Wedding in France

The Journey (5th June)

After months of planning and anticipating the time had finally arrived to travel to France. Ever since I was in school, as I learnt French as a language, the very thought of being there, at the heart of the place where culture & romance are intertwined and wine & cheese were like pav & jam here in Goa, fascinated me. 

A very rainy day it was, the 5^th of June 2011, the monsoon had just kicked in. There we were; my Dad, Mom, Bro & myself, loaded the vehicle with our stuff, Goan sweets & fruits, especially one big Jack fruit which happens to be rare around those parts. 1720hrs we finally reached the airport through the heavy rain. I've been to the airport in what seemed like ages, three years since I had travelled by air, the last time being to Doha when Dad used to work there. Lots of renovation done ever since, wasn't bad. I thought I would get to tweet often by stealing a Wi-Fi signal from some airport or another, but I figured I had to settle for the traditional pen and paper, since most of the places, except Mumbai had locked their networks. 

It was a dull and rainy day, the pilot managed to lift of just before the end of the runway, finally airborne. The plane plunged into a thick black cloud, darkness everywhere, at around 1800hrs there was quite a bit of turbulence, but it was bearable. Finally, after almost an hour through the monsoon clouds we could see the Mumbai city lights. The pilot managed to touch down, he seemed inexperienced as it was quite a rough landing. We passed through transit and checked-in our luggage to the international terminal where our next destination awaited, Brussels.

Arrival in France (6th June)

0911hrs (CET i.e. +1GMT)  While the pilot glided towards the runway we could see the difference in the layout of the city. It was super-organised and super-clean. The roads, buildings, neatly lay out. There were cultivated fields on either side of the runway, a perfect balance of nature and development. If only we could have the similar planning in India, we would be way more awesome. A very pleasant flight it was indeed, after two meals, two movies, and six hours of sleep we finally arrived at the capital of the EU, Brussels. I whipped out my cell, tapped on the camera and clicked a few shots.

After walking on to the transit terminal, I swiped on Wi-Fi, desperate to tweet, but alas, the network was security protected.

Apparently, the jackass checked-in our luggage only till Brussels, there wasn't enough time to pass through transit, and re check-in our baggage till Toulouse, France. The airport was massive, and by the time we crossed though all the security layers and walked from our arrival terminal to terminal A, there was no way we could board the flight by Brussels Air to Toulouse.  

But on the brighter side, we got a little spare time in Brussels, just on the airport, but still, it was a new place, worth checking it out. After we complained to the staff of Jet Airways at Brussels, they gave us  lunch vouchers, which was ok. They booked us on another flight to Toulouse departing at 1445 (CET). Our ETA at Toulouse was 1630hrs. Yea a major part of the day wasted at the airport when we could have reached France in the morning. Mom & Dad had gone to call my sister in Toulouse, meanwhile they told us to check-in our luggage. 

“Bonjour Monsieur!”  said a well-dressed gentleman who guided us to the counter where we were to check-in.  After the formalities that were cleared by a cute blond sitting at the counter, she started speaking French, very fast. Ok I wanted to tell her slow down, because I probably would have made an effort to understand her, but I didn't cuz man, was she cute! J After she finished, I wanted to say, “Madame, Je ne comprende pas francais” but I ended up saying “I don’t speak French” Well, she spoke fluent English too, which was awesome, with a hint of French accent, now that was super-cute! She told me we had to pay excess baggage, but I explained we were international passengers, she made a few calls and we were through without any hassles. 

Ok now for the Food! The first meal in Europe! My bro and myself got two Chicago burgers, my Mom a crochet salad & Dad got himself a chef bowl salad. I was surprised with the quantity! With loads of Fries! The burger had bread, cheese, beef burger, bacon, egg, mayo, lettuce and bread on top. We ate till we were stuffed, the food was yum!

