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French

Firsts in France

By: Jeanne Hanigan

France represents the first of many things for me.

My first trip and study abroad was to Grenoble, France. At 19, as a sophomore in college, I embarked on this journey of culture and experience for six months.

My first cross country ski trip occurred in the picturesque French Alps. (However, later in life, my local cross country skiing in Washington State looked eerily beautiful and similar.)

Drinking GOOD wine was another habit introduced in France that has stayed with me for the next 20+ years. Of course, there was a bad vintage in France that my friend John, or "Jahn" as the locals would say, uncorked and cracked at the same time. We should have known a bottle with the picture of a skier and called "Slalom" would not have earned Wine Spectator points.

I also discovered patisseries on my walk to my school every morning. Luckily I also discovered walking for necessity in France so I didn't gain the European kilos there.

Not surprisingly, I also indulged in more exceptional food. Raclette cheese was the equivalent of the most divine nachos around. Nutella made me swoon, but the lukewarm soda made me gag. And what I remember most about my stay on the French Riviera was not the scantily-clad beachcombers, but the gooey sandwiches pressed in a waffle machine. The Panini was born!

What was perhaps the most intriguing food source was the hypermarche down the street from Foyer les Ecrins. Sam Walton did not invent Wal-Mart type monstrosities; the French did.

My subsequent trip to the Normandy Coast when I graduated from college was also the most significant first for me. My college boyfriend of four years broke my heart amid the ruins of World War II. It was only fitting that we should end our tumultuous relationship there.

I look forward to returning to France someday. Perhaps I will stay in Paris, consume splendid wine and drink and celebrate my everlasting love with my husband who doesn't break my heart but makes it stronger each day.