Saint Tropez

Cher Famille et Amis,

We are happy to report that the Famille Onstott is healthy and happy this week. We all seem to have recovered from the lingering sickness that plagued us for the first part of the month and the weather has been surprisingly nice for the middle of February. We are also enjoying having received some of our personal belongings from the States, including much of our furniture. Other than a slight smell from being in a shipping container for over two months, everything seems to be in good shape, including several cases of American macaroni and cheese thanks to Mom Tams.

The kids all seem to be doing fine in school. Elyse’s friends at school are Ellie from England, Suhyun from Korea, and Anika from Tazmania. Nicolas had a part in the school program on Friday in which he had to recite the line “Regardez et Ecoutez” (look and listen). Nathaniel likes his American English teacher Sue and continues to attend school in the mornings.

Julie has two French classes each week and has many opportunities to practice the language each day. Joe, on the other hand, speaks English at work and by the time he comes home at 7:15pm each night, he only has enough energy to grab a bite to eat, put the kids to bed, and maybe watch an episode of “Jeaves and Wooster” on Youtube. As you can guess, Julie is starting to win the competition to see who can speak French more quickly. Joe will try to accept defeat graciously.

For our break this week, we drove down to the resort town of Saint Tropez on the Cote d’Azur. After a slight detour caused by stage 1 of the Tour du Haut-Var, a professional bicycle race running from San Rafael to Grimaud, we found a very nice beach a few miles away from the Centre Ville (town center), where the kids were able to get out of the car and play in the sand for a couple of hours.

As we left the beach, we found that the road back to town had been blocked to allow the race to pass. Joe, Nicolas, and Elyse were able to stand on the side of the road and watch the riders, team cars, and news helicopters pass by at breakneck speed. The hundreds of riders jostling for position created quite a sensation as they passed by just a few feet away.

We then parked at the Port of Saint Tropez and walked through the marina filled with hundreds of yachts of all sizes and varieties. Unlike many ports, the water was crystal clear and we could watch the fish circling under the boats.

At the end of our walk, we found a memorial to the Allied servicemen who disembarked in Saint Tropez as part of operation Dragoon, the southern invasion of France, on August 15th, 1944.

This memorial had particular significance to us because one of the members of our Branch, Frere Zang, had participated in the landing and had fought along side the Americans as they pushed to join the troops in the north.

As we left for home, we made a brief stop to explore the Chateau Grimaud, a twelfth-century castle that overlooks Saint Tropez bay. The short hike up to the castle was rewarded with an impressive view of the surrounding area, ancient ramparts covered with ivy, and a beautiful sunset.

All in all, the kids rated Saint Tropez high on the list of places to visit frequently while here in France.

Best Wishes and Bon Semain,

Joe, Julie, Nicolas, Elyse, and Nathaniel