[The following blog post was written in France, but it was hiding on Rach's iPad until now :) I still have lots of stories to come!]
Well we can hardly believe it's Tuesday already, as we leave from Sundara and Davids tomorrow and begin the next stage of our journey. I must say, we are extremely excited!! I must back up a bit and explain the lovely weekend events.
Saturday evening we joined our hosts for a music concert at a breathtaking old abbey. The minute we stepped out of the car in the parking lot, we knew we were somewhere special. The abbey was built around the 13th century but was only a bunch of rubble a out 100 yrs ago. Apparently an American was going to buy the stones for some unknown purpose,but somehow he was prevented - and thankfully so! The restored buildings have much of the original stones and structure, so it was very easy to get lost in our imaginations! David said that during the summer there are a couple concerts a week, but it's considered a privilege to perform here. He actually had the opportunity to sing there with a children's choir a while back!
Anyways, if you can imagine an abbey out of Sound of Music, combined with the castle grounds from Beauty and the Beast, you'll just about have the image right! There are beautiful gardens all around, and the whole place is secluded by a large grove of trees and colorful flowers.
The metzo soprano was so fun - she had a gorgeous voice, great stage personality, and a huge mane of red, crimpy hair. The pianist was probably even more entertaining to watch, tho...quite the performance. They got three encores even! I was often whisked away to my happy place during the performance...which would be an intimate pond at the base of a soft waterfall, surrounded by inviting grasses and wild flowers, hidden by the height of leafy trees, and inhabited by a pair of swans :) Needless to say, we were quite content. The cherry on top was walking out of the concert and being greeted by the astonishing clear sky, stars sparkling as bright as they would at the cabin in Meeker Park! Loved.This.
So what does one do when the sky is so brilliant? Sleep outside, of course!! Rach and I made a valiant attempt to make it through the night, but by 3am the wind by the pool was really getting to us. Still, it was well worth it!
Sunday morning we were picked up by Geoff, a friend and neighbor that we had met the week before. He took us to his church in Narbonne, which meets currently meets in a hotel. We had coffee and chatted with some other "holiday makers" before the service. The minute I walked in to the humble room, I felt my soul swelling with joy and thankfulness. It was just such a pleasure to be in this place where other brothers and sisters gather to praise God and study His Word.
The service consisted of songs and a sermon in both English and French. So cool! Pastor Steve would speak a phrase or sentence and then his wife, Sue, would interpret in English. We loved every minute of it. Afterwards, we had a chance to speak with Steve and Sue and found out they came from Oregon about 9 yrs. We asked for sight seeing and lodging suggestions in Narbonne, but they offered to let us stay with them instead!! We were so surprised by their generosity.
Sooo, tomorrow they will be picking us up and taking us to Carcasonne to see the castle town. We will most likely stay with them until Saturday and then finish up with a couple days in Barcelona! Can't wait.
But back to Sunday tho. We also spoke with this ADORABLE French/British family....the mom said she would have taken us home to with the kids of Steve and Sue hadn't already snatched us up. Lol.
Jeff then took us to a great outdoor market, full of life and color. The one unbearable item was raw horse meat. Ew. Gross.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Saturday, July 23, 2011
From Cinderella to Anne....
The first thing I said today was *Oops* as I realized Rach and I had both slept until 12:15. So much for that morning run! Oh well, our bodies were obviously tired! And why would that be, you ask? Let me explain....
Both my back and arms currently hurt from the work in the last couple days! My back pain probably comes from the power hosing I did on the walk ways and stairs the other day (which is a really addicting tool - my new favorite), the hours of sweeping two of their massive garages, and the trench I dug for the hose (Dad, you'd be so proud of how straight my line was). The arm pain comes from the roof tiles I had carry down this narrow, winding staircase from one level of the cave to the next. EEK! That one was scary - one step had been completely rotted away, so I had to skip a step and hope I didn't lose my balance or my life.
At the end of the day yesterday, my purple kerchief had changed from a headband to a dust mask, so I looked like a bandit most the day :) David said I was probably sweeping away 100 years of dust and dirt, so I let my imagination go wild as I wondered who had stepped foot in that part of the house and how it had been used in the past. So cool!
Rach and I got all cleaned up for a lovely bike ride along the canal. The riding part was a failure (one bike tire was flat and the other bike's chains weren't working), but the lovely part was quite successful! After we got over our frustration at the bikes, we just walked them until we the perfect spot to sit and talk. With the bikes leaning against the trees, we sat in the tall grass and relaxed with back massages. We laughed at how many mood swings we had been through in the last couple days and discussed how much we're learning about ourselves.
The setting was perfect - calm canal, endless row of trees, soft grass, sunset in the distance...all wrapped up in a warm, gentle breeze. The icing on the cake? Reading Anne of Green Gables!! We found the scene where Diana first talks about Gilbert and how handsome he is, and then when Gilbert calls Anne "carrots" and she reacts by smashing a slate over his head. HAHAHAHA. Too perfect. How is it that a simple name - like Anne, Marilla, Gilbert, or even Prissy Andrews - can automatically fill your being with happiness? Rach and I have been feeling a bit homesick the last couple days, so we couldn't have picked a better book to read aloud.
We came back to an omlette dinner and a promise for a movie and ice cream bars (Sundara and David definitely love their ice cream!). I got to Skype with Mom and Dad - BLESSINGS on whoever created Skype!! Dad, HAPPY 60th BIRTHDAY a day early!!!! You're one incredible man - I love you so much!!!!
We then watched a movie with Anthony Hopkins (love that guy) about the British aristocracy during WWII. I can't recall the title, but it was very interesting - apparantly, just before the war, the British nobles and aristocracy (who ruled the country at the time) were attempting to negotiate with the Nazi party for peace. They were willing to support Hitler and spare their country any harm. David said he has never been a fan of capital punishment, but he'd gladly bring back the guillotine just for that one occassion. Interesting....so many things go on behind the scenes...you can study history the whole of your life and never know it all. Both David and Sundara are fascinated by the world wars, so they've shared some interesting insights.
Anyways, now I'm rambling about things. Well, we're off to a music hall tonight for what should be a great cultural event! Rach and I have decided to leave on Wednesday and spend a few extra days just relaxing and enjoying Europe while we can! YAY.
Both my back and arms currently hurt from the work in the last couple days! My back pain probably comes from the power hosing I did on the walk ways and stairs the other day (which is a really addicting tool - my new favorite), the hours of sweeping two of their massive garages, and the trench I dug for the hose (Dad, you'd be so proud of how straight my line was). The arm pain comes from the roof tiles I had carry down this narrow, winding staircase from one level of the cave to the next. EEK! That one was scary - one step had been completely rotted away, so I had to skip a step and hope I didn't lose my balance or my life.
