Furman weekly, March 21 - 28 ; Volume 3, Number 8

Joyous Paques a vous!! Happy Easter to you all!!

Has it really been two months? This is the eighth edition of the Furman Weekly so it must be, but it has gone so fast it is hard to believe.

As you recall, last week we had dropped Dave off at the airport to send him off to Germany. He arrived home around midnight on Monday. He had a good trip and only got lost twice on the way to the hotel. He stayed in Friedrichshafen, Germany, on Lake Constance. This is the border between Germany and Switzerland. He could see the Alps and flew near Mount Blanc, the tallest mountain in the Alps.

The rest of the week was short, due to the Easter holiday. The boys went to school and Dave went to work as usual. On Wednesday, while Andrew was at the tutor's, Lisa came over to spend the morning at our house. I am helping her plan her trip to Paris next month. We had a good morning and commented that it is really nice to have someone to chat with that has the same set of references. We will work on her trip again.

Thursday night was date night again. This time we went back to the capitol square to sit and watch the world go by. It had turned a little colder, so we had our hot chocolate first. Then we headed off to dinner. We really enjoy spending this time alone together. We get a lot of family time when we are here, so we really appreciate any time we can get alone.

On Friday morning, we met the Reich's and headed off for a long weekend. This time we decided to head to the Atlantic coast near the Spanish border. This region is known as the Pays-Basque. It was about a three and a half hour drive. After we checked into the hotel, we headed off to the town of Biarritz. This is a beautiful coastal town. We walked through the town for a bit, then the boys played on the beach for a while. Mom walked in the sand for a bit, then advised that everyone be careful or they would get wet. Turns out Mom knows best. David's pant legs got wet, Andrew's pants were quite wet all the way up, and Michael? Well, Michael fell flat into a wave. He was soaked from his shoulders down. After that, the beach didn't seem as fun. We tried to walk a little through the town, but the boys were too uncomfortable. So we headed back to the hotel for baths and clean clothes.

After everyone was clean and dry, we headed off to find some dinner. The backseat drivers requested Italian, and the Men in the front delivered. We were a little worried after we stopped because there was no one else in the restaurant and no one else came in while we were there. That is usually a bad sign. However, the food was wonderful and the service was very attentive (there was no one else to worry about). Then we had one of the regional desserts, gateaux Basque. WOW!! It is probably good that we can't get this cake anywhere else. It is great! We had it every time we could the whole weekend.

The next day, we started of the day at the Museum of Chocolate. We learned the history of making chocolate, starting with the Aztecs. Did you know that only men were allowed to have it in the beginning? We even got to try some pure Cacao. It is very strong. Then it was served as hot chocolate (heaven!!). This was a very educational and tasty tour. We also met an English family who were very friendly and gave us some suggestions of places to visit when we go to England next month.

Then we headed south to the coastal town of St Jean-de-Luz. We had a traditional Basque lunch (Paella and poulet (chicken) Basque) complete with gatuaex Basque. Yum. Then we wandered around the town and saw the house that King Louis XIV (the sun king) built for himself and the one built for his future bride. Then while Michael played on the beach with Dave and Tom, Amy, Lisa, and Andrew went to see the church where Louis XIV was married. It is a beautiful church and was decorated for Easter the next day.

After sampling some of the local macaroons (the recipe hasn't changed since they were sampled by Louis XIV on his wedding day), we went back into the car. We decided to drive to Spain for dinner. (Can you imagine!?!)

We drove down the coast to the city of San Sebastian. What a beautiful city. We walked around the city for about two hours, checking out two churches, a mall, and an ice cream shop. We bought some souvenirs and then headed to dinner. UGH!! The food was very good, but ordering was a problem. We were all so confused. Everything was in Spanish and even so close to the border, no one spoke French, not to mention English. The waitress did speak German. Unfortunately, Dave didn't learn enough while he was there this week. We finally struggled through ordering, enjoyed our dinner (and some GREAT Sangria), and decided to head home to France. It helped us to see how comfortable we have become in our new country.

