Final Days in France

It's official ... I no longer live in France. I've been back in the States for a week and a half now, and am still adjusting to the culture shock. When I drive, I constantly reach for the stick to shift gears (my car's an automatic here), and I have to be careful to remember that my car is muuuuuccchhh longer here, compared to my adorable Smart. I was shocked by the huge portions when we went out for dinner last night, having forgetten just how out of control American portions are. But there are some things that are nice, such as easy-to-control grocery carts, polite shoppers and courteous drivers.

There are things I miss about France ... especially the people. Most notably, Philipp! He needed some extra time to organize his things, sell our cars, etc., and will arrive next Thursday. I know this is a tough time for him, as it's always stressful to move, but this is extreme moving! I wish I could make it easier for him, but I remind him that soon he'll be here and can take some time to relax.

Anyway, this post is supposed to be about my final days in France. They weren't too exciting, as I spent my time packing. As I already wrote, that is stressful. I had to decide what to take immediately, what to pack for shipping in December, and what to get rid of. Philipp's family was a great help in moving furniture and boxes.

On Sunday, May 31st, there was a little event downtown entitled "The Country Comes to the City", and I convinced Philipp that it was a good way to take a break from packing. I packed a picnic, we went to our favorite bakery for a loaf of our favorite bread ("pain au mais"), and we had a picnic along the banks of the Maine River. Then we walked over to check out the fair. I was excited to see some beautiful cows and the most massive bull I've ever seen! Here are some pictures:

The next day, we emptied the castle. The entire family (except Philipp's sister and her family, who live in Normandy) came to Philipp's parents' house for dinner. I appreciated the opportunity to spend time with all of them, as that has been such an important part of life in France. Not surprisingly, the goodbyes were very difficult. But as Philipp's brothers and sisters have said, they see him more when he is in the States (on MSN Messenger) than when he is in France! And they all know that once we are settled and have a guest room, they are more than welcome to come visit.

Is this my last post on this blog? Maybe. I can't promise that I'll add anything else to it, but it can't hurt to check back once in a while. I think Philipp and I are going to begin a bilingual blog about our new life in Charleston, so I will be sure to post that address when it's up and running.

Thank you for checking in with me and for your interest in my French adventure!

A Day at the Farm

Two weeks ago, Philipp and I spent a day in the country on the farm of our friends Stephan and Mireille. We went with another friend, Maurice, to lend them a hand at cutting and moving a huge pile of logs in one of their fields, which they'll use for firewood this winter. Here's the pile BEFORE:

Philipp and I made a good team for cutting some of the longer logs. I had fun using this saw most of the day. Philipp commented that Papi Yep would be proud of us. :)

After a very long, tiring day, here's the pile AFTER: (all cut and stacked in the barn)

As much *fun* as it was to cut and haul wood all day, there was an added bonus to spending a day on the farm ... the animals! Stephan and Mireille have a real menagerie. Here are some photos:

How I spent my summer vacation - Part 1

What a wonderful month August was!! Philipp and I had such a wonderful time in the States, and were so happy to visit with my family and see some old friends. I want to share our vacation with you, but there's so much to tell, I'm going to do it in several parts.

We begin in the first week of August, before we left for America. Philipp took a couple days to work on a new house for his parents' pigeons. (I asked if there were any special reason they keep pigeons ... but they're just pets.) I was happy to get the chance to help out.

It began with Philipp sketching some plans at the kitchen table. The concrete foundation was poured some time ago, and has just been waiting for the rest.




We went to Leroy Merlin (pronounced le-rwah mer-leh), France's equivalent of Lowe's or Home Depot to pick up some lumber. Then we headed to his parents' house and got started. I helped Philipp measure, held the wood while he cut it, etc. Once the main structure was up, I hammered in all the boards on the three back sections (including the door Philipp built) to give some protection from the wind and cold.




Check out the structure (below)! I am amazed that Philipp just whipped this up in a couple days! His father and nephew, who you can see in the photo, helped a lot, too. Philipp is especially proud of the roof structure; he used a piece of a tree he recently cut down in the yard for the center piece.

While we were gone, Philipp's dad stained the wood a lovely golden color. We still need to put on the roof and enclose the space with metal caging. Then the birds will be able to move into their new digs!

This experience was fun for me because not only did I get to help out on the project, but I got to watch Philipp in action. I am always amazed at his ability to figure things out, solve problems and create amazing things!

Next up: Kerry and Philipp leave for the USA

Elephant in Nantes!

I once saw a man walking a camel on a leash down the street in Paris.

I'm not kidding. It was a chilly morning in 1998. I was on Spring Break from my tour with Up With People, and my friend Kelli and I had decided to spend a few days in Paris. On the day we headed to the Père-Lachaise Cemetery (this site has a very cool virtual tour, by the way), we saw the man -- and his camel -- as they passed in the other direction on the other side of the street. Just out for a leisurely stroll, I'm sure.

But why am I talking about camels in Paris??? Because yesterday, Philipp and I (along with his cousin Véronique) went to see the Great Elephant in Nantes!

On an island in the Loire River in the heart of Nantes, you can find the historic shipyards. Rather than allowing this area -- now past its heyday -- to fall into disrepair, the city is refurbishing it into a trendy restaurant area. Also on the island, you can find an innovative endeavor that evokes the futuristic industrial musings of Jules Verne: Les Machines de l'Ile. (Check out the site for further explanation.)

The clear highlight of a visit to the Machines is ... of course ... the Great Elephant! Here's a little video I made of it. (unfortunately, I accidentally erased the video where you can hear the elephant's magnificent trumpeting)

And to get an idea of the scale:

And if you know Philipp, you can guess that he was most interested in how it works:

We also saw the scattered parts of a giant spider that is their next project. And there is also a really cool merry-go-round that seems to be very "Jules Verne-y". You can see it below. And in case you're wondering ... Jules Verne was from Nantes. There's also a Jules Verne Museum, but we didn't get to visit it. Perhaps next time my parents come to visit ...