butterflies and chocolate on Thursday

The most evocative thing to me at the garden in royan. I'd never seen an olive grove, and this one had a tree over 1800 years old. We had to pose of course.

Down below you'll read EN's account of battling on stools. This is it. She couldn't comprehend that Aicha actully won all her battles. She did. She loved it. Don't ask me why this is in a garden. It just is. I'd have to speak french to ask. The girls loved it.

Thursday ended with a trip to a chocolate factory. Here we are, licking our fingers, laughing how 5 euros of chocolate can disapear in 5 seconds.

forgive me for putting the last picture in the middle, but the minutes here have just worked out. Bear with me. We're on to St. Germaine de didion tomorrow. We're ready for a change. Hopefully they'll have wifi at something less than a euro every 10 minutes.

Love to all,

d. -- meanwhile, read on

This is EN's take on the day, as described to her mom:

Hi Mommy,I will tell you what we did on thursday. first of all we went to a garden. We saw butterflies in all different colors. Then we saw goats. Me and Aicha went on a trampoline then fought with cushions on stools. I always lost. It was weird but aicha ha a hard time falling. We also went on a long slide that was high up. Also we went on a small obsticle course. We all went through the garden. Oh, yeah I forget we went in a labrinth. Then me and aicha wen on carts that you have to peddle to move. goodnight Mommy. I miss you!!!!Emma Nour Belabbes

They also took pictures. This is Aicha's.

The kid's favorite part of the day. EN is yelling at A to slow down! Watch out! She herself tuck two turns and burned the rubber on every corner.

Oh, and there were goats to pet.

And the butterfly exhibit did intrigue them, small as it was, the specimens were lovely.

Here's the garden from outside, taken by aicha. The square bushes are supposed to look Japanese. That's ok. It's new. They'll work on it.
They'll send someone to Japan or Brooklyn to see how it's done.

love to all,

d.

Royan and the cruise up the shore

This is our place, just past the hollyhocks, a few blocks up from the town and the ocean front. I love that a blooming mimosa greets us. Here are the girls trudging back from the beach on Monday.

We always pass a place of garages where wild cats gather. EN thrills to this each time. Here's one. Today we saw a mass of ground meat at the fence, so we know why they gather here. Quietly cared for, like everything else here.

Wednesday we took a boat ride up past St Georges Dimain, then out to a light house. An intelligent man's voice came out of the speaker describing the views and the history. Too bad we couldn't understand a word. Khaldia translated, something about WWII, and you could see those german bunkers with slits for eyes. She said Royan was bombed relentlessly, so most of the town was post-war, and many of the buildings are 50's and 60's feeling. When we got out to the light house, we wondered what made this stone tower so special, and then she scribbled in ink that it was built in 1300! Then the cameras came out!

Between buying the tickets and the launching time, we walked around to find a place to have lunch. The 'park' was little more than a wide medium strip, but still planted with lovely flowers, and enjoyed by a few picnicking families. We found an open air restaurant, and the waiter was delightful. It's specialty was mussels, and EN snarfed them down like candy, while Khaldia ate them delicately. Khaldia's a far better cook, but the mussells were the best I've tasted.

Then the girls spotted this carousel, two stories! and of course needed a ride. Afterwards Aicha admitted she was a little old for it, and it would probably be her last, but who could blame her? A real work of art.

The carousel! Two stories. While we were

If you look closely on top, you'll see the old German bunker. This is between Royan and St Germaine.

Houses, built right into the cliffs, for miles and miles, some amazingly elegant, some as crude as caves. Many grottos where submarines and contraband guns hid during the war.

The girls had a special companionship during the trip, watching, feeling the breeze and the adventure.

Here's the tower. I'll download Aicha's camera. She usually gets the best pictures of things.

Khaldia, and the French flag waving. She's someone to trust for the right thing to do on the right day, cheerful, and loving. She soothes the girls awake with arabic endearments that are like music, and takes their antics with a laugh. And there's no better restaurant in Royan than the one in our own little apartment. What a joy to be here with her and the girls.

