Back from France

[Stan Sakai]

I returned from France late last night. I had a terrific time in Angouleme.

Thank you, Fanfan, for all you did to make my trip an enjoyable experience. He met me at the airport, took me around, coordinated a signing, and even escorted me to the Angouleme festival.

I will be posting a travel report in a couple of days.

[hakucho]

The Angouleme festival? That sounds interesting, what is it?

Did you enjoy the french bread and cakes, Stan? They're very nice over there ^^ *remembers the cookies in Paris*

[Pekass]

nah, frenchs only bread is the Bagette, I definetly stick to the broad assortment of diferent bread stiles of Spain =p (no ofence intended)

Ok sensei, waiting for the report.

[ziritrion]

Say what you want, but French bakery is light years ahead of Spanish bakery. But I still can't stand the cheese .

[Fanfan]

I won't take part in the discussion about french bread !

Stan, Paquet told me that there wasn't anymore poster (snif), but i believe you make a gorgious sketch on a poster there :


You have a new fan, a youg french girl (14 years old) let a message on my guest book, her blog here :
http://www.saintrapt.com/marianne2/inde ... uleme-2006

She explains how you signed the 7 french usagi manga sized she just bought.

On her father's blog we can read a description of the festival, and he is quite astonished to have seen you "alone" in the Paquet's stand, eating a sandwich... i hope you have eaten in good french restaurant.
The blog here (with photos of the festival, Mike Mignolia and snow...)
http://jn.saintrapt.free.fr/index.php?2 ... -peu-neige

[Stan Sakai]

Stan, Paquet told me that there wasn't anymore poster (snif), but i believe you make a gorgious sketch on a poster there :


You have a new fan, a youg french girl (14 years old) let a message on my guest book, her blog here :
http://www.saintrapt.com/marianne2/inde ... uleme-2006

She explains how you signed the 7 french usagi manga sized she just bought.

On her father's blog we can read a description of the festival, and he is quite astonished to have seen you "alone" in the Paquet's stand, eating a sandwich... i hope you have eaten in good french restaurant.
The blog here (with photos of the festival, Mike Mignolia and snow...)
http://jn.saintrapt.free.fr/index.php?2 ... -peu-neige

Yes, the back of the posters are very good for sketching on. I traded drawings with a couple of the Paquet people.

Thank you the link to Mariannes' blog. I wish I could read it, but it is obvious she enjoyed the festival very much.

I have included my own travel report. I don't know if there is a section of the Dojo it should go, so I just copied it here. If someone knows of an appropriate area it can be moved to, let me know. I've been considering getting a Live Journal, but don't know how often I am willing to update it.



France 1/24-30/2006

The ash tree in our front yard usually flowers at the end of January, and sets off my allergies. Over the counter drugs don’t seem to help much, so what better relief is there than to go off to France? It was the same last year when I escaped to France and Switzerland, returning in time to miss the worst of it. Sharon opted not to accompany me, so it would be a short trip this time. I was going to the 33rd Annual Festival International de la Bande Dessinee as a guest of my French publisher, Editions Paquet. Angouleme is a city in southern France which, one week a year, increases it’s population by nearly 250,000 people. “Bande dessinee”, or “BD” is the French term for comic book graphic novels. Most are about 9x12 inches, hardcover, and full color. They can be found all over the country--in book and specialty stores, super markets, train stations, etc. The festival is covered in all national and local media with daily reports, newspaper supplements, and interviews.

I took a shuttle van to LAX on the morning of Tuesday, January 24. As this was an overseas trip I was not able to do a self-check in, but the lines were not that long. I was booked on the 9 am flight to Miami, then on to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport. I usually catch a connecting flight from Chicago or New York, but chose a more southern layover this time. Just before last year’s trip, the northeast recorded the strongest storm of that season. I did not want to go through the long lines and anxiousness again. The Florida hurricane season, as bad as it was, was over, so I felt it was the safer way to go. The flight was smooth and uneventful. I thumbnailed UY issue 93. As usual, I did not sleep on the flight. Why is it that I can sleep sitting up at the drawing table, but can’t get a moment’s rest when flying?

