It's a small world after all

Today was a brilliant, warm, sunny kind of day on my mountainside. I'm not sure about you, but it is so nice to see the sun again after a few days of cloudiness. But as soon as we drove past Fort l'Ecluse, the couverture over the Geneva valley was apparent. Undeterred, we drove to the Vin et Gastronomie fête in Armancy (still in France but on the other side of Lake Geneva). We were invited by a vitner from Morgogne who makes delicious wine that R likes.

We arrived hungry so we quickly found the oyster, or huître, vendor and had 12 yummy oysters on the half shell. Some people hate the texture, but R and I slurped the dozen down, enjoying the fresh briny taste. Some people like sweets, I *love* savory and salty, or better yet a mix between sweet and salty like caramel sel beurre ice cream.

Tasting the oysters today brought me back to a beautiful end-of-summer day R and I had in Wellfleet, MA. I wanted to show R the Cape, so we stopped in Wellfleet before heading to the beauty and carnival that is Provincetown. In Wellfleet, we were strolling over a small bridge over low tide of a bay (I think). A dad and his two sons were digging for oysters under our footsteps. Curious, we said "hello" and were soon after invited down to try an authentic Wellfleet oyster. It was probably one of the freshest, most delicious things I've ever eaten. The scene couldn't have been simpler - it was just a man with his knife and the oysters. No lemon, vinegar or Tabasco needed.



Anyway, after today's oysters, we took a quick survey of the vendors and their goods...there were about 30 or so tables where vitners were offering degustations or tastings of their wine. Other vendors were selling local jam, honey, pâte de fruits, sausages, cheeses. Then we decided to have lunch. The meal was pretty good and super filling. Banish the thought of minuscule French portions! In the countryside, it's only hearty fare with generous portions served by friendly people.

Even at a simple fête, it was a multi-course meal with:

• an entrée (also known as appetizer in the U.S.)
• plat principal (which is confusingly called an entrée in the U.S.)
• a cheese plate
• dessert
• coffee which is served with small little chocolates.

The dining hall was packed - but luck brought us to sit next to a friendly couple who offered to share their bottle of wine with us (and we repaid their friendliness by offering to share our bottle with them). Soon after, we found out their daughter has been working in Boston for the past 5 years. R has the GIFT OF GAB, so he held up most of the conversation with the husband while I tried to talk to the wife who knew a little English. But apparently, I know more French than she knows English! So we spoke in French. I love that I'm picking up French well enough to follow the conversations and able to speak a little bit, albeit with a thick American accent.

Looking forward to our trip to the NL, Luxembourg, and Belgium this week! Second year in a row we'll be spending Thanksgiving and the day we met in lovely Holland. Hoping the weather is more dry this year than last!