Tomorrow, on to some a garden, of sorts, a chocolate museum, and a quiet day painting.

Much love to all,

d.

Monday and Tuesday, long, long days at the beach

Up and at em, Monday, as I said before, after going to the amazing outdoor/indoor market, and picking up the floats for the waves (no rules about no toys, but carefully watchful lifeguards striding the beach, with flippers in hand and a motorboat ready). Everything for fun, and the girls were psyched.

Khaldia prepares the mussels and Calamari..

And we're packed and off to the big time beach. EN gapes a bit as we pass a grandmother or two going topless. She quietly sings a little of the 'do your ears hang low do they wobble to and fro. . .' only with a substtution for the word 'ears'. Still, after romping in the waves that come in high and wonderfully strong, there's a few bodies to be buried, a little snack to be had.

Tuesday it was on to a smaller beach, a smaller one on the other side of the town center, lined with great piles of rocks, the lower ones encased in oyster shells and barnacles. EN found this wonderful. She remembered a time when their daddy found a mussel crop under a bridge and they collected bucketl loads and shared them with her friends.

The waves were mild and the wind cool. Swimming was swimming, but there's just so much of that you can do. We'd bought an umbrella, for shade, and there's always reading. But I'd bought a little rubber dragon in Cambridge, feeling it would pass the time on the trip. I took him out, and instead of grabbing it from me and threatening its dire murderous end by choking, stretching , sllicing or hacking, EN simply buried it in the sand, then decided it needed it's own city, dragon city. She mapped out a 20' square, and built walls all around, then paths in the center which would lead to a high tower where the dragon would reign. We'd need some shells for the tower, so we collected them at the shore. Lovely yellow to rose barnacle shells.

Aicha reminded me of Paul, you couldn't get her out of the water. Hour after hour. She just loved being there, pondering life, observing people.

We finally went home, sandy, sun-tanned, exhausted, and Khaldia whipped together a lovely quiche and salad. I was exhausted, but dragged myself out after midnight to send off messages,but the place was closed. I didn't mind. There's this amazing quiet in the town streets, and bright stars shine overhead. Magical.

More about the town tomorrow, and the boat ride down the coast.

much love to all,

d.

Sunday, Monday. . .On to Royan

Sunday it was on to Royan, a city of white buildings, red tile roofs, boutiques, tourist shops, by endless beaches. We rose early, ran to the bus, got on, then Khaldia realized she'd forgotten a bag. We would wait for her at the Metro stop, which the girls knew better than I. In a few moments she appeared red-faced, and we raced down the steps, through the turnstiles (without paying! just in time to catch the metro to the station, and on to the train.
First class the first half, which meant we were one of two families in the car, sitting twenty feet apart, it seemed, on facing seats, then a transfer to the local train, regular class, and a friendly knee to knee on this clean, modern silently speeding train.

Soon, soon we were out in the country. The girls insisted I learn cribbage, and I insisted that they observe one thing out the window between turns. Not the best approach, I know, but what we saw was out of Van-Gogh's sketch book, from the tall poplars, to the slant of the tiled farm roofs, the stone walls, the oatmeal-colored cows, from the fields and fields of wheat and, the dazzling yellow of fields of sunflowers in bloom. I took no photos for some reason, but I did a watercolor later.

A sweet gentleman met us at the station, and squeezed our bags into the car, and dropped us off at Rue Foutaine something, a simple, modern building, into an apartment with an efficient kitchen, a bedroom for K & A, a big bath with a big tub, a LR with a comfy double couch/bed for EN and I, with a table, tv and lots of shelves of dishes and stuff. I put A's books there, half of the Cambridge library it seems. Oh, I told myself over and over again not to overpack, and I didn't, but for this trip I end up putting all of the girl's gear in my bag, which now weighs slightly less than the eiffel tower. It was SO much fun hauling it up and down Metro stairways!
It was 2pm, so we decided to go exploring, and ended at the beach.

