Day 15–Moving right along!
Here I sit at the Nantes airport waiting for my flight to Geneva where my friends will be waiting! This is the last leg of my wonderful trip abroad. Yesterday, Michele and I took a lovely drive through the vineyards known for their muscadet white wine. We ended up in Clisson at a 13th century ruin of the castle. The weather has been spectacular and has really enhanced the beauty of this region. Now I’m off to the mountains and lakes of Evian where I will stay for a little over a week with Athan, Joelle and Ari.
Day 16–Promenade in Evian
When I arrived in Geneva, Athan was at the airport to pick me up. After an hour’s drive through the city (Switzerland) then on into France again, we arrived in Evian. As you come into the town, there is the bottling factory for the spring water that is famous all over the world. I think we will be visiting the factory one of these days. When we drove into the parking lot, Joelle was waiting for us on the balcony of their apartment with a big smile.
After getting caught up after several years since the family came to visit the US, Joelle began to prepare a light supper of goat cheese on a baguette, grilled and smothered with a white sauce. Yummy! Of course, we watched Germany beat Portugal in soccer.
Today, Ari and Athan both had to work, so Joelle and I walked around town, along the lake, and had a little ice cream for lunch at a small cafe near Lake Leman (Lake Geneva). This is a beautiful little town right on the lake with the mountains all around. There is a market downtown on Tuesdays and Fridays where they sell fish, fruit, clothes, jewelry, etc. The prices are not that bad, so I just might have to doing some serious shopping. 🙂 Who am I kidding? There’s no room in my suitcase already. Now there is a storm coming across the lake and it’s starting to rain. There is a huge window in the main room of the apartment with a fabulous view so even when the sun isn’t shining, this place is special. Love it!
Day 17-18–Two thumbs up!
My sweet friend, Joelle, has been keeping me busy these past few days. Athan, her hubby, had to work yesterday, so Joelle and Ari (their 15 year old son) and I made our way to the medieval town of Yvoire, on the edge of Lake Leman (aka Lake Geneva). We walked around the town, down by the harbor and enjoyed the little shops. We ended up in a small restaurant called Le Vieux Logis. It has been a family hotel-restaurant since 1896.
Joelle has been talking about one of the specialities of the region, filets de perche (perch filets) fresh from the lake. We decided that we would make that our main meal for the day (lunch is usually the big meal of the day for the French). Oh my! This was the most delicious fish I have tasted in a long time! They were lightly breaded and had a lemony mustard cream sauce on top. The fish along with fries, a salads, dessert and a drink for the three of us cost over $140!!! I guess that’s because the dollar is weak right now, but also food in a nice restaurant is just plain pricey. But it WAS yummy.
We came back to the apartment and while Ari played on the computer, Joelle and I strolled around Evian, went into her church and listened to the organist practice, and then filled our water bottles at the Evian spring. We were still so full after our fabulous lunch, but Joelle made a light supper of smoked salmon pieces mixed with “pasta pearls.” It seems like every French woman I know is an amazing cook! Oh, and let’s not forget the cheese! This morning for breakfast, I finished off the camembert and had a petit pain au chocolat.
Ari had to work today but Athan and Joelle and I headed to Thonon, a town nearby. There is a castle there that Joelle actually painted a watercolor of. I have it hanging on my wall at home. Again, there was a street market so we strolled along a bit before choosing a cafe for lunch. We just got home, but the day is not over, so I’m sure we will stroll a bit more before nighttime and another “match de foot” on TV. The weather is great and my friends are so kind. It’s such a pretty area of France, so all is well.
Day 19-20–Such fun!
It just gets better and better! Athan has been off work for the last couple of days, so he has taken Joelle and me across the border into Switzerland. Yesterday, we woke up early so that we could drop young Ari off at work in the morning. He’s 15 but has entered into a school where he is learning the hospitality trade. Currently, he’s working in a restaurant about 35 hours per week as part of his education. Anyway, it doesn’t seem quite fair that the adults get to play while the youngsters go to work. Dommage! So at 10 a.m. we were on our way to Montreux. We passed the lovely Chateau de Chillon as we entered the town which sits at the east end of the lake on the Swiss side. In a couple of weeks they will host the world famous jazz festival, so we saw them starting to set up a stage downtown. We walked along the water’s edge and through a little market. The mountains at that end of the lake are impressive and those in the distance are still snow-capped.
We ended up having lunch at a restaurant Athan chose for us. It served pasta and fish, among other things. That’s what we had and once again my fish had a delicious lemony butter sauce that I will try to make once I get home. The evening was calm (sort of). Actually, it was like the Super Bowl because France played Switzerland and pummeled them, 5-2, in their second world cup match. Horns were tooting and there was lots of celebration.
