Lucky for me, I have friends with such determination and powers of persuasion that I end up escaping for a minute (or a couple of days) to make the trip to see them all together each time I come. I met the first of them, Dede,
at the grocery store when I had just moved to Bordeaux, pregnant with Duncan who is 16. I later met Janice, who introduced me to Caroline and Catherine, who ended up being my neighbor when I moved to a little town on the seaside. With each passing year, I value much more the friends who have made my life a richer, better one. They are also the ones with whom one can share, cry and howl with laughter for hours on end. I got to see this lovely gang in Bordeaux a couple of weeks ago. (We sandwiched it in between the baptism and the wedding.)
at the grocery store when I had just moved to Bordeaux, pregnant with Duncan who is 16. I later met Janice, who introduced me to Caroline and Catherine, who ended up being my neighbor when I moved to a little town on the seaside. With each passing year, I value much more the friends who have made my life a richer, better one. They are also the ones with whom one can share, cry and howl with laughter for hours on end. I got to see this lovely gang in Bordeaux a couple of weeks ago. (We sandwiched it in between the baptism and the wedding.)
Here is a special group of women; Americans married to Frenchmen. It takes a special sort of person and makes you into another sort, to live with and raise children with someone from a whole other culture. If you don't think French is "really different" from American, that's OK. We know better. Thank you, ladies! For being there for me, for your good humor, perspective, and positive outlook, for keeping the faith. I am so grateful!
The best spot in Bordeaux for a fabulous glass of wine (Bordeaux mostly does marvelous wine only.):
New sculpture; it may be leaving soon, as it is for sale and the price was out of range of even fund-raising Bordelais.
Janice has become a tour guide in Bordeaux, so she led us to the beautiful night spots and plazas that have been renovated since I last lived here. Dede is a city girl at heart and knows how to get anywhere on tram or on foot. Between the two of them, I had a splendid outing. Caroline and Catherine knew the best off-the-beaten-track restaurants, and we ended up eating at an astounding, delicious Lebanese restaurant. This was my first foray into Middle Eastern cuisine; I felt like Toad who was on the great River for the first time with the Water Rat (Wind in the Willows); "oh my, oh my, oh MY!"
Cate came with me for this short trip. We had a quick tour of Bordeaux the next morning. We moved here when she was 10 months old and stayed in the area until she was 4. This photo is in the little regional train that put-puts back and forth between Bordeaux and the towns further south. Some major improvements have been made in these little trains! Back in the day...really, though, these were the cattle cars with seats I took every day to school in a small town from an even smaller town. Today; luxury, light-filled wonders.
The Cathedral of Bordeaux, St.Andre; I have always loved this cathedral. Not only is it a beautiful place to pray and hope, it is also nice and cool on a summer day. Cate first came here as an embryo!
So much for the perfect Madonna and baby; the expressions on the faces of these two crack me up. The Virgin looks like she is holding a mildly bothersome toddler who does not belong to her, and he looks like there might be a snake on the ground.
Thank you, for still being there, dear friends, I will miss you! I sorta even miss Bordeaux. A bientot!
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