穿越法國鄉村（中）- 在Saint-Tulle

由於周末出色的準備工作，星期一一大早，我準時出現在Saint-Tulle的辦公室。早春二月，天氣還有些寒冷，但是陽光明媚，我熱切地期待著和從未謀麵的法國同事相見。雖然以前訪問過法國公司，也有過法國同事，這回才是我第一次和法國人在法國鄉下一起工作。我想跟他們顯吧顯吧，咱也會一點兒法語，跟剛見麵的人說，“Comment allez-vous?”（法語問候語，你好麽？）沒想到，他們糾正我，“別那麽正式，‘Comment ça va?’ 就行了。”後來，連“Comment”都省了。每天早上，我們在廚房小聚，以“傻瓜”（Ça va!）和一杯濃咖啡為引子，開始一天的工作。出乎我的想像，法國男孩們常常用吵架式的語調交談。他們友好地警告我，是討論問題，並且關上門，以防打擾同事。公司有上、下午茶歇，和美國不同的是，大家都在辦公樓外邊抽煙、聊天兒。中午，我們一起跨過草地，到對麵EDF（法國電力公司）學校的食堂吃午飯。下班之前，是一圈“殺驢”（Salut！法語問候語和再見），每一個先離開的人要跟還在工作的人告別。因為我通常是最早到，最後一個離開，所以總能送出去比較多的“傻瓜”，也收獲了比較多的“殺驢”。在那裏，我度過了快樂的兩個星期。

Saint-Tulle是一個可愛的小鎮，周圍有好幾個旅遊景點，包括北邊的Manosque（馬諾斯克）老城和東邊的Verdon國家公園（詳見此文上篇的地圖）。馬諾斯克是阿爾卑斯省、上普羅旺斯地區（Alpes-de-Hautes-Provence）最大的城市。據曆史記載，公元10世紀，馬諾斯克就出現了。Verdon國家公園有一個峽穀，也叫法國Verdon大峽穀，有碧綠的湖泊和陡峭的懸崖，是登山和劃船的好去處。





接下來是星期六，我去逛馬諾斯克。老城看起來很有中世紀的味道，商業區則是應有盡有，從農貿市場到精品店，樣樣俱全。我在一個玲瓏滿目的麵包店買了一個長麵包，像法國女孩一樣，在街上邊走、邊掰、邊吃，而且是幹吃。剛出爐的麵包，很香，特好吃。逛著逛著，我看到一個漂亮的巧克力店，甚至還發現了歐舒丹（L’Occitane），那個專門出售以草本植物為原料的美容、護膚和香水產品的商店，特別是薰衣草係列產品。以前，我隻在巴黎或美國大城市看見過。






後來我才知道，普羅旺斯是歐舒丹的故鄉。在馬諾斯克有一個工廠和薰衣草農場，還提供免費參觀。普羅旺斯盛產薰衣草，每年六月、九月收獲兩次。每逢收獲的季節，都伴有薰衣草節。小時候，我在歐洲小說裏看到過描述薰衣草的情節，覺得很溫馨。在普羅旺斯，我才見到了薰衣草是什麽樣子。薰衣草是多年生、草本植物，適宜在幹燥、陽光充足的地方生長。有驅蟲、護膚、鎮靜安神等功效。它的花、籽和油也用在美容、護膚產品上。特別是薰衣草油，是世界各地香水製造商鍾愛的精華液。所以，下一次你去法國旅遊，別忘了加上普羅旺斯和薰衣草農場。還有那個法國大峽穀，很美、也很壯觀。隻是不要太依賴GPS，我差一點兒上了她的當，在自然公園裏迷了路。

在追夢的年華裏，我讀了好多法國小說。一直好奇法國人最喜歡什麽？藝術、浪漫，還是食物？跟法國同事混熟了之後，我試著向他們探討了這個問題。他們暗示到，愛情、食物和運動，居然沒提到藝術。

談到食物，EDF食堂的午餐，雖然是大鍋飯，味道還不錯。我特別喜歡那兒的魚類菜肴，因為那兒的魚看起來像魚，聞起來像魚，吃起來是魚。而德克薩斯（我居住的地方）飯館兒裏著名的“熏黑的魚”（Blackened fish），看起來像一塊燒焦的木碳，吃起來比死木柴更糟糕。順便說一句，在食堂裏遇到的EDF雇員，都是快樂的人。無論你相信與否，我的同事解釋說，電力公司的人55歲就可以退休，而且能拿到豐厚的退休待遇。真正的社會主義呀！

