Whitsunday

Today is Whitsunday (aka Pentecost) and, together with tomorrow, Whit Monday, serves as one of the last opportunities in the academic year for a long weekend because Whit Monday is also a holiday throughout most of Europe.

It is somewhat ironic that European countries that pride themselves on being primarily secular - and long may they continue to do so - celebrate as "holidays" so many festivals that form part of the liturgical calendar.  For example, ten days ago Ascension Thursday was also celebrated as a holiday here, with many taking leave on the following Friday in order to have a four-day weekend.    Yet, in my own country, where a certain part of the population literally becomes incensed when some do not want to say a "Pledge of Allegiance" including the phrase "under God," the only two liturgical festivals that are celebrated - and with much commercial fanfare to boot - are Christmas and Easter.  In fact, I cannot think of any other country where I have lived in which citizens routinely make a pledge of allegiance at all.  It is also true that most commercial establishments in Europe, apart from restaurants, cafes and small shops, still close on Sundays.  Are we to infer that Europeans are, in reality, more "godly" than Americans!?

The question is meant rhetorically.  It is not something that I wish to discuss here.  At all.  I doubt that a meeting of minds would result.  But what I most wanted to share today are my memories from a few years back - Whitsunday of 2007, in fact - when a group of alums from one of my grad schools and I reunited for the long weekend just outside the charming French village of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence.  Time was spent in visiting, catching up, meeting new friends, sightseeing, but mostly in enjoying the beautiful setting.  Best of all, the Whitsun activities included a cooking lesson with a cordon bleu chef.   After preparing the meal, we enjoyed it in an alfresco setting.

We cooks not only set the table and prepared the meal, we also served the food.  In this case, it's the appetizers.

And here we are, ready to make way for the ravenous horde.  This table will never look the same.

After the appetizer, the chefs had to scamper back to the kitchen to help put the finishing touches on the main course.

The ravenous horde was most appreciative.  Their appreciation was heartily assisted by good wine, flowing a-plenty, and bouts of riotous laughter.

And then the desserts - simply divine!

If you can believe it, after all that, some of us were still up for a visit to the site of the former asylum, now a museum and art gallery, where Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh spent one of the most difficult yet artistically prolific years of his life - after cutting off his own ear.  Here is one of the areas that Van Gogh found especially restful and soothing.  It was almost too restful for some of us, after all the excellent food and wine!

All in all, however, it was a most satisfactory day!