At the end of the day yesterday, my purple kerchief had changed from a headband to a dust mask, so I looked like a bandit most the day :) David said I was probably sweeping away 100 years of dust and dirt, so I let my imagination go wild as I wondered who had stepped foot in that part of the house and how it had been used in the past. So cool!
Rach and I got all cleaned up for a lovely bike ride along the canal. The riding part was a failure (one bike tire was flat and the other bike's chains weren't working), but the lovely part was quite successful! After we got over our frustration at the bikes, we just walked them until we the perfect spot to sit and talk. With the bikes leaning against the trees, we sat in the tall grass and relaxed with back massages. We laughed at how many mood swings we had been through in the last couple days and discussed how much we're learning about ourselves.
The setting was perfect - calm canal, endless row of trees, soft grass, sunset in the distance...all wrapped up in a warm, gentle breeze. The icing on the cake? Reading Anne of Green Gables!! We found the scene where Diana first talks about Gilbert and how handsome he is, and then when Gilbert calls Anne "carrots" and she reacts by smashing a slate over his head. HAHAHAHA. Too perfect. How is it that a simple name - like Anne, Marilla, Gilbert, or even Prissy Andrews - can automatically fill your being with happiness? Rach and I have been feeling a bit homesick the last couple days, so we couldn't have picked a better book to read aloud.
We came back to an omlette dinner and a promise for a movie and ice cream bars (Sundara and David definitely love their ice cream!). I got to Skype with Mom and Dad - BLESSINGS on whoever created Skype!! Dad, HAPPY 60th BIRTHDAY a day early!!!! You're one incredible man - I love you so much!!!!
We then watched a movie with Anthony Hopkins (love that guy) about the British aristocracy during WWII. I can't recall the title, but it was very interesting - apparantly, just before the war, the British nobles and aristocracy (who ruled the country at the time) were attempting to negotiate with the Nazi party for peace. They were willing to support Hitler and spare their country any harm. David said he has never been a fan of capital punishment, but he'd gladly bring back the guillotine just for that one occassion. Interesting....so many things go on behind the scenes...you can study history the whole of your life and never know it all. Both David and Sundara are fascinated by the world wars, so they've shared some interesting insights.
Anyways, now I'm rambling about things. Well, we're off to a music hall tonight for what should be a great cultural event! Rach and I have decided to leave on Wednesday and spend a few extra days just relaxing and enjoying Europe while we can! YAY.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
A few moments from the day...
Since Rach and I are feeling, well, FAT, we went for a run this morning. This region is the warmest in the country, but the unexpected cooler weather makes it perfect for outdoor activities. We ran along the canal and enjoyed the rustling trees and quacking ducks.
Our duties for the day consisted mostly of painting (which would explain the headache); I was assigned to a few "rads"(radiators) to clean, scrape, and paint. Not bad actually, since I had a lot of time to think and pray and listen to music in the background. This house is almost never without music! Love it. One of David's good friends is coming to town on Thursday who loves the Beattles; David gave us homework assignment of learning some lyrics to a few songs so that we could all sing together while they're here. LOL. So fun.
Rach and I took a lovely walk through the village and found it to be somewhat similar to CA. The houses look more modern and just have that Pacific Coast look. It started drizzling at one point, and once I got over fussing about the wind in my eyes, enjoyed the warm rain on my face. We found a wonderful patch of soft grass on the canal bank to lie down in while talking and laughing. We've discovered we laugh a lot together, and mostly at silly things. It's a great thing, though...especially since we've learned to laugh at ourselves more on this trip :)
I just love the canal. It's so peaceful. People rent river boats and just float on down the water like there's not a care in the world. Plus, the trees are just so inviting with their outstretched branches...I wish they didn't cut the lower branches off so that we could climb them.
We had an interesting discussion about nuclear power at lunch today. David has his own website that he uses as a platform to speak out against certain environmental wrongs...right now, he's focusing on a nuclear waste sight in Britain that would be terribly detrimental to the generation 50 years from now. As a geophysicist, he's using his knowledge to make the public more aware of the stupidity of the idea. Very interesting!
Rach and I were called upon to make dinner tonight, but we were limited to using fish for the main dish. They had suggested fish pie, which neither of us had even heard of before. After looking up recipes online, it turned out to be much like a chicken pot pie...easy enough, right? Well, actually, it was. I think we stressed ourselves out for a bit in the kitchen, not knowing what the expectations were and how it was supposed to taste. I mean, who wants to try out a recipe (which we didn't even follow anyways - did more improvising than anything) on people you just met?! But it actually turned out quite well & there almost no leftovers by the time we were all done. I'll have to make for yáll back home :)
Sundara and David asked about our families tonight...so we had a chance to brag on you :) Of course we both mentioned homeschooling, which always brings up interesting perspectives and insights. It was good tonight, though! :) Mom and Dad, I SO appreciate what you sacrificed for us!!!!
Well, off to bed now. We get to join Sundara for a run to the market in the morning...bright & early at 8 :)
Pray for warmer weather! Also, we've decided it's not worth it to go to Nice :( It would be a 6hr journey and at least an extra $300. I'm disappointed, but we are going to find some equally fabulous things in the area to do. The closest beach is just about 45 mins away, so at least we'll get some coast-time! Also, they've invited us to a music festival in town this weekend, so we look forward to that!
Can't believe the trip is going by so fast - we are trying to soak up each moment for what it's worth!
Our duties for the day consisted mostly of painting (which would explain the headache); I was assigned to a few "rads"(radiators) to clean, scrape, and paint. Not bad actually, since I had a lot of time to think and pray and listen to music in the background. This house is almost never without music! Love it. One of David's good friends is coming to town on Thursday who loves the Beattles; David gave us homework assignment of learning some lyrics to a few songs so that we could all sing together while they're here. LOL. So fun.
Rach and I took a lovely walk through the village and found it to be somewhat similar to CA. The houses look more modern and just have that Pacific Coast look. It started drizzling at one point, and once I got over fussing about the wind in my eyes, enjoyed the warm rain on my face. We found a wonderful patch of soft grass on the canal bank to lie down in while talking and laughing. We've discovered we laugh a lot together, and mostly at silly things. It's a great thing, though...especially since we've learned to laugh at ourselves more on this trip :)
I just love the canal. It's so peaceful. People rent river boats and just float on down the water like there's not a care in the world. Plus, the trees are just so inviting with their outstretched branches...I wish they didn't cut the lower branches off so that we could climb them.
We had an interesting discussion about nuclear power at lunch today. David has his own website that he uses as a platform to speak out against certain environmental wrongs...right now, he's focusing on a nuclear waste sight in Britain that would be terribly detrimental to the generation 50 years from now. As a geophysicist, he's using his knowledge to make the public more aware of the stupidity of the idea. Very interesting!
