A Little Minneapolis in Gueret: 2009

And all my photographers are gone.

So, it's been a while and a lot has happened. A lot of people have come through the dusty town of Guéret, and not too surprisingly, were loath to return to Paris. Doesn't it sound fantastic?! To be able to be such a world traveler that Paris sounds boring and one just absolutely can't be bothered to even go there, dahling...

So where do I start?

My mom, Gabe, and Olivia all came for one entire month, spending a few days in Paris, 2.5 weeks in Guéret, and a week in sunny Collioure (with a day trip to Colera, Spain). Olivia was able to go into an elementary school for her time in the Creuse, and she loved it! She didn't want to leave, and of course left many broken hearts in her class. Gabe hung out with me, went to work, and did his own homework at my apartment. Grandma Ann (re)discovered the joys of Calvados, a brandy from Normandy, and my mom (re)discovered all the beautiful ingredients this region has to offer, leaving completely satisfied tummies in her wake.

The house they rented, Monsieur Aupetit's house, became a second home to all of us, and was the perfect picture of bucolic French living. We hosted a Mexican feast chez M. Aupetit, including all the contraband my mother sneaked into the country from Minneapolis. The house was furnished with every type of glass possible; champagne flutes, lowballs, small snifters, medium snifters, highballs, red wine glasses, white wine glasses, apéritif glasses, digestif glasses, shot glasses, liqueur glasses... I could keep going, but I don't know the names of the rest. We served margarita in little apéritif glasses, and they went to smoothly and quickly.

Mama rented a car and we went Creusing. We visited Aubusson, the capital of tapestry, Limoges, Dechen Choling, Oradour-sur-Glâne, Crozant, Montaûtre, and then drove half-way across France to the Spanish border. We spent a week in one of the most beautiful places in Southern France, a city called Collioure.

Staying in an old fisherman's cottage, four storeys with one room on each, and view of the bay from the top, we were content! The kids' front yard was the beach, just outside the front door. They spent the week moving the beach from its spot to the first floor of the house. They'd come back with huge baskets-full of beach glass, shells, and cool looking rocks. We knew we needed to move the beach back to its rightful place when I opened up the washer and pulled out some clothes and was showered with little peices of beach glass. Oops.

The family flew out of Montpellier early in the morning on my birthday, after spending a whirlwind night at one of the lovliest families in the world, The Hugheys. Alex and I were sent off with hugs and kisses from Steve and Sheri and their 3 girls at the Montpellier train station. We spent the whole day on the train to Lyon, and then Lyon to Guéret.

I was starting to feel like it wasn't my birthday until we got home, and in my mail box were two birthday cards from Mama Finseth, a card from my Lyndale girls, and a huge box from my girl Bri, filled with wonderful birthday gifts and some amazing words. I was on cloud nine feeling all the love from home. Then, our friends Jason and Juli showed up to take us out to the country to celebrate more! Deep-fried oyster po' boys, red beans and rice, champagne (which was warm and Jason opened it up, and ended up getting a champagne shower). It was beautiful, and them being from New Orleans, gave me a little bottle of Tabasco sauce they found here. The bottle and box are both entirely in French, I couldn't pick a better souvenir if I tried.

So, I'm 24 now.

Immediately after returning, I hopped back onto a train to Paris to catch a plane the following morning to Fair Verona. My uncle Bill and aunt Ann were visiting their daughter, my cousin, Maura and her husband, Marcello, with their two children, Filippo and Eugenio (Gegè). Maura and Bill picked me up at the airport, and off we went to the land of Bassano di Grappa, and you can guess which liquor comes from that region. Grappa, Prosecco, white asparagus, United Colors of Benetton. Every time I travel with this family I feel as if I've died and gone to heaven. My uncle has turned traveling into a fine art.

We stayed in a villa outside the town for a few days. Eating piles of pasta, and wrestling with the boys were standard for each day. We returned to Verona on Sunday night, where I checked into a B&B around the corner from my cousin's house. Uncle Bill and I spent a lot of time walking the streets of Verona, him being my tour guide/historian, and me being a willing listener. We had covered so much ground on Sunday and Monday, that we decided Tuesday, for my last day, we'd go to Venice together.

After an uncharacteristic hour and a half delay of the Italian train system, we finally made it on, and made it to Venice. It was like I never imagined. Uncle, again, acted as tour guide/romantic date fill-in, and we enjoyed ourselves immensely.

The next day, I flew home feeling very happy to have spent such a beautiful week with my father's side of the family.

I spent the afternoon in Paris with Kendra, talking about things girls talk about when they're in Paris sitting on the Seine.

A few days later, Alex and I went to La Souterraine to spend the night, so we could catch a train up to Paris to surprise his parents, who were flying in on Mother's Day. We found them, and turned right around to take the train back to Guéret. Uffdah!

The visit with the Finseth's was one out of a fairytale. They visited Guéret, we stayed at Château de Montautre, and spent three rainy, tiring, but all together fantastic days in Paris. In the middle, my roommates showed up in Paris!