Family, Friends, & Farewells

To kick off Spring's first warmth in Nice, my Grandmother, Carol, came to visit us. This was her first time ever traveling abroad and she had to apply for a passport in the month leading up to her trip.  Traveling outside of the US had been something that nobody had done in my family until my initial trip to France back in 2012.  My Grandmother told me that it was her father's dream to visit China after he had befriended a local owner of a Chinese restaurant.  He was determined to go, but my Great Grandfather never made it.  Even my Grandmother had dreams of going to the birthplace of our Farquharson heritage, Scotland, but did not have a passport until we invited her to France.

It was wonderful to show my Grandmother a whole new world.  We visited St. Tropez, Cannes, Eze, and Monaco.  She really enjoyed Nice life and the French culture.  Even though I could not bring her to Scotland, I think she was happy to visit a place where she never even ha dreamed of going and being surprised by what she found.

Needless to say, since my Grandmother's return, she struggles to find a croissant or pastry that can suffice (Sorry for the headache Grandpa Dan!)

After my Grandmother left to return to the States, my good friend Shannon Blankenship and her boyfriend, Cliff, came to enjoy a Spring Break in Paris and Nice.  It was completely impressive that Cliff drove all the way from Paris to Nice (an 8 hour ride after a 12-13 hour flight from the States!). What a pro.  

We quickly gave Cliff an impromptu Frenh lesson so that he could charm the locals into getting his food quickly and getting what he wants.  We made several trips.  From Monaco (drove the Grand Prix track) to Eze, to rally car racing the rental call up through the French/Italian mountains and almost running out of gas in the middle of nowhere.  We had a blast! The time was much too short though, and we hope to be able to have many more adventures with them both very soon.

Right after Shannon and Cliff left for Charlotte, my Stepmother, Father, and younger Brother came to visit.  I was very anxious to see them, as I had not seen them for quite some time.  They flew all the way from California, which is an additional 5 hours tacked onto the 10-13 it takes to get from Charlotte to France.  Just like the others, we took them everywhere; St Tropez, Monaco, Cannes, Eze, and hiked around Nice.  They got to experience a bike ride on the Velo Bleus on the Promenade des Anglais and many nights of amazing French cuisine.  However, I believe Kathy and Josh's favorite food was the macaroons while my father's was the sorbet.  Everyone's favorite restaurant hands down was La Rossetterie where you can order almost any type of roasted meat and side dish with an amazing dessert.

The last night my family was in town, Alex had his school's farewell dinner.  It was only then did he realize that he was really finished with his MBA and our time in France was limited.  It's amazing how the time has flown by! (Nice bra Alexis!)