Is it possible to write about France and not talk about the food? Much more plastic conscious than ever before, I didn't buy any of the little cups of fruit yoghurt, or the chocolate mousse at the supermarkets, or anything that stood there on the stands in single-use plastic. But staying in a French family brings so much to the table that I missed nothing!I've written before about being what I once called 'impure veg'. I do eat meat, yes, once in a while. But I rarely - if at all - choose to eat meat. When I was younger, I was keen on eating everything; I tried hard to fit in. Now, I continue to try to taste everything, but I don't push myself to do so - no FOMO anymore!In Europe, my favourite meal, I realise, is breakfast. When our French friends came here, they commented, "Indian breakfast is typically savoury; how lovely!" A savoury breakfast is possible in France, of course, … [Read more...]
Chartres
I visited Chartres last about ten years ago. When I told my French family that, they were concerned. Would I like to go to the same place again? Should we try to do something else instead? Was there something else I had in mind?I shook my head. I remembered how struck I was by the grandeur of the cathedral and I knew I would love to go again. The problem, always, is that the memory retains so little. Or maybe it isn't a problem. It allows us to experience things afresh, almost as if it is for the first time, with just a warm sense of familiarity that adds to the experience rather than taking away from it.From my previous visit, I remembered only the cathedral, not the beautiful town or the typical crisscross architecture of so many of its buildings. I didn't remember shop-signs tucked away into corners or beauty on the pavements on which we walked. This time, just like at … [Read more...]