Only Speak English? No Problem!

English truly is the universal language. Most people under the age the of 30 -I only met two who didn't know english- can speak fluent english and most with an American accent, I can count on one hand how many second language British english I have come across. When out in public with friends from other countries, we speak to the French and they can immediately tell it isn't our first language -obviously the accents- and then they switch to english. Not all the time, but most. I have watched a Brazilian, Colombian, Japanese, and Austrian speak to a Frenchman and switch to english. ALMOST EVERYONE* KNOWS IT. It's the automatic language people switch to when foreigners communicate with some difficulty. The french know instantly I speak english no matter how hard I try to conceal my accent -it's the R sound- and they'll switch, it's gotten to the point that I'll respond the first few sentences to english but then I'll go back to french because that's what I'm here for dammit. Among students also, english is used A LOT. American music is all over public radio, when I hear french music in public I get excited. 

In a lot of schools -I have learned- it's a requirement to start learning english at a young age. People have asked me why a majority of Americans don't know a second language -fluently- because we seem to be the only country like that. I tell them in America, it's not required from a young age to learn any language -generally-. In high school, yes you need to have at least two years in order to graduate, but that kind of learning will get you by being a polite tourist. We don't have the need to learn a second language because our country is so large and everyone in it speaks the same language. In the amount of time it'll take me to drive to Idaho this summer, I could drive from here in Amboise to Karlovac, Croatia which is still 35 miles shorter but still 4-5 countries away -depending on the route you take-. Point is: with that amount of distance my destination will still have the same culture, language, and laws -relatively speaking-. We don't have the necessity to speak a second language. Now, if you live in the states boarding Mexico, yea it's a smart idea to learn some spanish, and a lot people in the north east know french because of the Canadian influence. But as a population in general, Americans don't speak a second language. I know a lot of you at home might be reading this and want to argue some of these points but I'm speaking in general terms. If you plop a German in Tennessee he's pretty much going to be forced to speak english, and good luck to that guy because he might have some trouble with that southern accent they've got goin on. 

If you have fears of traveling to Europe because you don't speak the language of your destination I promise you, you will be fine. I knew a Japanese girl who went to Paris and she communicated to everyone with english because, like I said, everyone* knows it. Even in small towns that are tourist destinations most will know english, it will be a little more broken than the english you'll find in a major city but communication is still attainable. 

Yesterday I went to Loche, it has a castle and dungeon and other cool stuff. As I sat waiting for the return bus to the train station to get me home, a 60-something old lady sat down next to me and she just started talking to me. We talked about Loche, how beautiful it was, how she was waiting for her grand daughter to arrive, how she was going to take her to the castle the next day, how she loved Amboise, and she was funny. She was one of the nicest old ladies I've had the pleasure of speaking with. The best part about this to me: she was a stranger. She didn't ask where I was from or about my accent until the very end of the conversation, and she was so happy about everything. When her grand daughter arrived she left, it was a wonderful treat the universe plopped on me. It cashed in a few of those good karma points.

As for today, it has been raining since morning. I'm sitting on the glass terrace listening to the rain with my favorite kitty next to me, writing some postcards -I have sent over 100-, drinking some warm apple cider, while wearing my PJs. Things aren't so shabby <3

Mr. Zen. My favorite of the three cats.

Le Jardin. 

*= Generally speaking=most of the time

Open Unattended Gate = Fair Game

It's been a while. Apologies. So here's an update! A few weekends ago I visited my friend Megan in Paris again and she took me to Versailles, which was oh, so magnificent -not to mention the social history involved-.

Marie's got nuthin.

We did not go inside the palace because the gardens are always open to the public. Megan had warned me I would not be ready for how big the gardens were and also warned that we would not be able to see the grounds in one day. Pshaw I say!... She was right.

This is only one side of the palace and not even a quarter of the garden.

It was huge. I'm glad I wore the comfiest shoes that day. To escape from all the people who visited on a beautiful Saturday afternoon, we took one road that disappeared into the woods and walked all the way until it stopped.... on the other side of the property by the horse stables. On the way we found this...

This is a side gate to a palace solely for Miss High and Mighty Marie. If you notice the smaller structure on the right you'll notice it has a small gate... and it's open. Since there was no one around, no cameras, and Megan was my look out: I took that open gate as fair game, which is a mantra I have adopted over here. I entered that tiny gate and walked down stone steps below the earth, I didn't go very far because at the bottom it was flooded and smelled bad. Not to mention I had a slight fear an evil sorceress capturing my soul and locking it away in a jar forever. But I digress! 

Our road.

It was also here, in the woods of Versailles, that I heard nature call and I went to answer it! On my way off of the 'path' to make myself more discreet, I walked right into a batch of fresh Stinging Nettle. I only know what it was because when I was younger I had done a similar thing and ran to the house crying. This time, poor Megan was concerned as she couldn't see me and she could hear me yelling profanities.  So, with red bumps all over the tops of my feet we trekked on. 

                                                         And then we rowed a boat.

All in all, it was a really cool day. We were exhausted by the end and slept for a full 12 hours that night. So you don't think we are pansies, here is an aerial view of the palace. The entrance is where it says Versailles, we walked along the edge of the lake(?)/pond(?)/water, along and walked in the diagonal direction that lead straight to where the yellow meets the green (go pack) in the perfect V shape. That was REALLY far. And of course we had to walk our way back. Our legs I tell you....

 Versailles is a beautiful reminder of nature in the middle of a big city that can smell pretty gross sometimes.