Fréjus, France

Fréjus, France
Aqueduc Romain

Monday, June 8, 2009

Whoosh - the week in review

It's all speeding by now, it seems. As they disappear, each week takes on added importance. So many events and gatherings, even the scheduled weekly appointments are laden with the knowledge of an upcoming finality. Bien profiter, bien profiter, bien profiter!

Last Monday was a holiday which would normally mean beach time, but it rained so we caught up on organizing the apt. and packing some stuff. Tuesdays are always busy for Lisa as she has her own French class in the morning and an arts class in the afternoon.


Irie and her friend Abel spend lunch together each Monday or Tuesday, switching homes, this week they were at Abel's. Since their teacher was absent we let them have the afternoon off and I took them to the beach with Irie playing in the water and sand while Abel goaded me into playing paddle ball for hours. He was calling himself "Rafal Nadal" as the French Open was midway, me reminding him en français that Nadal lost, but still, Abel is pretty good at it.

Already Weds., no school, but Irie sails from 9-12, so we usually show up about 10:30 on the beach to watch, have lunch, and swim. Then we need to get back home for my french lesson (with Pascale)
and Irie's piano lesson (with Elisabeth). She has her first-ever recital this Sat. playing a song called "Got the Blues."

Thurs. mornings Lisa is off to yoga/exercise/hula, and Irie went to Abbie's for lunch so Lisa and I had the whole afternoon to ourselves so guess what we did? That's right we went to the beach.


Friday, already the end of the week! 4 weeks left. I went to Lisa's hula class in the afternoon to videotape. Her class has grown and they have now learned 4 dances I believe. They are so beautiful and graceful, working so hard with this dance style and language that is so foreign to them. I am not normally present for these classes and it makes my heart burst seeing Lisa in her element, à l'aise and beaming with pride. Here they are doing Honomuni which Lisa choreographed.

Saturday, June 6, D-Day. We took special interest in the proceedings on TV (see last blog post) with the Obamas arriving. We read in the news the next day that they hit Paris like a storm: getting a private tour of Notre Dame, Pompidou, and then having dinner somewhere near the Eiffel Tower. There were cheering throngs of people everywhere they went, they are probably even more popular here than back home. We were going to take Irie to the Aqualand water park here in Fréjus but realized that they don't open for 2 more weeks - just one more thing to squeeze in. The winds had really picked up, so we took Irie and Abbie to the beach (oooh, big surprise :)) and had some fun in the big waves. Irie has become a strong swimmer and just can't get enough of the water. Fighting these waves caught up with her as she came home exhausted and fell asleep quickly (which is rare). There was also, amazingly enough considering the winds and waves, a regatta happening further out in the bay.

Sunday, another bright sunny morning, and the winds had died down. Lisa was on a mission to bien profiter from the big Sunday market while I went to the beach to play volleyball with Édouard and his cast of players who show up every Sat. and Sun. mornings to play. There are multiple players who used to play in professional leagues here in France so I just try not to make a fool of myself. Great exercise! And a warm sea to cool off in, then home to get ready for our next fête. It was Mother's Day here in France and we were invited by our friends Kurt, Stéphanie and Charlie
to an informal gathering with them and other friends who we hadn't met before. We still aren't exactly sure of the connections, but everyone met up at a private domain up in the hills with 3 pools, tennis and basketball courts, and a restaurant. We swam, I played pétanque for the first time, and we had a very nice meal. It was dusk (at 9:45) as we left for home.

Onward to another full week ahead...

5 comments:

Ronica said...

Je suis tellement jalouse, moi. :) Fréjus est le prochain sur mon liste d'endroits à visiter! Je ne vais jamais dans le Sud de la France.

Bien profitez!!! Amusez-vous bien, et continuez de faire beaucoup de photos!

Ken said...

You time is winding down, but, you have fit so much into your year. We watched a documentary on the QM2 last night and talked about your year in France.

Rachel went to the Holocaust Memorial in Farmington Hills today and hear a women speak. The woman and her family had fled to Southern France. She knew Frejus.

Both Rachel and Maddie talk about going back to Europe. I've told them maybe 2011 for the Women's World Cup.

All I can say is thanks for sharing with my family through your blob and while we were there. The experience we had was life changing. It gave us a greater appreciation for the lives we have and the world we live in.

Bill and Karen Browne said...

The waves make the Med look like Lake Michigan. Enjoy the balance of your time to fullest. See you in July

Rick said...

Love getting french comments here, welcome Ronica!!

Ken, nice words and thoughts (again), glad you enjoyed yourselves and gained something from the experience. Hi to the family!

See you soon, Dad.

Anonymous said...

Family-

I can imagine the multitude of feelings you're having about returning to Ashland...I must love you because I hate the idea of you leaving sooner then you would like. I love you all...

Athena

PS would you mind picking up some more Casino bags for me and another pen (like the own Irie uses in school), if it adds too much to pack no worries-I love that damn Casino and my bags have been stolen...ok given to all that feel in love with them-cheap gifts eh? Seriously-people loved them more than anything else...go figure.