We got into CDG 20 minutes ahead of shedule, just in time to see the sunrise over Paris. However, because of understaffing, passport control took a lot longer than usual. The agent did ask what I did, though. I replied, “I am an auteur de bande dessinee.” He replied, “Ah, Angouleme.” “Oui.” The only such reactions I’ve had to my profession was in France and Japan. Going outside, I was hit by the cold. Europe was experiencing a cold front blowing in from of Russia. LA was in the mid 70’s. Paris was in the mid 20’s. I may regret the decision to save weight by removing the liner of my overcoat.

I was met by Fanfan, a member of the Usagi Yojimbo online fan club. With him was Nicolas, from the Impressions book store. They drove me to the hotel, then Fanfan and I walked over to the store where we met Frederick, the manager. I sent Sharon an e-mail telling her that I arrived safely, with my bags this time. During last year’s trip, it took my luggage three days to catch up to me...and all my socks had been stolen. Frederick, Nicolas, Fanfan, and I had lunch at a creperie, where I had crepe with foi grois, potatoes, and fruit. I realized how much I had missed good French cooking.

Fanfan and I did some sightseeing around town, then drove 40 minutes to Chateau de Chantilly, just north of Paris. The chateau was built during the middle ages, and the property covers more than 19,000 acres of land including the largest forest in the Paris region. Within its walls, the Conte Museum displays artists such as Delacroix, Raphael, and Van Dyck. Chantilly is also the birthplace of whipped cream.

We got back to Impressions at 4:30, and I signed until about 7:30. Dinner was at a restaurant on the lakefront, where I had escargot, canard in sauce, and an almandine and apricot dessert.

Back to the hotel room to get some overdue sleep.


Day 2: January 26

Fanfan collected me at the hotel at 6 am, and we walked to the Enghien train station. We caught the 6:30 to Gare Nord, where we switched over to the blue line. We detrained at Denfert Rochereau, and transferred to the metro then on to Gare Montparnasse train station. My plan, upon returning, was to catch the Air France bus directly from Montparnasse to CDG Airport, so we scouted out the location of the bus stop. Fanfan would be returning on Saturday, so will not accompany me back to Paris. After a croissant breakfast, we boarded the high speed TGV train to Angouleme. We were in first class, so the ride was comfortable and quick. The sun did not rise until 8:30, and, at that, it was only a hazy sun. Hard to imagine, but Angouleme was even colder than it was in Paris.

The layout of the festival had changed dramatically. The festival was spread throughout the city in 19 venues, including the cathedral, the castle square, hotels, and the museum. Most of the venues however, are in massive temporary pavilions. There are free shuttle buses that connect all the venues. I learned later that the Champ de Mars, the area that usually held the largest pavilions was under construction. The city is building a new facility with parking, and an underground mall to house future festivals. We went looking for the Paquet booth, but first went to the wrong one. Paquet has booths in two pavilions this year--one for their French publications, and the other for their manhwa (translated Korean comics) in one of three manga pavilions. We finally did find the correct booth, and I again met my French editor Pierre Paquet as well as many friends from past festivals. One of the first people I saw was Stuart Ng, the book seller and art dealer I usually see at San Diego. He told me that when he came in, the Air France bus drivers were on strike and he had to take the train into Paris. I did not relish the thought of lugging a couple of suitcases through the metro and trains on Monday. Hopefully, the strike will be over by then. This past year, Paquet had abandoned the large BD sized Usagi books in favor of the manga-sized editions at very affordable prices. There were seven volumes published this past year. He also made up some very nice point-of-purchase displays. Pierre had published an anthology of his manhwa books, and included Usagi. These 11,000 copies would be given away during the festival. After a few hours of signing, I broke for a lunch of jambon (ham) with butter on bagette. I was delighted to find the white strings holding it together. It was a memory of France that I had forgotten.

Kids were everywhere. One girl had explained that they had a five hour bus ride to get to Angouleme. How could I not do drawings for them? As usual, the French artists inscribed books with beautiful, sometimes full color, drawings. It would always be personalized with a someone’s name. It usually takes me a couple of days to get used to spelling foreign names, and writing those French “M”s and other characters. Readers were content to have just one book signed, and those that wanted more politely stepped to the end of the line. The people of France are very gracious in general. I was always greeted with a “bon jour” or “bon soir”, and always received a “merci” or “merci beaucoup” after signing a book. Pau, our good friend from Mallorca, stopped by. He told me that he will probably be married soon. I was looking forward to seeing Arnaud and Zoki from Switzerland, but was told that they had their second child just two weeks ago. I would not get to see them, but they sent their best regards.

