Deauville, Normandy

Driving outside of Paris was wonderful - it is so green and there are so many trees. It seemed to take no time at all to get to the coast of Normandy - just an hour and a half!

Deauville was a very pleasant surprise. A huge beach, lovely soft sand, and a modern boardwalk that went on and on, taking us to nice beachside restaurants, shops, etc. They have an American film festival there every September, so I think they have tried to make it look like a first class destination. The boardwalk has the names of famous Hollywood actors along the length of it.

The town behind it, is also extremely attractive. All the buildings have that Shakespearean style of architecture. We found a lovely old abbey as we explored. It was so peaceful, sitting by it in the sun.

Our hotel was just outside a little town called Pont-L'Eveque, which was soooo pretty, and it is situated right beside a huge lake. Ducks were playing in the grass right beside us as we had a coffee in the cafe.

We went back to Deauville to their hippodrome to see the races! Every half an hour, another race would take place. It was just like being at the Kentucky Derby, or something. The horses would be paraded around at the back, while everyone watched or placed their bets, then the spectators would rush out to the front to watch the actual race. It was so big, and the horses so far away for most of the race, that we had to watch the big screen to see what was happening. When it was over, everyone would head in to the back again, to pickup their winnings, watch the presentation to the winner (involving speeches, etc.), and to bet on the next race. Neither of us had ever bet on horse-racing before, but Jerome actually picked the winner twice! The weather was perfect. I learned some new vocabulary such as "pouliches" (the horses), and "montes" (the jockeys).

Food/Eating

There are two grocery stores across and just along the road from our building. Further down the street in the other direction is a gourmet grocery store inside the fancy shopping centre under the hotel called Le Palais des Congres. I think I saw an organic grocery store just down one of the sidestreets.

As you can see, there is no shortage of food around here! I love being able to run out, buy something for dinner, and get back, all within ten minutes! I can find all kinds of gluten-free things at the gourmet store, and even some surprising things (like gluten-free madeleines) at the local stores. I have even found ready-to-eat crepes, both regular and gluten-free. I went crazy recently, buying nutella and whipping creme, and having crepes for breakfast, snacks, etc! Also, with the creme brule ice cream I found! Oh, yes, and so far I've managed to stop myself from buying the chocolate mousse that comes in little plastic cups, but I'm sure I'll give in at some point! If I could eat gluten, I'd be in real trouble as there are amazing bakeries also, just a few setps from us.

I have been enjoying cooking in the tiny kitchen with no oven. One of my favourite new things to eat that Jerome makes is this: Fry a pack of bacon (already cut up into small pieces), add a container of thick creme fraiche (basically, whipping cream), stir it all up together in the frying pan, then pour it over pasta! I wonder how much fat that is? It's so delicious, though!

Some things are difficult to find, though. It took me a long time to find paper towels, and I had to go the gourmet store to find butter chicken sauce.

Of course, the best thing is being able to buy a bottle of wine every time one goes to the grocery store, and being able to just run over to grab one, if we have run out. Most of the wine I have been buying has averaged about 3 euros per bottle - that's for bordeaux, and pretty much everything you can think of. With the exchange rate, now, that's about $4 a bottle!

And guess what we had for lunch today - Subway! There's one also just down the road, and I felt like I was in Canada again - it was just like at home!

Here I am! 1st blog in Paris....

Bienvenue a tous!
Finally, I am writing my first post here, in Paris, nearly three weeks since I arrived! (It took me that long to figure out how to get back on here, to tell the truth!)
Many of you have been following how things have been going on facebook, so for those of you who either aren't on facebook, or who don't usually go on it, I'm going to paste some of my posts here so you can see what has happened as I first talked about it.

July 5
I have to stay up until 2:30 today because I have to phone a school in France for an interview! Trying to stay awake!
My house is empty and perfectly clean! Finally! Just have to finalize my packing. I think I have finished everything else! (but I have to remember to pack up my computer, get the com. centre pass for Tracey, take my shoes back, what else?) One more day to do it all. Thursday night, my children and I are going to have dinner out. I am relieved that this marathon is coming is coming to an end, excited to be going, but terrified about leaving everyone. Thank-you everyone, all my amazing friends, for your support and good wishes. I will miss you all, but you will be in my heart, and in my thoughts. Until we meet again! A la prochaine!

