Leaving On a Jet Plane

Our trip home turned out to be completely catastrophic. We safely made it to the bus and then the airport. An hour into the flight, they announced that the navigation system needed to cross the Atlantic was not working, and they would have to turn back to Paris. We waited on the tarmac for 2 hrs while they fixed the plane. Personally, I would have preferred another aircraft sans technical difficulties, but it was not to be. We arrived in NY 4 hrs late and missed our connecting flight. After waiting what seemed a day to get our luggage, we booked seats on the next flight to Boston, which was leaving at 8 pm. I called my brother, as he and his wife were going to pick us up at the shuttle in Framingham. Turns out, they were already there. I informed them about the flight situation, and they decided they would go see a movie while waiting. No problem.... alas, I was wrong. The flight ended up being late... and by late I mean, we eventually boarded at 9:45, then sat on the tarmac until midnight, when the plane finally left for Boston. By the time I arrived in Boston, I had missed the last shuttle out of the airport. My brother was too tired to drive in to the airport, as he had to work the next morning, and my father and I ended up taking a cab home from Boston! A truly crappy trip home, but the vacation in France was so wonderful, I don't really care.

Paris III

Our last day in Paris, we decided to climb the Eiffel Tower (via the elevator, of course). Unfortunately, after standing in line for an hour, we discovered that the top floor was temporarily closed due to overcrowding. So, we went to the second floor, and still got some great photos, despite the fact that it was a fairly hazy day. Then, we went to the Pere Lachaise cemetery, where many famous people are buried. We saw Chopin and Poulenc's graves, and went on a desperate hike to find Jim Morrison's. The first time I went to Paris, Helene and I had spent hours in this cemetery looking for that grave, and never found it. This time, I was on a mission. We found out, and honestly it was a bit anticlimactic. But that's ok, I have seen it, and all is well. Basically, we took a Dead Musician's tour in the cemetery. Edith Piaf, Maria Callas and Oscar Wilde are also buried there, but we didn't have the energy to go looking for them (this cemetery is enormous). Then we went back to the hotel to begin the arduous task of repacking, for we were leaving at the arse-crack of dawn the next day.

Paris II

The day after Annie left, Dad and I spent a day at the Chateau of Versailles. It was built by Louis XIV, and is just plain over the top. The castle itself is enormous, but the gardens surrounding almost dwarf the size of the building. We took a tour through the castle, saw the Hall of Mirrors, and many of the individual rooms. The first floor rooms are mostly like a museum; each room has a different color of brocade on the walls, and there are many paintings on the wall. The upstairs is more exciting. One of the larger salons apparently has a ceiling that is actually painted canvas; the largest painted canvas in Europe. We then bought a ticket for the gardens, where we were able to see the Grands Eaux Musicales. Basically, they turn on all the fountains in the garden, and blast French Baroque music throughout. It is quite awe inspiring. We ate lunch, and just spent a couple of hours wandering in the Garden. Here, the gardens are pristinely manicured and shaped; gardens in this style are called "a la francaise."

Paris I

Annie decided to drive in to Paris with us, and stayed at the Hotel Chopin for a night. The first day, we visited Notre Dame, Ste. Chappelle, actually climbed the Arc de Triomphe and the Louvre. We at dinner at a wonderful restaurant that is in the basement of the train station at Les Invalides. Afterwards, we took a driving tour of Paris by Night, and saw how the Eiffel tower is lighted at night. Starting at 11, the turn on lights every hour on the hour for about 15 minutes. First, it flashes with silver lights, then goes to a solid, sapphire blue. It's absolutely gorgeous! The second day, despite extremely tired legs, we visited Napoleon's tomb, and also went to the Rodin museum. Napoleon's tomb is fantastic! The building is ornately decorated inside with marble and gold. The tomb itself is probably a 30 ft. marble construction. At the Rodin museum, we saw The Thinker, among other famous sculptures. Near the end of the day, Dad and I made a trek up the hill of Montmartre to see the Sacre Coeur Basilica. It sits on the top of the hill, and is a brilliant white. Unfortunately, you are not allowed to take pictures inside, but all the decoration is mosaic artwork. In the dome above the altar, there is a huge mosaic of Christ with his arms out. Again, lots of gold. That night, Annie left and returned to her parent's house, and Dad and I needed to take a nap to recover.

