France

We enjoyed a week with friends Gloria and Claude at their farm in Terrieres. What I appreciate so much in France is the connection you feel with the land, especially through the food. Many people have their own "potager" or vegie garden and of course the markets are positively brimming with beautiful produce. The French know and appreciate good food and understand the connection with quality ingredients. We really got a better feel for the area around Terrieres which is located near the town of Bonne (not too far from Chauvigny in the vicinity of Poitier). The land is rolling and dotted with many fine Medieval villages, perfect for biking! There are fields everywhere, and this year the crop of preference seems to be rape seed. Not as pretty as sunflowers to be sure. We had rather cool weather except the last day and were glad to have brought our single warm piece of clothing each, which we used every day. The drive from Paris took about 5 hours. We stopped a little to get food, gas. The hard part is Paris. The airport is to the North of the city and the A10 highway is in the South so you have to drive halfway around the entire city without making any errors. If you do it could take you into the center and then you will never be seen again. The traffic is imposible, the roads chocked with large trucks driven by truckers from wherever (not France probably) that have no manners whatsoever. There you will not see a placarded truck with the words "How's my driving?" and a phone number. They are really quite terrifying and will follow you with barely a sliver of space and then sit on the horn (LOUDLY) if you go too slow, which of course is what happens when you are looking for exits, etc. Horrible!!! Anyway, in the countryside France is still bucolic and wonderful though being de-peopled at an alarming rate due to lack of work for the young families who are forced into the cities to find it. There are many houses that are basically abandoned or owned by foreigners, typically the English, though they too have their problems now in the economic crisis and many have had to sell.