Rach and I were called upon to make dinner tonight, but we were limited to using fish for the main dish. They had suggested fish pie, which neither of us had even heard of before. After looking up recipes online, it turned out to be much like a chicken pot pie...easy enough, right? Well, actually, it was. I think we stressed ourselves out for a bit in the kitchen, not knowing what the expectations were and how it was supposed to taste. I mean, who wants to try out a recipe (which we didn't even follow anyways - did more improvising than anything) on people you just met?! But it actually turned out quite well & there almost no leftovers by the time we were all done. I'll have to make for yáll back home :)
Sundara and David asked about our families tonight...so we had a chance to brag on you :) Of course we both mentioned homeschooling, which always brings up interesting perspectives and insights. It was good tonight, though! :) Mom and Dad, I SO appreciate what you sacrificed for us!!!!
Well, off to bed now. We get to join Sundara for a run to the market in the morning...bright & early at 8 :)
Pray for warmer weather! Also, we've decided it's not worth it to go to Nice :( It would be a 6hr journey and at least an extra $300. I'm disappointed, but we are going to find some equally fabulous things in the area to do. The closest beach is just about 45 mins away, so at least we'll get some coast-time! Also, they've invited us to a music festival in town this weekend, so we look forward to that!
Can't believe the trip is going by so fast - we are trying to soak up each moment for what it's worth!
Monday, July 18, 2011
Southern France...a new experience in and of itself
Well, I know that I haven't finished Paris yet (see, this is where I get myself in to trouble...I get behind and can never catch up, especially since I want to be so detailed with my accounts...thanks for sticking with me through the back-and-forth memories:) ), but I only have so much time right now and really want to share about the last 36 hours.
So, back in Amberac with Sandy and Roger. The last 24 hours with them were actually really somber. We all felt sad knowing that something so good was coming to an end. I realized AGAIN that I have a hard time with goodbyes...something I want to work on in the future (especially before leaving for Thailand!) But Saturday morning was really lovely; Sandy, in all her graciousness, drove us a few villages away where we got see an authentic bric-a-brac. These French garage sales have been very popular in the past, but they have just recently been dying out since no one has the money to spend. Thankfully, this one was going in full swing with 10's of stalls set up in front a beautiful weeping-willow-lined pond.
It was really interesting to see what kinds of items people wanted to sell - anything and everything, from hat pins to old greeting cards, cuttlery, clothing, toys, etc. I guess the saying "One man's junk is another man's treasure" is true everywhere! But there were some really interesting items that I was SO tempted to buy, but then I thought of the plane ride and had to stop myself. These countryside folk really don't have much, and it was obvious from what they were selling; at the same time, though, they took great pride in what they did have. I did find some little glass rings to wear as a remembrance of our time in Amberac...haven't taken them off since :)
Saturday evening, I made "the family" chicken broccoli braid :) Rach and I wanted to give them a taste of our American food (Rach had made chicken pot-pie earlier that week), and they really enjoyed it! A few adjustments were made: pastry dough instead of croissants, different cheese (shredded cheddar is hard to find here...hmmm, wondery why), and rotisserie chicken instead of chicken breasts. It turned out well, though! Like Mom said, I never thought I'd be making that dish in the middle of France! But hey, a good recipe is a good recipe, right? :)
Sunday morning was awful. Went for my last run along the sunflower patches, had our last egg breakfast from the chickens, laughed our last funnies with Roger and Sandy. They drove us to the train station early, considering the fiasco we had on the way to Tours :) We all got teary-eyed while we said our goodbyes. After they were out of sight, Rach and I found a bench on the platform and shed a few tears together, just sitting quietly and looking at the trains. Wow. What wonderful people they are; how blessed we were to be a part of their lives for just a little while; what great friends we've made; how sad that it went by so fast. Those were the thoughts.
I felt a little bit like Anne Shirley leaving Miss Stacey, but thankfully Diana was still with me :) (Yes, we've been making quite a few references to those characters lately).
The train rides to our next host went really smoothly, for which we were grateful! We finally felt confident in using the stations and now new how to find our way around. We had a short lay-over in Bordeaux, the wine capital of the world, but we unfortunatley had to spend most of it inside the station. By the time we got off the train, figured out where the next one would be coming in, paid .50€ for a bathroom, we didn't have much time left. Still, I went wandering outside for a few as Rach watched our luggage and journaled. It seems like a lovely town, and from what I read quite the place to see. On the train ride to Angouleme from Paris, we had met a fellow who lived just outside of the city; he has his own furniture-renovation shop here and made the town sound worth seeing. Still, my venture outside was short-lived as some guy followed me and kept trying to ask my questions. After explaining that I didn't speak French, he said he spoke a little English but understood more. Well, whatever...that would get us no one. So like a little girl I quickly got back to the station and stayed with Rach, who, after hearing the story, promptly asked if my wallet was still in my purse. Thankfully, yes :)
The train ride was just beautiful...it took us from the rolling hills to the foothills of the Pyrenees. Unexpectedly, Rach and I feel quite at-home in this terrain - it's like Golden is just to the south of us. Anyways, Rach had told Sundara and David what we were wearing that day, so we were successfully located :) We walked right by David when we hopped off the train, but he didn't notice us until later because he was looking for shorter girls. LOL. They've commented several times on how surprised they are at our height. haha. (well, we're getting surprised at our height going out the other direction...geepers, the food is just too good here).
The chateau we now reside in for the next two weeks is absolutely incredible. The largest in the village, it was built in 1880 as an addition to the one-level house that now serves as a garage or "cave", which they pronounce"carve". The land it sits on was owned by the family in the smaller home, who was here in 1750. It changed hands in 1900, then again in 1979. Nazi generals actually occupied the house during the war, which I find eerie and fascinating at the same time. The house has three levels at Rach and I have our own room on the top floor. I was wearing a purple sweater yesterday, so Sundara thought it was appropriate that I get the Violet Room. YAY. Love it. Everything is purple, even the water-heater. The best part BY FAR is the view from the window: it overlooks the pool, which is surrounded by palm trees and flora of all kinds; Rach's window is directly to my right, so we get to chat out the window as we admire the landscape; to my left is a view of the church steeple and another old chateau; and directly ahead, just down the hill, is the peaceful and historic Canal du Midi. The canal is 300 years old! It was quite the sensation was it was constructed, allowing the grapes and wheat in the area to be transported en masse. Rach and I walked down the lane this afternoon and so so enjoyed the calm quite; it just exudes tranquility. Plus, the canal is lined with wildflowers and plane trees, which are now one of my favorite trees becuase of their unique bark; look it up on google - - the bark is a mixture of browns and greys and whites, all splattered together like a Monet painting or something. SADLY, they are having to cut a lot of them down b/c of a fungus in the water :(
Last night, David made a wonderful Asian dish for us and a couple other guests, Jeff and Dave. Jeff has worked with them over the last 8 years but is returning to Wales soon; his son, Dave, was here on "holiday" as well. I found out that Jeff attends a local international church where his wife interprets for this American pastor. I hope to go with him on Sunday.
