On stage with "The Tortoise and the Hare."
APRIL 2012
Annabel Sheinberg and Asa Turok (Jimmy’s friend from SLC) visited us in early April. Jimmy was thrilled to have his pal here in Annecy. No new snow for our guests, but we did have some great spring skiing in our region. Asa went to school with Jimmy and was “lucky” enough to eat in the school “cantine”. To give credit where credit is due, I must add that Asa was present for our MARCH swim and he actually jumped in the lake twice!
Vinnie Broderick was also here for a few days in early April during his whirlwind tour of Europe. He arrived in Annecy via train, without a cell phone, internet access, our telephone number, or our street address. Somehow, he made it to the lake, and recognized our apartment from photos on the blog. Very impressive work by Vinnie. It was great to have him here, even for just a short visit.
Skiing wrapped up in the second week of April. Some of the last races were cancelled, first because of rain, then because of new snow. The cancellations were disappointing for Jimmy and Mary, who felt that they were “jipped” of their final races. While the ski season is very long, we all felt some remorse at the end of the season and we miss the routine, the training, the competition, and seeing the friends we have met.
In early April, my great friend from high school (and Mary’s godmother), Aleen Keshishian was in Paris for work. Aleen was with her mother Cecile and her daughter Lulu. So, Mary Elisabeth and I jumped on a train to Paris to visit Aleen and her family for 2 days. The girls and I were so excited about our trip to Paris that we didn’t pay close attention to the train we were getting on. As the train pulled out of the station, I realized that I had gotten us all on the wrong train! Fortunately I recognized my mistake quickly, so we were able to get got off at the first stop (not too far from Annecy) in a small town / field in the middle of nowhere. I called Alex, who came by car to rescue us, and brought us back to the Annecy station. We said our goodbyes for the second time that day, and caught the next train to Paris just an hour behind our intended schedule. The trip was short, but we had so much fun with Aleen whom I had not seen in several years. Mary and Elisabeth absolutely loved Aleen and Lulu. We were also lucky to stay with the Viollet’s (yet again . . .).
A 2 week school vacation started on April 6th, just before Easter. We had a quiet but happy Easter here in Annecy. The Easter bunny arrived with more chocolate than anyone can imagine. The chocolate stores all around Annecy were beautifully decorated with chocolate masterpieces. No plastic eggs could be found here, for an egg hunt. So there was a hunt for real chocolate eggs. Even with our small group, we dutifully had our highly competitive egg cracking game/competition, which Scottie won, in case anyone is interested.
One Wednesday when Scottie was skiing and the others had no school, Alex, Jimmy, Mary and Elisabeth went castle hunting. They found an old ruin about 45 minutes away. Chantemerle Castle was built on a bluff above the Isere river in the 11th and 12th centuries. The kids loved climbing all over the walls and pretending to defend against invading armies. This kind of last minute visit to sites that have no real historical import but are really fun to explore will be one of the things we miss the most when we leave France.
Scottie’s last ski race was April 10th, and shortly thereafter, we started our school vacation travels by going to Zermatt for a few days. We had 2 days of powder skiing, the snow then stopped, the weather cleared and we could see the Matterhorn perfectly. According to the children, the best part of the trip was that we had a pool in the hotel, so how could we go wrong?
After Zermatt, we headed south to Italy, and spent about 10 days in Florence and Rome. The Italian portion was really exciting and interesting for ALL of us, even the youngest. In Florence, we found that we (especially the kids) spoke French better than the natives spoke English, so we ended up speaking French most of the time, which as you can imagine made us feel very international. Those of you who know the McGrails, (friends of the Sullivan family for many many years) will appreciate this story: After a busy and extremely educational day in Florence, I threw out a question along the lines of “Who remembers the name of the famous family in Florence that was very wealthy and who contributed huge amounts of money to art, music, and religion during the Renaissance?” Mary yells “I know, I know . . . . wait . . . . it starts with an “M” . . . . McGrail?? “
Gelato, markets, leather, the Duomo, gelato, David, Galileo, Galileo’s finger, gelato, parks, the Medicis, gelato, string ensemble concert, delicious food, Renaissance, Michalangelo, pieta, more gelato. That pretty much sums up Florence for us.
