france: june 1996

france: june 1996 {including 2007 reflections}

::: Saturday 1 June 1996 :::

As I went to work I realized the excitement and joy of the opportunity I have made possible for myself. I am going to France! I will be allowed to remain in another country for a time of two weeks! Chessie starts today. I hope she works out. If she does we’ll share hours at work. I just don’t know what to think. Tomorrow we will be going to Tulsa. Brad is going for a week. I will be going to the airport with Ann Monday morning. Wow!! My first plane, my first out-of-country experience and the first time I’ve gone East of Arkansas. I just cannot wait.

{2007 Notes}

::27 August 2007::
In truth, this was not an opportunity that I had created for myself. Far from it. This opportunity was made possible by the generosity of my Mimi and Papa, as well as sizable donations from my parents. I had worked for a year and saved almost nothing. It was not me who got me there, but my family who realized that I really wanted to go.

I did know what to think about sharing my job with the new girl who was starting. I didn’t like it. I felt liked I had worked really hard to be important to the Villa, where I worked, and didn’t appreciate having someone come in to “help,” as it just seemed like she was cutting my paychecks in half, which she did. In the end, she did not work out and I worked alone until I left for college over a year later. Interesting side note: my one and only date with a girl was with Chessie. We went to the fair in September of the same year. It was actually a lot of fun.

::: Sunday 2 June 1996 :::

I am at Ann’s. This morning we did not go to church but rather we went to Stroud. There I bought some new headphones, a CD, a get-well card for Mme Wright, and some stuff at the toy store. I got a Limber Louie, a marionette of an unusual looking bird. The sides control his feet so that he can appear to walk. I am having a hard time stopping my thoughts of what France will be like. I have absolutely no IDEA! Becky and Brad are going to a work camp where they paint houses. I also bought some Furr Balls lil’ stuffed toys with rubber faces. I have had quite a day and can’t wait — think, tomorrow I’ll be on a plane to Paris. Wow!

{2007 Notes}

::27 August 2007::
Yep, spent a bunch of money BEFORE going to Europe. I honestly had no idea how dumb that would end up being. Blue and furry Louie lived in a box for years. I eventually lost him and now do not know where he ended up. I do not miss him.

::: Monday 3 June 1996 :::

As I sit here in the warm plane, I just think how wonderful today has been. I woke up at 6:30 and got ready to go. I then watched Good Morning America. At around 8:00 we left. We stopped by Albertson’s and then to the airport. It was great. I had no idea what I was doing and Ann was no better off. I got situated and we stopped for something to eat. For eats we found a $3.00 slice of pizza and a $2.00 “deal” of fruit and 2 beverages for $3.00. It was okay though. About 10 minutes after getting our food, Stan shows up with some magazines for me. He got People and US. After a little bit, we went to the gate, located my group and after an embarrassing underwear question from Stan we were off. I got on the sardine can of a plane and was a little nervous but as soon as we got going my fears had subsided somewhat. Taking off was the most exhilarating feeling. We were off — destination: Atlanta. I could see nothing. I was on an aisle seat. We stopped and got off. We had no idea how far we had to go but we caught a subway type vehicle which took us to where we wanted to go. We got on; the plane was much larger. It was a lot more fun but I was already used to it. We had heard of some rain in New York, but what I saw was sunshine a clouds below. As we descended through the clouds the wings appeared to be slick and then water droplets started on the windows. When we got to the ground it was a messy rain, wet and soggy. I noticed as I got out that luggage is treated very poorly. Better bring souvenirs back on plane! We got off and noticed immediatly that the airport in Atlanta was much prettier and had a larger Delta wing. We just walked right to the gate and then went and ate. I had breadsticks and a drink for $3.00. We shopped at all the places and went back to the gate and waited for our flight to board. There a lady walked up to us and asked if we were Mme Wright’s group. It was Linda Dobbs! She is the new leader. She acts real nice. We get on the plane and I am sitting next to a pro! She goes right to sleep. I sleep a little and then dinner is served. It was a shrimp meal. It was wonderful. I never thought I’d like airplane food. Wow. And now I’m on my way. In the morning we will have a continental breakfast.