The publisher’s pavilions closed at 7, and we went out to dinner. I had a salad with either froi grois or cheese (I wasn’t sure which), and duck. I opted to forgo the after dinner party in favor of sleep, so Fanfan and I, escorted by Marine and Guillaume, took a festival taxi to the Hotel Premiere Classe. The taxis are at the disposal of professionals and guests of the festival. Paquet had already booked me into a room on the third floor. I opened my door, and saw something I had never seen in a hotel room--bunk beds.


Day 3: January 27

I do not sleep well on these trips to Europe. I guess my time sense never gets caught up to the local time. Though I was tired, I tossed all night. The bed did not help. It is not a spring mattress, but rather a hard foam one. It was like sleeping on a giant sponge cake that had been left in the sun for a week.

I went down for breakfast advertised as “le grande petit dejeuner”. The emphasis must be on the “petit”, because it was little more than a continental breakfast. But the breads in Europe are always delicious--much better than any in the US.

I always forget what the tipping policy is in French hotels, so left a couple of euros for the housekeeper just to be on the safe side. As we were about to leave in the van, I overheard our Italian friend Adriano De Vincentiis complaining about not having enough room for he and his room mate Gianfranco. Since I had two beds, a double and a topside single, I offered to exchange rooms with them.

We arrived at the festival after 10, and started signing. Tomasz Koloziejczak, my editor in Poland stopped by, and we arranged coffee in the afternoon. Wydawniczy Publishing, also from Poland, stopped by and inquired about the rights to The Art of Usagi Yojimbo. Since it is such a specialty item, Egmont Polska has no interest in those rights, so I referred then to the international licensing agent at Dark Horse. I signed until 3:30, taking a short break for lunch, then had coffee with Tomasz and Majicz. Majicz is an editor at another publisher that released Queen and Country, for which I drew a short story--my first non-Usagi story in Poland. They posted a few pages on their website, and in their forum someone complained, “Who is this guy--a Stan Sakai wannabe?” There is only one of my 20 books that has not been published in Poland, but it is scheduled for March. After that, they will have to follow Dark Horse’s schedule of about one a year. I told them that it was 24C when I left LA, so this -5C weather was too cold for me. They told me it was -20C in Warsaw, so to them Angouleme was the tropics.

I had a magazine interview at six, and the publishers’ pavilions closed at seven. Marvano, a Belgian artist who I had met in Poland, stopped by while I was out being interviewed. I hoped I see him during the festival. The Paquet group of about 25 went to Le Bureau where I had the mussels with white wine, cream, and saffron. Wonderful. Whenever I am in France, there are three things I always order at least once--coffee (though I don’t drink it in the US), Coke (which uses the European formulation), and Creme Brulee. I had the Brulee for dessert. Dinners are always enjoyable with the group. Paquet had artists from France, Belgium, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Argentina, and Germany. I am the only one from the US. There were at least five languages always being spoken. Fortunately, many also speak English, so that is the language used when crossing borders.

We took a festival taxi back to the hotel, and exchanged rooms. I noticed my 2 Euro coin still on the night stand, and I imagined a coin still on the bedside in Paris.

The battery level on my computer was down to 15%, so I had to recharge it. I’m still hesitant about sticking anything into European outlets since I blew the fuses in Cracow.


January 28: Day 4 Saturday

I got an earlier start this morning, and caught the first Paquet shuttle to the festival. It was even colder than yesterday. Emilio, chairman of the Madrid festival Sharon and I were guests of in November, 2004, came by with a big surprise--Alfonso Azpiri artwork. Azpiri is one of my favorite color artists. I had met him in Madrid, and found him to be a very warm, likeable man. At the end of the festival, he had given me one of his art books dedicated with a wonderful original watercolor. I received an e-mail from Madrid a few months ago telling me that Azpiri was considering selling some of his art, and if I would like to buy a piece. Emilio brought two breathtaking watercolor pieces, and said Azpiri had offered them at a very special price for me. Of course, I got them both. Azpiri had also sent a signed art book, and an original piece that was reproduced in the book. Also, Emilio gave me a 6 foot canvas reproducing my festival painting that was used for promotions in 2004. There was a much larger canvas, about 30 feet long, that had been draped over the convention hall. I declined that one. Alejandro, the organizer of the Granada festival in March later came by with a book detailing the events of last year’s event. Mad magazine’s Sergio Aragones and I will be traveling together. Next to Sharon, Sergio is my favorite traveling companion. We have been to many places in the US, and to Norway, Hawaii, and Mexico City. Sergio will act as laison with Granada.