I slept so soundly last night and woke up to the birds singing. Rach and I learned how to use their espresso maker this morning (actually, we made lattees). We had a yogurt, fruit, and granola breakfast - yum. The chores for the day consisted of weeding, sweeping around their large pool area, landscaping a bit with rocks and mulch, etc. After our walk down the canal, we returned to help with dinner.
Sundara's career was in theater - she was actually in one of the French soap operas back in the day! She had hope to do more, but London didn't suite her and she was raising a family at the time. She is a very eccentric woman, but full of life even at 71. David is a "retired" geo-physicist and still speaks at conferences and what not. They both love music: David plays the bass guitar and Sundara sings; they often host concerts in their home, mostly string quartets or jazz groups, for charity - - they are supporting some friends of theirs that are running a medical clinic in Morocco. Very cool! Rach has loved connecting over music and playing their piano. We both are kicking ourselves for not sticking with those music lessons...the parents were right when they said "You'll regret quitting". Dang it.
David brought out a World Atlas at dinner I showed him parts of CO that mean something to us. It was weird looking at the map of home, here in France...it kinda made me homesick, actually! Arvada was even on the map! Aw.
Well, I've officially failed at getting to bed before midnight already. lol. But "Tomorrow is another day, with no mistakes it...yet":)
Love you all!
So, back in Amberac with Sandy and Roger. The last 24 hours with them were actually really somber. We all felt sad knowing that something so good was coming to an end. I realized AGAIN that I have a hard time with goodbyes...something I want to work on in the future (especially before leaving for Thailand!) But Saturday morning was really lovely; Sandy, in all her graciousness, drove us a few villages away where we got see an authentic bric-a-brac. These French garage sales have been very popular in the past, but they have just recently been dying out since no one has the money to spend. Thankfully, this one was going in full swing with 10's of stalls set up in front a beautiful weeping-willow-lined pond.
It was really interesting to see what kinds of items people wanted to sell - anything and everything, from hat pins to old greeting cards, cuttlery, clothing, toys, etc. I guess the saying "One man's junk is another man's treasure" is true everywhere! But there were some really interesting items that I was SO tempted to buy, but then I thought of the plane ride and had to stop myself. These countryside folk really don't have much, and it was obvious from what they were selling; at the same time, though, they took great pride in what they did have. I did find some little glass rings to wear as a remembrance of our time in Amberac...haven't taken them off since :)
Saturday evening, I made "the family" chicken broccoli braid :) Rach and I wanted to give them a taste of our American food (Rach had made chicken pot-pie earlier that week), and they really enjoyed it! A few adjustments were made: pastry dough instead of croissants, different cheese (shredded cheddar is hard to find here...hmmm, wondery why), and rotisserie chicken instead of chicken breasts. It turned out well, though! Like Mom said, I never thought I'd be making that dish in the middle of France! But hey, a good recipe is a good recipe, right? :)
Sunday morning was awful. Went for my last run along the sunflower patches, had our last egg breakfast from the chickens, laughed our last funnies with Roger and Sandy. They drove us to the train station early, considering the fiasco we had on the way to Tours :) We all got teary-eyed while we said our goodbyes. After they were out of sight, Rach and I found a bench on the platform and shed a few tears together, just sitting quietly and looking at the trains. Wow. What wonderful people they are; how blessed we were to be a part of their lives for just a little while; what great friends we've made; how sad that it went by so fast. Those were the thoughts.
I felt a little bit like Anne Shirley leaving Miss Stacey, but thankfully Diana was still with me :) (Yes, we've been making quite a few references to those characters lately).
The train rides to our next host went really smoothly, for which we were grateful! We finally felt confident in using the stations and now new how to find our way around. We had a short lay-over in Bordeaux, the wine capital of the world, but we unfortunatley had to spend most of it inside the station. By the time we got off the train, figured out where the next one would be coming in, paid .50€ for a bathroom, we didn't have much time left. Still, I went wandering outside for a few as Rach watched our luggage and journaled. It seems like a lovely town, and from what I read quite the place to see. On the train ride to Angouleme from Paris, we had met a fellow who lived just outside of the city; he has his own furniture-renovation shop here and made the town sound worth seeing. Still, my venture outside was short-lived as some guy followed me and kept trying to ask my questions. After explaining that I didn't speak French, he said he spoke a little English but understood more. Well, whatever...that would get us no one. So like a little girl I quickly got back to the station and stayed with Rach, who, after hearing the story, promptly asked if my wallet was still in my purse. Thankfully, yes :)
The train ride was just beautiful...it took us from the rolling hills to the foothills of the Pyrenees. Unexpectedly, Rach and I feel quite at-home in this terrain - it's like Golden is just to the south of us. Anyways, Rach had told Sundara and David what we were wearing that day, so we were successfully located :) We walked right by David when we hopped off the train, but he didn't notice us until later because he was looking for shorter girls. LOL. They've commented several times on how surprised they are at our height. haha. (well, we're getting surprised at our height going out the other direction...geepers, the food is just too good here).
The chateau we now reside in for the next two weeks is absolutely incredible. The largest in the village, it was built in 1880 as an addition to the one-level house that now serves as a garage or "cave", which they pronounce"carve". The land it sits on was owned by the family in the smaller home, who was here in 1750. It changed hands in 1900, then again in 1979. Nazi generals actually occupied the house during the war, which I find eerie and fascinating at the same time. The house has three levels at Rach and I have our own room on the top floor. I was wearing a purple sweater yesterday, so Sundara thought it was appropriate that I get the Violet Room. YAY. Love it. Everything is purple, even the water-heater. The best part BY FAR is the view from the window: it overlooks the pool, which is surrounded by palm trees and flora of all kinds; Rach's window is directly to my right, so we get to chat out the window as we admire the landscape; to my left is a view of the church steeple and another old chateau; and directly ahead, just down the hill, is the peaceful and historic Canal du Midi. The canal is 300 years old! It was quite the sensation was it was constructed, allowing the grapes and wheat in the area to be transported en masse. Rach and I walked down the lane this afternoon and so so enjoyed the calm quite; it just exudes tranquility. Plus, the canal is lined with wildflowers and plane trees, which are now one of my favorite trees becuase of their unique bark; look it up on google - - the bark is a mixture of browns and greys and whites, all splattered together like a Monet painting or something. SADLY, they are having to cut a lot of them down b/c of a fungus in the water :(
Last night, David made a wonderful Asian dish for us and a couple other guests, Jeff and Dave. Jeff has worked with them over the last 8 years but is returning to Wales soon; his son, Dave, was here on "holiday" as well. I found out that Jeff attends a local international church where his wife interprets for this American pastor. I hope to go with him on Sunday.
