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Published: August 31st 2009
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Versailles
We waited in line for at least a half hour before we realized we could buy entry tickets at a nearby restaurant for a little extra! As I listen to the wind blowing through the trees and the pigeons cooing just outside our living room window, I still can't believe that we live in the very center of Paris! Over a week in our new home and we are settling in just fine! We are in the very famous and historical district of "The Marais" which is full of history and charm. The Bastille is directly East of us. Right now, discovering every nook and cranny seems impossible, but I am sure with time and some money, we will make our way around this enchanting neighborhood. When I start thinking about the fact that this is only one of twenty neighborhoods to be discovered, I become overwhelmed. Emmanuel and I wanted to simplify our lives and I can say that Yes, we have! The notion of just stepping out to mail a letter, buy some bread, see a movie, have a coffee or eat in some charming restaurant has become reality. The kids, instead of waking up at 6 am will now roll out of bed around 7:30 in order to walk all of ten minutes through the Place des Vosges to their school! No car, no
parking, just our legs and public transport!! I can already feel the leg muscles tightening and will have to be on the look out for very comfortable but of course stylish shoes! Just yesterday, Emmanuel and Yohan decided to see a PSG (Paris Saint Germaine) soccer game while Tatiana and I opted for Pompidou where we visited elles@pompidou, an expo celebrating contemporary women artists of the 20th century to now.
Some achievements this week include moving our 9 suitcases to our apartment from my in-laws. We were lucky enough to have our friend Valerie help us with her car, this made the whole process go very smoothly! We actually have so much storage in this apartment that we were able to store away all the bags but two! We have also managed to put together two Ikea type desks, not an easy task, and stocked our kitchen with all the necessities for cooking. Of course there is never everything that you need in one place which requires you to go to all the quaint boutiques, darn! We found an excellent market with produce and prices that can't be beat. So loaded down after our first visit, we invested in
a rolling shopping bag on our way home. We set up our bank account, and even got cable TV so that Yohan and Emmanuel can watch soccer to their hearts content! We tried to set up our cell phones but without a checking account with our current address, we were unable to start anything. We are patiently waiting for our checkbook to arrive...
Speaking of soccer, Yohan is all signed up for soccer with a team called "The little Angels"!!! Sounds ferocious doesn't it?? He will practice on Tuesdays after school for 2 and a half hours. The field is in the 15th arrondissement and is positioned directly under the Eiffel Tower, at least it looks like it's under the Tower. There is an apartment building between the two, looks like the tower is sprouting out of the Tower itself! The coach seems Zen and to Yohan's relief, he said he does not tolerate rough play and swearing, two things Yohan was concerned about. Now we just have to see what the other team's philosophies are!! He will start up next Saturday. We are still looking for activities for Tatiana but gymnastics or tennis look likely. I found a
yoga studio yesterday on the Isle Saint Louis. The setting is magical and located in yet another historical building in a back courtyard. I tried it out and am very happy with it. Doesn't come close to MJ in Seattle but it will do!
Next week the kids start school on Wednesday and I will join Emmanuel in working at least part-time. We were able to visit Yohan's side of the school. We got a glimpse of Tatiana's classroom but no real visit. We were told that she was a big girl and would discover everything the first day of school. I'm sure we will have a lot to tell you about next week.
I kept this blog during our trip around the world and am just picking up where we left off. This is a way to keep a diary of everything that we live this next year and share all the new discoveries in our lives. I will try to get out and take some pictures of the neighborhood and quaint places that surround us. Who knows, it could be useful to you next time you visit Paris.
We hope you are all well and
hope that you too will keep in touch with us even though we are far away! Below is a message from Yohan. The kids will add their thoughts and experiences periodically as well.
After the text you will find even more photos of our apartment and the kid's school. I think there are two pages so if you want to see all the pictures you need to go to page 2.
Here's to another school year!
Thinking of you,
Cori and familhy
Bonjour,
Just getting used to the routine after this great summer it is hard to come back to the reality. Gosh that summer vacation was a blast, I saw my whole family that I haven't seen in a year we went in the pool, we ate ice cream, Slept in late... But now we are trying to make our lives complete with all our needs. we have been busy buying all kinds of stuff so that our house could be habitable and not a caveman's cave. Well anyways our apartment is way smaller than in Seattle but it is suitable for all the four of us.
The daily routine is wake
up eat think about what we are going to do during the day, then we catch a bus, take a metro or walk to who knows what we are going to discover. then come home exhausted. And that is the same thing every day. I got used to it but it was hard the first few days. We saw so many things. We saw Versailles, the cemetery where Jim Morrison was buried, we went to tons of shop, we went to the Eiffel tower, we went to my soccer soccer club, we walked for no good reason which was kind of annoying, We rode our bikes all over Paris, We went to Versailles and rode bikes all over Versailles...
Will write more soon. I miss you.. Yohan
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pasky
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vive la rentree
7h30 et je suis deja seule, prete a m'attaquer a une tonne de repassage....et aux mails qui disparaissent. j'avais deja fait un message dans le blog.....mais cela n'a pas du marcher. J'espere avoir un peu plus de succes avec celui la. tout ca pour vous souhaiter a tous une bonne rentree, on attend les commentaires de Yohan et Tatiana sur le sujet ecole. L'appart a vraiment l'air super cooooool, petits veinards et en plus vous n'avez plus a vous lever tous les matins a 5h !!!!! bisous a vous tous, ca fait du bien de pouvoir s'evader sur le blog, avec un peu moins d'exotisme que la derniere fois certe, mais toujours avec autant de plaisir. kisssssssssssssss again pasky and co