Sunday Funday! Mark had joined the social media site, Meetup, to see if there were any groups in Paris where we could meet nice people and do cool stuff. One of the most promising was the Paris Dog Walking Meetup.
Meeting at the Café in Vincennes
After contacting the Event Host to ask if we could join them, despite the fact that our dog was back in the States, we were encouraged to come. They meet every Sunday at the Bois de Vincennes (the woods on the Eastern edge of Paris), and all responsible dog owners are welcome.
We had such fun meeting dogs and owners – French and Expats alike. It was great to have some exercise in the green, shady woods, watch the dogs play in the stream, and chat with people who all enjoy travel, love their dogs, and were glad to have us along. I even got to practice my French!
Trying to escape unseasonably hot weather in Paris (99 degrees!), we took a day-trip on a high-speed TGV train to the Northern coastal city of Dunkerque, France (AKA Dunkirk). Dutch for “Church in the Dunes,” Dunkerque is only about 6 miles from the Belgian border on the English Channel, in the French region Nord-Pas-de-Calais. Originating as a fishing village in the 10th Century, it has a rich history. Over the centuries, the area has been disputed by France, Spain, United Netherlands, and England.
A map of Dunkerque, France and the English Channel
We did a lot of walking today (23,000 steps before we got back on the train!), including the historic Old Town part of Dunkerque. The TI (Tourist Information) is located inside the Belfry. After getting a free map of the town, we took the elevator up to the 5th floor where the bells and carillon are located, and then up a VERY steep spiral stairway to the roof. I told Mark this may be my last tower – we have climbed narrow stairs and ladders in towers and church domes in Belgium, Italy, and France, and they just creep me out. I admit to being a little claustrophobic – the view is nice, but I’m not sure it’s worth it. Here is a video of the bells ringing in the the Saint-Eloi Belfry, a historic monument and a UNESCO World Heritage site, built during the 15th century.
Mark and I in the Belfry Tower in Dunkerque, a World Heritage SiteChurch of Saint-Elio in Dunkerque, France, as seen from the Belfry Tower
Another highlight was a lunch of Moules Frites (Mussels and Fries) at, Édito, a restaurant on the water, near the Old Town. Moules Frites is one of the most popular dishes in France, and comes in many preparations, from a white wine broth to creamy and even curried.
Moules-Frites!
Another location on Mark’s Magical History Tour, Dunkerque was the site of WWII’s Operation Dynamo. In May 1940, the British Expeditionary Force (aiding the French) was cut-off from the rest of the French army by the Germans. Winston Churchill ordered every sailing vessel (including civilian ships and boats) to sail across the English Channel and help evacuate the soldiers. 338,226 men (including 123,000 French soldiers) were evacuated using over 900 ships and boats. Churchill called Operation Dynamo “The miracle of Dunkirk,” because Hitler’s army could have decimated the allied troops who were surrounded and exposed on the long, flat beach. Although the operation was a success, Churchill reminded the nation: “…we must be very careful not to assign to this deliverance the attributes of a victory. Wars are not won by evacuations.”
Mark at the Dunkerque War MuseumAllies: It is far better to build bridges than walls.
What else can one do in Dunkerque, you ask? Well, there is one of the longest, widest stretches of white sand I’ve ever seen. We were here on a hot August weekend, when most of France is on vacation, and the shore was full of people of every shape, size and dress (or undress). Thousands of people (mostly French) and their families were enjoying the beach, including one older topless woman and another woman in a burkini. The shore is lined with a wide promenade for biking (even unicycling!), skating, walking and jogging. There are countless shops, restaurants and holiday hotels and apartments along the way. One of the highlights for us was watching a group of people who had joined the “Just Dance” instructors to learn a line-dance. I took this video – check-out the guy in the orange shorts, he’s really into it!
Before making our way back to the train station, we both were thinking of dessert. The place where we’d had lunch also served ice cream sundaes, and that was just the ticket! What better way to end a fun trip to the coast than with a treat?
Marché Bastille in the 11th Arrondissement, is one of the largest Parisian outdoor markets, located just down the street from Place de la Bastille’s landmark, Colonne de Juillet. It is held every Thursday (7am – 2:30pm) and Sunday (7am – 3:00pm). I think there are more vendors on Sunday than Thursday, but a wide variety of goods are on offer either day. There are stalls selling everything from household goods, leather goods, clothing and scarves to fresh fruits & vegetables, meat, cheese, breads and take-out food, such as crêpes, galettes, roasted chickens and paella. Hungry yet?
