Carnet de Voyage: “I’ve Never Seen an American Here Before”

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Carnet de Voyage: “I’ve Never Seen an American Here Before”

Travel notes from the real France. Carnet de Voyage is a weekly personal travel story in France sent in by readers. If you’d like to write a story for Carnet de Voyage, head here for details on how to submit.

In the autumn of the year 2000, I took my very first trip to Europe at the age of 53. Southern England and France (mostly Paris) were the basic itinerary. My family having been in America since the early 1700’s, and my heritage, according to my mother’s genealogical research, being English, Irish, Scotch, Welsh, and Dutch, I simply assumed that I would prefer the land of my ancestors.    

Although I was born in Los Angeles, I was fortunate to grow up in a rural area of Santa Barbara from the age of three. I have had a lifelong dislike of large cities, but an affinity for the peaceful and uncrowded countryside. Nevertheless, as does tout le monde, I wanted to see Paris. But at the same time, even though the trip was comprised of one week each in England and France, I was determined to at least experience the French countryside, however briefly.  

 To my great surprise, I found that although I enjoyed England, I fell in love with France. In that first venture into rural France, my wife and I explored a few of the small Burgundian Villages of the Côte D’Or surrounded by endless hectares of vineyards. We also stayed one night at the Château-de-Vault-de-Lugny (near Avallon) where we experienced virtual time travel to the 15th century. I was immediately hooked. Over the intervening years, I have learned to like Paris – the ONLY large city about which I can make that statement – but I LOVE the French countryside. I willingly trade less time in Paris (and its attendant Museums, its cultural, historical, and many other fascinating items and places of interest), for more time in the French countryside. 

 

The cheese vendor in Montréal © Donald Nunn

Forward to 2008, the fifth of my eight trips so far. I called this my Pyrenees trip – which I had been planning for several years. It was to take us by rental car from Paris south to the Dordogne, thence continuing south to drive the entire French side of the Pyrenees, all the way from Saint-Jean-de-Luz to Collioure, as well as sorties into Spain on both the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts, returning to Paris by a different route through the very middle of France. 

On the way down after visiting the magical villages lining the Dordogne River Valley, we continued south through the Lot-et-Garonne, and then the Gers. After a night at the Château de Fourcès, I made a point of visiting the three closely grouped Plus Beaux Villages of Fourcès, Montréal-du-Gers, and Larressingle.  By fortunate happenstance, we pulled into Montréal on the weekday morning when the travelling cheese cart vendor made his appearance. Always a welcome sight, just as when one arrives in a town on a market day that one had not planned for in advance.   

We immediately made our way over to the cheese cart, already doing business in the town square.  Among the many things that my trips to France have taught me is an appreciation for quality cheese. Choosing just two or three from amongst 20 or 30 viable candidates is a pleasantly difficult task. We made our selections to snack on with crackers and herbed olives along our days’ route. Although I was by this time conversant in French, my wife was not. A man who was visiting the cheese cart at the same time as ourselves obviously heard us conversing in English sans the familiar British accent. He invited us to sit and chat with himself and his wife at a table in the market square. He turned out to be from Texas, married to a French woman, and they lived locally to Montréal. 

He said to me, “I don’t think I have ever seen an American here before”.   

In his mind, that was simply an observation. To my ears, however, it was a compliment. An accomplishment of sorts, of which I was proud. It meant to me that I had achieved my continuing objective of being in the true French countryside, experiencing local customs and culture that other Americans do not. The Brits are ever-present in France. Americans, not so much. Most Americans who travel to France, go to Paris; maybe Versailles, or other of the main tourist destinations, and mostly with a tour group. Very few rent a car and travel France on their own. Fewer still, find their way into la vraie campagne. 

Having now made eight trips to France, I feel confident that there is some French DNA somewhere in my distant ancestral past that did not reveal itself in the course of my mother’s genealogy research. 

Read our other Carnet de Voyage entries here

Donald Nunn is a retired Attorney living in Southern California. He has authored documents of an infinite variety during his over forty-year legal career. He has occasionally published articles, mostly in the travel and wine travel genre. Mr. Nunn is an inveterate Francophile. 

