Trip to France

mariesnowgoose said:
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Great stuff - a couple more;

Del: One of my most favouritist meals is Duck à l'Orange, but I don't know how to say that in French.

Rodney: It's canard.

Del: You can say that again bruv!



Barman: Can I get you anything, Sir?

Del: I'll have a bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau.

Barman: Yes, Sir.

Del: A '79.

I used to Love Beaujolais day when I worked in London. We always used to meet in the pub at 7 in the morning for breakfast and then a drunken day of it.

The Beaujolais Nouveau is pretty horrible stuff but it's just one of those things you endure for the sake of tradition! :)
 
Sorting out communication, Watching Liz is Brilliant, I'm no better so I dont say much if I can afford it.

Thanks to Barry, the shouting pointing and the odd words in French also works well, we did an Aldi and a charcuterie this morning.

What larks Pip 😄😁😆😅
 

DECODING CAFÉ MENUS (OR, WHY YOU SHOULD NEVER ORDER A CAFÉ AU LAIT!)​


Visiting a Parisian café is a time-honored tradition, but may be surprised that it’s not as simple as ordering just a “coffee.” There are many different options on a café’s menu, and things can quickly get confusing. Luckily, we’re here to help!

THE SIMPLE: LE CAFÉ​

The most basic option on any café menu is un café. While the term directly translates to “a coffee,” Americans might know it better as “an espresso.” Short, dark, and bitter, le café is the cheapest item on most café menus, usually costing about 2 euro at most Parisian cafés.
Your typical café can be modified in a few ways:
  • Un serré – literally, a “tight” (coffee), is a shorter espresso. It will be richer and darker than your run-of-the-mill café.
  • Un allongé – literally, a “long” (coffee), is a longer espresso. It will be slightly weaker than most French coffees. Cafés will either serve this to you as is or, sometimes, as a regular coffee with a pitcher of hot water, so that you can dilute your coffee as you like.
  • Un américain – literally, an “American,” is an even longer coffee, similar to an Americano.

LEVEL TWO: MILK​

Coffee with milk is traditionally a breakfast item in France, and while most Americans are keen to order a café au lait, you’ll only find this option on the most touristy of menus. Here are your choices if you’d like a touch of milk:
  • Un noisette – literally, a “hazelnut,” has no nuts added! It’s an espresso with a dollop of foamed milk, similar to a macchiato. It’s also the only milky coffee that most French people would consider drinking past breakfast.
  • Un crème – literally, a “cream,” is what most people are thinking of when they order a café au lait. Similar to a latte, a crème is made by topping espresso with steamed milk and a touch of foam. Most cafés will offer both a grand crème (with more milk) and a petit crème (with less milk).

CAPPUCCINO, FILTER, FLAT WHITE, OH MY!​

Expats have been present on Paris’ coffee scene for a number of years now, so it’s not uncommon to find coffee shops and coffee houses offering Italian, American, or Australian coffee specialties like cappuccinos, filter coffee, or flat whites. You’ll rarely see any of these options in a typical French café.
 
I put my laptop (Dell Lattitude E5570) down this morning with the hinge side facing me, and saw what looked like a SIM slot, and it am.

So when I get chance I'll look it up and see if I can make it work.
 
barryd said:
I hope this epic thread is going to get more exciting after all the months of effort we put into it!! I wanna see you paragliding off an alp or summat not having coffee and cake in some flipping service station!! Get on with it man!!!!
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After all that munching, Barry, maybe we'll be treated to pics of "what-bears-do-stuff" in the Forêt de Fontainebleau (or any other suitable 'Les Forêts' en route)? 😉
 
barryd said:
I hope this epic thread is going to get more exciting after all the months of effort we put into it!! I wanna see you paragliding off an alp or summat not having coffee and cake in some flipping service station!! Get on with it man!!!!
Click to expand...
Error, wind your neck in short arse, not been in any service area or stations yet, had a look in Belgium though, quiet nice excellent roads we did about 50k as a direct route to where we are having lunch now in the car park of the
Notre-Dame d'Espérance
Basilique Notre-Dame-d'Espérance de Charleville-Mézières, then we're hoping to get a look inside.

