Bedrins Abroad

Thanks Mommy

2008-06-12T05:49:00.001-07:00

Dear mom,

Not sure if you will read this, but I wanted to say thanks for an amazing trip. It was a lot of fun and a very moving experience.

I am so happy we were able to visit with Denise at her home. You should be applauded for introducing me to the French language at such a young age!

You were quite the trooper during the rain storms (les orages) and multiple train trips.

Here's to wee-fee and pain au chocolate.

xoxox JJ

Welcome Home

2008-06-07T18:39:00.001-07:00

We arrived in Franklin Lakes Friday afternoon. We were greeted by my parents, Bea and Jack Slater, along with Scott and Jerry.

My folks brought a delicious chocolate cake decorated with sunflowers and a vase filled with pink peonies from Annette's garden.

Scott and Jaime drove out to the Hampton's for the weekend and Diane and Jerry followed an hour later. With the weather report calling for 95 degrees we felt that we could rest and recuperate from our trip while relaxing at the beach.

We clicked our heels and said "There's no place like home!"

"There's No Place Like Home"

2008-06-07T18:35:00.001-07:00

One last Jenny snack

We got to the airport so early, we had to wait to check in.

Fly the friendly skies

Enroute to USA

2008-06-07T18:08:00.001-07:00

On the airplane now just thinking about the entire 10 days – boy they sure go fast!

From the moment Jonathan met us at the Geneva airport and escorted us through customs, we were on a whirlwind tour of Switzerland and France.

What a roller coaster of emotions!
We were mostly on a high the entire time.

Of course our time spent with Denise Epstein and her daughter, Irene, was the most incredible, life-changing experience for both Jaime and me.

Denise' story is heart-wrenching.
To picture these two young girls after the war wandering in France carrying a valise hoping to find their mother or father.

All of those years, just hoping and dreaming that perhaps their parents were even alive but living elsewhere.

Denise's own book that comes out in September called Survive and Live will tell her story, the one she wants her grandchildren to learn from and remember her parents and all of those lost to the Shoah, the Holocaust.

*For anyone interested a special event will be held in the fall at the Jewish Museum at Battery Park to celebrate Irene Nemirovsky’s life.*

The official Irene Nemirovsky biography will be released in the fall in English; it is already available in French. There is an attempt to make a movie called Suite Francaise; Denise has given her permission to the French film industry and a producer has yet to be announced. If all goes well the film will be released in 2009.

As I sit here on the plane finishing this posting, Jaime is engrossed in Suite Francaise and I hope that for generations to come this book and her others will live on.

When we said good-bye to Denise in Toulouse she thanked us for finding her and said “If there is a God, he has brought my family to France and now my life is satisfied.”

And, so are we…………….signing off from Continental airlines, Diane and Jaime xoxo

Paris continued...

2008-06-07T17:30:00.001-07:00

I feel like this is a mini-series.

"When you last left us, Jaime and Diane were leaving the Rodin Museum."

(Dany et Diane: Mere and Mom)

L to R: Dany, Pauline, Diane, Jaime and Marie.

OK, so after we left Le Musse Rodin, we took the Metro to meet up with Jaime’s French family; Marie, Dany and Pauline for a day of shopping.

We started with lunch at Les Deux Magots. It's the cafe that was frequented by Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone De Bouvoir. Diane had a salad, but everyone else ordered toast points with melted chevre. After lunch it was time to shop. Our first stop, Louis Vuitton.
(It was located next to the cafe, so we decided to pop in for browsing purposes only!)

I was with 3 dangerous French, classy women! I thought that I was the best shopper, NOT, they far surpassed me! We visited Agnes B., Annick Goutal, Longchamp et al. Jaime had fun trying out new looks. You be the judge! (Agnes B. was also where we learned that Dany's youngest daughter, Margaux passed a very tough and important exam.)We even visited Scott's favorite store, Muji, to buy him some pens.

France's Bon Marche.

