What a week it has been! We picked up our car Tuesday afternoon and headed to Chalon-sur-Saône. It was a beautiful drive as we passed the different vineyards with their grapevines golden in the sun. I didn’t realize that their leaves turned color. It took two drives around the block to finally discover the entrance to our apartment building. It is very skinny and has four parking spots in the back.
Our apartment is on the second floor, and we were quite surprised as we opened the door because we were told it had been professionally cleaned. I guess everyone has their own idea of clean. Tom unplugged the bathroom sink, fixed the broken vacuum, stabilized the fridge so it didn’t move when you opened the door and made many trips up and down on the stairs because the elevator was broken. He has been my hero. I spent most of 3 days washing every dish, pot and pan, garbage pails, cupboards, and floors. We found out the hard way that the pressure cooker doesn’t work. We donated many things to the Relief Society and are hoping that someone in the branch can use them. Now if I can find some pictures to put on our bare walls, it may feel like home.
We love the location of our apartment. It is within a half block of the of the river and a scenic walkway. It is so charming to hike across the bridge to Ile Saint Laurent and see the medieval tower (1410 ) completely restored with it’s original brick. French architecture has me charmed. We found the market with all the fresh fruits, vegetables flowers, cheeses, breads, and fish. My first purchase was some cinnamon from Madagascar from a man who mixes or grinds all his own spices. We have two boulangeries within 1/2 block of our house.
The young elders invited us to a baptism in Dijon on Saturday morning. We were happy to support them and ended up meeting half of the branch there. Tom played the organ and I led the singing. David Campo, a middle aged man, was baptized. He will be a great addition to the branch and was confirmed this morning . We have maybe 30 active members who attend regularly from a 70 mile area. The Branch President drives every other week from Lyon which leaves a heavy load on his councillors. We did meet the Stake President today. He told us that he was grateful that we were here. We are having dinner with our mission leaders on Saturday and will be happy to listen to their direction.
It is very cold here compared to Florida. It has been a long while since we had temperatures in the 40’s. Today I wore tights, an extra pair of socks, boots, a skirt and cashmere turtleneck, scarf, leather jacket and gloves and a raincoat over it all and was still cold. Apparently the heat will be turned on in the building sometime in November but we don’t know when.
We have two appointments this week. Tom is getting calls from concerned missionaries and Life is good. We are adjusting quickly and counting our blessings and opportunities.
Dieu vous bénisse. Elder and Sœur Spackman
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| View from our kitchen balcony |
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| Church in Place l'Hotel de Ville |
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| Fishing on the Saône |
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| Marché in Place St. Vincent |
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| A bit of trompe à l'oeil in Place des Arts |
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