Au Revoir UK, Bonjour France!

We arrived in France, early morning of the 26 July.

Super Handsome and oldest son drove in one of the UK cars and the rest of us took the Eurostar.

It turned out that we should have prebooked the Eurostar.  The station was mad and all the trains were oversold.  Since we did not have another option, we had to take Business Class.  Ooo la la!  Many thank you’s have to be extended here to the business men that helped us get our stuff onto the train.  We were all lugging suitcases and my youngest two needed help.  As I went to help them, the men standing around us lifted the suitcases up to assist us.

Meanwhile, Super Handsome was stuck in traffic on the M25.  What we did not realize was the public schools in the UK had their last day 24 July.  So, there was a MASS exodus occurring.  Hence the traffic jam on the M25 and the Eurostar being oversold.

Super Handsome finally made it to Folkstone and loaded the car onto the train. It was somewhere in this part of the story that Chip was standing on Lilibeth’s soft cat carrier to look out the window and apparently, she was mad!  She hissed at him with her ears back, while he just stood on her carrier, happily looking out the window!   They got off the train and from there, it was not all smooth sailing.  The car was warm, we had been in the midst of a heat wave.  When Super Handsome opened the window, Lilibeth (our kitten) meowed because she hated the noise.  So, the dog panted and the car got very hot.

Meanwhile, I had arrived in France and went to the train station.  Not after I had to deal with some troublesome guys who were pulling a scam at the ticket machines and trying to buy our tickets and have us pay him with money. They swore that the machines would not take my card because it was not French, they also had badges to look ‘official’.   I declined their help and went to the ticket window.

We waited and waited and our train was not showing up.  With the help of a very nice stranger, we figured out that our train was not running after 10pm due to works on the line.  So, he kindly assisted us and took us to where we could get off the train at a station close to where we needed to be, from there we could take a bus.  Then, after he thought more about it, he insisted that he would drive us to our destination.  He was very kind and we all smashed ourselves into his old, little BMW at 1 am, but it worked.  We arrived just after Super Handsome did.  He (his name is Peter) told Super Handsome and I both that he felt that we were too big of a target for something to go wrong and he said that he wouldn’t have been able to sleep without delivering us safely to our destination.

He was a very sweet man and apparently my second oldest son needed some proof that there is some good in the world.  My second son was very suspicious that the man was going to do us wrong and felt better that the man declined our attempt to give him money.  Instead, we took his email and we plan to have him over for dinner sometime.

We arrived very late and immediately all went into our temporary place and went to bed.

Good-bye England!  We will miss you and all of our friends.  Thankfully, you are just a short train ridge away.

xoxo

The Packers Arrive

Well, as you know by now.  Things are always crazy at my house.  The crazy seems to follow me where ever I go.

As of 3:59 yesterday I did not have packers coming.  By 5pm, they were coming Saturday (today).  The company that called had one opening for us, Saturday.  Otherwise we would not be able to vacate Oak Lodge by 25 July.

So, I agreed and madness has been the word ever since.  Luckily I work well under pressure and I have the attitude that what we don’t get accomplished, the packers will just have to deal with the best that they can.

So, today is being spent with the packers here packing our stuff to ship to France.

In other news, I still don’t have a UK bank account and I have not been successful in transferring any money from the US to France.  Fantastic.

Round 1 and 2

The last two days have been a bit stressful.

Super Handsome and I went to the bank in the UK on Saturday to open an account.  We did this with the purpose to link it with our new French bank account. We needed a document that I had to bring back on Monday before they could complete the process.

I took the said document that we had agreed was needed in Monday.  I also took an additional document in as well.  I showed both to the staff and they insisted they needed the additional document and not the document that I had been told to bring in.  I asked them to make a copy of both documents, but they refused.  Even when I asked them to just in case.

Fast forward to Tuesday.  I contacted my US credit union and asked them to wire money from my account to France.  They refused me because I had recently changed my address.  So, I tried my other US bank and they said they would do all that they could for me.  Great!