即使是在旅店，晚餐也是美味佳肴。我嚐到了平生最好吃的披薩，是磚爐烘烤出來的、平底兒麵包式的披薩餅。一天晚上，我想喝番茄湯，旅館的廚房回應說，我必須一大早告訴他們，因為需要購買新鮮的食材。所以，在法國你總能吃到真正的、新鮮的食物。

兩周後，我發現自己愛上了這個美麗的地方，開始張口用簡單的法語和當地人交談。傷心的是，得回家了。懷著一顆破碎的心，還有殘留在肚子裏的美味佳肴，我依依不舍地跟法國同事說“Au revoir”（再見），開始了Saint-Tulle到馬賽100公裏的歸程。去機場前，我計劃在馬賽的老港口Le Vieux-Port de Marseille過夜，也是我老板建議的。

Driving in South France with GPS (2)

-Saint-Tulle-
 

With my excellent preparation over the weekend, I showed up in the company’s office in Saint-Tulle in the chilly but sunny morning of Monday. There I began my two weeks of working visit with my French colleagues, whom I had never met before. To show off my French, I greeted everyone with “Comment allez-vous?” They replied, “No, no. You don’t have to be so formal. ‘Comment ça va?’ would be good.” Later, even “Comment” was dropped. Every morning we started the day with “Ça va?” and a cup of strong coffee in the kitchen. To my surprise, the French boys were very loud when they discussed their projects. They assured me, “It’s just a discussion, not quarrel.” They politely closed the door not to interfere with others. The office had morning and afternoon coffee breaks, with people smoking outside the building and kidding around. Lunch time, we walked over the grass to eat at the cafeteria of the EDF school (Électricité de France). At the end of the day, each person as they left the office would go around to say “Salut!” to everyone who was still working. Since I showed up early and left late, I gave more “Ça va” and received more “Salut”. I had two pleasant weeks with my newly acquainted French colleagues. 

Saint-Tulle is a lovely small town surrounded by tourist attractions, including the old town of Manosque and a national park, Parc Natural du Verdon (see the map in part I of this article). Manosque is the largest town in the Alpes-de-Hautes-Provence. According to historic records, the town existed before the first millennium. There is a canyon in the national park, called the French Grand Canyon of Verdon, where you can hike and canoe.

The next Saturday, I visited Manosque. The old city looked medieval but had everything from a farmers market to sophisticated boutique shops. I bought a baguette from a corner bakery and ate it on the street like a French girl. While window shopping, I spotted a nice chocolate shop and even L’Occitane, the beauty shop that specializes in natural ingredients and lavender products. One may see it only in Paris or the big cities in the States.

Later I learned that Provence is the home of L’Occitane. It has a factory shop and lavender farms in Manosque, which even offers a free tour. Twice a year the lavenders are harvested, followed by festivals in June and September. My earlier memory about lavender came from the 19^th century French novels, which described the scents of lavender in ladies’ clothes. Lavender oil is prized as a liquid treasure by perfume makers around the world. Its flowers, seeds and oil are used in essential oil, beauty products, and herbal drinks. So, next time when you visit France, don’t forget to add a tour of Provence and its lavender farms. The national park, too, is a good addition. Remember don’t trust your GPS too much, as I was almost lost in the park under the command of the GPS lady.

I was always curious about what French people like most, arts, romance, or food? After I got to know my French colleagues better, I attempted this question. Love, food and sports, they hinted, and nobody mentioned arts. Talking about food, the lunch in the cafeteria of EDF was delicious. In particular, I loved the fish dishes there, because the fish looked like fish, smelled like fish, and tasted like fish. Back to Texas, where I live, the blackened fish, for instance, looks like a piece of charred wood and tastes worse than a piece of dead wood. By the way, the EDF people I met at the cafeteria were all happy people. One good explanation was, believe it or not, they retire at 55 with full benefits!

Even in the hotel I found the best pizza I ever had, which was brick-oven fired and flat-bread pizza. One evening I asked for a tomato soup. The chef replied that I had to tell him early in the morning, because he needed to shop for fresh ingredients. So, you always eat fresh, real food in France.
 

After two weeks, I found myself fall in love with this beautiful place and people. I started speaking in simple French, too. Sadly, with my heart broken but French delicacies in the stomach, I bid “Au Revoir”, farewell, to my colleagues and began a 100-km dash to the old port of Marseille, Le Vieux-Port de Marseille, for a brief evening visit as my supervisor suggested.