Our favorite part was the little butterfly charm chain they gave us at Annick. You can hang the butterfly from your pocketbooks after you spray it with your favorite perfume!

I so enjoyed listening to Jaime with her sisters and mom, speaking in French, and then translating back for me. I did pick up a few words here and there.

Editor’s note: Jaime’s mom picked up a lot of words! She did great.

We said our goodbyes to Dany and Pauline, then Marie took us to meet her boyfriend Fabrice. He took us to a great Italian place not far from our hotel.

Fabrice (25) and Marie (23) wanted to practice their English, so we helped them out here and there. They understand almost everything we said, but they are nervous about speaking the language. I think they need to visit Professor Rassias at Dartmouth.

They practice by watching American television shows like Grey’s Anatomy.

Fabrice (quite a McDreamy) and Marie gave us a tour of Paris at night. La Tour Eiffel

Wearily we were up at 5:30 and off to Charles De Gaulle Airport for our flight home to Newark. We had a great time and look forward to coming home now.

A bientot

2008-06-07T16:01:00.000-07:00

A bientot!

Our last day in Paris was incredible. We kicked it off with a café and pain au chocolate. Then it was off to the Rodin Museum. In case you ever want to visit the museum, it's located on Rue Varenne (just ask Jaime for directions!)

Jaime studied sculptor Auguste Rodin and his pupil Camille Claudel at MKA. The sculpture pictured above is called The Bourgeois de Calais. It's classic Rodin.

Jaime has visited the museum on several occasions. It was Rodin’s home and when he died, he left the mansion and its gardens to the state. Here I am , taking the time to literally stop and smell the roses.
We were lucky to see a wonderful, temporary exhibit on Camille Claudel. We both liked her sculpture, The Waltz and Rodin’s Le Penseur (Thinker) and The Kiss. If you want to learn more about Camille Claudel, you can rent the fantastic movie by the same name. It's excellent. It stars Isabelle Adjani and Gerard Depardieu. It was fun to watch young students sketching the statues in the gardens- perhaps one of them will become famous or the next Rodin.
(to be continued...)

Diane gets to speak a few words!

2008-06-04T15:03:00.000-07:00

Diane reporting: I would just like to say first of all Jaime has done a wonderful job selecting the three hotels we have stayed in from Aix, to Toulouse to Paris. Each hotel was a unique, boutique hotel with amenities and plenty of closet space. We always had a mini bar, some had incredible river views, and one even had a shower curtain!! The French have a lot to learn from our showers- they do have excellent flushing toilets. Seriously though, except in Aix where the mini bar was free because the hot water was NOT, Jaime gets an A+ for her efforts. We were fortunate to stay in both Jonathan's apartment in Geneva and the Le Bras home in Tours. Now, that was a most interesting home and they were so generous to have us stay there. Alain, Dany's long time live in boyfriend, built many parts of the house, including a staircase that came from Paris. He also built counters in the pharmacy that Dany owns with her ex-husband, Bernard. They had a delightful dinner the first night in their home and then took us to lunch in Tours today. I especially enjoyed getting to know Margaux, the bubbly 17 year old daughter. Today as we arrived in Paris we were greeted by their two older daughter's Marie and Pauline. We will spend the afternoon tomorrow with all of them. As Jaime said tonight we enjoyed the Jewish quarter and tomorrow we are visiting the Rodin Museum, a favorite to our late cousin Irene Nemirovsky. I would also like to say that this trip has been exhausting for Jaime as she had to think and speak in French and English. I am so impressed by her expertise, she spoke with strangers on the train (ok, I did teach her NOT to speak with strangers) but her French was so good, we arrived everywhere and she was successful buying all of the train tickets, making phone calls, exchanging money, ordering in restaurants. My gosh, I hardly spoke this entire trip. Ok, it almost midnight in Paris and I must get my beauty sleep. Every night we go to bed watching Law and Order in French! Porquoi? I don't know why-I can't understand anything! Au revoir. Tomorrow it is going to duplee (rain) c'est la vie! We have schlepped a big umbrella all over France, at least we won't get wet! To be continued a demain...

