What a walk!

No word from Claire, yet, so yesterday I was free to meet a high-school classmate.

Sylvia Stein -- one of the names I really do remember from high school, but beyond that I can't really remember any classes we were in together or anything else. Like so many of the wonderful women I've met this past year on our class facebook group and email group, I'm so glad we've finally met. (The picture was in front of Notre Dame in the glaring light -- I look horrible!)

This is our route: (It should show up below, but if it doesn't then click the link.)

We met at the Madelaine church, which unfortunately is a neo-Greek temple and got Sylvia a bit confused at first, but we did meet up. I was no longer waiting in front as promised because that was the sunny side and at around 2:00 it was baking hot. I was in the shade on the other side of the street, but I managed to find Sylvia as she finished coming around the building and we headed down the Rue Royale towards the Place de la Concorde and then on to the Tuileries Gardens, where we stopped for lunch.

Maybe we were in gym class together. We both have such horrible memories of not being very good in P.E. That being said, we turned out to be good walkers. After lunch, we continued through the Tuileries Gardens towards the Louvre. We had a good view of the Carrousel Arc de Triumph in front of us, with the Pei pyramid entrance to the Louvre behind it, and looking back, we could see the Arc de Triumph at the end of the Champs Elysées and the buildings of La Défense behind it. There were thousands of people milling around the entrance to the Louvre, so we couldn't even think of trying to go in, so we ducked out of the sun by taking the stairs to the Carrousel shopping center and saw the Charles V wall (14th century) that included the Louvre in the city. (The previous wall, Philippe Auguste, 12th century, made the land the Louvre was built on outside the city.) We came out of the shopping center on to the rue de Rivoli, where I pointed out the Musée des Arts Décoratifs as nice place to visit with far fewer tourists than the Louvre.

We crossed the street in front of the Comédie Française, which was closed, so we couldn't take a peek. Behind the Comédie Française is the Palais Royal gardens. The Buren columns are under renovation, so we couldn't see them, but we strolled under the arcade. All of the shops were closed for vacation. After the arcade, we strolled in the shade of the trees -- have no idea what kind of trees they are, but they are already losing their leaves and looked pretty sickly -- and came out on the Rue des Petits Champs. Again, we ducked out of the sun by going into the Galérie Vivenne for a very short look. Paris is full of these galéries, early 19th century precursors to our shopping centers. I remember one of my first walks with Paul in Paris almost 40 years ago. It was in winter and we just kept going from one galerie into the next and crossed most of Paris, it seemed, from Opéra to Chatelet.

We progressed to the Place des Victoires, a Louis XIVth period circular place with a statue not of the king but of some general in the center and buildings designed by Mansart all around and then continued down Etienne Marcel to the Halles area. Les Halles used to be the central market that was replaced by an enormous transportation hub (RER and métro) and shopping center. The area all around has become pedestrian streets, chic shops and very touristy. On the rue Etienne Marcel, however, there are still some vestiges of the wholesale past -- lots of restaurant supply shops.

We must have been lost in conversation because when we cut from Etienne Marcel to rue Rambuteau we should have seen the Beaubourg museum (modern, contemporary art) out of the corner of our eyes, but we didn't and just continued on towards the marais. The Museum of Jewish Art and History (Paul was the head engineer for the city in the restoration of this building) the Picasso Museum and the Carnavalet Museum (history of the city) all branch off this route as Rue Rambuteau becomes the Rue des Franc Bourgeois (lots of very chic and expensive couture and jewelry shops -- not an inkling of the not-so-long-ago Jewish past) and leads to the Place des Vosges. Parched, we stopped for a citron pressée (fresh-squeezed lemonade) before walking unter the arcade of the Place des Vosges. We did a 3/4 tour and came out in the Hôtel de Sully Gardens which allowed us to cut straight through to the rue Saint Antoine. We continued down rue St. Paul with a stop at Thanksgiving so I could show Sylvia that there was a place I could spend a fortune at if I ever got desperately nostalgic for some American food products (a box of Cheerios, €12.00).

