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| kitties in Arles |
Bonjour à tous!
For the past weekend, I escaped to the South of France again to have some down time with my host family from the summer (who are hands down the best, I mean come on, they made me poulet rôti with sautéed potatoes and buttered mushrooms).
Needless to say, seeing my host family again meant a huge, hourlong hug/kiss/snuggle fest, with the accompaniment of myriad questions about my life in Paris starting with my entrance into the house, lasting through dinner (my twelve-year-old host brother Louis cooked pasta for me!), all the way until we were dozing off on the couch together. I also couldn't stop asking them about everyone I met in Arles over the summer. Guess what, my host brother's cousin's grandma, whom I've met briefly during a weekend barbecue, even sent me a photo of me which she took that day!
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| me at the market |
The weekend went by entirely too quickly. All I seem to remember is lying on the couch with Louis and playing silly games on iPad and having a Sophie Marceau movie marathon while munching on something delicious the whole freaking time. That may sound like a totally unproductive, counterintuitive way to spend my short time in Arles, and trust me, in the beginning I thought so too, however I ended up completely happy and relaxed. It was that casual, carefree lounging around that made it feel like I was at home. Like at home home, where I get babied and fed and kind of always got my way. It was comforting to be able to have something exactly like this when I'm thousands of miles from my real home, and finding another place that I can call home.
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| downtown Arles |
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| the Rhone river |
At the same time, wandering through the wintry Arles streets in a way made this place more real to me, more physical somehow. This second trip here makes Arles no longer just a summer reverie, one of those places only associated with certain times and conditions and even sounds and smells (I'm sure you all have similar vacation memories or short episodes in your life that feel that way in retrospect). Seeing Arles in all seasons renders it more concrete in my heart, and I realize I truly love this place.
Cheers to wonderful weekends and family time.
xx
Vanessa :]
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