Paris in June

2008-06-04T14:34:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Paris. (stop) Weather okay (stop) Looking forward to seeing the Eiffel Tower (stop)

We're in Paris!

And right now the weather is great. Tomorrow, though, it is supposed to pour, again.

I took my mom to one of my favorite places tonight Chez Marianne. It's a falafel - hummus - taboule place located in the old Jewish quarter -- Le marais, near Rue des Rosiers. I'm pretty sure my mom was less than pleased with my selection, but I always go there. I've been going there and taking friends and family to Chez Marianne for a long time.

We left Chez Marianne and decided to walk a bit. We ended up on Rue Du Rivoli and I suddenly realized I knew exactly where I was -- around the corner from a youth hostel I had visited several years ago. Pretty cool, eh? France has great youth hostels. They are clean and safe and friendly. Finally we hopped le metro and headed back to our hotel in the 7eme.

Touring Tours

2008-06-04T05:26:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Tours Tuesday evening after a long train trip from Toulouse.
We came to Tours to visit my French family. I met the Le Bras family 15 years ago when I was a student on a Rassias summer study abroad program.
It was Dany's birthday (she's the one with the red-ish hair) so we feted her with champagne and a delicious cake. The top picture features one of Dany's three daughters, Margaux. She is 17 and adorable. She wants to be a designer.
Their garden. Lovely.
We took a stroll in Tours' flower market...
But we loved the flowers at Dany and Alain's home....
Their home from the outside..

More later....

A New Family Tree

2008-06-02T10:55:00.000-07:00

A selection of works by Irene Nemirovsky at a Toulouse bookshop. We were so proud of our cousin.

Here I am interviewing Denise Epstein. I kept switching between French and English because I was nervous. I am excited to listen back to my 'tape' from the afternoon. In the picture after this one, I am interviewing Denise's daughter who is also called Irene. I wasn't sure how Denise would respond to the microphone, but she is a natural. I was stumbling, though.

Denise's apartment in Toulouse. Denise has many, many books. Jaime asked her how many, but Denise said she never counted. When Jaime asked Denise how many times she read Suite Francaise, Denise said she knew the book by heart.

Denise and her stunning daughter Irene. Irene is fluent in Russian. She has two daughters, Juliette and Nina. We joked today about Nina, because I have a cat named Nina. Denise and Irene are standing in front of what Denise calls her Nemirovsky library. She has hundreds of her mother's books in English, French, Italian, Hebrew, Korean and other languages. We look forward to the day when we can add Denise's book to one of our bookshelves.
Denise, Jaime and Diane inside Denise's lovely Toulouse apartment. Behind us is a photo (one of many) of Irene Nemirovsky.
We looked at hundreds of photographs today, from Russia and France.
Denise lost her mother, father, and her father's family during the Holocaust. This is a photo of Denise during happier times. She is pictured with her baby sister Elisabeth.

At times it was painful for her to talk about her life after the war. She did tell us, though, that she knows her father and his sister were in the same barracks at Auschwitz. They were gassed together. She knows this because she has a book that lists the date of death of all the French Jews killed during the war. Here is a page from that book. I know it is very hard to read. But this page says Irene Epstein. Irene Nemirovsky was listed as Irene Epstein.

Denise is incredibly organized. She showed us her closet filled with information and clippings about her late mother, father, sister and Suite Francaise.

Denise's late sister Elisabeth Gille. She died in 1996.
To be continued ...

"Sweet "Toulouse

2008-06-01T14:45:00.000-07:00

--Toulouse
By Diane Bedrin

Now the Piece de Resistance!! The reason we came to Toulouse! We were so lucky tonight to have dinner with our dear cousin, Denise Epstein. She is the daughter of the wonderful and talented author, Irene Nemirovsky.
Jaime was overwhelmed with emotion to meet her and finally get to see in person the woman she has been emailing with these past months.

