Friday March 20th-Thursday March 26th :
I write now from a “Voyage a la bus”, we are coming back from a weekend in Nancy Verdun and Reims with the entire Syracuse group. Until this weekend however, my family had been visiting. The week contained everything a week with the family should, the happy reunion, some chaos utter silliness, confusion, wine, dinners and walking.
I met them at the train station in Lausanne, (after a delay) and we then went and checked into our hotel. Our hotel was called the “Hotel des Voyageurs” and was a lovely, old style building with comfy “Swiss” Beds. My parents were upstairs and had an interesting view and wood ceiling, but our room downstairs was larger, so we ended up drinking our wine there J At this time, Ali presented me with a stuffed animal cat, wearing a t-shirt saying “Somebody at Lawrence Loves Me.” This cat then received the name “Larry”, and my mom and sister still being a little slap happy with jetlag, combined “ohh la la” with Larry to make “Oh la Larry.” It was decided that “Ohh la Larry” would be a traveling kitty, like the Travelocity gnome, and would appear in pictures all over the world. “Where in the world is oh-la-Larry?”
We headed out to find dinner, and after not being able to find a recommended restaurant, we found a small cafeteria due to immediate hunger and jetlag. They were a little confused about the Gluten, but we figured it out. We then made it back to the train station, picked up Andrew, and tried to find a place to have a drink. However a “Swiss wine bar” that was recommended was closed, and we got kicked out of the next two bars we tried, because there was no space. So we retreated to plan C, which was to drink the bottle of wine I had brought from Strasbourg.
It was really nice to chill in the hotel, catch up and enjoy an Alsatian Pinot Gris. I heard about school, more about Andrew’s German experiences, and the state of Opel (his employer) we then settled into a satisfying, much needed peaceful slumber.
The next morning we woke up to my mom at the door, then went downstairs to eat breakfast. It was a lovely little room with cute wooden tables. We had boiled eggs, fruit, ham and coffee. Twas lovely. During breakfast, I got a call from Nathalie who was planning to meet us. After deciding we would meet at our hotel, we continued to leisurely drink our coffee, chat and wait until she arrived.
It was the first time my family and Nathalie had seen each other since I was seven, so it was really nice to everyone to catch up. We walked around Lausanne; saw the open-air market, the cathedral and the old staircase. It was blustery but sunny, so it was great to actually see the mountains in the background. (Unlike the snowy “spring break” visit.) After walking we stopped to eat at a little café. It was cute, and quite busy. It also amazed me how Nathalie could breast feed Luce, while showing Ella the menu, asking the server questions about our allergies, all while being completely calm and serene. It is something I will definitely strive for considering the cafeteria situation really made me feel scattered. After some “Salmon Tar-tar” we walked back outside, and on to an “Art Brut” museum. The museum itself was very interesting, and often disturbing. Art brut is a concept, art more for therapy for the mentally ill. It was quite honest, and not always meant for the public. It ranged from print, sculpture, and even a decorated skeleton. My favorite was probably a fish tank made of shells that were painted to look like fish, plants and sea creatures. They were suspended and layered inside a real fish tank, and the colors were so beautiful and vibrant it was difficult to look away. 
After the museum, my family and I walked back to our hotel, stopping to pick up some Swiss sausage at an open-air market. After a bit of rest, some more chatting, we took the metro to Nathalie’s apartment for dinner. The entire evening was so nice and relaxing. We started with appetizers of chestnuts, capers, nuts, and a meat platter, which included horsemeat (a bit too strong for me) and Lausanne sausage. During appetizers Ella excitedly decided to show me her tent set up in her bedroom. I asked her if she sleeps in it but she replied “C’est pour la petite sieste” (a nap) It was really fun to see Ella again, since she sort of remembered me, she was less shy and warmed up to me right away. She like to follow me when we took the stairs and her mom took the elevator with the stroller, and come from behind and attack me with a hug. It helped that I could speak French with her, since she spoke more simply and slowly. By the end of the day, she was also making overtures to Ali, and told her father she wanted to go somewhere to learn English. Luce was also very smiling and endearing, and spent much of the time being passed around by everyone. She even entranced Andrew, who I caught smiling at her over her stroller in the cathedral. Dinner was lovely and relaxing. After talking until almost midnight, we headed back to the hotel.
