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.