The men working over head yelled when the clock struck 2PM :p
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mariesnowgoose said:

DECODING CAFÉ MENUS (OR, WHY YOU SHOULD NEVER ORDER A CAFÉ AU LAIT!)​


Visiting a Parisian café is a time-honored tradition, but may be surprised that it’s not as simple as ordering just a “coffee.” There are many different options on a café’s menu, and things can quickly get confusing. Luckily, we’re here to help!

THE SIMPLE: LE CAFÉ​

The most basic option on any café menu is un café. While the term directly translates to “a coffee,” Americans might know it better as “an espresso.” Short, dark, and bitter, le café is the cheapest item on most café menus, usually costing about 2 euro at most Parisian cafés.
Your typical café can be modified in a few ways:
  • Un serré – literally, a “tight” (coffee), is a shorter espresso. It will be richer and darker than your run-of-the-mill café.
  • Un allongé – literally, a “long” (coffee), is a longer espresso. It will be slightly weaker than most French coffees. Cafés will either serve this to you as is or, sometimes, as a regular coffee with a pitcher of hot water, so that you can dilute your coffee as you like.
  • Un américain – literally, an “American,” is an even longer coffee, similar to an Americano.

LEVEL TWO: MILK​

Coffee with milk is traditionally a breakfast item in France, and while most Americans are keen to order a café au lait, you’ll only find this option on the most touristy of menus. Here are your choices if you’d like a touch of milk:
  • Un noisette – literally, a “hazelnut,” has no nuts added! It’s an espresso with a dollop of foamed milk, similar to a macchiato. It’s also the only milky coffee that most French people would consider drinking past breakfast.
  • Un crème – literally, a “cream,” is what most people are thinking of when they order a café au lait. Similar to a latte, a crème is made by topping espresso with steamed milk and a touch of foam. Most cafés will offer both a grand crème (with more milk) and a petit crème (with less milk).

CAPPUCCINO, FILTER, FLAT WHITE, OH MY!​

Expats have been present on Paris’ coffee scene for a number of years now, so it’s not uncommon to find coffee shops and coffee houses offering Italian, American, or Australian coffee specialties like cappuccinos, filter coffee, or flat whites. You’ll rarely see any of these options in a typical French café.
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Not sure what your source was ?
In general , travelling through villages and small towns these options are not available and the coffee is invariably bland .
Edinburgh has some exceptional coffee shops [try the Milkman in Cockburn street , also in Peebles] and perhaps I am spoiled
 
Pudsey Bear said:
Following Google maps sans tolls and we're having lunch on the N53 in Belgium.
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Don't know which way you are heading, but Dinant is a pretty nice place to visit, if you don't mind touristy, but the Ardennes is pretty nice in general.

Nothing wrong with Belgium, I spent years just using it as a route to somewhere decent before realising what was there to see.

Besides you got far more chance of getting a Latte in Belgium than you will in France :)
 
barryd said:
Stop farting about in Belgium and get to the proper good bits of France Kev!!! Come on!
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Where and when I do my farting about has sweet FA to with you and I already told you where I was, just moved to a free aire from the WC app and it was defo not free, it looked like Travellers encampment they were so close together, so I edited it, itd be handy to add a photo to edits and reviews if possible.


The church was truly beautiful as was the town Hitler missed most of it so many seriously nice old buildings, large town too, worth a visit.
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Pudsey Bear said:
Where and when I do my farting about has sweet FA to with you and I already told you where I was, just moved to a free aire fromthe WC and it was defo not free, so I edited it, itd be handy to add a photo to edits and reviews if possible.
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Its everything to do with me!! And the other members of this epic thread. As I am unable to go to France due to my van being ancient I will be on this trip with you albeit vicariously. So we are going to need better entertainment than this. Are you any good at Base Jumping? :D
 
alcam said:
Not sure what your source was ?
In general , travelling through villages and small towns these options are not available and the coffee is invariably bland .
Edinburgh has some exceptional coffee shops [try the Milkman in Cockburn street , also in Peebles] and perhaps I am spoiled
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I concur,the little tabac style bar/cafes are nice but they only do two sizes for coffee, no complaints it's just what it is, we adjusted to it coz we am British.
 
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