Oof, we reached the Seine and crossed over to Ile St. Louis. No one was walking along the quai; everyone was lined up at the many, many places selling Bertillon ice cream on the rue St. Louis-en-l'ile. Along the quai, we admired the many 17th century mansions. Then, we crossed over to Ile de la Cité and again walked into the older part of the island before coming up to Notre Dame. We had thought we'd go into the church, but the "in" line stretched all the way to the other end of the Parvis (the place in front of the cathedral). And at the end of the line was the entrance to the Crypte Archéologique, which I find very interesting -- the old roman Lutece which was discovered when they were building the parking lot under the Parvis. Unfortunately, it was getting late and they were not letting anyone in, so we continued on to the Sainte Chapelle, but it was too late, there, too.

Time for another citron presée, this time at the Place St. Michel. Theoretically this is in the Latin Quarter, but there nothing left of the Latin Quarter; it's all tourists. We walked along the rue St. Severin and on to Shakespeare & Co, but we didn't stop. I showed Sylvia the galérie Urubamba on rue de la Bûcherie (founded in 1976 - I was there; Paul was in charge of the building, then. I wonder if Roberta is still around.) We came up to Place Maubert and started climbing uphill along the rue de la Montagne Ste. Genviève to the Panthéon, which we just peeked at. We then took the rue Clovis down and stopped to look at the remains of the Philippe Auguste (12th century) city wall on our way to the Arènes de Lutece. By this time, we were pooped and sat for a while watching some guys kick around a soccer ball and then went off to find a restaurant for some dinner.

All in all, we walked and talked for more than 6 miles (10 km.)

Post-wedding

Monday, Paul, Jon and I went to Stratford Upon Avon and visited Shakespeare's birthplace. I was fully prepared for a tourist trap, but was pleasantly surprised. The house is a really nice place to visit and we also visited the Nash house which is next door to where Shakespeare's last house was and where he died. There are good guides in these houses. The Nash house also has a gorgeous box garden, too.
Mostly, it was just nice to spend the day with Jon. We took him to his hotel in Birmingham for his early flight the next morning and then headed back to Claire and Geoff's. I think they also appreciated having the day to themselves, too.
Wednesday we came home. Claire and Geoff had to start returning things to Avala Catering, so we all went to Woking and met up with Geoff's parents for lunch at the museum, The Lightbox, where Nigel runs the restaurant concession, La Palette. More excellent food and a pleasant afternoon with Alison and Ahmad before we set off for home.
Thursday, yesterday evening, we all met up with Roger and Gloria, with Shelby, for dinner at the Bistrot de Breteuil for another great meal and family time.
Today, Emma and I took Roger, Gloria and Shelby out to Giverny to see the Monet house and Gardens. After lunch (another meal!) we stopped at La Roche Guyon and in Fourges at the mill (Le Moulin).

The Wedding Day

It went by in a flash. Claire organized the day to perfection. The miserable weather even cleared by Friday afternoon and on Saturday, it was just beautiful and warm.
Claire looked spectacular in her dress. I'm not just saying this because she's my daughter, and certainly not because brides do look great on their wedding day. No, she really looked wonderful. The "bump" only showed in profile!
The wedding ceremony was at the Guild Hall in Northampton, a 19th century neo-Gothic structure that is really quite beautiful. It was moving. Not at all tense -- at least not for me. Claire and Geoff exchanged vows, exchanged rings, signed the register with Charlotte on their knees. Angela read a beautiful poem in English and Emma, Anne, and Louis read one in French. It just seemed so natural and normal and relaxed. Afterwards, we went into the courtyard for photos and then headed to Harlestone for the reception and lunch.
The reception was at the Harlestone Village Institute in Upper Harlestone. Claire had mapped out exactly how she wanted the room to look and on Thursday and Friday family and friends set it up perfectly. Nigel, Geoff's brother, is a caterer and his chef friend Stuart did a fantastic job on the meals (lunch, a buffet in the evening and a barbecue lunch on Sunday!). Valérie's father is a retired pastry chef and he did the "pièce montée", a mountain of profiterolles, Claire's favorite dessert. Niel, another friend, is an extraordinary crooner and DJ and he entertained us all day. The food was great, the entertainment was great, the company was fantastic and the bride and groom were amazing. There were sheep in the meadow for perfect picture backgrounds and a footpath for digestive walks. Perfection.
Sunday, we returned for the barbecue, more conversation, walks, and finally, dismantling. It rained for a couple of seconds just when it was time to start cleaning up. This was a great signal to guests that it was time to leave. Then, the rain stopped for clean-up. Wonderful.
The Lebelle clan (Pierre, Gillette, Anne-Valérie, Frédéric, Laure-Hélène, Paul), Jon and I took a walk along the footpath to the village. We went into the church in the middle of a guided tour, saw some horses, ... Very pleasant.

