Le Foot
Last Week's Clue:
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Expression: Avoir le cafard Literal Translation: To have the cockroach
French Colloquial Meaning: To have the blues; to be down in the dumps
If you’ve ever wondered when the usually high spirited French “ont le cafard,” the time to catch them is after a favorite football team loses a match.
We’ve experienced two extremes of after football reaction on two very different occasions. The first was in Paris, again it was one of my first impressions of France – at the end of our first day. It was a day full of impressions – French bread, the surprise on the faces of the diners around us, when they saw two little English speaking boys (4 & 6), tucking into their plates of escargots. Lots of smiles, nods of approval and nice comments.
Back on track..... Leaving the restaurant, we decided to do some sightseeing around Paris on that beautiful, balmy June evening, and started a leisurely drive ….. we passed le Louvre (before the pyramid), then the Tuileries Gardens and along the Seine to the Place de la Concorde. A tour around the obelisk and fountain, then up the Champs Elysees to the Place de l’Etoile. As we entered the busy roundabout, looking back and admiring the brilliantly lit Avenue des Champs Elysees and started to edge our way around the Arc de Triomphe along with all the other cars, suddenly all the traffic in the Place stopped. Parisians in their cars, started cheering, clapping and tooting their horns – some got out and hugged each other, jumping for joy, others hung out of the windows, cheering! Did this happen every Saturday night around the Arc de Triomphe? A little bewildered, yet enjoying the happenings, mon mari lent out of the car window and asked what was happening. The reply: Paris 2; Lille 1; Allez Paris! Paris had won the football match! Of course! No cafards around that evening – just lots of fun and celebrating that went on for quite some time.
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Many years later, we experienced a whole restaurant full of fans to whom le cafard came.
It was one of those great Spring vacations BMdeP (before we owned Maison des Pèlerins) – 2002 to be exact. We had been a little too enthusiastic when visiting the markets and decided to send a suitcase home as unaccompanied baggage, to make the rest of our trip less cumbersome. After a late breakfast, we set off for Marignane, the Aeroport de Marseilles, about an hour’s drive South on the A7. All went well, we didn’t get lost and went straight to the Air France Cargo Terminal. Soon the suitcase was on its way to San Francisco. Having taken care of that, and with no specific plan for the rest of the day we headed back towards Pernes-les-Fontaines, probably via Avignon and probably to our favorite Moroccan restaurant for lunch.
Oops …. Was that the On Ramp to the A7? Mmmm ….. and there’s really no way to get back on (not that we knew of, anyway). We were now on surface roads that lead through open countryside and lots of little towns and villages. Right … Change of plans – let’s drive through the country and head in the general direction of Pernes.
We drove through the countryside admiring the fields of bright red poppies and the bright green, vigorous spring growth in the vineyards that flanked the road for what seemed like miles. At just about the right time, we spotted an inviting looking Auberge on the left, very close to the crossroad that was coming up. There were lots of cars parked outside … good, then the clincher – the Menu Board said “Gambas Giganticas” – King Sized Prawns! The car just seemed to make its way into the parking lot and we found ourselves standing at the entry to a courtyard full of colorful tables and chairs, shaded with an arbor style trellis, covered by vines.
Don’t you just love it when a wrong turn works out really well?
BUT…. Where were all the people who came in all those cars? It was a beautiful day and there was no one sitting outside? The waiter motioned to the restaurant and as we looked inside, we saw that the room was full of guests, there was an air of excitement that was almost electric. What was going on? Ah yes … le foot ….. The World Cup ….. France vs Senegal … and it was just about to start. Allez les Bleus!
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This picture was not taken on that day, but I'm sure the Gambas was "THIS BIG!"
(Arms spread apart!)
Lunch was incredible – Asparagus Hollandaise to start, a main course of enormous King Prawns, sautéed in olive oil with garlic and herbs de Provence, finishing with Mango Sorbet. During the meal, we followed the match, judging the results by the sounds emanating from the restaurant. Cheers, whistling, shouts of joy and clapping alternating with boos, jeering, lots of free advice, expressions of disapproval and disappointment at missed opportunities. From where we were, judging by the sound ratios - things were not looking great for the home team. We decided to head back and catch the end of the match at our destination – hoping that some dramatic turn of events would take place in the meantime, and what appeared to be the most likely outcome would be avoided.
No such luck. On the way back, we stopped in Isle sur la Sorgue for coffee, only to find the café emptying out of patrons with hanging heads, walking slowly, some shaking their heads in disapproval. Our greetings of “Bonjour” were answered politely but unenthusiastically .
Senegal had won, and les Bleus were out of the competition.
Toute le monde ont eu le cafard! Everybody had the blues!
Auberge Inn
les Bleus French National Football Team
~French Expressions~
Next Weeks Clue:
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Expression: Avoir le cafard Literal Translation: To have the cockroach
French Colloquial Meaning: To have the blues; to be down in the dumps
If you’ve ever wondered when the usually high spirited French “ont le cafard,” the time to catch them is after a favorite football team loses a match.
