Parc de la Pepinière, Nancy, France. No rain!
Ladies. If you fancy yourself as a bit of a voyageuse, (like me), check out the Travel Belles, a website for females with a real passion for independent travel. Each month readers are invited to contribute to the site across the 'virtual café table' to discuss travel questions and share those unforgettable travel experiences.
This month’s question just happens to be…
‘What’s your favourite spot to have a picnic?’
I’m a firm believer that food always tastes better when eaten outdoors. Perhaps this was thanks to countless days out with the family whilst growing up. Memories of pork pies (Google it if you’re unfamiliar, just don’t count the calories), cheese sandwiches and Hula Hoop crisps take me back to an age where the Spice Girls ruled the airwaves, Sabrina the Teenage Witch ruled the TV and the Furby ruled the playground. Times have changed, but my British picnic food still hasn’t.
A great picnic can happen anywhere. All you need is sunshine (we’ve had about 4 sunny days in the UK this year, so choose your day wisely) , food/drink and good company. And folk/ ambient music if you’re feeling slightly pretentious...
As for my favourite spot I thought of a few favourite picnic locations before settling on the city of Nancy, France. Granted, it’s not the most famous of French cities, but it’s where I worked, partied and lived for the last year, making it a very special place indeed. Nancy’s city park Parc de la Pepinière makes for the perfect spot, situated just behind main square and meeting point du jour Place Stanislas, a World Heritage Site, no less.
Our very own bourgeois pique-nique
On a beautiful Sunday afternoon in April, armed with fresh bread from the boulangerie, Quiche Lorraine, olives, cheese and fresh strawberries from the nearby farmer’s market I headed to the parc with friends. Watching the world go by in France is a favourite pastime of mine and that’s exactly what I did after almost exploding from gluttony/sheer happiness after the pique-nique. I watched as loved up couples laid down picnic blankets complete with hampers, baguettes and organic produce (how bourgeois of them! I can merely imitate). I saw families eating in the sunshine, taking the beloved family dog for a walk and groups of friends casually sipping on supermarket wine, cautiously looking behind their shoulders in case the parc wardens were watching. It is France’s notorious love of food that gives a French pique-nique that reputable je ne sais quoi. Maybe it was the atmosphere in the park that day, maybe it was the way I was feeling....everything was perfect. Yet something was missing. The rain.
