Bonne fête des mamans!

This must have been the reason he woke so frequently during the nights; Lauris had planned a wonderful weekend for the family! It was truly an appreciated, relaxing vacation for this maman. After a late night out due to the Clermont-Ferrand ASM vs. Toulouse rugby match (semi-finals, but sadly last years champions, ASM, will not be advancing to the finals this year against Montpellier) we managed to get on the road by nine Saturday morning. Heading south across the Millau viaduct we made good time to Montpellier, stopping for lunch in a park in La Grande-Motte. After a baguette with cheeses, charcuterie, tomatoes and lettuce we continued east along the Mediterranean until we reached Saintes-Maries-de-La-Mer.

The town is named after the three saints Mary Magdalene, Mary Salome and Mary Jacobe who are believed to be the women who were the first witnesses to the empty tomb after the resurrection of Christ. According to French legend, they either sailed or were cast adrift while sailing from Alexandria, Egypt after the Crucifixion of Christ, and came ashore here. The town is also a pilgrimage destination for Roma (Gypsies), who had gathered the previous weekend. Vincent van Gogh, Picasso and Ernest Hemingway are other celebrities that have spent time in the town, and more can be found about them as well as the world sailing speed records at the Wikipedia entry for Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer.

After a drive through town to gain a first impression we stopped by the hotel to check in and ended up staying for a bit to take a dip in the beautiful pool. Once back in town we went directly to les arènes, for a bullfight - not exactly a bull fight, but students of bullfighting learning the tricks of the trade. Interesting - especially seeing the bulls jump the first barrier several times, causing all the workers to jump into the arena to avoid the strategic bulls. The Camargue, of which Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer is the capital of, is known for its bulls, and one can watch the “guardians of the bulls,” dressed in traditional costume, put on shows of herding the bulls atop their white horses, which are also symbols of the area.

Roberts and Lauris watching the bull in action

We stopped for dinner at a place that caught our eye with colorful table settings and a big pan of seafood paella cooking outside. Afterward we strolled through the town, enjoying the crowds of shoppers on the main streets. At the center is a medieval church, and all around are little streets with restaurants, cafés, wine stores, art galleries and the obligatory t-shirt, postcard and tourist shops. Lauris and I got our feet wet in the Mediterranean for the first time in our lives, we 3 ate a 4-scoop ice cream cone, swung on the seaside playground’s swings, and in whole enjoyed a very relaxed afternoon/evening atmosphere.  Doctors should prescribe this type of weekend for relaxation!

Yum! Roberts tried the paella, I had the moules gratinee

With the last daylight we drove north into the Parc naturel régional de Camargue in search of flamingos and more of the white horses. The Camargue region is mostly delta between the Mediterranean sea, the Grand Rhône and the Petit Rhône to the west. The parc is ideal for waterfowl, and with dusk approaching there was an abundance to be seen. I recognized a few grebes, herons, ducks and one very large falcon (or other bird of prey). The white horses we found grazing on a private pasture, and we just had to brave the flies to snap a few photos.

Ūsiņš and the white horses

Back at the hotel, we ventured out from our room to see if the Racing Métro 92 vs. Montpellier rugby game was on in the bar, and instead found that the local band Solyfiesta, was providing the music for a private party in the seminar room off of the pool. The “Gypsy Kings” type music inspired a drink at the hotel bar, and as we sat in the lounge and enjoyed the atmosphere, the musicians emerged and came to the bar for a drink. Before we knew it, we were the recipients of a private concert of a song one of the men had written himself; très romantique!

Dipping our feet into the Mediterranean for the first time

The best meal of the weekend came the following morning, in the resort hotel. Possibly the best 10-Euro breakfast in the country? We ate poolside, buttery croissants drizzled in honey, fresh melon, big cups of steaming coffees and cappuccinos, begnets filled with chocolate and a variety of other homemade pastries and other delicacies. And because the pool looked so beautiful in the morning sun we changed into our suits and spent an hour on the cushy furniture poolside, abandoning our previous plans to head straight to the city. As Roberts noted, we were on relaxed, “Baja time.”

On the way into town I finally spotted some flamingoes up close. As far as I could tell, they are identical to the Florida flamingos, so we didn’t linger long. Of course by the time we hit town it was time for lunch, and a quick stop for moules avec frittes turned out to be just the thing. Our last planned activity was to take a boat trip aboard Les Quatre Maries II for a 1.5 hour tour of Le Petit Rhône. Seeing even more black bulls, white horses, egrets and a quick loop into the Mediterranean were a perfect finale to the trip, and after disembarking we made our way back to the car and headed home.

Famous Camargue bull and future matador

The drive south was a little over four hours, and although this trip is “do-able” in a weekend, I would suggest three days, which gives an extra day to visit Aigues-Mortes or just to spend on the beach. However, I am delighted we made the trip; I think I could get used to the Mediterranean pace of life!