France VII- Chez Coutures

Staying at Annie's parent's, Claudine and Andre Couture, was fantastic. They fed us well every night, and there was much talking. Somehow, we got into a conversation about WWII, and they were telling us stories of when they were kids in the war, and how the Americans had come and French families were hiding some of the paratroopers in their attics and barns. One of the desks in their house had been confiscated and used by actual Nazi soldiers; then, surprisingly, returned to them after the war. It was extremely interesting to hear stories from people who had actually lived through it. After all, there has never been a war on American soil in my lifetime; even this war is somewhat removed from my everyday life. While there, we also visited a small castle at Chamerolles, where they now make perfume. Unfortunately, we got there just at closing time but they let us walk around the grounds anyway. We also visited Yevre, a medieval fort that is mostly in ruins now (got some great pics there). After this brief respite, we began our trek to Paris.

France VI- Castles of the Loire Valley

The day after the beach, Dad and I brought Helene and Maxim to the airport so they could return to England. Then he and I spent the evening in La Rochelle, and met up with Annie and Jean later. The next day, we began our trip through the Loire Valley to go to Annie's parent's house. Unfortunately, I didn't realize Jean would be working, and I didn't actually get a chance to say goodbye to him before we left. The trip was a bit long, but we got a chance to see a lot of the French countryside. The vast majority of the country is farmland, and you can drive for hours through wheat, hay and sunflower fields. The first castle we stopped at was Chenonceau, which is the only castle that is actually built over the Loire river. We got into a conversation about wine, and Annie explained that Jean is constantly arguing with his brother, for Jean thinks Bordeaux wine is superior to Loire valley. The second castle was Cheverny. The tour through the inside of this castle was far more interesting. We were able to view the king and queen's chambers, and an entire room dedicated to hunting and arms. Took a pic of the suit of armor for my brother. While there, I also bought 2 daggers (which I later discovered were actually sharpened), one for me and one for my brother. Not entirely sure this was a good idea, but whatever. We finally did a drive-by to see the Castle of Chambord, then went directly on to Annie's parent's house in Bouzonville aux Bois.

France V- The Beach

The following day, a group of about 20 of us went to a beach on Ile de Re. I drove Vikienti, Lisa and their mother, along with my father. Helene unintentionally gave me horrible directions, and we got nicely lost on the island. I was annoyed because I know Vikienti's sister gets carsick, and I am certain my complete lack of knowledge of the island was not helping her state. Eventually, we found a beach and decided To Hell with the rest of them... Luckily, when we got out of the car, Maxim was there. I think, next to Vikienti, I was the whitest person there, and the only one that did not get a serious sunburn. We jumped around in the waves which threatened to bowl us over, and I lost one of my pairs of sunglasses in the ocean. C'est la vie. There were also large, cement bunkers that Helene explained had been built during WWII, by the Germans in attempts to &*^% up the Americans.... but of course we came from the North and thwarted their plan! After roasting ourselves in the sun for a few hours, and having a picnic, a few of us drove to St. Martin and went to a bar for a drink. The group was dwindling at this point, and finally we just headed back to Mauze. Apparently, my worry over Lisa was unnecessary; Helene told me she sang my name the entire way home because I am the only driver that doesn't make her sick :)

France IV- The Garden Party

The Garden Party at Helene's house the day after the wedding was fantastic. True to form, there was an enormous amount of food. It was really nice to see some of Helene's friends who I had met the first time I had come to France. Unfortunately, Helene and Maxim had to stay at the fort, cleaning up, and missed most of their own afterparty. Maxim's uncle Micha is quite the character. He has a stereotypical "Mad Russian" sort of look, is wildly hilarious and "original." At the party, he was wearing some sort of African-styled T-shirt, and had an arabic looking wrap that he put on his head and Maxim called him Bin Laden. He speaks French, and he and I got along marvelously. Very interested in music, he is. I spent most of the afternoon sitting by the pool talking to Vikienti. I tell you, life in Europe is extremely difficult.

