It was after the fourth or fifth course and my corresponding fourth or fifth glass of wine that I realized that we would never finish dinner before the New Year started. We had been told to expect an 11-course meal on New Year's Eve and, in true European style, we started at 10pm.
Jen and I had traveled from Paris to the town of Gerdermer in the Les Vosges area. A group of friends had arranged to rent a small chateau, which they insisted on calling a chalet, for a week. Altogether, there was 21 of us total and we represented nine different nationalities - from Australia to Korea, India to Italia, Peru to France, from Spain to Belgium to the US. Each person was somehow connected to Portland, Oregon. They either had lived or currently are living and working in that town from which I began this trip.
It was amazing that each of us found our way to the back part of France for a week. We came by train, car, and plane. After spending the last four months on the road, it was really comfortable and relaxing for Jen and I to be around our friends again. We spent the week walking in the snow, in front of the glowing fireplace, and eating. Eating a lot.
At a few moments before midnight, someone began a more or less countdown. We sat our food and drinks down and brought in the year 2004 loudly and with great joy. Then the dancing began. Gifts were exchanged. More wine was drunk, some of it from a special Spanish decanter that had to be held five feet from your face. Some wine was spilled. More dancing occurred. Sometime before we went to sleep at 5 in the morning, we finished the other seven courses of dinner.
Special thanks to Anne-Simone who found and arranged the small Chateau yet couldn't enjoy it due to work conflicts, Sebastian for the amazing cooking, coordination, and cultural lessons, and to Virginie for hosting Jen and I in her home town and making sure we got to Gerardmer. Thanks to everyone for being there and for inviting Jen and I.
It was an amazing way to start the year.
