Final Blog Update

August 27th (Friday):

It turned out that we went not so much canoeing, as inflatable kayaking. Marie-Caroline and I started out in a duo kayak together, but the next round we split up. It was when I started to get into the single kayak that I slipped, lost my grip on the kayak, and began to drift down the river.

This was not a moment I would describe as sheer happiness.

However, after 500 feet or so, I managed to grab a hold of my kayak and paddle, and got back in. It wasn't ten seconds before I had fallen back out. After MC showed me that I had not been properly secured in the kayak, I realized that it was possible to kayak and not fall out. This knowledge in mind, the remainder of the trip was most pleasant. The de Boyssons are all very athletic, and it was hard to keep up!

August 28th (Saturday):

We had originally planned to go to a nearby town, but cloudy weather ruined the chance. Mrs. de Boysson was really excited, so it was especially disappointing for her. We did manage to get in some shopping at Saint Etienne. I got some Bensimons! Later in the day, Mrs. de B shared some of her best recipes with me. She has been super-helpful!

August 29th (Sunday):

I finally got some family pictures of the de Boyssons after Mass. Everyone looked really snazzy. We ate a quick lunch and then headed to a ropes course nearby. It was pretty windy, but once we got to moving, we were pretty warm. The ropes course was pretty cool. Everything was high up in the trees. The courses had different difficulty levels, ranging from blue to green to red to black. We got as far as red, and that seemed to be adventurous enough for us. There were a number of ziplines, and they were exhilarating! We had a lot of fun.

August 30th (Monday):

This morning, Mr. de B, the boys, MC, and I left Feugerolle. We told Bon-Mamon and Mrs. de B goodbye. It was super-sad!

The drive was gorgeous, but long, and we stopped in Burgundy to look at L'Ancien Hospice de la Charité. It was fascinating to learn about the history of it!

Then the next day, Mr. de Boysson and Marie-Caroline took me to the airport. They made it no further than the security line, and we had to say goodbye. It was so hard to leave!

When I finally arrived in Charlotte at midnight, as a pleasant surprise, who did I see waiting with my mom but Ansley Ozment! What a good friend (and a good mom, too)!

So now that this blog is officially over, you are all officially given the link to the pictures from the trip. Since there are way too many of them, I'll be adding them in shifts throughout the next few days.

http://picasaweb.google.com/xmeanschrist/SouthAfricaAndFrance2010?authkey=Gv1sRgCMnov8LY_8W_OA#

Thanks for reading, and I hope you've all enjoyed the blog!

~ Susan

Feugerolle III

August 22 (Sunday):

The de Boyssons had been invited to an outdoor mass at a nearby home, so we spent the day over there. After the mass, we began to eat the lunches we had packed. French picnics are so cute! Everyone breaks out their baguettes and puts on some cheese and meat. There's wine, of course, and a lot of cookies and pastries. After we had lunch, Marie-Caroline and I chatted with a few of the other guests. One of the girls, Clemence, lived fairly close to Feugerolle, and she invited MC and me to her house. We went there yesterday. But I'm getting ahead of myself...

August 23 (Monday):

This day was fun, but there isn't a whole lot to write about. Since the weather was fairly overcast and windy, we played card games (a.k.a. poker) and chess. We also did a bit of exploring and followed a staircase under the house. At one point, Adrien's friend turned out the lights and closed the hatch. It took a great deal of restraint not to smack him when we finally got out.

Later in the day, MC's parents, her aunt and uncle, and the two of us went on a walk in a nearby town. We visited some "Roman vestiges," an old castle with an excellent view of the Rhone, hiked down a trail to the Rhone, and visited a dam. Yes, you read that right. Apparently it's a structural wonder.

August 24 (Tuesday):

On this day, a group of castle-loving people came to visit Feugerolle. They were very appreciative and thanked every de Boysson they could find. Later, we played (and I attempted to play) tennis for a grand total of three and a half hours. MC, Regis, and Adrien were super-patient instructors!

