Postcard: An Englishman en France

I recently went back to the UK for a break, and while I was there I went over to France for a wedding. I like France, it’s a great country, has great food and some of the scenery is stunning.  Of course there is a long history of  animosity between the French and British (Napoleon and whatnot) and you often hear people say things  like "France, lovely place shame about the people" but I think you could say the same about Scotland, Yorkshire, London, anywhere really.

I think people in the UK, and Europe in general, often forget how fortunate they are to have so many countries,and different  cultures close by.  But when you’re on the other side of the world, like I've been for the last two years, and the nearest country, (I won’t say culture) is a 3 ½ hour flight away( Australia) it really brings it home.

People living in the UK are  fortunate.   Where else in the world can you drive your car on to a train, and 30 minutes later be in a different country having sat in your car and travelled beneath the sea? The channel tunnel might have cost, and lost, billions of Pounds but it’s brilliant. You can be at home one day, book the journey online and then the next day be on a train to France or pretty much anywhere else in Europe. You can go for a short break; drink kir royales, eat moules frites and then go watch transvestites dance on a bar burning with flaming spirits?  Or alternatively head over for a quick shopping trip; stock up on fantastic food, wine, and other continental essentials.  Or go for it and do both in one trip. Whatever you decide to do you’re likely to only have a vague recollection of what happened, but will want to do it again, and you're able to!

The wedding I went to was brilliant, and it reminded me how great it is to live in Europe.  We stayed in a pretty little French village on the banks of the Dordogne, or Dadong as one of my friends kept calling it, had some great local food and the wedding was held at a chateau which overlooked the valley. I’d forgotten how normal history is when you’re in Europe.  In New Zealand, the houses are wooden and if they’re 80 years old they’re ancient.  Weddings are often held at vineyards that  are only a few years old and purposely built just for events (OK, so the settings are often incredible, but still there is no history, no function to these places.)

Fair enough,  when it comes to a wedding, once the party has started you could be anywhere in the world.   A dance floor is a dance floor, and S Club’s Reach for the Stars is a must to get you up and dancing wherever you are but, the foie gras, beer, great cheese and the awkward taxi driver-interactions are especially good in France.

Do I miss European culture, living in Auckland or do I just miss the chance to easily go somewhere and do something different even if it’s just for a few days? I don't know.  But one thing I realized on this trip, going to a French shop, bar, or restaurant and having the staff ignore you because you’re British, it’s comforting.