We’ve experienced two extremes of after football reaction on two very different occasions. The first was in Paris, again it was one of my first impressions of France – at the end of our first day. It was a day full of impressions – French bread, the surprise on the faces of the diners around us, when they saw two little English speaking boys (4 & 6), tucking into their plates of escargots. Lots of smiles, nods of approval and nice comments.
Back on track..... Leaving the restaurant, we decided to do some sightseeing around Paris on that beautiful, balmy June evening, and started a leisurely drive ….. we passed le Louvre (before the pyramid), then the Tuileries Gardens and along the Seine to the Place de la Concorde. A tour around the obelisk and fountain, then up the Champs Elysees to the Place de l’Etoile. As we entered the busy roundabout, looking back and admiring the brilliantly lit Avenue des Champs Elysees and started to edge our way around the Arc de Triomphe along with all the other cars, suddenly all the traffic in the Place stopped. Parisians in their cars, started cheering, clapping and tooting their horns – some got out and hugged each other, jumping for joy, others hung out of the windows, cheering! Did this happen every Saturday night around the Arc de Triomphe? A little bewildered, yet enjoying the happenings, mon mari lent out of the car window and asked what was happening. The reply: Paris 2; Lille 1; Allez Paris! Paris had won the football match! Of course! No cafards around that evening – just lots of fun and celebrating that went on for quite some time.
Many years later, we experienced a whole restaurant full of fans to whom le cafard came.
It was one of those great Spring vacations BMdeP (before we owned Maison des Pèlerins) – 2002 to be exact. We had been a little too enthusiastic when visiting the markets and decided to send a suitcase home as unaccompanied baggage, to make the rest of our trip less cumbersome. After a late breakfast, we set off for Marignane, the Aeroport de Marseilles, about an hour’s drive South on the A7. All went well, we didn’t get lost and went straight to the Air France Cargo Terminal. Soon the suitcase was on its way to San Francisco. Having taken care of that, and with no specific plan for the rest of the day we headed back towards Pernes-les-Fontaines, probably via Avignon and probably to our favorite Moroccan restaurant for lunch.
Oops …. Was that the On Ramp to the A7? Mmmm ….. and there’s really no way to get back on (not that we knew of, anyway). We were now on surface roads that lead through open countryside and lots of little towns and villages. Right … Change of plans – let’s drive through the country and head in the general direction of Pernes.
We drove through the countryside admiring the fields of bright red poppies and the bright green, vigorous spring growth in the vineyards that flanked the road for what seemed like miles. At just about the right time, we spotted an inviting looking Auberge on the left, very close to the crossroad that was coming up. There were lots of cars parked outside … good, then the clincher – the Menu Board said “Gambas Giganticas” – King Sized Prawns! The car just seemed to make its way into the parking lot and we found ourselves standing at the entry to a courtyard full of colorful tables and chairs, shaded with an arbor style trellis, covered by vines.
Don’t you just love it when a wrong turn works out really well?
BUT…. Where were all the people who came in all those cars? It was a beautiful day and there was no one sitting outside? The waiter motioned to the restaurant and as we looked inside, we saw that the room was full of guests, there was an air of excitement that was almost electric. What was going on? Ah yes … le foot ….. The World Cup ….. France vs Senegal … and it was just about to start. Allez les Bleus!
This picture was not taken on that day, but I'm sure the Gambas was "THIS BIG!"
(Arms spread apart!)
Lunch was incredible – Asparagus Hollandaise to start, a main course of enormous King Prawns, sautéed in olive oil with garlic and herbs de Provence, finishing with Mango Sorbet. During the meal, we followed the match, judging the results by the sounds emanating from the restaurant. Cheers, whistling, shouts of joy and clapping alternating with boos, jeering, lots of free advice, expressions of disapproval and disappointment at missed opportunities. From where we were, judging by the sound ratios - things were not looking great for the home team. We decided to head back and catch the end of the match at our destination – hoping that some dramatic turn of events would take place in the meantime, and what appeared to be the most likely outcome would be avoided.
No such luck. On the way back, we stopped in Isle sur la Sorgue for coffee, only to find the café emptying out of patrons with hanging heads, walking slowly, some shaking their heads in disapproval. Our greetings of “Bonjour” were answered politely but unenthusiastically .
Senegal had won, and les Bleus were out of the competition.
Toute le monde ont eu le cafard! Everybody had the blues!
Auberge Inn
les Bleus French National Football Team
~French Expressions~
Next Weeks Clue:
Posted by Marianne at 6/19/2009 6:33 PM 
Categories: Vacations, le foot, France, Provence, le cafard
Tags: ” the time to catch them is after a favorite football team loses a match. If you’ve ever wondered when the usually high spirited French “ont le cafard
Categories: Vacations, le foot, France, Provence, le cafard
Tags: ” the time to catch them is after a favorite football team loses a match. If you’ve ever wondered when the usually high spirited French “ont le cafard
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