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.