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| Allie and Nelson with family in Central France
We had a beautiful time spent with family in central France. Nelson's godmother, Mary and her husband Girard were gracious enough to open their beautiful homes in St. Etienne, just outside of Lyon, and their country home in a small town of Chateauneuf to us for a week. We also met Mami and Papi, Girard's loving parents. With a lot of translation, many bottles of wine, and more cheese and bread than we had ever eaten, we had a priceless week with them. We created memories that will truly last a lifetime! Enjoy pictures from our time living like the French!
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| Beautiful table awaiting our arrival in St. Etienne. |
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| Tessa the hunting dog |
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| Nelson's godmother is a fantastic cook. Caprese and foie gras |
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| Asparagus risotto with scallops. Delicious! |
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| Beautiful pavilion in town. |
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| Amazing architecture in St. Etienne |
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| Nelson and Allie in St. Etienne |
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| How many people can we fit on one bench? |
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| Stunning doors |
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| The "other" statue of liberty! Made by the same guy! |
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| Mary and Nelson |
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| Homegrown lemons |
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| Bird house in the garden |
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The family at the country home, awaiting dinner!
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| Enormous lemons at the market |
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| Lots of olives! |
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| Tomatoes on the vine |
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| Walking up to the top of the hill in Chateauneuf |
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| Beautiful view from the top |
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| Quaint home in Chateauneuf |
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| A chocolate factory?! |
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| With all the free samples you could ask for?! Heaven! Mami made sure to tell us to jam our pockets with samples! |
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| Mami and her childhood friend! They have been friends for 80+ years! Her friend comes over everyday and brings her bread and a newspaper! Talk about Friends Forever! |
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| Classic small French town scene |
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| Girard took us up in the mountains for some breathtaking views of the French countryside |
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| Allie with an impressive carved mountain |
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| Gorgeous views |
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| Beautiful flowers on the table |
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| Beautiful place settings |
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| Mary is an excellent cook and baker! |
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| A beautiful table for a beautiful family. |
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| Nelson with his kind and loving Godmother! |
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| Always appetizers with Clairette before dinner! |
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| A beautiful and delicious chocolatey send off! |
Nelson's family were beautiful, loving and hospitable people. It was easy to fall in love with them all. I wish we could have stayed longer. The country home with the quaint village was so peaceful and simplicity at it's purest. Mary and Girard's home was surrounded by beautiful vegetable and flower gardens. It was as if I stepped back in time to my parents and grandparent yards back in upstate NY so many years ago. We were blessed to meet and spend time with Mary and Girard, Mami and Papi. Merci to all of them for their beautiful hospitality.
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