Poitiers, France

Hi Friends & Family!

It’s been a few weeks since an update so we thought we’d let you all know what we have been up to….Poitiers, France!  

Dave’s aunt, uncle and 3 cousins, Reed, Lea, and Pablo live in Poitiers, France so we hopped on RyanAir and took a short 45 minute flight to visit them.  We flew into the town of Poitiers and it had the cutest airport we have seen yet!  One plane at a time and from our seats on the plane we could see all the people waiting at the fence near the runway for their loved ones on our flight. Poitiers is a city on the Clain River in west central France. The town centre along with its marché is picturesque and its streets are interesting for remains of historical architecture, especially from the Romanesque period.  Dave’s uncle Jean Claude works at The University of Poitiers, which I researched and it was established in 1431 and welcomed many famous thinkers and it is the second oldest university in France!  

Once we got to Poitiers Jean Claude gave us a tour of their house…which is amazing!!!  It is from the 12th century and built over a cave from Roman times. Apparently the cave system was used to sneak about the city, but their caves are now walled off near the property lines.

From the upstairs window, you have a view of the old town square. In the center is a miniature statue of liberty, but that statute now sits where years ago the guillotine stood. 

Since we didn't have to fear the guillotine and the weather was so nice, we wanted to find a terrace that was serving beer and soak up the sunshine. Dave’s aunt Gina was working so we waited until she got off work and for Lea and Pablo to get home from school.  Once Gina came home we opened some wine and had a fantastic dinner followed by some music and dancing!

Saturday morning we got up late thanks to cousin Reed’s blackout screen and headed down to the marché to get food for the day.  We decided on oysters, white asparagus, and of course some yummy French bread.  We had a snack of oysters

 and then headed on a walk to see the town and to the main park.  All the trees and flowers were in bloom and the sun was out ☺ We toured the city and the old churches, most dating back to the 12th and 13th century.

That night we went to Gina and Jean Claude neighbor, Olivier’s house for a drink…that turned into a few bottles of rare French wines and cognacs! Olivier’s wine cellar turned out to be a goldmine and he was such a fantastic host that we invited him to the wedding on the spot.

Sunday was a chill day of movies and relaxation.  We had amazing osso buco that Gina prepared for us and we sat around and enjoyed the time with them, as I had only met them on skype.

 I must also mention that Pablo is an amazing guitar player we were treated to several shows featuring some of his greatest hits. We felt very special and lucky to see his electric & unplugged performances.

On Monday the kids headed back to school and Gina and I went on a drive to 2 small villages. The first was Angles sur l’Anglin and then we headed to Chanvinge for lunch.  Each village was pretty small but beyond beautiful.  We walked both villages and saw the sites; it was very sweet of Gina to show me her favorite spots.

Sadly Dave had to work that day so we left him at the house.  Once we got back and packed up our belongings we had to head home.    We were very sad to leave but so happy we had the chance to spend so much time with Gina & Jean Claude and the clan and get to experience some good French living.  We highly recommend Poitiers and we fell in love with it!

We head home soon for our wedding, we cant believe the time is already here!  

Love to all of you!!! 

kelly and dave