August 25 (Wednesday):

This Wednesday was by far the most relaxing day. It also happened to be the day when all the adults left in the afternoon! MC, Adrien, Regis, and I just hung out. We ate lunch together, then sat and talked by the garden, played some poker, and then played tennis for two hours. It was great. For dinner, we ate delicious ratatouille and rice. The boys were making fun of how I ate it, saying I was eating all the rice first. I didn't know how it would taste, but it turned out to be delicieux! I can't wait to try my hand at all this French food.

August 26 (Thursday):

This was when MC and I went to Clemence's house. It was very pleasant. They had bought the house when it was in shambles, and then fixed it up. It looks great! For lunch, we had a typical dish from the Rhone-Alps region of France. I think it was cooked potatoes and chicken, but I'm not sure. The three of us did a bit of swimming, but because the water was approximately 40°, I chickened out after a few minutes. We also met Clemence's little brother who asked me if we have cheese in America. I informed him that yes, we have cheese too.

That's it for now. Today we'll leave to go canoeing in about an hour. Ah - I need a nap. :)

Feugerolle II

August 19th (Thursday):

When I returned to Feugerolle after posting last time's update, Marie-Caroline and I went on a hike with her three nieces and her sister-in-law. It was stunning! Only part-way up the path, you could turn around and get a perfect view of the surrounding mountains. And guess which idiot forgot her camera? :) Fortunately, MC's sister-in-law promised to mail me her pictures.

After the hike, MC and I were shown Jean-Baptiste's bunny rabbits. Who is Jean-Baptiste? I'm glad you asked. He is the handy-man who takes care of Feugerolle with his wife and daughter during the months the de Boyssons are not at the castle. He is legit French, and I really want to take a picture of him. Every day, he wears a royal blue flat cap with royal blue trousers and a matching flannel shirt. And he raises bunnies! He is the real deal. And his rabbits - cute little things - are, in fact, quite valuable. A woman once traveld 5,000 kilometers to buy one! I can understand why - they were very soft and cuddly.

August 20th (Friday):

MC, her brother Adrien, his friend Benjamin, and I went rock-climbing, and it just might have been my favorite day here in France. I know, I know, I'm supposed to like the Louvre or the Eiffel Tower, or just Paris, but that's not what happened. We drove to Saint Etienne, received our harnesses and instructions, and hiked out to the location for twenty minutes. I had really hope to - I don't know - have something crazy like an actual instructor actually instructing me on what to do. Instead, we just hiked out and started rock-climbing. Fortunately, the others explained everything and made sure I didn't unnecessarily risk my life. It was a very fun and very exhausting! When we had reached the end of the climb, we all trekked down this quarter of a mile, very rocky path. Adrien stopped a man to ask him for directions, and the man promptly told us we had to go back up the path.

It might have been at this point that I learned my first French curse word.

So we walked back up the path and hiked back in to town. As Benjamin put it, "We are exhausted - but a successful type of exhaustion."

August 21st (Saturday):

On this day, Marie-Caroline, her parents, her brother Regis, and I traveled to Lyon. We first stopped to look at some "Roman vestiges," next to Saint John's church, next to a basilica that looked like an upside-down elephant, and then went shopping. After we went shopping (and yes, Lauren, I did buy you a French shirt), MC's week-long plea won out, and she got her ears pierced! She was very nervous, but handled it well.

And the next time I have internet access, I'll start where I left off.

Au revoir!

Feugerolle

Okay, here is a day-by-day update. (A little caveat: we have not been doing many tourist-y things, so this will be a much less exciting post.)

Thursday, August 12:

Marie-Caroline, her parents, her older brother Adrien, and I drove to their vacation castle (!) called Feugerolle. On the way, we stopped to look at an old Abbey. It was truly gorgeous! There was a little pond in the middle of the garden, and MC said, "Oh look - a swimming pool for monks!" She's funny. The Abbey is comprised of ten or eleven buildings, and Mr. de Boysson made sure that we went inside all of them and got our money's worth. The Abbey had a small church, a forge, dormitories, and a dining hall. Most of it was still intact. I said to MC, "If they turned this into a college, I would so go here!"

