My French friends often seem staid to me compared to Americans the same age. But they're all capable of surprises. Today I had lunch with a quiet friend whom I knew for ten years before discovering she is a comtesse [countess]-- I think most people would probably have worked it into the conversation somehow. I was telling her about going nude bathing in the spa at Wiesbaden last weekend, maybe hoping she'd be a little shocked. Instead she said, "Yes, it's very pleasant, isn't it? Edouard and I always go to the nudist beaches-- they're less crowded."
As we came out of the restaurant, two very drunk men staggered by. They stopped politely to let us go past, and one held out his arms wide and said, "Mesdames, voulez-vous nous épouser?" [Ladies, will you marry us?]
More than the barefoot countess... :)
Posted by: Olivier | 08 December 2005 at 23:01
This amusing interlude could scarcely happen on the other side of the Atlantic. Dommage.
Posted by: francofile | 09 December 2005 at 02:09