Today was an interesting day.

First, it was the prettiest day we’ve had since I’ve been here.  The sky was a wonderful blue with just a few clouds.  It was freezing early in the morning, but as the day wore on it became enjoyable. It was nice to finally experience what all the tourist brochures rave about.  Beautiful scenery, gorgeous skies, tranquility.

My first class today with my little group was all about directions.  How to get around Paris, for instance, by asking directions in French.  We practiced with a map of Paris.  I learned all about right, left, straight ahead, around the corner.  My French tutor in Dallas, Andrea, had gone over it with me before I left, so I was able to speak with confidence.  We did role play.  You know, one student asks where the Louvre is, and you have to direct her there.  Unfortunately for the woman I was helping, I think I walked her into the Seine.  Not along the Seine. . . . over the bank of the Seine.  How the teachers in this class keep from crying is beyond me.

Next, I set off a mini-turbulence (for which there is no French word) when right after the scheduled group photo and just before lunch, I excused myself and went to my room.  I was more tired than I was hungry, so I skipped lunch.  I mentioned it to a couple of people, but not the hotel owner and his wife, who are also the directors of the school.  I had a wonderful nap, but when I came downstairs for the excursion into Moustiers, I was bombarded with questions about my health and contentment.  It seems that the French don’t skip lunch.

As it happens, I probably shouldn’t have missed lunch because I was starving by the time the mini-bus got to Moustiers.  (Hunger seems to be a pattern I’ve developed.  I’m creating empathy with the monks from long ago.)  I had planned to grab a snack when we got to town.  But first we stopped at a factory that produces Faîence pottery.  The pottery was lovely.  But the tour took over an hour.  When we reached the village, we had an hour to stroll around.  I’m glad that we were able to wander on our own because I was a woman on a mission.  I wasn’t looking for souvenirs or artwork or French t-shirts.  I needed a croissant!  Or an éclair.  Or a galette.  Or a croquembouche, for pete’s sake.

I felt like running through the narrow streets screaming, “Ou est le patisserie plus proche?!!!” (“Where is the nearest pastry shop?!!!”)  Time was of the essence.  I only had an hour.  I didn’t even want to think about going back to the school doubled over from malnourishment.  So, I wandered up one narrow street after another looking for pastries.  The good news is that in my wandering I saw the charm of this small French village.

There is a beautiful gorge that runs through the middle of the town.  Moustiers is built into a cliff and the houses slope down the side of the small mountain.  The waterfalls cascade under the bridges in the streets, and beautiful flowering vines grow up the sides of the gorge and along the rows of houses stacked by the river.  The village is a destination for French tourists.  Busloads of French men and women pull up in the square.  Everyone piles out of the buses and they rush straight for the ATM’s.  People are the same everywhere.

Alas, in my ultimate pursuit, I discovered that Moustiers Ste. Marie is too small to sustain a patisserie.  So, I bought a Coke Zero and some chips at the market and went back to wait for the mini-bus.  C’est la vie, I suppose.

Tomorrow is the last day of class.  I think I’ve learned a lot, but I won’t know until I get back to Paris and speak to a waiter.  (There’s that food theme again.)  Or the concierge.

I’ve decided to check into a hotel on Saturday instead of my rented apartment because I really need the comfort of a 5 star for a night.  You know how it is.  So, I’ve got to finish up here because I’ve googled “the best hotels in Paris” and the list is long.  I’ve got to decide on a hotel before I go to bed.

Bonne soirée!