Being Kiwis abroad

I have said on several occasions in earlier posts being away from home is made easier with modern technology. Being able to text, to email, to Skype and to read news from home online is something one takes for granted these days and when technology has an 'off day' there is a feeling of being cut adrift.

It's probably part of being older and not on one's first OE (overseas experience) but news of and from family especially when it is on Skype or on a video always gives us a real lift.
We take close interest in things Kiwi be it in the newspaper or on the TV. Any news of home is of interest, although many times the headlines make for sad reading but newspapers seldom put good news on the front page.

In conversation when asked if we are English, the instant reply is mais non, nous sommes neo-zélandais or nous sommes de Neo-Zélande. Sometimes this leads to talk of les All Blacks, especially here in the south where rugby reigns.

David flying The Flag

February 6, Waitangi Day, a holiday at home but a normal working day elsewhere in the world means as Kiwis abroad we have to celebrate our nationhood in our own way. Back home we open our house for any friends or family to come and celebrate being Kiwis in Kiwi-style and of course, as it is summer, there is the barbecue and a good time eating and enjoying a drink or two in the outdoors.

Here, a barbeque is not really the way to celebrate in February and there are a distinct lack of Kiwis around but we did celebrate being Kiwis in our own small way with our friend John and his lovely wife Sylvie. John was NZ born but left for England and then ultimately France with his family when he was only 12. However we claimed him to be one of us on Waitangi Day and we had a toast to Neo-Zélande with a beautiful red French wine.

Earlier in the day David had hoisted the NZ flag on a temporary flag pole on the gloriette frame. We didn't attempt to fly it higher as from the tower in case there was 'trouble' with the local authorities. Apparently earlier Kiwi guardiens had been asked to take down the NZ flag when it was flown up high.

Being a Kiwi abroad makes us more appreciative (and also critical) of home. Photos of fabulous summer weather while it is freezing here tend to make one wish there was a way of being teleported for a day or two!  Sometimes we ask ourselves 'why can't the make it easy like home?'  But, as anywhere, it's getting to know how things work. 

For the French their cultural heritage is very important. I guess for us it is what makes France different and what outsiders enjoy about France. Their history with châteaus and castles, old churches, old towns and villages as well as their gastronomic history with the food, the wine and continuation of doing things in a traditional way (but using tools of the day) as well as the 'tradition' of national strikes etc! These are what makes France stand out. They are a proud nation - proud of what they have; proud of who they are. Some may say arrogant and while there may be arrogance, it is this national pride that makes France and the French, french.

Perhaps it is with a touch of envy that we see this pride on show. We did see a little of this sort of attitude during the World Cup in NZ when we were 'on show' to the rest of the (rugby) world.

A toast to home (figured out David's sweatshirt?)

No barbecue but we celebrated with some of the best cheese in the world and a really good local wine.









One thing done in France which we could easily emulate is les Journées du patrimoine. National monuments, museums, historical sites are open free to the public each Sunday during September. This gives everybody an opportunity to visit places that are special to France. This is something we could do in New Zealand, perhaps during February when, for a short while around February 6 , we do actually think about what it is to be living in New Zealand.

So with that to ponder.... I'll say à la prochaine.

Family Celebrations

For us, family are very important and when you are away from them on the other side of the world at times it seems there is something missing in your life. To this end, modern communications have made being away a little easier -  emails,  text messages, Facebook, Skype....It must have been so hard for our forebears with months of no communication with loved ones.

We have been able to keep up with what different members of the family have been doing through technology but there isn't anything as good as having them right beside you in the same space. So when our girls and their men arrived for Christmas nous etions très contents.

Our family grew to include Eric's parents and his brother so Christmas was an international affair - Kiwi, French and a little bit American! Unfortunately it wasn't a white Christmas but nevertheless there was plenty of action inside, although we did need to go for a walk between some of the courses! 

Being in France means celebration meals are lengthy events. So a late start for lunch (because Eric's brother had to return to Paris Christmas morning) meant we didn't finish until the evening.  

Our last Christmas at the Château was Lucas' first and so it was for Julien this time. Both boys celebrated their first Christmas with both sets of grandparents - not that they will remember! 

Last time for the main Christmas fare we had a chapon; this time we thought we would be a bit more Kiwi and have ham on the bone. Well, our (the royal We) cooking instructions to the butcher did not produce quite what we had in mind. Lots of meat, but neither ham nor pork, a strange in between! All part of the French Adventure we tell ourselves when things don't go quite to plan. Next time (if there is a next time!) we will do as the Romans do.

