Andy Smallman

So, apparently, a great day like today deserves three posts. So be it. I’m not following any self-imposed rules like I did during the sabbatical when it was one post with one photo per day. Now I’ll do whatever I please, which for today means three posts. And we still have a dinner to attend tonight at the home of the Porcher’s, Sandrine and Laurent.

Anyway, the title of this post is significant in that it represents one of the most important activities of the sabbatical, the babysitting Chloe did of Zacharie and Luce. She was hired to take care of them and familiarize them to hearing English. It was this experience that had great influence on Chloe’s undergraduate studies of the value of learning multiple languages and doing so when one is young.

Soon after we arrived in Nantes this year, I reached out to Penny, Zacharie’s and Luce’s mom, to see if they were available for a quick get-together. They were and the rendez-vous took place this afternoon in the infield of the Hippodrome. We were unable to connect with Chloe via FaceTime, but I did manage to send her some pictures as we chatted, and even got her a couple of videos. All in all, it was pretty wonderful. The kids are so sweet and Penny is so kind. She made a delicious brioche for the occasion.

I encourage you to go back in time and refresh yourself about Chloe’s connection to these kids. Start here.

This is one of those experiences that make me feel I really live in France. I can’t begin to explain the significance of it, so profound is it for me. So I’ll do my best to just report it.

At noon today, I accompanied Bernard to the home of Denis and Jeanne Chassagne. They are the Bertail’s next door neighbors and I’ve long heard about them. They are everything you’d hope to find in an elderly couple – kind, welcoming, and enjoying your company. It was an absolute privilege to spend 90 minutes with them in their home.

We sat on their terrace overlooking their backyard. M. Chassagne had prepared the table in advance of our arrival. On it, we’re a couple of bowls of crackers, but more importantly bottles of Ricard and Aveze.

As you likely know, I’m a huge fan of Ricard, the French pastis that is typically served before dinner with ice and water. It’s licorice flavored and I love it, despite my inability to pronounce it correctly in French. I’ve only seen it prepared with ice and water, never mixed with something else.

M. Chassagne served Ricard with Aveze, which is another French liqueur. It’s got a medicinal quality about it and is either loved or hated. Melinda, for one, loves it. I found it in the US and use it sparingly in a variety of cocktails back home that Melinda refers to as “her medicine.” It’s also expensive in the US, although not so here.

So M. Chassagne put in my glass what I will refer to as one part Ricard and three or four parts Aveze. He then added three ice cubes. That’s the drink. Very strong. Bernard suggested we add some water, which we did, M. Chassagne explaining in French that he was doing so because it was warm out and he was “thirsty.”

I loved this drink.

As the conversation continued, M. Chassagne explained that a classic drink is a touch of Creme de Cassis and Aveze. Of course he proceded to get his bottle of Creme de Cassis and made us that drink, pouring by eye. It, too, was wonderful. Finishing it, he proceeded to pour me a simple Ricard, after getting up, looking for, and discovering that he had no more Aveze.

I think he began with almost half a bottle.

Christine warned me that he was quick to refill empty glasses.

Oh, did I say that this interaction began at noon?

I loved it all and am pleased to have meet M. et Mdm. Chassagne. They are well into their 80’s and enjoy having the Bertails next door, given they have no grandchildren. M. Chassagne recollected how he came to help Theo at our house during the sabbatical when he was having trouble with the lawn mower (Theo mowed our lawn for 10 Euros). I remembered that!

The Cassagnes have traveled the world since retiring and enjoy cruise ships. They even spent a night in Seattle in 1996. I tried my best to track the conversation in French, Bernard translating much of it. I think Aveze helps with my comprehension.

First, let me say that we have had the privilege of enjoying a lot of 18th birthdays in France. Let’s see if I can recap:
– Romain’s
– Chloe’s
– Manon’s
– Ella’s

And keep in mind that 18th birthdays in France are a big deal. The best equivalent is the 21st birthday in the US. Basically, when you turn 18 in France you are an adult and have all the privileges of being an adult.

So it was an honor to be invited to Alexandre’s 18th birthday party that took place at his home last night. If you haven’t been keeping score, Alexandre is the oldest child of Annabelle who happens to be Frederique’s sister. In fact, Annabelle lived for a year in Seattle with Dwight and Michele, Melinda’s parents.

So at the dawn of the party I took this picture of Alexandre along with his sister Elisa. It was lovely to see them, and Annabelle put on a lovely dinner and party. For you blog veterans, you may recall that our first two weeks in Nantes in 2010 were spent at Annabelle’s apartment.

No, it’s Nantes (and 10 points to whoever got the Field of Dreams reference).

I spent the day roaming Nantes, reconnecting with an activity (walking) I regularly did while on sabbatical. While I didn’t take pictures of every place I went today, I got enough to please at least Chloe and Ella, or so I hope.

I also want to acknowledge the significance of July 23rd over the last several years.

We are back in Nantes today after several fabulous days in Normandy. Here are some photo highlights.

So part of the overall plan for this vacation to France this year involves multiple phases, including bookend phases in London (we flew to London nearly two weeks ago and we fly back to London in just over a week). The first phase in France was our first AirBnB in Nantes which wrapped up last Friday. Our second phase was with the Boudeaus from Friday until Tuesday, and involved some wonderful day trips. We are in our third phase in France which is being in Normandy at the incredible home of Bernard’s parents. I uploaded several pictures about this home two years ago. Take a peak.

Part of this third phase includes a day trip to Paris with Bernard and Christine. Celeste was also with us for most of the day, too. It’s about a two hour drive each way from the Bertail home in Normandy to Paris. Bernard did all the driving, including through the streets of Paris, something that deserves multiple blog entries all by itself. Included below are a series of photos I took in Paris yesterday. I’ve captioned them to add some detail.

By the way, the fourth and final phase of this year’s trip to France begins tomorrow with our return to Nantes and checking in to our second AirBnB home. I’m sure I’ll have a lot of information in the upcoming days about phase four. For now, enjoy these selected highlights from many options from our day in Paris.

Hey Mom, This is the place from where I had that brief text exchange with you yesterday, Honfleur. Learn more about it at its Wikipedia page. What a great place to toast in your birthday!