We spent the last week in a chateau in france that is owned by Katie's wealthy family friends. It is one of their 4 houses, and it is in a small town in provence called Les Beaumettes.
I want to write down everything we did but it is about a week old so it is not as inspired as it could be, so I will write bullet points
- the night we got in our train was late so the rental car place closed and as we were about to sleep on the ground outside, i magically began to speak french and we found our way to the holiday inn who called a cheap hostel and we bartered with them and got to stay in a small apartment for 60 euros for 4 people, so 15 each. Being as we were almost broke, this was exciting. and free water.
- when we finally found the house, there was an enormous wasp nest, maybe 2 feet wide, that meant we spent a few hours walking around the house wrapped in mosquito nets trying to exterminate two huge wasps each the size of my thumb. I finally killed one, it was bittersweet.
- huge travelfamily dinners, gnocchi lessons (they had a gnocchi pass machinetta in the kitchen so we made some really really good gnocchi) and pasta dinners, baguettes and sausages with fennel and brie, we had a mexican fiesta in which we all dressed up, and you could definitely call some of our outfits offensive, but then again.. nobody else was there.. so, if a tree falls in the forest and there is no one around to hear it... is a chola outfit really offensive?
- we went to a fantastic series of farmers markets and flea markets that were loaded with amazing spices, honeys, soaps, patte's (sp?) fruits and vegetables, little old men wearing berets, old spoons and old maps and old posters and lanterns and a little green park in the town with a river running through it that had a bunch of big waterwheels. I lied on my back in the park eating a salmon and spinach quiche and listened to a father and son play a violin guitar duet of carmen, and other things. We dipped our toes in the river and ate lemon meringue pie. We purchased a lot of knick knacky treasures and i got another spoon for my collection from two men named bernard and robert.
- my friend Jessie's mission was to eat as many almond croissants as her heart desired, and i think she must have had about 7 or 8? maybe a few were other flavors.
- we drove to the coast off Marseilles and took a ferry to this small island called ISLE VERT (google image this and be so jealous) crystal clear this time more green water, jumping off rocks, swimming around like nymphs, this is pretty much our routine by now. It took a few little hikes to get around and it was very very hot, and we got some amazing photos which i should post the link to sometime.
- We visited aixen provence and maybe ate the best mousse i could have ever imagined.
- the gardeners name was jaque and he was round and very sweet and came around every day or so to see how we were doing
- i slept in my own bedroom in a bed that was far too big for me, inside a mosquito net and i felt very elegant.
we took the train to zurich which was ridiculously expensive we all almost cried a little, but it was a very nice train and loaded with really good looking personnel, which made the ride more enjoyable. The view from france to switzerland is incredible; green and lakes and cute pointy roofs and villages nestled in hillsides. When we got to zurich we found my cousin astrid and went to a kebab place and ate and then the rain began to pour, as it apparently does randomly in switzerland, and we took the bus home and watched notting hill and fell asleep.
The next day, yesterday, we explored zurich a little. This city is BEAUTIFUL and perfect and very well planned. For example, we rented bicycles for free and rode them around through the little pointy roof streets that are covered with trees (almost no trash on the streets) and then we got to the river that runs through the middle of the city and people were swimming in it. Every other city i know, you don't swim in the river that runs right through the middle because it is filthy, but this one is alpine melt water with a few leaves floating in it. All along the banks were beautiful twenty something people lounging around in the sun. We found a spot to put our towels and then went to jump off a small bridge into the water. Then the current dragged us downstream and it was like we were getting a little tour of the city by way of water. When we were about to pass under the big bridge, and a few young guys were jumping off it, so we got out and climbed up four flights of stairs, walked across the bridge, which was covered in cars, in our bathingsuits, climbed over the railing, and stood there maybe 10 to 12 meters up trying to get ourselves to jump off. Finally, we counted to three, but SCREAMING at the top of our lungs because otherwise i wouldn't have found the courage, which only came from the adrenaline i got from screaming one two three, and then we jumped off, Jessie, Sophie and I all went down screaming while a crowd watched and katie took photos and video. When our heads poked out of the water there was a crowd of people applauding, and my arm hurt from having slapped the water at a bad angle, but it was so exciting! We are all very proud of ourselves for that.
Now Sophie and I are going to rent bicycles and bike to the picturesque lake!
I could live in switzerland.
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