In Paris

So I'm back after a weekend in the countryside and seaside of the North where my host family has a vacation home. The town is called Le Touquet, situated just North of Berck and two hours from Lille. This week is the week of Toussaint, or All Saints Day, a national holiday in France celebrated for an entire week. As holidays go, it's quite different from the States, as the government staggers the vacation days to avoid overflowing the transit systems. A few members of the family have stayed at the vacation house all week, and after my weekend visit, I can say with confidence that I envy them.

After our arrival, we stopped at the house to turn on the heating, then jumped back in the car to have dinner with family friends. It was really good. They say that the salt air in the North stimulates the appetite. 

The next day I awoke, ate breakfast, and picked apples from the pommier in the back yard after Ombeline announced the opening of the (apple) hunting season. She outfitted us both with boots for the wet grass and I found a ladder in the shed. 

View of the house in the morning light.

It's not terribly big, but after Paris it felt enormous. After filling two big baskets, we put on our sneakers and went to the town market, absolutely overflowing with seafood. Before going home, we went for a short walk on the beach, which was beautiful, though I have no photos to prove it. We went home, I went for a run, got lost, came back, and we had lunch. The French serve their shrimp with the heads still attached, antennae, eyes and all. This is a video from the market Ombeline insisted I took.

They have quite a collection of bikes at the house, one for each child, and then one or two extra. The girls and I rode to the equestrian center to check out the horseys. I rode one of the most beautiful antique Peugot road bikes I have seen, painted a sort of bright, sparkly teal. Then we went home and watched a movie. Dinner was quiet.

The next morning Bruno and his fiance Evguenia arrived, and we all went to church. It was a grey day, and on the way out of the service I took this limited view of the Hotel de Ville, which is really nice.

We had company for drinks and lunch afterwards. I think there were nine of us. We talked about Russia, alcoholism, and the French. Then, in spite of the cold, rain, wind, and grey skies, we all hopped in the family van (7 children warrants ownership of a real van) and hit the beach for a promenade. It wasn't a long walk, but a fun one all the same. 

"Behold!"

Mme Vandame (in the orange pants) was the toughest of us all! Of course, she's originally from the North.

Everyone was soaked, so we went home, changed clothes, and sat by the fire drinking tea for the next hour. Then, sadly, M Vandame (above) and I took the train back to Paris.

As for this weekend, I'll be in Paris, as far as I know, riding my bike (refer to post above).