I slept so soundly last night and woke up to the birds singing. Rach and I learned how to use their espresso maker this morning (actually, we made lattees). We had a yogurt, fruit, and granola breakfast - yum. The chores for the day consisted of weeding, sweeping around their large pool area, landscaping a bit with rocks and mulch, etc. After our walk down the canal, we returned to help with dinner.
Sundara's career was in theater - she was actually in one of the French soap operas back in the day! She had hope to do more, but London didn't suite her and she was raising a family at the time. She is a very eccentric woman, but full of life even at 71. David is a "retired" geo-physicist and still speaks at conferences and what not. They both love music: David plays the bass guitar and Sundara sings; they often host concerts in their home, mostly string quartets or jazz groups, for charity - - they are supporting some friends of theirs that are running a medical clinic in Morocco. Very cool! Rach has loved connecting over music and playing their piano. We both are kicking ourselves for not sticking with those music lessons...the parents were right when they said "You'll regret quitting". Dang it.
David brought out a World Atlas at dinner I showed him parts of CO that mean something to us. It was weird looking at the map of home, here in France...it kinda made me homesick, actually! Arvada was even on the map! Aw.
Well, I've officially failed at getting to bed before midnight already. lol. But "Tomorrow is another day, with no mistakes it...yet":)
Love you all!
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Final day in Paris: from photo booths to night on the Seine
Our final day in Paris began with a frustrating trip to Gare du Nord - one of the six large SNCF train stations. We had heard of these 12-25 youth passes, which can save you a lot of money on longer train rides throughout Europe. With all the traveling we anticipated, we thought it'd be a good idea to purchase the pass...plus, we needed to get our tickets to Angouleme still! So, we head off to the station, gearing ourselves up for a potentially stressful event. Yup. We were right. Haha.
First of all, the station was HUGE! Multi-leveled and no telling which way is up or down. In order to get the pass, you need a wallet-sized photo. So, we hopped in one of the photo booths that served this purpose & spent forever trying to figure out the process. Our first booth appeared to be broken, so we hopped to another one. Rach finally got it to work, but when her picture popped out we realized it was WAY too big - - more like a portrait for the grandparents or something. lol. So she lost about 5€ on that one and had to do it over again. It was a good laugh, though, and will make a nice souvenir :)
So then it was my turn...should be easy, right? Well only if your coin slot doesn't suddenly get stuck, so I lost about 2.50€ on that. On to the third photo booth. Success!
Laughing, we went found our way upstairs to the ticket line...which we stood in for about 30 mins or so. With just a couple people left in front of us, I suddenly froze internally and then turned to Rach and asked, "Do you think we need our passports??!" Big eyes. Oh wow...we really hoped not! We had left them in a safe place back at the hotel when we first arrived & didn't even think about it that morning. Well, thankfully, 30 minutes later we were walking away with our 12-25s and tickets to Angouleme. Hurray! We felt accomplished. Beatrice, our attendant, was very helpful and spoke fairly good English, so we were grateful.
Thankful to leave the station, we made our way to the Arc de Triomphe via the metro to Victor Hugo Ave. The neighborhood we found ourselves in was extremely well-to-do, lined with gorgeous shops and gated homes. At one point we concluded that people living in this area probably spend more in a day than we would the whole month! It was a fun place for window shopping though.
Once we made it down the lane, we came upon the busiest traffic circle in all of France... sporting 12 boulevards shooting out from the round-about. The Arc seems to stand with great power and confidence, as it's grounded in the center of this star-shaped traffic route. Before we could take it all in, though, we stopped at a cafe for a light lunch. While sitting there, a group of what we presumed to be veterans entered the restaurant in their military uniforms, medals and all. It was actually quite touching.
As walking across the street would be suicide, we went through the underground tunnel to reach the Arc. This icon of the French Republic was really amazing with the intricate carvings and gigantic statues on the pillars. It's possible to go to the top and see what I'm sure is a fantastic view down Champs Elysees to the Louvre, but the line was too long; we walked around for photos and just sat for a while to take it all in. The Arc itself is honors those who lost their lives in the French Revolution and Napoleanic Wars; there is also the tomb of the unknown soldier for WWI, which was quite moving with the flame burning and the bouquet of flowers.
Our next item on the agenda was going to be Mont Martre, where we thought we could spend the rest of the day and evening. Sadly, Rach's back was really hurting and we decided to split ways for the first time. OH, first, though, we took a metro back to the Notre Dame area to get tickets for the night-time boat tour. We tried to find the parking garage that BikeAbout calls home (they were offereing cheaper tickets for the boat ride) ...but after wandering and wandering, we stopped and just stared at the river. HAHA. I'm sure this is a more common sight among tourists than we think, but we were just so tired and didn't even know what we wanted. Eventually, we decided that Rach would sit by the cathedral while I went off to get the boat tickets (which was just a couple bridges over).
Once upon Point Neuf, I walk down to the river bank and tried to decipher which ride we wanted. Thankfully, a Californian couple (Jessica and Chris) walked up at the same time and we helped each other out. I had my little travel book showed them which one in particular I wanted, so we worked together to find the right station. We had to cross the bridge half-way & then walk down a hidden flight of stairs. Jessica had lived in Thailand for a while, so she had some good info about the country. Well, I finally got the tickets and walked back to Rach. She was so cute - sitting at the base of the Charlemagne statue, flower-patterned dress & lucky hat, surrounded by pigeons, journaling. Modern-day Mary Poppins scene or something :)
Rach went back to the hotel and I found my way to Montmartre. Well, I really don't want to go in to the details of getting there, but let's just say I was really grateful to finally be sitting in the gorgeous Sacre Coeur!! The hill it sits on has been a center of religious activity for centuries, and this church was built just after the loss of the Franco-Prussian War. Prayers for humanity have been going up from this church 24/7 ever since then. I wrote a prayer in the guest book for France before I walked out. The church is also extremely pristine; it's made from some kind of chalky substance that washed itself when it rains.
On the long, steep walk up to the top, I was cornered by someone making bracelets...so I now have a "Hakuna Matata" bracelet as an unexpected momentum. lol. Since I was under a time crunch to get back for the boat tour, I pretty much ran down the hill and frantically looked for the right metro line. I would NOT have made it back in time if it weren't for the kindness of Xavier and Cammie - two Parisians who were kind enough to strategize my metro route and take me to the right station. Once back in sight of Point Neuf, I literally ran in my little pink flats down the long road, dashing in and out of the other pedestrians. Rach was there, getting worried and trying to lose a guy who seemed interested in her, so she was extremely happy to see me running towards her, just 5 mins before the boat was to leave! LOL. So funny.
