It has been a very busy last few weeks. My mom came and visited and we did crash course Paris, and of course, we were both sick. But it was a great time despite that!
Jason and I are both taking our French classes now, which is fantastic, albeit, overwhelming. Hopefully, in a few months we will have more than just a working knowledge in French.
I wanted to take some time to answer some frequently asked questions about Paris and just some of my random musings and observations.
I will begin with the FAQs.
Firstly, food, wine and cheese:
To sum it up, fantastic. We typically don't eat out very much because restaurants are very expensive. This is due to the fact restaurant workers are actually paid appropriately, you actually don't tip in most of Europe. The service is still great, probably even better than in North America since the wait staff aren't being ridiculous fighting for a large tip so they can maybe make rent that month. The food itself is really not that much different than in Canada. Paris is very multicultural, there are a lot of Italian restaurants, Thai restaurants, Chinese restaurants etc... In the more "typical" French restaurants you can still order simple things such as burgers, steaks, roast chicken etc. We could order more traditional foods like andouilette sausage (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andouillette) and other random organ meats that the make up a good portion of a French menu. Randomly, a mostly raw egg is common on french pizzas. The wine, good, plentiful and cheap. Cheese, FANTASTIC. So much cheese of all kinds and varieties to suit your palate.
The French are rude:
Absolutely false. That being said I do understand where this stereotype comes from. Ile-de-France (Paris and surrounding areas) has an approximate population of 12 million people. That's a lot of people that need to get places. People here tend to be a bit pushy, but they aren't trying to be rude, they just need to get somewhere and when your in a crowd you have to push through, otherwise it will take everyone HOURS to get through a metro station. If you push past someone they don't even notice. For comparison the Edmonton Metropolitan area has a population of just over 1 million. In fact, in a work or home setting people are super polite. In the hall to our apartment or in the elevator if you see someone you HAVE to greet them. At work Jason has to say bonjour and shake hands with everyone he sees. They aren't rude, just products of their environment.
The French are smelly/ hairy:
This isn't completely false... It is very strange actually, people don't ever LOOK unclean there just seems to be random odours. I think this stems from the fact that the men's deodorant selection is awful. You normally only smell people in the metro, which could also be caused as seen above the population is much denser and when a lot of people are jammed in a metal tube it tends to heat up. As far as hairy goes, I've seen more hairy people in Edmonton then in France.
Driving in Paris is ridiculous:
YES. ABSOLUTELY. I AM NEVER GOING TO DRIVE HERE. Streets are jam packed, people make me nervous because no one hits the brakes until the absolute last second (which means stopping distance is about a centimetre away from the car in front). Street parking is a little unnerving as well, you find a spot (probably about a foot shorter than your car) back in onto the sidewalk, nudge the car behind you, straighten out, nudge the car in front of you, and now you are parked. The first couple times I saw this I thought they were just some terrible drivers, but now I see it's just what you do.
French people won't speak English:
False, a lot do and are more than happy to. This was actually a huge frustration we all experienced here. We all try to use French but as soon as our horrific accents come out the other person starts speaking English. Sometimes it is nice, but we want to learn French! We need to use it!
Everyone carries baguettes with them:
Yep, and why not. They are delicious, cheap and you can buy them on every block. Funny fact, there is a law about baguettes in France. It can only be called a baguette if the following conditions apply: it was baked on site, it was never frozen and they can only be so many hours old (not sure the number). At boulangeries baguettes are always 1€ (this is mandated by the law as well). If you buy one for cheaper than that if you look at the sign it will say flute or "pain". This means it doesn't uphold one of the conditions to be called a baguette. Most likely it wasn't baked on site.
The French are always dressed up:
Yes, and no. You will often see men and women dressed up in fancier clothing and not looking out of place. But, someone wearing jeans and tshirt doesn't look underdressed either. I still have yet to see someone wearing pajamas in public (thank god). So if you think you need to reinvent your wardrobe to come visit (we do have a spare bedroom...) just come as you are.
There is always a strike:
Yeah... This is true. Since we have been here I have definitely seen two strikes happening, both RATP (public transit). The first one they just ran the busses in our area much less regularly, busses that normally run every 5-8 minutes were running MAYBE once an hour. Annoying. The second was all the information booths in the metro and RER stations were closed, because the employees were striking. Of course there is never any information and you never know why or when these are going to happen. They just kind of... Do.
Now, here are some random musings:
So there is a phrase that we have coined as "the French apology" here is an example. When I started my French lessons there were some technical mess ups so when I got there I wasn't actually registered in any classes. I was... Upset, I had given them money and followed every instruction. They kept telling me the computer says I'm not registered so they couldn't do anything. We finally got it all sorted out, they had to switch me to an afternoon class which is not what I wanted. When I said it wasn't ideal for me they just said "but you can come in the afternoon so there is no problem anymore". It was frustrating, and all of us expats have all experienced our own version of the french apology before. Not going to lie though, I would love to overhear conversations at the IKEA returns desk with the French apology.
