As seems my habit, it has been quite a while since I have updated my blog, but I am plagued with bouts of "uninspiration" interrupted by crazy amounts of activity, leaving my blog to the wayside. Perhaps inspired by the final arrival of a few sunny days in Bourges, I take the time now to recount the last two months.
And so I begin...
After les amis, (simply "the friends", the four who came to visit a few weeks Dec-Jan)left, January continued on fairly calmly, if not boringly. Though the winters of France are not as cold temperature-wise as Wisconsin is, the humid cold is not only more bone-chilling, but also makes for an interminably cloudy atmosphere. Five weeks of work were rewarded with two weeks of vacation mid-February, and thanks to this welcomed vacation, February flew by. Week one of the vacation I spent 1/2 preparing lessons for future classes, 1/2 lounging and lazying about in Montrouge. My week of relaxation prepared me for the arrival of my mom and my aunt Carmen on Febuary 12, and Julien and I met the two sisters at Charles de Gaulle airport early that Friday morning.
Our adventure started with running from Terminal 2 to the train station in CDG to catch the TGV to the west coast of France to Nantes. The TGV (Train a Grand Vitesse)literally "the high-speed train", clips away at about 175 mph, so within two hours we had crossed the country and met up with Gloria, my aunt who lives in France.
Julien, me, my cousin Elisa, and my aunts Gloria and Carmen - 12 february - Nantes
From there started a flurry of Spanish conversation, and we spent the weekend with the family, catching up, traveling in the near-Nantes area, picnic-ing on the beach (the first sun I had seen in months!), and general rabble-rousing.
Me, Carmen, and my mom in front of the city hall in Fouras. Ready to picnic on the beach! - 16 february
Las hermanas in La Rochelle - 16 february
My cousin Ana and her boyfriend Arnaud serving the aperitif - 16 february - Mouilleron-le-Captif
Family around the computie :) - 16 february - Mouilleron-le-Captif
Wednesday morning my mom, Carmen, Gloria and I headed out on an adventure do see some castles, the famous "Chateaux de la Loire", the "Castles of the Loire". The Loire is the river that runs through France, and there is a stretch of old castles that runs along the river, thus making up the chateaux de la Loire.
Saumur - 17 february
Example of the troglodytiques, the houses, churches, castles that are built into the rock - 17 february
Azay-le-Rideau - 17 february
The castle in Amboise that we passed as we hurried to a restaurant to escape the cold - 17 february
This was the four of us for one night in Chenonceau :D - 18 february
We had guided tours, took lots of pictures, drank hot drinks to warm up, and had a good time, sprinkled with the outbursts of laughter from my mom and Gloria and Carmen about...anything sisterly. Sisters will be sisters, apparently, and to this day they continue poking and prodding at one another, saying just the right thing to get under the others' skin, but always with good intention and accompanied by much laughter.
Path leading up to the castle in Chenonceau. B-E-A-UTiful! (the three sisters are up ahead :D) - 18 february
Castle in Chenonceau. It seems as though there is always restoration going on somewhere... - 18 february
The labyrinth to leave the castle in Chenonceau. It was rather amusing since at 5'3" I am by far the tallest of us four, and we had to really figure out how to get out of this maze without seeing! - 18 february
Our Loire adventures led us to Bourges; we spent all of 3 hours in Bourges in which time we stopped by my apartment, grabbed lunch with Loreto and her friend, and did a whirlwind tour of my little city, before grabbing coffee with Julien's parents and aunt and uncle who were in Bourges for the day. By 5:30 we headed back up to Paris, arriving at about 9:30 due to a slight navigation mishap. We ate at Julien's apartment after which las hermanas, "the sisters", retired to their nearby hotel. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday were filled with the usual Paris tourings, the sights and sounds of Paris being soaked in once again, for a certain sister 50 years after having lived here :) Ahhh nostalgia!
Monday February 22, las hermanas headed back to the Americas from Charles de Gaulle, and not a moment too soon! Not that their departure was a welcomed relief, rather CDG airport employees went on strike the following day, canceling 25% of their flights for the rest of the week in addition to Paris's other airport, Orly, canceling 50% of its flights. Ooooh France..
Tuesday I started back up with classes and it has been two weeks now working. Only 4 more weeks until the next 2-week vacation... :D
I'm going to leave my blog at this for now, though I'm sure, I hope (though I can't say I promise!) I will be returning very soon. I have to get ready to babysit, a side-job I have every-so-often to make a little money, but I will work on getting more detailed photos on facebook and out to you all!
I hope everybody is staying warm, staying safe, and staying in good humor :)
annemary