We then proceeded to the lounge. My bro and I roamed the airport, asked this brunette if I could click snaps of the tantalising Belgium chocolates that were out for display she agreed but immediately another elderly woman said 'no' since it was the airport they couldn't allow it. Never mind, I still went around clicking snaps, a unique piece of art here at the lounge!  I noticed that the people around these parts are very seasoned and well-dressed. 

Finally boarded a small aircraft to Toulouse. I slept the entire two hour flight, I didn't even know when it took off or landed till my bro woke me up. We got all our luggage except the jack-fruit (well, that’s another story altogether) We met our sister and her fiancé at the terminal. Thibaut wore a hat and a nice leather sling bag. They had booked a rent-a-car for us. We then headed out of the airport and loaded our luggage into their van. We headed out to the rented car, wow! A brand new Peugeot 308, sunscreen overhead and fully automatique, my dad fired up the engine and presto, a screen popped up, with GPS navigation. My dad liked the ride, and was impressed with its features, way more advanced than the Honda Civic. My bro took the wheel on the highway since I wanted to fiddle around with mapdroid (an android app I had downloaded which I was able to use a preloaded map without using a data plan) I tapped it open and boom, GPS navigation worked like a charm, there was no way I was getting lost!

We headed down A-62 free-way then N-21 and finally D-676 to Lot–et-Garonne, near Lassou lead by Thibaut in his red van. It took us around 2 hours to reach this pretty place where we stayed, adorned with varieties of pink and white flowers that stood out even at 2300hrs because of the wonderful lighting! The sun sets here at 2200hrs during this time of the year, pretty strange, the days in summer are really long and days in winter are really short. It took a couple of days getting used to.

We met the Mr & Mrs LeMerchand, the parents of Thibaut, who stood outside eager to meet us. They welcomed us with warm smiles and a handshake. We weren't exactly fluent in French, so Thibaut helped us out here. It was freezing out there. There were little apartments that over looked a lake at the back, which we couldn't see since it was very dark. They guided us to room number 1122. The door was swung open, and it was one of the neatest and cosiest places I have seen. It was very kind of Monique LeMarchand, Thibaut’s mum to get French bread, home-made jams of fig & strawberry and biscuits made of butter for breakfast the next day. I really felt weird not being able to text or call or message any of my friends. We took a shower and slept at 2 am.

Bon Apetite.! (7th June)

0900hrs woke up to a cloudy and drizzly morning. I opened the window. I rubbed my eyes to see if I was dreaming or if it was real, it looked as though someone placed a painting in front of the window. The lake was hop, step & jump from the place we stayed, there was greenery everywhere!

We freshened up and had the awesome breakfast that Mrs LeMarchand had brought for us, served with special tea with mint and cinnamon, first taste of the countryside. Sadly, there was no Wi-Fi so traditional pen and paper again would have to suffice. 

The day began with a visit to Thibaut’s family’s farm and his house. Had a great day, all planned by him. Thibaut explained to us how important the food and the type of wine were important. We had a long talk, then headed out for lunch into a medieval town where he had gone to school, the buildings were very classic and old, crossed the church tower and went into a restaurant called “Amourer” meaning of love, Thibaut knew the people there, so they were very hospitable. We all chose something different. I decided to go for jambon, fromage et l’oeuf (ham, cheese & an egg), served with apple cider which was truly delicious. 

We headed out later to the Casino super Marche (supermarket) at Monflanquin, which was not so far from where we stayed. We did a lot of shopping, man was it expensive, every euro I ended up converting into rupees, something which you should remember never to do, cuz the price you can never compare to the price in India. The last time I remember seeing a supermarket like this one was in Doha. It was nice to see all the best chocolates you ever longed for all in one shelf. We bought loads of those, cheese, bacon and a few essentials for the next few days. It was drizzling the entire day, so I couldn't exactly whip out the SLR and go clicking. We headed out to the Patisserie; here we bought croissants for breakfast the next day.