We were so glad to have made the boat - completely worth the ticket stress and running!!!
Well, I'm off to make broccoli braid for Sandy and Roger (hopefully they like it!) on our last night here, so I'll have to write about the rest of our evening later!
First of all, the station was HUGE! Multi-leveled and no telling which way is up or down. In order to get the pass, you need a wallet-sized photo. So, we hopped in one of the photo booths that served this purpose & spent forever trying to figure out the process. Our first booth appeared to be broken, so we hopped to another one. Rach finally got it to work, but when her picture popped out we realized it was WAY too big - - more like a portrait for the grandparents or something. lol. So she lost about 5€ on that one and had to do it over again. It was a good laugh, though, and will make a nice souvenir :)
So then it was my turn...should be easy, right? Well only if your coin slot doesn't suddenly get stuck, so I lost about 2.50€ on that. On to the third photo booth. Success!
Laughing, we went found our way upstairs to the ticket line...which we stood in for about 30 mins or so. With just a couple people left in front of us, I suddenly froze internally and then turned to Rach and asked, "Do you think we need our passports??!" Big eyes. Oh wow...we really hoped not! We had left them in a safe place back at the hotel when we first arrived & didn't even think about it that morning. Well, thankfully, 30 minutes later we were walking away with our 12-25s and tickets to Angouleme. Hurray! We felt accomplished. Beatrice, our attendant, was very helpful and spoke fairly good English, so we were grateful.
Thankful to leave the station, we made our way to the Arc de Triomphe via the metro to Victor Hugo Ave. The neighborhood we found ourselves in was extremely well-to-do, lined with gorgeous shops and gated homes. At one point we concluded that people living in this area probably spend more in a day than we would the whole month! It was a fun place for window shopping though.
Once we made it down the lane, we came upon the busiest traffic circle in all of France... sporting 12 boulevards shooting out from the round-about. The Arc seems to stand with great power and confidence, as it's grounded in the center of this star-shaped traffic route. Before we could take it all in, though, we stopped at a cafe for a light lunch. While sitting there, a group of what we presumed to be veterans entered the restaurant in their military uniforms, medals and all. It was actually quite touching.
As walking across the street would be suicide, we went through the underground tunnel to reach the Arc. This icon of the French Republic was really amazing with the intricate carvings and gigantic statues on the pillars. It's possible to go to the top and see what I'm sure is a fantastic view down Champs Elysees to the Louvre, but the line was too long; we walked around for photos and just sat for a while to take it all in. The Arc itself is honors those who lost their lives in the French Revolution and Napoleanic Wars; there is also the tomb of the unknown soldier for WWI, which was quite moving with the flame burning and the bouquet of flowers.
Our next item on the agenda was going to be Mont Martre, where we thought we could spend the rest of the day and evening. Sadly, Rach's back was really hurting and we decided to split ways for the first time. OH, first, though, we took a metro back to the Notre Dame area to get tickets for the night-time boat tour. We tried to find the parking garage that BikeAbout calls home (they were offereing cheaper tickets for the boat ride) ...but after wandering and wandering, we stopped and just stared at the river. HAHA. I'm sure this is a more common sight among tourists than we think, but we were just so tired and didn't even know what we wanted. Eventually, we decided that Rach would sit by the cathedral while I went off to get the boat tickets (which was just a couple bridges over).
Once upon Point Neuf, I walk down to the river bank and tried to decipher which ride we wanted. Thankfully, a Californian couple (Jessica and Chris) walked up at the same time and we helped each other out. I had my little travel book showed them which one in particular I wanted, so we worked together to find the right station. We had to cross the bridge half-way & then walk down a hidden flight of stairs. Jessica had lived in Thailand for a while, so she had some good info about the country. Well, I finally got the tickets and walked back to Rach. She was so cute - sitting at the base of the Charlemagne statue, flower-patterned dress & lucky hat, surrounded by pigeons, journaling. Modern-day Mary Poppins scene or something :)
Rach went back to the hotel and I found my way to Montmartre. Well, I really don't want to go in to the details of getting there, but let's just say I was really grateful to finally be sitting in the gorgeous Sacre Coeur!! The hill it sits on has been a center of religious activity for centuries, and this church was built just after the loss of the Franco-Prussian War. Prayers for humanity have been going up from this church 24/7 ever since then. I wrote a prayer in the guest book for France before I walked out. The church is also extremely pristine; it's made from some kind of chalky substance that washed itself when it rains.
On the long, steep walk up to the top, I was cornered by someone making bracelets...so I now have a "Hakuna Matata" bracelet as an unexpected momentum. lol. Since I was under a time crunch to get back for the boat tour, I pretty much ran down the hill and frantically looked for the right metro line. I would NOT have made it back in time if it weren't for the kindness of Xavier and Cammie - two Parisians who were kind enough to strategize my metro route and take me to the right station. Once back in sight of Point Neuf, I literally ran in my little pink flats down the long road, dashing in and out of the other pedestrians. Rach was there, getting worried and trying to lose a guy who seemed interested in her, so she was extremely happy to see me running towards her, just 5 mins before the boat was to leave! LOL. So funny.
We were so glad to have made the boat - completely worth the ticket stress and running!!!
Well, I'm off to make broccoli braid for Sandy and Roger (hopefully they like it!) on our last night here, so I'll have to write about the rest of our evening later!
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Bastille Day celebrations....eating, laughing, eating, playing, eating
July 14th - Bastille Day! A celebration of French culture and independence. Just a bit more info for those interested:
"The Bastille is a medieval fortress and prison in Paris. Many people in France associated it with the harsh rule of the Bourbon monarchy in the late 1700s. On July 14, 1789, troops stormed the Bastille. This was a pivotal event at the beginning of the French Revolution. Fête de la Fédération was held on July 14, 1790. This was a way to celebrate the establishment of a constitutional monarchy in France.
"The Bastille is a medieval fortress and prison in Paris. Many people in France associated it with the harsh rule of the Bourbon monarchy in the late 1700s. On July 14, 1789, troops stormed the Bastille. This was a pivotal event at the beginning of the French Revolution. Fête de la Fédération was held on July 14, 1790. This was a way to celebrate the establishment of a constitutional monarchy in France.
Official celebrations were held in Paris on June 30, 1878, to honor the Republic of France. On July 14, 1879, more official celebrations were held. These included a military review in Longchamp near Paris and celebrations all over the country. A politician named Benjamin Raspail proposed that July 14 should become a holiday in France in 1880. The law was enacted on July 6, 1880. Bastille Day was a public holiday for the first time on July 14, 1880." (timeanddate.com)
So this is how we spent our day: This morning was very chill...Rach and I had some catching up to do with our work, so we did some cleaning, sweeping, and watering. Side note: my absolute favorite job is taking care of the chickens!! I don't know what it is, but I just LOVE tossing the feed around, watching them peck away at it, and collecting the eggs (which we then get to make omelettes from for breakfast!).