France III- The Wedding

Helene's wedding was fantastic! I sang, and was also a witness. Basically, I signed a register. The service was very eclectic, as the programs were translated into French, German, English and Russian, and different portions of the service were spoken in different languages. After the church, we swung by Helene's parents house to get things, then we all drove on to the Fort. The fort is a giant stone wall, roughly star-shaped, with a moat around the outside, and a tent had been set up in the center. Before we went inside, there were hors d'ouvres and champagne outside (I actually ate oysters for the first time!) The dinner was fabulous and took nearly 4 hrs to eat! And yes, I actually danced. Helene's friend, Simon, is Scottish, and came in full kilt gear. During the reception, he made a valiant effort to teach us to do traditional Scottish dances. It didnt' work out too well, but we had fun. Maxim and his sister played the Bach/Gounod Ave Maria, and Maxim and I played the Meditation de Thais. Vikienti, Maxim's brother, and I ended up befriending one another and stayed up talking until 6 am...but that's a whole other story. I have a great pic of the sunrise at the Fort! The day after the wedding, there was a garden party at Helene's house, where we said goodbye to many people taking their long treks back to their respective countries.

France II

After arriving in La Rochelle, we went to Mauze sur le Mignon, the town where Helene grew up. That night, there was a big dinner. When the French eat dinner, it is a multi-hour event. We had aperitifs in the garden, and didn't start dinner until 10 pm (here, the sun doesn't set until that time). The friends who came to dinner were friends/patrons of Maxim. I actually got a chance to use my "Kinderdeutsch"! My German is rather limited, but I was able to speak. One of the Germans spoke Spanish, so we communicated mostly in Spanish. Unfortunately, the next day both the champagne and jet lag made a rather unfortunate combination, and I was sick for most of the day. It made the meeting with the priest a bit strange; we were going over the "drill" for the wedding ceremony, and I could feel my face turning green. After a long nap, I was fully recovered. Dad and I had taken a walk around Mauze, saw the road by the river and the church. Later that night, we went to Ile de Re, where the reception would be held, and helped decorate and set up for the reception. Helene's wedding color was purple. The chairs were all draped in white, with purple or lavender ribbons. We also set up votive candles in the entryway to the fort that were glass jars filled with sand and a candle, with a purple ribbon around the jar. The wedding ceremony would be held at a church in Coulon, and the reception was held at the fort of Ile de Re.

France I

We arrived in Cambridge, England on 7/15. After Helene picked us up, we went to a bar, where her husband Maxim met us (technically, they are already married; this wedding was for the family and friends). We saw the "row" houses in England. Literally, it is a long row single-building with several doors for individual condo-type homes. The next day, Helene, Dad and I went around Cambridge. There are more than 60 colleges in Cambridge! Most of them are associated in some way with Cambridge College, but not all. We went to King's Chapel (where parts of the Harry Potter movies were filmed, and this is also the tallest free-standing gothic edifice without flying buttresses), and also saw Clare College. For those of you who were at Westminster and had the "joy" of meeting Tim Brown, the Brit who talked about drunken moles, this is the college where he regularly teaches. For the record, I found driving on the "wrong" side of the road very disconcerting, and it makes me worried for my trip to Ireland in March, for Kellie has informed me that we will be driving. I shall crash, I fear. We arrived back at the house with just enough time to grab our baggage and head to the train station to go to the airport to get to France. The flight was uneventful, and Helene's father, Jean, met us at the airport.