Day: July 15, 2013

Sunday in Cotignac………

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Hotel de Ville – our house is to the left.
Runners at the end of the race: note wine bottles!

 We left Lerici around 8.30 and made it to Cotignac in Provence around 3pm just before the village roads closed for the Bastille Day fun run and then evening celebrations. The Brannock’s house is just as lovely as I remember and we have the big guest bedroom and its fantastic. Overlooks the Place de Marie and  Hotel de Ville.
 We went straight to one of the bars to watch the Tour de France.

Around 7 we went back to the village to watch the fun runners come in and they were very sweaty looking. It was a little different to our fun runs. It ended through a narrow passage so they had to pass the wine table where every runner received a bottle of red wine. Then it was off to the food table. No oranges and water for these runners! They had coke, wine, juice, watermelon, gingerbread slices, butter cake, cherries – and of course a second glass of wine if needed. They stood around after the race patting each other on the back and toasting their success.

We then moved onto the town pasta party. We had bought our tickets to the feast and were placed on the P&F table by Suzanna who manages the Brannock’s house. On either side if us were Christina and Bents from Norway, and Maria and Arturo and their 13 year old son fom Marseilles. Both couples were delightful and we had a great night

Fun on Bastille night

The singing if the French National Anthem was stirring and the fireworks stupendous! There were no obvious safety precautions or barriers between the crowd and the fireworks .
They were just slightly out of alignment and the ones shooting left were hitting the eaves of the nearby house and it nearly caught alight!
It was all very French and we loved it.
John sprinted off the greet some others fiends arriving to stay and then we arrived home after midnight (the party was really only just starting) to find poor John on the bed with an icepack. He had strained something in his leg and was in quite a lot of pain.

Off to bed in a very comfortable bed but not before Steve had broken 3 glasses and a plate! It was an accident but don’t ask how. Hope we get invited back.

Fwd: Last day in Lerici

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Dressed in pink made by Gaga Marg
Barbie doll given to Cleo by the Priest
Beautiful Demi

 Big day today as its Demi’s Christening and the ceremony starts at 10.30 in Carrara, about 40 mins away. So all up early including Caleb, Bertie’s friend from Australia. All dressed and ready, Fabio in his summer weight suit; Bertie in a lovely blue dress; and little Princess Cleo in a gorgeous dress made by Grandma Marg (otherwise know as Gaga). Baby Demi was in a pretty dress (also made by Marg) made from a fabric from a favourite shirt of Grandma Betty.

Steve and I went with Massimo and Patrizia, who live in a gorgeous house nearby. It was a “short 40 min” drive to the church.
We all assembled at the church in Carrara, and Fabio’s sister Antonella and husband Fredrico and son Dmitri arrived all smiles as they were to be the Godparents. Several other friends arrived and the Priest came out ready to start. He was also the media manager as he kept telling where the photographers (Dmitri and Massimo) should stand to get the best shots. He also gave Cleo a Barbie doll, a great surprise and something I’ve never seen in an Australian church. That kept her completely occupied.

Parents and Godparents sat up near the altar and away we went. Demi was perfect as usual, she’s a really lovely easy friendly baby. We got all the photos and then moved outside for more photos and chats.
We were moving onto to a restaurant near by – well not so nearby. We drove for nearly an hour, out of Liguria and into Lucca and up several mountains untill we arrived at La Cerratola.
It was like a mountain get away.
Lunch was delightful, beautiful traditional antipasti followed by 3 pasta dishes followed by a meat platter with 4 different types of meat and salad then the cake and gelato for dessert. Just as we were finished bad news arrived.
The whole way up Massimo and Patrizia had been a little distracted as their friend Oscar was very ill in hospital in Genoa. They then got a call saying he had passed away. There were many tears and a fairly quick end to the lunch, we moved outside and discovered Massimo and Patrizia had left and we were without a lift home. Well, in lovely italian style it took 15 mins to arrange cars, count people distribute between cars etc…… to save Steve and I being left on the hill. Eventually we went with Stempy and Veronica and their daughter Greta. Over an hour later of winding corners we arrived back in Lerici and everyone was exhausted. Gorgeous party to welcome little Demi. Thank you Fabio and Roberta.

Had a peaceful night and planned an early morning departure for Cotignac and the last week of our holidays.