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| Amada Cafe St. Lazare, Paris |
It took a plane, bus, train, and taxi but we made it to Connelles, Upper Normandy, France 18 hours after departing LAX. Our first stop, Cafe St. Lazare, with mon ami Amada.
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| the pit Paris, Fr. |
The bathrooms in old buildings require strong thighs and an overwhelming urgency to go.
I decided to wait until we walked to Gare St. Lazare Train Station. The .50 E worth it. Talked with very nice people in cafe and station, very helpful teenagers helped with luggage-just because. It helps so much to know some French.
We arrived at the village of Connelles 1 hr. 30 minutes later. La Residence Normandie sits among meadows, corn fields, forest and the River Seine.
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| La Residence Normandie, Connelle, FR-MFrazier |
After we got our bearings, unpacked and rested we found out there are no grocery stores for 5 miles, no shuttles, no village buses.
The reception lobby has a grocery store, behind a counter, where one orders Cote d’Rhone or Burgundy wine; Camembert, for 2.30 E, daily bread: pain du chocolat, baguettes, croissants .92 E.
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| first French dinner in Connelle AlvardoFrazier |
We enjoyed our first dinner, Spagetti
Bolognaise and haricorts verts (green beans) immensely before we dropped into our beds for a rest before getting our second wind.
A stroll across the bridge, journals in hand. Enjoyed the sights, sounds, and smells. The perfect bench awaited us.
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| our perfect writing spot Connelles, Fr. AlvaradoFrazier |
Ah, to take time to explore around our new surroundings to walk over across the unassuming bridge, over the deep dark waters of the Seine, traveling beneath us. Mona and I stopping just long enough to take pictures. Our only neighbor the restaurant next door that looks like a castle with pink geranium boxes.
Turning on all of our senses… sitting down to let the beauty and serenity reach way down- soul deep. Stopping to sit on a bench which seems to be placed here just for us, a perfect place to be the writers we are and live the writing life we’ve chosen or has chosen us. Oh, this place, this day, is the perfect beginning to our writing retreat. Amada Irma Perez.
Buzzing bees, curious flies, soft coos of mourning doves. Birds twitter in Morse code, two visitors approach. Dancing iridescent blue dragonflies chase one another over the deep green of the Seine. A bevy of geese glide over the glassy surface. White butterflies flit over fuchsia sweet peas.
Mulberry trees, Willows, Blue Spruce sway in the cool breeze, signaling the nose to take a deep breath.
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| sunset over Seine Connelles, FR AlvaradoFrazier |
Who sat on this wooden bench before me? Did they photograph their moments in their mind. MAlvaradoFrazier
What do you see?
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Published by Mona Alvarado Frazier
I write YA fiction about strong women, difficult circumstances, and characters on both sides of the law. Member of SCBWI, Macondo Writers, a co-founder of #LatinxPitch, and a 2020 Las Musas Hermana mentoring program.
My debut YA novel, Strong Women Grow Here, comes out Spring 2023.
View all posts by Mona Alvarado Frazier
