Friday August 12

I know, I know, I skipped a few days.  I am working backwards in my spare time. 

Waking up in Clermont Ferrand in the apartment of my friends.  It was just the three of us this morning since Mateo moved out into his own apartment yesterday and Ewan spent the night there as well.  I have Ewan's old bedroom (as of yesterday) as my room for a few days until I leave them for Spain on Sunday.

I went into the kitchen and had coffee, bread with jam, and we all spent a while checking our phones lol.  After an hour or so, the boys reappeared, Mateo coming in through the window, and Ewan using the door, the more traditional route.  we all sat around and chatted and checked on our emails and social media.  Mateo sat on the floor and began to draw.

Anne got a phone call from Leonie in Lyon who had cut her hand in the kitchen and had to go to the hospital to get stitches, she thought.  The timing is bad because the two boys, and Leonie are going to Amsterdam on vacation tomorrow so we are hoping it is not too bad.

Anne prepared an early lunch about 1:30 of sausages, rice and zucchini.  We had wine and bread to accompany.  Then the boys departed again to go back to Mateo's new apartment to finish unpacking and prepare for their holiday.  Didier went to the bank to get information about their pending purchase of a new apartment in Clermont Ferrand, now that Mateo is out of the house, and they can live in a smaller place. 

Anne and I laid around, I worked on my blog and she her Instagram.  After a while we walked several blocks to the post office so I could mail all of the clothes I will not need for the rest of my trip back to the US to lighten my load in Spain and the return home late this month.  On the way back we stopped at a wine shop to buy wine for apero with Anne's sister, niece and mother later today.

We got back to the apartment and Didier and the boys were back.  The boys were all packed and ready to go, and at around 4pm Didier and the two boys headed to Leonie's house in Lyon (where I had stayed at the beginning of my visit with them) where they will spend the night, and then Didier will take the three of them to the airport for their vacation in Amsterdam for a week.  They are going to stay at the Bohotel which looks very cool. Mateo is excited about riding bicycles out of the city.

Anne and I once again laid around both of us feeling lazy.  Around 6pm we roused ourselves and prepared to walk over to her twin sisters apartment a few minutes away.  We were going to have apero/diner there with Karine (her sister), Eleny (her niece), and Paulette (their mother). We packed up some charchuterie and wine, and hit the road.  It was not far, and we were soon in the building, up the elevator, and in the apartment.  I had reunited with Karine briefly yesterday, but today I got to meet her beautiful, graceful, happy 7 year old daughter, and their mother. When I found out how old my friends are (47 and 49) I figured out that their mother was probably not a whole lot older than me, and I think she is 72 or 73 (I will be 66 this year) so it was fun to meet her, although she thinks they brought me to her house during my last visit 20 years ago (I do not remember a lot of that visit because I had been on the road for a month before I got to them). 

We had a lovely afternoon chatting and eating and drinking and eventually moved out onto the terrace once the sun was going down.  A neighbor in her building returned home with their four month infant, and we all oooouuu'd and awwwww'd over the cute baby. 

Then it was time to leave, and we walked back to the apartment, and decided to go to bed early.  We were both tired, but I'm not sure it was the best idea since I woke up at 2;30AM and it is now 4- I decided to work on catching up on the blog since I was awake.  I think i'll try to go back to sleep now.  We don't have plans for tomorrow , Didier will be home in the evening, and a friend of Anne's who I also met 20 years ago is coming for the night tonite around 6pm.

What an amazing trip!

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