Friday, August 13:

I met all the remaining people in the de Boysson family! Considering that there are 21, it took a while. MC and her oldest niece took me on a tour of the castle. It was incredible, and hopefully I can put the pictures up on Picasa when I get home. The castle was bought by Mrs. de Boysson's ancestor, an Italian banker, in the 16th century, so there are many ancient artifacts and paintings. They even have his armor! My favorite room is probably the library. Its ceiling must be at least 40 feet high, and there are beautiful stacks of books from bottom to top! They even have a very cool ladder to help one reach the books on the higher levels. I told MC, "This is just like Beauty and the Beast!"Once we finished the tour, Marie-Caroline's sister-in-law took the two of us shopping in a nearby town, and we found some great deals!

Saturday, August 14th:

MC's oldest brother, Arnaud, took his five daughters and us to the nearby planetarium. It was neat, very similar to the I-max theater in Charlotte. I couldn't understand everything, but it was great to hear all the French words and have a movie to help make sense of it. After the planetarium, we went on a hike nearby. At the foot of the mountain, there were two vendors selling a variety of breads, tarts, and pastries. How much more French could it possibly be?

Sunday, August 15th:

We went to a nearby church for Mass. It turned out that it was a holiday, the Feast of the Ascension. Afterward, the priest took two doves from a cage and set them free. The symbolism was lovely. Later that day, the priest arrived in time to hold a Mass for Monday, and MC showed me how to walk on stilts.

Monday, August 16th:

This was a very sad day: MC's oldest brother's family left, so I told them all goodbye. They are such a sweet family, and we were sorry to see them go. Before they left, however, the two oldest girls played the clarinet and the cello in the Mass. The third daughter is taking piano, and the fourth would like to learn the guitar. They are a very talented family!

Tuesday, August 17th:

I went on a run in the mountains with MC's third oldest brother, François. I think he is part mountain goat! Later, Adrien and MC taught me how to play poker. Then, that evening, we drove to a party at her friend's home. It was a lot of fun! MC had spent all day teaching me how to do the Rock (a retro dance that the French have adopted), so I knew how to dance a little. I was surprised by how many American songs were being played, and it was really great to hear something familiar!

Yesterday, Marie-Caroline's dad picked us up in the morning from the dance, which was an hour away. We played some more card games in the afternoon. Adrien and I are continually shocked by MC's good luck. She couldn't lose if she tried!

During my stay at Feugerolle, we have watched a few Hitchcock movies in French. Last night, though, Marie-Caroline's brother François wanted to watch the movie in English with subtitles. He is very dedicated to learning the language! And finally, as a parting note, I do not recommend watching Vertigo and then walking up two flights of stairs to your room. Just saying.

La France!

Greetings from Paris! We arrived safely on Monday night, the de Boyssons picked me up, and we headed to their home. It is wonderful to see Marie-Caroline again, and her parents are incredibly gracious hosts.

On Tuesday morning, MC's parents, MC, and I set out to conquer Paris. We went to Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower, ate lunch at a corner cafe, visited the Hotel des Invalides, and headed to see MC's sister Josephine in her apartment outside Paris. She made us a delicious French meal and taught me a card game. Of course, by this time, we were quite exhausted!

Then this morning, we visited the Louvre and met my family for lunch afterward. The Louvre is both beautiful and exhaustive, and there is no way any human being can see it all in less than a month! In the afternoon, we went to the palace at Versailles. Everything was ornate and beautiful!

Today alone, I have learned the most about French history, completely due to the extensive teaching of Mr. de Boysson.

In the morning, we will be driving to their vacation castle, and internet will be sketchy. If we do get it, I'll explain more about what's been happening.

Merci!

Numbers

Two hemispheres, three continents, four countries, twenty-four hours.

That's what's up.

Journey to Jo'burg

So yesterday on Thursday, we left the bush. We had one final safari in the morning, and even though Mom, a random guest, and I were the only ones attending, we were rewarded with our remaining Big 5 creature: the buffalo! (In case you were wondering, the Big 5 are lion, cheetah, buffalo, elephant, and rhino.) We told our awesome guide goodbye and headed out. After a four hour bus ride, we arrived in Johannesburg, the (other) mile-high city. The place where we’re lodging is in an area of the city called “Little Tuscany,” and it’s pretty high-end. We even have a pool, though I doubt Lauren and I will be entering its murky green waters.