{2007 Notes}

::27 August 2007::
Mme Wright, our French teacher had very recently suffered an aneurism. Everything had been planned and paid for. After a meeting with all of the parents, it was decided that we should go on our scheduled tour, but be under the supervision of the leader of the group we were going to be with. Even Mike Wright, Mme’s son, went on the trip with us. We started the trip with 4 groups. There was our group from Stillwater, OK, Mme Dobbs’ group from Caldwell, Idaho, a group from Wagoner, OK, and a group from Cincinatti, OH. The Wagoner and Cincinatti groups were both on a one week tour; Stillwater and Caldwell would continue on for another week after that.

I was in awe of air travel. It seemed so exotic to me, as I had never been on a plane before. At the airport in Tulsa, Stan took the only picture of me that I would get on the entire trip. That is one of the biggest regrets I have of my life.

JFK airport seemed dirty to me. While we waited there, we were approached several times by “deaf-mutes” selling trinkets. The entire place had a very grey feeling about it, as if nobody really wanted to be there. The heavy rains blocked our view, concealing my first and only glimse of the New York skyline. I could just make it out, like a Magic Eye picture, only if I relaxed my eyes and titled my head slightly. And then, only the twin towers reminded me that this was New York City and not just a mound of something in the distance. I felt cheated out of an experience, even though I was not really in New York and would not be going there; I still wanted to see it since I had gotten so close.

::: Tuesday 4 June 1996 :::

I woke up and said “yes.” That is what happened. The man asked if I wanted breakfast. We saw below — far below — what looked like land. The lady who was seated beside me and who took 15 pills at each meal told me about some things and the anouncement to turn off personal electronic devices came on. Upon landing we were bused over & got our luggage. Going through customs I thought I would be checked. Luckily I wasn’t. Going on we were met by a 20 something plaid pants guy. It was Arnaud, our courier. We went to an airport café and waited two and a half hours for the other groups. During this time I got to know Amanda and Jessica, two out of the Dobbs group. Jessica was really very nice. When the other groups arrived we got on a bus. We rode an hour & a half to Chartes. There we saw the cathedral and many little shops. The cathedral was magnificent; it had many stained glass windows displaying the many stories of Jesus in vivid colors. [It] was glorious. The hotel we stayed in was the Hôtel Campanile. It was a very compact hotel/restaurant. The dinner was simple and not that great. I have now grown quite fond of Orangina — the only good soda in France (I think). Sleep sounds good — the shower is interesting. It is a sit down type — no curtain — it was very difficult to keep the water inside to use. Very interesting experience.

{2007 Notes}

::28 August 2007::
They failed to tell us — or take into account — how much time we were losing during our flight. We arrived after a full day of travel to a rather booked afternoon of activity. This day seemed distant even the next day. I was not refreshed enough to fully take in what was going on.

I had actually seen Arnaud a couple times before we figured out that he was our courier. He was wearing red plaid pants, which I found strange. However, I was taken with how cute he was. He was slender and tan. His hair was very short and he had a great confidence that made him very attractive. I was rather excited to discover that we would be spending the first week with him.

The lady on the plane (with the large number of giant green and brown pills) had a movie ending to her story. She was met by her male friend (husband, boyfriend, whatever) as she exited the plane. They embraced and kissed. It had clearly not been that long since they had seen each other, but they were still very glad to be back together. I remember thinking how nice it was that she had someone.

If you find yourself in a Parisian airport for 2+ hours, have a book with you or just take a nap. There is very little to do. Amanda, Jessica, & I walked along the corridors to a newsstand and back quite a few times, while the others sat at the indoor café (meant to look like an outdoor café).