Jim Wheelock stopped by. He is an Angouleme regular that lives in LA. It’s funny that we have to travel 5.000 miles to say hello. There were a number of other Americans in Angouleme. Eric Shanower was across from me, as was Ted Naifeh. Mike Mignola was a guest of honor and Jeff Smith was there, but I had not seen either of them. It began to snow. And it kept snowing. And snowing. Most people could not remember the last time it snowed during festival. But then, most people in California could not remember the last time it rained on the Rose Parade. That’s changed. I took a break at about three and was surprised at how deep the snow was, and it was still coming down. Angouleme is in the southern half of France, and it was strange to see the palm trees covered with snow. Walking in the snow gets old really fast, especially when much of it turns to slush with the foot and wheel traffic. I returned to the booth at about five, and signed until closing at nine.

The Paquet group again went to Au Bureau. I had pasta carbonara. I was hoping it would come with the traditional raw egg, and it did. I cannot get it that way in the US. Tiramisu was dessert. We had a terrific time. I really look forward to these Paquet dinners. They are rowdy and raucous, and just plain fun. It also builds a sense of comraderie among the Paquet creators and staff. Because of the ice on the roads, the festival discontinued the taxi service earlier than usual. A dozen of us trudged to the Paquet van. Of course, there was a snowball fight, which I stayed out of. The rest of the group took traditional taxis back to the hotel. I got back to my room before two.


January 28: Day 5

I looked out my window to see the morning landscape covered with virgin snow. It was much warmer than yesterday, so the snow will not last long. I caught the first van to the festival, thinking that I would make an early morning excursion to the museum and some of the other venues. When I got there, I was told that I was scheduled for an interview at 10. Later, I went to a couple of pavilions and bought much more than I should have. Before every trip to a foreign festival, I vow that I will not buy any books--I can’t read the language anyway. But I still pack an extra bag with me. I always bring back the maximum weight allowed. I made sure to visit a hobby shop, something I try to do when traveling. Lunch buddy Mike Kazaleh collects Matchbox type cars, and I try to bring him back something. I found a Dutch police car, and a Volkswagen Beetle for him. I saw Pau one more time, as he was on his way to see the “big hole” where much of the festival used to be. Later, he will be taking an 18 hour bus ride to Barcelona, then on to Mallorca. Hopefully, I will see him in Granada.

When I returned to the Paquet booth, I found a line already waiting for me. I signed until 3, taking a small break for my daily jambon sandwich and coffee with the customary dark chocolate. Throughout the day we were saying good-bye to friends who had to leave early. I walked to the second French publishers’ pavilion and, at Editions Dupui, found a new Kogaratsu album by Mitchez my favorite artist of the samurai genre. Four years ago, he and I had an exhibition at the Japan Tower, a historic landmark in Belgium. Unfortunately, he did not attend the opening ceremonies and I never got to meet him. Since then, we have corresponded through my Dutch publisher. He even did a painting for me, but I never had the opportunity to get it. I was to have gone to the Netherlands this past August, but had to cancel the trip. Finding his new book almost would have made the trip to France worthwhile in itself.

I went back to the booth, and signed until closing. After the crowds were herded out, the Paquet staff did a quick inventory, then we all went to dinner. I had a cold seafood assortment and pistachio creme brulee for dessert. I’ll stick to the traditional brulee from now on. We had a great time at dinner. Those are the times that I look forward to the most, and brings the most memories of the festivals. We were all leaving Angouleme at different times and in different directions in the morning, so we said our good-byes after our meal. Marine gave me my ticket, and I was very pleased to see that it was a direct to CDG. I would bypass Monparnasse completely.

Monday, January 30

Emmanuel, a Paquet intern who lives in Angouleme, collected us at the hotel and delivered us to the train station. We arrived five minutes before the train departed, which was a bit close for me. I traveled with Walther from Argentina. Adriano was to have accompanied us, but had to change to another train as ours would have arrived too late for his flight. He would have sat next to me, so now I had an open seat next to mine. It made working easier. I finished thumbnailing UY 97. I have still got to think of a plot for 96.

