Home!

We are now home safe and sound! We are already missing Robert and Paris, but it is nice to see our families! Talk to you all soon! We love you!

Sami & Emily :D

Paris Day 19 & 20!!

Yesterday morning, Bastille Day, Sami and I woke up around ten. We immediately turned on the TV and watched the Bastille Day parade down the Chans Elyeses. It was absolutely amazing! Each year the French invite a different country to be represented at the parade. This year it was India. There was snychranized marching bands on horses, multiple divisions of armies, marines, etc... and a ton of airplanes with parachuters! We could even hear all the planes and helicopters flying over the city in our apartment. It was a beautiful day out too. We headed out with Robert around 2 to do some shopping and to cruise the streets. We were out until 7 and then we headed back to have some drinks and relax before we headed off to see fireworks at the Eiffel Tower. After a nap we made some frozen rum punch. It was refreshing and really cold. We also made chocolate chip cookies which lasted about ten minutes :D Then Sami and I packed a little while Robert was taking a shower. We still can't believe a month has gone by! Once Robert was ready he came down and we all headed out. We picked up a piece of pizza and a coffee to wake us up then took the RER towards the Eiffel Tower. Due to the fireworks, the train stopped a station before the Eiffel Tower. It was dark when we got out of the station and the streets were packed! We figured the fireworks were going to start soon because it was dark enough so we started walking faster. Then, once the fireworks started we started running to get there. There were so many people everywhere and it was really hard to manuever around them. The police had blocked off streets so we couldn't get to the lawns of the Eiffel Tower. We ended up standing in the middle of the street and had a pretty good view. We were still close because there was constantly ashes falling on us during the show and we could feel the rumbling vibrations of the explosions. We got some really good pictures and videos of it all. The fireworks lasted for about 45 minutes and were way more spectacular than any 4th of July celebration back home. Once the show was over we tried going back to the street that was blocked off earlier to leave. It was still blocked off and there were even more policemen there to make sure no one got through. They wanted us to return to the metro station at Les Invalides to get home and not the Eiffel Tower station or walk on the streets in that direction. Although no one stormed the gates, people were extremely mad. There were thousands of people! Even more than we saw on the night of summer soltice. Sami and I saw more people on one block than there are in Salem! The police would open the gate for motorcycles, cars, and ambulances so people would try and get through then. At one point, about four guys had climbed onto the back of a passing ambulance trying to get through, but they were pulled off and shoved into the crowd by police. Finally, after about an hour, they allowed us to exit on the sidewalk. We didn't want to take the metro back because it would've been packed and taken longer than walking. We started walking back home, but then decided to get bikes. Robert wasn't able to check out two extra bikes so we only had two. Sami rode one and I sat on the seat of Robert's while he peddled. It was fun riding around and there were hardly any cars out. We did end up finding another station and rented another bike and rode home. We all called home and had a late night packing most of our things up. Today Sami and I got up around eleven and headed out to do our last walk around. We went to Shakespeare and Company where Sami got two Jane Austen books and I got a book called Norwegian Wood. After that we went and got crepes at the same place where we got our first crepes. It was good closure to our crepe fettish :) Then we got metro tickets to get to Charles de Gaule and headed back to the apartments. Tonight we're going to Madrigal with Robert and his friend Dean. It will be a fun last night. Sami and I are heading out at 7 tomorrow morning to head to the airport. I think we are expected to get in to PDX around 9:45pm. See you all soon! We miss and love you all!

Sami & Emily :)

More pictures from the historic wedding festival in Deauville, Normandy

Sami, Stephane, and I after the parade at dinner

Stephane and other reenacters, including his mother (second in on the left) and his niece Clementine (far left)

Sami and I with our vintage umbrellas

Sami and her bonnet

My bustle :P

Pictures from the historic wedding festival in Deauville, Normandy

The hair dresser, Christine, and I with my hair done and bonnet on

Sami and I in front of the Mayor's office

Sami and I dressed in our 19th century costumes

Sami, Robert, and I looking like we came straight out of the 19th century

The dinner table

Pictures from Normandy and Mont Saint Michel

The yellow Panda Fiat car Robert rented

The manor Stephane and Robert used to own and renovated

Sami and I with Mont Saint Michel in the background (low tide)

Sami and I at the village in Mont Saint Michel

The abbey at the top of Mont Saint Michel

Normady Day 4/ Paris Day 18!!!