The next day was Easter. After the boys found the eggs that the bunny hid in the hotel room, we headed off for a day of ups and downs. Our first stop was the Petit Train. We boarded the train and took a 30 minute trip up mount Rhune. This mountain is 902 meters (~3,000 feet)above sea level, the tallest one in the area. When we reached the top, we walked around a bit until we spotted a magician doing tricks. He was entertaining children for Easter. While we were watching, he picked Andrew out to help him do some tricks!! After a little explaining, the magician started translating into English for him. It was a good bit of magic and the boys both got balloon animals.

We headed back down the mountain and headed off to our next stop, hoping to find lunch on the way (it is a pretty rural area). We found the only restaurant on the way, and stopped in. It smelled wonderful! But alas, it was 2:15. Lunch is only served until 2:00. We were turned away. Fortunately, I also stock snacks in case of a situation like this. We snacked on the way to the bottom of the mountains. Literally. Our next stop was a cave.

After grabbing a sandwich at the stand where you bought the tickets for the tour, we took a tour of the caves of the Pays-Basque. Unfortunately, the tour started out with a 15 minute informational video about bats. YUCK! We were a little worried about the tour after that. However, it turned out to be a good tour about the people who lived in these caves 40-20,000 years ago. We did see some bats, but also lots of neat rock formations, an underground river, a magma tube, and underground pools.

Then it was back to town for dinner. We almost stopped at a Tex-Mex place, but opted for a seafood place on the beach. Very good dinner and our last taste of gateaux-basque. Then it was off to bed.

Monday morning we lounged at the hotel, eating, playing ping-pong and play station, and packing. We checked out and headed to Pau for lunch. Because the French take Easter Monday as a holiday, many places were closed, but we tried a new thing called a Panchetta. It was sort of like a pizza on a really big piece of bread. It was very good. I tried to order Sangria (I thought since we were near the border, it might be as good), but they only had the non-alcoholic version available. How strange, in France!

Then we walked around the grounds of the castle in Pau. Since the tour is in French and we have been here before, we decided to skip it. We did have a lot of fun walking around in the gardens, though.

We headed home then. We unpacked and had dinner. The boys are both glad to be "home." It's good to know that they are adjusting to living in a new place.

This will be a quiet week. We are preparing for a visit from Amy's sister, Wendy. She arrives on Saturday, so we will spend all of next week showing her the sights. We can't wait.

Sorry this edition was so long. We had a lot of things to tell you all. We still miss you and look forward to your notes and emails. Until next week.

A bientot

Amy

Furman weekly, February 21-27 Volume 3, Number 4

February 21-27

Well, we are settling in nicely. We like the house a lot. The kitchen and shower leave a bit to be desired, but we are quite happy! The boys have new soccer balls that they have been using in the yard. That makes a big difference, they love having a place to run and be noisy. Much better than the hotel.

The week started off slowly. Andrew went to school all day with the tutor on Monday again. She is trying to make up for lost time at the beginning if the month. It is a long day for him, so we will only do it every once in a while. Usually, the afternoon session will be spent with "culture" lessons (a visit to the post office, bakery,etc). He is learning lots of math (even long division) and French and French culture with her. We are pleased.

Monday night has been christened "Pizza night." The local pizza guy seems to enjoy seeing Dave, so I think we will continue to frequent his establishment.

On Tuesday afternoon we had a visit from the plumber. This was very strange. Two men came to the door to look at the radiator in Andrew's room, which has been leaking. The went into the room, looked at it, shook their heads that yes it was leaking. Then they took a measurement and left. They were just the advance scouts to determine that there is a job, I guess. They will send someone else to fix it some other day. I wonder how much that house call cost?