Then I got the call from the UK bank, that document that they had not copied for me?  Well, I needed to run it back into the bank.  It turns out that they really should have copied it for me.

So, right now.  I still don’t have a UK bank account or a wire transfer to going to France.

That’s ok, we are suppose to vacate Oak Lodge in 7 days and we still don’t have packers scheduled yet.

Time is Short

Our time in the UK is fast growing to a close.  I am sad about leaving and so are the children.  We are trying not to really say good bye to those that we want to keep in touch with, instead we are saying things like, "See you in France, soon!”

We spent the 4th of July in London.  I had been planning to take the children out of school to observe the holiday (and make a trip to the Warner Brother Studios Harry Potter Studios).  Instead we had to take them out of school as we had to go and apply for our French visas.  It was a paperwork nightmare.  We were there for 3 hours refilling out paperwork in duplicate.  It turned out that our person for the day was telling us wrong, his supervisor stepped in and just cleared some of it through mistakes and all.  I am still not sure why we had to do it all by hand, to be fair, the supervisor said that it was crazy as well.  Dear French visa people, you can fill out paperwork, electronically.  It saves time and me from having hand cramps!

We spent Super Handsome’s birthday at the school ball.  We had to be there so that Oldest Son could go.  It was a nice night for him and I know that he had a good time with his class mates.  Unfortunately, Super Handsome did not get any dinner.  The caterers ran out of food.  I had a meatless meal as did some others.  A handful of people, like my husband did not get anything.  Not really a great birthday for him.  Especially since he wanted to be in Hyde Park listening to the Rolling Stones!  No worries, a week later, we were there to see them, and I have to say, for ‘old' guys, they can still give a good performance!

Our visas finally arrived, I had to take Mark out of school (Colin was finished early) and the three of us had to go back to London.  There was problems with our biometrics.  While we were there, they finished them up and sent us home with them.  It was a few days before they were valid though.  Today we are actually free to travel to France with them. Super Handsome left this morning, he is working this week in France.

The kids have broken up from school now.  Most of our friends are getting ready to head out on holiday.  We have things to deal with here and I am hoping to get at least one or two trips into London before we leave.  We have to vacate our home here on the 25.  The packers are not yet scheduled and I am getting nervous!

Summer has finally arrived in England.  The weather has been in the 80’s for the last week or so.  When we were in London, Hyde Park was brown, due in part to the lack of rain lately.  That’s ok, I’ll take it!

I have to admit that I am hoping that the Duchess of Cambridge has her baby before we leave.  London is currently really busy with tourists right now and I know that when she finally has the baby the UK will be celebrating!  Let’s go Kate, after all, our time is short!

A Flat

So, it is official, we have a house!  Well, actually it is a flat!

So, to start out the story, I took the Eurostar over to France.  Super Handsome met me and we headed to the hotel.  We arrived at the Marriot and then walked down to St Michale.  Super Handsome had found a delicious gelato place.  It was a nice walk, but sadly I did not have proper shoes.  I ended the walk with blisters.  We were also very disappointed as he had planned to take me to a restaurant.  The restaurant was hosting a big party that evening and had little room and a limited menu.  So, we tried a local Italian place.  We ordered Calamari, which in retrospect was also a mistake.  The pizza looked delicious, we should have ordered it instead!

We headed back to the Marriott and had an early night.  We had a long day the next day.  We had to start out with a run to the bank to open an account.  We took the train to Champs-Elysse where I signed the required papers.  Then we met with our housing agent, Laurence and commenced to a long day of looking.  We looked at homes from 9 until 5.  We had a short break for lunch.

We looked mainly near the schools.  We ended up splitting the boys between two schools.  The American School of Paris is very close, Oldest Son will be attending that school.  Due to circumstances that I probably should not revel, the three other boys are going to the British School of Paris, which is located in Croissy-sur-Seine.  The schools are in the same general area and not that far away from each other.

We looked in Saint-Cloud, La Celle-Saint Cloud, Croissy-sue-Seine, Ruil-Mailmasion, and Sevres to name a few areas....