Stores have weird hours here. It is SUPER annoying. Most stores in Plessis are open 10-12:30 and 2:30-7. Restaurants are generally not open for dinner until 7pm. They will also be randomly closed on random days with no explanation. It is super annoying.
Pharmacies are strange. ALL medication is behind the counter. You have to ask for pain relievers, cold medication etc. Don't even bother asking for cough medicine, it has to be prescribed by your doctor. So far, with hand motions and broken french we have been able to get every thing we have needed.
Meals take FOREVER here. Dining is an experience not just a quick trip. A lunch at a restaurant is usually 1.5 hours or so and a dinner can be even longer (our longest has been 4-4.5 hours). Long gone are the days of a 45 minute lunch at BPs with bottomless pop. ALSO that doesn't exist, you buy a bottle of coke (or whatever) for 3-5€ and you have to be careful to order tap water, or else you end up with Evian (let's face it, probably is tap water) and you are paying for it.
That is all I can think of for now! But if you have heard any stereotypes or want to know anything at all I will ask around or try and experience it myself to answer your query!
A bientôt!
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
Thursday, October 30, 2014
Why Can't Appliances Just Come With the Apartment?! GAH.
Apologies for our hiatus from posting. We've had a busy couple weeks (details of which will be in a later blog post).
When we were looking for apartments it became clear that we were going to need to buy appliances for our apartment. This is very common in Europe, when people move they take their kitchens with them. We counted ourselves lucky that we had cupboards and countertops so needing to buy appliances was no big deal. Or so we thought.
Our appliance shopping adventure started with a trip to a store called Darty (France's Future Shop). We were joined by a fellow expat who speaks French that was able to help us communicate with the sales representative. After about an hour of comparing appliances we finally made our decisions, we decided on a Samsung fridge, a Thompson washing machine, an Indesit range and an Electrolux dishwasher. Note: we didn't buy a dryer, we just don't have the room for one, hang drying for the win!
Once all decisions were made the sales representative starting inputting the sale into the computer, everything was in stock... Except for the fridge. Unfortunately, this was the only fridge we wanted so were able to buy it, the delivery date was just going to be ten days after everything else. I thought this would be no big deal, just need to go grocery shopping every day. Which to be honest, ended up being a massive pain. I had to buy the EXACT amount we would eat that day as we had no fridge for leftovers.
We got our first delivery two days after we were moved into our apartment. Unfortunately, none of the delivery guys spoke English, I managed myself through the phone call when they called to inform me they were here but that was the end of my French. They brought everything up and started the install. When they were installing the washing machine (which naturally lives in the kitchen) and the dishwasher they realized that there was only one water drainage port. This was a problem. After some hand signals and some less than Louvre worthy sketches they were able to communicate the problem to me and some potential solutions. They finished installing the washing machine, and the range, and left the dishwasher for us to figure out.
This then took us to our local hardware store with more called Bricorama. After a couple of trips we collected the random bits of plumbing needed to complete this job. It's not pretty but it seems to work. It's pretty obvious we are home improvement novices.
After this plumbing job was done it was time to move the dishwasher to it's home. Jason pushed the dishwasher and then it wouldn't go in. We realized that the top of it was a TINY bit to wide to fit in, no big deal, we removed the top. We tried to push it in again, to no avail. This is when we realized there were some brackets on the floor, and the screws stuck up just enough just to make it impossible to fit. We decided those needed to come out. After some blood, sweat, and tears we managed to get those out and finally our dishwasher fit.
Lastly, it was finally time for our fridge to be delivered. We were VERY excited about this, I was starting to get sick of the daily trips to the grocery store, we were both sick of never having anything cold to drink, having to eat every bit of every meal, and most importantly, not having ice cream. Darty called us about 30 minutes before our delivery and again, they didn't speak English, and our French wasn't good enough to be able to communicate with them. What followed was panic, I thought they were calling to say they were here, Jason ran downstairs to see if they were there, and they weren't. I was starting to think they had called to say they wouldn't be coming or something. I really didn't know. But, half an hour later they showed up with our beautiful, much needed fridge. We figure they must have been calling to say they were on their way.
This story was longer than I was expecting it to be. I guess our next adventure (getting internet and general stories of living in Plessis) will be in the next post!
Thanks for reading!
When we were looking for apartments it became clear that we were going to need to buy appliances for our apartment. This is very common in Europe, when people move they take their kitchens with them. We counted ourselves lucky that we had cupboards and countertops so needing to buy appliances was no big deal. Or so we thought.
