Aug 3

Her name is Luce, she is twice my age and she has a heart of gold. She is absolutely adorable. In just a few days I have come to just adore her in every way. Funny thing is I can barely understand her. Just a few words here and there, but I get the gist. She is so full of life and energy. She says that I remind her of herself when she was young. 16 actually, but I will just say young for the sake of it.

 

You know you are in the presence of a great woman when you are automatically uplifted just by being around them. It’s in their spirit. Something about Luce just puts you in a good mood. 

 

Funny little coincidence… when I was at the market yesterday I was standing in an alleyway with Stephanie against a door. Well after a song or two I get a strong tug on my right shoulder and there in front of me is Luce. In the entire town to stand I was standing in front of her door. She invited Stephanie and I in to see her home. What a beautiful place it was and so organized. All the white lace everywhere was very French. I loved it. She is to be married in October so some wedding announcements filled her dinning room, but for her place she had everything well kept. It felt so homey in her apartment. She made all of her drapes and even had a few dresses that she pulled out that she had made. What a talented women. Somehow Stephanie and I had a great conversation with her, but I have no idea how it happened. The more I am here the more I understand. I may not have the grammar, but I can get a few words here and there.

 

Anyways, to the point.  This woman Luce made an impact on me tonight. I couldn’t stop smiling. She said anytime I want to visit I can visit her. A truly sweet woman. She is even going to send emails back and forth with me so she and I can learn each others languages. What she said was so true. Life is short. Live your life today. Live it knowing that the answer is tomorrow so don’t worry today. Have a good life. Its hard to explain from my point of view. A French woman translated for us and I will be changed from here on out. Just like in any great experience,,,, you change, 

JULY 22

The Arch de triumph.

 

This is not just any arch, for it the grand Arch, built by Napoleon Bonaparte. Dr. Davis lead the way and a group of us went to the top. The arch displays some of Napoleon’s most famous victories so that when he would enter Paris he would enter in triumph.  If it were up to me, I would take the group to the Arch de triumph on the first day. From the top you can see the entire city. That’s all I needed to understand the layout. Once you see this you don’t feel so lost when you are 200 feet below. I felt confident that if I got lost I would be able to figure out how to get where I needed to go. Let’s just say I am good with directions and once I see something from a view like the Arch de Triumph I won’t forget it. Tell me and I may forget, but show me and I won’t miss a thing.

Next stop, Notre Dame, the NOTRE DAME! When people speak of Notre Dame they mean the one in Paris.  This was phenomenal! A group of us went on a tour with a guide which was probably the best decision we could have made. All the little details that I had bypassed before because they were described in French not English were finally brought to my attention. I learned! Not just observed. The tour was more detailed than I imagined. Apparently Notre Dame is split into two themes on the outside, heaven and hell. The left depicts heaven and the right depicts hell. The guide was French, but spoke very clearly in English. I would give her an A if I was her teacher.

 

The day was not over after Notre Dame, but now off to the Pantheon, I perused the outside the wandered over to the Luxemburg gardens, so pristine. I keep finding a new favorite. The parks in Seattle are well designed, but nothing compares to the Luxemburg gardens. No one sat on the grass, only in chairs on the dirt. The grass seems to be perfectly intact and not even a foot has stepped on it. For the French, gardens are a place of respect and quiet leisure. Gardens are to be observed, but not a place to throw a football or Frisbee like in the US. 

JULY 21

The Louvre

The Louvre is an extension of Versailles. The art follows the time period of Loui XVI.  I meandered through the Louvre and then strolled to the Musee de Orsay. This by far way my favorite. Something about the layout and the painting that were displayed seemed to be more of my style.

JUlY 20

Versailles

It’s hot and muggy once again and everyone is running low on energy. To walk through all of Versailles you have to be ready for it. Some say it could take two or three days to walk through because there is so much to see. I guess it depends how fast you go. I ran through it! No, just kidding, but my group did go faster than most people I would say.

Versailles was built by King Loui IVX while France was starving> it was more of a hunting lodge than anything, and since he didn’t like Paris, Versailles was the perfect location. The palace is truly magnificent in every way. The gate to the entrance of the palace is covered in gold and shines like the sun itself. The gardens are splendid! Perfectly trimmed and maintain as they should be, just as Loui would have had them.  

Words can barely describe what I say today and pictures will never do the palace justice. All I have to say is go for a visit. Take a day off of work, maybe a few… and go to France to visit Versailles. 