Today we went downstairs for breakfast a little after ten. There we met with Frederick, Stephane, and two other friends of Stephane. We all ate breakfast together and enjoyed 'listening' to their conversations and retellings of the festival. They are all so animated when they talk and you don't really have to understand what they're saying. After we ate we walked to the photography store. There in the window were pictures from the festival. They were displayed alongside pictures from the past and you couldn't tell the time difference. Then we walked back and said our goodbyes to Stephane's friends. As we were going up the stairs Stephane realized he wasn't going to be able to see us before we leave. We said our goodbyes and it was very sad, we all teared up. Stephane reminded Sami that she's like his own niece. It was cute. We both hope to see him soon. We had to hustle and get out the hotel because we still had a three hour ride back to Paris and we had to get the car back by two, even though we left around 12:30. It was a smooth and quicker ride getting back to Paris. It was later than two, but there was no issue with the car's late arrival. Sami and I are unpacked and Robert is moved back into his apartment. We feel right at home again, even though we won't be here much longer. These last couple days we plan on enjoying the 14th at the Eiffel Tower and seeing Harry Potter hours before everyone back home. We have absolutely loved Paris and our stay here with Robert and Stephane. It will be nice to come home and see everyone, but we are sad to leave. We will put pictures up later tonight, we're tired right now. We miss and love you all!

Sami and Emily :)

Normandy Day 3!!