On Thursday night, we had another date night. The boys so look forward to Roxanna coming that we are going to make use of her services as often as the budget will allow. This time we went to the store to look around without the boys pestering us. We found many interesting things and agreed that it was a good use of our time away from the boys. Then we Dave took Amy to a restaurant downtown that he has enjoyed on one of his previous trips. It is called J'Go. It was great. It is owned by some former Rugby players. There is a bar downstairs that you should avoid on nights that the French Rugby team is playing. It was very crowded and it wasn't even a game night. Then upstairs there is a restaurant. Amy had her first Truffles at dinner. The entre (which is the appetizer) was a truffle omelette. The omelette tasted pretty ordinary, maybe a little woodsy. But the little sliver of Truffle on top was awesome. The truffle melts in your mouth. And it tastes... hard to describe... Kind of outdoorsy. It was really good and I can see why they are such a delicacy here.

We knew that we wanted to go somewhere this weekend, but it is hard to decide where to go. We have seen so much of this part of France, that picking something new is going to be hard. So we decided to pick places that we really enjoyed and investigate them more thoroughly since the boys are older. So we headed off to Albi. It has a very beautiful cathedral and we both wanted to see it again (the boys don't remember much, although when Andrew sees the place he remembers).

WOW. I think that it is impossible to describe how huge this cathedral is. It is massive. We learned that it was built during the crusades against the Cathars, so it was built like a fortress. It looks like this massive fortress in the middle of town. But when you go inside, it is one of the most beautifully decorated churches we have seen. Every inch of the church is painted or ornately carved. Keep an eye on the web site. Dave is going to try to post some pictures.

We have never been to see the church's "Tresor." This is where the keep the treasures of the church, for example special crosses (used in coronations, that sort of thing) and the "relics." These would be the bones or hair of some of the saints. We saw things as small as pinky bones to whole skulls. All are in ornate glass and gold containers. It was very interesting. There were also some very old carvings from around the time the church was built, in the 1200's. We poked around the church some more until they closed for lunch.

Then we did as the French... had lunch. We ate at a very good Brasserie. Amy and Michael had a traditional French favorite, the croq monsieur (Toasted ham and cheese), while Dave and Andrew had omelettes (these are always very good, but never served for breakfast, only lunch and dinner). The boys all had dessert (ice cream and crepes), but Amy opted for the hot chocolate. WOW!! This was served the way all hot chocolate should be served. A pitcher of steamed milk and a cup with a half inch of pure melted dark chocolate. YUM!!

After lunch we walked along the ramparts and the riverbank until the museum opened. Albi is the town where Toulouse-Lautrec was born and therefore has the most extensive collection of his works. It was really an interesting museum. He painted a lot more than the posters for the Moulin Rouge that you associate with him. There were some very pretty pieces and lots of sketchings on cardboard boxes! One of the most interesting things that we saw was his cane that he often used. It came apart and hidden inside was a small glass and a vial of alcohol! Pretty tricky.

We headed home then. The boys are pretty worn out. They aren't ready to do long weekends of travel. They just wanted to go "home." So we went home and had tacos for dinner. Very American.

Today we took it easy. Dave made French Toast (pain perdue - usually a essert) for breakfast. Then we walked to the bakery for bread for lunch. We took naps in the afternoon and had dinner at the Reich's. They have just moved in this week end. It is a very nice little apartment (flat) downtown. Parking is going to be a problem, but other than that it seems just right for them. Andrew taught them a French card game that he has learned and then it was time to head home for bed.

The coming week looks pretty quiet. Michael starts French lessons this week. I think that he is very ready. He is very frustrated that he can't talk to anyone here. We will continue to have school here and Dave will continue to work a lot. But the weekend is all ours and we are eyeing a prehistoric museum and theme park north of here for the weekend (especially since Amy is reading The Clan of the Cave Bear series). Who knows where we will end up next!

Have a good week! We will try to have lots of adventures to tell you about in the next edition.

Amy