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Published: December 20th 2010
December 19th 2010
Here we are in Nimes, France. We have been here four days now (we were in Montpellier for two days with Paul’s friend Elian), and are still adjusting. The apartment that Elian’s family has loaned us is nice, has everything we need, except for a comfortable bed! The uncomfortable bed, combined with jet lag, plus the very cold weather we are experiencing, and the lack of internet, telephone or tv is making us second guess our decision to come to Europe in the Winter! However, we have explored the city several times and are delighted with the Roman ruins, the Jardin de Fontaine, some of the wonderful tiny backstreets, and especially the boulangeries – I’m sure to come home 10lbs heavier than when I left! The apartment is about a 15 minute walk from the centre of town and we have discovered an internet café about a 10 minute walk away, thank goodness because Paul would have gone out of his mind by now with being entirely cut off from the outside world!
Elian’s family has been very kind to us; they have clearly worked to make the apartment comfortable even decorating it with a tiny Christmas tree and bowl of chocolates with a greeting card welcoming their Canadian ‘cousins’. Tonight we go to a church concert and a pot luck dinner with them! Wish me luck, I don’t speak French and I’m an atheist!!
Yesterday we drove to Sommieres, the town where our friend Nancy will be living next Spring. It is a delightful medieval town with a fabulous historic centre, situated on the banks of the Vidourle river, there is also a beautiful Roman bridge. A couple of kilometers away is the village of Villevieille, a gorgeous classic French village that is very clean and quiet (no traffic streaming through it) with beautiful stone buildings and many groves of olive trees. We found the house where Nancy will be staying – about one kilometer outside the actual village. Luckily Paul speaks good French as it was a little tricky to find and we needed to ask for directions a couple of times. The French people we have spoken with, from the family to store clerks to strangers we have asked directions from have all been nothing but friendly – so much for the reputation of the French as being aloof, though Paul assures me that in northern France the reputation is well deserved.
December 20, 2010
Last night Maurice, Elian’s brother, picked us up and we went to the Eglise Evangelique Baptiste Christmas concert. It is kind of cute that the world over and across all religions we take delight most of all in the children. The very young children paraded out dressed as candies and sang a song – they of course stole the show. The choir was very good too; they were backed up by a violin and accordion, which made for an upbeat, fun tempo. The rest of the night was well…….a Christmas concert of sorts. Paul started off trying to translate for me, but we gave up, it didn’t matter and the truth be known it was probably best I was blissfully ignorant!
The best part of the night was the pot luck after. What food!!!! There must have been about 50 types of weird and wonderful appetizers and then just as many desserts. There was also wine! Maurice is so kind, he made sure to send people our way who spoke any English and introduced us to many as his friends from Canada. He is a lovely man who has been very good to us, doing his best to make us feel welcome.
Today we drove to Uzes. OMG what an absolutely fabulous town. Fantastic architecture (medieval and Roman), beautiful countryside and stone houses. Paul and I were both totally taken with it, if we had money we would absolutely buy a home there. We toured the old part of town (all of it is old really!!) and then walked out into the county following the path of 2,000 year old aqueduct - amazing!
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Nancy Farran
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Keep blogging!
Your comments about Uzes are bang on! My little group of friends were VERY interested in buying there when we were on the hunt a few years ago. It is really charming. Thanks for doing the legwork on looking at Sommieres - now, it will be easy for me to find! Keep up the news - good to hear! love, Nancy