Pâques

We celebrated a beautiful Easter (Pâques) weekend. Each evening, we read a little more of the Easter story together, and on Saturday night the dark, clear sky reverberated with tolling bells from the ancient Saint Medard church around the corner. Then Sunday! The morning dawned chilly but glorious.

Of course in the midst of discussing the real meaning of Easter—both the darkness and the joy—we also enjoyed the typical cultural accompaniments. I couldn't resist getting chocolate "poules" for the boys instead of the usual Easter bunnies. They loved them!




We even managed a family shot on Sunday afternoon before changing out of church clothes ("handsome" clothes, as William calls any shirt with buttons).

Good Friday isn't typically a day off here, but Easter Monday is. With the boys off school and Jesse not needing to start his work day until early afternoon (he works many nights until 11 p.m. or midnight), we took advantage of the free hours. It was a perfect spring day, and a chateau about 45 minutes away had advertised a chasse aux œufs, Easter egg hunt.

The Chateau du Rivau is fairytale-like. It's still inhabited by the owners but several rooms and much of the grounds are open to the public. It's filled with a mix of priceless antiques and quirky modern art. Fun! 

There was a ton of real taxidermy, but art pieces were mounted in and about the legit stuff...like this knit warthog! 

The egg hunt was very different from ones back home. Of course, the first difference was that we were on the grounds of a castle....not some open lot beside a Wal-Mart.  :)  I think chateaux are becoming commonplace for Josiah and William, but it was definitely over the top for me and Jesse. A costumed staff member managed the affair. She told a story and brought the group of children all around the grounds and gardens for about an hour. There was no wild scrambling and hunting for hundreds of plastic eggs. Instead, she read clues that helped the children locate several hidden baskets and/or new clues. The baskets were filled with little chocolate eggs, evenly distributed among the children at each stop.

Can you see the boys at the top?

After the egg-hunt was over, we spent another hour enjoying the gardens, which included a little playground, a forest of hammocks, a hedge maze, climbing areas, lots of fairy-tale inspired art and sculptures, and of course beautiful flowers and scenery in every direction.

Happy Easter!