Driving on the wrong side of life...

So, about 6 months ago, Kristi, Lauren and I thought it would be a brilliant idea to hire a car and drive around the French countryside. You know, see the green fields, sample the delectable cheese and wine and basically live like French Queens for a few days. Of course we completely bypassed the idea that driving in France - might actually be a bit more difficult than one may think.

Here are a few reasons why:

1. Driving on the right hand side of the road. Seems easy enough - it's not when you're not used to it and keep having small heart attacks every so often when you think, "Why is the car that is hurtling towards me in my lane?".

2. We don't know French road rules. I can't even begin to tell you of the amount of road signs we didn't understand and thus ignored.

3. A hire car. If we scratched it, crashed it, put it in a ditch - this would cost us 1000 EUROS!! Arrrgghhhhhh!

4. People in France drive fast and crazy. Blinkers are irrelevant so it seems. Oh and another thing about blinkers, they're on the other side of the wheel. The wheel is on the other side! So many times I turned on the wipers expecting my left hand indicator to come flashing on. Or I'd look inside a car and wonder where the heck the driver was... oh that's right, he's sitting on the other side. Freaky concept.

But we made it 50km south of Orleans (will look up name later) to the most AMAZING Bed and Breakfast ever. To be greeted by the NICEST owners. The town was so cute, they offered us drinks and biccies when we arrived (a little shaken), then we had the most amazing dinner with them. Champagne with our choice of a sort of flavoured syrup (I had peach and then raspberry).

For dinner was salad with egg, mustard, tuna and anchovies, then this refreshing vegetable terrine with tomato salsa, potato casserole with zucchini, chicken with orange sauce, a plate of the most amazing cheeses, blueberry pudding and red wine. We sat at the table with a couple from Belgium who speak German, French and English; a family who spoke a mixture of German, French and English (the son kept speaking to me in half German/half French so he was a little hard to follow), and a couple from the Netherlands who spoke French, Dutch, German and English. And then there was us. Me with my perfect English but very broken German; Kristi with her English but broken Finnish, and Lauren who speaks better English than anyone I know... but that's it. We were feeling a little inadequate at the table. But everyone was so friendly an relaxed, it was lovely.

The home was so kitchy and homely. Gorgeous French furniture throughout, with paintings, plates hung up on the wall, a gorgeous garden area where they grow their own vegies. Our room was so sweet as well, just lovely. Well I better go.

Tomorrow I will write about our trips to the gorgeous chateaus that I will one day move into, the fabulous breakfast hey cooked us (with homemade yogurt!) and my driving skills.

Until then, hope all is well at home!

Love Nicole xoxox