Moustiers-Sainte-Marie

Cher Famille et Amis,

This week, we welcomed our first visitors to France. Joe's mom and dad arrived by plane in Marsielle on the morning of the 26th. Joe's sister Ranee and her daughter Lilia also came the same day, but took a train from Paris down to Aix-en-Provence later in the day. Although Joe and his dad came to pick Ranee up at the appointed hour, she was not on any of the TGV trains coming from Paris. Finally, Joe received a cell phone call from Ranee who had taken a local train into downtown Aix. Ranee still contends that she took the right train because she followed her ticket, but that it just took her to the wrong destination.



The following day, Joe's parents and Ranee recovered from their jet lag and got a tour of Manosque from Julie. They also took a small hike up to our town of Pierrevert to buy bagettes and croissants.

For our first excursion together, we drove about 1/2 hour away to Sisteron so the kids could show Lilia their favorite castle. Even though the rain poured down, everyone got to explore the many nooks and crannies of the hill-top fortress.



On Sunday, we all attended church. Mom and dad enjoyed meeting the members of the branch and listening to church as translated by the elders. We then came home, changed clothes, and took a short Sunday drive to the town of Moustiers-Sainte-Marie near the Gorge de Verdon.



The town is unique because it situated on the side of some limestone cliffs above the valley. Despite the continued rain, we enjoyed walking through the town and were able to walk up the stone staircase that led up the mountain to a small abbey overlooking the town below. Along the path, we crossed several stone bridges and passed several waterfalls.



Before heading home, we drove a few kilometers to see the Gorge de Verdon, or Grand Canyon of France. Despite the incredible view of the turquoise river, we had to cut our drive short due to pressure from some in our party who were getting carsick.







As we drove home, the clouds finally began to clear around Valensole, one of the major lavender towns in Provence, and we all got to see a full rainbow. After heavy rain that lasted the last two days, it was a welcomed site.

We are enjoying having our first guests here in France and exploring more of the area in the coming days.

Bonne Semain,

Joe, Julie, Nicolas, Elyse, Nathaniel