These are some photos I took a few years back of getting wine that I bought up in Limeray, near Amboise, out of a BIB and into a pichet that could take to the table at lunchtime.
The cars are both inspected one more time. It all went better than expected. I really need to get both cars on a different schedule for future contrôles techniques. It wouldn't be hard to do. Maybe in 2024 I'll get both of them into the inspection station in September or early October. Then maybe I won't have to stress about snow and ice on the roads. Adding to the stress this time was the prospect of having to have any required repairs done before mid-February, during our worst weather months. I'm just getting older, I guess. I don't need to have to worry about all this. I'll be 75 years old when the next inspections are required.
Another reason to celebrate is that France's team won last night and will play in the final match of the Coupe du Monde this weekend. I just learned that this morning from Télématin. By the way, a funny thing happened at the vehicle inspection station when Walt drove me over there yesterday at noontime to get the Citroën. When I walked in, there was a woman sitting in the waiting room, waiting, I figured, for her car inspection to finish. I looked at her and thought I recognized her. She looked at me looking at her and said, oh, vous êtes le monsieur qui est venu acheter du vin l'autre jour ! Oui, c'est moi, I told her. And I told her that we are liking the wines from her place that we've tasted, the Gamay and the Sauvignon Blanc. It was a funny coincidence.
So now, que les fêtes commencent. Let the festivities begin. Walt's birthday is next week, then Christmas, and then New Years Eve and Day. I think I'm going to go to Paris in January, weather and covid and flu permitting. My last trip to Paris was in 2019.
Glad you are planning a trip to Paris! That's a good idea about changing inspection times.
ReplyDeleteI think I was overly stressed about the car inspections because two of our neighbors have had bad car news recently. The neighbor, who lives in the Paris suburbs and has a house here, had car trouble. Her eight-year-old Peugeot started acting up. She took it to the local dealer, who said she need to have a new gas tank put in, to the tune of something over $1500. She said he was definitely trying to convince make her buy a new car. He gave her a price. She took his offer to a different Peugeot dealer, 10 miles north of here, and the dealer there gave her a price for the same car that was five thousand euros lower. The local dealer has a reputation for shady business practices. He also owns a car inspection shop next door to his dealership, and guess what! His inspection people often find that cars they've tested need major repairs, and they recommend the dealer next door as the best shop where they can have them done. The car is a Peugeot, and Peugeot told her there was nothing they can do for her because the car is too old. I've never heard of having a gas tank replaced. And then our neighbor the mayor had problems with her Peugeot. It had started burning a lot of oil. She took it in, and the mechanic said it needed a new engine! Luckily, the car was not more than five years old and Peugeot covered the cost. But she was without her car for about a week.
DeleteThanks for all this information on wine packaging. BIB is my one new thing I learned today.
ReplyDeleteBettyAnn
Interesting to see that car mechanics in France aren't much different than here in the States with their repair recommendations! Sometimes I wonder if our local dealer causes some of the needed repairs.
ReplyDelete