Today (Saturday) we returned to Switzerland and traveled to Gruyeres where we parked the car and climbed up to the medieval walled city. All around the cobblestoned town square there were cafes and souvenir shops. We went immediately further up the hill to the castle and the medieval festival. It was great and reminded me a lot of what is done in the SCA back home. There were merchants and people cooking food and others demonstrating their crafts, like woodworking, herbs and spices, pottery, etc. There was no fighting demo, but they do have wars and use “real” weapons, although they are blunted–but still…OUCH! It was fun seeing all the medieval garb, chatting with the people, and OF COURSE being in a medieval castle and courtyard. The medievalists actually sleep in the castle at night, although not in the Duke ‘s chambers. Very cool!
Since Gruyeres is well-known for its cheese, we ate something very cheesy for lunch! Joelle wanted to buy meringue cookies and a heavy whipped cream, a regional specialty. As we headed back down the hill to our car, we paused in the shadow of the castle ‘s tower to dip our cookies into the jar of cream. Oh my! Yummy!
But we weren’t finished yet!! Gruyeres is also well-known for its Cailler-Nestle chocolate factory. It was just 5km down the road, so we headed there next to take a tour of that factory and the history of chocolate. Of course, it ended with a tasting of different types of Swiss chocolates. Okay. No need to say that when we finished the tour, we were stuffed and, dare I say, SICK of chocolate. 🙂
We arrived back in Evian a little after 6 p.m. and, because I had a letter to mail and needed to walk, I headed out for a walk in town. All throughout France tonight is the Festival of Music. There are musical groups all over that give concerts inside and outside. I guess it began about 30 years ago when a French politician came up with idea to promote musical arts. The people were already setting up for an evening of musical entertainment and crowds were gathering.
A little later in the evening, Joelle and I took another walk in town (no more eating for us today–trop de chocolat) along the boardwalk by Lake Leman, once it got a bit cooler outside. It’s been sunny and warm all week. And today has been an absolutely fabulous ending to my first week in Haute Savoie!
Day 21-22–A little gray but still okay!
There have been a few heavy clouds between mostly sunny days yesterday and today. Sunday morning, we woke up slowly. I had mentioned the idea of going to church with Joelle, but at first there seemed little interest. However, when the church bells began to ring around 10:15, Joelle said it was a sign from Heaven and that, yes, she would like to go to the 10:30 mass. I had thought it would be really nice to go to the neighboring town where there is a protestant (Baptist) church, but it was just fine to accompany my friend to her beautiful church which dates from the 13th century and is in the early Savoyard Gothic style, with extensive renovations occurring during the 14th and 15th centuries. The choir stalls, featuring carved images of the apostles and prophets, are a masterpiece of flamboyant Gothic style.
As we walked in, the people were already singing along with the pipe organ. The acoustics were wonderful, with every chant and organ note reverberating off of the vaulted ceilings and ancient walls–hard to describe how “heavenly” the sound is! 🙂 The service consisted mostly of songs interspersed with readings from Scripture and an explanation of the Catholic “Sainte Scene”–holy communion. The service lasted an hour and then we headed home for lunch. Later that evening, after a delightful day of rest, Joelle and I decided to go a bit early to pick up Ari from work and spent some time relaxing and reading in the shade of a tiny tree near the water’s edge. Lake Geneva really is special and there were around 30 sailboats sailing around as the clouds began to roll in. Later that evening, Joelle beat me (214 to 213) at a game of Scabble. Now we might have to play once more for the tie-breaker, since I won the first game the other day!
This morning we headed up to Abondance, a small skiing village in the mountains above Evian. The village, known for its Abondance cheese, was in a little valley filled with nicely decorated chalets. We took some photos and bought some cheese. When we got back to the apartment, Joelle made a small fondue for lunch and another dish that included bacon pieces, small squares of whole wheat pasta, and melted Abondance. Okay, nothing like eating 99 percent fat to bring a smile to my face. J’adore le fromage! Maim, miam!
To finish off the day, before eating just a little of the wild rice casserole that I made for supper, Joelle and I took a long (much-needed) walk along the lake. Only three more days here. I’m planning to absorb as much as I can of the ambience of this region and the fellowship with friends. Who knows when we will see each other again or when I will be back in France? But tomorrow is another day–a market day!–and I want to be ready. Bedtime!