Aperitif in the Library (foie gras served with pohutukawa serviettes)

La Bûche (Chocolate log) Each decoration has a meaning

However the other courses were all a success as was the wine that accompanied each course. David was very chuffed to be complimented by Pierre (Eric's father) on his choice of vin. He is becoming our expert on wines of the Languedoc region. I just drink the stuff!

Here's to Christmas!

The next family celebration was the Julien's baptism. Unfortunately Pip and Adam were not able to stay for this - work commitments meant they arrived back in NZ on the day of the baptême. Pip is Julian's godmother so it was a great pity she couldn't be part of the ceremony in person but Eric's Mum was her 'stand-in'. Eric's brother Lionel is Julien's godfather.  As was with Lucas, the baptism was held at l'église de Notre Dame de Talence in Bordeaux where Julien's great grandmother worships.

Julien and Jenni waited in the warm....while the rest of us

waited outside

 
















Again as it was for Lucas baptism it was a cold, cold day. The ceremony was with family only, unlike at our church in NZ when a baptism is part of a regular service and so we 'rattled' around in this huge stone church with the priest's voice   echoing and bouncing off the walls. Of course we didn't understand much of the ceremony, it was in French of course and also we were the Protestants in a Catholic church! However the star of the day behaved beautifully. He slept the whole way through except when his head was wet and then he 'objected', but not for very long.

Julien William Galopin being blessed

Then it was back to Audenge where Eric's parents live for a celebration lunch. A very pleasant and special occasion with members of the French family. This time David and I were able to have conversations of sorts with family members so things didn't feel as 'foreign' as before. 

A 'Jenni' touch

Celebration lunch 

                                                               

Another Jenni creation

And there was Lucas! His antics cross any language barriers. 

For us who have the opportunity to see the boys on a near daily basis when we're home, it was lovely to observe the delight and joy they brought to their French family, especially to Eric's grandmother, Lucas and Julien's arrière-grand-mère. 

Lucas with his god-mother and his great grandmother

Julien with his cross and St Christopher medallion - gifts from his god-parents

Special memories of special times, but there were also lots of other family activities and adventures to remember  ..... and that will be the basis of the next blog.

A bientôt

Deck the halls and all that stuff!

Christmas is always a special time of the year for us and even more so this time with family traveling across the globe to be with us.

In the cold and dark of winter , the lights and decorations that herald the Christmas season are brighter and more sparkly than in a DownUnder Christmas. All the villages and towns and cities are festooned with street decorations, lights, banners and Christmas tinsel to say nothing of the shop frontages and each house.

Looking up street from Chateau gates - church in green, Maire in pink

Raissac is a small village but there are lots of Christmas lights as well as the Mairie (Mayor's office) which is lit up like a disco! It is very enjoyable to wrap up warm and take a walk through the village when it is dark to view the myriad of sparkling, twinkling lights and decorations.

The Mayor's office (Maire) -the lights change colour - like a disco!

Carcassonne is the same - only bigger. The Christmas markets draw in families and the excitement of Christmas is very tangible and catching, especially seen through the eyes of children. This year we had Lucas with us and it was great to see his excitement and look of wonder when we visited Carcassonne two nights before the big man in red was due to come.

The French enjoy all the 'oop la' that Christmas brings and their houses are decorated inside and out (for passers by to admire). Perhaps this is not peculiar to France but seen everywhere is Père Nöel climbing up - up the wall, over a balcony, on a down pipe - getting ready to go down the chimney at the appropriate time.

In the village - if you look carefully there is more than one Père Nöel !

A typical shop window display

So to be part of the scene we had our Père Nöel climbing up the wall ... into our bedroom! He was on his way to the big chimney ... and there was proof he did make it down!

There has been mention of his tanned complexion but remember he is in the South of France

Père Nöel also had a spot inside on the first landing, along with his renne and traineau.


Having a chateau to decorate was not a chore. The hardest part was not buying more and more decorations as there is such an abundance of choice. The most obvious thing we had to acquire was a tree. Not a plastic one, not a small one but one about 4 metres tall. 

The free trees!

Off we went to the garden shop where we had bought one the last time, but no, only selling small sapin de Nöel this year. So David asked the gardener and the gardener said.......so off to the Maire's office we went....and the secretary said.....so off into the Montagne Noire we went....to find M Mendenez in the small village of Frontiers-Carbedès.....and M Mendenez said.....which one do you want? David paced out the length (the trees were cut down!) and we had a choice of two. Much discussion amongst the anglais and the chosen one was hoisted up onto the roof racks and tied down. M Mendenez was paid but before we left we had another 4 trees stuffed in the boot - FOC thanks to M Mendenz. So now there were 5 trees to decorate once we had decided where the extras were going to go!

