So this year I had decided I would stay in France during the holidays. I figured it would be more practical to save money on the plane ticket and a year away from home in the grand scheme of things isn't all that bad. Don't get me wrong, I've really missed my friends and family and thinking of everyone at home being together during Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's is hard at times. The upside is that I know I'm really loved and missed and that makes it a bit easier. Plus, having Internet, phone, and texting abilities helps to stay connected with everyone. A lot of my friends and co-workers here DID go home for the holidays and I found myself semi-alone in Rouen. A friend of mine generously invited me to spend the holiday in Paris and I accepted. I had planned on taking the train to Paris on Christmas Eve and had everything pretty much packed and ready to go. Only thing is, I thought of a woman named, Marie-Therese, who I recently became friends with and the fact that she would be all alone in Rouen on Christmas Eve. I met Marie-Therese in the yarn store she owns here in Rouen a few months ago and have become friends with her. She's a lovely lady who is a very skilled knitter and who's taught me a few new knitting patterns. She's never been married and doesn't have any kids. She's estranged from her only brother and is very much alone. When I thought of someone being even more alone than me during the holidays, I made up my mind to stay in Rouen and to invite Marie-Therese to dinner. We found a restaurant that had a special Christmas Eve Dinner menu and got all dressed up to go. The food was delicious and we had a wonderful time. I was very glad to have decided to stay, especially when on our way home we stumbled onto midnight mass at the Rouen Cathedral. I told Marie-Therese it would be interesting to go and we walked in just in time for the service which was really beautiful and serene. The cathedral is massive and it was filled to the brim with people. As I sat there, I wondered how many people had done the same thing in the past and how they must have froze! It was really cold and even though they had heaters no one took off their coats, scarfs, and gloves. The service lasted for about an hour and it was very beautiful. There was a choir and trumpeters that accompanied the organ player. I especially like the part where everyone shakes hands with everyone around them. As I sat there and listened, I felt my grandmother's presence so strongly within me and I was moved to tears. I really miss her and it was wonderful to feel her so close to me at that precious moment.
Here are some pictures of me, Marie-Therese, and our Christmas dinner!
The menu included hors d'oeuvres, an apple sorbet to cleanse the palate in between courses, and coffee/tea with cookies. It was really delicious and I quite enjoyed it, although, I was REALLY full afterward!
Foie Gras with caramelized onions and pears. Really delicious!
Duck stuffed with chestnuts, mushrooms, and little potato cakes. Another hit.
Cheese and salad plate. Cheeses: Goat cheese, Camembert, and Pont l'Eveque.
Dessert was a Christmas Log which is a traditional French Christmas dessert. This one was a house-made chocolate one with raspberry mousse filling and a custard sauce.
This is a really bad picture but I felt really disrespectful taking a picture in the house of God! This was the best I could do with no flash. Of course, it doesn't do it justice but it gives you an idea.
And there you have it, a quiet yet pleasant Christmas Eve in the company of a lovely lady, and the citizens of Rouen. I came home and spoke to some of you on the phone and on Skype. For those of you I didn't get a chance to talk to, I missed you and thought of you. Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas wherever you may have been and that you were surrounded by your loved ones as well as the spirit of our Lord baby Jesus!! Villalobos, out!!
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