We Made it Here…..barely.

 

BOURG FAMILY BLOG

 

10-11 June 2009:

And they’re off …..barely. The wine has flowed, the tears have been spilled – or is the other way around? Suitcases packed and shipping crate off towards New York crammed full with a library of American books, Wii + games, 50 pairs of shoes (including 3 for Christian), 600 CD’s, and let’s not forget the requisite tennis, soccer, ski, baseball, football, and Frisbee accoutrements.

There is just no getting out of the idea of looking like a stupid American in the airports – 17 bags total, 3 screaming children with Nintendos all in hand, and 2 stressed out parents. Now all we need are 5 matching berets with “Bourguignon” stitched on them.

Our flights from Boise to Lyon totaled 22 hours with all the layovers. Well the 10 hour Trans-Atlantic leg wouldn’t have been so bad had the in-flight movie screen not been broken and had they not run out of dinners by the time they got to us (the second to last row on the plane). In spite of this tragic set of events, the kids actually persevered as troopers.

 

Upon our arrival in the Lyon airport (surprisingly small, much like Boise’s, only international), we were kindly greeted by the owners of our new house, Philippe and Sandrine Laporte. They were there to pick us up and shuttle us to their (our) home in the outlying suburb of CHARBONNIERES-LES-BAINS (I don’t know why the French always capitalize every letter in the name of their cities, just like their family names – they’re a self-important lot). You should have seen the look on their faces when they saw the Bourguignons with ALL 17 pieces of luggage! They had to bring two cars to the airport in order to fit all of our luggage. We arrived at the house so we ould drop off our unnecessary luggage and pick up their family van for our use for the next two years, the “ESPACE”.

The kids really enjoyed meeting “Scoubi Doo” the pet rabbit, or “le lapin bourguignon”. I think it was intended to be eaten last winter but their kids got attached to it once was named.

12 June 2009

So then we spent one day in Lyon, which required our visit to the “Prefecture” (government office center for the region), a two hour shopping experience at the Carrefour (their version of Fred Meyers) and a lengthy rendezvous at our local bank in Charbonnieres. Accentuating the usual learning curve element of a new environment was the extra-slower pace of the French coupled with our dragging jet-lagged three kids with us. Basically everything took three times as long as what we are accustomed to in the states. Of particular note for the day on Friday was the Prefecture experience. It was like something out of a movie depicting third world angst – crowds of families with numerous relatives, all looking downtrodden, exhausted, and glum, waiting for their number to show on a big screen which affords them the opportunity to actually speak with someone regarding residency. Needless to say, our number never came, we arrived at 11:30 and all the numbers had been dispensed for the rest of the day. We were told to come back on Monday. So we left and will return in 3 Mondays (the Bourguignons will not let such bureaucracy impede our their family vaca in the South).

13 June 2009

So onto the South of France on Saturday. The Var – home to olive trees, lavender oils, Picasso, and all things truly Provencale. We found our home for the next week at la Plage Promousquier, a quaint little beach in a small cove just east of Cavaliere, which is a small village about 12 km east of Le Lavandou, a larger city situated about half way between Marseilles and St. Tropez. Our rental is two bedrooms, with an extra bed in the living room for Lauren. The best feature of this small apartment it the close walk to the beach. Since our arrival on Saturday we have been practically living at this beach.

15 June 2009

This morning Terra and Christian went to the weekly Marché in Cavaliere. It was beautiful and oh so cliché.

Our second day at the beach. Today we had visitors washed ashore, all up and down the coast line. Small jellyfish-like creatures that resembled translucent-violet condoms. They were EVERYWHERE.

 

16 June 2009

Given the sunburned appearance of Julia’s and Christian’s torsos, we thought it would me a great day to escape the sun and visit that second most famous city in France, ST. TROPEZ.

Wow what a place, we can see why it’s so famous. Beautiful lush flowers and vegetation quaint little fishing village and plenty beautiful French babes walking about. We think it would be the perfect retirement spot.