Our appliance shopping adventure started with a trip to a store called Darty (France's Future Shop). We were joined by a fellow expat who speaks French that was able to help us communicate with the sales representative. After about an hour of comparing appliances we finally made our decisions, we decided on a Samsung fridge, a Thompson washing machine, an Indesit range and an Electrolux dishwasher. Note: we didn't buy a dryer, we just don't have the room for one, hang drying for the win!
Once all decisions were made the sales representative starting inputting the sale into the computer, everything was in stock... Except for the fridge. Unfortunately, this was the only fridge we wanted so were able to buy it, the delivery date was just going to be ten days after everything else. I thought this would be no big deal, just need to go grocery shopping every day. Which to be honest, ended up being a massive pain. I had to buy the EXACT amount we would eat that day as we had no fridge for leftovers.
We got our first delivery two days after we were moved into our apartment. Unfortunately, none of the delivery guys spoke English, I managed myself through the phone call when they called to inform me they were here but that was the end of my French. They brought everything up and started the install. When they were installing the washing machine (which naturally lives in the kitchen) and the dishwasher they realized that there was only one water drainage port. This was a problem. After some hand signals and some less than Louvre worthy sketches they were able to communicate the problem to me and some potential solutions. They finished installing the washing machine, and the range, and left the dishwasher for us to figure out.
This then took us to our local hardware store with more called Bricorama. After a couple of trips we collected the random bits of plumbing needed to complete this job. It's not pretty but it seems to work. It's pretty obvious we are home improvement novices.
After this plumbing job was done it was time to move the dishwasher to it's home. Jason pushed the dishwasher and then it wouldn't go in. We realized that the top of it was a TINY bit to wide to fit in, no big deal, we removed the top. We tried to push it in again, to no avail. This is when we realized there were some brackets on the floor, and the screws stuck up just enough just to make it impossible to fit. We decided those needed to come out. After some blood, sweat, and tears we managed to get those out and finally our dishwasher fit.
Lastly, it was finally time for our fridge to be delivered. We were VERY excited about this, I was starting to get sick of the daily trips to the grocery store, we were both sick of never having anything cold to drink, having to eat every bit of every meal, and most importantly, not having ice cream. Darty called us about 30 minutes before our delivery and again, they didn't speak English, and our French wasn't good enough to be able to communicate with them. What followed was panic, I thought they were calling to say they were here, Jason ran downstairs to see if they were there, and they weren't. I was starting to think they had called to say they wouldn't be coming or something. I really didn't know. But, half an hour later they showed up with our beautiful, much needed fridge. We figure they must have been calling to say they were on their way.
This story was longer than I was expecting it to be. I guess our next adventure (getting internet and general stories of living in Plessis) will be in the next post!
Thanks for reading!
Thursday, October 9, 2014
Moving: And The Struggles That Comes Along With It.
Hello! Our apologies for our absence, it has been a busy few weeks settling into our new (and permanent) apartment. The biggest issue has been a lack of internet, but I digress.
We finally have French bank accounts. Bank accounts are definitely a bit different from how they are in Canada. It definitely took some doing to get things setup. Also I keep forgetting that Interac is a Canadian thing. There was a bit of an adventure involving wiring some money to ourselves and then walking through a less-than-savory neighborhood with several hundred Euros in Jes' purse, but no one died so that was good.
We have French phone numbers! This was a bit of an interesting process. You need a bank account to start a phone plan and you need a phone number to open a bank account. Luckily, we had temporary UK numbers that a friend procured for us before we moved which made some impossible things possible.
Most importantly, we are no longer "between homes". After almost two months of not having our own place and our own property we finally got to sleep in our own bed, watch our own TV, eat off of our own dishes, and just generally enjoy the comforts of home. There was one minor caveat though: in France, when people are renting an apartment they typically take their kitchen with them. Even renters own their own appliances and cupboards. We were lucky in the fact that our kitchen at least comes with cupboards (no drawers though) but we did have to buy appliances. Attempting to purchase a full set of appliances in French was another grand adventure. But again we had some help from a fellow Canadian that speaks much better French than we do.
Our apartment is not actually in Paris, we now live in a suburb of Paris called Le Plessis Robinson. The best way to describe it for people back home is to think of Le Plessis Robinson as St. Albert is to Edmonton. We are about a 30 minute train (RER to be more specific) ride in to the centre of Paris. Here is some information on our little "town" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Plessis-Robinson. Within walking distance we have a few grocery stores, a huge farmers market (Tuesday/Friday/Sunday) several restaurants and most other amenities. There is also an American style mall a short bus ride away.
The final bit of adventure was getting internet access. Although we both technically had mobile internet, our apartment is somewhat of a dead zone for 3G on our provider. I had 2 weeks of finding the best signal strength in the apartment and leaving my phone there as a WiFi hotspot. But eventually we had proper internet (and TV and phone) installed. We actually have fibre into our apartment. All-in-all, 500 Mbit internet with no download caps for 45 euros per month isn't too bad.
