June 7, 2019 - Belgian chocolates and grandchild fixes

Our day today, Friday, is simple. A trip to a chocolate factory (not Charley's) and then visiting Jonathan to care for Élinor at their home. This way I will get a grandma fix. Being in France for so long means not seeing my grandchildren who light my life. We'll be home soon, so this will have to suffice for now.

First the chocolate factory, Neuhaus.

 It's not Paulette's favorite (Léonidas is), but it is near the house AND you can taste as much chocolate as you want. Better than Charley and the Chocolate Factory. But it's better not to be like Augustus Gloop and fall into the river of chocolate.

I will admit it would be easy to do. I tried 5 or 6 different kinds while David and Dan each ate about a dozen pieces. We watched one man put 6 kilos (about 13 pounds) of chocolates in the back of his car. I hope it was needed for a wedding.

each box is 1 kg and samples of each type of chocolate are out for tasting!

We returned home for lunch, again beautifully prepared by Dan and Paulette.

Dan and Paulette's house

I swear Dan could be a chef in the finest restaurant. He is such a talented cook!

lunch -avocado and shrimp salad  (the little ones like we had last night)

In the afternoon we went to Jonathan and Maëlle's house. They have a lovely new home in a building that has 7 apartments. We watched Élinor while Jonathon corrected papers (It's end of term here and Jonathan, a chemistry teacher, is monitoring exams and must of course correct and grade them all.) We were happy for the time with Élinor.

Paulette and Élinor

They live in a Habitat-Groupé (shared housing) project where like-minded families agree to share in the purchase and maintenance of the house. They manage affairs by meeting every 2 weeks to decide things that must be done. Then each person signs up to help as they are able. They track when they are gone via a shared calendar in the entry. And they have set aside larger rooms that can be used for various purposes from extra guests to parties. The owners all have a similar philosophy and dream about living lightly on the planet. It's really refreshing to see such cooperation, although I suspect it may not be so rare here where people seem to pay attention to the ecology and shared nature of the spaces.

For dinner we were treated to a dish I've never had - pork cheeks.

Joues de porc & pommes de terre vapeur 

wines from Dan's cellar thoughtfully chosen for each course.

They are a cut of meat that needs slow, long cooking in a beautiful dark gravy sauce, served with pommes de terre vapeur (fancy French name for boiled potatoes). Really delicious.

Once again, we sat long at table with so much to talk about. We are never at a loss for words to share with good friends and it is a wonderfully warm feeling to deepen our friendship in these conversations.