Ironically, we ended up with the first flat we visited.  The family that currently inhabits/owns it, is also a family of 4.  They have 3 boys and a girl.    It is a little on the small side with only 3 bedrooms.  It has a killer living space and hands down had the best kitchen that we saw that day.  We will be able to have visitors stay with us, but it will be a tight squeeze.  We will be using almost every square inch of the flat to live in and when they come, they will be located in the study/den area that is located near the main living space.

Anyway... pictures!  Here are some pictures!  We are renting it furnished so most of the furniture that you see will stay.

Super Handsome on the outside of the building.  It is a duplex that we share with one person, apparently a woman.

 This house was a bit unique.  Remember I said that it had 3 bedrooms.  Well, this one was very large and it was where the three boys slept.  These are the pictures of the room.  Note that each section has it’s own window!

The daughter has her own room painted pink.  They are going to paint the walls white for us.

The room is triangle shaped.

Kids bathroom, toilet is around the corner.

 The laundry is also located in the kids bathroom.

Proceeding onto the Master Bedroom and Bathroom!

Looking into the Master Bath

Italian Shower

Well, you all know what this is!

Master Bedroom

Master Bedroom to incude the storage cabinets.  There are more on the right wall as well.

Moving onto the living space....

This small bathroom is located at the top of the stairs.

Looking into the main living space.  You can see the kitchen to the left and the doorway on the right is the study/den area.  You can also see the dining room table on the right as well.

Note the big fridge/freezer.  There is also a wine fridge, two ovens and a microwave.

Blurry picture of the kitchen

View of the living area from the dining space.

 I did not get pictures of the study area.  It was a nice big room with many windows.  The owner happened to be there so I did not want to take a photo.  It will the area that guests will share with us.  

Next is the Terrace!  We share the roof top terrace with our neighbor.  I think that you will agree that it is a great use of space!  And they have a Webber gas grill that they are leaving!  Whoo-hooo!

place to eat

Seating area, I was standing in the middle of the two areas

Skyline of Paris in the distance

Church

We saw many options.  Homes with gardens aka yards and flats.  I was honestly surprised that we ended up with this one.  It is going to be a major change for my family, no doubt.

Oldest son will be able to bike to school.  The other three will catch the bus at a stop that is not far beyond his school.  I won’t have to have a car, but we may decide later to get one.  There is a lovely, lovely artisan boulangerie just down the road from the flat and there is a small hotel as well.

We will also be a short walk from a big park and a metro station.

I will begin life as a city girl.....

House Hunting

Well, tomorrow I am off to Paris to house hunt this week.

Older Son is staying home to walk the dog and take care of our new kitten.

The younger three are off to friends homes so that they can attend school.

Cross you fingers that this will be an easy trip with an easy decision.  Also cross you fingers that we get the home that we want.  It is not a simple process. We have to submit 2 years of tax forms, pay stubs and who knows what else for the application process.  Hopefully we will be lucky enough to get the home that we decide that we want!

The next couple of weeks are looking to be a whirl wind of crazy.  THe list is incredible.  Hopefully, I’ll still have my hair at the end!  

The Driving Test

As you may remember, Super Handsome and I had to take our driving test here so that we can exchange our UK licenses for our French licenses.

Well, we both passed the theory portion of our testing process.  It involved a 50 question multiple choice section and then 14 videos in which we had to identify the hazards.  We both passed!

Super Handsome has his driving portion already scheduled.  The system has been down, so I have not been able to schedule mine yet, but I will as soon as I can.

Meanwhile, the clock is ticking.  We seem to finally have the schools under control after a large mess that ended up with me packing my three youngest into my car and driving to France!  It was a good thing that I did not over think the trip.  After we got on the train and I was driving in the my right sided car on the left side of the road did I see the signs and remember that I still can’t read French!  I just shook my head and drove on....