JulY 19

An early morning calls for coffee. The groups had to be out of the house by 10:30am. That’s not that early, but we had to get up early for packing and cleaning. I posted a few more additions to my blog and then scampered down to the bus stop. Two and a half hours later we were at our next destination, a beautiful Greek style home in Longjumea. If you are from France you barely know where that it. The town is so small, but the best place to stay for 24 people. It was unbearably hot when we got there so the first thing Tim and I did was clean out the pool. Dr. Davis got to work on the edges while Tim sifted through the water with a spaghetti strainer. I swept the leaves and soon enough we were floating like duck in the pool. Apparently a pool here is not a luxury but a requirement because it get so hot.

Dr. Davis gave us the detail on the house. Story has it that during WWII British soldiers hid in the house for safety from the German Army. On a plaque out front says one soldier was shot and they were all captured but it end there. All of us weren’t sure if the soldier was shot and died in the house or was shot and taken away, this we will never know. 

JULY 18

A day at the beach

A day at the beach was all I really needed to get me back in sync. I was missing home so much and all I wanted to do was be somewhere that reminded me of home. What better place to go than the beach. The downfall… no beach volleyball. How can there be a beach as big as the eye can see and no beach volleyball. I was shocked. Soccer balls were everywhere,  and maybe two volleyballs, but no nets. Everyone just say on the sand and seemed to soak up the sun. I try to be a beach baby, but I get so bored just laying down. I usually need something to do. Riding the waves was the next best thing I could do. I exhausted most of my energy swimming and collapsed on the beach for a good hour sleeping face down. Thank goodness for sun block, otherwise I might have been burned rather badly.

For one reason or another I started off the day a bit off beat. I wasn’t as peppy or cheery like usually. I just let the home sickness het to me too much and the stress of what awaits me in Seattle. The beach took care of it all. My stress went out with the waves and I seemed to be good as new when I awoke from my nap. What is it that is so relaxing about the beach? IS it the sand, the waves, the sun, the sounds…? I’m not sure. I just close my eyes and every nerve ending in my body seems to go limp. Who needs therapy when therapy when there’s a beach?

I may have part of it figured out. People live such busy lives, this much we all know is true, but when you go to the beach everything is put on hold. No computer, no work, nothing to irritate you and tell you have something else to do. When there is nothing beeping, or ringing, or vibrating to send you a message things seem to settle down. So if your worries or stressed take electronic out of your life for just a while. Take a break from it all and enjoy the better parts of life. Not to say electronic are bad…. Let’s be honest I go crazy when I don’t have internet here, but there is a part of me that enjoys not having to check my e-mail everyday or check my phone for messages.

It was a perfect day and a perfect way to end my stay in Honfleur.

JULY 17

Market day

 

France is so unlike Seattle. Wouldn’t you expect it to be when it is a completely different country? Here’s the thing, everywhere you go in the world you’ll find cities and towns filled with people. What is it that makes them so different though? People are people, they have desires and passions no matter what. The culture is what molds a person though. Honfleur has a culture unlike anything that I personally have ever been around. People are quiet and semi private. In town they are always dressed up nice. What I loved seeing the most is that they all wore white. White pants white shirts white shoes. Everything was white. I thought it was the trend, so of course I went to the market the next day and bought a white dress.  Come to find out, it not just a trend, they wear thin white close because it is the coolest thing they can wear next to nothing during the hot summer months. To me the people seemed very sophisticated and classy. It just seemed so refreshing.

The market comes to Honfleur every Saturday with vendors from all of France. They was a man selling dresses from Paris and another vendor from the Brittany area. It wasn’t just clothes and trinkets though. The market had the best selection of fresh produce and pastries. I thought I had smelled basil before, but once you smell the fresh basil from Honfleur, basil in the US will never compare. Its absolutely ORGANIC! People on the trip know what I mean…lol

I loved the way people shopped for they groceries. I saw a mother with her daughter carrying a large basket from home. This was their way to shop. Of course there is the CarreFour which is the same as a supermarket in the US. The way in Honfleur just seemed so simple.

For once in my life I seem to be taking things on the slower side. Believe it or not I can be calm, at times.

Dinner was fabulous. The only problem was we had no idea what the heck we ordered. I know that it had something to do with crab. It was delicious and that’s what matters. Great company, great food and great wine make a marvelous night.