A Foostastic Week

I’m on the 3 p.m. train out of Nantes, France, sitting next to a group of tall handsome guys also known as the Norwegian foosball team.

 I’ll be back in Paris in just two hours with authentic French ‘’souvenirs’’ or remembrances of all the people I met attending the World Cup of Foosball tournament.

 Forr example:

The German women’s team that beat the U.S. team n the longest, closest tie-breaker possible and then went on to win the World Cup with an easy win over the scrappy Austrians.

The men’s team from Great Britain who proved to be part of the Coalition of the Winning by supporting the U.S. Men’s team by singing and chanting them on to victory in a language we could all understand.

Seeing one of the guys from the American team providing coaching tips to the young squad from the United Arab Emirates, proving that all sorts of cultural differences can be bridged through sports.

Everybody on the U.S. men’s and women’s teams, a group of folks who came together from all over the country, united by Old Glory. Special shout-outs to Lotus, Kathy, Cindy, Dusty, Tiffany, and all the U.S. women who were so welcoming to a non-player like me. Extra special THANK YOUS to my niece of course, who had the courage to branch out by tasting all the strange French food I made her try, and to her doubles partner Shelly, pictured above. Shelly, of Colorado,  bought herself a killer pair of long black leather boots while in France, and really makes Foosball look glamorous!

Shopportunity 2

So while I spent much of my weekend watching the actually very exciting play on the foosball table, I have to confess that I did escape twice: once to tour the historic castle. The Chateau of the Dukes of Brittany,  in the center of town (famous for a royal named the Duchess Anne), and to head to the mall!

 Just two blocks from the sports center is a huge shopping emporium where I managed to acquire a multi-toned blue cashmere scarf from Beneton at half price, a cool Mad Men-esque scoop-deck top in a Sixties print for 30 percent off at a French boutique whose names now escapes me.

But one of my favorite places to shop is actually at what I like to call the French version of Target, a giant grocery chain called Carrefour.

 I was sorely tempted by the lilac cashmere sweaters, but opted to go small scale instead and grabbed one tasteful fawn-colored cashmere knit scarf. Well, one for me and a second one for my niece.

 After all, doesn’t every gal deserve a taste of cashmere?

The first Foosball post is here:

This afternoon, I’m on the TGV (high speed train) heading from Paris to Nantes in northwestern France.

The occasion? To watch my niece from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, compete in the World Cup of Foosball.

 World Cup?  Foosball? Who knew! Maybe because in France, it's called Babyfoot.

 I hope to meet some fabulous folks from all over the world at this tournament: one woman, a Swiss-born Italian named Samantha, is especially intriguing with her long blonde dreadlocks, tattoos, piercings  and impressive competitive focus.

 But of course I tend to turn any occasion for travel into an occasion for shopping and my trip to the Gare Montparnasse to catch the train today was no exception.

 With the departure delayed for about 30 minutes, I grabbed the chance to make a beeline directly to the nearest French pharmacy, which was conveniently located next to the giant train timetable so I could shop and keep an eye on the departure time.

 So I went straight to the Occitaine counter and sample the honey eau de toilette, hoping my co-travelers wouldn’t be allergic to scents.

 Then I browsed the shelf with those fabulous Caudalie products made from  fabulous French grapes (not just for drinking any more!) and perused the assortment of colorfully packaged Roget Gallet soaps.

 Finally, I settled on two travel-size products: an adorable 2.1 ounce  glass jam-far full of  Caudalie’s Merlot-based facial scrub for 7.90 euros (they also has a sauvignon version that was more mild), and a tube of Baume Prodigieux Levres (protective lip gloss) in a shade called  Shimmering Chocolate and containing ingredients like  mango butter, sweet almond oil, sunflower and vitamin E, for 17 euros. I had never heard of the Paris-based company, NUXE, that made the  lip gloss, but the multi-language brochure says it was  founded in 1957 by a pharmacist with a ‘’passionate interest in aromatherapy.’’

 And as I zip past the snow-dusted farms, forests and wind farms of rural France with my newly glistening lips, I can appreciate that passion.