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South of France Just an update to let you know we're back (more or less) at home--trying to get our bodies & minds recuperated & play catch up around home. About a week ago we returned from 10 great days in the south of France. The house (actually a more than 350 year old mini castle-like manor house, complete with ghost) was unbelievable, set in one of the most beautiful parts of the country. Along with 2 other couples (old and new friends) we toured mornings and afternoons everything from the medieval castles & towns--with their more recently stocked shops--to prehistoric caves and gorgeous countryside along the Dordogne River, returning to relax by the pool until dinner (always late, since it's daylight until 10 pm) and discuss the next day's adventures. A highlight for me was the trip a 6 of us made to visit (for the first time in 25 years!) a French family I had stayed with for an entire summer after having finished my studies. Four of the eight "children" with some of their families came for the festive lunch they prepared for us. What a thrill to reminisce and have them tell me I was still the same crazy person they had remembered!! We ended the French vacation back in Paris, celebrating Sunday liturgy at the "high mass" in Notre Dame Cathedral, watching the Tour de France arrive in Paris, then touring the Cathedral of Chartres with the world's foremost English-speaking expert, Malcolm Miller (whom I had also seen that summer 25 years ago). This vacation was a wonderful follow-up to the 3 weeks with my students in Germany. The kids were great, the hosts as hospitable as ever and the weather and touring fantastic. I also got to visit some "old" friends and catch up with their lives, too. I really enjoyed seeing them and they all treated me royally!! Now we've just had our 2 nieces (5 & 8 years old) for their annual visit, and I'm trying to finish my (incomplete) research paper from the spring semester. M. has some house projects lined up, too, before we go to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware Aug. 14-21 to really recuperate before school begins shortly after that. I'll try a.s.a.p. to be in touch and answer personally the emails that have been sitting here, but for now I just wanted to say "hi" & give our the "news report." Hope all is well and that the summer has been enjoyable for you, too. A bientot & bis bald! N & M, nephew and wife of ruthadele, April in Belgium Hello everyone! Right now I am in my dad's shop writing to you from Belgium. In the past seven days we have been to France, England and Belgium. Today we went and saw Van Gogh's house and are going to spend the day relaxing. In France we went to a bunch of palaces and to Notre Dame cathedral. In England we saw the changing of the guard even though we couldn't see much of it because we almost got there late. The Tower of London was cool with the crown jewels, and we also got to see the inside of the Westminster Abbey which was gorgeous. We walked across the Tower Bridge which was very windy. The weather has been all right while we have been here. Tomorrow we head to Germany and Austria then come back and then we go to the Netherlands. Talk to you all later. C., grandaughter of ruthadele, April in London and France C. came over here for a vacation (18 days). No she didn't bring M. The "we" was us (S., M. and C.). We picked C. up in Paris and stayed there for 2 nights. Then in the car and drove to England via the tunnel and went to Lakenheath RAF. Toured Cambridge and London for another 3 nights. The time was off and on rain in England. Then home for one night and drive to Garmish in Germany. It was beautiful. We stayed there for 3 nights. Then drove home. Then went to the Netherlands and saw the flowers and Amsterdam. We then cancelled the trip to see the Castle's on Fire display on the Rhein River and went to Paris again. Went to DisneyLand all day and then C. took off for home. In all, we put on 3500 miles on the trip with 10 rolls of film and almost 3 hours on video. It was a fun trip. Going to try (haven't done it yet) to scan pictures for you, N.
Love you all, S & M, son and daughter-in-law of ruthadele,
August in Mannheim August 1980 - We were invited by our Cape Coral neighbors to spend 28 days with them "at home" in Mannheim, Germany. It was our first trip to Europe and we jumped at the opportunity to experience such a tour off the beaten path. We were so surprised at how GREEN it is in Europe; we were not expecting that. Our hosts were fabulously hospitable and took us all over southern Germany. Being on the fringe of the Swarzwald, we ate and traveled our way through it. It was lovely. Our host had a lovely home. He explained that he did not own the property, but had been loaned it by the government in return for military service, which is not uncommon! He was able to build two houses on the property and had always lived there, and will always be able to. (More later.) ruthadele , April in Paris Through 1967 and 1968, I resisted the temptation to visit Paris while living in Europe. Finally, at the last second, it seemed best to make a quick visit, just to say to myself that I did it. What could it offer that the rest of Europe hadn't? What was the big deal anyway? We arranged a three-day weekend trip on the American plan (meals included). It would cover Verdun enroute, The Louvre, Sacre Coeur, Montmartre, the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, the Bois du Bologne, the Folies Bergere in Paris, a side trip to Versailles, and a champagne vineyard on the trip home. I couldn't help thinking, "If it's Tuesday, it must be Belgium." We pulled in at about 5:00 in the afternoon on Friday; dinner was scheduled for 7:00. So, we took our bags up to our room and were spellbound by the details. The bath was covered with mirrors, flowers on the bureau ... bright, sunny April evening, just beautiful. What could hurt if we just dropped down on the lovely bed for a quick nap after an eight-hour trip? The next time our eyes opened, it was 2:00 in the morning, dead of night! Dinner was long over and we were hungry ... and we had missed an evening in Paris! We jumped up, raced out onto the street and determined to make something of the lost night. Our first stop was two doors away. We passed the Moulin Rouge, proving to ourselves that we were really here. At an outdoor cafe with striped umbrellas, we feasted on eggs with ham, and red wine. We had a visitor's map and we could see that up and to our right was Sacre Coeur, at the end of the street would be the Place de Pigalle, the Moulin Rouge which we already passed. We noted where Notre Dame was and the Seine. Having placed ourselves, we began a stroll along Montmartre. There were hawkers outside strip joints who tried to entice us to enter their establishments, which only added to the "big city" feel among the historic sites. While it was dark, each establishment was lit brightly and populated. Music came out of every open door. At another cafe, we decided to sample the fare. We were young and silly and asked for a "hamburger". The nearest item on the menu was a steak sandwich ... which turned out to be steak tartare! We considered that a mistake, took a couple bites each, and left. Along about 4:00, we were ready to find our way back to our hotel. We went to bed very satisfied and ready to start the most amazing trip of our stay in Europe. Someday, I hope to return and capture one-tenth of the magic of that wonderful visit. April in Paris. N., ruthadele's daughter,
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