The most adorable afternoon.

My French class (students and teacher) had lunch together today at a restaurant a cote de campus (close to campus--you spell it with a few accents, but I can't figure out how to add them in this format).  I had an excellent apricot tart for dessert.  The apricots looked like three sunny-side-up eggs.  It was wonderful.     

There's a gentleman  in my French class who is a retired federal judge, and after lunch today, I asked him what his afternoon plans were.  He said he had to go to the train station to cancel a ticket, so I invited him to come with a group of us to the Blue Van (it's on the way to the train station).  The Blue Van, mes amis, is what I will miss most about Pau.  It sells ice cream in the town square.  Not only is it beyond picturesquely adorable, it has the best ice cream in the world. My RFJF (Retired Federal Judge Friend) and I discovered that we share a passion for ice cream and Sherlock Holmes stories, so it didn't take much convincing for him to join our group headed for the centre-ville.  I had une boule (scoop) of citron (lemon) and une boule of framboise (raspberry), and he had chocolate.  We ate our ice cream in the shade, under a huge trellis, which houses a few wrought iron benches (ils sont tres mignon--they are very cute).  After that, we left the group and walked to the train station.  We chatted about Joseph Conrad, military history, the plight of the American farmer, Dickens, and Alfred Hitchcock movies.  One of his hobbies is architecture, and he recommended the book Brunelleschi's Dome.  We also talked about some of the cases he's had throughout his career.  It was so interesting: he would give me the situation and then ask me what I thought, then I would give an answer, and then he would say, "Yes, but what's the next question?"  We would go back and forth, and then he would tell me what he ruled and why.  J'ai trouve un ami!  (I have found a friend!)  

After the train station, we sat outside at a cafe from about 4:30-7:00, and tried a few different kinds of beer.  He has German heritage, so he's something of a beer expert.  Though we both like to drink wine while in France, it was too hot for it this afternoon.  Here in France, it is common for beer to come with some sort of flavored syrup.  We were utterly mystified by the different (often brightly) colored drinks being served, so finally we tried a red one--definitely grenadine.  Not so great.  We had a wonderful afternoon, though, and went our separate ways with plans to search out some restaurants in Paris when we go next week (I should've known we were going to be fast friends when in class the other day, he asked if I had a Michelin guide).  We are both quite grateful for each other's company.  I think he's grateful for some companionship (he eats most of his dinners alone), and I'm certainly grateful to escape the ubiquitous presence of students, especially with someone who is such a gentleman.  He reminds me of my grandfather--utterly brilliant (but self-effacing and diplomatic so you wouldn't know it unless you engage him), excellent conversationalist, and a gentleman through and through. Spending the afternoon with him reminded me of how much I miss the wonderful men in my life--my father, uncles, and brother.  There are only a few male students studying here, and I really miss the company of men!

Tomorrow I'm hiking through the Pyrenees with our group, and will attend France's annual Fete de la Musique in the evening.   

Bisous, 

Marguerite.