We arrived at CDG at 12:07, just as scheduled. We took the escalators up to the second floor, then to the American Airlines terminal 2A (Air France is 2C). I had a two hour wait, but Walther’s flight would not depart until 6 that evening. The weather in Paris was very warm, and sunny. It was hard to imagine how cold it was just a week ago. The check-in lines were long, but I showed my gold card and got to check in through business class which was much shorter.

It was a good flight. I had a window and an aisle to myself, but still couldn’t get much rest. We arrived in Chicago almost an hour ahead of schedule, and was met with a slight rain, but nothing to be concerned about. I breezed through passport control, collected my bags, and rechecked them at the American counter, took the train from international terminal 5 to American terminal 3, and had a two hour wait. There would be no meals served on the flight, so I had Chinese food at the airport.

The flight to LA left on time, and again we arrived a little early. Back home again. Unfortunately, the ash is still in full bloom.

While at Angouleme, I was told of another, but smaller, festival in France. The walled city of Saint-Malu is in Normandy, up the coast from Mont St. Michel and relatively near the D-Day beaches. Those are places I have wanted to visit for a long time. Now, if only I could get an invitation.

[wolfie-chan]

Poster! Does anyone have a scan of this critter for the collectibles area? From what I saw in the pic that Paquet posted it looks neater than...what's neater than Usagi posters? O_o Besides money? o_O

Anyway, looking forward to further reports on France from everyone, not just Stan! Sounds like it was a blast though. I'm so jealous. I'd offer Oklahoma for a tourist destination, Stan, but I don't think you want to dodge wild fires in February.

[hakucho]

I wonder if someone finally told that poster that the pages were actually from Stan Sakai himself

Well, looks like our talk about french bread has been settled now! >w< Alfonso Azpiri...the name sounds familiar, does he also post at this forum?

[Pekass]

As Always I see that Stan had a great time on his travel.
And as always I see you put lot of emphasis when it comes to food.
Now I'm hoping more than ever that I can catch a horrible bus to granada so I can atend the event.

[Stan Sakai]

And as always I see you put lot of emphasis when it comes to food.

Yes, I always try to enjoy the food of the area I am traveling to. I even take photos of much of my meals.

It all started with our trip to Japan as guests of the Osamu Tezuka Productions. As you may know, food presentation is an artform there, and we were sometimes served meals costing hundreds of dollars.

However, I really started taking food pictures in earnest during a trip to Norway. Our host asked if we would like to partake of a traditional Norwegian peasant's meal. That night, we each had a boiled sheep's head and a turnip. I had to take a photo of that!

[Fanfan]

While at Angouleme, I was told of another, but smaller, festival in France. The walled city of Saint-Malu is in Normandy, up the coast from Mont St. Michel and relatively near the D-Day beaches. Those are places I have wanted to visit for a long time. Now, if only I could get an invitation.

i think with a little lobbying it is possible...

You will see, Saint Malo is a beautiful place, but it is exactly in Bretagne (not Normandie)

I signed until 3:30, taking a short break for lunch, then had coffee with Tomasz and Majicz. Majicz is an editor at another publisher that released Queen and Country, for which I drew a short story--my first non-Usagi story in Poland. They posted a few pages on their website, and in their forum someone complained, “Who is this guy--a Stan Sakai wannabe?” There is only one of my 20 books that has not been published in Poland, but it is scheduled for March. After that, they will have to follow Dark Horse’s schedule of about one a year. I told them that it was 24C when I left LA, so this -5C weather was too cold for me. They told me it was -20C in Warsaw, so to them Angouleme was the tropics.

oh, i understand now why i didn't see you to tell you goodbye friday...

Anyway, looking forward to further reports on France from everyone, not just Stan! Sounds like it was a blast though. I'm so jealous. I'd offer Oklahoma for a tourist destination, Stan, but I don't think you want to dodge wild fires in February.

hum, i will update my website this weekend with some stuff (photo report, video, animation, Stan's sketches...) perhaps i will write a few words but i am not a big fan of Angoulême (last minute organisation, and some personal things i won't report here...) First and (probably) last Angoulême for me, except if Stan comes again of course. I feel angouleme as a professionnal festival, but it is not the kind of spirite i search for as a visitor.
The time i had with Stan was so pleasant, i will try to make an effort, and write something !

Stan, do not hesitate to ask me more for saint Malo if you need ! and you forgot to mention the UYD France calendar we offered you.

