We Arrived!

Arrived Thursday morning in Paris before the sunrise. Our taxi driver met us outside of baggage claim holding a sign with our name on it. He did not speak English, but we made do. He looked perplexed (as were we) when he saw all our luggage and the space it was going to go in to. But between George (who is an excellent luggage packer of cars) and the driver, it all fit without anything hanging out the windows or doors.

We listened to French radio on the way. Michael Jackson's "Thriller"(along with a Vincent Price double at the end) and the Animals "House of the Rising Sun" just don't sound the same in French. But we had some Beatles in English and "Me and Mrs Jones" which the driver was singing along to, but only the "Mrs. Jones" chorus. Do you think he knew what that song was about?

Along the way we saw many farmed fields, small villages, and high speed passenger trains whizzing by at extremely high speeds. We rode through the Champagne region, but we did not see any vineyards, but I'm sure they are there. It is very picturesque.

Downtown Vittel

Our first bottle of Bordeaux

Cutting bread using something similar to a paper cutter in the restaurant last night,

We are in Vittel staying at the Hotel Providence until our temporary furnished apartment is ready-on Sunday. It will truly be better moving out of a suitcase. Soon we will look for a permanent home, but for now the apartment will be fine.

It was difficult sleeping last night due to the time change, we shouldn't have taken that nap yesterday afternoon, but it felt oh so good. It looks like today(Friday) is going to be sunny, yesterday raining and cold. I will be able to get better pictures today. Au revoir!

Goodbye USA

Well, it's been a long time coming, but we are almost there. Today we leave the USA out of Newark, NJ. Wishing you all a happy& healthy 2012. Will repost when our feet are on the ground.

Leaving OHIO

Our last night in a US hotel. Our extended stay hotel keeps getting smaller. There are paths around 6 large suitcases, 2 ski bags, 2 ski boot bags, 3 boxes of food, 1 box of liquor (we've been working on that one :p), a fair amount of Christmas presents, 3 boxes of odds and ends, a backpack, and 2 computer bags. We are leaving Ohio in the morning heading for PA to spend the holidays with family and friends.
Some things I will miss in OH -- Our friends, Blossom Music, biking and hiking in the Cuyahoga National Park, Lifestyles fitness center, Lake Erie, Emerald Necklace, Cleveland Indians, listening to 91.3 in the car, and fabulous restaurants.

Moving Day is Here

The movers are coming today. Our house looks like a train wreck, but an organized train wreck, at least most of it. Dividing things up that go by air, sea, and storage is challenging to say the least. Along with that, we cannot take any liquids or things that melt. I just hope that everything gets to its proper destination. I think it's going to be a long day. There is still lots to do before the movers get here, I don't think George and I will get to it all. I hope the movers are patient. But we keep telling ourselves it will all be worth it. We are almost there.

Culture Classes

Whew! We just finished two days of culture classes. I thought two days was going to be a little excessive, boy was I wrong. We could have been there for several more days learning about the French culture. During the session we Skyped a cultural representative in Paris, who talked about everyday life in France and conducting business as well. It's all about relationship building. While I believe that George will have no problem building relationships at work, the French conduct business activities much different that what we Americans are accustom to. It will be an adjustment just like everything else that is ahead of us. Patience is our friend.

Learning the Language

Our language classes have started. A tutor comes to our home once or twice a week. Right now we're learning greetings, numbers, family members, and next is food. That's good because as far as I know, the French like to eat horse and while I am an adventurous eater, horse to me is a pet, not something you think of eating. Our tutor is patient, George is learning fast, me, I'm a little slower at understanding it. I guess everyone learns differently. We are almost at the point where we can start to have small, short conversations.

Moving Company Here

Yesterday a representative from the moving company was here. For 3 hours we went over everything we own, trying to determine what will go into storage here in Cleveland. What will arrive in 2-3 weeks by air. What will go into a cargo container that will travel by sea and arrive in 6-7 weeks. Has anyone heard in the news about a cargo ship that lost its cargo at sea. Ugh, I hope ours makes it.

Bon Voyage

Our bon voyage party was a blast. Between getting tats, lemon drops, target shooting, Willy Jeep riding, great food and friendships, we couldn’t have ask for more fun. It was a great, great weekend and lots of memories. We will miss you all come January. But then again, we will only be just across the pond!