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The hand-embroidered monogram on this
curtain is only one of many graceful artistic
touches Patricia has added to their home |
Phillip and Patricia have graciously given us the use of
their own bedroom during our stay, explaining that since Astrid and Geoffrey
are spending the weekend in Astrid’s old room, the only other option for us
would have been Lauren’s room, which, in her absence, has been taken over by
her cat—and they didn’t want to subject us to any unwelcome feline
companionship. Although we do like cats, we don’t like trying to sleep with
them (our own Puck gets shut in the basement every night before we go to bed),
so we deeply appreciate Phil and Patricia’s sacrifice on our behalf. So, having
rested well in their bed—which combines the antique charm of our first bed at
Belleek Castle with the width and comfort of our second—we woke to a beautiful
Sabbath morning. Downstairs we found an equally beautiful table set with a
continental breakfast: fresh croissants, pains
au chocolate, a brioche with butter and homemade jams, and bowls of hot
chocolate to dunk everything in. And, as a polite concession
to the peculiar habits of her American family, Patricia also had provided a
carafe of orange juice.
On our way to attend LDS worship services in La Rochelle
with Phil, we found our route blocked by a marathon running through the middle
of town (any race beyond a sprint is a “marathon” for our French hosts, no
matter what the distance), so by the time we arrived at church it was too late
to partake of the sacrament, but not too late to hear the talks. Nancy was
gratified that she could understand nearly every word of the first one—until
she realized that the speaker was an American missionary with a French
vocabulary probably as limited as hers. (That senior missionary, Elder Fitt,
turned out to be the uncle of a friend of ours who used to live in Cincinnati.)
Nancy had more trouble following the second talk, delivered by a native French
speaker, but at least she understood that the woman was expressing faith in
Christ and encouraging us to become more like him by serving others. Michael
was feeling pretty good about his French comprehension skills until the last
sermon, given by the bishop. Like that of many people who haven’t trained as
public speakers, his articulation was a little sloppy and his presentation somewhat
rambling, but even though neither of us caught the whole gist of his message,
we could feel the sincerity of his spirit.
The last time we had attended Sunday meetings in La Rochelle,
the LDS congregation here had been a small branch, with maybe two or three
dozen active members. Since our visit in 1993, however, La Rochelle has become
a ward—which means that local membership has grown enough for the community to have
its own meetinghouse rather than rented storefront space. None of the congregations we met with in Ireland were large enough to be wards. Unlike those branches, the La Rochelle Ward is led by a
bishop, and is part of a stake (comparable to a Catholic diocese) administered
by local leaders rather than a district overseen by the mission presidency. When Michael and Phillip were serving as missionaries in
France during the 1970s (yes, both were called to the same mission, though not
at the same time), there were no wards anywhere in the country, so LDS
membership throughout France has grown quite a bit in the last forty years. Phil’s
family are not part of that growth, as they have chosen to remain Catholic, practicing
enough to attend Mass once or twice a month. Phil does what he can to maintain
a connection with the LDS community in La Rochelle while respecting the
religious traditions and observances of his family.
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| Des huitres: avant |
We did not stay for Sunday School or other meetings because Patricia was preparing a traditional Sunday dinner for us, to be served as soon as we got home. Both Michael and Nancy were looking forward to this with some trepidation ever since we learned that it is a local family custom to send someone down to the nearby beach every Sunday morning to buy oysters fresh from their beds, and then swallow them down at dinnertime.
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| Des huitres: pendant |
Now, while Nancy
considers herself “shellfish tolerant” (i.e., she will politely eat and
sometimes even enjoy crab, shrimp, clams, and mussels when they are served to
her), and while Michael rather likes crab, shrimp, clams, and mussels, the idea and practice of oysters has never appealed to either of us. Michael tried oysters
once as a missionary; Nancy has successfully avoided them her whole life. Today,
however, refusal would be unforgivable—not to mention cowardly. So, after proper instruction, we screwed our
courage to the sticking place and prepared to swallow.
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| Des huitres: apres |
Geoffrey gleefully
grabbed our camera and captured the moment for posterity, so you can examine
the photos yourself and decide how we reacted. It helped that the oysters had
been out of the water for only a few hours. Michael ate three more, and Nancy
gamely emptied two more shells herself. We probably won’t order them on any
future restaurant visits (although, who knows?) but at least we will no longer
dismiss oysters as disgusting—as long as we can be sure that they are as fresh as the ones we had today.
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| Baby Sancie with her mother |
When we had finished this appetizer, Patricia brought out the
main course:
blanquette de veau (a
delicious veal stew with carrots and potatoes). That was followed by a salad
course (mixed greens with a balsamic vinaigrette), a cheese course (including a
bleu, a Gruyere, two kinds of Chevres, and a semi-hard mountain cheese whose
name we have forgotten), and finally a dessert course: a fantastic raspberry Charlotte.
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| Sinclair and Astrid |
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| L'Hermione |
After they left, Michael, Nancy, Phillip, and Patricia drove
to the
centre ville and spent the
rest of the afternoon strolling under the arched walkways of La Rochelle’s old
quarter and around its ancient harbor. Currently moored at the quay is a
reproduction of
L’Hermione, the
frigate that had carried the Marquis de Lafayette to Virginia in 1780 when American
revolutionaries needed French assistance in their war of independence. The recently
completed ship is about to embark on a journey across the Atlantic to
commemorate Lafayette’s voyage and our countries' successful joint venture against the
British.
L’Hermione also has special
significance for our nephew Sinclair, who has eagerly watched its construction in
a nearby shipyard since he was a young boy. Because the vessel was finished at
about the same time he completed his schooling at the
lycée, Sinclair celebrated both by attending
L’Hermione’s dedication ceremony a couple of years ago.
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| La Rochelle's Harbor |
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| Nautical Detail on the City Center Building |
La Rochelle’s sidewalk cafés were brimming on this sunny
Sunday afternoon. As the shadows got longer and the air a little chillier, we
decided to sit down for a hot drink ourselves. Michael, Nancy, and Phil warmed
up with some
chocolate viennoise (topped with whipped cream); Patricia ordered
a
citron chaud (hot lemonade)
.
When we returned home, it didn’t take Patricia long to
prepare a “simple” supper of spinach and artichoke soup, steamed shrimp, salad,
bread, and cheese. This was followed by a soft dessert cheese similar in
consistency to yogurt but not as tart, and some salted-caramel brownies that
Patricia apologized for serving because they had been made two days earlier.
(Their supposed lack of freshness did not diminish their scrumptiousness.) By
the time we finished eating, it was just after 9:00, so after relaxing a while
in the living room with cups of chamomile tea, we were ready for bed.
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