Today I, out of a terrible habit, woke up around seven and had breakfast. Then when everyone else woke up, ate, and readied themselves, we grabbed a taxi and headed for the mall.

Everywhere you look here in Jo’burg, you can see some version of poverty staring back at you. It may be the shacks that occupy miles upon miles; it may be the beggar on the street corner, scuffing his dusty feet; or it may be a wide-eyed child who waves frantically to you from his seat in the dirt. Nearly every day, I have seen something that has broken my heart. And the most surprising thing about the poor is their proximity to the rich. In America, both rich and poor can inhabit the same cities, perhaps the same general area of town. But here, the two classes are nearly next door to each other. Such absolute destitution faces such ridiculous luxury. It is a great paradox. Some of those in our group elected to tour the shanty-towns, but we opted to get in some shopping. After we explored and got some pictures of the thirty-foot statue of Nelson Mandela, we headed back to our hotel in time for – you guessed it – another “wining and dining” experience. And now, with our bellies full, we are heading to bed.

Medikwe Continued

Alrighty: yesterday morning. We started out with a bang: a mother leopard with her cub. She was well-camouflaged up on the mountain, but our guide quickly spotted her. We then came upon a group of giraffes, gnawing on tree branches, and we followed them for about twenty minutes. After driving for a bit, we caught a group of springbok, which are basically antelope that are fond of springing. It was too cute to watch them jump around!

Lauren and I took a pretty lengthy nap after that. When I got up to go on the afternoon safari, I looked up and, lo and behold, a giraffe was in the backyard less than 50 feet away! I grabbed my camera, but that giraffe had bolted - as giraffes are obviously prone to do.

However, the evening safari made up for that disappointment. We saw a warthog that we referred to as Pumba and then saw some kudu. And then we heard on the guide's radio about a group of elephants that was making its way to a waterhole. We quickly headed their direction, but as we were taking a shortcut, a new herd (I think it's actually called a "crash") of elephants trekked out in front of us, cutting us off. We patiently waited for all of them to make their way, and then we continued to the waterhole. At this location, there is a ridge that circles around for about two hundred feet, and then it slopes off to the water below. It's about eight feet wide, which is enough for the vehicles.

So we go up to about the middle of the ridge and camp out for a while. It's lovely: the setting sun blazes over the landscape while around 50 elephants play around in the water. However, there was this one amorous elephant. He started to make a move on a female elephant, and Marc goes, "Oh, there's a great shot!" I thought, "Yeah - if you're a pervert." It was ridiculous, though, because Female Elephant was clearly not interested. Everyone was making the most horrible comments!

But the excitement didn't end there. Because of all the baby elephants around, a few mothers had been unsettled. Marc showed us that the stress marks were showing up on nearly all their faces. We had been shoo-shooed by the matriarch, but we weren't too scared. In fact, we were gazing at the scene quite peacefully when the matriarch flapped her ears, trumpeted loudly, and charged us! Marc yelled and banged loudly on the side of the vehicle, reversing as quickly as possible! Did I mention - we had no rifle on hand?

I think it's safe to say that was the closest we've come to wetting our pants.

We ate another adventurous dinner and headed to bed. Lauren stated that she most certainly was not getting up in the morning for the safari. And she did pick a good one to miss.

So that is the excitement we've been party to, and I'm sure there will be more tonight. Stay tuned!

Medikwe

Well, it is Tuesday, we are in the African bush, and I finally have internet again. Huzzah!

You all didn't really miss out on much Saturday and Sunday. We ran, rested, and rode around Capetown. We did go up on Table Mountain. They asked us to vote for it as another world wonder, but I'm not so sure. On neat thing is that when the fog surrounds the top of the mountain, they call it the tablecloth. Pretty nifty. Afterward, we stopped by Simonstown and looked at penguins. It was right by the beach, so we walked along the boardwalk. While we were walking back to the van, I saw two penguins outside near the small market. Now, I'll let you know that we all have a bet going. Minus the bad connotation. The "bet" is that whoever can grab a bird first wins Lauren's patience throughout the trip. If you know Lauren, you understand just how incredibly splendid that would be. So I lunged at the penguin and lightly touched the back of its neck before it went off into the bush. And guess what happened? Lauren - conveniently - didn't believe me. But it did happen: I promise.

