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The Ellis Page French Sabbatical |
Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology ("MAC")
As it turned out, we saw them again only four months later! Again, we were in France for the Christmas season! Here I am in front of a beautifully decorated bakery in Paris with Steve and Devon. Our second son, Steven (on the left) had just finished his service as an LDS missionary in Belgium and Northern France and we had made the decision to go and pick him up ourselves rather than just meeting him at the airport. This time we left the two younger boys at home and took Devon, our oldest (on the right). Spending the month of August with the Lechevalliers had done wonders for his French and he was anxious to see France and try out his language. Dear Dominique was waiting for us at the Paris airport. What a friend. Devon loved the Latin Quarter, Notre Dame Cathedral, and of course, the Eiffel Tower. "Wow! It's much bigger than I had expected!" he said. We left for Belgium early the next morning and were happily reunited with Steve, who proudly showed us Brussels and Liege. Steve had arranged for us to stay with a wealthy and somewhat eccentric member of the church who had been one of the original writers for the Smurfs cartoon, made world-famous when rights to it were purchased by Hollywood. He drove us to an expensive and exclusive Belgian restaurant where, among other dishes, we tried sanglier (wild boar). The next day, we all visited the touristic town of Brugges, with its Flemish architecture and interesting shops. One young women, just a sales person behind a counter in a Belgian chocolate shop, spoke four languages fluently. "Would you like to speak in French or English?" she asked with no accent in either one. Wow! Oh, and we all used the "facilities" in the tourist center for $1.80 US. "That was a little high," I said, "especially when we're the one's who are doing all the work!" We drove on to Amiens, in France, and spent some time looking at Steve's old apartment and the huge Cathedrale of Amiens. "I hope I see someone I know," said Steve just before two LDS missionaries spotted us and came over. A little while longer, and two more arrived. Although he didn't know those particular elders, Steve's reputation preceded him, and the elders had heard of him. Later on, we also bumped into the sister missionaries as well as several members of the Amiens wrestling club, where Steve had voluntered as a coach. It was evident that Steve had been very loved and respected, and whether it meant anything to him or not, we were very touched to see the esteem in which our son was held. Devon drove home to Paris since I was beat. We arrived at the Etoile a little after midnight. Even that late at night, the traffic was heavy and it was quite scary for us and a thrill for Devon to drive around the Arc de Triomphe. Devon enjoyed it so much that he went around twice! "Hey! This is great!"
The next day, the Lechevallier family went with us to see our good friends in Le Havre. On the way, we stopped at the Château of Gaillon so Devon and Steve could see a real castle from the middle ages. We also showed them Rouen and the Vieux Marché we loved so much. Once in Le Havre, we headed straight for the Christmas party and talent show at the church. What was absent in talent and organization was more than made up for in spirit. All our old friends were there for hugs and bizous (kisses on the cheeks – very French). On Monday, we headed up the coast road to Etretat. It was extremely cold, but very clear and beautiful. Steve and Devon climbed into a World War II bunker, which was something Devon had really wanted to see. "It's really cool!" said Steve, no pun intended. Back in Paris, we took a bateau mouche ride in the cold and the rain (it was still nice), went by metro to Sacré Coeur and Montmartre, and strolled down the Champs Elysées with its Christmas lights. Dominique thought the Champs Elysées had been spoiled by "all those disgusting American hamburger joints." Maybe so, but it is still a thrill with lots and lots to see. The big feature of the day, though, was the Lechevallier's Christmas Party, which we celebrated two days early. Christmas Eve found us on the plane heading back home. It was the first Christmas with all four boys in quite a while and the last one for several more years with David heading off to the Philippines followed by Braden to Tahiti. Back to the Ellis Family Home page |
| For email contact use either: gellis@stmartin.edu or godfreymerry@home.com |
15.
Other Visits
The
next morning, we all went sightseeing in Paris. Devon wanted to try out
his French and so headed out on his own to get lost and see if he could
survive in Paris. He did just fine. Of course, as you can see,
he cheated and took a "map" with him (a souvenir
tee-shirt). That night, we went to the top of the Eiffel Tower.
Devon thought it was great.