Geoff and Claire's Wedding Weekend - the photos

Photos selected from my shots, Paul's, Pierre's and Ken's.
If you cannot see the embedded slideshow, here is the link to the album: http://picasaweb.google.fr/elebelle/ClaireGeoffSWeddingWeekend?authkey=Gv1sRgCJO9mYSTmMa6IA&feat=directlink
Let me know if you need me to give you access.

Photos sélectionnées parmi les miennes, celles de Paul, Pierre et Ken.
Si vous ne voyez pas le diaporama, voici le lien à l'album : http://picasaweb.google.fr/elebelle/ClaireGeoffSWeddingWeekend?authkey=Gv1sRgCJO9mYSTmMa6IA&feat=directlink
Faites-moi savoir si je dois vous ouvrir l'accès.

Claire and Geoff's Wedding Weekend, 07 août 2009

Claire Lebelle and Geoffrey Husaunndee were married on August 8. But it wasn't simply a wedding!
They rented the village institute, which is the cultural center, in Upper Harleston, for the reception, so Wednesday, the men (Geoff, Louis and Paul) went to trim the hedges and mow the lawn where the photographer was going to take pictures. Of course, it rained. And on Thursday, they filled up the Espace van several times to cart off the decorations and drinks to the venue. Anne and Gwen joined them to slip on the chair covers, set up the decorations and tables. Even Gloria and Shelby, just off the plane, joined in. I tried to keep Claire resting on Thursday and I made the final alterations to her dress. Friday, we finished decorating with the help of some other early arrivals and then the real fun started.

From Claire & Geoff's Wedding Weekend

We went to Althorp for high tea. There are some pictures from there at the beginning of the album that I'll embed in the next post. We were in kind of a rush and did not have much time to look around the grounds before tea. I think the Pickars had more time because Ken took some lovely photos. The butterflies were amazing. I've never seen so many fluttering around outside a butterfly farm.
The house itself is 18th century palace-type architecture. It reminds me of the back of the Chateau de Vincennes. I don't think it looks all that nice from the outside. Gray. The inside, however, is magnificent! It's still lived in -- I wouldn't like to live in a place that gets tramped through. The guest rooms we saw are really guest rooms when there are guests. At least some of the house is private. The art collection is made up mostly of portraits. The Spencer family has been living there for about 500 years, so it's quite an extensive collection. When they left Spencer House in London they moved the furnishings to Althorp, so there is a beautiful collection of furniture, too. And porcelain, too.
Of course, for us, the highlight was high tea, with sandwiches, scones and cakes. We were a group of 32! It was a great way to break the ice and meet the extended families. It was after tea that we had a chance to visit the house before they closed at 5.
By the time we got back to the hotel, more guests had arrived and we spent the evening at the neighboring pub breaking more ice. Positively melted into one big family for the wedding day.

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Claire Lebelle et Geoffrey Husaunndee se sont mariés le 8 août, mais il ne s'agissait pas d'un simple mariage !
Ils avaient loué pour la réception le "village institute", sorte de MJC du village, à Upper Harleston. Mercredi, les hommes (Geoff, Louis et Paul) sont parti faire un peu de jardinage et il pleuvait, bien sûr. Jeudi, ils ont rempli l'Espace plusieurs fois pour y amener les décorations et boissons. Anne et Gwen les ont rejoin pour couvrir les sièges et aider à mettre en place des décorations. Même Gloria et Shelby, tout juste sorties de l'avion, ont aidés. J'essayais d'imposer un peu de repos à Claire et j'ai fait les dernières ajustements à la robe. Vendredi matin nous avons finis les décorations avec d'autres invités et la fête commença.

