Anyone who knows me knows that my family is perhaps the most important thing to me in the world… that is after Ernie of course. In all seriousness though, since my first trip to Paris (I think in 2003) my mom and grandma have told me that I have a cousin who works as a diplomat for France. Each visit we tried to get in touch to see if she was in Paris and each time it didn't quite work out. So when I decided to come to France this time and my mom and grandma told me I should visit my cousin Alain and his wife Bernadette I really made an effort to make it happen.
John and I arrived at Aix en Provence’s train station and met up with cousin Alain, who set the tone for the weekend by wearing his Garfield t-shirt (circa 1980’s)! I was taken aback as I walked into their house in Saint Maximin (25 miles from Aix en Provence) as I noticed the pictures of their grandchildren, Morgane and Laura, who look remarkably similar to Carrie and Melanie. I’m not quite sure what I expected but was so surprised in how similar our families are, both in looks and behavior. Though I suppose we are the same family which would make it only natural.
Over lunch I was able to hear some stories about the Schlifka side of the family. Bernadette even showed me a photo album with pictures of my immediate family that grandma left behind the last time she visited. I couldn’t believe it! Here I didn’t even know I had so much family in France let alone that I would ever meet them and there I was looking at pictures of Mom, Charlie, Carrie, Melanie and me!
After lunch, Frederic took John and I on a drive to see the Gorges du Verdon. The view was absolutely beautiful. Frederic was an awesome tour guide. He took us on both bridges, the beach and in a small neighboring town (to have a drink) so we could get the best view of the water. The gorges covers an old town, which you can still see when water is drained to clean the gorges every 10 years. The story goes that when you hear the bell from the town you know something bad is about to happen.
After we got back to the house John was able to figure out how to get my mom on Skype so we could all video chat. I think that was one of the cooler things I’ve experienced in my life. My mom was so happy to not only talk to everyone but to also see them. It was great to have been able to make that happen. Mom says she was having a little difficulty finding her words but I think she may have gotten a little teary-eyed.
The following morning, cousin Alain took John and I into the town of Saint Maximin. Here we saw the Wednesday market, which was quite impressive. What I thought would be a block of flea market turned out to be an avenue worth of different fruit, seafood, olive, herbs and clothing vendors. We were also able to see the Basilica; the home of Mary Magdalene’s bones. Though the exterior was never finished, the Basilica is absolutely gorgeous.
Soon after we returned to the house Francois and his family came for a BBQ. I still can’t get over how similar Francois’ personality is to Uncle Henry’s. Being with family I didn’t know I had, swapping stories and learning about my family was a lifetime experience I will never forget. As we all swapped e-mail addressed I realized how important it is for my generation to keep the family connected. As if I didn’t have enough motivation to continue learning French…
After spending only two days in Saint Maximin I now understand why everyone speaks so highly of Alain and Bernadette. They welcomed John and I into their home and family without even knowing us. For anyone who has ever questioned their mother, I think this is proof to always take her advice. If I hadn’t, I would have never had the opportunity to have such an experience!
Make sure to check out my pictures from the weekend here!
No comments:
Post a Comment