I know that by now it is over and done with - the Rugby World Cup, but our trip to Paris for the Final is worth noting.
David, Laura and I went up to Paris for the match - to watch it on the big screen at the Eiffel Tower. What a great night it was, even though we lost. The day England played France in the semi-final we were doing our maize silage, and it was a gritty day to say the least. We all worked hard, and I said to Laura that if England we would go to Paris next week! I've said so many times "wish we'd been there" and so many times through work have let the kids down, that this time I thought "sod it, we'll go". And go we did.
David said "we''ll take a picnic and some wine and champagne, and something to sit on". Bags duly packed off we went. It's a 4 hour drive from where we live, and we arrived about 5 p.m., parked at the Parc de Princes and set off towards the Eiffel Tower with our bags! By the time we arrived there I was like Quasi Modo - Laura got fed up carrying her bag, so I applied the 2-bucket theory - you're balanced with 2 bags/buckets. Nevermind, they should be lighter on the way back - food eaten, wine and champagne consumed!
It was a cold afternoon, but thinking ahead (as you might say) I picked up Thomas's (my son) Leicester Tigers jester's hat (the one with bells on!). I was glad I did, not only because it was warm but we met some fellow Tiger's supporters from Liecestershire, and watched from their park bench. Sadly the match is history - but watching England tackle Chabal on the big screen was something else. We all decided not to let the champagne go to waste - the others had some too, and we produced our plastic champage flutes from one of the bags - never let it be said we were unprepared! So there we all were drinking our champagne from plastic flutes and sharing the picnic until the early hours.
As the crowds dispersed - there was absolutely no trouble from the thousands and thousands of fans - all you could see was a carpet of rubbish - beer bottles and tins etc., but the Parisian authorities soon had their roadsweepers on the job and I'll be by morning most of it would be cleared up.
The following weekend - half term week for us - Laura and I went to England. Me for my yearly shopping trip and Laura to take her driving test. She had passed the theory in the summer. I picked her up from school at lunchtime and at 11.30 that night we were at my mum's in Leicestershire. Not bad going with only LD (Laura Dora) as my satnav.
The week was spent eating, drinking, shopping and driving - not necessarily in that order. I'm not sure what it is about going back to shop - we can buy clothes and pressies in France - but you always find more in England. As usual the car was loaded up nearly to the roof - and we were pulled into Customs at Dover. I just asked the Customs man to be ready to catch when I opened the boot, nothing did fall out but he could see it was tightly packed - no room for any illegals in there! - and so let us through.
Unfortunately Laura failed her driving test, but will take it again in February, and the chaps we met in Paris the week before were also away on holiday - or so they said they would be.
Anyway, memories recorded (will have to master the photo lark on my blogs) and christmas pressies stashed away for Pere Noel (isn't my husband a lucky man - more knickers and socks and CD's that have been bought on his card?). I will have to feign surprise at my pressies too, though by then I'll have forgotten what I actually did buy.
6 comments:
Hi Farming French style it's great to read you again. It sounds like you had a great time in Paris. My husband and I went to Paris for the Opening Ceremony and match, and for the England v South Africa match a week later. We went up by train from Limoges and stayed in a real cheapie hotel. Everything was fantastic. The atmosphere, the organisation the city.
What a shame Laura didn't pass her test. Good luck for Feb. My husband asked if I wanted to go back to the UK, after I had been moaning about needing some new underwear (where is M&S when you need them), but it seems a bit excessive to fly to the UK for new underwear!
What a fabulous trip for the final - afraid we only watched it on TV. (As I hate sport, I think that was quite enough effort).
The day after the Semi-Final we went round to French friends for dinner. When we arrived there was a HUGE notice on the front door -
"FOLLOWING THE DEFEAT OF FRANCE AGAINST ENGLAND LAST NIGHT, THE MEAL THIS EVENING IS CANCELLED!! PLEASE NEVER CONTACT US AGAIN."
Yes, it's triffic you're blogging again, and Laura's bound to pass in February - you need Test Practice as well.
Farming French Style - after nearly 2 years of blogging, I am only now starting to find bloggers of a similar cloth.
So I've taken the liberty of starting a French Blogger blogroll and put you on it.
If it grows it could be a useful and interesting resource.
Info here: http://terrecuite.blogspot.com/2007/11/new-chez-nous.html
We went to a market the week after the French/England match and at the cheese stand the marketeer (is there such a word?) after hearing me speak in Franch asked if I was Spanish, bit odd I thought. I replied, 'non, je suis anglaise' he replied in English, that he was sorry but after the rugby match he was not able to serve English people, however if I was spanish, it would be no problem! He was joking of course and we had a good laugh about it.
Mr le fromagier will be cheered up by England's failure to qualify for Euro 2008.
Thanks to my nasal Zimbabwean twang my accent when speaking french apparantly sounds East European - Bosnian or Russian. Weird.
Great you are back blogging - I missed you. Shame aboutthe driving test - she should do okay next time after having a bit of experience of the last test.
I loved the bit about pulling out your platic champagne glasses - for ever prepared! My cousin travels with a bottle opener in her handbag just in case. She was never so happy as when wine was sold with screw tops instead of corks!
At least you sound well organised for Christmas now - we haven't even started shopping yet.
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