Okay, so we left wine country yesterday morning. When I say morning, I mean 3:45. AM. Because "lunch in the bush" is worth waking our fannies up before it hits 30 degrees outside. Our flight was at 6am, and we all barely made it. May I say, Kulula airlines is pretty hilarious. All the flight attendants wear obnoxiously large collars, the manuals are riddled with snarky comments, and the planes are bright green. It's actually pretty fun.

We arrived in time for lunch (as planned), and were awed by the sheer African-ness of everything. On the bus trip in, we got our first look at some giraffes (or, as some would say, horses with 10-foot necks). Our lodgings are impossibly intricate, and the staff is incredibly eager to please. Each time we come back from a safari, they are out front to greet us with hot towels and drinks. They are wonderful!

So last night, we had all moved in to our respective lodges and were ready to go safariing. If that's a word. (Just to let you know, safaris are a bi-daily event. We head out at 6:30 in the morning and 4:00 in the afternoons, and each tour lasts three hours.) We met our guide, Marc, and headed out. Can I just say: Marc is amazing. As a matter of fact, I found out today that he is the head guide here, and that doesn't surprise me one bit. Last night, for our first safari, the very first thing he showed us was a pride of lions. Now, Marc is a pretty reserved guy, but after we saw the lions, he was really excited. We also saw a sivet, a herd of impala, and a few elephants. On this morning's safari...well, I need to get off the computer now, but hopefully I'll let you know what happened next. It was pretty intense, so you'll want to find out. :)

Stellenbosch

Well, I would have written a little bit sooner, but we have had some internet difficulties. You’ll all be pleased to know that I single-handedly solved that situation. J

I think I left off in the airport in Johannesburg. Our flight from Jo’burg to Capetown was pretty basic, and the drive from Capetown to Stellenbosch was lovely. However, we did see quite a few slums just outside the city. They stretched for two, maybe three miles. It was heartbreaking, not to mention odd, to see pitiful rows of shacks seated next to exquisite mansions. During the rest of the drive, we saw rugged mountains, rolling hills, remnants of the World Cup, and a strawberry patch spattered with weirdly life-like scarecrows. Honestly, I must say I found it rather creepy.

Now: let’s talk wine. We are staying at the Kleine Zalze Lodge. Let me translate that for you: the “Ridiculously Extravagant Wine-obsessed Lodge.” The view from our back porch alone is astounding. We overlook a golf course and an in-your-face closeness to the neighboring mountains. The weather is about 50-65 degrees Fahrenheit, just about perfect. Behind the lodge (which, it’s not really a lodge, but more of a conglomeration of stucco apartments), is a huge field of grape vines. It’s quite different from what you’d expect, of course, because it’s winter here and nothing is blooming. Yet it’s still lovely and most enjoyable. I’ll be getting up early with Dad to go for a run on the dirt road that runs through there. There’s a good likelihood I’ll catch a few pictures.

After we arrived here yesterday, we had enough time to check in, change clothes, and unpack until we had to leave right away for our dinner at Overlook. Again, I will translate: “The Ritzy Restaurant that is basically outside when it is basically thirty degrees and serves you next to nothing for way too much but somehow manages to have the most brilliant sunset imaginable outside.” Whew. That was long. And so was our dinner: four hours. The day we finish flying in from Timbuktu, and we have a four hour dinner. I understand that it’s just part of the deal, but hopefully the rest of our dinners won’t be quite so lengthy.

After dinner, we all slept for 12-14 hours and missed breakfast. It was well worth it. After we grabbed a quick bite of lunch with Uncle Ronnie (Dad’s lecture partner) and his son Mark, we took a cab to downtown Stellenbosch. The city is a college town but is surprisingly well-kept and crime-free. We bartered in the marketplace, and since it was late on Friday afternoon, we had some *allegedly* excellent prices. Lauren and I picked up some jewelry and trinkets while Dad shelled out the rands. The venders were incredibly nice, and we enjoyed chatting with them. However, because this is their livelihood, they were quite imposing, too. We poked a bit of fun at them and the old “I’ll make a special price for you” bit, and they were good-natured enough to laugh with us.

