My New Favorite Aunt...

This is my new favorite aunt...aka my grandmother's oldest sister

Monique

My uncle and I left Les Arc in the afternoon and due to some train delays, we arrived in Evreux later that night (I think around 10ish). My poor aunt was worried about us because she didnt know that our train was late so she had been at the train station and had seen 2 or 3 trains coming from the direction we were go by. Anyway, once we arrived, she greeted us at the train station wearing the coolest outfit ever! She had on a pair of pants that looked like they were skittles print and a bright colored top (i think it was lime green but im not sure). Right away I couldnt help but think "how cute is she!" When we got back to her cozy abode we had a quick meal together and got to chat a little (well I did more of the listening because I don't speak French) and then went to bed.

(this is a pic of my 82yr old aunt's flower flip flops)

Even though I speak no French and my aunt speaks no English, we had a connection almost immediately. Her mannerisms and life are so much like the image I have of how a grandmother should be. She is concerned (a little bit too much at times) about people and about making sure everything is ok. She says what's on her mind and doesn't hold back. And she is just unapologitically herself. She's kinda like the woman I want to be in 60 years! Anyway, while we were staying with her we got to meet one of her friends, Julian who spoke English and with whom we spent two of the days with. Julian was very sweet and it was a pleasure to hang out with everyone and enjoy Evreux.

After spending 3 days there, we went to another town in the Normandy region, called Le Havre where my cousin Fabienne lives. We took the train to this place called Deauville (I think) which is this really nice/wealthy area with amazing buildings and top of the line shopping! Too bad I'm not on Louis Vuitton's level or I would have been in heaven!! Anyway, as we drove to Le Havre, we were going along the coast some of the way so the view was spectacular! On the way we stopped at my uncle's favorite place called Honfleur which is a really funky artsy harbor town with great shopping!

We finally made our way to my cousin's house had lunch followed by a siesta :)...and then some pictures hahahahah.

While we were in Le Havre, where my cousin lives with her husband, Louis, we had plenty of adventures, including going to a really beautiful park and going to this rocky-cliff place on the coast. It was really windy but the view was well worth any weather conditions. I loved being back on a coast of some kind...the smell of the salty water, the sea breeze, the sound of the waves...good times.

This is kind of a funny shot...everyone is gesturing differently and I assume trying to explain something to one another.

Fabienne and Louis were phenominal hosts and were very helpful to me and my uncle. We had a really nice time there and I got to meet two of her daughters, Rachel and Anna. It was good to finally meet people closer to my age!! Anyway, learning about another branch in my family tree was awesome and I'm so glad to have come here!

Discovering another part of me

For those of you who do not know my family history, I'm going to tell you a little bit of background. My grandfather was in the military waaaaaaayyy back in the day and when he was stationed in France, he met my grandmother, Annick. They ended up getting married and he broght her back to the States. When my mom was a young child, my grandmother passed away so I never met her and my mom doesnt remember that much about life with her. But, my mom's oldest brother was old enough at the time to have more memories of her and has been our main source of information about who my grandmother was as a person.

My grandmother was the third of four siblings and was the only one who left France. So growing up I always knew about my French family but it was something like a fairy tale to me. The collection of stories, names, photos, cities, and towns all fored this collage of a family that existed somewhere in a far off land. So, coming to France for the first time, I am finally able to look my great uncles and aunt in the eye. It allows me to connect with my grandmother and essentially with part of myself that before was obscure.

My uncle came to Europe to take me around to meet as much of the family as possible and our first stop was my grandmother's older brother, my uncle Jean-Marie. He lives with his wife Nicole in a beautiful house in the south of France. While we were there, his daughter, Marie Helen was there as well.

When we got there, we were kind of hungry so my uncle Jean Marie fired up his oven and made us some pizza which we ate with Rose (the pink colored wine). While he was making the pizzas I asked if at some point I could help him make a pizza, and the next day I was able to learn to make it! AAaaaaaaaannnnnd the following day he let me make one on my own! It was probably some of the best pizza I've had!

On the second day that we were there, my cousin took us to Les Arc which is an ooooold village that most of the buildings are now expensive rental homes and a hotel. The village was so beautiful though. It was up on a hill that over looked a town (I think the town of Les Arc) with narrow cobblestone streets and buildings older than the United States probably.

For the most part, we all just sat around and talked with each other. I told them about my Europe adventures and plans for Spain and I was able to see pictures of more cousins of mine. It was just really nice to be with family and enjoy the company.