Cajun Stars in France

Tonight in Montargis, a small town in France about an hour south of Paris by train, I sat down at a table with my husband John, his sister Beth, and her husband John for our first sit-down meal since leaving Virginia yesterday. Ma salade preparé avec poulet, oeufs durs, et legumes, le pain, le vin, et l'eau... magnifique!


We flew through Reykjavik, Iceland to Paris, met a driver who drove us to a train, then took the train to this town where we will meet our bicycle tour tomorrow. How glad we were to sit and eat a delicious meal, drink good wine, and relax together, having reached our first destination.


When I was reunited with my checked luggage this afternoon, I put on these earrings (shown here hanging on my wine glass) that my daughter Käthe bought for me in Louisiana last year. The connection? Louisiana's cajun country was settled by the French speaking Acadians who fled south from Canada after the defeat of the French by the British. Through some stretch of my imagination, they seem perfect for our first day in France. No doubt we four each share more than a drop of French blood somewhere in our ancestry. I know the Norman conquerers sired my Ashhurst ancestors, and probably many more. 


Des etoilles. Stars. The same ones fill French skies as will rise back home in a few hours. Time for a good night's sleep!