Lead photo credit : Château de Fourcès © Donald Nunn

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Comments

  •  Sally Bostley (Beausoleil)
    2023-10-25 09:18:24
    Sally Bostley (Beausoleil)
    Enjoyed your article. Paris is the only city I like too. There have been other Americans in Montreal because we were there many years ago. We usually lease a car and either rent a gite in the countryside for a month or rent several gites in different areas for a week each. It gives us freedom and the ability to explore more rural areas. We've been doing this since 1996 so have covered a lot of France. Check your ancestry. You probably can trace it back to Charlemagne. He had 23 children so nearly everyone in western civilization can find some way to trace back to him. So you really do have French ancestry.

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  • Prateek Karnadhar
    2023-08-19 04:42:33
    Prateek Karnadhar
    I wanted to extend my heartfelt gratitude for sharing your captivating travel story. Your eloquent descriptions and heartfelt reflections painted a vivid picture of your journey through the French countryside, inspiring us to embrace authentic travel experiences. Your encounters and insights, like the unexpected meeting with the Texan cheese vendor, beautifully conveyed the joy of connecting with local culture. Thank you for enriching our platform and encouraging us to explore the lesser-known corners of the world, seeking deeper connections and memories that truly resonate.

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  • Michael Harrelson
    2023-08-16 04:56:18
    Michael Harrelson
    Donald, slight change of plan. Bistro du Marche is not open for lunch. We will, instead, be dining at Piatti in La Jolla. It would be lovely to meet you.

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  • Michael Harrelson
    2023-08-04 06:05:14
    Michael Harrelson
    Hello Donald, are you up for an adventure outing? My wife and I will be at Bistro du Marche in La Jolla at noon on Saturday, August19th. We'd love for you to join us.

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  • Michael Harrelson
    2023-07-21 07:34:05
    Michael Harrelson
    What a lovely story about your introduction to France. Like you, I am from the San Diego area (Jamul [I know you know where that is) and discovered France later in life. You did such a great job of capturing the joys of both Paris (our favorite city in the whole world) and the beautiful French countryside. We have made France our primary destination and it sounds that, like you and your wife, the plan is to visit every corner of Le Hexagon. You need to keep writing. It was a wonderful read. PS We seem to be near "neighbors". A French-centered connection at a local bistro could be fun.

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    • Donald A Nunn
      2023-07-26 06:10:11
      Donald A Nunn
      Michael: Thank you for your kind words. I love to write. I do indeed know where Jamul is. We would certainly be amenable to a meet up sometime. We just have to figure out how to exchange emails.

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  • Christine Holland
    2023-07-19 05:43:07
    Christine Holland
    Hello, Donald, I love your travel approach and love of France. We live in Santa Barbara also, and we have the same way of visiting France. And of course, loving the cheeses. Would love to get together for a coffee to share travel ideas. — Christine Holland

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    • Donald A Nunn
      2023-07-21 05:31:15
      Donald A Nunn
      Christine: Thank you for you comment. I realized after I sent in my Bio, that I should have said that we live in Poway, CA. Instead, I simply said living in Southern California. After graduating from UCSB, I came to San Diego to attend Law School, and am still here. We would very much enjoy taking you up on your offer one day to meet and share travel stories. You had no way of knowing that I wasn't still living in Santa Barbara. Although that makes it impractical to meet anytime soon, there is a good likelihood that we will be taking a Highway 1 road trip in October all the way to Carmel. If that comes together, it might be possible to meet one afternoon on our way up the coast. If that is of interest, I could let you know our plans as they develop, and see if a meet up would be mutually convenient. We certainly enjoy meeting people with similar travel interests. We would have to determine the best way of exchanging personal emails. Understandably, they don't publish them on this site. Happy Travels!

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  •  Elaine Parker
    2023-07-19 05:08:59
    Elaine Parker
    I loved reading your story, Mr. Nunn! One of our favorite trips in France was to the Dordogne, where we truffle-hunted and explored the caves (while staying in the Magnon hotel, built into the cliff where Cro-Magnon man was found--and named after the Magnon family who owned the land and caves!). Have you read the Bruno, Chief of Police series by Martin Walker? Not only are there wonderful images and anecdotes of the Perigord region, Bruno is an imaginative chef and oenophile and the books take you back to all the wonderful Dordogne meals.

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    • Donald A Nunn
      2023-07-21 05:07:05
      Donald A Nunn
      Elaine: Thank you for your comment. Yes, I have read Bruno Chief of Police, and Fatal Pursuit. We were privileged to visit Font-de-Gaume in 2003, and have since visited numerous other of the Prehistoric sites in the Dordogne Region. Happy Travels!

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