The Wall

Well, we made it.  It was a very long journey, but uneventful and everybody held up well.  We stay this week in the Chateau Rose.  Guess how it got it's name.  It is a beautiful country home.

On our way to Paris, we were on an AirFrance flight, which is way better than Delta.  The kids thought the plane was very fancy - what with the blankets, pillows, cup holders, TV in the seat in front of us, wider seats.  Lee and I thought the aged plane sounded like a bucket of bolts being dragged behind a Waste Management truck upon takeoff.  Again - we do this to widen our children's view of the world - and trust me, my children have flown a lot, so I laughed when they were impressed with the "amenities" of this flight.

To sum up perfectly, H2's entry in his journal (I am forcing them to write about what they do and see while on this trip) was this: a little girl kicked my seat the entire time on the plane to Paris.  Trip of a lifetime... this is what he knows.  No mention of the dinner he did not eat or the ice cream bar that was given to him during the night.  Or the very cute game bag filled with activities and AirFrance trinkets.  Nope - just that irritating little girl behind him.  OY.  2/5 of this traveling circus were audibly snoring on the flight; 2/5 of us didn't get any sleep and the other 1/5 "just rested my eyes."  In total, it was 20 hours of travel from one door to the final airport.  It was hot when we arrived at our rental home.  As we met with the homeowners and described how incredibly "fatigue" we are, the kids ran around the house, disappeared and then reappeared in the cool waters of the pool.  My comment was, "Elle n'est pas fatigue."  So I guess Special K was no longer exhausted.

I had brought some gifts for our hosts, Phillipe and Martine.  A bottle of Knob Creek whiskey (which he declared as "fabulous!!") and a box of my favorites from Alma Chocolate.  They are unusual flavors for these parts; I hope she doesn't hate on them.  Martine was very impressed and continued to tell me how "gentile!" it was for us to give them a gift.  See - this family, we are not heathens.  At least, not while traveling in other countries.

We made the (upon reflection) poor decision to take the kids into Pau for dinner.  They actually chose to go, but over the course of the 5 minute ride into town, two of them were slumped over and drooling.  The third was well on his way to dream land.  Admittedly, we went into the Place Clemenceau, where there were a ton of people, a stage and a band.  And the soccer match was on several TVs set up in the restaurants.  We got through dinner (the 2.85 euro glass of rose helped) and we made it back home.  Where I fell asleep, fully dressed, but teeth brushed, on top of my bed.  I woke up around 10 p.m, drank some water, closed some windows and went back to bed.  Let me sum up... after being awake for 28 hours, I hit the wall. I slept from 8 p.m. to 11 a.m.  During this time, I dreamt the kids got up in the dark, ended up going to the grocery store, dropping a croissant on my head, running around the house, opening and shutting the windows, slamming the doors, then one by one, they fell asleep for a morning nap, which has turned into an afternoon nap.

Except Special K, of course.  Who was all dressed up because her sister had pushed her in the pool.  I  learned all of this when I finally got up, ate my croissant, made a cup of coffee from a fully automatic machine that has pods, brushed the fuzz off of my teeth and finally joined the living.  Mind you, I had Lil Miss Chatterbox telling me stuff like, "Mommy, you have to pay 1 Euro for a big cart at the supermarche.  But the baskets are free."  I imagine that every child had to carry a basket.  I told her to hang tight, and we could go for a walk.  She sat down with a book about Paris and I went back upstairs to pull myself together.  And when I returned, she looked like this...

I went for a walk by myself.  I learned there is a large Chateau built in 1789.  If you have that kind of cash, you have a large garden, a big carriage house, a large stone wall built of stones (crazy, who has that kind of time?) and a caretaker in a house.   I learned that I don't know French well, but what I do know is passable, and people that stop to ask me where the Musique Fete is located appreciate the fact that I can say in  French, "I don't know.  I am American.  I hear it - over there."  They look a bit shocked, and thank me and drive off.

This is what else I learned...  Today it is raining and humid.  It is very green and there is a lot of agriculture around here.  I can hear doves and pigeons cooing all day long.  I walked down to the river, and it is the twin of the Sandy river.  Its like I traveled 6,000 miles to get off a plane in Oregon.

I ran into our host, Phillipe.  He appreciated the whiskey last night - never having had Knob Creek.  He's never heard of it and is saving it to share with his brother-in-law, who, likely, has never heard of it.  I figured.  That's why I bought it.  This house we are in, Chateau Rose, was built in 1764.  I don't even feel any ghosts.  It's got some crazy stuff - like a third floor that we cannot access.  One closet has a locking door with stairs that go up... I'm dying to bust that door open.  This house has huge rooms, huge windows, and wonky electrical outlets.  At some point in time, electricity was discovered and so I am sure these outlets were placed sometime in the past 200 years.  It is a beautiful home, with tall ceilings.  I got a tour of the carriage house, what we would call a carriage house.  On the top floor is a bird house.  Phillipe told me it is for migrating birds.  But at some point I am sure it was for birds to be eaten by humans.  So, around here, it is very agricultural... the carriage house, used as a garage, is called a grange.  The horses once lived in it - and the stall numbers are still on the walls.  Like most garages, it is currently filled with (non horse) crap - tools, tiny cars, migrating birds, garbage bins.  I like it.  It is huge.  Most homes around here have a grange, but some of the granges have been purchased and are remodeled for a home.

There are several things I love about the home we are in. First of all, the giant fireplace in the kitchen.

It takes up most of the wall in the kitchen.  I also love this little guy... Perfect door stop; better than that cookbook I never use.

If we didn't have thunderstorms and jet lag, we'd be enjoying the beautiful patio and pool.  But most of us are asleep and the rest of us are typing in the kitchen, utilizing the only outlet near a table or countertop.

I had a dream that my son said, "Well, it is 8:30."  We are within a rocks throw of the town church.  That has an operating bell tower.  Trust me, I know.  I have been listening to that thing toll the hour and half hour (a single bell), for the past... I don't know what day it is, but I sure as hell know the time.  He figured it out pretty quick what the tolling of the 1/2 hour.  I think that when mass began, it tolled continuously for about 5 minutes.  Or I dreamt that.  I thought there was a fire - it sounded like an alarm, but eventually stopped.

Apparently, a hundred years or so ago, a minister declared a national holiday.  The first weekend of summer would be a nation wide music fest.  Ah.  Last night makes more sense - what with the giant stage and hordes of visitors.  Tonight it is in Assat, just a block over from our house.  I've been listening to it for the past two days.  And the bells.  And the doves.  And the thunder.  So, when the rest of this house finally wakes up from their 6-8 hour nap, I'm dragging them over there for it.  Right now I hear Pink Floyd's The Wall.  Kid you not.  I told you it is a rock's throw from here.  Speaking of rocks and walls...