However, I really started taking food pictures in earnest during a trip to Norway. Our host asked if we would like to partake of a traditional Norwegian peasant's meal. That night, we each had a boiled sheep's head and a turnip. I had to take a photo of that!

Oh, i would like to see the photo !

[Stan Sakai]

While at Angouleme, I was told of another, but smaller, festival in France. The walled city of Saint-Malu is in Normandy, up the coast from Mont St. Michel and relatively near the D-Day beaches. Those are places I have wanted to visit for a long time. Now, if only I could get an invitation.

i think with a little lobbying it is possible...

You will see, Saint Malo is a beautiful place, but it is exactly in Bretagne (not Normandie)

I signed until 3:30, taking a short break for lunch, then had coffee with Tomasz and Majicz. Majicz is an editor at another publisher that released Queen and Country, for which I drew a short story--my first non-Usagi story in Poland. They posted a few pages on their website, and in their forum someone complained, “Who is this guy--a Stan Sakai wannabe?” There is only one of my 20 books that has not been published in Poland, but it is scheduled for March. After that, they will have to follow Dark Horse’s schedule of about one a year. I told them that it was 24C when I left LA, so this -5C weather was too cold for me. They told me it was -20C in Warsaw, so to them Angouleme was the tropics.

oh, i understand now why i didn't see you to tell you goodbye friday...

Anyway, looking forward to further reports on France from everyone, not just Stan! Sounds like it was a blast though. I'm so jealous. I'd offer Oklahoma for a tourist destination, Stan, but I don't think you want to dodge wild fires in February.

hum, i will update my website this weekend with some stuff (photo report, video, animation, Stan's sketches...) perhaps i will write a few words but i am not a big fan of Angoulême (last minute organisation, and some personal things i won't report here...) First and (probably) last Angoulême for me, except if Stan comes again of course. I feel angouleme as a professionnal festival, but it is not the kind of spirite i search for as a visitor.
The time i had with Stan was so pleasant, i will try to make an effort, and write something !

Stan, do not hesitate to ask me more for saint Malo if you need ! and you forgot to mention the UYD France calendar we offered you.

However, I really started taking food pictures in earnest during a trip to Norway. Our host asked if we would like to partake of a traditional Norwegian peasant's meal. That night, we each had a boiled sheep's head and a turnip. I had to take a photo of that!

Oh, i would like to see the photo !

I may go to Saint Malo with the Paquet group, but probably not this year. There is another trip that I am hoping to take in October.

Yes, the calendar is wonderful. It contains images of Usagi drawn by various artists. The images can be seen on Fanfan's art site. He also gave me an Usagi mug imprinted with the cover for UY 93--The Tea Ceremony.

[Fanfan]

few updates, more to come :

a video of Stan signing : http://ladrevert.free.fr/usagi/stansaka ... icace.html

a funny wacom signing :
http://ladrevert.free.fr/usagi/dedicace ... rique.html

some of Stan's signing in the usagi art section : you will discover a somptuous vision of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Stan !
http://ladrevert.free.fr/galerie/category.php?cat=100

There is a fanart made by ted Naifeh in my fanart section

Yes, the calendar is wonderful. It contains images of Usagi drawn by various artists. The images can be seen on Fanfan's art site. He also gave me an Usagi mug imprinted with the cover for UY 93--The Tea Ceremony.

i think i will make one more mug for my personal use !

[hakucho]

some of Stan's signing in the usagi art section : you will discover a somptuous vision of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Stan !
http://ladrevert.free.fr/galerie/category.php?cat=100

There is a fanart made by ted Naifeh in my fanart section

EGAD! That picture of Jei and Usagi fighting is pretty scary - especially as Jei resembles a ghostly skeleton

And that Usagi Hyde one - BRILLIANT! He was warned not to touch the purple drink!

Ted NaiFeh's fan art is wonderful; very well-detailed! *gives thumbs up* ^w^

[Usagi]

Wow! Sound likes ya'll had an outstanding time in France. A lot had happend! Getting a LJ would be nice- good to keep on were you go etc. That was very nice of Fanfan to show you around, and Fanfan to have had such a great oppertunity! . I always like to read about when you come back from big events because you remember so much!

Fanfan, those were some awsome videos you showd us, very cute, and you should , if you can, tell the girl about the page too, maybe she would like to become a member or something of that LOL!-