The next morning I woke up around 8:30, and then had to roust everyone multiple times, so we could eat breakfast before it closed. We had bought soymilk the day before so that we could have it steamed for our coffee and hot chocolate at breakfast. However I dropped it on the way down and the side split open. Carrying the container horizontally, I handed it to the lady at breakfast explaining the situation. She kindly steamed it for us and even duct-taped the side!
We checked out and walked down to the lake to meet Nathalie. It was a gorgeous day and it was wonderful to bask in the sun, take in the sights, and pose for a few photos. After Nathalie arrived, we went to grab lunch before our train. The first place we tried didn’t have space, but we found a little French place and sat down outside with a beautiful view of the water. We ate a potato/ham/egg/vegetable dish, thanks to Nathalie’s help and the helpful wait staff. We again passed around cute, smiling Luce and chatted. We said our goodbyes, then departed for Strasbourg and enjoyed a lovely, scenic ride. My parents and Ali stayed the, “Regent Petite France” which is located in the lovely heart of Petite France. We enjoyed a picnic dinner that night at the hotel, a perfectly relaxing evening. 
The rest of the week my family explored on-their-own during the day, and met up with me in the evenings when I wasn’t in class. Monday they explored Strasbourg, clutching their coats so not to be blown away in the wind. That night, after finding that “Les Fleurs de Champs” was closed, ate at “L’Ami Shutz” in Petite France. The hotel was kind enough to call ahead for us and ask if we could be accommodated. We enjoyed a lovely dinner of authentic Alsatian food in an authentic, log-cabin like building. Tuesday they went to Baden-Baden while I had a long day of class, then “host family night” (more on that later.) Wednesday they stopped over at my host family’s house after my orchestra rehearsal, so that everyone could meet each other. I hadn’t though to tell my host mom that my entire family eats gluten and dairy free, not wanting to make it seem like I wanted her to feed us. Unfortunately this backfired and she had made a beautiful Alsatian cake, which we couldn’t eat. We did however drink some wine, as I translated the part of the conversations that they couldn’t convey to each other. After meeting the family, my parents, Ali and I headed back to the hotel. We had a relaxing evening first in the hotel sauna, then in the lovely bathtub, complete with essential oils and salts left. We drank some more wine, watched an English TV station and just enjoyed each other’s company. 
I took the day off of class on Thursday and explored Strasbourg with them. We wandered the streets of Petite France and La Centre Ville, window shopping and taking in Strasbourg. We tried on artisan hats made by a local artist, they were truly works of art, and priced for it. I however got a beautiful scarf that was on sale, and priced for student friendly. I showed them Grand Rue, and we found a chocolatier “Jeff Bruges” where we were able to buy some dairy free chocolates. I then lead them to L’artichaut, one of my favorite cafes, where we drank “tea fume” (lapsang) and enjoyed our chocolates. While at L’artichaut, we ran into my friend Cheaven. It was nice to introduce someone from Syracuse to my family and we chatted for a bit. After L’artichaut, we headed back to the hotel, to relax before again meeting with my host family. Since she couldn’t feed us the other night, my host mom made a quick dinner for us. Although I told her no food was necessary, she insisted on cooking anyway. It was nice for everyone to chat, and I think they genuinely enjoyed each others company. After our surprise dinner, we walked to “Les Fleurs de Champs” and enjoyed some soup and crème de chocolate. After dinner, we walked back to their hotel, drank some more wine and watched some BBC. They were leaving on the first train to Paris in the morning, while I was traveling with the Syracuse group. After saying goodbye, my dad walked me back to my house, and I slept soundly.
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