From France in general

Is it even worth saying that the food has been fabulous in France? The street food, the restaurants, the pastries; it has all been delicious. I had a set menu in Rouen of foie gras and langostine ravioli in a cream sauce, followed by bacon wrapped salmon in a tart orange glaze and dessert of a nougat ice cream that was possibly the most wonderful thing ever. This afternoon I snacked on a carre Breton, a cornbread-like cake and this one had a layer of salted caramel through the center, a local specialty that makes you want to stay.

My French gets better every day, though it remains broken. I had to have our Eurail passes validated and wasn’t sure where to do it, so I wanted to ask when reserving our first ride that will count on the pass. The best I could come up with was, “You to write here?” me pointing at form, “Or who?” It didn't sound pretty, but it got my question across. So far people have been incredibly patient with, and sometimes charmed by, my slow communication and we haven’t had any trouble. That being said, we have not been able to have any real conversations except with the few English speakers we’ve met. For the first time I wish I had studied French instead of Spanish, but look forward to getting into Paris and getting my planned interviews underway.