That was a looooong dinner.......

So....I left you Saturday saying it was time for dinner.  Now it's Monday, and please rest assured I have not been eating this entire time!


As to that meal I consumed Saturday night....it was a peanut butter and jam sandwich.  You may be scratching your heads now, wondering if I had indeed lost my mind, but hold on....this wasn't just any P B & J!!  This sandwich was made with hearty wheat French-made bread and French raspberry "confiture," which is jam beyond compare....oh, and the Skippy I brought from home!!  delish...


Enough about dinner......


On Friday, we rode the TGV, the high speed train, to Toulouse.  The 5 hour trip was smooth and on time.  Just looking out at the countryside made it delightful.  We were met at the station by Nicole, Kary's childhood friend who is living in Alicante, Spain for a year of study.  She came up here to spend time with us and is a really sweet girl.  We took a cab to our apartment, which is  very nice.....two big bedrooms, a living/dining room and a totally workable kitchen.  We settled in and headed out to the grocery store for some vittles.....fruit, cheese, pate, sausage, yogurt and, of course, bread. Dinner was yummy.  


Why Toulouse???  Kary and I have a friend from our French classes, Nancy McGahey, who, along with her husband and three kids, moved here 2 years ago.  Nancy and her husband, Tom, hold dual citizenship, U.S. and Ireland, and as such are citizens of the European Union, so relocating to France was easy.  After our repast in the apartment Friday evening, we met Nancy in town for a drink...this really good beer called Eidelweiss.  It was great to see her!!!


Saturday, Kary and Nicole went off to explore and I met Nancy for lunch at a great little restaurant.  Toulouse is a medieval city and the "old town" has wonderful, narrow, curving streets, all laid out centuries ago.  This cafe was right at the intersection of three of these byways and we had a great view of the action!!  The meal was so delicious, and quite reasonable.  I had a nice salad with ham, cheese and tomatoes (with more of that indescribable vinaigrette!!) and for the main course a grilled steak with potatoes and vegetable puree.  Then dessert....pear tart....and coffee.  All this for 10 euros....about $15!!!  Nice!  After lunch Nancy took me to all her favorite shops!!  Fabric, needlework, beads, paper arts......all fabulous for me!  Oh....and the spice shop....wow!  I didn't buy a thing, but not to worry, I have not gone into a coma, but rather plan to go back with a list so as not to go too crazy!  Late in the afternoon my friend and I parted company and I came back home to relax and later have the aforementioned sandwich.


Now we come to Sunday.  Nancy and her husband invited us to their house for brunch.  They live in a village about an hour by metro and bus from Toulouse.  It's called Tournefeuille....pronounced "toorn-FOY."  You can see why the French language is such a pain! Nancy and Tom prepared a fabulous meal of quiche, cheeses, sausages (dry, like salami), green salad, fruits and wonderful bread!  Only their youngest, Jackson (age 9) was home and he was painfully shy and didn't utter a peep till he discovered that Kary liked some of the same YouTube stuff.  The two of them turned on the laptop and bonded instantly!!  After our meal and a nice visit, we walked through the neighborhood to a path that led to the little river that flows at the edge of town and the beautiful park alongside.  Jackson brought a Bocci ball game and we rolled away.  When the heat started to get us, we sat under a giant mulberry tree chatting and enjoying the shade and the breeze and watching families spending quality time together.  What a great day!!  At 8pm, we caught our bus to connect to the metro and were homeward bound!


I should mention here that we are at a higher latitude that home, so nightfall isn't till about 10pm.  This is great when one is traveling and wanting to take it all in!!  


Now, as I write this, it's noon on Monday, Memorial Day in the U. S.  And I'm caught up!!  Yea.  Not sure what today will bring, but we'll soon be out and about to make new discoveries!  One thing for sure, we are forever grateful to those we remember today for keeping us free....we most likely wouldn't be doing what we're doing without their sacrifice.  Thank you, Dad!!!