Return from the old countries

Posted on June 19, 2009

It’s been three days since I’ve returned to Montreal. To be honest, I’ve been pretty ill ever since, which is my excuse for slacking off on the blog. The good thing about this (though there were several BAD things about this illness) is that it has allowed me to slowly immerse myself back into my homely environment in Petite Patrie. While I was bedridden (and toiletridden – I’ll leave out any other unfortunate and certainly unwanted details) I got to watch a lot of shitty TV shows. One of them that particularly hit me was Des kiwis et des hommes, which is actually a pretty bad show with a few excellent qualities. As it turns out, it’s shot live right here in my neighbourhood, at the Jean-Talon Market. One of the things that caught my attention is that they go out to the vendors, have chats with them about their productions and make recipes with what they find right there. After having been to France, let me tell you that I was pretty reluctant to admit that any food could be as good anywhere else as it was over there, BUT, apparently, our two countries do have common interests for good food that is well made in a respectable and traditional manner. Montreal is certainly the best place in Quebec to access some of the best foods out there without being on the actual farms. Why it’s so great is for the variety of things we have access to here… quality, certainly isn’t the same as the food found in the Lot, but that, I will judge as time goes by.

So my travels over the last 8 weeks have taken me to Spain, Southern France, Germany and England… what to say about all of that. There is so much to say, and photos can’t say it all. Barcelona was wonderful. Julie and me had a wonderful time discovering the city and the surrounding regions. One of the wonderful things about Barcelona is its transit system, which is top notch. It’s child’s play to get anywhere and very affordable at that. Within a week, we managed to discover some of it’s most noted landmarks and barri (neighbourhoods). It was also wonderful to meet three young American travelers with whom we randomly walked around in search of places to eat. Girona was fabulous and so was Sitges, two neighbouring towns filled with charm and beauty at every glance.

After that there was France. While I was there, I was lucky enough to be accompanied by two wonderful gentlemen: Alain whom I met during his 1 1/2 year in Montreal but is from Cahors and has been my best friend since then, and Vincent who took over when Alain had to get some work done, which turned out to account for most of my days in the Lot. I was also introduced to the lovely Ninon who welcomed us into her home for our late night dinners and hosted me for a few nights when I returned to Cahors last weekend.

Alain met me in Barcelona on the day of Julie’s departure and we spent a few days there before heading to Toulouse. Since he did his studies there, he knows the city pretty well and told me a bunch of the history of the places he took me to. Stories and Histories was my favorite way to discover the places I visited. Toulouse was quite pretty and I enjoyed spending time there with my friend, discovering his world I’d heard so much about. Actually, the word “enjoyed” is quite the understatement seeing as I was absolutely ecstatic nearing the point of delirium. I tried to absorb every moment, every smell, every taste, all the while avoiding dog poop (the cliche is true my friends). Every ounce of food and beverage vibrated an intense happiness that was felt everywhere in my body.

A few days later, we headed to The Lot (pronounced in French as “lotte”), where his grandmother welcomed us at the train station to take us to his home where his mother was preparing for the feast. I think I’ve described some of this previously so I’ll just skip right along to some memories that have marked my visit to the region of Cahors.Wineries and vineyards surround the town and were parts of my introductory day trip with Vincent. I was lucky enough to have a very intelligent and knowledgeable guide who took infinite pleasure into making me discover the riches of his homeland. Therefore, not only did I see a lot, but I learned a bunch while I was at it. Then came old Cahors, which I revisited profusely when I returned on the back end of my trip. To be honest, it’s not the things we did that can be put into words and transferred to you readers within a few words… its the people I met, the conversations, the silences, the comfort I found there that really made this stay absolutely sublime. This is a place where I could definitely consider living… and the rest of the memories are ingrained in my heart, and still come back to haunt me on a regular basis.

Germany was nice, fun, but definitely a culture shock I did not expect. After feasting in France for over a week, I found myself confronted with menus I did not understand a word of, and found out that most of their food consists of sausages and vegetables marinated in vinegar. What about the beer you say? Well the beer was nice. Tasty. The architecture? Since everything was pretty much destroyed during the war, it all was rebuilt, which makes most of it pretty much younger than most of what we have here in Canada. Still though, I must admit that it was rebuilt in such a way to keep things grand though simple. One of my favorite things about Munich was the fact that it is a city built for cyclists. There are literally bike paths everywhere. I had a fabulous time biking through it though it took me a while to figure out where I was going. The trains were also pretty easy to figure out though the language barrier certainly made things a bit harder for me since my brain found no recognition whatsoever in the words it was seeing on signs and such. It was a worthwhile experience, though certainly not a place where I would consider living.

Next stop was England, where I was visiting my friend Mike for two weeks. The journey began in Seighford, a village near Stafford in the English Midlands. As I expected, everything there is GREEN, oh so green. The scenery is lush and in every field there are either cows of sheep. It was absolutely lovely for a country lover like yours truly. I was welcomed at Cooksland Hall for a week where I was shown a warm welcome by my friend, his parents, Tango the dog and Molly the horse. Since I was there for a while, I will say this, England is the land of debauchery… at least for me it was. They serve some excellent bitter beers over there and some of the most delectable Scotch Whiskeys. When in France, you indulge in the food, and in England you indulge in the fabulous alcoholic drinks they have to offer. Life was mellow out there in the country and so it was on the Riviera town of Torquay during my second week. Mike and I ventured to Yorkshire for a weekend, where we flew a kite, drank Pimms and walked around a set of reservoirs in the moors. It appears everywhere I went I made friends with animals: cows, horses, sheep, dogs and especially cats. Good times. I ventured off to Birmingham one day and walked around the city. I also got a good amount of sun on my skin, which is unusual for someone to get over a two-week stay in England. Mike and I also found a great pub near the house where we went several times, the last of which I beat the pool champion at his own game. That one was for Acadia my friend! ha!

Now that I’m back and still jet lagged after 3 days on the continent, I reminisce on things that I’ve lived over the last 8 weeks. Like Alain has told me, the trip does not end once you get back home. It takes a while to get the voyage out of your system. Now that I’m living it, I sincerely believe it. I’m back as a slightly different me… and for the better I think. I am now forced to rediscover my own home. Get back in touch with my life, not as a wanderer but as someone who knows more now than she did when she left.

Anyway. I feel I’ve written enough for today, and you’ve probably read enough as well. I will keep writing on the subject until the well runs dry. One last thing is so very important for me to mention before I close this one off, the many thanks I have to make: Merci à Julie pour m’avoir permis de faire ce voyage merveilleux et pour ta compagnie en tant que partenaire de voyage épatante! bravo! on a fait une excellent équipe tous les deux; Thanks to Man-get, Brad and Chris for befirending us and helping us discover more of Barcelona than we would’ve without you (double thanks to Chris for hosting me in Munich); Les merci les plus profonds et sincères à Alain, Vincent, Imogen et Ninon qui m’on fait découvrir la mère-patrie que j’aime passionément-à-la-folie; and kind thanks to Mike and his family as well as Bridges and Parker for showing me a fabulous time alongside the warmest welcome in the UK.