Altogether it has been quite a rollercoaster of a month. We are both starting French lessons soon so hopefully things will start to get easier. But at least we have a comfy home to hide in and speak English.
We finally have French bank accounts. Bank accounts are definitely a bit different from how they are in Canada. It definitely took some doing to get things setup. Also I keep forgetting that Interac is a Canadian thing. There was a bit of an adventure involving wiring some money to ourselves and then walking through a less-than-savory neighborhood with several hundred Euros in Jes' purse, but no one died so that was good.
We have French phone numbers! This was a bit of an interesting process. You need a bank account to start a phone plan and you need a phone number to open a bank account. Luckily, we had temporary UK numbers that a friend procured for us before we moved which made some impossible things possible.
Most importantly, we are no longer "between homes". After almost two months of not having our own place and our own property we finally got to sleep in our own bed, watch our own TV, eat off of our own dishes, and just generally enjoy the comforts of home. There was one minor caveat though: in France, when people are renting an apartment they typically take their kitchen with them. Even renters own their own appliances and cupboards. We were lucky in the fact that our kitchen at least comes with cupboards (no drawers though) but we did have to buy appliances. Attempting to purchase a full set of appliances in French was another grand adventure. But again we had some help from a fellow Canadian that speaks much better French than we do.
Our apartment is not actually in Paris, we now live in a suburb of Paris called Le Plessis Robinson. The best way to describe it for people back home is to think of Le Plessis Robinson as St. Albert is to Edmonton. We are about a 30 minute train (RER to be more specific) ride in to the centre of Paris. Here is some information on our little "town" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Plessis-Robinson. Within walking distance we have a few grocery stores, a huge farmers market (Tuesday/Friday/Sunday) several restaurants and most other amenities. There is also an American style mall a short bus ride away.
The final bit of adventure was getting internet access. Although we both technically had mobile internet, our apartment is somewhat of a dead zone for 3G on our provider. I had 2 weeks of finding the best signal strength in the apartment and leaving my phone there as a WiFi hotspot. But eventually we had proper internet (and TV and phone) installed. We actually have fibre into our apartment. All-in-all, 500 Mbit internet with no download caps for 45 euros per month isn't too bad.
Altogether it has been quite a rollercoaster of a month. We are both starting French lessons soon so hopefully things will start to get easier. But at least we have a comfy home to hide in and speak English.
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
The Last Bits of Tourism
Over the last couple of weeks we have been trying to pack in as much tourism as we could before moving out to the suburbs.
We spent an evening at the Arc de Triomphe. The first thing you should know about the Arc de Triomphe is be prepared for stairs, there are a lot of them. The view is amazing (as most in Paris are).
We spent an evening at the Arc de Triomphe. The first thing you should know about the Arc de Triomphe is be prepared for stairs, there are a lot of them. The view is amazing (as most in Paris are).
The Arc de Triomphe is surrounded by a roundabout. No lanes, you just go and hope for the best.
Like I said, the view was pretty amazing. Makes the stairs completely worth it.
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Next up, was the towers, cathedral, and crypt of Notre Dame. Again, a lot of stairs, but the view was also worth it. It is definitely an amazing piece of history, it's awesome that they have still maintained it as a functioning church.
It was a little foggy out that day, definitely added something to the pictures.
The cathedral was beautiful. Protip: the cathedral is free to enter, but it is definitely worth paying to go up the towers.
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This weekend we went to Palais Garnier which is the Paris Opera House. It was gorgeous, I recommend coming here, it doesn't seem to be a very popular place to go, and I do not understand why. It is still operating as an opera house and you can also go to symphonies and ballets here as well. We are hoping to partake in something here one day.
Ceiling in the performance area.
The main lobby.
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Well, that is all for now. Up next: Dealing with French Bureaucracy: Holy [insert your choice of expletive here] we live in France and are piling up the paperwork to prove it.
Sunday, September 7, 2014
Dining Like The Gauls
One of my coworkers who was also transferred from Edmonton to Paris always used to tell us one of his favourite stories of a work trip to Paris. He was out with a coworker one night. They had a few drinks but needed to grab something to eat. They ended up at this magical restaurant with piles of sausages, baskets of vegetables, fire-cooked meats, and a barrel of wine. Unfortunately he could never remember the name of the place or even where it was located. A bit of persistence and some Google magic lead us to Nos Ancetres Les Galois last Friday night.
The restaurant's name translates to "Our Ancestors, The Gauls" and that is a fairly solid description. The look and feel of the restaurant fairly well fits the stereotypical dining hall of pre-mediaeval France.