Day 23–Market day and more
By the time we headed out to the market today, a few drops of rain began to fall. We quick returned to the apartment and grabbed our parapluies but didn’t really need them–off and on sprinkles throughout the day. The market was fun and we each bought a shirt and I bought a few books to keep me reading in French for the next several years!
The afternoon went fast, with a little walk to the funiculaire which took us up the hill behind Evian where we walked around the wealthiest neighborhood. We had intended to visit the Hotel Royal, where heads of state have met on occasion. It was under repair and is reopening in July. 😦 But I could tell from just looking at it and hearing descriptions of the clientele and the amenities, this 5-star hotel would have been great to visit and maybe even sip a little coffee or lemonade in their cafe. Oh well, that’s for another time. Instead, we came back to the apartment and invited the 91-year-old neighbor over for a game of Scabble–my third since I’ve been here. Joelle has been telling me all week that the neighbor is amazing at the game and always wins. Well, not today, ladies and gents! L’Americaine won!!! 207 points to 174 and 161. And I don’t even like the game. 🙂 Actually, I’m beginning to enjoy it because it’s a great way to test vocabulary and to learn new words . . . And, yes, it was all in French!
We had a little “apero” of baguette, butter and bleu d’Auvergne. Yum! The day ended with leftovers and a salad and a wonderful chat in English with 15 year old Ari, who loves to play strategic video games. He dreams that someday he will own his own restaurants and then become a politician (along with his best friend Etienne) and together they will change the world. He’s a neat kid and pretty determined. I’m not quite sure he will become President of the World, as he hopes, but who knows?
Day 25–Still alive and heading HOME tomorrow!
I’ve spent these last two days beach-hopping with Joelle! Actually, yesterday we went to Thonon to do a little shopping in the rue pietonne–no cars allowed. It was the beginning of the summer sales in all the stores, so prices were a little more reasonable. After a quick sandwich lunch, we headed to Parc a l’Amphion situated right on Lake Geneva. The stony beach was pretty painful to walk on unless you have beach shoes or flipflops. But once I found a spot to sit on some larger rocks, all was gloriously well. I dipped my feet in the cool water and felt the warmth of the Sun on my back. Of course, I forgot to bring my swimsuit, but I just rolled up my pant legs and didn’t care if I got splashed by a small wave. There were four little children playing on the rocks and I’m sure I was a curiosity for them. One little boy was especially chatty (man, he spoke fluent French–oh wait …. I suppose that’s normal since he lives here! ). Wednesday is a day when there is no school for the kids, so it was pretty busy at this beach. But we stayed for a few hours, Joelle in the shade and I perched on the rocks with the kids. Fun!
Today we went to the Evian Piscine (swimming pool) which is actually several pools, all outside) and a beach front down by the lake. The palm trees and flowers everywhere and the manicured lawns make this place mighty special. Kind of makes me feel like I’m in the jet-setting crowd! It only costs about $6 to enter the park and Joelle, because of her job downtown at the cultural museum, gets in free. We had a few hours to kill there before heading to the restaurant across the street for another lunch of fillet de perche and then on to pick up Ari.
Tonight Athan says we will go to Bureau pub to watch the big game–World Cup soccer (USA vs Germany!!) What a fun way to end my time with dear friends! Then tomorrow, early, Athan will take me back to Geneva so I can catch my flight at 11 a.m. Geneva-Copenhagen-Reykj avik-Minneapolis. I will be landing at MSP at 6 p.m. tomorrow (really like 2 a.m. French time). So I sure have appreciated that many of you have been praying for me during my time abroad. I covet your prayers for tomorrow as well. THANKS!
Now, one last thing as I close out this blog, I thought you might like to know the Evian story. Chances are many of you drink Evian water from time to time. This is a small city of 8,000 people that grows to almost 25,000 people in the summer. According to the tourist brochure: “Évian-les-Bains, beautifully situated on the shore of Lake Geneva at the French-Swiss border, is a world famous tourist attraction and spa. Its lakeside promenade, lined with trees and lawns, has been fashionable since the 19th century. Once the haunt of the very rich, the spa, promenade and casino today attract a broader range of guests. In 1789, as the story goes, the Marquis de Lessertas fell thirsty on one of his walks about the village, and stopped to drink from a spring on the property of a certain Monsieur Cachat. Finding the water to his liking, the marquis made a habit of drinking from the spring and noticed that a variety of kidney and liver ailments from which he suffered began to show improvement. The news spread, and about 100 years later the French Academy of Medicine officially recognised the water’s curative properties. The rest is history. Today the pricey Evian water is sold all over the world, along with a line of cosmetics.”
And now you know the rest of the story . . . !
Heart to Heart 