We then headed out to Thibaut’s parent’s place since they had invited us for dinner. On the way there, there were endless sceneries. Wheat fields as far as the eye can see, cattle grazing in the distance, just like a panorama of different sceneries stitched together in Photoshop.

We entered into their cosy home on a hill in the countryside. Max LeMarchand is the mayor at Lassou, so most of the people in the neighbourhood there knew that we were the parents of the bride (‘Marie’ in French). The table was neatly laid out with three glasses per person, bowls, plates, knives and spoons. The fireplace neatly sat at one corner, while the sliding glass doors overlooked miles and miles of fields, not even one house in the vicinity. 

Ok this was by far the longest meal on record for me, three and a half hours.!

Max LeMarchand popped open a bottle of champagne to celebrate the unity and joy of the two families. This was served with shrimp flavoured chips and peanuts. Salad of fish, garnished with lettuce, tomatoes and varied herbs was served next by Mrs LeMarchand.

Now this was my favourite: Another bottle of wine was opened by Thibaut, Gewürztraminer, a German wine brought from northern part of France and kept for around 10 years before he opened it that day. Just a sip would tingle all your senses and was the best wine I have ever tasted till date. This was served with a special duck which was fed, rather stuffed, with corn and was slaughtered just before it could migrate. The combination was so perfect.

Now came the main course. It started with pasta & rabbit meat, served with sauce avec champignons (mushrooms) that were grown in the caves of Paris. Now this was served with wine from Bordeaux! My, now that was pretty much what I thought was it, until Monique brought a cheese cake adorned with blueberries, blackberries, strawberries and topped with sugar syrup. I thought we were done with the wine already, till Thibaut explained the home-made sweet wine that was brewed out of grapes in local vineyards. 

Now that was dinner! 

All along Dad and Max compared the political scenario in India and France, which apparently was incomparable due to major differences. We took a group snap with the families together, then drove back to the apartment and hit the sack till the next day, we planned to drive to Lourdes.

Lourdes (8th June)

We woke up early to a fresh morning. It was a sunny day, different from the day before. I fried bacon & eggs for us all while my bro prepared tea. 

We headed out at 0730hrs we made a pit stop at Vilneve to put in a recharge for the “Orange” sim we had with us, bought a few fruits and continued the drive. Although it was a long drive of 450 kms in total, it was a lovely experience driving through the countryside. There were fields as far as the eye could see, for almost the entire way.

We followed the route that Thibaut gave us, (Villneve à Agen à Auch à Tarbes à Lourdes) we used the GPS too, though but the directions were very handy as there were boards all over the place. Half way to Lourdes we realised that, none of us remembered to carry our passports or licences, this was a risky business because later Thibaut told us later that if we were caught, we would be put behind bars and it would turn out to be a big hassle and a waste of money.  

We finally arrived at Lourdes, at lunch time. Where I had an awesome juicy steak, brother took Jambon and Mom had chicken, and my dad chose beef. It was really heavy. We went ahead and parked the car quite a distance from the grotto (La grotte) and walked up to the church, before which we came across the house of St. Bernadette, which was well preserved. The church stood before the mighty Pyrenees, which was the border to Española (Spain) it was indeed avec grandeur. We walked to the statue of our Lady where, apparently that day there was a healing session, and many people who were disabled and sick had come for healing, to the statue of our lady of immaculate conception, where She had appeared. 

We stood in the queue to touch the holy rock it was slippery as ever with the many pilgrims all touching the rock and sliding their hands over it. We then climbed the stairs to the top of the well-structured church, one of the best churches I have ever seen before. A church choir chanted “Ave Maria…”  in unison with all the voices base, treble, soprano  and second voices, the church was indeed bursting with positive energy, I could just sit there for hours feeling peaceful from inside, but we had to leave to keep up with the schedule. We headed back after filling holy water in small bottles at the statue for relatives & friends back home. As we walked back we did a little shopping.

