The months pass quickly, as the process of getting settled continues. It appears that it will, in the end, have taken a year to furnish my place to a comfortable level, what with delays in shipments, the lack of choices for some items, and the time it can take (or take ME!) to find just the right thing. But I’m pleased with the way my place has shaped up. It’s a vast improvement from when I arrived, in spite of it having been renovated and declared “move-in ready.” It was that, but…many things needed fixing or improving. As just a few examples, there were no bathroom fixtures (towel racks, TP holders), no backsplash tile in the kitchen or bathrooms, no lights under the kitchen cabinets, shutters that wouldn’t close, and a small balcony that was a danger to those below. All of these things have been remedied, and my place is the more comfortable for it!
Of course, one of the reasons I moved to France was the ease of European travel. So, this summer I traveled to Oxford to participate in a program called, “The Oxford Experience,” recommended by a friend. It was fun to be in that wonderful town, staying in a dorm room in Christ Church College, its dining room the model for the one in the Harry Potter films. It was a humbling experience to eat in such an august setting, surrounded by portraits of royalty and other notables. Following my week there I visited friends in Norfolk for a few days.
Recently (beginning of October) a friend and I went on a bike tour in the Loire Valley, where we biked from chateau to chateau, namely (in alphabetical order): Amboise, Blois, Chambord, Chaumont, Chenonceaux (the featured photo), Cheverny, and Clos Lucé (in the town of Amboise). Le Clos Lucé was where François Premier invited Leonardo da Vinci to live, and indeed Leonardo spent his last three years there. It was just as luxe as the others we visited and included a beautiful garden designed by Leonardo.
The bike tour was planned by Cyclomundo, a company I have used many times before, as they are top-notch organizers who strive for the best experience for their clients. We went by train from Nice to Paris (about a 6-hour ride) where we spent one night, then the next day took the train south to Blois (2 hours). We began the biking part of the trip in Blois and ended at Amboise a few days later, cycling 30 – 50 kilometers each day. The weather was glorious, the scenery lovely. It was good to be on a little getaway vacation!
In between travels, though, I have enjoyed being in Nice, continuing to meet people and becoming more integrated into the community. I was taking a French class twice a week, but have stopped that for the time being, figuring that a couple of other activities that I started should help in learning the language.
For one, I joined a choir, where I am one of about 50. I’m pretty sure I’m the only foreigner, and my fellow altos (as I sit in that section) have all been lovely. So, not only have I met a couple of nice women, but I get to sing, and, importantly, listen to French being spoken or sung for two hours. By no means do I understand it all, but I try to get the gist of it, and, if I need clarification, I ask questions of the one person who speaks some English (that I have discovered anyway). So far, so good.
Another activity is teaching a beginning English class once a week. At the moment I have only one pupil, an enthusiastic woman about my age; the entity under whose auspices I am teaching is run by volunteers who do not advertise the classes particularly well, but it is the beginning of the academic term, so perhaps more will join. This entity is an Association, which has a special meaning in France. There are many different Associations (in virtually every city in France) for just about any interest, whether hiking, knitting, playing Pickleball, or going to the theater. Some of you know that I have a Certificate in Teaching English as a Second Language, so it’s gratifying to be able to use some skills learned a while back!
At the end of September, some very dear friends from California visited, and it was wonderful to see them. There is so much to see, do, and eat in my hometown, that there is truly something for every taste. I hope to see other friends here in the future!