I find my sudden interest in Orangina interesting. I ended up being wrong, but I really only found one other soda that I liked, Oasis.

::: Wednesday 5 June 1996 :::

Okay, the day is not over but feels as if it should be. We have had a very busy schedule. First, we had breakfast which was wonderful. We then got on the bus and went to Chambord. The chateau was quite marvelous. The top was so intriquet. There were so many places to go and many things to see. I enjoyed it very much and ran into Mme Dobbs and one out of her group around every corner. I started getting the feeling that they were following me. At the next chateau, Chenonceau, the feeling was more free but more inhabitable. There was a gallery which was in a long hall. It had a very airy feeling and was free. It was a much less eventful chateau than the first. Next, we were off to Tours where we went to the Château d’Amboise. It was very beautiful with several stained glass windows and gargoyles. The windows showed many feur-de-lis, which also could be found throughout the chateau. They also had a symbol on them which nobody knew what it was. It was like a star with rays of light beneath. After that we went to the Hotel de L’Europe where we stayed. The lady at the desk was surprisingly kind. The Evian machine was not working, but she helped. I am spending $2-$3 on cokes because I really want them. However, most are orange flavored sodas. Par example, Orangina, Fanta Orange, Oasis, & two other ones that I have seen. I am running out of money from coke — I may just eat a bagel for lunch tomorrow — I brought some. I waited 20-30 minutes for the elevator because only one person would be able to go at a time. The balcony is a 2-2 1/2 foot wide slab of concrete on which you can stand and a rail to hold you in. Not real exciting. We now must go eat and go to some show thing, but first, Arnaud. He is very cool; he reminds me of Julien Gabriel. I am just glad we didn’t get a courier who was very strict or was a complete airhead. We ate at a very nice restaurant. I never thought I would order from a wine list. I had a red wine and it was aweful. I hate it. It was so gross. I’ll never drink wine again. The light show was relaxing. We walked by one of the chateaus in the area.

{2007 Notes}

::28 August 2007::
This was an extremely busy day on the trip. The first chateau, Chambord, had an elaborate roof of many chimneys. It was a beautiful building. This was the first day that I felt really alone on the trip. The rest of the group I had come with were hanging out together on the lawn and the Idaho group had continued on to look at the chateau. I remember passing an open door where a man was doing some sort of work in the building while listening to Aerosmith. It made me happy.

Chenonceau was rather boring, despite being beautiful. It sits atop the River Cher and has a very unlived-in feeling. I had more fun hanging out with Kamal, Arnaud, and a couple of girls from Cincinatti at the bus than I did at the chateau.

The Chateau d’Amboise was lovely — my favorite chateau of that day. Its massive gargoyles hang over the town below the chateau and the windows still have much of the original color in them. The fleur-de-lis patterns were amazing. It was at this chateau that I purchased a fleur-de-lis charm for my cousin. As we were leaving, Arnaud pointed out (in passing) that Leonardo da Vinci’s grave was off to the side in a chapel. We rushed over to the monument that had seemed hidden until pointed out and took pictures of it. It seemed unreal — in fact it still does. Unfortunately, the chapel was not open that day and we were unable to get any closer to the tomb.

I had taken bagels from home on my trip, which somehow seems wrong. They did serve me well in those first few days though, saving money for future days when I would certainly need to eat. That inital wine experience was rather traumatic. I still don’t like wine or wine-flavored things such as coq au vin. That was a great meal though — not the food, but the company. Everyone was having a great time that evening. It was nice.

::1 September 2007::
Julien Gabriel was the only other French person I knew to that point in my life. I think Arnaud was very little like him, but as another French person I was reminded of him. Also, they are the only two French people I have known in my life and I developed a crush on both of them. Maybe it is that they are French… probably, in fact.

