Nîmes

Yesterday, I took a day trip into the French town Nîmes.  I went to see L’arène which was built in the 1st and 2nd century and is one of the best preserved Roman structures in France.  There was a brief expose describing the different famed gladiators who fought in the arenas just like the one in Nîmes.  One was called the Thracian, which I only heard from the HBO show Spartacus.  There were also examples of the gear the gladiators wore in the battles…  Glory and gore?  Yup.

I only passed by to glimpse Maison Carré, another well-preserved Roman structure, on the way to Les Jardins de la Fountaine.  I saw the ruins of the Diana temple there and La Tour Maine.  The gardens itself were beautiful and quite peaceful, particularly in the light rain, and I enjoyed walking through them.  It reminded me a little bit of the parks in Japan.

Diana temple

 

“Hobbit” steps

 I was feeling feverish because of the rain and the drop in temperature, so I headed back to the train station.  There were major delays for all southbound trains (4 hour delays to be exact), so they were distributing water and food boxes to passengers.  Several people looked like they were sleeping at the train station for the night.  I had an amazing encounter with an American couple who were waiting on the queue for refunds with me.  In fact, when they left for a car-share, about ten minutes later, I was told there was a train leaving for Béziers in five minutes.  I ran for it!  Meeting Kat last night, amid the train chaos, made me feel like… the universe listening.  So, I am feeling truly grateful, not only for last night but this whole summer. ✨✨✨

Chez Kiki

Today, we had lunch at Michelle’s mother’s place.  Kiki once worked as a cook, so it is always a special treat to eat her meals.  We began with an apéritif, a glass of Muscat, and then ate  chilled crevettes (shrimp) and aioli which Kiki directed me to eat “avec les mains,” or with my hands.  For our main dish, Kiki prepared seafood paella – with artichokes!

Colorful and festive

For dessert, there were sweet tarts and cream puffs with chantilly and spéculos.  I couldn’t help but to take a sieste after lunch.  Later in the evening, I brought Michelle’s daughter, Clara, to watch the Adam Sandler film Pixels at the cinema.  It was dubbed in French so it was funny to decipher the dialogue as best I could!

When we arrived back to the house after the film, we each made our own personal pizzas for dinner; mine was shaped like a crescent moon.  Suffice to say, I’m stuffed and I think baby Raphael would agree that we are a well-fed family. 😄😁😋

Bisous, Mila

Notre petit prince

My dear friends Michelle and Tiago asked me to be the marraine (godmother) of baby Raphaël.  While Michelle cooked dinner last night, I sang to him while I rocked him gently in my arms.  

He’s a star

 
After dinner, we laughed about the “sicko” facial expressions he often makes…  Really precious!  We can’t wait to watch him grow up. ⭐️ 

L’été

On July 9th, I arrived in France to spend a weekend in the French countryside with friends.  From there, I embarked on a solo back-packing trip throughout northern Italy, exploring a new town every day.  I then flew from Milano to London, visiting family  based there before returning to Paris.  Yesterday, I took the TGV from Paris Gare de Lyon to Béziers, reuniting with more friends and – most of all, meeting a very special addition to the world, the baby Raphael. 

In all this time, I kept a journal to record all the people, places, and experiences I’ve encountered.  It didn’t occur to me to also share my adventures on a blog (although I’ve certainly shared some photos on social media) until a new friend in Paris suggested the idea.  Why not?  I intend to stay another month here before taking my flight back to NY, so here goes…