Visitors

Just before leaving Vaison la Romaine, we got to spend a day with our long-time friends Margaret and Gary and their friends Ann and Andy. They had come to France to visit Provence and Paris. It is always a joy to see Margaret and Gary and meeting their friends made the day even better.  It was a rainy day so we spent most of the time indoors. After a lunch at the new café on Place Monfort called “Mama Mia Pizzeria” we spent the afternoon inside vineyard tasting rooms in Seguret (Domaine du Mourchon) and then to Gigondas (the Gigondas tasting room where one can sample any/all of the wines made in Gigondas). We went to another winery that Ellen had wanted to visit – Domaine des Escaravailles – where they make a wonderful Rasteau white wine, but it was closed for the May 1 holiday.

We then went with them to the apartment that they had rented in Nyons where we got to drink some of the treasures that Gary and Andy had purchased at the wineries. Nyons is a lovely village situated beside a river and surrounded by mountains. It is the center of the olive oil industry in France. That evening, we went to a restaurant called “L’Arc en Ciel” (The Rainbow) in the arcade in Nyons and had a wonderful dinner. At the end of the evening we sadly had to leave our friends to finish packing and getting ready for our departure.

What a wonderful day with friends!

Just 10 days after seeing Margaret and Gary and meeting Ann and Andy, we picked up Vaison friends Phil and Margaret in Detroit. They had added a visit to Michigan to their vacation in the US and we got to spend a week with them showing them some of the sights of Michigan including a day tasting Michigan wines on the Mission Peninsula just north of Traverse City and a day at Mackinac Island. We also went to Greenfield Village in Dearborn. On the “no travel” days, we walked to the City Market, to the Michigan Historical Museum and the Capitol. On Monday, we took Phil and Margaret back to Detroit so they could begin their odyssey of returning to their home in Vaison la Romaine.

Hosting Margaret and Phil helped us make the transition from France to Lansing because we got to spend time with friends from Vaison la Romaine in our Lansing home. We were able to talk about the things we already missed about our lives in France and the facets of our Lansing life that we enjoy. Both topics helped define our perspectives on the duality of living here and there and loving aspects of both.

What a wonderful week with friends!

I guess whether it is “amitie” in French or “friendship” in English, the best part of being anywhere is the people who enrich our lives.