Today we are spending the afternoon with Catherine and Stephen. There is a local attraction, the St. Adrien Gardens, that is supposed to be spectacular and there is going to be a Venetian festival today. I have arranged for Marie to come at 11:30 but the Harleys are going to be here about noon. I call Marie and leave a message to come at “douze heure”–12 o’clock. Now this may not be entirely clear for non-French speakers but, trust me, “deux heure” (2 o’clock) when a nonnative person says it, sounds pretty close to douze heure. So Marie thinks I want her to come at 2pm instead of noon. She calls Catherine because she wants to settle on a date for lunch at her place and casually says she’ll see her at 2 o’clock. Catherine says “Quoi!” (What?) and calls us. So I have been informed that I should NEVER say “douze heure” but instead say “midi” (noon). So thankfully that’s settled and Marie arrives not much later than “midi.”
Another “bad French” story starts with me teasing Marie that we will find her an American fiancé. We joke that he will be rich and handsome. Then I try to tell her that he should be young. The French word for young is close to the word for yellow. When I hear her say something about “Chinese” I realize my mistake.
Before the garden festival we are off for lunch at L’esparagus. It is not far from home and the Harleys highly recommend it. For the first course everyone but me has the skate terrine. I have a farm (like pate) terrine. I have stuffed quail and it is fabulous. Everyone else has pork and they enjoy their lunch too. We have chocolate mouse and chestnut ice cream, and poached pear and pear sorbet for dessert.
The St. Adrien garden is spectacular!
In 1988 the current owners bought the property, an abandoned quarry. They have succeeded in transforming it with huge ponds, waterfalls, incredible plants and an amphitheater for concerts and plays. About 50 men and women were in elaborate Venetian masquerade costumes. It was a pretty amazing sight.