Those langoustines were huge!This is where the Marché Bastille is located, in central Paris.
Feast your eyes on the amazing fresh fruits and vegetables for sale.
I was on my own at the marché this morning, and since we’re currently in a hotel without a kitchen, I was there to browse more than to buy. I did get an amazing treat, though, and you’ll probably laugh when I tell you that it was a peach! Usually, back home, it is quite rare for me to find a truly delicious piece of fruit in the supermarket, and I don’t get to the farmer’s market in Santa Clarita often, so I can’t speak to the quality of the peaches you might find there. When I was here during the summer of ’14, I would often stop at the corner market (something like a 7-11 in the States), and buy a peach to take back to the apartment. Every peach I bought (in a corner market or at an outdoor marché) tasted like it had just been picked. Seriously – I never had a hard, flavorless peach in France. So, with the heat of the day kicking-in (we’re having a heatwave here, and the forecast was 99°), I took my peach back to the hotel, where I enjoyed every juicy bite!
“The richness I achieve comes from nature, the source of my inspiration.” ~ Claude Monet (1840-1926), founder of Impressionist painting
On our first Saturday in Paris, we visited Musée de l’Orangerie, where many of Monet’s works are displayed, including eight large panels of Nymphéas (Water Lilies). I have loved Monet’s art ever since I was introduced to it in high school, and it is always a thrill to be in the presence of his work. The Nymphéas in l’Orangerie are displayed in two large, oval rooms, which were designed to Monet’s specifications to have direct, diffused light. As the daylight changes in the rooms, the paint on the canvas shifts and different colors come alive.
Standing in front of one of Monet’s Nymphéas at Musée de l’Orangerie, Paris. 20 August 2016
Other fun stuff today: An amazing view of the city from the 6th floor rooftop deck of the department store, Printemps (which is free, easy, and AMAZING! And did I say FREE?!) Tip: It will look like you are entering a deli/cafeteria, but you don’t have to eat there — just go on through to the rooftop deck!
View from Printemps’ 6th Floor rooftop. 20 August 2016
While we were there, we had lunch at the Tea Room in Printemps, under the stained-glass cupola. The atmosphere is quite nice, the prices aren’t too high, and the food is quite good. On Saturday evening, we took a one-hour boat tour on the Seine, which goes through the heart of Paris. The Vedettes du Pont Neuf is located on/under the Pont Neuf (follow the sign to go down the stairs, where you can purchase a ticket, get a drink/snack, and board the boat. I’d recommend only going when the weather is nice enough to sit on the top of the boat, so you can get an unobstructed view. http://vedettesdupontneuf.com/cruises/
“I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers.”~Claude Monet
Monet’s garden and pond at Giverny
On Sunday, we took the train out of Paris for a day-trip to Monet’s home and gardens in Giverny, where he lived (1883 – 1926). http://giverny.org/gardens/fcm/visitgb.htm
If you love flowers, gardening, art, or any combination, this is the place to visit! The flowers were still at their peak, and we got lucky that the weather was overcast. In fact, while we had lunch on the terrace of a nearby hotel/restaurant, the rain started to come down, forcing us to take cover while it blew past. After our visit in Giverny, it was back on the train to finish our day in Rouen.
Over the centuries, Roman, Vikings, and English settled here, and Rouen has been the capital of the Normandy region of France since the 10th Century. 19 year-old Joan of Arc was tried as a heretic and burned at the stake here in 1431 (later to be “forgiven” and then canonized as a Catholic saint in 1920). The history of this city is so rich, and there is no way I can get it all in here (maybe you’re thankful for that mercy, but if you’re interested, look it up!).
The cathedral in Rouen was painted numerous times by Claude Monet to capture it in different light. When I was here with College of the Canyons in 2014, the front of the cathedral was under restoration, and behind scaffolding. Today, it is restored, as Monet would have seen it.
Rouen’s Gothic Notre-Dame Cathedral
Finally, for those of you who need a little “modern history,” let’s bring it up to WWII. During the second World War, the Palais de Justice was heavily damaged by our American B-17s, as we softened-up Nazi-occupied France for the D-Day invasion that would happen six weeks later (45% of the city was destroyed by bombing and fire during WWII). You can see the damage on the Palais still today.