Once you felt satisfied with the appetizers and salad, your order for the main was taken. A wide selection of fire-cooked meats with a side of baked potato are offered. Everything from duck kebabs to steak to ribs is available. The meal concludes with a choice of desserts. Jessica posted a picture of her lemon sorbet served in a lemon on Facebook.
The restaurant's name translates to "Our Ancestors, The Gauls" and that is a fairly solid description. The look and feel of the restaurant fairly well fits the stereotypical dining hall of pre-mediaeval France.
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| Photo Credit: Trip Advisor |
When you arrive for the evening, a large basket of raw vegetables is placed on your table (you can see one in the middle of the table in the picture) which allows you to construct your own salad. In addition you are invited to partake in the unlimited cask of bordeau and the appetizer buffet (picture below) which included a variety of house-made sausage, pickled vegetables, and more.
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| Photo Credit: KelMenu |
On top of all of that, a troubadour serenades the crowd and gladly accepts both tips and assistance in singing everything from (what I assume were) French folk songs to oldies. You could definitely tell who were the tourists (and us) vs the locals by who sang along in what language.
The entire meal (including the unlimited wine) is available for a flat rate per person.
If you are looking for a unique (albeit not cheap) experience while in Paris, I'd highly recommend it.
Thursday, September 4, 2014
Finding a Home
My desire for regular posting seems to have gone out the window already. I suppose it was inevitable, but I was hoping it wouldn't happen quite this quickly. We've had a busy week and a half since my last post. Most of that, unfortunately, relates to more mundane tasks than trips to Versailles.
The biggest thing that happened last week was our house-hunting trip. Firstly, to clarify, no it was not like House Hunters International. Yes we have seen the show. No it doesn't really work like that. The main difference comes from how ridiculously competitive the market for apartments is here. Our relocation representative Beatrice said that in the 15-or-so years she's been working in the industry, she's never seen it so tight. To be fair, there are always new apartments popping up but, unfortunately, they will often be gone within days (or hours).
We were trying to find something that would give us a good mix of a short commute for me to work (in the village of Clamart just outside of Paris...for those in Edmonton, think St Albert) while staying a reasonably short distance to Paris. Our first stop was in the village of Chatillon which connects Clamart and Paris. As soon as she arrived, Beatrice informed us that one of the appointments she had gotten us an appointment to see had already been rented. It was not a good start to the day.
The apartment itself wasn't too bad despite being a bit small (something we were trying to get used to). Unfortunately it was next to a massive construction site. In even worse news, the renting agent we had met informed Beatrice that the owner of the next place (also in Chatillon) we were due to see hadn't left the keys so we couldn't get in. Naturally, that place was the largest apartment on our list.
With effectively two cancellations, Beatrice worked some magic and got us into our next appointment a bit early. This apartment was in the village of Plessis-Robinson which is next to Clamart. Our first impression of the village was fantastic. They seem almost obsessed with covering every square inch of public space with flowers. In addition, just down the street from the apartment is a farmer's market that makes the Strathcona market look small. The apartment was great but the renting agent told Beatrice that she was showing it to three other people that day. For once that didn't seem like a hard-sell tactic.
We took a quick look at the remaining apartments we were scheduled to see. All of them were all quite close to Paris (meaning I'd have a long commute), were much smaller, and the communities lacked the charm of Plessis-Robinson that we had already fallen in love with. We said we'd take it on the spot.
I took a quick video tour of the apartment while we were there which you can see here:
I apologize for the potato-adjacent quality and more-so for the fact it was taken in portrait mode. Once we're back in the apartment I'll be able to take some better pictures and video.
All that remains is the paper work (which, apparently, is no small amount of work).
This story took quite a bit more space to tell than I was expecting. The remaining stories for this past week will have to wait until later.
The biggest thing that happened last week was our house-hunting trip. Firstly, to clarify, no it was not like House Hunters International. Yes we have seen the show. No it doesn't really work like that. The main difference comes from how ridiculously competitive the market for apartments is here. Our relocation representative Beatrice said that in the 15-or-so years she's been working in the industry, she's never seen it so tight. To be fair, there are always new apartments popping up but, unfortunately, they will often be gone within days (or hours).
We were trying to find something that would give us a good mix of a short commute for me to work (in the village of Clamart just outside of Paris...for those in Edmonton, think St Albert) while staying a reasonably short distance to Paris. Our first stop was in the village of Chatillon which connects Clamart and Paris. As soon as she arrived, Beatrice informed us that one of the appointments she had gotten us an appointment to see had already been rented. It was not a good start to the day.
The apartment itself wasn't too bad despite being a bit small (something we were trying to get used to). Unfortunately it was next to a massive construction site. In even worse news, the renting agent we had met informed Beatrice that the owner of the next place (also in Chatillon) we were due to see hadn't left the keys so we couldn't get in. Naturally, that place was the largest apartment on our list.
