we all start as strangers.

I finally got to meet Richard's little sister and her husband! They are currently studying theology in Israel, and haven't been back to Reunion since their wedding which, coincidentally, I celebrated with them on accident. Their reception was a joint party with Richard's 30th birthday, which is when Sylvie invited me to come along and secretly planned to set us up. Oh how funny things turn out...

So Valerie and Emeric are in Reunion for two months, and last week they came to stay with us. This was cool because although I hadn't met Valerie yet, I was already doing lots of sister-like things with her, like borrowing her clothes without her knowing, (if you're reading this, I'm sorry!! haha) and chatting on facebook all the time. But with her here, it was like having a real-life sister and I was super happy! We cooked together (well...we made a salad), joked about Richard's little quirks when he was in the other room, and her and Emeric even brought me presents from Israel!!!  Mud and salt spa products from the Dead Sea!!!

Their first dinner request was fondue, since French cheese is scarce/expensive in Israel...

Richard fabricated a little mini fire with books and aluminum foil on the table to cook the cheese :-)

A little Creperie near our apt.

Cool foreign presents!! 

After Val and Emeric discovered just how obsessed I am with travel and culture, they captivated me every night at dinner with charming tales of what life is like in Israel. I'm pretty sure I'm a little late with this knowledge, and certainly I've heard of the Dead Sea before...but I never knew people come from all around just to rub the mud all over their bodies! Or that the water is so dense with salt and minerals that you just float around! Needless to say, Israel is now on the top of my New Travel Wishlist ;-)

I borrowed this photo from allwellness.wordpress.com

In other news, my super cool artist friend, Salomon, invited me to an art show called Nuit D'art de Plein Lune...which I mistakenly translated in my head as it was an art show during the full moon, and not outside, under the moon. This was a sad mistake as it is "winter" (60 degrees is freezing to me now) (I'm a little ashamed but not really) and I was not dressed to be outside. Thankfully, all of our blankets from the gypsy party were (and still are) in the trunk waiting to be taken to the cleaners, so I just walked around in a purple blanket the whole night and pretended to be a superhero. 

Anyway, I have to admit, I have rather low expectations for shows of any sort in Reunion. It's never going to be Paris here, or New York, or even Dallas. But I love Salomon's work and style and I trusted him...and thank goodness for that because this art show was one of the coolest things I've seen--and not just in Reunion!! 

The show was held in an old plantation museum, which Richard says, is reputed to be haunted. The Madame of the house, Mme. Desbassayns, was apparently known for being unusually cruel with her slaves, and it is said that a number of them are still roaming restlessly around the old mansion. However, this information seems to be local legend...when I tried to research Mme. Debassayns online I found nothing of her extreme evilness, but instead that she opened a hospital for slaves which was unheard of at the time...

The art incorporated the theme of slavery and was displayed with the existing museum pieces...drawing on what was already there and twisting it to show a darker aspect. It was incredible. For example, in one of the old bedrooms, an artist added sculptures of grotesque giant spiders and bloody hearts lying in the corner. My favorite part was when you left the mansion and entered the slave's quarters. There, the theme transformed into something sad but hopeful. Every exhibit there had wings. I loved the solitary swing outside that stretched up into the sky, covered in feathers and lit by one single spotlight. It was impossible to take a picture that would do it justice. Very powerful. I'm excited to see what other little treasures are hiding here in Reunion!! 

This guy was throwing giant canvases on top of burning coals and then twisting them so that the ashes eventually took a  (tortured) human form---

In the slave's quarters...you walk in and see a line of empty bird cages... the lighting on them casts their shadows on the wall of torture devices in the back.