Champs Elysees Christmas '09 New Years 2010

Happy New Year 2010!

Weather Report and Abbe Michel in Thiberville

It's hard to believe but Normandy is still having a very White christmas. The Christmas creche stays up in Thiberville until February 2nd so we can still pretend it's Christmas. The temperature tonight is negative 6 degrees celius and dropping. We drove in from Paris this afternoon - fortunately under sunny skies - but even Paris is freezing.

That didn't stop some SERIOUS shoppers from being out in the Boulevard St. Germain district (yours truly included) except that I was there to buy a book at the Village Voice bookstore - the first part of the Stieg Larsson trilogy "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo".

But we had to get back to Normandy soon because I was already having dreams about the cows - that is one cow - or one bull that got out of the pen and was creating havoc. Thank goodness that our dear friend Freud is long gone. He would have a heyday with my dreams.

In the meantime, what transpires in Thiberville is much more interesting. Our closest major burg, Thiberville has been in the news this past week,especially since last Sunday (Ephiphany Sunday). The bishop came to town to celebrate Mass and the Mass was boycotted.

Normally 'manifestations' in France are associated with left-wing labor unions, but this wasn't the case in Thiberville. The parishioners of Thiberville are dismayed that their parish priest, Father Michel, is being transferred after 23 years of service in the community. When the Bishop of this department (Eure) arrived to say Mass, after 10 minutes, the church-goers stood up and left. Wow!

I'm what's called a 'lapsed Catholic'. And having grown up in a town where the town parish had its own share of 'controversy' none of this comes as great surprise. Catholic clergy of course are human beings with all their foibles. But, the response of the community is not just about the anger and outrage of uprooting a priest who is obviously an essential part of that community - but anger and outrage over a pervasive evisceration of ALL community rapport.

The local bank has the same policy as the church - keep transferring people so that no one can ever get 'attached'. Even though we are newcomers to the part of Normandy (only 20 years now), we have memories - attending a Mass conducted in Latin with friends Michel, Jeanne, Huguette and Jean Pierre, attending the marriage of our mayor's daughter Valerie and her husband Eric, and most recently watching the Palm Sunday procession in the streets of Thiberville. These are the kind of traditions that hold a community together. Clearly, the world no longer wants us to be connected to our neighbors. The banks don't want you to have a 'relationship' with your local banker. And apparently the church also views that keeping priests in one parish for too long is 'unhealthy'.

I guess the reason Thiberville's parish priest's story interests me is the same reason our local elected officials are concerned - what is the future of small town communities - if the fabric that holds these towns together is undone - no more local businesses, no more churches, no more family farms, no more regional products.

Of course, this is just one part of the story. There's always another side, but that will be for another post!

More Snow in Normandy!

Soon we will be joining the great migration of cars returning to Paris. You'd think we'd learn the lesson after being stuck in three hour traffic jams between Paris and Versailles. In the meantime, being stuck in a traffic jam is a great time to take photos.

New Year's Eve Dinner in Normandy

This was Lydie's New Year's Eve quail dish! It's not every day you get to try quail - and this may be the first time we've had a New Year's Eve meal prepared at home. When it comes to New Years and Christmas, this is when French chefs really outdo themselves.

Here's what we ate:
An assortment of 'verrines' including gazpacho and guacamole (Francoise is the queen of verrines!)
Foie gras de canard with Coteaux de Layon
Quail with white grapes marinated in cognac
Beaune Burgundy
Celery puree
Sauteed potatoes
Macaroons and sorbet
Mom's refrigerator cookies

And Champagne - but, of course!

Thank you to our charming hosts, Francoise and Jean-Pierre for welcoming us into their home!!

New Years Day in Normandy

Actually, the day after. It's snowing and I'm listening to the soundtrack to Sideways for the umpteenth million time. Is there any better way to start the new year? The score framed plenty of summer barbecues in Normandy this past year and never ceases to delight me.

Sideways actually appears on occasion in Paris, but we missed the last screening at a Latin quarter cinema. If you haven't seen the film yet, don't miss it. I remember seeing it for the first time at the Little theater in Rochester. Even though it was reviewed as a comedy, the opening scenes didn't show any promise of comedy - and how could you EVER sympathize with a guy who steals money from his Mum? It just goes to show that our capacity for human compassion is much more elastic than one might imagine.