Dear Friends of French Affaires
It is that time of year to warm up our “Joyeux Noël” as Christmas approaches. I trust you are all well and ready to enjoy the approaching Holidays.
For French Affaires, 2022 has been a busy and productive year. I am just back from the popular “Paris at the Holidays” trip. It is one of the best groups I have experienced. You can see us at Instagram.
Maud and I made some minor modifications and they were all clear improvements. One of the highlights for me was the special visit to the Mellerio Jewelers on the Place Vendôme, the oldest jewelers in the world. We saw the necklace of Marie Antoinette, but especially fascinating were the handwritten ledgers. Entries on one page, in elegant script, included the King of Italy, the Emperor of Russia, the King of Prussia, the Vice-Roi of Egypt. Turn of the nineteenth-century visitors to Paris, there to stock up for the next ball or state occasion.
I already have a list for 2023 so if you are interested, let me know. Dates are 1-7 December 2023.
In 2023 a new offering will be the French Language Immersion trip, based in Beaune in Burgundy. Along with morning French classes, we will visit Dijon, Vineyards, local historic abbeys, and delightful Burgundy villages. I have a good group signed up, but space remains. I am happy to provide a flyer. Dates are 7-18 September 2023.
I thought it would be fun to offer an alternative to the popular Language Immersion trip in Aix-en-Provence for those who want to continue their language work but in a new setting. We will be back in Aix again in 2024 for those who might be interested. The 2022 trip was a big hit.
In the Fall, I am offering the Normandy trip (16-24 September) and also a special visit to the Cote d’Azur, the last week of September. You will see notices at the website in the coming days. Please let me know by email if these trips would be of interest, and I am happy to provide further details. Maud Hacker will be alongside as our enthusiastic and knowledgeable guide and ‘aide de camp.’
I have been especially blessed to find myself back on the roads and at the sites Elizabeth and I so enjoyed together. They were the best days of our shared life, and in a sense hard to describe, so they remain.
May the angels of God greet you alongside the Christ child once again this year. Merry Christmas and Joyeux Noël.
Yours sincerely,
Chris