This past Saturday, I went to France again to visit an old friend. Richard and I met over four years ago during the trek I did in Nepal to bring a volunteer to her placement in Mude (see “Finding Mude” October 4th, 2007 blog entry). There is actually a picture of Richard, the tall blonde man in the green sweatshirt, stood behind me as I posed with a little girl and my dhaka on top of a 3000 metre hill. He now lives in rural France with his wife and – thanks yet again to facebook – I had kept in touch with him well enough to know he was there and plan a trip to visit him.
Now, the trek to Mude was such a long time ago that a lot of details had completely disappeared from my memory. But the one thing that I remember was meeting Richard (and his other friend, Richard!) and that they meant a lot to us during that trek. Now, reading over my 2007 blog entry, that point is driven home even more deeply. Not only did the Richards help us find our destination, thanks to their maps, guidebooks and organizations, but they provided encouragement and support during the difficult moments of the trek, relief when we were ailing, and companionship in the form of songs, conversations, and shared food. We became a sort of trekking family, really. And that is why after four years, Richard and I managed to see each other.
And it was so lovely. Almost as though no time had passed at all, yet because of the incredibly different circumstance of our encounter, the whole weekend took onto a dreamlike quality.
I saw a bit of rural France, sure. But mostly, I talked, listened, and ate. 
Yet you, the reader, do not want to know about what I talked about or ate (though I DO have pictures – and another blog entry WILL be devoted to the food of my trip, so hah!). You want to know about France – this IS a travel blog, after all. Well, Richard and his wife live in a “hamlet”. I had never heard of this word before, but essentially it is smaller than a village. Richard’s hamlet is outside the village of Videix, which is 45 minutes away from the town of Limoges, which is hours away from the larger French cities.
Getting the picture?
It is small and quaint and old and quiet. Richard and his wife moved here 3 years ago and purchased an old house with a barn and a cottage (which they turned into a jewelry shop – google Bijoux Unique if interested in their beautiful glass jewelry). Half the home was renovated to create a holiday home for rental, and in the other half, Richard, his wife, their two dogs and two cats live their quiet, peaceful life. It was an incredible change of pace from city life, but I don’t think I am anywhere NEAR a stage in my life where I could see myself there. Most of the neighbours are retired and quite elderly, so I think I’d lack a social life, as well as cultural stimulation. Richard and his wife both feel the same, which is why they are planning on moving to Canada! My hope is that it won’t be another four years before I see them again, and if they’re in Canada, that should be possible.
Thank you very much Richard and Amanda for the wonderful hospitality, food, and conversation. It’s nice to know that after meeting for a fleeting moment four years ago that we could meet, and enjoy one another, in another moment in time!