On our way to Rome, we visited the American cemetery in Nettuno, about an hour west of Rome, where Robert Carter Bryan, one of Alex’ relatives who was killed in Italy during WWII, is buried. Interestingly, another Richmonder, James M.G. McGuire, Ginny Stanley’s uncle, is buried about 20 yards away. While this is not as famous as the cemetery in Normandy, it is absolutely striking to see the rows and rows and rows of white crosses marking the graves. Just over 7,200 American are buried here. It was very interesting to hear the superintendent tell stories about family members and vets who had visited the cemetery over the years.
We arrived in Rome, guided to our hotel by our handy GPS. The cobblestone streets on which I was driving were so small and narrow that I was sure the reliable GPS was leading me over sidewalks. But alas, we maneuvered our minivan and arrived without too much duress. We had been reading our guidebook on the way, which gave multiple warnings about thieves, pickpocketers, and the like. So after losing Jimmy in the metro in Paris last August, we thought we would be exceptionally thorough this time. We emphasized that the kids had to pay attention, not wander off, not give a camera to strangers to take a photos, and that sometimes the pickpocketers were dressed like tourists (according to the guidebook) etc etc. So, upon arrival to the hotel, we found the parking to be extremely tight, even for a SmartCar, let alone our big minivan. Alex got out of the car to direct me, but then the parking attendant came up to Alex and told him not to worry, he would take the car for us. So – despite our strict warning to the children not to trust strangers, Alex and I who were thrilled not to have to maneuver the car, readily got out of the car, gave the keys to the attendant, who proceeded to get in the car that has our wallets, passports, luggage and 4 children… We suddenly realized that we have completely violated all of our safety rules. The children look at us with confused expressions as the parking attendant drives away with them! Fortunately the garage was just a few yards away, the parking lot man was legit, and we didn’t lose any valuables or children.
We hit all the usual sights in Rome. We stumbled across a guide for the Vatican who gave an incredible tour. If you believe in websites like Trip A dvisor, our guide just happened to be rated # 2 of several thousand guides in Rome. Of course take that statistic with a grain of salt, but he really was exceptional. He kept everyone in the group (about 20 people) interested for 2 ½ hours (admittedly Elisabeth got a bit squirmy at the end). Mary looked at me half way through and mouthed “I LOVE this” which really does say a lot for the tour guide. I will have to say, the next day at the coliseum Elisabeth turned to me and yelled (not mouthed like Mary did) “I absolutely HATE this.” So- win some, lose some, right? Scottie loved the ancient ruins and seeing the forum and coliseum, because he is learning about this period in history class. Of course they were all thrilled to see where Julius Caesar was burned after he was stabbed. Overall, we really had a great time in Rome: the monuments, strolling through the small streets, more gelato, riding bikes in the Borghese gardens, watching street performers, playing soccer, eating delicious pasta. We were thrilled. Mary’s assessment, however, was that “Rome is a little too old for my taste.” She preferred Florence.
Back to Annecy on April 23. That week, Mary and Elisabeth went across the street to float boats that they had made out of aluminum foil, in the lake. On their way home, blue lights from a police car start flashing. The girls stop to watch the action, only to find out that THEY were the action! The police got out and asked them what they were doing, and where they lived. The girls told them they had just been floating boats, told them our address and said they were headed home. The police walked them to the apartment, where our neighbors (a couple in their 60s) who were just arriving home, said they knew the girls and yes, in fact they did live here. So, a plus that the girls were able to handle this situation in what Mary describes as “very fast French” and a minus is that they were escorted home by the police!
School continues to go well for everyone. Music classes (piano and violin) have continued throughout the year and recitals are approaching. Jimmy started playing in a small children’s orchestra, and is absolutely delighted with himself. His final concert in June will be in the Annecy Chateau, which he thinks is very exciting. Elisabeth was in a “spectacle” at school, singing and acting out the fables of Jean de La Fontaine. She was thrilled because she got to be the tortoise in “The Tortoise and the Hare.” She took her role very seriously and moved across the stage VERY VERY slowly. You can just imagine. She was thrilled and said that she “absolutely LOVED being on stage.” Everyone really is doing well, although the kids are all starting to look forward to returning home.
Of course, at the end of April, the monthly swim was squeezed in. The water is still very cold, I am told.
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