Strapped on ready for the trip back

A little bit of 'David power' was needed

 

et voila!

                               

The other trees adorned the library where a pohutukawa Christmas fairy topped the tree. Outside the front door gold was the theme and on the trees by the conservatory silver pine cones were the feature.

A château is a big place. It stands out and above the rest of the houses in the village and so why not make it stand out even more over the Christmas season. 

                                                                       

                                                                               

Getting ready for Christmas is exciting but this time the most exciting part was having toute la famille here with us.

More about this in the next blog....until then à bientôt mes amis!

Interludes ~ Paris, Italy & New Zealand

Our stay at the chateau was interrupted in late October when David and I left to spend time apart on different sides of the globe. I returned to New Zealand to await the birth of our second grandson and David took the opportunity of spending some time at our favourite place in Italy with our very good friends Rob and Jane.

Here are a few of the highlights of our time away.

I think Paris has probably become our favourite city. Each time we return we love it more, Paris was our favoured point of departure from France. 
We only had a short time there but managed to see some new places as well as returning to some of our favourite places from previous visits. As our knowledge of French improves and increases so does our appreciation of things français. 
The architecture, the boulevards, the little streets, the cobbled roads, the corner cafés, the sound of traffic that says ' you're in Paris'.  So on went our walking shoes as we discovered new places. After petit déjeuner we were on the metro and off to Bastille to see the largest open air market in Paris.

La Bastille

 

From there we moved onto visit a cemetery - but not just any cemetery. La Père Lachaise Cimietiere is the largest in Paris. It is HUGE. It was a lovely autumn afternoon and being a Sunday there were lots of people there enjoying a Sunday walk in the autumn sunshine as well as 'looking' people up! The graves of many famous (and perhaps some infamous) are there. The place is so big that you need a map to get around if you are wanting to visit particular graves.


We pinpointed those we wanted to see and David in his methodical and logical manner lead the way. It was a lot of walking and we saw just a very small section. It was not gloomy or sad or scary , in fact it was very peaceful despite being in the heart of a very busy city. It made me think of all the lives that were represented by the hundreds, no thousands, of graves that were there. Some headstones were very plain and simple; some were forgotten and overgrown with moss and lichen and ivy; some were almost pretentious ; some were obviously 'loved' and well kept; others were 'revered' with floral tributes. 

The ones we chose to see included Jim Morrison from Doors, Edith Piaf, Mozart, Chopin and Marcel Marceau.

Moss covered resting places

Family mausoleums

The forgotten...

The famous ~ Edith Piaff

Memorial to World War 2 victims

No one visits here ...

but Chopin's resting place has many visitors

The next day we spent at Le Louvre. In all our visits this is one place we had not been to. 
Of course we had seen and photographed it from the outside many times. We planned to spend the whole day there and what an experience it was.
It is very hard to put in words the feeling and awe that we experienced, not just relating the works of art displayed, but to the building itself.

It is also difficult to choose photos to illustrate what an experience we had. We visited only a fraction of what is available to see. Enjoy the following....

Finally a word of advice - if you visit be prepared to have your 'socks blown off' and be 
prepared to spend a least a day as a minimum. Le Louvre est magnifique!

Then it was time to say au revoir to Paris and goodbye to each other as we went in different directions. David flew to Bologna and then by train down to Umbria to stay with Rob and Jane at their place 'Tersalle'.
Tersalle is a very special place for us and we have had the pleasure of staying there many times. As you know David cannot sit around for very long so one of the reasons for visitng Tersalle was to help with DIY projects/jobs that Rob and Jane had on The List!

But it was not all work....

In Portofino

   After a couple of weeks at Tersalle, David made his way by train up the coast to stay with another friend Sergio whom we have come to know through Rotary and the International Yachting Fellowship. Sergio is the consummate host and David was wined and dined at Rotary meetings and at Sergio and Laura's summer house and their apartment in Rapallo.
However the return to the chateau was not as straightforward and because of delays in Italy, the trip by train, which was all planned and booked, took 23 hours!!



Meantime, my trip from Paris to Auckland took 25 hours! Here are photos to explain the reason for my trip.

Julien William was born on 30 October

Gran's little boy

We had a few days at the beach

Lucas reading to his brother

Chilling out together (Julien was just 2 weeks old!)

Gran's big boy

Gran's gorgeous boys 

But after a lovely time with family it was time to make that long trip back to the chateau.

And we are now 'nous deux' again and getting ready for le Noel....and the arrival of all our family.


Until the next blog.

Wishing you all Joyeux Noel