Denise is a spry, active woman who has just completed her own novel, Survive and Live. It will be published this fall. She wrote it for her grandchildren and we look forward to reading it, too. It is the story of her experience during and after World War II.
Denise also told us that she will be visiting the US in September for an exhibit about Irene Nemirovsky at the Jewish Museum at Battery Park.

We had such a lovely dinner with Denise, she told us what to order and then she ordered a special dessert for us that was fit for 10 people!

We were all talking non-stop, Jaime in French and Denise in French and English and then Jaime translated everything. A woman at the next table was listening in and when she heard who Denise was she stood up and told Denise that she read Irene's book, that she had all of her friends reading it and she asked to take a photo of Denise. It was an amazing moment. Denise doesn't love the celebrity feeling and she shies away from it. Of course her new book will bring her much fame. We walked back during a drizzle. It was raining cats and dogs during dinner. Tomorrow we will go to her home and meet her daughter, Irene, and see all of her photographs, etc. We can't wait! We wish we could see her entire family but that won't be possible. She has had contact with my grandfather's family in Russia and Germany, too. Hopefully the sun will be shining and we can bike and then visit with Denise tomorrow. Parts of her life has been so sad, "triste," we were awed when she said au revoir to us tonight she told us that we had made her so happy to have come this far to visit with her.
What a lovely woman she is and how fortunate we are to have met her.
What an incredible journey!

Goodbye Aix, Hello Toulouse

2008-06-01T14:05:00.000-07:00

Bye Bye Marseille...
Jaime enjoys her citron presse... lemonade for die-hard lemon lovers and people who like to pucker up!

--- Diane Bedrin, reporting

On our last morning in Aix-en-Provence we visited a craft market in the center of town. The artisans wanted us to buy something. We were stuck converting Euros to dollars. Not so much fun.

Fortunately, we have no room in our luggage for anything else. Ok, maybe we will start throwing out items one by one! We took a cab to Marseille's luxurious train station and from there took the only direct train to Toulouse.

The ride took 3 and 1/2 hours through the magnificent hills and valleys between Provence and the Vaucluse region where our new family lives. We passed numerous vineyards but alas, no fields of sunflowers. The overcast clouds seems to whisk away as we journeyed further south towards the borders of the south of France (cote d'azur) and we arrived on time in Toulouse and took a quick taxi to our room. We overlook the waterway and Pont Neuf Bridge and couldn't wait to explore Toulouse. With radio equipment and our camera we wondered the streets in search of new stores, cafe's and squares called palaces. We noticed the rent-a-bikes all over and decided to make that our morning exercise, weather permitting.

Provence in Pictures

2008-06-01T02:20:00.000-07:00

A Slimdi special.

We had to take a picture. Jaime is sad because her mother-ship Sephora was closed.
But we soon learned of a second location, nearby.
Editor's note: Even though Jaime loves beauty products, she did not bring cuticle oil with her on the trip. Nor did she bring 4 pair of shoes.

Jaime in Marseille...at the top of the city
Our hotel left out bowls of cherries
Great snack, but what to do with the pits?
Jaime and Diane on the cliff near Cassis...

A Day in Provence: Priceless

2008-05-31T14:44:00.000-07:00

-- Provence, France
Diane Bedrin

At 9 AM sharp our tour guide, Olivier, whose mannerisms reminded us of Roberto Bennini from the film Life is Beautiful, showed up in a mini van ready to conquer Provence.

