Antibes Years and years of working on the French “Rrrrr” has been to no avail. I am always pegged as an American. Whenever I am in France—Paris, in particular--my American accent surfaces, obtrusive and grating. Language tapes then DVDs and patient friends have all tried. During my early travels, I hesitated to ask directions of passersby. Gendarmes made me repeat my address -- Rue St. Honoré. “Roo?” they questioned with a smile. It could have been worse for an “R-challenged” Francophile. I could have lived near the métro Barbès-Rochechouart.
When I moved to the South of France (and fortunately to the Chemin des Ames du Purgatoire in Antibes) , two things occurred. First, I found myself in an area with an infiltration of Italians and international residents that created a nice mixture of accents. The Rrrrrs no longer took on importance. Next, the languid lifestyle and relaxed conversation got me interested in popular culture. But it took years of café sitting for me to discover an effective way of becoming French (or at least, French à la provençale).
Juan-les-Pins Developing a proficiency at pétanque would certainly be more productive that additional years working on the Rrrrr.
Pétanque, which takes place in most town squares or on dirt parking lots, seems to be a passion in Provence that affects all ages, both males and females. Just in Juan-les-Pins alone, several pétanque groups met around the Pinède and in the Square Frank Jay Gould, overlooking the Mediterranean. But other sites also existed (such as along the Place Villmorin). In Antibes, groups of pétanque players have gathered for years near the Plage de la Salis at the end of the Boulevard Albert Ier.
Juan-les-Pins Teams of players take turns tossing a metal ball (that weighs approximately 1 pound 10 ounces) as close as possible to a small wooden ball, the cochonnet (piglet). With feet planted and knees slightly bent, the players focus, concentrate then, with their palms turned down, lob the ball.
Now that I have had this epiphany, the next issue becomes where to purchase a pétanque set in the States? And where with our paved drives and green lawns will I find a nice dirt terrain de jeu where I can practice without injuring passersby or pets? Ideally, it would be with proximity to a café . . . .
Chez moi I made a quick call to Sports Authority to learn whether the store had pétanque sets in stock. “No, I haven’t heard of that really,” said the clerk. Amazon carries nearly everything and offers a beginner set that includes six or eight chrome balls for around $30 (plus a hefty shipping charge for the 13-pound package). Competition sets sell for much more.
Given that the pétanque set would not be forthcoming, I called ABC about the pastis. “Can you spell that for me?” The store keeper seemed skeptical but checked. He carries both Ricard and Pernod. Mais quel dommage! I do not like pastis, but at least it’s a start to introducing the “sport” of pétanque to Gainesville.
Great post! Is there a difference between pétanque, boules, and bocce? We have a bocce set (from amazon probably) but it has never really gotten a good workout in Gainesville due to our sloping backyard.
ReplyDeleteBrent, Thanks for writing! Good question. I always assumed petanque was more from the South and the other games are similar but may involve balls of different sizes or weights (and no pastis, of course). We'll have to try your bocce set on a flat surface. But if all imbibe (actually, I dislike pastis), the slopes should not cause too much concern. . . .
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