From Claire & Geoff's Wedding Weekend

Nous sommes allés à Althorp pour le "high tea". Il y a des photos au début de l'album que j'incrusterai dans le poste suivant. Nous n'étions pas arrivés assez tôt pour pouvoir faire un tour dans les jardins avant le thé, mais je pense que les Pickars l'ont fait car Ken à fait de jolies photos. J'étais surprise par les papillons. Je ne pense pas avoir vu autant de papillons ensemble en dehors des élevages de papillons.
La maison est un château du type 18è qui me rappelle l'arrière du Chateau de Vincennes. Je ne le trouvais pas très joli à l'extérieur, tout gris, comme le ciel du matin. A l'intérieur, par contre, c'est une autre histoire. C'est magnifique. La famille Spencer y habite encore -- Je n'aimerais pas habiter un endroit en constante visite. Les chambres d'hôtes que nous avons vu sont vraiment utilisé pour les invités. Ils ont gardé un peu de la maison hors visite. La collection d'art est surtout des portraits. La famille Spencer y habite depuis bientôt 500 ans, ce qui leur fait une grande collection. Quand ils ont quitté leur maison londonienne, Spencer House, ils ont amené les meubles à Althorp, ce qui leur fait aussi une jolie collection. Ne pas oublié la porcelaine, aussi.
Pour nous, bien sûr, le but était le "high tea", avec ses sandwiches, les scones et les gâteaux. Nous étions 32 ! C'était une façon bien inspirée pour briser la glace et faire la connaissance des familles. Ce n'est qu'après le thé que nous avions eu l'opportunité de visiter la maison avant la fermeture à 17h.
En revenant à l'hôtel, nous avons trouvé encore des invités qui sont arrivés et nous avons passé la soirée au pub d'à côté pour briser encore la glace. Pour le jour du mariage on avait complètement fondu dans une grande famille.

Reynaud Family Reunion, 02 août 2009

Reynaud Family Reunion, 02 août 2009
Marguerite Lebelle, ma belle-mère, a célébré son anniversaire de cent ans au mois de juin. Nous sommes descendus à Toulon pour la feter avec elle et Claire, Geoff, et Charlotte ont pu nous rejoindre à cet occasion. Cette fois-ci, il s'agissait de réunir la famille Reynaud (avant d'être épouse Lebelle, elle est Marguerite Reynaud). Il y a déjà 10 ans, Jacques Reynaud avait fait une première réunion très réussite au berceau de la famille dans les Basses Alpes.
Cette fois-ci nous nous sommes tous réunis autour de Marguerite, qui a beaucoup apprécié la journée. Il faut dire que Pierre et Gillette, qui ont organisé la réunion l'ont fait à la perfection. Nous nous retrouvions dans une bastide, le Chateau de Cancerilles, dans l'arrière pays. La maison avait le droit de s'appeler "château" depuis l'époque de Louis XIV, quand le propriétaire fut nommé comte. C'est un grand domaine viticole familiale.
Voici nos photos avec celles de Pierre. Si jamais, l'album ne s'affiche pas, voici le lien et vous pouvez me demander l'accès.

These are our photos and Pierre's from the Reynaud family reunion on August 2.
We celebrated Marguerite's 100th birthday in June and this was a big family reunion in honor of the occasion (before marrying Edouard Lebelle, she was Marguerite Reynaud). 10 years ago, Jacques Reynaud had held a family reunion in the Basses Alpes, where they originated from. This time Pierre and Gillette organized a day in the countryside, at the Chateau de Cancerilles, just behind Toulon -- and it was perfectly done. The country house is called a "château" since the owner became a count in Louis XIV's time. It's a big family-run vinyard, restaurant, and B&B.