Word of the Day: Camionnette

Our meal at La Vallée de l'Atlas has set some kind of longing in our bellies, and even though the weather looks iffy, we decide to hoof it back there again today.  By the time we get our stuff together and our shoes on, it is pouring outside.  Ok, well, we will put on our raincoats and umbrellas and we will be fine.  What kind of Vancouverites would we be if we were stopped by a little rain?

I've noticed that the rain here is actually not much like rain in Vancouver.  Although it is raining fairly hard, we are still decently warm, and by the time we get down to Le Crèt, the rain has stopped.  We happily skip down to the restaurant and this time order off the menu:  chicken tagine for Colin, and vegetarian couscous for me.  It is good, but can't match the glory of those meatballs.  The best parts are the gigantic stewed prunes in Colin's tagine, and the surprisingly delicate semolina of my couscous.  I love how this restaurant continually keeps me in Beginner's Mind, by constantly reversing my expectations of what I will enjoy most. 

While we are eating, the rain falls in a torrential downpour, and we are happy to be inside at the moment.  By the time we leave the restaurant, it has stopped again.  Heading back up the hill to Le Crèt, it starts raining once again.  At first we are annoyed.  Then we realize how much easier it is to walk up the hill in 6-degree weather instead of 35-degree weather.  Now we are happy for the rain.

By the time we get back up to Le Crèt, the rain has stopped again.  A lone vehicle approaches.  It is our host Alban, with one of his sons in the passenger seat.  He stops and grins at us out his window:  "Moroccan resto again?" he inquires, in heavily accented English.  "It's good!"  His son pipes up from the other seat: "Daddy, why are you speaking English?"  Alban answers: "I told you, they are Canadian.  So they speak English.  Just like in England, just like in Scotland, just like in Australia... That's why I'm speaking English."  As he drives away, Colin says, "The real reason is that he just wants to practice his English!"  I laugh, "Yes, that is what his girlfriend Jennifer said the other night."

Later, at the gite, Alban seems to take pity on us, as the days have turned from unusually hot to unusually rainy.  He offers us the use of his camionnette.  "What the heck is a camionnette?"  we wonder.  Is it like a truck (un camion)?  Alban has trouble describing it.  Collins dictionary to the rescue...

Word of the Day: Camionnette

feminine noun

1. van

His camionnette is actually really rather cute.  As we have been walking more on the roads the past couple days, we are noticing that the camionnette seems to be the vehicle of choice in these parts.  "Perfect for transporting sheep," as Alban warns us he has just done.  He worries we will not want to use it, especially for grocery shopping, now that the sheep have been inside.  We look outside at the weather and shrug.  It will do!!

This camionnette is what you might call "real Country."  It reminds me of the little 1976 Chevette I had in high school, may she rest in peace.  Like my beloved Chevette, it has standard transmission, no power steering, no real ability to exceed 60 kmh, and a very distinct sense of puttering along inside a tin can...  extremely unnerving or extremely fun, depending on your constitution.  However, there is one striking difference between the two vehicles:  unlike my Chevette, there is a tape deck!   What luxury!!!!   ;)

Fortunately, we had both gotten our International Driving Permits from BCAA before we left Canada for France.  The whole procedure was relatively quick, painless, and inexpensive, and now the investment was definitely paying off.   We both take a turn driving around the gite property.  

Colin wants to take it out to the Intermarché at Chambost-Allières, where Alban had driven me the other day.  It's a pretty simple drive on the highway, about 4-5km in the opposite direction of Létra.  "Allons-y!" I cry, in my best Dr. Who impression.

Pulling off the highway into the parking lot of the Intermarché, we notice a big red and blue sign for an upcoming festival: Chambost-Allières Randonnée et Fete du Fromage 24 mai.  Seriously?!?  The Festival of Hiking and Cheese:  together at last!!   :D

As you might expect, the Intermarché is pretty similar to any grocery store you would find anywhere, but it makes Colin feel secure and relaxed to be amongst such familiar surroundings. I decide not to point out the poster of the little boy who is either screaming or puking... (Why is that image hanging in the grocery store??  because France?  Maybe we can make a game of it, and figure it out together:  any ideas, anyone?)  

After the grocery story, we drive back through the downtown, and notice a sign for a Vietnamese Restaurant.  An idea dawns: we could easily do a randonnée to here -- this is approximately the same distance from the gite as Létra!   I think you can guess which blog post is coming next...  ;)