Mark at Palais de Justice, Rouen. You can see the damage done during WWII.
It was a weekend with great weather, easy trains, and a lot of walking. I’ve tried my best to hit the highlights, and to get the history right. If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to leave a comment!
We are learning (as fast as we can) all of the rules and regulations pertaining to living and working in France. Having never done this before, we were counting on JPL to help us figure this stuff out. They have been very helpful, but while they have plenty of employees who travel for work, and many of those have had long-term assignments where they’ve lived in other states, living abroad is not common. The French Consulate required paperwork and appointments to process our long-term visa, and in June, the first available appointments were August 1 and 3. After the uncertainty of waiting, rescheduling our original flights, and waiting some more, the visas arrived just in time.
A little more bureaucracy – upon arrival in France, we have to send additional paperwork to the préfecture of the area in which we’ll live. They will schedule an appointment where we may or may not be subject to a medical exam and/or interview, in order to be granted a temporary residence card. Oh, and by the way, be sure to bring another copy of your birth certificate TRANSLATED INTO FRENCH. Okay, I could do this myself, but they weren’t clear: is this supposed to be something official, of just a DIY project? Or maybe it is the other form we’re supposed to bring (which asks questions about your parents, in French). I think I’ll bring the form and a DIY, and hope for the best. Also, the form needs to state your address in France, including proof of rental, a utility bill or landline in your name – and we will have none of that. Hmmmm. We are not going to be in Paris long enough for a real apartment rental, so we are planning on first staying in a hotel, and then once we choose the area we prefer, get one (or more) Air BnB places for the months we will be there. As two first-born, rule-followers, this is keeping us up at night. Well, it vexes us both, but Mark has no problem sleeping – that’s just me. Anyway, I know: First World Problems!
A co-worker of Mark’s, who has been back and forth (so not living there) to France, has assured Mark that we shouldn’t worry about any of this. “They want our money!” Here’s hoping he is right!!
(Disclaimer: I am new to blogging on WordPress, so please bear with me as I learn how to design and manage this blog!)
Exactly two months ago, a coworker asked Mark if he’d be interested in working in France for about a year. A quick phone call to me, and it took us about five minutes to decide that this was an opportunity we just couldn’t turn down.
That decision set a lot of gears into motion. In just eight weeks, we needed to get the house ready for our departure, make sure we understood the policies and benefits of JPL work and travel for both Mark and myself, secure appointments with the French consulate in L.A. (not easy, by the way) to obtain work/spouse Long Term Visas, get our medical, dental, and optometry check-ups, arrange for our sweet dog, Amy, to live with Mark’s parents, understand the best way to store our cars (which included a thorough cleaning and rearrangement of the garage (thanks to Molly for her help!), donate some big stuff that had been taking-up a lot of space, and sell Mark’s old convertible.
Oh, and in addition to that, Mark had two trips out to France for work, we attended a family wedding in Seattle, and took Sam on a graduation-celebration trip to our old stomping grounds of Austin, TX (where Mark went to grad school just after we were married).
AND WE GOT IT ALL DONE! WHEW!
We lucked-out and have a wonderful person who will house-sit. The kids are both set for the year, with Molly starting her 3rd year at Western and Sam working on three internships in Davis. And plans are in the works for both of them to visit us (probably during Molly’s Spring Break).
So, here we are headed to France for almost a year! Well, we are actually coming back home at the end of the month. For an Alaska cruise that we had booked months ago. I know, right?!
This August trip to France is kind of a scouting mission for me, while Mark will be working. The company Mark will be working with primarily, IPGP, is in a suburb just southeast of Paris. Our hotel reservations are right in the heart of Paris. The Hilton Opéra, where Mark has stayed on previous work trips, is close to the Métro and RER station, so it is an easy commute out of the city. We plan to stay there when we return in September as well, until we find an Air BnB apartment. We’re not sure if we want to rent a place right in Paris, or in Saint-Maur des Fosées.
Mark, Sam, and I at UT Austin, July 2016Leaving our Welsh Terrier, Amy, is the hardest thing to do.Our daughter, Molly, was on a Study Abroad program with Western Washington University this summer in Czech Republic, Austria, Slovakia and Slovenia. July 2016Sam, Mark, and I in Seattle for a family wedding. July 2016