As usual, on Sunday, we got up in a hurry, realizing we needed to get downstairs and eat. After a breakfast of cereal, breakfast tarts, croissants, baguettes, yogart, applesauce, fruit, cheese, sausage, juice, coffee and tea, we drove to the school where everything and everyone was getting ready for the festival. Everyone was very busy; Stephane was doing womens hair, putting on headwear and making final adjustments on costumes. He was extremely busy with all his dutys and people coming to him with questions and problems. Finally we got in line with Madame Christine to get our hair done. When she saw us she had me (Sami) take the curlers out of my hair since hair plans had changed. Then she had us go find our bonnets. Emily's was cream and dusty pink, the bonnet is what a fiance from Val de Serre would wear. It was very pretty! Mine was cream with darker cream colored flowers. My bonnet is called a Coiffure de Pierrier, which was a bonnet for girls having their first communion :D After we collected our hats, she started on Emily's hair. She started out by brushing it back from her face which made it pretty straight. Then she put it into two ponytails; with the bottem part she made one braid and the top she made two. Then she twisted them around to make a bun. She kept moving Emily's head back the way she wanted it, but with all her brushing and pulling her head kept getting moved different ways. Then she put the bonnet on her and tied the bow under her chin, which didn't look very good so Stephane tied it again later. After that she moved onto my hair. She brushed it back into a ponytail and curled it into a bun. She practically used a full can of hairspray on both of our hair, to keep everything sleeked back in place. Then she put my bonnet on my head and tied the ribbon, which Robet ended up retying. Then we realized we better go to the bathroom before we put on our dresses. So we found our dresses and went searching with Robert for a bathroom. In a school you'd think that'd be an easy quest, but it wasn't. We went upstairs, but every direction that should have had a bathroom was locked. Finally we found one, used it and then changed in a coat room. We had to get Robert's help on a few things, but for the most part we were able to manage. We now understand why women had maids because putting on one of those dresses is really a two to three person job. Finally we had everything situated and headed to Stephane for final approval. He added pins to both of our dresses and adjusted bits and pieces. Within an hour we had moved into another century. Once we were dressed a group of us, Robert included, headed down to the village to check out the stores. The main reason for our venture into town was to get clips for the documentary being filmed. We saw people making lace, forging copper, spinning wool, and other people dressed up in their own costumes. Every couple steps people were either taking our picture or clapping for us. We had lunch at one of the girl's grandmothers charcuterie/house. We felt like we were in Little House on the Prarie, because the house was just like one that could have been in the town. Once you passed through the shop you were in a dining room and up the stairs was the rest of the house, very similar to the Olsen's Mercantile. We had ham and butter on a baguette, with some lemonade. Speaking of Little House on the Prarie, one of the girls in the group was Stephane's niece Clementine or as Robert called her Nellie Olsen. She was kinda bossy and Robert's teasing frustrated her. After lunch we headed back up to the school to start the parade. We all gathered in the courtyard of the school for a group picture, which turned out really good. If placed beside a real picture from that time, no one would know any difference. Then Stephane paired us all up with our partners, I was with Robert and right behind us was Emily with a man from Argentina named Gustavo. At the front of the parade were the young children, then a carriage with the bride and her "parents," then came a group of couples (us included). Following us came a carriage being pulled by a donkey with an elderly couple, then came a group of young couples, another carriage pulled by a donkey, another group of people, another carriage pulled by a horse with a group of elderly women and a young lady being escorted by them. After that came another group of people and finally a carriage being pulled by a horse with Stephane and his "mother" inside. There was a total of eighty people involved in the reenactment. We wandedered through the town, people would cheer and yell, "Long live the marriage!" Others would take pictures and clap. Robert loved waving at all the older people who would wave back smiling. The sidewalks were completely packed, there were around four thousand people! Along the way we stopped for hard cider and brioche, where people continued taking pictures of the group. All this while Stephane was running around taking pictures with people all over the place and making sure everything was organized. At the same moment we stopped for cider the clouds parted and the sun came out. We were then able to use our umbrellas that were loaned to Stephane from this man who has a huge collection of them. After our little break we continued to a park where the ceremony was to be performed. We walked around the crowd once, which was growing as people filtered in from the streets, then we prepared for the dance. It wasn't a big deal really because the dance wasn't that hard (right heel, left heel, right right, left left). We danced around in a circle, then proceeded to the stage. Once all the people who had roles in the ceremony and older people were seated, the rest of us filtered in. Robert got us a really good spot right up front! Then the ceremony began, and people presented the couple with the dowry. The dowry included sheets from his "mother," some sort of pot/bowl from a lady, a pair of crotchless bloomers from a 95 year old lady who was a fabulous actress, she also gave them a snuff box. Then the creamer, who looked like Robin Williams, presented them with butter. After that his "cousins" from the country showed up and presented them with a pig, which pooped all over the stage and a couple people, including Stephane's real father. As we said it had it's shit scared right out of it. It was sooo funny!! The entire ceremony was very comical. Stephane throughout the ceremony was mouthing the lines along with the people saying them, he knew the entire script by heart. The whole thing was in Patois, a dialect from the region. Thus I understood nothing and Robert understood a little. During the entire parade and ceremony the documentary crew and people from the news were filming, and a hired photographer was as well. Stephane said he would hook us up with any picture we want. However, Robert stole one of the group photos being passed around at dinner, since he thought the one Stephane was getting would be damaged. After the ceremony we "mingled" in the park while the news crew was filming live. Then we wandered over and had some more cider and a variety of cookies. Then we all got back in formation and headed up towards the school. We were taken to a place near the school where a huge dinner was set up for the "wedding party" and guests. Before dinner the documentary crew pulled us aside, as they were with many other people, to interview us, especially since we are "American women." He asked us how we felt being involved and yada yada yada. We hope we don't sound too American or unpolished and that make Stephane and Robert proud. Under a big tent there was a long table set with place settings and menus with our names on them. We sat next to each other, thank goodness, and across from us was Robert. To Emily's right was a French couple who are living in Tennesse, and to my left were two couples who live in Normandy and speak a little English. Then our seven course meal started with a chicken broth, bread and cider. Then came a butter roll stuffed with ham-pot-pie filling and a piece of saussage on top. Next came chicken and steamed carrots and potatoes with with a white cream sauce. Then came an aperitif which was the French version of Applejack Brandy. Robert wanted us to get a picture with Stephane and our drinks, but since Stephane was so busy he told us to just drink them. That seemed like a good plan, but then he came back for the picture and Robert found us two more shots that we drank. The Normans around us cheered and said we were one of them now! The next course was lamb and beans, which was followed by a plate of salad. After our plates were cleared we had rice pudding, which was absolutely delicious!! Throughout the meal people were dancing traditional country dances. Emily joined in during a waltz, which Robert and I enjoyed watching. Stephane was out there almost the whole time, he is an amazing dancer, very graceful and quick on his feet. We were all starting to fall asleep so we headed back to the school to get changed and go to bed. We said goodbye to Stephane's parents which we had met earlier in the day. They are both very nice and lively. They wanted me tell Gramma Karen hello for them, so thats for you. Then we had our bonnets taken off and our hair undone. Both of us had rather volumous hair after that. With our dresses hung up and put away, we headed back to the hotel and went to bed around 2. It was a long day, but we will never forget any of it. Everything was quite extraordinary.

Normandy Day 2!!!

