Here we go again. Yesterday we felt we had no choice but to cancel our planned November stay in a gîte for a short change of scenery. I wrote the e-mail and explained to our friend, who owns and rents out the gîte we had reserved, near Limoges, and explained why we had to cancel. Things are not going well in France right now. More and more cases of Covid19. A curfew in many cities. Maybe next year...
Meanwhile, here are some more reminiscences about a great vacation we spent in France 20 years ago, back when we still lived in California. Between the year 2000 and the year 2002, it became very clear to me that I needed to leave California and come live in France. Luckily, Walt was in the same frame of mind. We packed up and moved halfway around the world in 2003. Seventeen years later, I know we made the right decision. Oh, the photo above shows the views from the windows of the apartment we rented in the Marais for our October 2000 stay in Paris.
Oh, among all the photos I took inside that Maris gîte there were also the two below. The apartment not only had a kitchen, a living/dining room, and a bedroom; it also had a bathroom! Two, actually, as is often the case in France. One was the real bathroom, with a sink and a tub with a shower. The other was the W.C., les toilettes, le petit coin — the loo, as our British cousins say.
I like this slideshow and the unusual angle of some photos.
ReplyDeleteWe, in French, also use the expression les lieux, in the plural, from which our British friends made "the loo" as we made les vécés from W.C. the abbreviation of water closet. Cultural exchange?
It's cross-contamination.
DeleteDidn't know these origins for loo and WC. Merci bien.
DeleteOK that's interesting. I learned a new word. And so easy to remember!
DeleteFor the francophones interested, interesting entry in CNRTL. Just google cnrtl vécés
DeleteAnd the term "gardez l'eau", as, er, things were thrown out of medieval windows, became anglicised as "gardy-loo". Don't look up.
DeleteHere's an interesting web page about the origin of the British term "loo" for toilet or WC.
DeleteAnd there's another interesting page here that says the term "loo" may well have been brought back to the UK during WWII when British soldiers learned the French euphemism les lieux for toilet (think about how we pronounce lieu in "in lieu of").
DeleteInterestingly, I have no idea where "gardyloo" comes from in French. Gardez l'eau means keep the water. Regardez l'eau means look at the water and prenez garde à l'eau means watch for the water. The last one is a little long to be derived into loo. On the other hand, rather than use the longish prenez garde à l'eau, a French person would shout gare à l'eau which means.... watch for the water!
DeleteNow, i think the above is a little farfetched, and the derivation from lieu is more likely.
P.S. I have no idea why lieu and w.c. are plural in French. Les lieux et les vécés.
DeleteLes feuillées et les latrines sont aussi au pluriel!
DeleteOhhh, darn, another cancelled getaway? Was that Jane's gîte, by any chance, that you had been planning to go to?
ReplyDeleteYes, it was Jane's gîte. Maybe next year...
DeleteI think you would have been okay going to the Limoges area. It doesn't look like a red zone and you'd be driving there in your own car and then staying in the hotel with small excursions to see the sights, which will not be crowded. If you do decide to go -- maybe another time -- go to Ouradour-sur-Glane. It's never crowded and is a poignant reminder of the occupation during WW2.
ReplyDeleteI typed gîte and spell checker decided I meant hotel. I didn't notice.
DeleteI second the recommendation for Oradour-sur- Glane. Friends from Knoxville who have been careful went to Hilton Head recently. They said it felt good to get out of the house and away from the news.
DeleteEllen, you're probably right about Limoges being fairly safe destination, but now we don't have to stress about it. Besides, who knows what the situation will be three weeks from now?
DeleteThe places I wanted to see down there are big towns/small cities — Angoulême, Périgueux, and Limoges. Urban areas are off my list for the time being.
DeleteLimoges is not an especially attractive town, but it has a beautiful cathedral! Saint-Étienne, if I recall correctly. I have never been in Angoulème.
DeleteI wanted to go to Limoges to see about buying some new china. I understand there's an interesting train station there too. The gîte we had reserved is in the country just outside Châlus, of Richard Cœur de Lion fame. It's in the Parc naturel régional Périgord-Limousin and about 40 minutes SW of Limoges by car. Brantôme is another nearby town I'd like to see for once in my life.
Deletethat's a lot of luggage to lug around...I'll bet y'all would pack much lighter today...that's one thing I've learned as I age
ReplyDeleteWe were traveling by car for much of the time we were in France. As long as it would all fit in the trunk, no problem. When we go on road trips to gîtes, we take even more — sheets, towels, food in bags and coolers... not to mention the dog. Again, as long as it fits in the trunk or on the back seat.
DeleteWondering why you left CA? Was it the cost/traffic/fires? We are having these discussions too, lol.
ReplyDeleteIt was partly traffic issues with the commute to Silicon Valley from SF. And it was my age — I was too old to keep changing jobs as companies bought each other out and I had to scramble. For Walt, it was the politics he had to deal with in his job with the city of SF. Earthquakes and the prospect of a big quake was another issue. We saw an opportunity to sell our house in SF for a good price and grabbed it. One big problem was trying to figure out where we could live in the U.S. and a good, affordable quality of life, decent weather, and an environment where we would be comfortable as a gay couple. We looked at all the options and decided France was the place to be.
DeleteAll good points and decision well made!
ReplyDelete