my Canadian lumberjack roots which I thoroughly enjoyed (pic 3). What a rush to hit something so hard it breaks with a deafening snap, mind you it took several swings for me to chop my first log.

For our last supper, we went to Carcasonne and dined at a great restaurant in the castle city. We all had the traditional 'must-have' meal of the region: cassoulet (pic 4). Comprised of beans, sausages of Toulouse, a piece of duck confit cooked in its fat, pork, pork rinds, and duck or goose fat, everything is thrown together and then baked in a casserole to a glazed perfection. It's every bit as delicious as it looks and the only requirement is to a) be absolutely famished beforehand and b) ensure that after the hearty meal, you will be either riding alone or with others who love you unconditionally. Or just do what we did: make sure everyone eats the cassoulet so that no one person can get blamed for that umm.. strange smell.

Back home in HK again and already missing that fresh mountain air. We came back to discover mould growing all over my handmade leather shoes from Ghana and several of Matt's leather belts. The leak from the roof is still rotting away at the wall and Management has yet to come and fix it. People keep saying the Hong Kong summer is just around the corner. But two days ago I was wearing a woolen scarf to go out! And yesterday I was sweating in my t-shirt and shorts! So now it's back into our weekly routine of Ultimate Frisbee playing and nightly reality TV watching. Right now we're into The Amazing Race series. It fulfills the armchair traveller's itch for adrenalin and adventure, not that we've been lacking that lately. Already starting to plan for the next trip: first the World Cup in July and then hopefully a visit back to Canada in the fall, with a scattering of friends/relatives coming to visit us in between!