We took a quick look at the remaining apartments we were scheduled to see. All of them were all quite close to Paris (meaning I'd have a long commute), were much smaller, and the communities lacked the charm of Plessis-Robinson that we had already fallen in love with. We said we'd take it on the spot.
I took a quick video tour of the apartment while we were there which you can see here:
I apologize for the potato-adjacent quality and more-so for the fact it was taken in portrait mode. Once we're back in the apartment I'll be able to take some better pictures and video.
All that remains is the paper work (which, apparently, is no small amount of work).
This story took quite a bit more space to tell than I was expecting. The remaining stories for this past week will have to wait until later.
Monday, August 25, 2014
The First Week
We have managed to survive our first week living in Paris. Most of this week was spent learning about everything around us. We both figured out how to get a Navigo card and use it to navigate Paris' amazing transit system. I learned that the bakery we live above makes amazing bread and pastries but isn't open on Mondays. We found that food is actually fairly affordable. I discovered that going from a 5 minute commute to an hour commute is a bit of a rude awakening. We also found out that while living in an apartment with a view of the Eiffel Tower is great, trying to find an affordable restaurant in the area is not so great.
But, by far, the most interesting thing I have found is how attuned your brain becomes to one language. I can be in a crowd of dozens to hundreds of people who are all talking amongst themselves and easily pick out the two people speaking English. Hopefully French will eventually get to that point...
We started out this week just looking around our neighbourhood. Here is my obligatory askew picture of the Eiffel Tower.
On Saturday we spent the day out at Versailles. If you ever have a spare day while travelling through Paris, I would highly recommend it. The place may be incredibly busy but it's worth it. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves but keep in mind that at one point this was just some guy's (OK, the King of France) house and back yard.
Finally, on Sunday we had intended to go visit Paris' catacombs. Unfortunately we didn't think far enough ahead to go first thing in the morning. Instead of the 2-3 hour wait, we opted to head over to the Montparnasse Tower for a Google's eye view of the city. They say that seeing the city from the Montparnasse Tower has 2 main advantages over the Eiffel Tower. The first being that you can see the Eiffel tower and the second being that you can't see the Montparnasse Tower. Although I wouldn't call it an eye sore, it definitely stands out against Paris' old world aesthetic. Either way it makes for some good pictures.
Up this week is house hunting and getting bank accounts. We are finally penetrating the depths of French bureaucracy!
But, by far, the most interesting thing I have found is how attuned your brain becomes to one language. I can be in a crowd of dozens to hundreds of people who are all talking amongst themselves and easily pick out the two people speaking English. Hopefully French will eventually get to that point...
We started out this week just looking around our neighbourhood. Here is my obligatory askew picture of the Eiffel Tower.
Then Jessica surprised no one by looking at the ducks in the pond rather than admiring the world famous monument right behind her.
On Saturday we spent the day out at Versailles. If you ever have a spare day while travelling through Paris, I would highly recommend it. The place may be incredibly busy but it's worth it. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves but keep in mind that at one point this was just some guy's (OK, the King of France) house and back yard.
Finally, on Sunday we had intended to go visit Paris' catacombs. Unfortunately we didn't think far enough ahead to go first thing in the morning. Instead of the 2-3 hour wait, we opted to head over to the Montparnasse Tower for a Google's eye view of the city. They say that seeing the city from the Montparnasse Tower has 2 main advantages over the Eiffel Tower. The first being that you can see the Eiffel tower and the second being that you can't see the Montparnasse Tower. Although I wouldn't call it an eye sore, it definitely stands out against Paris' old world aesthetic. Either way it makes for some good pictures.
Up this week is house hunting and getting bank accounts. We are finally penetrating the depths of French bureaucracy!
Monday, August 18, 2014
First few days in Paris
We have arrived in Paris!
After several hours on a plane we arrived on August 16 at about 1:30 PM. The flight was decent, actually short compared to other routes. We flew via Iceland which makes each flight leg much shorter and the layover in Iceland is incredibly short, ours was less than an hour after we made it through security and customs.
We arrived at our apartment got the quick tour and then wandered around the area to keep us from falling asleep. During our walk we went and hung out around the base of the Eiffel Tower and I, of course, managed to find a pond full of ducks to keep myself occupied for... A while... We then walked down the Seine.
On Sunday, we took the Metro and met some friends (Mike, Erin, Mo and Sheila) after walking around the area that they are currently living in Mike, Erin, Jason and I headed off into the suburbs to check out one of the areas we might be interested in living in. Walking around the streets of Paris on a Sunday is a bit surreal, especially coming from the mindset of a retail veteran. NOTHING was open, most grocery stores were closed, and the ones that were open are only open until 1 PM. It was even difficult to find restaurants that were open. The streets that are normally bustling with people were empty. It will definitely take some time to change our views and remember to NOT save our grocery shopping until Sunday.
