Mom's Thoughts of France, pt 3

And now for our next installment:

Herbignac was just as I had imagined. It couldn’t have been more exact. My grandcats greeted me with open paws (really). I missed these two fur balls terribly. Scanning the kitchen floor, I saw the remnants of homemade cat toys scattered about; all had been made by me and shipped across the big ocean to their precious awaiting paws. I had fifty more assorted playthings packed in the bags.

The house was exactly as I had imagined. I had seen it so often in the email pics and web cam shots that I felt as if we’d been there a hundred times before. I can’t accurately explain this feeling. It was surrealistic. I got a quick tour (the full inspection would come later), and then we were off to find our gite, far off in the countryside, yet within five minutes of their village. As part of our trip pre-planning, Trev and Em had trekked around their area critiquing various gites. They emailed pics of gites galore, in hopes that one would suit my fancy. All the gites looked divine, and it was a difficult choice. After much consideration, I latched onto the only one that had a donkey as part of the décor. Raoul, the donkey, greeted us each morning with his powerful bray. What more could we have asked for. Being an animal lover, I knew that anyone who had a donkey would surely be kind to Americans. Henri, the owner and innkeeper could not have been more gracious. His wife prepared the most sumptuous breakfast each morning. We consumed all kinds of breads, jams and jellies, juice, fruits, and of course, lots of deep dark rich café. We always had breakfast near the warmth and glow of the open fireplace. After the meal, we presented ourselves fortified, alert and ready for our day’s adventure. Trev and Em picked us up promptly each morning with map in hand, a full tank of gas, and nerves of steel. Everything was timed strategically, every daylight hour filled with something new and exciting. We saw so much, so quickly, that I hardly can remember it all. France was everything I thought it would be and more.

Serving as our driver, guide and translator for all adventures was our feisty Emily. The traffic circles were frightening, but Emily was an expert in maneuvering. Our heads turned back and forth as we tried to comprehend the road signs and pointed directional arrows. The road maps showed hardly any marked streets, but still, getting lost was almost impossible. If you exited incorrectly, you could always loop around the next circle and end up where you started. Those inside the circle had full power- those entering the circle did so at their own risk (and yours). If you weren’t capable of mastering the stringent driving requirements or just chose not to, you still had no trouble getting to where you needed to go. Thanks to a transportation system that ran like clockwork, buses and trams were located within walking distance and were always at your beck and call.