So recently I've been called out by a few people who will remain nameless on the lack of updates on my page. So here's to the nameless ones...I hope you are happy.
I'm gonna have to do a lot of backtracking as this last month has been quite full. So beg pardon for the lack of chronological order.
As I write this I am sitting on my bed (which is actually a click-clack..aka..a futon) in the living room. No complaints here its actually quite comfortable. Autumn is in full swing as the leaves are changing and winter is a comin' at a rapid pace. The drop in temperature results in me swaddled in blankets at all available moments and when I leave the house I simply use the smaller more fashionable blankets....pashminas and scarves. I must confess putting on a scarf makes me feel more European. Dont know why...it just does. Wait til I whip out the berets...there will be no stopping me. just cause I know you are dying to ask...no I have NOT seen anyone in a beret. I mean zero. zilch. nada....so get that cute lil idea out of your head that all frenchies walk around in those crooked caps. They dont.
Now to return to your good graces I will confirm some of the rumors regarding the French. They do in fact sit at cafes for HOURS sipping their cafe cremes, reading, and simply enjoying the day. They do no like to rush, for anything. Lunch breaks are at a minimum 2 hours. Dinner doesn't begin til 8, at the earliest and it can last hours. I've begun running on French time which means you show up 15 min late. Tis quite normal and not considered rude like it is the states. So this is your warning for my return stateside. I'll probably be late. You can just chalk it up to another one of those cute little European nuisances I'll come back with. Here's hoping an accent is included in the list.
France has a slower lifestyle that I adore. The luxurious afternoons spent in the cafes, the strolls through the markets, the daily trips to the boulangerie or patisserie to shop. I sit and eat my gelato at my fav place (giovanni's of course) and people watch on the Cours Mirabeau ( the main drag in town). I take a deep breath in and for a moment I am transported to another time and place...a different world that is not filled with the confines of a daily to-do list and clock by which you are constantly reminded of being in a hurry to make your next appointment.
For me to live in France is to stroll the boulevard on a saturday morning, watching the families pass by- the young ones chattering away and pointing at the streetwares, the old couple still strolling along - holding hands ignorant of their slower pace, the young couple in love - simply standing in an embrace - completely unashamed. The smell of fresh baguettes, croissants, and coffee. The boulevard punctuated with the colors of the changing leaves, the sounds of the fountains, the bright scarves, and the ever abundant "bonjour"; all of which is witness to the soundtrack of the same french tune of the same accordion man who plays every saturday morning.
