C'est la vie : White weekend

Checking out the apple orchids that are almost ready to be harvested. Had a taste and man were they good! My outfit for the Baptism White dress from Naf Naf a french clothing store. Check out the site! http://www.nafnaf.com/fr/

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So this weekend we had a couple of events scheduled, the first one was a civil baptism and the second was a 20th Birthday party. Here are some pictures of What I wore... Pretty much white the whole day. Luckily I didn't get myself dirty.

The civil baptism a very odd concept for me. It is a way of officially and legally naming the god parents. Except to my knowledge it was meant to be a religious affaire... well the times have changed. The new thing to do in France for those who don't have a religion or believe in God is to do baptise their children through the city Hall. They have the benefits of offically naming the 'marraine' --> God mother and the 'parraine' --> God father, with out the religous attachment. This may sound appealing to some while there are those who prefer the more traditional route. In any case its a good excuse to have a huge lunch and party!

Saw this beautiful creature on a tree.

Ladybug love.

On our way to the baptism we passed by Pont St. Esprit a cute calm village in the Gare department in France. I had to stop for a quick picture of the bridge which connects the banks of the Rhone river.

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Later on that evening we headed out to a White Party! It was M's best friend's cousin's 20th birthday and she celebrated it BIG! Turning 20 in France is a big deal kind of like our 21st birthday in the US except its a bit more logical. We celebrate it big for our 21st because it's the age when you can drink alchohol legally and go to the night clubs among other things... but let's face it mostly because of alcohol. In France you celebrate your 20th. It has nothing to do with alcohol since at 18 you can legally drink. Honestly even at a younger age, but let's stay politically correct here. In France they do it big for every decade i.e 20yrs old, 30yrs old, 40yrs old etc. This marks points in your life where you're meant to be in a different stage. Maturity, stability..etc. I find that a bit more consistent than being old enough to drink, but that's just my personal opnion.

I find it so interesting to see and compare the cultural differences between the American, Dominican, and French way.
I find it makes me more open-minded.

The 'lavoir' or village wash house. This is pretty much a staple in all small french villages. This was the place where women would go to do laundry and socialize, yes a place many will only read about in the history books. Dress from H&M. Venejan, France

Many years ago these fountaines actually had drinking water disposible for the villagers to take at their disposal. These days you can find some with clean drinking water, but most of all it's used as decoration and a reminder of the past.