As we drove first to Casiss one could hear Peter Mayle describing the le mistral (winds), the scent of lavender and olive oil, and we could only imagine what was in store for us. We first went to the port of Casiss, boarded a small boat and motored out to visit three different inlets. Casiss reminded us of La Jolla but everything was below the mountain peaks. It is a boater's paradise and a lovely town built on the limestone from the local quarry. The limestone on the bottom of the Statue of Liberty in NY actually comes from this port city- it is the strongest material in the world made that can hold a monument. After a 20 minute walk about town we drove up to the highest point to overlook the harbor and get an amazing view of the Mediterranean Sea. Awesome and breathtaking and I saw bikers climb this mountain that is higher than the Eiffel Tower. We serpentined down the mountain breathing the scents of olives, pomegranates, apricots and lavender and headed next to Marseille, the second largest city in France. Again we climbed the hills to the top where the Church of Notre Dame was built to guard the city. This cathedral was amazing and we saw incredible mosaics and mobiles as parishoners worshipped silently. The view of Marseille was overwhelming- the port city had three ocean liners and thousands of small crafts in the harbor. A small memorial to the fallen French Jews and others who perished during the holocaust is housed in one part of the still standing fortress near the sea. Next we headed to Les Beaux, a provencal village built inside a fortress with a chateau. We arrived just in time to see a bride and groom walk through the streets with their bridal party! The cobblestone village is perched upon the top of the valley in Provence and the walls are all made of stone. The stores were quaint, the toilets were holes in the ground (yuck is right) but the bakery and restaurants left a fragrant aroma luring one into every nook and cranny. We met an unusual Japanese dog there, too.
Next onto Arles, a village set overlooking the Rhone River where Van Gogh painted his Starry Night. His other famous works, the yellow house and cafe were part of the landscape. Arles still has bullfights in the stadium built centuries ago, but they don't spear the bull like in Spain. This was an interesting town to walk around, we saw their famous amphitheater where opera stars like the late Pavoratti performed in summer concerts. Arles really was an international, diverse town, lots of old narrow streets and interesting artsy buildings built with limestone. We also ran into another bride and groom and their wedding party as they drove through the village honking their horns. We arrived back to the hotel at 6 PM. Olivier was a most knowledgeable guide, quite professional and animated. He spoke with both hands while driving and looking back at us. And we all thought driving with Jerry was challenging. While at Les Beaux I received a clear phone call from Bea and Jack, my folks, letting me know that all was well at home. That was welcoming. Jaime and I had a delicious dinner at Le Passage and later a cappuccino and citron presse on the way back to the hotel. Tomorrow we will visit the fruit and vegetable market and then we are off to visit our new family, Denise Epstein in Toulouse. We also hope to see an Airbus on the highway being transported part by part as they are designed and put together here (according to Olivier) Au Revoir!

Quit Smoking Now!

2008-05-31T14:41:00.000-07:00

Jaime:

Before I let my mother write about how we had an amazing day today I just have to say this.

I HATE SMOKING!!!!

THERE I SAID IT.

France went and banned smoking from indoor restaurants, but outdoor cafes still permit people to light up. Inevitably, the smokes wafts inside. It just makes me nuts. I love visiting France, but I can't stand all the second hand smoke.

The end.
Bye.

Diane says, "Mother Knows Best"

2008-05-30T14:17:00.000-07:00

our luggage

Today we rode on the TGV, the high speed train from Geneva to Aix-en-Provence. It took exactly three hours on the train and lots of schlepping our bags up and down ramps and stairs.
It was sad to say good-bye to our dear friend Jonathan, he was a wonderful host and so full of important information. He reminded us not to lose our passports, but if we did he would be the go-to person! We took a shuttle bus to the town center and then walked about 10 minutes dragging our bags.

