Baby it's Cold Inside

Date: Sunday, December 20, 2009, 11:44 PM

Hi Dad & Ginny,

so sorry it has taken me nearly a week to write. Caleigh and Hank have posted most of our photos (both good and bad) on their facebook sites so I have been lazy in corresponding. But, we are all doing fine and having a wonderful, albeit COLD time in France. Paris was pretty amazing with the snow. we walked around the city that seemed vacant at times, and spent a morning at the Louvre with what seemed to be only a handful of people (got up front and personal with the Mona Lisa & Venus de Milo). We found everyone down below on the metro though as we crammed inside. anyway, on saturday we flew down to nice with 6 huges suitcases, 3 carryons, laptops, purses, etc. and I have learned a very valuable lesson in travel. When traveling with so much crap, just get to your destination rather than stop in Paris in a snow storm and then travel yet again to Nice :)

So, we are now in our "wee" little house in this adorable medieval village called Haut de Cagnes (ho du kay-ney), but having another little adventure and challenge on choosing whether to have heat or light. When the owner mentioned that we might have to reset the breaker once or twice due to the old electricity hookups, we had no idea that he meant that we could not use the space heaters AND the lights at the same time. Nor did he mention that the fireplace was off limits (they are so scared of fire that they do not allow candles which I can now see are a necessity due to the lights always going off!). luckily, as a good girlscout, I packed a few flashlights, including the kind you can wear on your forehead, so you can now picture us in our coats, scarfs, boots and head flashlights creeping around our "cute" little house. will hopefully take some funny pictures of this later.

I have an email in to the owner now saying that we will not be able to stay unless he can remedy the situation. will keep you posted on that.

so today, we see our friends, Andrew & Arlette, who also met us at the airport and had dinner with us on our first night. we are going to Vielle Nice, which we are all looking forward to since we missed Nice entirely the last time we were here. It's also nice to be with a local (Arlette) who is just a hoot to be around (think very gutzy, sometimes pushy, yet always nice and funny). For example, when she needed cigarettes the other night and the tabac was closed, Hank said under his breath, "if it's not open now, it will be soon enough." and sure enough, she walked up to the man standing just outside and moments later, "voila," she had her malboros.

anyway, I had better go for now, but will try to be better at corresponding now that we are not traveling and are over our jetlag.

miss you and love you both,

cindy