::: Thursday 6 June 1996 :::

A rather boring day. First, we got up and had a gloriously good breakfast. The beverages were watered down. We then drove about an hour and a half through rather flat country. Many of the towns had “troglodite houses,” houses built in the cliff using it for 3 of the 4 walls. We then arrived at a winery in Saumur. They made a sparkling white which was actually champagne but not from the Champagne area. It was wonderful! I loved it. … I guess my wine experience wasn’t over — just for red wine! We then rode about 6 hours to St Malo. The most beautiful city I have seen on our tour thus far, sail boats lined the coast and the old city was gorgeous. We had a dinner at which we ordered a white wine — I didn’t have any. I am quite addicted to Orangina. A few of us left at 9:30 for an evening walk in the old city. All the stores were closed and the city was beautiful. We bought some ice cream. I had passion fruit. It was quite wonderful. We then “strolled” back to the Hotel Mascotte (where we were staying). It was great.

{2007 Notes}

::30 August 2007::
I don’t know what I thought was boring about that day. I could spend the rest of my days in St Malo, which I had figured out the day we arrived. It was one of the greatest moments of the two weeks, strolling the streets of the old city. “Old city” refers to the original city of St Malo, encased in a stone wall. The city has outgrown this wall and now spills out around it into a rather large place. I have no clue why I put quotation marks around the word strolled.

The drinks we had with breakfast were all very watered down. Already, we had seen that breakfast includes coffee, orange juice, water, & milk. It seems odd, but the portions are all very small. The winery was interesting. Making wine is a rather slow and uneventful process.

If I am ever in Europe again, I would like to spend my time in St Malo — or at the very least visit again. It was my idea of heaven. I think that explains why I was such a nerd with my descriptions of it. I was 16 after all.

::: Friday 7 June 1996 :::

7 is my lucky number! It was a wonderful day. Breakfast wasn’t all that great, but we soon travelled to Mont St Michel. Mont St Michel is a beautiful abbey on a rock in the English Channel, just off the the coast of France. The tide changes so much that it is possible to walk out to another island a half mile out and within the next hour be trapped for 4-5 hours! We visited all the important places and there was a lot of climbing to do. However, it was worth it. On the way down we ate lunch and shopped. I bought 2 berets at 60f each. When we got back to the city of St Malo, we shopped for about 3-4 1/2 hours. I ended up with one deck of poker cards, 1 deck of tarot cards, 2 smurfs, 1 tin-tin, 4 berets, and a word search book.

{2007 Notes}
::1 September 2007::
This is what happens when you take children to somewhere so great and let them spend their own money. They buy Smurfs. I still have my St Malo Smurfs. I actually love them still, but I wish I had found a more meaningful trinket from there or from Mont St Michel. How was I to know that I would not be caught dead in a beret within a year of the trip. Several of the berets and both decks of cards were gifts.

I fell in love with the abbey at first sight. I wanted to spend many hours there. As we walked up to the top, I felt very alone — not in a bad way, but in a wonderful way. It was as though I was the only person who existed in the world and I was seeing this place before anyone else. Each stone made me happy; the sides of the structure were as beautiful close up as they were far away. There were chains that I felt compelled to take pictures of, rock sculptures that were so beautiful I was deeply changed. At the top of the abbey sits a courtyard lined in shrubs, perfectly maintained and trimmed. There was a space where a block was placed over one shrub. I still don’t know why, but it did complete the perfect lines of the rest of the plants. I wanted to lose myself on the island in the distance. The many other tourists around melted away in what would be my favorite place on the planet. If you have never been to Mont St Michel, it is worth going. It has such magic to it.

::: Saturday 8 June 1996 :::

{2007 Notes}

::: Sunday 9 June 1996 :::

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::: Monday 10 June 1996 :::

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::: Tuesday 11 June 1996 :::

{2007 Notes}

::: Wednesday 12 June 1996 :::

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::: Thursday 13 June 1996 :::

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::: Friday 14 June 1996 :::

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::: Saturday 15 June 1996 :::

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::: Sunday 16 June 1996 :::

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::: Monday 17 June 1996 :::

{2007 Notes}