I gave notice to our landlords 25 June that we are vacating in a month.  I am going to France (on the Eurostar) Monday to have a house hunting trip with Sean all Tuesday.  Hopefully we find something good.  From what I understand it can be quite the crap shoot depending on what is available.  Oldest son is staying home with dog and our new kitten.  The other three boys are going to stay with friends so that they can get to school.

Keep your fingers crossed for us as getting a house is not the simplest thing.  We have to put in applications.  Hopefully we find something wonderful and we will get our first choice.  

Back to the US

So, we made a trip back across the pond briefly.

It was a stressful trip and filled with things that just kept going wrong, wrong, wrong!

Instead of getting the shorter 7 hour flight into Chicago, we had to fly into Dallas, which was a 10 hour flight.  We then had to catch a 2 hour flight into Fort Wayne, instead of the 40 minute flight into Chicago.  So, this was us in the Dallas airport.

We made it to our house really late at night.  We found out immediately that we did not have any water.  When we first moved to the UK, it took me some time to get the bills automatically paid.  I had meant to do it before we left, but I was not able to since we received a 5 hour notice that we were leaving.  So, we had our water turned off for non-payment.  I contacted the water company and got it all straightened out as soon as I could.  I then had our water bills automatically deducted from our account.  In the meantime, they did not return to my house to turn the water back on.  Adding to this frustration is the calls that I would occasionally receive from the water company asking if they could come and inspect my water meter (which is inside my home) because they were afraid that it was broken.  After being on hold as both the emergency costumer service department and then the serviceman ‘investigated’ my problem, my water was turned back on by early Sunday afternoon.

The rest of the day went great.  My Fabulous Mother In Law drove in and she brought our little dog, Cricket.  I also found one of our kitties, our tuxedo kitty, Tux.  No only did he remember us, he was thrilled to see us. He licked us, rubbed us and even nipped at us a little as to scold us for being gone so long!  Sadly, we did not find our other kitty, Coco.  It seems that she has been forcibly adopted by another family.  The neighbor that had been taking care of her noticed that one day she arrived with a collar on.  They thought it strange and removed it.  When she was again gone for a long time, they called the vet number on the collar to explain that they were caring for her during my absence and that she was microchipped.  The vet cited privacy laws and would not share where she was, they said they would contact the new owners with the information and if they choose to contact my neighbors it was their choice.

While I am happy that she is obviously in a happy home, I am very bitter how it occurred and my inability to contact them to at least see her once more.  I miss my dear, wiggly-butt, Coco kitty.

The packers were scheduled to show up the day after Memorial Day.  They arrived over a week later then scheduled.  This caused us to have to separate.  Super Handsome took Oldest Son home to England on Sunday, Oldest Son had a test that he could not miss.

When we were getting ready to leave, we could not find the all important backpack that contained our passports, Super Handsome’s Ipad, his super expensive ear phones, our newly purchased Game of Thrones on blue ray....  it turned out that the donation company that had come to pick up things, took the backpack, even though I told them no and moved it out of the room.  The backpack, ipad and passports were recovered.  The earphones, US money and the Blue rays were not.

Super Handsome left and I soldiered on.  The packers came and the house was packed up and things were put into storage and shipped to France.  I did what I could and when I left, there were still a lot of loose ends.  I am working to get them taken care of the best that I can from here.

I was really glad to do what I could to get the Fort Wayne portion of our lives wrapped up.  I am ready to stop living with one foot here and one foot there.  I am looking forward to just having France to worry about in the future!

The Cliffs of Ugly Truth

Have you ever found yourself in the situation of having an idea of the truth, but trying to not have it confirmed.  You desperately don’t want to have it confirmed because you know that the truth will cause irreparable damage?  No?  I am very jealous, you are indeed a lucky person!

Sadly, I have been there.  I tried as hard as I could to avoid that hunches that I thought might be true.  Then, the truth became unavoidable.  I had no choice but to see it, in writing.

It drove me straight to The Cliffs of Ugly Truth.  I did not pass go or collect $200 either.  It was a jolt that left me emotional, unhappy and crying.  There was lots and lots of crying.  It is never easy to have to face something, even if you did suspect it.  Once you have the truth in black and white, well it if you continue to deny it, you are doing yourself a terrible disservice.  In my case, it just makes me a fool.

