Carpentras + Cousins

Samedi, 16 novembre.

Considering the weekend I'm about to describe happened just under three weeks ago, I'd say this qualifies as one of my most belated posts yet. It's just that life has been a little bit crazy for the last, well ... long time. I've had assignments and project proposals and trips and it's been difficult to keep up with this blog! But now that I'm enjoying a bit of a lazy weekend, I figure I can go back and pick up where I left off. Or, rather, before where I left off. (October 26, to be exact.)

Before all the adventures in Luxembourg and Belgium, I began my fall break with a short trip to visit my dad's cousin, Cécile, and her family in their vacation home in Provence! (I know, life is hard.) I took the train from Montpellier to Nimes to meet up with my cousins, whose house in Carpentras isn't far from the city. It was my first solo train trip since arriving in France and I was more than a little nervous that I'd get to Nimes, be unable to find them, and be forced to spend the rest of my days begging for food outside the old amphitheatre. (I have a good imagination, what can I say?) Luckily, I had no trouble finding the Harié family: my dad's cousin Cécile, her husband Jean-Claude, and their two youngest children, Raphael and Anne-Sophie.

They had never been to Nimes so in a very weird role reversal, I -- with two previous visits to the city under my belt -- became an impromptu tour guide. ("So... if I remember correctly, the Arenes are this way!") It was a struggle to remember what our tour guides had told us during my last visit to the city. ("This is the Palais du Justice. There's something important about the architecture at the top... but I don't remember what it is...")

Loved seeing the Maison Carrée sans its typical crowds!

Although I was far from a good tour guide, I had a lot of fun walking around with them. As opposed to my last tour of Nimes, during which we stumbled from historic site to historic site, this was much more relaxed. Sure, we peeked at the arenas and the Maison Carrée, but most of our time was spent just walking around. We stopped in at loads of little stores -- sometimes to look for something to buy, sometimes to window shop, and sometimes just because Cécile wanted to introduce me to some of France's famous marques. She was surprised how many brands I hadn't heard of: I had to explain that I'm in the habit of buying discount soup, not foie gras!

After a little bit of adventuring in Nimes, we headed "home" to Carpentras, where another cousin (Olivier, who is my age) was waiting. The city itself is relatively small and despite its history (like Marseille, it's been around since the Greeks) and great location in Provence, it's not exactly a tourist hub. In fact, when I first told my host family I'd be spending the first few days of my fall break there, they didn't understand.  "But ... what are you going to do there?" they asked. In fact, not much: most of our adventures were a little drive away from the city itself. My only real exposure to Carpentras was on Sunday morning, when cousin Cécile and I went downtown to go to Mass and run errands. And you know what? I really did like it! Sadly, I didn't take any pictures of the cathedral or the city center. (But if you're curious, try Googling "Carpentras centre ville" or "Carpentras cathedrale" -- I'm sure you'll find some great pictures.

I really had no idea what to expect from their vacation home; I remembered seeing some pictures when they had visited us, but really had no idea what it would look like. Let me just say ... WOW. The house was absolutely beautiful -- ancient and rustic and charming in that way that only the South of France can be. Although I had been expecting a tiny cottage, the house actually had three floors -- all connected, of course, by the most picturesque ancient stone staircases you ever did see. My room (because sharing rooms is so very not French) was at the top of the house, with windows that overlooked the backyard and the pool. However, I was a bigger fan of the rustic sloping ceilings!

 

Even the bathroom sink was perfect!

I'd been in the house about ten minutes before I fell totally in love. I'd been telling the cousins about my plans to travel to Luxembourg and Belgium, but suddenly the idea of spending the rest of my life in a provencal cottage in Carpentras sounded much more appealing.