The Onstotts

Dear Family and Friends,

This weekend was Stake Conference. Unlike Utah where our kids rejoice at having only one meeting on Sunday, Stake Conference in Southern France means a long two-and-a-half hour drive to Nice, a two-hour meeting in an overcrowded, stuffy building, topped off with another two-and-a-half hour drive home. Aside from the one year where we happened upon a gladiator demonstration in a nearby Roman ampitheater, stake conference is not always heralded as a day of peace and rest.

St Paul de Vence

This time, we decided to try something a little different. At the last moment, we booked a hotel near the quiet hill-town of St. Paul de Vence in mountains above Nice so that we could spread the driving out between Saturday and Sunday.

Menton Citrus Festival

When we missed our exit to the hotel (our GPS went missing), we decided to drive on to Menton, a Mediterranean town on the border between France and Italy, to see if we could visit the Fete de Citron (Citrus Festival). This year's theme was the regions of France and there were many buildings and sculptures representing the different architectural styles of the country. Unfortunately, we arrived too late and for the second year in a row were only able to walk around the perimeter of the exhibit (which is why our pictures only show the tops of the orange and lemon creations). Still, it's always interesting to visit Menton because of its sheltered climate and over-abundance of fruit.

Le Hameau

We finally arrived at our hotel, Le Hameau, a very nice resort with beautiful grounds and a history of past guests like Marc Chagall (painter), Kurt Douglas, and others. The kids gave the hotel a very high score despite the fact that they were disappointed that they didn't have their swim gear. Joe was also a bit sad that he hadn't arranged his complimentary tour in a Ferrari in advance.

St Paul de Vence

That evening, we wandered around the cobblestone alleys of St. Paul. Consistent with our tradition, the kids made friends with a local kitty while Joe and Julie looked into the windows of the many art galleries.

We very much enjoyed our stay in St Paul and look forward to returning to the hotel so that Joe can get his tour in a supercar! Anyone care to join us?

Bonne Semaine,

Joe, Julie, Nicolas, Elyse, and Nathaniel