Depression

Depression is not a very fun or pretty subject.

A few years ago I found myself in that state of mind and it was horrible.  It is also hard to understand.  So, this post is a total rip off.  Please follow this very good link and read about depression.

While my journey was not quite the same, it was close enough that I wanted to share... and yes, I did do counseling but no I did not consider ending my life.  But I did have the crying jag, you’ll understand when you read it.  Give it a try and if you know someone who might benefit from this post, please send them the link!

http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/depression-part-two.html

Shepard’s Pie or Cottage Pie

I have the exciting opportunity to be in a cookbook!  Along with the opportunity to submit a recipe, my picture and blog is also going to be put into the book!  I have to admit that I am very excited!

After emailing back and forth we settled on talking about the difference between Shepard’s Pie and Cottage Pie.

So, you have to be wondering what is the difference?

In America, you mostly eat Cottage Pie.  Cottage pie is made with mince (they say mince instead of ground in the UK) beef.  Shepard’s Pie is made with mince lamb.  I actually do a combination of the two and because I have a large family I doubled the recipe.  Here is my recipe:

1 lb of minced beef
1 lb of minced lamb
1 large onion chopped (or 2 small)
12 oz of mushrooms diced
4 tbsp of flour
2 bay leaves
2 cups of stock (I do both of lamb stock)
6 Tbsp of ketchup or tomato paste
6-8 potatoes, peeled
2-3 carrots chopped
salt and pepper
butter
milk
cheddar cheese (optional)

Chop the mushrooms, onions, and carrots.  Brown the lamb in a pan with the bay leaf, onions, mushrooms, and carrots.  Drain off some of the fat if you like, I do.  Add the flour and cook for at least a minute.  Blend in the stock and ketchup.  Cook stirring until thickened.

Meanwhile cook the potatoes in boiling water until tender.  Drain and mash with butter and milk until smooth.

Spoon the meat mixture in a oven ready dish discarding the bay leaf.  Add some salt and pepper for seasoning.  Cover with the mashed potatoes and sprinkle with cheese if desired.  Bake at 350F for 15-20 minutes, it will be bubbly.  Serve hot with a salad or green vegetable!

This recipe is easy to split in half.  If you choose to do that route, just use 8oz of mushrooms.

Driver’s License

Well, the count down is on.  Our time in the UK is growing shorter by the day.  The list is ever growing of things to see and things that we have to get done.

For Super Handome and I we desperately need to get our driver’s licenses.  Sounds a bit mad, right?  I wish.  In the UK, they will only trade licenses with a few countries.  So, we knew that we needed to get our licenses.  France will take some of the licenses from the US, but only select states.

Arkansas, South Carolina, Colorade, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia.

Sadly, Super Handsome and I do not hold a license in any of those states.  It is indeed a sad, sad day for the drivers in the Beary household.   Our options are to get our UK license and then trade it for a French license, which is preferable (and cheaper) then getting the French license and having to have an interpreter.  So, well do the easier version and take care of while we are here.

One of my American friends just went through the process herself and she passed both the theory test and the driving test!  Yay!!!! for my friend!  I was really relieved to hear of her success.  There are practice tests that are available to take online.  I went and tried one out without studying and while I did not pass, you have to achieve 43 out of 50, I was not too far off as I scored a 39.  I am confident that with a little studying, success will be mine as well.

I am off to schedule my theory test!  I have to pass it first before I can take the driving version.  Wish me luck!  I’ll let you know when I pass!

Here are some of the things I see when I drive...

Zebra stripes

I’m glad it is not a rude notice!

Wanderings of My Mind....

I have been dealing with a few things lately, really struggling.  So, here are some of the wanderings of my mind...