On Saturday morning we woke up around ten, got dressed and ready to go, and headed down for breakfast. The breakfast food was all very sugar-filled; nutella spread, coco puffs, and hot chocolate. But, we did manage with some bagettes with jam, apple sauce, and rasin bran-like cereal. After stealing some jam packets, apple sauce, and sugar packets, we headed out for Mont Saint Michel a bit after eleven and got there around noonish. The drive there was beautiful, winding through fields and little farm houses. We stopped right along the road to Mont Saint Michel to take pictures. It was an amazing backdrop and we got some great shots! Mont Saint Michel is built on Mont-Tombe. A sanctuary was built there in 708 after Saint Michel visited the Bishop of Averanhes, Aubert. At first the Aubert didn't listened to him so Saint Michel touched his head and burnt a hole in his skull. Finally convinced, they built a santuary on the Mont. Since then it's been a pilgrimage site. The sand surrounding the Mont is quicksand, a good defense against invaiders when the tide is out. Unfortunatley, many Monks and pilgrims were lost in the sands and quick moving tides. At one point, the abbey was turned into a prison, until it was restored in 1874 and classified as a historic monument. It is now one of the seven man built wonders of the world. When we entered the village that winds its way up to the cathedral and abbey it felt like we were walking into a real life Enchanted Forest. There was a draw bridge, cobble stone streets, and little tourist shops. There was a lot of people there because it was Saturday and a busy weekend, but we went with the flow of foot traffic and it wasn't too crowded. We climbed up to the abbey and got in line. When we got to the ticket counter, Robert told us not to talk. Since he speaks fluent French, he told the ticket clerk that we were 18 and she assumed we were French, which got us in for free! Afterwards he said "Don't you love having an uncle who speaks French?" We both agreed. The abbey and cathedral was beautiful as were the sights from the courtyards and windows. Inside some parts of the abbey it was quite dark. At one point, Robert was walking behind Sami and yelled "Look! It's Harry Potter!" A boy that was walking infront of them whipped around with huge eyes looking for Harry Potter. It was hilarious! Later, Robert tried many times to scare us while we were in a dark hallway and standings a edges. Some tries were succesful, others were not. He also tried to convince other people that Harry Potter was right around the corner. It was very entertaining and we can't imagine what he would've done at some of our other tourist spots. We went outside the abbey and checked out the gardens. They were very peacful and had beautiful flowers and views. On our descent down through the village we stopped at a creperie. The service was terrible and Robert even got a glass of water with food in and on the glass. We were so grossed out! But, the crepes were delicious and the view was amazing. When we left it started raining so we went into practically every souviner shop. There were some interesting trinkets, including faries, dragons, and knights. We left the Mont in the late afternoon and headed towards Villedie les Poêles, the city of copper. When we arrived we checked into our hotel, a cute building on the main strip in town. Our room was nicely decorated and had its own toilette and shower. Shortly after our arrival we went out to dinner with Stephane, some of his friends, and the film crew that is making a documentary about the festival. It was a fun evening even though we didn't know everything that was being said at the table. After dinner we headed back to the hotel and went to Madame Christine's room, the woman who was doing everyone's hair for the festival. She put curlers in Sami's hair and told us her plan for our hair. She was going to pull it half-way back tight with an "American braid" and have the rest of our hair billowing out. The funny part of that is what we call a "French braid" they call an "American braid." We were so excited for the festival we could hardly sleep! We had to get up early and out by nine to eat breakfast and get ready for the festival.

Normandy Day 1!!!

On Friday morning we got up around 10:30, took showers, ate breakfast and made sure we were all packed. Emily and I (Sami) quickly ran out and picked up some black shoes for the festival while Robert picked up the car. Once we were all loaded up we got some food and headed out. The car we rented was a Panda Fiat in pale yellow. It was so cute and pretty roomy! After being stuck in traffic for about an hour, for an "accident" that we never saw. There were a lot of people heading out of town for the 14th of July weekend (for Bastille Day). First we headed towards Deauville, where the manor Stephane and Robert used to own is located. They bought this manor and totally renovated it, it looks exactly as I (Sami) imagined it from when I was eight. The new owners added a pool, a tennis court and turned the stables into living quarters for their family, and the barn into an apartment and pool house. When we pulled up there was an electric lawn mower roaming around the front lawn, it was so funny to watch and pretty cool. That whole area was beautiful, with lots of clean air, which was refreshing. Then we drove through the heart of Deauville which is located along the beach on one side of a bay and on the other side is a town called Trouville, where we had dinner. Both towns are similar to Carmel, since everything is upscale designer stores. We walked along the boardwalk looking for a place to eat and we finally ended up along the main strip at a seafood restaurant. For dinner we had salad, a white fish with cream sauce and rice, hard cider to wash it down and for dessert chocolate mousse. When we left for Caen around 10 the sun was just setting. We ended up spending the night at a "Formula 1" hotel in Caen. The hotel is kinda like a pod hotel, with the rooms separate from the community showers and bathrooms. The room was fairly tiny; we slept bunkbed style with Emily and I down below on a double and Robert up above on a twin. The room did a have a tv, a little table and chair, and a sink. Everything was very clean and worked perfect for what we needed. We took our showers that night, because we thought since they were community showers it would be extremly busy and hard to get in one in the morning. Then we headed off to bed, since we were planning on going to Mont Saint Michel in the morning.