Category: LIVING

Sainte Chapelle

I had never heard of St. Chapelle in my previous sojourns to Paris. That’s pretty amazing, considering it is one of the most FABULOUS things to see in all of Europe!

       

Commissioned by Louis IX in the year 1239 [NOT A TYPO — 1239!], the windows are almost 50 ft. high.  There are more than 1,330 Old and New Testament figures etched in the gorgeous panes of glass.  It was built to house the king’s religious relics, including Christ’s crown of thorns (reputedly).  But it wasn’t meant to be only a warehouse — it was built to awe, to impress, and to increase his political power.  I wonder if we could build anything like that today! You know, my mind thinks, “Oh, 1239, they were living in grass huts and raising pigs.”  Hard to image the skill and artistry, without the technology. Built in only seven years!  Smart, talented people.

  

Continue reading “Coming to Paris? You MUST DO THIS”

Alors.

No long stay residence card granted yet, BUT we were granted an extension of the temporary Visa.  Which means we can leave the country and get back in!  Only a small detail, right?

The woman at the Prefecture told Tanner that the customs agents MAY question the extension… BUT, “It will be no problem.”  He held his hands together as if being hand-cuffed and said, “Of course!  No problem for YOU!”  🙂 She laughed.

French administration = THE PUREST DEFINITION OF BUREAUCRACY.

To get an apartment, you must have a bank account.  To get a bank account, you must have an apartment and someone to guarantee you.  Like a landlord.  Gordian knot, anyone?  Kobayashi Maru?   Continue reading “WTF, aka Welcome to France!”

A small recap.  In the last 72 days, we

• Began France [adrenaline]
• Spent WEEKS in a suitcase, on both sides of the ocean [tedious]
• Started a new job !!!  In French !!! [intense]
• Moved – repairs – wifi – utilities – leaking skylights …. [crazed]
• Bought a German car – in euros – with French paperwork [nightmare]
• Opened a bank account [hard], applied for car titles [harder], requested residence permits [hardest]
• Continued French language classes [exhausting]
• Taught ESL classes to French retirees [fun]
• Celebrated Christmas with the kids in Clermont Ferrand [excellent!]
• Visited a glassblower in Rhiom, the knife makers in Thiers, the medieval castle at Murol…[fascinating]
• Traveled for business [complicated]
• Figured out how to buy food – take the tram – learn the streets – and GET A HAIRCUT! [risky]
• Took the train to and around Paris [challenging]
• Met a gazillion people, attended meetings, dinners and events [strenuous]
• Had a biventricular pacemaker implanted [priceless]

Pretty amazing.  72 days.

à bientôt, mes amis!

Mindy

Interestingly enough – the French language has about 35-45% FEWER words than English…and no, you really can’t translate literally very well!

The Galeries Lafayette is an amazing sensory experience spread over three buildings in Paris, right next to the Paris Opera House in the 9th arrondissement. Some say it’s touristy, but not me.  It’s glorious.

Don’t get me wrong – I can shop at TJ Maxx with the best of them.  But if you just want to LOOK and SEE and EXPERIENCE the magic of an incredibly beautiful Art Nouveau building dripping with original glamour, this is the queen of them all.  

The remarkable dome isn’t even the crowning glory — go to the top floor for a panoramic view of Paris that is spectacular.  (And free!)         Continue reading “Ooh la la! Galeries Lafayette!”

Nothing else strikes as much dismay into even a Frenchman’s heart as a required trip to the Prefecture.  (Think DMV, Social Services, and Immigration all rolled into one big ugly pot of pea soup stirred by the MOST INSANE slowest bureaucracy in the world.)  If we hadn’t seen it with our own eyes, and been personally shoved, we wouldn’t have completely believed the stories!

All the comments about French people not respecting lines is 100% true at the Prefecture.  Oh, and by the way….we DIDN’T get what we came for, which is the 927th piece of official paperwork required by the French Government to purchase a car.  WHAT’S YOUR NUMBER?  What number?  YOUR FRENCH-REGISTRATION-SOCIAL-SECURITY-GOVERNMENT-HEALTH-CARD-NUMBER-AND-PASSWORD?  We don’t have one.  We’re Americans, working for Michelin. GO TO THE BACK OF THE LINE!

I may not have to worry at all about not being able to drive a manual transmission, if we never get the “Carte Gris!”  Maybe we should sell the car (which we CAN’T, without the Carte Gris, which we cannot GET –*%!&!), and just invest in Uber!

And to think we get to do it all again soon, IF our Residence Permit comes through…..if it doesn’t, our visas expire January 23 (yes, in 3 weeks) and we won’t be able to leave France – because if we do, we won’t be able to get back IN!  If you could see the mountains of paper required, including your height, weight, number of freckles, your son’s first birthday picture verified by your banker and second cousin on your father’s side, you just wouldn’t believe it.

The most insane day at the DMV doesn’t even hold a candle to this.

I know I’ve been MIA!  SO.MUCH.TO.TELL.  I have a bunch of all-things-French to talk about, so expect more frequent posts now that réveillon de Noël is over!

HAPPY 2018!  Je vous souhaite à tous de bonnes fêtes de fin d’année et vous présente mes vœux pour la nouvelle année!  (Yes, I copied that from Google translate….not that good yet!)

(But I DID take that picture.)  And Happy Birthday, Tanner!!!!

Check back soon…..I have a lot to tell!  Miss you bunches and bunches,

Mindy

In every thing give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.  1 Thessalonians 5:17-18

https://youtu.be/SEllHMWkXEU

So, needing a break from walking everywhere and a change of scenery, we took a short drive to Thiers, France, the capital of European cutlery!  A quaint and ancient small town with a population of 11,000, Thiers is synonymous with high quality blades – cooking knives, table knives, pocket knives, you name it!  The artistry of the knives was incredible.  Truly an art form!  (Learn more here) (and here)

Row after row of cutlery shops with exquisite handles and blades!   The store on the left here is owned by the Ponson family, cutlery artists for six unbroken generations.  We had a nice conversation in French with the 5th generation father (artisan) and his wife (in charge of sales!).  The short walk around town was fascinating, with many stores having active workshops inside to hand make custom pieces with elk horn, ivory, and exotic wood handles or engraved blades with ornate pictures.  These pieces are gorgeous – and not inexpensive.

Early in the 14th century, knives in Thiers were originally made in the river at the bottom of the cliff (you can see how steep the terrain is in the picture)  by men laying on their stomachs for 12-14 hours at a time, honing the blades in the water on grist wheels that were turned by the power of the current.  The knife makers were frequently left crippled by the physical position they had to maintain in terrible conditions, and many died or were maimed due to the wheels breaking.

We did stop for a lonnnnggggg (French = long) lunch, as evidenced by my caramel dessert crepe. (I didn’t take a picture of the galotte (ham and cheese-type crepe, topped by an egg looking at me (!), which was promptly scooped onto Tanner’s plate.)  Tasted great – sans the egg!

The ancient church, Eglise St. Genes, was first built in 575 (can you even imagine the year 575?)  and then rebuilt in the Gothic/Roman style in the 12th century.  It was amazing….and freezing cold inside.  The stones hold in the cold like none other.

Those early monks had to be wearing a lot of woolies under those robes!  No wonder the people slept with their dogs!  Oh, wait, my kids still do that……

Anyway, it was a good short outing…with storm clouds building around the massive chain of volcanoes on our way back….

We miss and cherish you!

Bisous!      

PS – I did play Bunco last week – and I won.  Not sure if I’m invited back now???