Bon Voyage

Well, almost... Due to a series of unfortunate events, it took us an extra day to get back to good 'ole, hot and humid NC. I now know why we speak English here and not French. France is much milder. They found out the hard way when trying to settle Louisiana that they would much prefer their home land. When they decided to branch out again, all that was left was Canada.

We spent the last few days with our friend at their farm/village, helping out with the renovations on their guest house. I really enjoyed working with my hands, but they seriously need a nail gun. This time of year is especially nice there in the country because the rolling hills of wheat are just turning gold, the sun doesn't set until 10pm, and the snails are just small and white enough to look and sound like gravel when you unknowingly walk all over them.


 



Hard to believe it is over. It was real. It was fun. But it wasn't real fun. Just kidding, it was a great experience.

What to do next....

Bojangles! mmmmmmmm

oh yeah - taxes, buy a car, insurance, take Kosmo to vet, etc.

Coming Home!!!

This will be our last blog from France as we are flying home this Sunday the 17th. We've moved out of our apartment last week, took a brief vacation, and now are staying with our friends Charles and Debra in their home outside of Angers.

We wanted to share some photos of our last voyage in Europe for 2007. We went to Nice, Corsica (Calvi and Bastia), and Marseille.
In Nice, we had delicious gelato and tried Afghanistan cuisine - delicious! There's not too much to do other than visit the old town, chateau ruins, and lay out on the rocky beach. The French are certainly very liberal sunbathers...we'll leave it at that.




This one is for you, Andy.


The next day, we were supposed to take a ferry to Calvi, Corsica, but for a very silly reason, missed the boat. We can explain in person. So, we spent another night in Nice before taking the next day ferry to Calvi.

Corsica (birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte) is absolutely BEAUTIFUL. In Calvi, the water is a very vivid blue and the terrain is steep in the towns and mountainous in the distance. Think southern California. You're always walking up and down stairs to get around town. The had very fine sand that was easily persuaded by the wind. And some little green mosquito things kept us company while we tried to catch some rays.



Calvi, from the citadel


After Calvi (on the western coast) we went to Bastia (on the north/eastern coast). It was a more city-like town with a beautiful port and churches. On the bus ride there, I heard on the radio that there had been some terrorist bombings in other parts of Corsica, not too unusual as they are seeking independence from France. This seems to be a pattern with our travels...terrorist bombings right after we have visited the country (Morocco, Turkey, Corsica). No, it has nothing to do with us.



Bastia


Then, we took an overnight ferry to Marseille and spent the day there. We climbed up probably 500 steps to reach a church on a hilltop, spent some time on the beach, and Zack ate the famous "bouillebaisse" (fish soup).

On our way back to Angers we rode the train through the Provence region. This is a very arid climate, with lots of red tiled roof towns on hilltops. It was very picturesque. France is truly a diverse and beautiful country.

It was a very hectic "vacation" but worth seeing all these new places. The last train trip we're not looking forward to is lugging the 200+ pounds of baggage with us to the airport, but it'll be worth it to be home again.

See you soon -

Happy Birthday to Me

On the day of my birthday we went to a neighboring city called Saumur, a 25 minute train ride away. Saumur is right on the Loire river. They have a picturesque chateau on a bluff next to the river. But what they are known for is their horses, more specifically, the Cadre Noire. We rented some bikes to get us to the complex to see the dressage show. We were told it was only 4 klicks from the train station. It ended up being at least 10, uphill both ways. It wasn't so bad, because the further we got out of the city the more stunning the views of rolling hills became. We got to the stadium as the show was starting, but we didn't miss much because they were "warming up". After that, we saw these trained horses jump over gates and other obstacles, walk diagonally, dance (better than me, actually), and perform some fancy aerials. The most difficult maneuver is to have the horse jump up with its front and then kick with its back. I'm sure it takes a lot of training to get these beasts to that level. It was very impressive.

The best picture I got.

After that high-tail it back to the train station in order to get back to work before people in my office in Raleigh began to start working. I ended up getting sick that evening until the next evening.

We waited until Friday night to go out to eat. We went to a traditional Anjou restaurant called La Ferme. Elizabeth ordered Coq au Vin, a traditional dish of rooster cooked in red wine - very delicious. I ordered magret of duck, which was basically an rare-cooked breast of duck (I didn't know what it was before I ordered it). That was the second uncooked piece of meat I had the pleasure (sarcasm) of eating this past week. The first time was when eating lunch at the school with Elizabeth. You get what they give you there, so I had no choice. Not a fan of eating meat that can be revived by a trained professional, as my coworker Scott puts it... So after the main course came the most comprehensive cheese plate I've ever seen. And I couldn't send it away without trying every single kind. Cheese is great. Even the stinky stuff.

So it was a great birthday. Thanks for all the cards!