A real vacation

So remember when I said we were headed to Geneva in the last post? That ended up being more of an adventure than we planned! Turns out it's been snowing in Europe just like it has been at home in the Saint (ok, not quite as much. i think you guys still have us beat by a few inches). This picture was taken as we waited at Orly airport for hours -- passing the time by, what else, playing a rousing game of travel Scrabble. We finally got to board at 10pm only to fly through blizzard conditions all the way to Geneva, where we got stuck on the plane due to a frozen walkway arm, followed by a blustery shuffle across a tarmac to an abandoned gate and along empty corridors, before our reunion with Mathilde! All's well that ends well.

This stop on the journey was well worth all that drama to arrive here. In the end, it's unclear whether or not we'll even see Geneva, but I don't think either of us mind! Mathilde and her family have hosted us in three towns over the past 6 days. Our first stop was Massongy, a village near the  town of Annemasse (we flew into Geneva for easy access, as public transit in this region of small cities and towns isn't the most navigable way for foreigners to travel here -- much better to have a friend to guide us!). Then we hit the road for the Jura -- Lons-le-Saunier and Poligny, where Math's family lives. The Jura region is beautiful French countryside that many tourists never see, because it's just regular people who do their thing without a lot of pomp and circumstance (again, similar to a certain region pf the US we call home). Mountains, rolling hills, lovely little village plazas that are all lit up for the holiday season. This  part of the trip was about people -- and because most of what we did involved hanging out with family, it felt like a real vacation one would take to visit family in the US. Less tourism, more long walks through town and forest (we saw PONIES!), fun and lively conversations (leaving my tongue tied and brain fried as translator), and SO MUCH HOMECOOKED FOOD. Have I ever consumed so much cheese? It's been a joy to see this wonderful, loving and extremely generous family again after six years, and I hope I get the chance again soon!

j

  clockwise: with mamie marie-helene; les raclettes, personal cheese fondue set; mamie, michel, mathilde and me; a view from the country house

 

  

 clockwise: timothe and mamie denise; us with mamie, francoise, mathilde and cedric; us aith mamie and german shepherd cross stitch; the church facing mamie's house in poligny; francoise et moi

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We said our goodbyes in Lons this afternoon and headed back to Massongy. Tomorrow's docket: a trip to a medieval township outside of Geneva, perhaps Geneva itself, and laundry before we get on the bus for Turin at 8:45am Wednesday morning, say goodbye to languages we can speak for 13 days, and say HELLO to Alex, Italy, and Christmas in Brusasco!

 

For the enjoyment of the viewer: Rouget de L'isle, who wrote the French national anthem "la Marseillaise," was born in a tiny town outside Lons-le-Saunier. Clearly it was time for some Epic Statue Photography to honor this supremely silly pose.