Tres Bien

Oy vey.

France is a great place. Forty eight hours ago, just before I embarked on my latest business trip, I would've told you that France was the absolute last place I wanted to be. Right now, though, I'd be hard pressed to name a place far from home that I'd rather be.

I was forced to cut a long Thanksgiving holiday weekend short by leaving on a 1-week business trip to Toulouse, France on Saturday. I *so* didn't want to go. I wanted to stay at home and enjoy a full four days of rest and relaxation like most Americans. Watching a little football on TV, maybe finishing a little holiday shopping, helping Ed to get the Christmas decorations up, and catching up on TiVo was all I wanted to do. That wasn't to be, though, as I had a trip scheduled and couldn't think of a good excuse to avoid it.

So, Saturday morning, with a pissy attitude and a sense of dread, I took off on what promised to be a long and tiring trip. It got off to the start I expected as well, since the trip was interrupted by a weather delay that resulted in missing a flight, my bags being lost, and a much-later-than-expected arrival. Despite my predisposition and the challenges thrown in my way, I managed to force myself into a somewhat positive attitude, though. I arrived safe and sound. My bags arrived not much later, and with a stiff upper lip, I ventured into the office this morning thinking I'd get through the week one way or another.

I managed to fight the initial urge to sleep as soon as I arrived, and thereby (I hope) managed to avoid the worst of any jet lag I might otherwise have felt. I ended up going to bed at a bit early, but still not unreasonable 9:30pm, which allowed me to get a good 8-9 hours of sleep, and I got through the day feeling remarkably well. At the end of the day, a French co-worker took me and my traveling companion to his home for dinner.

Let me just say, the French really know how to live.

We started out the evening with a pre-dinner apertif - I chose to sample a mescal - a wine that is apparently from either southern France or northern Spain (our host told us the history, but my mind being somewhat addled at this point couldn't say for sure where it came from). All I know is that it was very sweet and really quite tasty.

After a half-hour or so of conversation in his 250+ year old home, we adjourned to the dining room, where we were treated to what I now believe was a 27-course meal - first came another apertif, then a salad, then a main (fish) course, followed by the fromage (cheese) plate, then by a chocolate mousse dessert. All the while, we were treated to what seemed like an endless supply of wines - wines from the Bordeaux, Alsace, and Boujalais regions. I lost count after like the fifth glass, but it was all very good wine. The entire dinner itself lasted for a good 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

Of course, no French dinner is complete without bread. And cheese. And wine. And more wine. As I told our host, I think God had me born into the wrong country. I love bread, cheese, and wine so much that I could be (and probably should be) French. I forget how much I love it all until I come back to France and experience it all again. I really did lose count of how many glasses of wine I had tonight, but it really doesn't matter. I certainly am not feeling any pain, and I've decided all over again that I really do like France.

Now if I can just get through four more nights without catstrophe, I'll have it made.

Stay tuned. I hope/plan to provide some updates throughout the week. France, for all the good things about it, certainly provides a lot of fodder for a blog. It's like they do everything differently here just to spite us Americans - if I get a chance, I'll fill you in on some of those things as the week progresses. In the meantime, all I can really say is, vive le France! Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to try to find something solid to hold on to as the room just will not quit spinning.