So the long awaited "February Trip to France", although having ended a few weeks ago, is still fresh in my mind and gives me an extra Tigger bounce in my step knowing that my parents were able to make it and were able to share in the excitement of France and of course, The Proposal. I had picked my parents up from the train station in Nantes Thursday afternoon with no problems whatsoever and in the moment that I saw them step off the train, I was overcome with emotion and joy. I hadn't seen my parents since Christmas and I knew that this trip to France was extra special. It was during this week that I knew Benoit was going to ask my father's permission to marry me IN ENGLISH, that I would show my parents the people and the places that make me love living in France so much, and that my Mom would finally be going to Lourdes.
Thursday evening, Benoit and I decided to have my parents over for the "aperitif" before heading to the restaurant. We had bought a bottle of French champagne, a saucisson, and fish eggs to serve them! We wanted them to get the real experience of a "French aperitif." And there, Benoit and I sitting on one side of the living room and my parents seated on the other, Benoit address the question to my father. He was so incredibly nervous (I don't blame him--try and put yourself in his shoes: asking the hand in marriage of the woman that you love from her father of whom she is his only daughter, all in a foreign language, poor guy!) He started stumbling and forgot a few words and I tried to help him along. He got through the sentence beautifully and I was happy to find out that my parents understood what was happening, despite Benoit's heavy French accent. We all started crying...again (this engagement has provoked many tears thus far lol). My Dad had me translate the message he wanted to relay to Benoit in accepting his request; however, I had a hard time translating through the overwhelming emotion and realization of the fact that it was then at that moment completely official: I was engaged to be married, with the permission from my father.
So here we are Friday morning at the hotel enjoying our coffee and fresh croissants before heading out for a beautiful "promenade" in Nantes (yes, REAL French croissants. Sorry Panera, I give you an "A" for effort but you got nothin' on fresh bakery croissants from France). Our first stop was to go to the best and most famous Hat Shop in Nantes to buy a lovely hat for my Mom. It was quite an experience to have the sweet French saleswoman place different hats of all colors and styles on my Mom's head and rave over the fact of how beautiful she was. And she was so beautiful! She chose the first hat she tried on, which she is wearing in the picture below.
So there we are in front of one of the worksite on which Benoit had previously worked right after his first apprenticeship as a stone mason. The building is now a chapel, but used to be one of the first banks in Nantes. (Mom you look STUNNING in your hat!)
Soon after, we went on a "scarf hunt" for my Dad. He ended up buying a 100% silk scarf at La Gallery Lafayette, which is known to be the fanciest department store in France. (Side note--this is where Benoit and I will do our Wedding Registry--eeeekkkk!!!) The vibrant blue scarf suits my dad perfectly and the saleswoman helped him tie it around his neck in a chic and very classic French manner.
Here we all our in front of the famous mechanical Elephant in Nantes. Benoit explained to us that it serves as a strictly socialist tourist attraction, constructed in order to bring more visitors to Nantes. Obviously, it seems to be working lol.
That night, my parents and I were invited over to my friend Pauline's parents' house for dinner. Pauline was nice enough to pick us up from the hotel and drive us. The dinner was warm, welcoming, and lively, like the conversation the company that accompanied it. To prove it, Pauline's mother presented us with a whole salmon (head and tail included) that she would cut and served directly in front of us, while Pauline's father continued to make light-hearted and hilarious jokes in English.
On Saturday, Benoit drove us to the beach. The beaches of northwestern France are considered to be "les côtes sauvages," which literally means "the savage coasts." The sights are absolutely beautiful. On the contrary to most American beaches, the beaches of Brittany consist of rocky coasts which lead onto the sandy beaches, giving a rather rustic and exotic look to the scene.
That night, we had dinner at Benoit's parents' house. It was the first time that our parents had met, so of course there was much excitement and some stress in the air. My parents had offered a bottle of top-shelf American whiskey to Benoit's father, a Lenox jewelry music-box to Benoit's mother, and a bottle of California merlot and a bag of assorted American candies for the whole family.
The aperitif opened with champagne, fish eggs, and foie gras (three French delicacies) in order to celebrate the long awaited "meeting of the parents" and the engagement. We were surprised and relieved that find that Benoit's father speaks fluent English! I myself in addition to Mrs. Roblin were particularly surprised for we had NEVER heard Mr. Roblin speak English before. Benoit's father got a great kick out of my Dad's name "Bob" because it reminded him of all the American western films that he loves so much and the characters named "Bob." He was absolutely delighted of the fact that now he actually knows someone named "Bob." He now refers to the whisky that my Dad had offered him as "Bob's Bourbon."
Dinner was a great success. There was never a dull moment and each family seemed to be so happy having finally met. After all, we all are going to be officially family one day. We left the Roblin's with smiles, rosy cheeks, a bottle of French wine offered by Benoit's father, and a bouquet of dark chocolate flowers for my Mom, given to her by the whole Roblin family.
So I am assuming in the suspect of my engagement, Molly Black sent a gift with my Mom to give to me only after a "certain event" occurred. For those of you who don't know the story, Molly was my first babysitter whenever my Mom went back to work. She has a daughter around my age, Bethany, who ironically later became my best friend. I would spend the days at their house while my mom was at work and Bethany and I would ALWAYS fight over who got to wear Dorothy's ruby red slippers. Of course, there was only one pair. Poor Molly had to present different comprises every single day of who got to wear the slippers and when. Don't worry Bethany, I finally have my own pair now and no longer will be stealing yours!
On Monday, we arrived successfully in Lourdes. I will not go into too much detail about our trip, for I would like to keep these moments in my heart. We had a very spiritual and emotional journey during the 3 days we spent in Lourdes. It will remain an unforgettable experience for me, and for my parents (I assume) as well. Below are some pictures that I took during our days in Lourdes.
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| I absolutely love this picture. On our last day in Lourdes, just before our train, we decided to have lunch at a restaurant looking out onto the Pyrenees Mountains. Such a wonderful and beautiful moment :) |
We spent Wednesday night in Toulouse because our flight back to Nantes was leaving from Toulouse very early the next morning. Toulouse is called "la Ville de Rose" ("The Pink City") because during sunset, the sun casts a glow into the brick building, giving the impression that everything is pink! We were lucky to have arrived early enough to witness such a beautiful and incredible scene.
I was sad to see my parents go, for we all awaited this trip with such excitement and impatience. However, everything must come to an end in order to realize who much you really truly appreciated it. And I can assure you, from the bottom of my heart, that this was the best vacation I had ever been on in my entire life. I love you Mom and Dad. Thank you so much for being so generous, for bringing me so much joy, and for giving me so much love.
See you in August! Only 152 more sleeps!
I love you.