Rain and shine, warm and cold

When I offered our apartment as the back-up spot for this Friday’s mom & baby club meeting, I figured the chances of getting rained out at Jardin Lecoq were miniscule; to my recollection in our six months here it has never rained on a meeting day. Regardless, yesterday evening I cleaned a bit, then checked the weather.  Although overcast and cold, the rain was supposed to hold off until the afternoon, and so we all agreed to meet at the Jardin unless raining.

This morning we awoke to sunshine, ate breakfast to sunshine, packed a bag to sunshine, but then emerged from the apartment to clouds! By the time we got to the park it was drizzling, and after meeting a couple of the other moms there, we all headed back home to meet the rest of the moms who had headed straight to our apartment due to the rain. Disorganized and harried describes my state of mind at this point! We attempted to contact all the mothers we could to let them know of the change, but due to lack of preparedness I believe we may have missed a few.

But where are all the babies? Only 4 of the 10 in this picture!

A bit of chaos?  Of course.  But happily, we have had our official first visitors to the flat.  We look forward to more visits in the future; rain, clouds, sunshine or somewhere in between!

La vie de la rose

The rose garden at le Jardin Lecoq is in full bloom!

The Plateau of Gergovie

This warm, sunny morning Lauris and I joined the IWC randonée group in a 9.5 km hike from Romagnat to the Plateau of Gergovie. I have had it on my to do list to hike with the group for a while, but each week as I read the descriptions I always thought to myself “that seems a little far to carry Lauris” or “I don’t want to slow down the rest of the ladies.” But last Thursday at the monthly IWC meeting I spoke to several regulars who assured me that I would never know if I can do it if I don’t try, and a few brave souls even volunteered to carry my now-X-teen kilogram Lauris if I tired! So the die was cast, and with everything pre-packed the night before, including sandwiches, all I had to do this morning was eat breakfast and drive on out to the meeting place in Romagnat.

The gentle ascent to the plateau

The Plateau of Gergovie is thought to have been the location of the Battle of Gergovie between Vercingetorix and Julius Caesar in 52 BC (although this is now in dispute). Along with gorgeous views, at the top there is also a large monument, a museum and a café. The change in elevation from Romagnat to the plateau is about 270 meters, and although the trails are clearly marked, some turns are relatively easy to miss; I suggest a good trail guide or map to take along on the hike.

The monument on the Plateau dedicated to Vercingetorix, by Jean Teillard, 1903

I did manage to carry Laurīts all the way in his backpack carrier with a short break at the top. He was quite content in his carrier, the weather was beautiful and there was plenty for him to look at including cows, horses and chickens. I’ve found that it helps if I keep a steady supply of Cheerios ready, and he even tasted a cherry from one of the trees along the path after mom deemed them ripe and tasty. Thanks to the ladies for offering to take turns carrying him, I may have to take you up on your offer in the future; I believe the two of us will be joining you again in more of the weekly faire de randonées!

The fearless hikers!

Fête de la Première des Communions

Today we had the honor of attending Kylian’s communion. Kylian’s family was among the first we met here in Clermont-Ferrand, and I was excited to participate in the service at one of the most beautiful churches in Clermont, the Eglise Saint-Pierre les Minimes, on Place de Jaude.

In 1470, when Saint-François de Paul created a new religious order, he called it "Minimal" because humility would be the first of the virtues. About 200 years later the order of Franciscan monks moved to Clermont and built the chapel, which after various renovations is the church today known as the Eglise Saint-Pierre les Minimes.

The communion class on the steps of the church

The service today was to celebrate the first communion of the children of the Notre-Dame of Clermont parish and the Massillon school. The chants sounded beautiful, sung in French and reverberating throughout the church due to the high vaulted ceilings. Rain was in the forecast, but sunlight illuminated the beautiful stained glass and shone upon the fifty-one students as they emerged on the steps of the church after the ceremony. Even top-flight paparazzi would have been elbowed out of the prime photo angles by the rightfully and proudly shutter-happy parents and relatives!

The crowd of parents-paparazzi waiting for their chance

We had been invited to Marine’s home after the service to celebrate. After an aperatif of finely aged wine with a hint of cognac we enjoyed several entrees, little smoked salmon sandwiches and bacon cheese breads being my favorites. The beautiful weather held for the barbecue in the backyard; kebabs and sausage served with a variety of salads. The food was a hit, guests went back for seconds and even after big plates of food, dessert found eager takers.

The kids were having a ball as well. In and out of the kiddie pool, they roamed the backyard in their swimsuits with the excitement of freedom. With a playhouse, swingset, sandbox and lots of toys – and several handfuls of like-aged playmates - they stayed busy, only surfacing for food. The older kids (as well as some of the dads) played futbol and wii, and the party didn’t break up until evening.

3 amigas, 3 amigos!

Thank you Marine for a wonderful Sunday afternoon, and congratulations to Kylian on his holy communion, a noteworthy step in a young man’s life!