There were perfumeries, were perfumes one too many, you couldn't count or smell them all. I lost my sense of smell after sniffing around 15 different types of perfumes. We also took back a few souvenirs for friends back home.

I took the wheel. The dive back was a long & tiring one. Driving in Europe is a real pleasure though, because people follow all the rules of the road.  It had turned dark, and we got a bit lost, but we managed to navigate home, thanks to the GPS.  

Les Grande Parents (9th June)

Thibaut’s grand parents lived in Villreal. We followed Thibaut, through the countryside. They live in this pretty little house, decorated with a lovely jardin. The grandmother was all smiles when she saw us, the grandfather fought in WW II, because of which his hearing is impaired, but is in perfect health otherwise, while his grandmother is super-active and does everything under the sun, including over speeding on the highways.

We all sat and she planned the marriage ceremony, we understood the way they do it in France. It was indeed nice to learn so much about other cultures. They planned to play Bach during the entrance, my Mum was to do the second reading, which was in English, the rest of the service was to be in French.

For lunch we headed to the same place that Thibaut had taken us on the first day. Steak avec du fromage et l’oeuf. Oui! C’est superb.! 

I guess the whole neighbourhood at Monflanquin knew that we were from India and that my sister was to wed Mr. LeMarchand. It was nice because we were given special treatment. We bought some cheese and bread for us from the market. My mum just wouldn’t stop buying flowers for the garden here in goa.

We then headed out for a long drive through the countryside, the sceneries there just don’t stop! There were many places where we stopped for a few photos. There was an apricot plantation, horses & cows grazing & loads more!

We stopped by a Château, but that time it wasn't open, none-the-less, the drive was breath-taking and just being there was a lovely experience altogether. I will surely try and make it some other time, again. We reached home and talked to Thibaut about helping out with the wedding. He said that the people from the village have got together to help with the wedding. He said that since we have come just once, we could go sightseeing to Bordeaux, which was a unique city worth seeing since we were there, they would take care of the wedding. It was so kind of them all.

Mini Paris (10th June)

It was long drive to Bordeaux; we caught the free way and sped at 140km/hr. which was the speed limit. It was nice to be able to use all the features of the car. I set cruise-control to 140km/hr and just put my foot on the break peddle. The car picks up speed and maintains it at the set speed till you’d tap the brake. So after a long time we could actually drive for such long distance without having to slow down. My mum asked us to stop by this greenhouse where she picked up  flowers (again). There were the most beautiful collection of flowers and cacti I have ever seen. We needed to get back en-route else we wouldn't reach back on time, so I insisted we leave. We headed on our way again.  

As we approached the city we noticed the unique architecture of the city. It was very medieval-ish. We drove into the underground car parking, where we had to pay per hour and needed to swipe a credit card upon exit. Dad & mum went shopping while my bro & I went roaming around the city clicking a few pictures. The people’s dressing sense, unlike India was superb, I must say. In India most people go to see what the in-thing is, and dress accordingly. But there every person had their own fashion statement; Old men with flat hats, guys with braided hair, few had headphones on, some youngsters on skate-boards, elderly women had their own sense of style with their scarfs and well-tied hair. 

We happened to walk down this Arabic lane where people greeted each other in Arabic, “Salaam-alaikum”, reminded me of Doha. We stopped by this restaurant for dinner, choose all you want and pay later. It was not as good as the steaks that we ate before, but was awesome all the same.

We drove back home in the evening it was pretty late already and the next day was the big day, the wedding. We all needed to get set.

My Sister’s wedding (11th June)

Finally, the day had arrived. It was the reason we were all here in France, my sister’s wedding day. My mum went to the saloon to get her hair done while my bro & I went to the super Marché to get few chocolates and other stuff for our friends.