July 5
I HAVE A JOB AT AN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL IN PARIS! I'm so excited! Just got off the phone with the headmistress. She's going to show me around the school on Tuesday, and she's going to meet me at the train station to drive me to the school. WOW!

July 9
Finally, here I am! After months of organizing, cleaning, packing, paperwork, more organizing, list upon list, literally hundreds of things to get done, I am in my little apartment in Paris! It was so hard to leave my children and my friends, but I got through it with their help. After he picked me up at the airport, Jerome drove me around Paris - first time I've seen it all from a car. Even drove around the crazy traffic circle around the Arc de Triomphe!Yesterday, we wandered around the Latin Quarter where we met, and drank coffee at a sidewalk cafe (actually, the sidewalk in front of a Starbucks!)
I really have to put all of this in the blog. I will try to get it going today.
Today, I have to open a bank account, practice taking the train to where my new school is so I don't get lost tomorrow going to meet the "directrice", and go shopping for some household things. Have already gone grocery shopping with Jerome, and taken turns cooking in the tiny kitchen, with the help of some wine.
Still trying to grasp the fact that I get to stay here, and I'm not just visiting!

July 10
Fellow teachers: I think I've retired and gone to teacher heaven! I saw my school, today - L'Ermitage International School of France - and it's in these big, beautiful old French mansions, scattered around a park! I teach 4 days because there is no school on Wed. afternoons nor on Friday mornings (Fridays, there's only an hour and a half of school). I teach English to two classes - one is 12 students, and the other is 15! I get an hour prep time on the three full days I have! This is unbelievable!!!! Sorry - not trying to make anyone jealous, just expressing my disbelief!

July 12
I finally just relaxed yesterday. I wandered around St. Germain, read my kindle with a coffee, and a crepe (buckwheat). On my way back, I realized that the way I can tell I'm not a tourist anymore, is that I haven't taken a single photo since I got here! If I were visiting, I would have taken at least two hundred by now!

July 13
I opened a French bank account and apparently that means that I am now an official resident of France! (They only let you have one after you prove a million things about who you are, where you are living, and proof of a job!)
Yesterday, I spent the day with my new teaching partner, Jodie, at her house! I got to meet her whole family, and they invited me to stay for lunch! They are from Australia (have been here for 12 years) and they made me feel so welcome. (Her husband is hilarious!) We actually got a lot of things planned.
Got the school year calendar: Be prepared....1 week around the end of October, 2 wks. at Christmas, 2wks. for Winter vacation at the beginning of March, and 2 wks for Spring vacation at the beginning of May!

July 15
That was an amazing fireworks show! It went for 35 minutes straight without stopping, and the Eiffel Tower lighting up every few minutes.

July 19
Got my first mail at this address, yesterday - I guess I am official, now!
Spent Sunday evening moving to the apartment just next door. Monday, I spent the whole day tying to find a place for everything, and finally succeeded. It's really cute! It is still tiny - bed in the only room, with the illusion of a separate kitchen, and a bathroom you can actually turn around in! Patio doors open fully to our balcony, and we look across to the trees that are growing higher than us (on the sixth floor) from the courtyard below. Went shopping at La Defense for new towels and bedding, and other stuff for organizing, and yesterday the new TV Jerome bought was delivered (takes up half one of these tiny walls!) It's all good!

July 21
Yesterday: I spent a wonderful afternoon with Christi (a friend and fellow teacher in Calgary for those who don't know) and her family - lunch at a creperie, and a boat tour of Paris. I will miss them!
Tomorrow: We're going to walk to the Arch de Triomphe to see the finish of the Tour de France! Isn't that unbelievable? Never thought I'd get to do that!

July 23
How was being at the Tour de France? Exciting, but also a lot standing in one place in the sun, waiting, then finally, the cyclists whizzing past so quickly. Luckily, where we were, they had to do laps so we got to see them more than once!

That's everything so far! I'm going to end this post right now, and I'll write a new one later to catch up. I'm going to see how I can invite everyone to read it!