Frantzia, Francia, France

Ben and Maite showing the de la Fuente´s their home
Sare´s main drag
Inside the Catholic church in Sare
Ben and Maite´s garden
Maite´s birth home in Sare, France
In Maite´s birth home, to the left, where the bread was heated near the wood stove
Ben showing Helene and her friend Leire how the boot-remover works!
Ben and Maite Larralde´s home in Sare, France
With Ben and Maite, ex-Corning-ites :)

The last two days here in Donostia have been filled with what the Eskaldun (Basque people) call ¨Shiri miri¨, or ¨drizzle.¨ After having two days of PERFECT weather, the last two have been sub part weather wise, but for me, more than fabulous in the realm of culture learning. Yesterday, after waking up at noon (yes, noon), I squeezed into mass here in Antiguo just five minutes late, before heading over to Aimona (Grandma) and Aitita (Grandpa´s) house, the home of Ana´s parents who live a couple hundred steps from la Ondaretta beach for Sunday lunch. In attendance at the lunch, which is customary each Sunday were myself, Ana, Helene, Adela (Aimona) and Javier (Atita), and Ana´s uncle, who is a Jesuit priest. I had met Adela and Javier once before when Helene forgot her house keys last year, and we had to hang out there until Ama (Ana) got home from work. At this time, Javier told me that he was one of the co-founders of the Ikastolas (Basque schools) in the 1960´s; something he is to this day very proud of. Lunch consisted of a starter of asparagus (white) and potatoes, then baked Spaghetti with melted cheese on top, third dish Bonito (tuna) with tomato sauce, and then strawberries, a mini ice cream with a chocolate shell, and of course, coffee. After lunch, we watched the afternoon news for about an hour before heading back home to take a siesta, after which I ventured out into the drizzle to find a coffee shop and do a little bit of work. The night was capped with a mini salad dinner prepared by Xavi and an early night to bed.

Today, being a national holiday in Spain, both Xavier and Ana had the day off, and graciously offered to take me to France so I could see some French-Basque countryside. Although the Decemberish weather continued, we definitely made the best of it. I called Ben and Maite Larralde, who were my family´s ranch neighbors in Corning for many many years, and who had relocated to their hometown of Sare, France last year, to tell them that I was going to be in their vicinity After having left Sare as teenagers, and living in Corning for over 60 years, they decided to come back to where their family resided because they had no children to help care for them. They had a beautiful house in the hills of Sare built, they packed their bags, and have lived here for the last year. They welcomed the de la Fuente´s and myself to their town, and started with a drive down the ¨main street¨of 2,000 ish people to the house that Maite was born in. It is now owned by her nephew and his wife and has been parcially converted into an albergue, or home/hotel for travelers. The part of the house that had been Maite´s familiy had not been re-modeled, so she proudly explained how the garage on the bottom floor had been the horse stables, and how one horse specifically would neigh only as the German soldiers walked past the windows, and for no one else! I got the tour of her old bedroom, the kitchen, and in the living room, most intriguing was the hole in the wall next to the wood stove where the bread was baked, and subsequently heated before eating. She also explained a little family history, and one story in particular is one to remember in that on the day she was born, one of her older brothers drown in a water trough after her father told the older kids to go outside and play, so as not to disturb her and her mother.

From Maite´s birth house, we followed a narrow road about five minutes to their current home, nestled at the bottom of a hill, with a beautiful garden in front. The typical Basque arquitecture dominated with a patio extending out one side of the house, and the contraventanas, or shutters, painted red to contrast the white paint that was the rest of the home. Inside, pieces of their lives in Corning were littered about, including photos of Beñat (Ben´s real name) herding sheep, and a certificate of service from the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church. They led all of us proudly around their three bedroom house. The de la Fuente´s were especially interested in the Larralde´s story as they too are proud Basque, and relished in the fact that Ben and Maite both spoke a very proper and modern Basque, and without an English accent. Xavier also asked for their phone number, as he is going to reccomend to the TV station he works for that emits a Basque History program, that they interview Ben and Maite on their story of immigration and return to the Basque country. The wonderful afternooon concluded with coffee, and pastel vasco (Basque Cake only found in the French side of the Basque country), and a tri-lingual conversation between the Larraldes, the de la Fuentes (including Helene and her friend Leire) , and myself. Most intriguing was the switching of tongues as Maite speaks English, Basque and Spanish, Ben speaks Basque and English, and understands Spanish, Ana speaks Spanish, Basque and French, but little English, and Xavier English, Spanish, and Basque. I could even follow the Basque conversation pixka bat (a little bit).

After the goodbyes, we took a quick stroll though the beach side town of St. Jean de Luz, and then home to have pizza and sandwiches J. Tomorrow…..needs to be another day at the office!!!!!!!