And so it goes. The house is sold and what is left after much purging is stored awaiting its new home, as are we. We have said our adieus to friends and family and look forward to welcoming them to our new home.
We started this journey, quite literally, in 2017 as we saw changes that were disturbing and now after a pivot or two we fly out to France to explore our next chapter.
We will stay in Paris 2 months and Le Havre for the month of August as we navigate through the process of finding a new house and setting ourselves up in the French system. We have no idea what lies ahead, so stick around an we’ll share the oops and ahas.
So the first oops, as experienced travelers we’ve usually been very detailed on logistic, however this time we missed. After wrangling 6 large bags, 2 carry on bags and personal items for home to the hotel to the vrbo and to the next hotel we should have thought about finding assistance when we landed, but we didn’t, at least until sitting at the lounge in Dulles. Last minute scrambling to no avail. So we just had to wing it and see what happened. Fortunately we were able to fin someone to help…. Don’t know how we would have managed. Note for next time as we maneuver this herd of suitcases from place to place.
We were warmly greeted by our landlord of the next 2 months. Bright and comfortable flat, but a few hiccups. No a/c or shower curtain, both require a number of towels…. The air conditioning was noted when we rented the flat so that may be an issue to work on. I know my European friends are questioning why this is a problem, so call us spoiled, but everyone seems to be experiencing these higher than normal temperatures.
We’ve worked on handling the temperature issue, at least at the moment. My wonderful engineer of a husband has the airflow and aerodynamics of the apartment going, a few slamming doors that get caught in the wind, but suitcases, of which there are many, are wonderful door stops. So at least for the time being he has it moderated so we can endure and sleep at night.
So we are settling into the hood. Much to explore was we find our footing.
As you all know, I’ve never met a stranger, and our little corner in Paris is no exception. People have been great all around. We have 2 wonderful little cafes on our corner, too convenient, but nice to have as the weather has been sporadic and easy to just duck in. We’ve been having fun discovering where is the best place for meats or just groceries and trying to stay out of the boulangeries. So far we’ve succeeded.