Aboard the Elizabeth Again

Our first destination for Spring Break was Tom and Tricia Reay's barge Elizabeth in Roanne in the central West side of France between Dijon and Lyon. She is 22 meters long and quite the looker! We were not able to go out on the canals, but we had a wonderful two night visit with our friends and met a lot of lovely bargers. This trip we were able to keep Jazzy from jumping overboard, although he would have loved to swim after the ducks.

Road Trip!!

We began our Spring Break trip by driving over the magnificent Millau bridge. We have seen it from below twice and Nathan and Celia have been on a bus trip over it, but Mike and I have never driven it. You cannot see over the sides, but you can see the tiny ant-like village below that reminds you just how high you are. As we made our way north, we passed over and under many unusual bridges...each very different in their design...even an upside down suspension bridge.

We had a picnic at a rest stop on the way by a very neat old village. It is truly a very French thing to do to picnic at the stops. At noon, all of the stops are filled to the gills with families enjoying their lunch.

As you can see, Jazzy is a well-seasoned traveller. His comfy little bed was in the trunk and we kept the ski pass through hole open so he could pop through and see everything.

Church in Castries France

As I was reminded by Pastor Patti's weekly letter, we are entering Holy Week. I feel so much connection to my faith sitting in the services of this week. This is the Catholic church that I am attending...pretending that it is Episcopal! The prayers and the flow of the service are almost exactly the same.

Pere Yannick is so wonderful. He is definitely a younger (40s to early 50s) and more forward thinking Catholic priest. He speaks French, Spanish and English. He has visited the Carmel mission in California and loves to have us in his congregation. He insists on speaking in English with us after each service even though we would like to stay in French to better blend in.

The voices roll about the church when the choir sings. It just fills you to the brim. It is such an open and light filled place...very unlike most of the older churches here. The original church in Castries was constructed around 1050, collapsed in 1870. This new church was built in 1862...thus the more light and airy architecture.

The congregation is enormous. For a country that has really turned its back on its organized religion, the church is packed completely to standing room only every single Sunday. I am forced to actually be early in order to find a seat...amazing for me don't you agree my COGS family??

Spring is Here!

This is the view from Celia's room. Each morning as she opens her eyes, this is the sight that greets her. What a wonderful way to awaken...even for someone as adverse to morning as she. The collage is made of pictures from our favorite walking road in the vineyards just on the other side of our road. Slowly, but surely everything is blooming. Each day a new type of plant is in bloom...seemingly going from bare branches to full bloom overnight. I have a new love and respect for dandelions. Coming from the Midwest...land of lush green lawns where the yellow menace is fought tooth and nail, it is incredible to see acres of them. They open each day and face the sun like miniature little sunflowers.

La Greve!

Strike Causes Disruptions Throughout France
Authorities Brace for More Protests Over Law on Youth Job Rights
By Molly Moore

Washington Post Foreign Service

Tuesday, March 28, 2006; 2:00 PM

PARIS, March 28 -- A nationwide strike cancelled flights, curtailed trains and buses and disrupted other public services throughout France Tuesday , as hundreds of thousands of students and workers staged the largest demonstrations in three weeks of protests against a pending labor law that will remove job protections from young people.
Union organizers estimated a national turnout of 2.7 million, with 700,000 of those in Paris. Police figures were much lower.
Late in the day, as the protests were winding down, scattered skirmishes erupted here in the capital, leading police to use tear gas against youths hurling bottles and molotov cocktails. Groups of masked hoodlums darted through the crowds, snatching cellphones and purses.

The reality behind the news is always a bit different! My friend went into the center of Montpellier all day and reported that it was deserted. This is a university town of about 200,000 people where at least 25% are students. She enjoyed a calm day of shopping as if everyone else had gone off to vacation. I, on the other hand, spent the morning at Castorama (Home Depot in French) and Jardiland (a garden center) and found myself the lone female in a sea of Monsieur Bricolages (Mr. Do-It-Yourselfers). A gentleman even joked with me about this fact. When my friend and I connected that night, we compared notes and decided that all of the men out on strike were put promptly to work on the To-Do list at home. The last strike, Europe 2 (one of the largest radio stations in France) was calling cafes in Paris to see how the strike was going. According to one waitress, the cafes were doing quite well and selling a lot of beer that day. Oh the French method of protesting!

Jazzy's New Friends

The white dog is a neighborhood dog that has learned to jump our fence to play with Jazzy. I was sitting on the terrace having coffee the other morning and this dog suddenly appeared in our fenced yard. Fearing a hole in the fence, I walked the fence and then finding no holes, let the wayward dog out the front gate. I did not even have time to sit down again when I spied him happily running to Jazzy in the yard eager to play. It took three repeats of this before I let him out of the gate and RAN to the back of the yard to see where he was coming in. He had figured out that he could jump a two foot barrier to come in. As soon as I let him out of the gate, he ran to the garage and jumped the barrier. Needless to say, Jazzy now has a new friend that visits from time to time to play. Jazzy has taken on the role of village bully so the poor thing must tease Jazzy to get him to chase him and to play.

The other dog is Celia's friend Alex's pet. Jazzy is happier playing with her as she is a female. She has asserted her place as his superior and things are fine between them. She chases him around the yard and then he chases her. Some things between the species are familiar!

Academy Awards 2006

Our first/sixth annual Academy Awards party in France was a hit! Our friends the Fords taped it off of British tv...it aired live from one in the morning on. We all were able to stay away from the results so they were all a surprise when we watched Tuesday night...such as Crash winning best picture!! For my fellow Academy Award fanatics, the red carpet was very disappointing (no Joan and Melissa - just a badly dressed brit talking with people we didn't know about things we didn't know about) The company and food were fabulous and we so enjoyed having this bit of home here.