Fortunately the sun was shining because 1 hour later the heavens opened up. We kept telling the French people that it was raining cats and dogs. Apparently they don't use that expression. What better place to be stranded during the storm, but a lovely patissirie, a French bakery- we bought a sandwich and a thin slice of pizza and a Fanta soda and stayed indoors and chatted with the help. The owner loves Van Cleef. She wore a green earring on one ear and a white earring on the other and two butterfly necklaces, one green and one white. It was very classy! Finally the rain slowed down so we could get back to our hotel and nap. That is our new favorite activity. Two hours later we were back walking the boulevards and side streets of Aix looking for Brad and Angelina- yes their twins were born right here - no paparazi spotting! Aix is a friendly, tree lined town with cobblestone streets and narrow alleys. Lavender scents the air as it is grown locally. That and cigarette smoke. Obviously the French haven't learned the dangers of smoking. We managed to eat early in a side walk cafe almost by ourselves which was good so noone was smoking nearby. The French eat around 8:30, of course we were hungry at 7! One thing we liked was the angles of the streets and the colors of the buildings, especially when the sun would reflect off of them in the late afternoon. Zoom zoom was the sound we heard the most from all of the bikers here. It is a busy University town in the heart of the South of France and tomorrow we have hired a driver to take us to the more Provencal areas in the countryside.

Jaime has dreamed about visiting this area and she spent a lot of time planning this part of the trip. Our hotel by the way, the Cezanne, is just charming. It is a boutique hotel filed with colorful works from Cezanne, bowls of cherries and our room is orange and white, very modern and high tech with internet free in the room.

We visited Longchamp today, the one made in france product that is actually cheaper here then back in the states. Don't worry Jerry (Jaime's dad)I didn't buy anything, just looking.

Editor's note: We are unsure what the deal is with Brad and Angelina. Apparently the birth may have been a fake out.

"You may be the beauty babe, but I was the teenage beauty consultant.

2008-05-30T12:33:00.000-07:00

Jaime on the boat trip from Switzerland to France

Geneva is an international city that attracts a lot of ex-patriots.

It is more French looking than Swiss and everything is expensive. I’m not just talking about the rate of exchange. Geneva is one of the world’s most expensive cities. And this is coming from New York. Unlike New York, however, everything shuts down after 10pm. I couldn’t believe how quiet the man drag was after dinner.
But it is beautiful and clean. We saw the Russian Orthodox church which Jonathan says was painted with gold paint.

Geneva's Jet d'eau

In the middle of the lake is a big water fountain, called the Jet D’eau.
We got a great view of the fountain from Jonathan's apartment and the boat ride.
The boat ride took us to different port villages and cities in Switzerland and France.
We spent some time in Evian-Les-Bains and Lausanne. I loved Lausanne. When you arrive there via boat, you get a beautiful view of the marina. We spent a good part of the afternoon wandering the steep cobblestone streets, walking up and down the winding city. My mom said she felt like she were in Seattle. I’ve never been there, but Lausanne did remind me of San Francisco.

I bought a pain au chocolate, which was much better than the one I had the day before. The Geneva croissant was heavy and tough. The Lausanne croissant was flaky and light.

Instead of taking the boat home to Geneva we took the train. We bought the tickets very quickly, and I goofed. I bought us 2 child tickets. Our conductor was less than pleased but I coughed up the additional money I owed him.

Trains are such a great way to travel. You get to see the countryside and, in my case, you get to watch your mother flip out every time a train passes by.

But seriously, trains are affordable and comfortable. We need more fast trains in the U.S.

Speaking of trains, we ate dinner at a sushi restaurant where sushi rolls come around on a train ~ a moving belt. You reach up and grab a plate from the caboose. It was good. Also, I tried my first panache. That’s one-half beer, one-half lemonade.

After dinner we returned to Jonathan’s apartment to pack up. No surprise here. My mom packed too much. She took all her vitamins. No joke, she must have 4 ounces of vitamins with her.

I was sad to leave Geneva and Jonathan, but I was not sad to leave his killer plant.

Every time I walked by the plant to get to the computer I was attacked. It was pretty, but awfully large. I will miss Jonathan's hospitality.

2008-05-28T23:58:00.000-07:00

Good morning.

It is a bit wet here in Geneva, but no problem. Mom and I are headed to Evian (yep-- that Evian) and Lausanne for a nice day trip.