The next day, after shopping at the open air market, and a wonderful meal, by Khaldia, we came prepared with inflatable rafts, swimsuits and lunch. Here's Emma Nour's comments to her mom:
i have collected shells on the beach. grandma cant reach the internet so we are at the cyber cafe which we got here at 9:25 we went to the beach today and i just figured out that i have sand in my ears. Tata bought these inflatable mats. we used them but the waves were too small so I wished for big waves and giant sized ones kept coming, Aicha saw how that came true and how I should have asked for world peace. We had snails and calamri for lunch. bye bye mommy, enb





Khaldia showed her true colors, encouraging the girls to stay and play in the waves, even if it meant simply standing and watching, but watching was fun.

Aicha, searching for shells. The Cathedral du Notre Dame, behind, is near our place. Half the townspeople died during shelling in WWII, and the church was leveled. This all-cement cathedral rises in its stead, built in 1958. When I walk home from the cafe at night it's lit up, shining white against the starry sky, and the stars do shine brightly here. Aicha and I saw the big dipper last night.

Emma Nour, building a trench. When the waves came in she said, 'oh, no. Oh, no, code red, code red!'

And, my comments after a few days here:

It's very quiet.
People talk softly, shop quietly, play without shouting, work without raising their voice. There are no radios blaring anywhere ever. Or TVs. We're living in a city, really, two, three story buildings crowded together over scores of blocks, up a rise to the crown of the hill where the cathedral stands. The night is utterly silent under the stars. No air conditioners roaring anywhere. (It's been sunny, but even with a hot sun, always the breeze is cool and the nights are cool and comfortable.) But there's no ac in our apartment, and none visible in any windows. Church bells ring in the morning, and one or two song birds join in.

Time to go home. Aicha is anxious to leave. Tomorrow I'll try for both Monday and Tuesday photos, and catch up. All is well

love,

d.

sATURDAY 2

Emma Nour with her Co-ite mix. (Coke and Sprite. Don't ask for ginger ale. Not available in Paris!)


















Aicha's photo of the arch de triumph. Then onto the metro and up to the place where Emma Nour made me close my eyes, turn the corner, and then look.
the Eiffel tower--- Her own special memory of the first time she ever saw it.

We approached over a bridge, and there was a river and fountains in front of it, or so it appeared to me, so it was like this mighty being, striding the shores, full of intricate strength and, pardon the pun, gall. Yet there's a vulnerabilty. there was elevators for each leg, and only one was working. Metal scaffolding holds up one leg, hidden by trees.

Here's Emma Nour's photo from underneath. Too late to go up, extremely distressing to EN, as it was such a perfect day. It'll be for our return trip.
Much love. Sunday, on to Royan.

Hugs to all.
diane and Emma nour from the cyber cafe.

Saturday in Paris

Saturday, up and at 'em. After Coissants and warmed milk, it's off to the science museum, which was translated for us about this time, when a lovely old dog came out of his traveling bag to greet us on the Metro. Good doggy
Aicha took these pictures, by the way. Here's the entrance to the musee.
Emma Nour says the best part was the exhibit on light, making our shadows rainbow colored. We could also test our skills, those that didnt require speaking French, and EN won them all. Aicha liked the amazing holograms, like dizzy gillespie picking up his horn, blowing, then putting it down and smiling, all in one walk by the screen. My favorite was the way the whole museum took children seriously, and made everything simple, elegant, without bells and whistles. Teachers were doing serious experiments in every other room. The enlightenment in 21st century terms.

W e all looked longingly at the cafe there, but Khaldia shook her head non.
And out we went into the sunlit champs de elyses, however you spell it, which is an ordinary city street, only with sidewalks as wide as a two lane highway, lined with trees, cafe table and chairs, elegant stores, with little clean-up trucks cleaning up after everyone, and ending at the arch de triumph.





































more to come! Look for Saturday part 2

Up, up, and the Eiffel tower, right there!
Aicha, in full courahge!
Multiply this by 360 degrees!
And a bounding into the air!
au revoir! Tomorrow is another day!

Friday Finale photos 3

Taking a break by the statuary.
Yes!!!!!!!
We're doing the roller coaster, ok Aisha? Ok.
Is it ever going to start?