Afterward, the family toured the rest of the city for an hour and headed back to our Lodge. Then we once again had a four-hour dinner. I must admit, though, that both the portions and the conversations had grown in size and quality, so Lauren and I made it through all right. It’s about 12 now, and I have to get up at 8:30, so I think that will be all for now.

Our First Misadventure

Let the storytelling begin!

First, let me just go ahead and say that we are all safe. And pretty happy. Now I'll get to the good, well actually the bad stuff.

Let's start with the New York - Jo'burg flight. On this lovely, 14-hour flight of ours, we had an excellent pilot. He was so good, in fact, that he managed to hit every single pocket of turbulent air he could find. I'm sure pilots go a lifetime without achieving this feat. The flight was so turbulent that Mom had a fun little round of "motion sickness" (sometimes euphemisms are just the best way to go). This blessed pilot even managed to keep us from being overly-rested. How considerate. Our accumulated hours of sleep came out at a grand total of 19 hours. Now, I don't know about you, but in this family, an average of five hours of sleep per person does not lend itself well to cheery moods and beaming smiles. Quite the opposite, in fact.

So when we went to re-check our baggage for our Jo'burg to Capetown flight and discovered that even though we had paid for our tickets way back in the freaking month of April, due to retarded policy/bureaucracy, the gate agents insisted that we pay an additional rate equivalent to the same day fare. Which would cost $900 more. Why did they ask us to adjust our flight cost? It's complicated. It is always complicated. But from what I can gather, it has something to do with which credit card we brought. Whatever the case, please accept the fact that it was absolutely absurd for them to charge us more for tickets we had already bought. However, our resident Hercules (Mom), managed to move heaven and earth to save us from those greedy bureaucrats. She is eating a pear now to celebrate her epicness.

Next, we had a little ray of sunshine I will refer to as the "Ludicrous Lounge Lady." Oh yes. Because this story gets even better.

After we got through security, we wanted a break. Lauren and I have been tending suitcases for an hour while Mom and Dad battled stupidity in human form. Questionable words may or may not have been spoken. We almost couldn't find our way to the lounge. When we finally did meander on up to the lounge, we encountered yet another barrier. And yes: it is the Ludicrous Lounge Lady.

Here's what she wanted: credible proof of Dad's chairman status. Fair enough, yes? Well, here's the catch: Dad has left his physical USAIR card at home. Now, Dad still spends 45% of his time flying, he's still a chairman, and he still deserves access. So Mom goes to bat for us and diligently whips out her exhaustive notebook of important documentation for this trip. At least 12 attempts are made to convince L.L.L. that my father is, indeed, not a white collar criminal, but a simple, frequent-flyer man. I cannot adequately express the frustration that each of us are feeling. She is unwilling to accept anything less than Dad's actual USAIR card or an exact copy of it. Discouraged, the Thomas family leaves.

Well, we girls were discouraged. Dad was just plain put out. So Lauren sets up her laptop in the common area and goes to work. She is very focused. After ten minutes, she has finally tracked down a copy of Dad's documentation. Now we have another hero. Her name is Lauren, and she is boss.

After finding this brilliant gleam of hope, the Thomas Family confidently swaggers up to L.L.L. We all want to see her cry. Lauren presents the evidence, and we wait, holding our breaths. The lady, clearly upset that we are winning this superfluous war, sighs and grants us entrance.

Can I just say, this lounge is good. It's great, even. But the sweetest thing about it is that we fought for it. And we won. And who doesn't like to win?

Arrival #1

Hello, everyone! We arrived safely in last night (30 minutes early, even), and are well-rested. We were even treated to a foreign language prayer service in our taxi. It probably wasn't a Baptist church. We're at the lounge now, chilling out until we have to go through security. The next update will probably be more than...I don't know, 14 hours or so? Just a guess. :)

Welcome

Hey, guys! Our flight leaves tonight at 10:00pm. We are all super-excited and ready to go. I can't wait to share our stories and mishaps with all of you!