Last night we visited Old Town and took in the sites with Jonathan as our tour guide. Jonathan is a friend. He is the American consul in Geneva. What does this mean? If we get arrested, he would visit us in jail. Seriously.

Anyway we had a great dinner last night: chicken tagine with lemon and couscous, cod, salade provencale with aubergines (eggplant) , artichokes and corgettes (zuchinni).
Also, for dessert, gelato. YUM.

We also visited Hermes so my mom could get a bottle of her favorite perfume. The company makes one parfum in particular that is very hard to find in the U.S. She was thrilled that the store in Geneva had a bottle.

We crashed at 10pm last night.

Geneva Day 1

2008-05-28T06:45:00.000-07:00

We are here. Jonathan surprised us at the airport! He is a consul so he could come through les douane or customs.

We sat on the runway in Newark for one hour before taking off for Geneva, but we took off and now we are here in Switzerland.

Before I forget, Sex and the City is playing here and there are so many advertisements for the movie. (We didn't see it.)

Les fraises

Les Olives

Mom and I took a long walk today and a hearty nap. We had some fresh fruit from the local market. I love the European markets. The fruit seems to pop! Here I am looking at handmade soaps.
Tonight we head to Old Town for dinner.

At the airport

2008-05-27T13:19:00.000-07:00

It was very stuffy at Newark airport today. My mom said my cheeks were very red. (I was so warm, I changed my shirt)
We made it through security just fine. In typical Slater fashion (that's my mom's maiden name) we arrived very early. But it gave us plenty of time to unwind before boarding.

The Big Day Arrives!

2008-05-27T09:36:00.000-07:00

Today is the day. We leave for Geneva, Switzerland at 6pm. I am packed and ready to go. I just ate lunch (6-inch veggie pattie sandwich from subway) and now I am snuggling with my cat, Nina.
Actually, that only lasted 60 seconds. But I always feel a pang of sadness when I leave her. I said goodbye to Scott (my husband) earlier today and wished him luck as he starts his new job.
More from Newark Airport after we pass through security ... ah... the TSA...

Our travel bag

2008-05-25T18:23:00.000-07:00

Jaime here:
My mom and I wanted to travel lightly. We will be getting on and off of several trains. So I got us these great Osprey bags. They are convertible bags, which means they can be used as a backpack or a rolling bag. They come with a detachable day pack. These bags fit carry-on standards. I got the pair on ebay.

Technology

2008-05-24T08:04:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I did an experiment. I decided to call France on my cell phone. My husband Scott signed us up for an international plan to ease the costs. Voila! It worked. I couldn't believe that I was able to call another country from my cell. So cool. Mom and I are looking forward to Tuesday.

Diane speaking: I was amazed and impressed to hear Jaime's ability to speak so fluently. I could hardly understand anything she said except New Hampshire! Her Dartmouth connection is how she met her wonderful family and spent two incredible weeks immersed in the language and culture halfway around the world. I wonder if I will learn any French or just sit back and enjoy watching her converse! Having my own private interpretor will be a joy for me! Oui, (yes), it will be quite an experience traveling with my daughter. Our journey will be a lasting memory! When I named Jaime Michele I never realized what a francophile she would become. The Jaime part was for J'aime; I love and the Michele part, okay that wasn't French, it was for my favorite Beatles song sung by who else, but Paul McCartney!

Packing

2008-05-22T08:08:00.000-07:00

Every good trip begins with a list of what you need to bring and what you need to leave out. I'm finally making progress. Question is: will it rain and if so, how much? We plan to travel light carrying on our small, rolling suitcases. Our first stop will take us to Geneva, Switzerland to visit Diane's childhood friend, Jonathan Lippman. Jonathan requested 3 jars of Noxema cream and seeded bagels! The cream presents a challenge with the TSA so we are putting a very small lunch tote through with the three bottles. If we lose it, well, c'est la vie! The small suitcases will be necessary for our frequent train travels. Just try lifting a big suitcase onto a train and pulling it through narrow aisles and then NOT finding storage!