European Adventures Part 1: Farms, Food, and Phantoms

I can't believe it-- I've been in Europe for a week, and I'm just now finding the time to write. It's not that I haven't had down time, but I've been so busy relaxing, eating delicious meals that last for three hours, and trying to mix French, Italian, and English to talk with people that I've barely thought about the blog I promised to keep up. I've already had so many amazing experiences, and I still have six weeks left! But although I've been to the Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower, taken taxis, buses, metros, and trains through bustling cities, and done plenty of shopping, the best moments have been quiet ones in the countryside. I would probably feel like I was missing something crucial if I didn't "see the sights" in famous cities like Paris, Rome, and Florence, but mostly I've found that real French and Italian people prefer to take life slowly. They work in the mornings, take a long lunch break with fresh, delicious food and wine, and have an afternoon siesta. A little more work in the evening, then a light dinner and some family time before bed. Even those with demanding jobs recognize the value of family time and a good glass of wine. It's such a contrast to the constantly rushed lifestyle I have at school in Colorado, and while I love my busy Boulder routine, it's been amazing to see things from a different perspective.

My mom and I spent our first few days in Ussy-sur-Marne, France, a little farming village on the Marne River about 45 minutes from Paris. Moe Delaitre, a former neighbor who has been my "other mother" since I was two, fell in love with and married a French farmer, and she recently moved from the States to France permanently. We stayed at her farmhouse with her husband, Jean Francois, and her 7-year-old daughter, Ella. We spent six days in France, mostly on the farm but including day trips to Paris and Reims. During that time, Moe, "JF,"and Ella were our translators, cultural guides, and dear friends.

And then it was Italy time. Early yesterday morning, we took a plane to Rome Ciampino, and after a long day of traveling, met my dad and grandmother in a tiny, ancient walled city called Casperia. Here, we've had some incredible pizza, pasta, and wine, taken long walks, and enjoyed the mountain scenery from the balcony of our bed and breakfast. It all feels like a dream.

Some of my favorite moments of this week (a LOT of them have to do with food!):

- Fresh farm food in Ussy: Picking strawberries and cherries (which were later made into jam), watching the cows being milked and then drinking that milk the same day, and eating baguettes fresh from the bakery at every meal.
- Drinking champagne at a restaurant in the actual region of Champagne in France with my mother and my "other mother"
- Eating at a tiny creperie in Paris. In the midst of the tourist-filled city, Moe found us an authentic place on a side street where there were only "real French people."
- Going to a party for a Catholic girl's "profession de foi"(profession of faith) at a neighboring farm and seeing the castle that was the inspiration for the one in Beauty and the Beast
- The moment when, after taking a taxi, plane, bus, metro, train, and another bus from Ussy all the way to Casperia, my mom and I finally saw my dad running down the hill from the bed and breakfast to greet us
- The five-course meal made for us by Paola and Franco, two restaurant owners in Casperia who opened their home to a private dinner for the bed and breakfast guests
- Walking with my dad up a winding hill to a monastery where we could see the walled city of Casperia from a distance
- Using my Italian and translating for my family at a pizzeria in Casperia, where I watched my grandmother get tipsy

And the not-so-good:

- The farmhouse in Ussy is truly haunted. I stayed there another summer when I was about 13, and one of the girls I was traveling with got woken up in the night like she had been nudged by someone or something, and it terrified her. On our first night last week, I stayed in that same room, and woke up in the middle of the night to what felt like a poke in the ribs. I was so scared, I slept in my mom's bed the rest of the night, and in little Ella's bed for the nights after that. Moe thinks the ghost is her husband's grandmother, who died in childbirth inside the farmhouse. She's now comfortable with the ghost's presence, knowing she's just "checking in," but it still terrifies me.

- I've already accepted the fact that with all the pasta, pizza, gelato, and wine, and without all the triathlon training, I'll have a lot of work to do fitness-wise when I get home. I ran once in Ussy and again today in Casperia (very hilly!), and we've been walking a lot. Still, it's nearly impossible to try and stay a triathlete and be part of the traditional small-town Italian lifestyle at the same time. But I'm okay with taking a step back for a few weeks, I think. When I get to my study abroad in Urbino, which is hilly like Casperia, I'll work on finding a running buddy and getting back into it. I've also been assigned to the "Outdoor" section of the magazine we'll be creating, so hiking and caving, here I come! :)

Pictures coming soon!!!

Dare e prendere.
Caryn