Today (Monday) Jason had to go back to work. I spent the day getting settled into the apartment, grocery shopping and finishing up unpacking. I have even have a load of laundry in the washing machine, which naturally, lives in the kitchen.
Here are some pictures of our apartment, hope you enjoy.
This is our kitchen. You may note that there seems to be a colour scheme. Everything is red... Including our toaster, and kettle. It isn't very big. I can stretch my arms out and easily touch both walls. This kitchen differs from every other kitchen I have ever used. It is separated from the rest of the apartment by a door, and as I mentioned earlier, it has a washing machine.
This is our living room/dining area. In Europe bedrooms are small, but living rooms are HUGE this is no exception. The couch in here could comfortably seat 5-6 people.
Lastly, you can't really beat our view. Yes, that is the Eiffel Tower. The only downside to living in this area is there are plenty of tourists so there is a constant buzz. There is also a plus side to the touristy areas, things are open later and restaurants are actually open on Sundays.
Au revoir!
After several hours on a plane we arrived on August 16 at about 1:30 PM. The flight was decent, actually short compared to other routes. We flew via Iceland which makes each flight leg much shorter and the layover in Iceland is incredibly short, ours was less than an hour after we made it through security and customs.
We arrived at our apartment got the quick tour and then wandered around the area to keep us from falling asleep. During our walk we went and hung out around the base of the Eiffel Tower and I, of course, managed to find a pond full of ducks to keep myself occupied for... A while... We then walked down the Seine.
On Sunday, we took the Metro and met some friends (Mike, Erin, Mo and Sheila) after walking around the area that they are currently living in Mike, Erin, Jason and I headed off into the suburbs to check out one of the areas we might be interested in living in. Walking around the streets of Paris on a Sunday is a bit surreal, especially coming from the mindset of a retail veteran. NOTHING was open, most grocery stores were closed, and the ones that were open are only open until 1 PM. It was even difficult to find restaurants that were open. The streets that are normally bustling with people were empty. It will definitely take some time to change our views and remember to NOT save our grocery shopping until Sunday.
Today (Monday) Jason had to go back to work. I spent the day getting settled into the apartment, grocery shopping and finishing up unpacking. I have even have a load of laundry in the washing machine, which naturally, lives in the kitchen.
Here are some pictures of our apartment, hope you enjoy.
This is our kitchen. You may note that there seems to be a colour scheme. Everything is red... Including our toaster, and kettle. It isn't very big. I can stretch my arms out and easily touch both walls. This kitchen differs from every other kitchen I have ever used. It is separated from the rest of the apartment by a door, and as I mentioned earlier, it has a washing machine.
Here is the bedroom. By European standards it is quite large, with one exception. The bed. Bed sizes in Europe are different than they are in North America. This is a double bed but is quite a bit narrower, as well as shorter. Now, if I can notice that it is shorter, that sure is something.
This is our living room/dining area. In Europe bedrooms are small, but living rooms are HUGE this is no exception. The couch in here could comfortably seat 5-6 people.
This shower is certainly photo worthy. Rain shower. Amazing. Enough said. The strange thing about the shower here (and most places in Europe) is that there isn't a door or shower curtain. It is kind of just a hallway converted into a shower. So there is a squeegee that you have to use after every shower so water doesn't seep into the rest of the apartment.
Lastly, you can't really beat our view. Yes, that is the Eiffel Tower. The only downside to living in this area is there are plenty of tourists so there is a constant buzz. There is also a plus side to the touristy areas, things are open later and restaurants are actually open on Sundays.
Au revoir!
Thursday, August 14, 2014
Last Weeks in Edmonton
Over our last 2 weeks in Edmonton we managed to pack in a lot of local tourism. Trust me when I say the best way to ensure you see everything your home city has to offer is to plan to leave it.
On August 3rd we took in the Heritage Festival at Hawrelak Park. There were certainly some...interesting sights.
Thank you Joel.
On August 6th we visited the Royal Alberta Museum. There were the usual assortment of dioramas, rocks, bugs, and dinosaur bones.
The next day we ventured over to the (partially) renovated Edmonton Valley Zoo. Jessica was particularly enamored with the otters.
But now all that's left is a final re-packing before we head for the airport tomorrow...
On August 3rd we took in the Heritage Festival at Hawrelak Park. There were certainly some...interesting sights.
On August 6th we visited the Royal Alberta Museum. There were the usual assortment of dioramas, rocks, bugs, and dinosaur bones.
We also saw sloths, owls, the majestic capybaras, and even Lucy was out for a walk.
Lastly, on August 9th we went out to see Jurassic Forest. You might say it was...DINO-MITE.
