ugni blanc

Once again it’s my day off, only it lacks the clean skies and worm air of last week. Even so, I didn’t spend much time at the market, after buying doux pommes from my favorite organic vendor I decided to ride about an hour south to a town called Eauze. A little smaller than Agen yet much larger then anything around the farm Eauze was a plesent city. I bought a penini and walked around the book store. Eauze (click on it to make it larger)
Now I’m back in Barbotan for the next hour of so. I’ve sent about eight emails out to some farms near or in the Alps. Mostly cheese producers, I made sure this time to only email the farmers using French in their posts but mentioned that they speak at least a little English. I’m hoping to work it out so that after a week or so here I can take a train south to Marseille and then a ferry to Corse and then another to Livorno, Italy. I’ve met with the surprisingly hospitable friend of a fried over Facebook. She’s going to an art school in Firenze and was more than happy to let me stay with her for a while and show me around the city. If everything works to plan I could enjoy a week in central Italy before I return to France!
I’m finally getting used to the daily live of my host family here, but I just get the feeling I’m wasting precious time that I could be learning French. I’ve made the commitment though with Caroline and the children, it seems to be helping at least a little. Victor is always up to embarrass me when I mispronounce words and what better way to learn than humiliation by an eight year old?
Caroline’s brother is coming tomorrow to join us in La Vendange and I think Philip said that a Japanese WWOOFer will be here on Friday. It’s going to be long hard days but you know, I’m looking forward to it. If anything, I’ll be drinking some of the best grape juice in the world.