Family in Paris — Bienia and Kosinski!

Zach and I spent four days in Paris. The transition from Moldova to Paris was stunning. We left Chisinau at 6:00 am on Tuesday, October 15.

We boarded the plane through the rear door. In the dark.

After switching planes in Bucharest, we arrived into the magnificence of Paris. Alas, I lacked the strength to photograph the city. Our heads were still swimming with Moldova. About the city of Paris I can tell you only that Zach and I roamed the streets and criss-crossed the Seine. We soaked in the grace and elegance, stopping now and then for an espresso or a little lunch. 

We had the amazing good fortune to stay with our newly found cousin, Jean Jachymiak, and his lovely wife, Nicole, who live above an Ecole Maternelle near Place de la Republique.

Jean is the great-grandson of Edward Kosinski, grandson of my grandfather's sister, Władysława Kosinska Jachymiak. He and Nicole are incredibly gracious and generous, made us feel very welcome.

Jean took us around to see some of his favorite spots in Paris, including Les Archives, Place des Vosges, and many of les Pasages (which we loved.) Jean and his wife walk everywhere. They don't have a car, and that's good!

Jean does the cooking in this household. Every meal was fabulous!

One evening, their daughter, Laura, and her husband, Bertrand, and their little Sasha, came over for the evening meal. Like all of my women friends who have become grandmothers, Nicole is in love:

Jean, Laura, Nicole, Bertrand

On Friday, our last night in Paris, Zach and I took the RER out to Mitry-Mory to visit another cousin, Casimir "Kazik" Supinski.

Here's Kazik, looking at family photos on my computer.

Kazik is the brother of Marie Therese, whom we visited in Lyon. Kazik and Marie are great-grandchildren of Wojciech and Zofia Bienia, grandchildren of my grandmother's sister, Anna Bienia Moskal.

Here I am with Kazik and his wife, Suzanne.

Their daughter, Anne, came by with her two sons, Noah and Tom.

Kazik with Anne

We left Paris feeling rich in family, blessed by the opportunity to spend a bit of time with cousins across the sea.

On Saturday, Zach left on a train to Toulouse and I escaped the northern cold to warm up in Spain.