Seven degrees in Nancy

Stanislas Square in Nancy

We've forgotten how really bone-chilling a wet, cold day can be.  Slogging around in soaked shoes with rain hoods up, hands freezing, the weather didn't cooperate for our visit in Nancy despite the few rays of sunshine that broke through mid-day. Fortunately it was a museum day for us and a great one at that - the wonderful Beaux Arts. Five hours flew by and we had to catch a cab over to the Ecole de Nancy to squeeze in an hour before closing. When we left (almost by force - the place was magnificent) the museum and asked for a cab, they shrugged and laughed. "No cabs here."  Consulting our map, we were chagrined to discover that our restaurant L'Excelsior would be a walk of a couple of miles - wet, windy and cold. We sucked it up and set out on our way. Fortunately the map scale was incorrect and while it was a long walk -  hardly a challenge.  A table by the heater in the beautifully decorated space quickly warmed us up. We were squeezed into our dining spot - so typical in France - where your dining table is slightly larger than a place mat resulting in your elbows overlapping into the neighboring diner's space. We ate few meals where we were really comfortable either because of the small space or the noise.

Interior of L'Excelsior

Our jackets were slung over a coat rack and as I watched more and more garments were piled on until our stuff was totally buried. Would we have to leave in the order of the coat pile or would they keep unstacking to reunite everyone with their outerwear?

jammed in 

Waiters virtually run through the dining room, quickly taking orders and delivering plates. We could feel the adrenalin increasing as the room filled. Several Maitre D', dressed in penguin suits, were like major generals barking out orders and keeping things flowing and everyone fed fairly quickly (for France).

I had Pig trotters which contained about 1 teaspoonful of edible portion. As they were served with pommes frites I should say more correctly that I had french fries for dinner with a pig trotter and mustard garnish. Richard had poached eggs in a wine sauce, followed by tartare.  The lady dining alone next to us ordered a creme brulee which they served on fire. The flambe burns out to form the crust instead of the torch method that we use. We laughed, chuckling about how flambe has been outlawed in most U.S. restaurants. The French merrily eat raw eggs, rare duck, unpasteurized cheeses of all descriptions and even cow brains (quelle horreur) oblivious to the dangers therein. The flaming brulee was carried ablaze through the crowded restaurant barely grazing puffy hair styles, dangling beards, moustaches and fur coats along the way. Even if someone was set afire, I'm sure they would simply douse the person and then re-light the dish. Cuisine rules; you takes your chances.

I doubt we ordered as well as we could have in this place, looking at the plates coming and going around us. Raw oysters seemed to be the house specialty. Lost on me, Richard might have enjoyed them. We usually opted for the specials in the tourist area restaurants which consisted of an entree and a plat or a plat and a dessert for a reasonable price.

When we left we stood agape in front of "our" coat rack which by now was groaning under the weight of wet coats, bags, umbrellas, sweaters, hats and scarves. A burly hostess came over and unloaded the whole pile so our stuff was exposed. We snatched our things and she re-piled the whole soggy mess. From being enshrouded by our fellow diner's clothing, our wet clothes had absorbed the aromas of cigars, cigarettes, brandy and perfumes  - stranger's smells, not at all unpleasant - but an odd bit of unanticipated intimacy.

Amusant en France

Getting ready to go to France. We'll be visiting friends and spending some time in the Percheron area from whence a great number of French Canadians originate.

We're starting out in the Dordorgne and staying in Castelnaud or near Sarlat. If the weather is good, we'll take a canoe on the river. This area is dotted with beautiful towns and lovely inns. Famous for the Lascaux caves, I've never been able to go in because of claustrophobia. This time I might be able to make it.

Castelnaud in Dordogne

Annecy

Then we move along to Annecy where we'll spend a few days eating cheese and enjoying the town.

Tartiflette

A few days in Switzerland visiting friends then we head to Nancy to visit a couple of excellent

Art Nouveau museums - in particular the Musee des Beaux-Arts de Nancy and then to Honfleur.     

Honfleur

The Normandy beaches are next and finally we'll visit the area, Le Percheron,  from where my relatives emigrated to Canada. Tourvoure is the principal town where there's an immigration museum. 

Chateau Saint Paterne - our hotel

Moutiers en Perche

And then we'll come home!

Marlee's on her way

We have a new baby coming into the family. Marlee will be born around December 10th to my grand nephew and Brandi, making Marlee my great grand niece, the sixth. The genes march onward and will be improved in this case by an Italian influence, something we haven't had before. I'm hoping for a happy baby -  being more and more convinced that a cranky baby ends up a cranky grown-up and little seems to change that.

Gene-wise there are some solid talents that thread through our family: a predilection for things mathematical, an ear for the word, a liking of learning, an engineering bent.  A sense of humor is pretty well guaranteed because I don't know a person in the family who got short-changed in this department. Funny bones abound. Many people demonstrated the possession of guts when it counted. I'm hoping Marlee inherits some of this stuff if it's genetic.

We're short on artistry - nary a soul that I know of has developed any such talent but there's plenty of musicality. My cousin Lawrence, a professional bass player, got to exercise his funny bone while playing with none other than Spike Jones !!( Nobody under 50 would know this band).  Most everyone in the family plays something: piano, violin, trumpet, drums, saxophone, guitar, flute. There have been a few fair athletes which they demonstrated in one fashion or another.

Now for the bad news. The genes we'd like to clean out of the pool are alcoholism,  procrastination ( I think its in the genes), hermitism, cheap skatitis (pops up now and then) , small boobs, heart disease, poor teeth, some mental illness which we've managed to position as quirkiness. A few of my so-called quirky cousins would have benefited from today's fancy medications. Instead of quirky, in 2010 they'd be called ADD or bipolar. One of my aunts was certifiable - a schizophrenic.

The Italian traits I hope Marlee acquires are passion and a zest for life. A deft hand with the macaroni wouldn't be bad either.