Sandy took Rach and I up to the attic this morning, where we expected to find Miss Havisham; alas, all we found was an adorable picnic basket to use for our afternoon fun :)
The real exciting part was joining a neighboring town for their community meal/celebration. We were lucky enough to get some extra tickets for the event, and it turned out to be the most French experience we've had to date! British friends of Roger and Sandy's, Liz and Patrick, are a wonderful couple that live in this village. (We had dinner at their lovely home the other night, so we were excited to go back.)
The setting for the meal, or "repas," was absolutely breathtaking. There was a tent set up in the most peaceful green pasture, lined by a quite, calm river and perfect rows of poplar trees. We sat down under the tent, each seat having a tacked paper that included some history (which someone thankfully translated for us...something about a hat...and Rome....and Marianne) and the menu for the afternoon. We had heard of these loooong meal times, but we were still shocked to sit down at 1 and not be done with the meal until 5. The food was incredible, though:
Course1: nuts/crackers, bread, wine
Course 2: tuna salad with tomatoes and eggs, bread, wine
Course 3: juicy, tender ham, bread, wine
Course 4: brie cheese, bread, wine
Course 5: ice cream and coffee (bread and wine still available)
We ate so much, but it didn't set as heavy as, say a Thanksgiving meal, because we ate it over such a long period of time. It was interesting to be served our meal, too...there was a chalkboard by the food tables that listed who was in charge of serving which part of the meal.
Towards the beginning of the meal, I turned to the lady next to me (another British lady we had just met), and commented on her pretty earrings. She got them in Bangkok! That led in to an ongoing conversation about cultures, traveling, racism, etc. I enjoyed that. I think most of the English-speaking people were sitting at the same table, so it was nice to be able to communicate with people during the meal! We were surrounded by 4 couples who have moved to France from England, and they all had a lot of insights and stories to tell. We've been very lucky to meet such wonderful friends of Roger and Sandy's who have been so welcoming and interested in our lives. We may have convinced a few to come to CO! :)
An interesting part about the meal was that, during the 4 hour period, almost nobody got up to mingle. We've discovered that the French are generally a very private people, so even though a good percentage of the village was gathered together, they tended to stay in their smaller groups of friends or family.
Rach and I ventured up the the WC a couple times during the meal. One time I decided to use a bike rack as a ballet bar, so I was doing plie when Rach came out...and embarrassingly realized there was someone behind me who saw the whole thing. Sweet. Another trip to the WC ended up with us popping in to the humble village chapel...we enjoyed the acoustics and sang some hymns as we admired the stained-glass windows. We also took a moment to dip our feet in the cooling water of the river. Just ideal.
Getting tired from the long meal, we thought we were about ready to head home when we discovered we'd been signed up for a game of petanque! Now I'm even more glad that we played a game at Diane's bday, because not knowing how to play would really have made things frustrating. There was a big confusion over who we were supposed to be playing against and where we were supposed to get our game balls. I now have so much more sympathy for and understanding of ESL students and anyone immersed in an unknown language. I felt so ridiculous just standing there staring at the person trying to communicate with me. All I could do was look pathetic and shake my head. UGH. So frustrating.
Anyways, once things were figured out, we got started on a great game of petanque. Rach and I were annihilated by a French brother/sister team, but we had a blast. I'm pretty sure we American girls will be the brunt of a few of their jokes in the future :) It was really quite the sight to see about 6 games of petanque going on at once, filling up the long dirt lane. The game is actually taken quite seriously, and it was funny to watch the balls' position on the lane take precedent over any car or person that might want to get through. At one point I realized, "I'm in France...in a quaint countryside village...playing petanque...next to a stream and field of corn...WOW." Incredible. We then thought that would be it, but it turns out the losers play other losers.
But now worries, cuz we ended up being matched with Roger and Sandy! We were all getting a bit tired around 7, though, so we cheated and ended the game early...making up a story of how they came back to beat us:)
Back home, I gathered the chickens in the coup with some food....I wasn't quite fast enough, though, cuz two of them escaped. I had to admit my failure and get some more feed; this time, I lured them way far back in the corner and raced out as soon as the feed hit the ground.
We've since been sharing photos and laughing at all our great memories. It's getting harder and harder to think of leaving on Sunday. Rach and I were talking about how crazy it is that you can get so close to people in such a short amount of time. We really clicked with them from the beginning - we'd be so content staying here until the end of the month! But alas, we must move on...and it's nice to know that they're seriously considering visiting us in CO next May!!!!! :)
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Children are the same everywhere - they capture and melt your heart
We've just had the most wonderful evening our village near Angouleme. My mouth hurts from smiling and my stomach hurts from laughing.
Tonight our village had a celebration that brought together people from our town and a few surrounding areas. This was a big event for the village, seeing that gatherings like this only happen once a year. We had driven by the tent in the parking lot where this celebration was to take place & wondered what exactly a French celebration of this sort looked like.
After celebrating with Sue and Keving (some of Roger and Sandy's hilarious friends), we stopped at home for a while to get liven ourselves up to going. I was actually feeling really sluggish before going, and my attitude was juxtaposed by Rach's absolute hyper-activity and giddiness. But Roger, Sandy, Stephan (their adopted son) and his girlfriend Anna, Rach and I walked up the hill to the party. Upon arrival, we felt like everyone was looking at us. The mayor of the village had gotten wind that two Americans were here, so we received an informal yet personal invitation from him...so it seemed that everyone else knew we were out-of-towners.
We met a few people, were offered some rum punch (which I had never had before, and after two sips decided to never have again), and sat down at a table. Rach and I got to talk with Anna and get to know her a bit; she was so kind in teaching us whatever phrase or word we wanted to know in French. [side note, kids here start learning another language at 8, and yet another at 10...I think we should follow that! But it needs to be so much more real that paper and pencil and pseudo conversations in the classroom...this could turn in to a bunny trail, so I'll stop here.]
As we began to people watch, one of my first thoughts was "There's actuallly children here!" It sounds silly, but we've really only seen like 2 or 3 school-aged kids since being here in the country. I've asked several people where they're all hiding, and the answer has been that they're either on vacation or their playing inside the houses...hardly ever outside. This made me so sad! It didn't feel complete without kids. But tonight, I got a glimpse of a child's life here.
Guess what they were playing? Hide-and-go-seek, or cache-cache. The little boys and girls were smiling, laughing, running, and playing just like anywhere else. I loved the normalcy of it. I guess when you're in a situation that's somewhat uncomfortable as you can hardly speak with anyone, it just brought a sense of normalcy to the event for me.
