New friends far away
In September we went to the Aveyron region of France for 3 weeks. We had never been there before, didn't know anyone, but figured we'd check out this remote beautiful region. We stayed in a gite called Le Roucan, owned by Nala & Neerva. It was amazing and very rural. When we arrived with our bikes Nala said to us "my neighbor down the lane owns one of the lightest bikes in the world". Sure, Bruce said....right...in the middle of nowhere a guy has the lightest bike. Nala promised to introduce us to him.
The next morning Nala is tapping on our door telling us he spoke with Jacques, who is the man who has the lightest bike. Jacques will take you on a bike ride today...now....get ready! WHAT? So back down the road we went. The place we were staying was the last house on a very long road (about 1 mile up), it was at the end of the road. Jacques place was the 2nd house on the road, called Feniryols. So, we drive down to his beautiful french home with our bikes. Jacques is about 60 and fit as anything. He kisses us 3 times and was so warm and welcoming. He immediately took us into his "bike room" and there it was....his bike....and Bruce was amazed. It weighs 4,257 kg. That's nothing! His bike is worth probably 15K - 20K. Seriously, we were shocked. We weren't in Paris or Toulouse or Nice...we were in the middle of nowhere, in rural france and here we are with this man who loves bikes as much as us. FATE.
We went on many rides with Jacques and his girlfriend Fabian and our new friends Fabrice & Anke. We instantly made a connection with all of them. It felt so comfortable...like home. Jacques invited us to his home for dinner one night. Which I hear is very very unusual. Most french people who have only known for 2 week don't invite you to their home for dinner. We were honored. Our dinner included Jacques, his daughter (who was visiting for the weekend from Pau) and our host Nala (unfortuantely his wife Neerva was out of town). We had duck, fois gras, amazing wine, great conversation, etc...it was a truly magical night that ended at 2 am. We knew that we had met people who would be friends for life.
We spoke with Jacques today on the phone. It was great to hear his voice and we can't wait to see him. But we heard some sad news. Fabrice and Anke have separated and are getting divorced. They have 2 beautiful girls, but sometimes that's not enough to keep a marriage together. It was sad to hear that, boy you really see people differently when they are out of their home. Jacques told me that Anke wants to move back to Germany (where she was born and all her family is) and that made me sad too. Anke and I really hit it off. I am very athletic and love to bike, run, swim, etc...and she is exactly the same. I was so looking forward to having a good friend there. I am trying to reach her now to see what her plans are. I hope she'll be around some of time we are there, but who knows.
We are still so excited about our sabbatical, but it's strange how much can change in 6 months. We know that we still have very good friends waiting for us to return, but it's different somehow. When I was there the landscape and the lifestyle, it all seemed so dreamlike to me, but when you look at it you realize that people are the same all over the world, be it in a big city in America or in the rural countryside of France.
Ugh. I hate bikes. And pretty much hate biking too, unless it happens to be on a perfectly flat shaded path along say, a river.
Too bad about the couple. What will they do with the kids if they are in different countries?
Posted by: Megan | April 09, 2008 at 09:24 AM
Megan - hate is a very strong word...how about dislike! There are many places where it is flat and beautiful - especially around where you live. Plus, you are saving the earth and burning some calories at the same time! I don't know what will happen if she goes back to Germany. I hope she won't but all her family is there. It's very sad.
Posted by: Alisa Rosseter | April 09, 2008 at 10:34 AM
i'm drooling.
Posted by: Colleen | April 11, 2008 at 04:03 PM
Hi Alisa: Great to hear from you and congratulations on your upcoming French sabbatical! We're very happy here in Mougins and hope we'll have a chance to meet you next fall. My husband has long said his dream is to learn how to paint. Perhaps we can use his need for some pointers as an excuse to get together. In the meantime, good luck with all preparations and have a safe arrival in France! You can reach me anytime at 'stasha@gmail.com'.
Regards,
Stasha, Dave & kids
'La Vie Echangee'
Posted by: Stasha | April 17, 2008 at 01:42 AM