I have been in Paris for 1 1/2 weeks now and I must say it has been an experience. I have been in awe of this life experience....who would have thought 26 plus years ago, our lives would take us to Paris!! I can't help but wonder what my Dad would think?? I married a young enlisted man in the Navy~never had any big dreams to see the world or experience another culture. Yet, here I am....I have experienced many mixed emotions (just ask the kids), but am glad for this opportunity.
Our apartment is perfect for us. It is comfortable and I feel safe and relaxed here! I have had some difficulties learning how to use the appliances~the oven is still a mystery, but I have mastered the washer/dryer!!! That may seem like a small accomplishment, but it was huge for me. The washer/dryer is one appliance. It goes from the wash cycle to the dry cycle...sounds great doesn't it!!! Not! It takes over three hours to do one SMALL load and I mean small, maybe 1 pair of jeans, 2 t-shirts, a couple pair of socks and a wash cloth! Better than washing everything by hand:)!
Some things I find interesting about the French culture...everyone seems to own a dog and they are not in the habit of picking up after them. We live in a city~no green space, so you constantly look where you are walking as the sidewalks and streets are pooping zones!! Really...it is disgusting.
I am learning to enjoy French food...I know what is safe to order and what isn't. Sometimes I am fooled, but on the whole an excellent adventure in French cuisine. FYI...frois gras is not very good despite what everyone tries to tell you:( My favorite food however is Italian. There are great Italian restaurants in Paris...may even be better than Grandpa Sam's in Spencerport!! I won't tell them though!
I, very much, enjoy the wine and champagne, maybe a little too much(ha-ha). I have not had a bad wine or champagne since I've been here and I've tasted a few!!! I do love those little bubbles in a pretty glass:)
Our neighborhood is great! Fun and exciting...Mark has touched on that quite a bit so, I won't. But there is a lot of shopping(expensive), restaurants and such. It has everything we need right around the corner. It is nice and convenient.
We have had many nice walks exploring Paris. But the weather is unseasonably cold and rainy now so it has proved challenging to get out and about. Hope we have a nice weekend!!! At least we don't have all the snow everyone has at home!
What I have learned is this is not one long vacation, it is real life! Mark works many long hours and I have a lot of time on my hands...I am a lone a great deal of time. It is not in my nature to go out and experience things on my own, maybe I have to learn to be more adventurous!? Not sure, I've been this way for a long time~good, bad or indifferent:)
Thanks for reading!
Yes, we are under 2 feet of snow here ! Tony the turtle misses you. Try and find the local library, you might like to explore that one day.
ReplyDeleteCant wait till you get home. K :)
Hi Sweetie....Loved your post. We have Skype - we'll have to work that out between us, huh? We're kind of new to it - but I'm sure Will could walk us through it haha. It's funny, our fave place to eat when we were there was a pizza place. And it was "different" pizza...they cooked an egg in the center of it, and had this chile spiced oil that you drizzled on it...but french cuisine was not my favorite...I also remember places having retractable laundry lines in the tub. Are you able to stop the washer/dryer in between so it doesn't take so long? And hang your stuff? Hmmm...oven's still a mystery. Keep going with that one! LOL! ♥
ReplyDeleteHi Jill and welcome to France. We made it our permanent home 6 years ago but my husband spends quite a bit of time away from us for work, so I know how you feel. We are in a small village and that may be easier to get out and find people to talk to, but if you can push yourself to do something (voluntary) it will really help. I help at a local school (not the one our son goes to) with their English conversation - the kids are really keen and in my experience even the good English teachers need help with pronunciation. Good luck settling in, and I would agree that the Italian restaurants (especially the wood fired pizzas) are second to none!
ReplyDeletesounds like you're getting there ~~~ I have faith in you that you'll venture a little more every few days (you're there so that tells me you have some adventure in you :)you have to know where you're going for when i visit!)
ReplyDeleteI guess I better get Will over here to help me with Skype!
Maggie
I am so proud of you Jill - even the fact that you are there still speaks volumes of your marriage and your spirit!! May God bless both of you each and every day and keep you safe! And...who cares about an oven? As long as Dawn makes her famous cookies, we don't have to turn ours on. Isn't that what ovens are for?? Love and miss you, Helen and Jeff
ReplyDeleteHi guys! Glad to see things are going good. We are under a ton of snow right now and the season has just begun. The Biela's
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