So after our first course - "munchies" and punch - we had our second course - baguette with chicken pate (there may have been rabbit meat in there!) - and then the dancing began. As obvious Americans, we didn't want to embarrass ourselves or Sandy and Roger, so we hesitated going on the dance floor. Then Sandy took the courageous leap and dragged us up there; so glad that she did! We enjoyed dancing to the polka and 80s music. (hahah...at one point, there were like 3 ladies fighting over who got to dance with Roger)
We sat down again for a while, trying to decide how to politely get rid of all the extra bread we had accumulated (by the end of it, there were 3 baguette sandwiches for everyone and we couldn't possibly eat all that bread). I marched out in to the street to get a picture of the moon, and when I returned, Rachel had bravely joined the little girls on the dance floor. Apparently she thought this was be something she'd regret not doing in 60 years:) Then Sandy pointed out there were two other little girls (maybe 4 yrs old, holding their dollies) that were just standing up there. So I walked up and did the best I could to look friendly and ask them to dance. One girl ran away, but the other grabbed my hand...instantly, the other girl returned, held out her doll for me to hold, and then grabbed her friends hand. We joined Rach's circle and danced to a square dance song!!
At first, they didn't really understand the concept of moving inwards and joining hands in the center, or kicking the feet out. So we stepped them through these parts and they caught on really quickly! One girl in particular couldn't stop smiling every time we'd join hands in the middle. They were so. darn. cute! I can't even express how it filled me soul.
I guess I remember one time when we were dancing at an Oktoberfest (in Vail, maybe?) when I was really young, and an older man picked me up and started dancing with me...it made my day! What a great memory for me, and I hope it was for these girls as well.
It was SO sad when we couldn't really talk with them, though...one girl said something that we didn't understand when she came on the dance floor, so all we could say was "Désolé. Je suis l'américain. Je ne parle pas français."
After the dance finished, we sat back down. But that was just the beginning of it! Two girls started peeking around corners and running away as we looked their way or waved. It was so cute. After getting the right wording on how to ask their name, we caught up with them and found out one was Cassandra; the other one was harder to understand, but it was something like Marchite. We walked away again, but they caught our eye and wanted to dance so more. So we did!
With the help of a translator, we were able to get some pictures with them, too. Then a little brother came over and hopped on my lap to partake in the happenings, too. It was so precious. They made us feel like a part of the community, and for that I was grateful:)
Sigh, wonderful night. France is stealing pieces of our hearts. I can't believe we have to leave Sandy and Roger on Sunday :(
Tonight our village had a celebration that brought together people from our town and a few surrounding areas. This was a big event for the village, seeing that gatherings like this only happen once a year. We had driven by the tent in the parking lot where this celebration was to take place & wondered what exactly a French celebration of this sort looked like.
After celebrating with Sue and Keving (some of Roger and Sandy's hilarious friends), we stopped at home for a while to get liven ourselves up to going. I was actually feeling really sluggish before going, and my attitude was juxtaposed by Rach's absolute hyper-activity and giddiness. But Roger, Sandy, Stephan (their adopted son) and his girlfriend Anna, Rach and I walked up the hill to the party. Upon arrival, we felt like everyone was looking at us. The mayor of the village had gotten wind that two Americans were here, so we received an informal yet personal invitation from him...so it seemed that everyone else knew we were out-of-towners.
We met a few people, were offered some rum punch (which I had never had before, and after two sips decided to never have again), and sat down at a table. Rach and I got to talk with Anna and get to know her a bit; she was so kind in teaching us whatever phrase or word we wanted to know in French. [side note, kids here start learning another language at 8, and yet another at 10...I think we should follow that! But it needs to be so much more real that paper and pencil and pseudo conversations in the classroom...this could turn in to a bunny trail, so I'll stop here.]
As we began to people watch, one of my first thoughts was "There's actuallly children here!" It sounds silly, but we've really only seen like 2 or 3 school-aged kids since being here in the country. I've asked several people where they're all hiding, and the answer has been that they're either on vacation or their playing inside the houses...hardly ever outside. This made me so sad! It didn't feel complete without kids. But tonight, I got a glimpse of a child's life here.
Guess what they were playing? Hide-and-go-seek, or cache-cache. The little boys and girls were smiling, laughing, running, and playing just like anywhere else. I loved the normalcy of it. I guess when you're in a situation that's somewhat uncomfortable as you can hardly speak with anyone, it just brought a sense of normalcy to the event for me.
So after our first course - "munchies" and punch - we had our second course - baguette with chicken pate (there may have been rabbit meat in there!) - and then the dancing began. As obvious Americans, we didn't want to embarrass ourselves or Sandy and Roger, so we hesitated going on the dance floor. Then Sandy took the courageous leap and dragged us up there; so glad that she did! We enjoyed dancing to the polka and 80s music. (hahah...at one point, there were like 3 ladies fighting over who got to dance with Roger)
We sat down again for a while, trying to decide how to politely get rid of all the extra bread we had accumulated (by the end of it, there were 3 baguette sandwiches for everyone and we couldn't possibly eat all that bread). I marched out in to the street to get a picture of the moon, and when I returned, Rachel had bravely joined the little girls on the dance floor. Apparently she thought this was be something she'd regret not doing in 60 years:) Then Sandy pointed out there were two other little girls (maybe 4 yrs old, holding their dollies) that were just standing up there. So I walked up and did the best I could to look friendly and ask them to dance. One girl ran away, but the other grabbed my hand...instantly, the other girl returned, held out her doll for me to hold, and then grabbed her friends hand. We joined Rach's circle and danced to a square dance song!!
At first, they didn't really understand the concept of moving inwards and joining hands in the center, or kicking the feet out. So we stepped them through these parts and they caught on really quickly! One girl in particular couldn't stop smiling every time we'd join hands in the middle. They were so. darn. cute! I can't even express how it filled me soul.
I guess I remember one time when we were dancing at an Oktoberfest (in Vail, maybe?) when I was really young, and an older man picked me up and started dancing with me...it made my day! What a great memory for me, and I hope it was for these girls as well.
It was SO sad when we couldn't really talk with them, though...one girl said something that we didn't understand when she came on the dance floor, so all we could say was "Désolé. Je suis l'américain. Je ne parle pas français."
After the dance finished, we sat back down. But that was just the beginning of it! Two girls started peeking around corners and running away as we looked their way or waved. It was so cute. After getting the right wording on how to ask their name, we caught up with them and found out one was Cassandra; the other one was harder to understand, but it was something like Marchite. We walked away again, but they caught our eye and wanted to dance so more. So we did!
With the help of a translator, we were able to get some pictures with them, too. Then a little brother came over and hopped on my lap to partake in the happenings, too. It was so precious. They made us feel like a part of the community, and for that I was grateful:)
Sigh, wonderful night. France is stealing pieces of our hearts. I can't believe we have to leave Sandy and Roger on Sunday :(
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