Châtelaillon

I also wanted to share some pictures of Châtelaillon, where my head teacher Isa lives. Friday afternoon when class finished she drove me out to her home and made us a lunch of boiled fish, rice, and a tomato salad. We started our meal with a French (or regional) specialty of pinot poured into the center of a halved cantaloupe. I'm not sure if it is actually spelled "pinot" because it is not like the wine, but instead thicker and sweeter, right before cognac in the distillation (or fermentation?) process. It was delicious with the melon!

Isa cuts thick slices of "real" French bread, the country-side kind. Those thin baguettes that we eat in the "city" are too hard and made with processed flour, she tells me. She has lived in the little village of Châtelaillon for over 15 years, so I suppose she would know.

Sorry that these pictures are a little overwhelming when placed side-by-side. Isa's house is full of colors and shapes and old French knick knacks, as well as two fluffy black dogs. Her pantry is in the bathroom, and the kitchen is like one on a ship, she says. Everything you need is literally right in front of your nose.

Isa also had these old prints of the La Rochelle harbor which I loved! Maybe I can find some at the vide grenier, or flea market, that I'm off to this morning with Katia.