tofranceandback.com

I’m so excited!  I figured out how to get the “weefee” working – two journeys to the store carrying all the equipment back and forth, and a one hour call to tech support – COMPLETELY IN FRENCH – I know he’s laughing his head off at the call from me!  BUT VICTORY IS MINE!  CUT THOSE ETHERNET WIRES, BABY!!!!!! WE HAVE WIFI !!!!!!!

The boulangeries are incredible.  I bought a baguette from the boulangerie down the street yesterday evening, straight out of their big ovens.  It was almost too hot to hold in the bag – and the smell was incredible.  I paid for it, left the shop, and two steps later ate the top right off of it, straight out of the bag!  As soon as I got home, I poured a little Bordeaux pour deux and gave Tanner the hot bread.  Forget dinner.  The baguette, with a little butter, was ‘parfait!’

The French wines are really, really magnificent.  And inexpensive!  The glass of wine at a brasserie or restaurant is probably less than buying a bottle of water.  [The tap water in Clermont Ferrand is drinkable, but very high in lime content. Most people buy bottled water.]  I’ve never been a fan of reds before, but the Bordeaux has won me over. Many apartments come with ‘caves,’ or wine cellars.  I’ve been told that French people buy caseloads at a time from vineyards or from expos or just from the local grocery.  We also have a ‘cave,’ but I’m not going down there…..it’s under the building with no lights and a dirt floor.  The perfect place to hide the bodies! Continue reading “THE BREAD.  THE WINE.  THE CHEESE.”

• YES, it’s been crazy busy!  But look at this view from my kitchen! 
• YES, we moved out of a temporary very teeny, dingy apartment into a beautiful, modern apartment very close to the main plaza of the city.
• YES, our container of household goods arrived, mostly in one piece (and dry!), across the ocean.
• YES, we still have a lot to unpack and boxes everywhere!
• YES, we bought a car from a French Michelin colleague – a 2011 sedan, beautiful blue, with reasonably low kilometers that’s been garaged.  (We don’t actually have it yet — maybe this weekend.) It’s a standard — and it’s been 30 years since I’ve driven a stick.  THIS is going to be fun!!! (eye roll here)
• YES, we’ll get a washer — and a DRYER (!!!!!)– this weekend, along with an oven.  More about the dryer next time.  Definitely blog-worthy.
• YES, we have hot water now, but I called Guy #1, who called Guy #2, who had Guy #3 come out today to see what wasn’t working in the apartment. Guy #3 came, not to actually FIX anything, but to write up a report for Guy #4. I HOPE to hear back from SOME GUY about when A GUY will come and actually fix something. Hopefully in 2017. Welcome to France!
• YES, Tanner has a cell phone number now!
• YES, it’s Thanksgiving week, an American holiday, and not a French holiday, so Tanner will be working.  We miss our kids!!!  So glad they are getting together as a family and doing the whole Norman Rockwell-thing.  Proud of them!
• YES, I’m getting the hang of everything – walking a zillion steps a day, buying only what I can carry in the grocery, getting lost, getting found, and drinking a small French coffee every now and then in little cafes with new acquaintances.
• YES, the expat community has been extremely kind and welcoming — and is much more diverse than I realized. I was expecting diversity like California and Idaho and Florida. Instead, it’s Brazil, Ireland, and Vietnam.  And not everyone is Michelin-related (which I thought they would be)….so it’s very, very far flung!
• YES, in the midst of all of this, I have gone to French classes at the University, a Bible Study, a Cafe Day, a reception, and helped volunteer with an English conversational class for retired French people that want to learn English!
• YES, I have trouble saying “NO.” 🙂
• YES, there is a five story Christmas tree in the Plaza and they are putting up a Ferris Wheel that is even taller….it’s absolutely beautiful. The lights come on this Friday.  PICTURES are definitely forthcoming!
• And yes, the windows in Galleries Lafayette all have cotton-candy heads!
• YES, I miss you all! It’s almost impossible to know what to begin to write about because there is so much….language school, the streets, shopping, food, the money, and the never-ending struggle with not knowing the language.

THE CHANGING OF THE GUARD — the SUPER SECRET STUFFING RECIPE has been passed down to the next gen! 🙂 Leslie played her cards perfectly; how could Tanner resist “his only daughter?” I hear there’s a great Thanksgiving dinner happening in Augusta this weekend……

I MISS YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

FUN FACTS ~ The French government gives medals to citizens who have “successfully raised several children with dignity.” Upwards child-raising! Where’s our medal????

In McDonalds, you order for yourself at an electronic tablet, then go to a line to pay, then another line to get your food.  And YES, the fries taste the same!   10% tax on the food.  BY THE WAY – if you look at the ticket closely, you’ll see that you can buy beer at McDonalds – and it’s taxed at 20%.

Happy and blessed Thanksgiving to everyone.  We are thankful for each one of you.

~~~~~Ephesians 1:18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you…