But now all that's left is a final re-packing before we head for the airport tomorrow...
Thursday, July 31, 2014
Quasi-homelessness
The move has officially begun. Between Tuesday and Wednesday this week, movers were in our apartment. In a surprisingly short amount of time they boxed and wrapped up (almost) everything we own and put it all into a truck.
So now we are somewhat homeless. We will be spending the next 2 weeks or so attempting to relive our youth by living with our parents.
The saddest part was seeing the first home we've ever had together totally empty. We may have only been here 6 months but it was home. Our home.
But, as a wise man warthog once said: "Home is where your rump rests."
Up next: Enjoying 2 weeks of summer in Edmonton before we fly off.
Friday, July 11, 2014
Finally Some Progress
Finally there is some news to report!
First, last week we managed to secure our temporary housing. This will be a furnished apartment for us to live in while we search for something more permanent and also await the arrival of all of our things from Canada. The shipment can take 6-8 weeks so having a furnished place for a while will definitely help pass the time.
Luckily, we acted quickly and managed to get ourselves an apartment with (roughly) this view:
View Larger Map
Yes that is the Eiffel tower 500 metres from our apartment. It may not be the best view in Paris, but we're pretty excited to be right in the heart of things for a few weeks at least. We'll be able to experience the central Parisian lifestyle for a little while before we move out to the suburbs.
Second on our list of hardships is this weekend's trip to Vancouver. Unfortunately (well maybe not so much) France closed their consular offices in Edmonton and Calgary to save money and consolidate staff in Vancouver. So for us that means a weekend trip to Vancouver for our 10 minute appointments at the consulate.
Other than that we are just finishing up the last bits of preparations to leave. The movers come in just over 2 weeks...
First, last week we managed to secure our temporary housing. This will be a furnished apartment for us to live in while we search for something more permanent and also await the arrival of all of our things from Canada. The shipment can take 6-8 weeks so having a furnished place for a while will definitely help pass the time.
Luckily, we acted quickly and managed to get ourselves an apartment with (roughly) this view:
View Larger Map
Yes that is the Eiffel tower 500 metres from our apartment. It may not be the best view in Paris, but we're pretty excited to be right in the heart of things for a few weeks at least. We'll be able to experience the central Parisian lifestyle for a little while before we move out to the suburbs.
Second on our list of hardships is this weekend's trip to Vancouver. Unfortunately (well maybe not so much) France closed their consular offices in Edmonton and Calgary to save money and consolidate staff in Vancouver. So for us that means a weekend trip to Vancouver for our 10 minute appointments at the consulate.
Other than that we are just finishing up the last bits of preparations to leave. The movers come in just over 2 weeks...
Friday, May 2, 2014
Beginnings
So the setup is pretty simple: we're moving to Paris.
My name is Jason Constam and I'm a Computer Engineer working for Schlumberger. I recently found out that I was being transferred to Paris, France. Coming along for the adventure is my fiancée Jessica.
Currently we live in Edmonton Alberta Canada.
We've started this blog and the plan is that over the next few months it will chronicle the highs and lows of moving half way around the world. Once we're in Paris, things will shift a bit and we'll be using it to keep track of all of the things we see and the places we go. Hopefully this will range from "look at this cool pastry I got down the street from our apartment" to "check out this awesome bar we found in southern Austria in a cave that used to be a monastery".
To answer the two most popular questions we get asked when we tell people we are moving:
My name is Jason Constam and I'm a Computer Engineer working for Schlumberger. I recently found out that I was being transferred to Paris, France. Coming along for the adventure is my fiancée Jessica.
Currently we live in Edmonton Alberta Canada.
We've started this blog and the plan is that over the next few months it will chronicle the highs and lows of moving half way around the world. Once we're in Paris, things will shift a bit and we'll be using it to keep track of all of the things we see and the places we go. Hopefully this will range from "look at this cool pastry I got down the street from our apartment" to "check out this awesome bar we found in southern Austria in a cave that used to be a monastery".
To answer the two most popular questions we get asked when we tell people we are moving:
- Yes we are planning to have a spare bedroom and yes you can come visit if you give us some notice.
- No we will not be on House Hunters International.
- My tentative start date in France is August 18.
- No we don't speak French. I did take French through most of primary and secondary school, but I really don't use it much. We've been using Duolingo off and on over the last few months and we're hoping it will be a good prep for the actual French lessons my company will provide us when we get there.
- The office where I'll be working is actually not in Paris but in the commune (suburb) of Clamart which is just south-west of Paris but still within the suburban area known as Ile-de-France. We will likely be living somewhere in the area between Clamart and Paris.
- Here is a quick comparison between Edmonton and Paris from Wolfram-Alpha.
Posting will be rather erratic but hopefully that will keep the content interesting...
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