Boran in Springtime

This past weekend, Morgan's host-family once more invited me to come spend the weekend in their chateau in Boran, north of Paris! Morgan and I took the train there on a beautiful, perfect spring day (Friday), and arrived in Chantilly around noon. Her host dad picked us up in an open farming truck, which is probably about 30 years old, and we took a nice 15 minute ride through tree-covered country roads, and flowering fields, past barns and chateaus, to their home.

Friday was a great day weather-wise, and unfortunately I didn't manage to get any photos that day. But the rest of the weekend was warm and fair, and it didn't rain at all in Boran. When we arrived Friday afternoon, we had a lunch outside on the sprawling lawns behind the house, under a tree. It was so nice to sit outside on iron garden-furniture and leisurely enjoy the day...it reminded me of a movie! After lunch, we helped weed in the garden for an hour, and then relaxed for the rest of the day. We ended the day with a hearty dinner and a viewing of "Breakfast at Tiffany's" in our room. We also took an evening walk, and it was beautiful to see the white horses on the property lit by just the moonlight, and to see the Chateau from far away, its windows warm and inviting. We also saw a hedgehog! It was so cute and scared, and it curled up in a little ball when we got close to it!

On Saturday, we took several long walks -- in the woods around the property, in the fields behind the lawns, and along the Oise River, by the town. We also spent time reading, journaling, and scrapbooking in the late afternoon when it got colder, and played with Morgan's host sister, Valentine, and her friend Claire. They are 12 years old, but they speak English quite well. I was impressed with how easily we all could communicate with them speaking in "Frenglish." We also played Petanque, or Bocce Ball, on the front lawn, played with the three dogs, and tried to redirect the local swarm of bees into a bee-box so that the farm can harvest the honey (the family's Chateau is also the location of a working farm).

Sunday, Morgan, the girls and I walked down to the town, where there was a twice-annual flea market. I was able to find a couple great bags for very cheap, and some other neat finds. We all ate cotton candy and wandered around, people-watching and smelling the amazing saussicons, burnt sugar, and rotisserie chickens. When we returned to the house, we spent some more time outside, and then came back to Paris in the evening.

I'm really glad I got to come back to Boran once before coming home. It was beautiful in winter, but a completely different place in the springtime. The trees and grass were all so green, the flowers were gorgeous, and all the animals even seemed happy. It was a very relaxing weekend. To the right is a photo album of my weekend!

Xx, Ashley