 Excerpts of Mr. Writer by Sterophonics

"Mr. Writer"

You line them up
Look at your shoes
You hang names on your wall
Then you shoot them all

You fly around in planes
That bring you down
To meet me who loves you, like
Me crashing to the ground

Are you so lonely?
Don't even know me
But you'd like to stone me

Mr Writer, why don't you tell it like it is?
Why don't you tell it like it really is?
Before you go on home

You've just enough, in my own view
Education to perform
I'd like to shoot you all
And then you go home
With you on your own
What do you really know?

Mr Writer, why don't you tell it like it is?
Why don't you tell it like it really is?
Before you go on home

And then you go home
With you on your own
What do you even know?

Family quarrels are bitter things. They don't go by any rules. They're not like aches or wounds; they're more like splits in the skin that won't heal because there's not enough material.
Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald 

I will rise.

Paying the Costs....

When we were in France, I got a message from one of my friends who is a meteorologist in Chicago.  There was a very strong storm headed toward Fort Wayne and he wanted to make sure that I was aware.  It was really touching that he was thoughtful enough to send me the message.  I quickly explained to him about the last 18 months.  Then I sat and kind of watched Facebook.

Unfortunately, a few of my friends got water in their basements.  It left me a little worried.  As it turns out, I had good cause to be.  When we arrived back at our home in England I was greeted with messages from my mother informing me of our <not so> fabulous luck!  Super Handsome almost sent me home.  I was assured by my parentals that they had it all under control.

More rain came and things did not get better.  As our luck runs, I found out Monday while Super Handsome was in France.  So, I started making phone calls to the US when business opened.  I arranged for a company to meet my father at the house to assess the situation.  It was immediately referred to a contractor as the damage was more extensive then my parents had realized.  It not only involved the carpet, but now the walls.

We were warned that if the water was found to be surface water, insurance would not cover the damage.  So, I completely fretted (and by fretted I mean freaked out, expecting the worst!) while I waited for the contractor to meet with dad the following day.  They met and it was determined that the damage was not caused by surface water.  The sump pump, which had pumped faithfully through all the episodes held up like a champ!  There was just too much water for it to handle.  So, the good news is that the basement did not leak AND the insurance will cover the damage.

So, the company is doing the drying out process in my basement and I have been waiting for the insurance people to contact me regarding the claim.

Expecting the worst and then hearing what I did, has been a strange relief.  I honestly expected to have to foot the bill for all of this ourselves. So, it was more then a pleasant surprise to know that I am *only* going to be responsible for my deductible.  I feel crazy saying that I am grateful to only have to pay a fraction of what the repair costs are going to be.

Frustration!

I am really tired of the curve balls that life seems determined to throw me.  They are not just time consuming, they also tend to be just plain costly.  Let’s face it, the last few months have not been easy or cheap.

I dutifully picked up and recovered from all that has happened and continued along with life.  Let’s face it there is a lot to look forward too!  Things seemed to be going rather smoothly, when life just threw me another curve ball.  This one is not a pretty one either.  It certainly could be worse and it could be better.

St George’s Day

 April 23 is celebrated as  St. George’s Day in England.  In observation, many places are flying the white flags with this red cross on it, the flag of England.

My favorite radio station did a list of 102 great things that are English.  Which after reading the history about St. George, kind of made me laugh. St. George was Greek and one of the most prominent/important patron military saints.

St. George is the patron saint of England.  His cross forms the national flag of the United Kingdom.  Traces of the cult of Saint George in England pre-date the Norman Conquest in the 11th century. Edward VIII declared him the patron saint of England and protector of the royal family in the 14th century.

Saint George is best known in legend for slaying a dragon.  The legend says that a dragon guarded the water source of the people.  Sacrifices were made to the dragon so that the people could continue to get the water.  The people tried to sacrifice sheep, but if not sheep were found then a maiden was chosen.  The maiden that was chosen in the myth was the daughter of the ruler.  Saint George showed up and saved the proverbial day.  The dragon is said to represent the Roman empire and the water was Christianity.  These tales were brought back by the English Crusaders.