After we were done we went to collect mum & dad to get back to the apartment to get set for the big occasion. We suited-up in our newly stitched tuxedos and drove towards the church. Now here’s the most interesting part: As we drove down the road we happen to get confused with the roads. As it is we were running late. Thibaut tried giving us instructions over the phone but either he wasn't able to understand where we were, or we couldn't understand his directions. We asked some people who happened to be there. We just asked them and again, they knew who we were, and guided us accurately to the place. We headed to the church, and yes everyone was waiting! All the people dressed up very decently, we really felt we were late when the camera man started shooting us stepping out of the car, it was funny. XD

And there was my sister and the groom all dressed up, I tried to tell them to pose for a quick snap, but they all were anxious for the service to begin, despite this I forced them to stand for a quick shot. It was a lovely little church that sat upon a little green hill that was surrounded with fields. There were marvellous marble carvings inside the church.
We walked into the church as they followed, that’s how they do it there. The old priest who offered the mass spoke only French, we didn't understand much, yet it was beautiful. They exchanged rings during the service, wouldn't want to say much about it since it’s pretty much like any wedding. 

After the mass every one wished the newly wed and headed off to the community hall where snacks and drinks were served to all the neighbourhood. A special cocktail of juices, wine, fresh fruit and extra alcohol was prepared by the family. This got people quite tipsy. There were these little snacks made of different cheeses, pork, beef & a little vegetable garnishing. We stood around and talked with the people of the community, many of the French people made an effort to speak with us in English. I especially remember meeting a civil engineer who works in Paris, an interesting conversation with him. Met a couple of girls; Alice and Sandy my sister’s friends. This was it for the neighbours. The real party was for the close friends and relatives. 

This was a good tradition in my opinion, because unlike Goa, any Tom, Dick & Harry come for weddings and many times become a nuisance for the rest of the guests. Most come only to eat and/or drink.

We changed into kurta-pyjama for the dinner at their home. The place was all set for a blast! There was a music system, with a deejay that was set to rock and spot lights that were set to roll. The dinner table for the guests was neatly laid out with plates, spoons, knives, candles, flowers and lavender leaves.

A lamb was set to roast on a low flame that was rotating on a special motor for 5 hours! Just crazy, reminded me of the comic book asterix.

Starters were served. Pork was of three types: sausage, jambon, salted. We were explained to, how the meat was prepared. Rouge wine was served with the food. After this, the table was laid with potatoes & cheese, this was yum. There was a vegetable dish prepared with different vegetables from the farm all put together.

After a bit, the lamb was ready. Thibaut’s dad & his friend brought the roasted lamb to a table in the centre, everyone applauded as he cut the lamb. This was a traditional was of cooking for occasions in the southern part of France. The meat was passed on to all the people there, it was tender and soft. Thibaut’s friends prepared a skit for him. The story of how he me my sister after coming to India, acting was really awesome.

After that Thibaut’s mom brought in the wedding cake it was made up of chocolate pastry glued together with sugar syrup. This was served with champagne. This was irresistible.

Then everyone danced, most of them were high. The music that the deejay played was typical countryside. Apparently there were no neighbours to disturb, as there weren't any!  We couldn’t wait any longer, it was freezing! Guess they were used to it but we had to go. They danced till dawn, around 5am. We came back at around 3, and just slept after a warm shower.

Home sweet home (12th June)

We woke up around 7, as it was a Sunday and went for mass at Villereal. It was Pentecost. There was a baptism that day, and many children received first Holy Communion, the choir was amazing. I liked the unison in the voices; it’s really soul-touching. A parishioner sang a solo with the choir music, it really sounded recorded! They really practise hard. We met Thibaut’s granny there after mass. 

Mum bought us this cheese cake for us on the way back. The cake shops there are all so beautiful!

We left at 11pm, which was a bit too early, actually. I drove from Monflanquin to Toulouse Blagnac Airport the whole way on cruise control, reached around 2am. The flight to Brussels was on time. The return journey was more pleasant I will surely miss France, but I missed India more, there’s no place on earth like home and it’s one place I can always call my own.