Sunday, December 11, 2016

Dreaming of France -- Boules


Thank you for joining this weekly meme. Grab a copy of the photo above and link back to An Accidental Blog. Share with the rest of us your passion for France. Did you read a good book set in France? See a movie? Take a photo in France? Have an adventure? Eat a fabulous meal or even just a pastry? Or if you're in France now, go ahead and lord it over the rest of us. We can take it

When my husband and I speak of our impending move to France, the game of boules inevitably comes up. He wants to hang out with the old guys playing boules, also known as petanque.

 Neither of us has ever played the game, but it involves a small ball and throwing larger balls toward it. I think the scoring has to do with who places the large ball closer to the small ball, and, of course there is strategy with trying to knock an opponent's ball away. It sounds similar to horse shoes and beanbag (also known as cornhole).
These are some shots that Earl took when visiting France without me in 2011. You can almost see his longing to join in, can't you?
I'm sure that his French will progress quickly when he can join the guys at this game of boules.
What are you dreaming of today?
Thanks for playing along with Dreaming of France. Please leave your name and blog address in Mr. Linky below, and leave a comment letting me know what  you think about my love affair with France, or your own passion for the country and its people and cultures. Also consider visiting the blogs of others who play along so we can all share the love.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Around here, pétanque is for players of all ages, from very young to old. Women, too, though it's mostly men. It's wonderfully laid back, for a sport.
That little ball (made of wood or plastic) that you try to get your big steel ones next to is called a cochonnet (piglet!).

Sim Carter said...

I've seen petanque mostly in movies, if I recall correctly it has a satisfying thunk when the piglet hits the big ball. I imagine bocce ball is similar?

For my Dreaming of France post, I've got part 2 of the story about that trip to France I took in 1973, recorded on the podcast.

Have a wonderful week.

our life in france said...

boule is a wonderful way to get to know your neighbours but be prepared they are passionate about the game and dont like to lose 😀

Philippe F. said...

Vous avez raison Paulita,la Pétanque est un excellent moyen de rencontrer des personnes inconnues et de discuter avant, pendant et après la partie de boules !La Pétanque est un jeu très simple d' origine Provençale qui se joue à 1 contre 1, 2 contre 2 ou 3 contre 3 avec 2 boules pour chacun et un cochonnet. C' est tout !!! Le premier avec 13 points gagne. Ce sport s' est développé en France, en Europe, en Afrique et en Asie ( Sport n°1 en Thaïlande! ). Si les jeux Olympiques sont accordés à Paris en 2024 ( croisons les doigts...) , la Pétanque devrait devenir un sport olympique.// You are right Paulita, Pétanque is a great way to meet some unknown persons and chat with them before, during and after the game of boules! Pétanque is a very simple game from Provence ( La Ciotat 1907) which take place 1 on 1, 2 on 2 or 3 on 3 with 2 bowles for each one and one cochonnet ( small ball ). That' s all!!! First getting 13 points wins.This sport ( yes it is... )has taken off over France, Europe, Africa and part of Asia ( Sport n° 1 in Thaïlande for example). If Olympics 2024 are granted in Paris, Pétanque should enter as olympic sport.Bonjour de la France Paulita!

Paulita said...

Francetaste, Thanks for the added vocabulary. Maybe I'll learn to play too.
Sim, Can't wait to hear the next installment.
Roz, Do you and John play? Did you learn to play before moving to France?
Philippe, I appreciate that you write in simple French so I can understand it all, even without your very good English translation. Merci.

Philippe F. said...

Paulita, quand vous serez en France n' oubliez pas d' acheter des boules de pétanque (environ 30 € (~ 33 $) le pack de 3 boules + 1 cochonnet)dans une grande surface comme AUCHAN, CARREFOUR, LECLERC ou DECATHLON ( le mieux pour les équipements sportifs). Prenez 2 packs pour vous Paulita et pour votre mari Earl : vous pourrez jouez l' un contre l' autre et vous entrainer avant de jouer contre les français! Tous les français et françaises jouent à la pétanque en été pendant les vacances.// Paulita, when you' ll live in France, don't forget to buy a set of boules de pétanques ( about 30€/ ~33$ for a pack of 3 pétanque boules + 1 cochonnet/small ball )in a supermarket like AUCHAN, CARREFOUR, LECLERC ( all similar as WALL MART )or DECATHLON ( the best for sports supplies ).Take 2 packs of 3 boules for you Paulita and your husband Earl: so you could play together (one versus the other one)and practise before playing against french players. All french people ( men, women, children or elderly) play pétanque during summer holidays.You will just have to ask to play with other present players in the public playground.

Paulita said...

Philippe, Thanks for the tips. It's on my list of things to buy when we move to France.

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