Who Saint George actually was is up for debate.  It has been postulated that it is George of Cappadocia, who was a bishop.  It is also thought that he could be a man that was born to a Greek noble family in Lydda, Palestine.  His parents died when he was a teen and he went into the military like his father.

Saint George is widely accepted though Christianity and is also well known to Muslims.  His history can be found though out the Middle East from Egypt to Asia Minor.  The myths and legends have become some what of a composite of characters with elements from the Biblical Quranic and folklore sources an at times being partially identified with Al-Khidr.  St. George has patronages in 19 different countries.

St George was venerated as a martyr and was made a saint in 494 by Pope Gelasius I.  There is a chapel in Bala Jaita, the Christian quarter of Jerusalem that is visited by Christians and Muslims alike.

Interesting Sites in Paris--Mostly in Pictures

The best of America drifts to Paris. The American in Paris is the best American. It is more fun for an intelligent person to live in an intelligent country. France has the only two things toward which we drift as we grow older – intelligence and good manners. -F. Scott Fitzgerald

I am lucky enough to be one of those Americans.... le sigh!

As you know this trip was not about sightseeing, but more to spend some time getting to know this city that we are going to living in or outside of soon.  I have to admit that I have a terrific love.hate relationship with Paris.  I absolutely love the city, don’t get me wrong.  I just hate entering the shops because I know absolutely zero French (slightly more then zero, but honestly not much)  In desperation I often lapse into Spanish and instantly get scolded by my sons.

We stayed in the 4th Arrondissement on this trip.  We were close to the Republique Metro Station.  Since we did very little sightseeing, we choose instead to soak up some of the city.  Here is some of the things that we saw...

 Right outside out flat was the Canal Saint-Martin.  The picture above is a boat going through the lock system.  Interesting fact, the canal goes underground for a period and it started above ground right in front of our flat.

 We found this absolutely wonderful Boulangerie/Pattissier on the way to the metro station.  They are an "artisan boulanger" which means everything is made from scratch on the premises, no frozen dough here.  Often places will have things delivered from a central location. Note to self, look for the "artisan boulanger" sign when choosing a Pattissier!  We stopped by every morning.  It was absolutely gorgeous!  The kids would order a fondant au chocolat and I would get a pain au raisin.  We also managed to get dessert one night as well.  Chocolate Eclairs, a pistachio macaroon, a cookie and a pistachio brest. It was so good that Liam said he was going to miss it when we left Paris.  I miss it, too!

Good-bye Favorite Pattissier, Aux Peches Normands!  The Bearys will miss you, we hope to visit you again soon or find one just as good in our own neighborhood!  If not, we know how to find you!

 This is the statue near the metro station.  It in the square of the Place de la Republique.  The beautiful building that you see behind it is part of the Crown Plaza Hotel.

 We thought these doors looked a lot like the Tardis!  Dr Who fans will know what I am talking about.  If you have not watched it, let me recommend you to start. We love it!

 I now know where to go to get my hair done when I want to bring back my 80’s style!!!!

 When I first saw this tiger, it was a quick glance and I panicked a bit because I thought it was real.  I stepped back for a closer look and snapped this photo.

 The green truck?  On the side walk is a guy cleaning spraying the walk with water.  Probably trying to clean up all the dog poo all over the ground.  In case you have not heard the horrible rumor, Paris sidewalks are full of dog poo.  We did spend time dodging piles.

 You can play table tennis at the local parks!  This park is actually over the Saint-Martin canal.

 An example of a new building next to an old one.  For the record, I prefer the older looking buildings.

 Paris is filled with Urban Art.  I am afraid that it is going to be an obsession of mine.  Be prepared for lots of pictures in the future.

On Saturday, we spent some time in a little park called Square Du Temple.  While we were there a Mercedes with darkened windows round the corner and laid on the horn.  I noticed photographers standing outside waiting as well, it turned out to be a bride and groom!

I will leave you with this photo... no real explanation needed... Awesomeness, just awesomeness.


A walk about Paris will provide lessons in history, beauty, and in the point of Life. -Thomas Jefferson