Down, But Not Out

It takes a lot to get rid of us, but the French government is doing its best.

Our "Carte de Sejour" were denied based on a technicality. So, we now have to go through the process of getting a new Visa (the first step of the process) from the Consulate in LA. While we thought this might be coming, it is still not good news.

We Have Our Holidays, Too!

We are normally in France in May. It's a great time of year to be in France except for all the holidays which seen to create a disruption every week of the month.

First there's the "vacances scolaires". Two weeks off for schools, associations, etc.during the last week in April extending into early May.

Then there's the "real" holidays. I count five. Last year, several fell on a Sunday. Unlike the US, where a Sunday holiday becomes either a Friday or Monday off, if the holiday falls on a Sunday in France there are no more days off. This is a little confusing and contradictory since if the holiday lands on a Thursday, many people take off Thursday through Sunday, maybe even starting the long weekend on Wednesday. This is called the "pont".

This year's May holidays are:

May 1 -- Ascencion and Labor Day
(so we've killed two birds with one stone)
May 8 -- WWII Victory Day
May 11 -- Pentecote
May 12 -- Whit Monday

Now to the US. When I was working for a large company, we only had six real holidays a year. New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving (two days) and Christmas. We also got two "personal" days that we could use for taking time off for ML King Day, President's Day or other religious holidays.

I count 12 standard holidays for France, although some are under scrutiny like "Easter Monday".

So, in the US, the second holiday of the year happens at the end of May. This year it's Monday, May 26. The long weekend (three days) is the traditional summer kick off weekend. Normally, in Manhattan Beach, the weather is cool and overcast. We call it "June Gloom" and it lasts until our next big holiday, the 4th of July.

We also have a non-holiday that is celebrated, at least in the Western US -- Cinco de Mayo. This holiday is more about eating and drinking, I have no idea what the significance of the day is. But, I've been getting sales flyers, seeing ads in the newspaper for Cinco de Mayo sales, party ideas, things to buy.

Cinco de Mayo is on a Monday this year, so I'm sure all the celebrating will be on the 3rd or 4th. But, who cares! We haven't had a holiday since January 1st.

The Carte de Sejour, Part II

It's never easy.

We have been waiting for the "final" answer from the Prefecture regarding our Carte de Sejour since March 5th. And, this whole project has been carried over from the Fall. We left France thinking that they'd send us their answer by mail.

Barbara, who watches our apartment while we're gone emailed us last week, saying that there have been a "flurry" of Avis de Lettre Recommande (french version of Certified Mail). She sent them to us so that we could figure out who wanted to send us something but wanted a signature.

From what we can figure out, two of these forms are from the Prefecture, meaning that this is the mail we've been waiting for concerning the "Carte". But, we need to sign before we can find out our fate.

A quick trip to the La Poste website clarified, however, it's not good news.

Evidently, what we should have done is called a "Procuration" and it involves leaving the name of the person who can sign for your items with the local post office. It must be done in person! We're still trying to figure this one out.

As an aside, the reason we don't get our mail re-directed from Paris is because La Poste is so disorganized. Twice, for two different trips, we went in, filled out forms (in person) to re-direct our mail and paid Euro 55. Not one piece of mail was forwarded each time, so we finally realized that they can't handle this. Both times they admitted their error and refunded the money!

Another "Lettre" seems to be from our Syndic. I wrote them a letter and included it with the Q2 check for our "homeowner's association dues" telling them to forward any critical mail to MB. They cashed the check so I know they got the letter. So, why they sent a "Lettre" to our Paris address vs. the requested MB address is another French mystery that will be solved at a later date.

So, we are stoically awaiting a second package sent by Barbara with more "Lettres". Evidently, many people want to get hold of us!

The next chapter of the "Carte" will surely follow after we get the mail sorted out.

Exchange Rate Woes

Is this another reason for Americans to stay home?

This week, the dollar hit an all-time low against the Euro, $1.60. This means that my coffee which is Euro 2.20 now costs me $3.52 and a baguette costs $1.36. We could starve this way.

Forget about home improvements, and new kitchen gadgets! Dinner in a simple restaurant can now cost $150! A movie (normally more expensive than in the US) is $32.

Pretty soon, we'll be turning out the lights from 10 PM to 7 AM.

Luckily there are free concerts all over Paris and many gardens to visit. Museums are free the first Sunday of the month and several museums (including two of my favorites, the Cluny and the Guimet) are free until summer.

Retour in September

Part of living in two places is adjusting to change. This is a good lesson for me and a difficult one to master.

Does attitude come before action or the reverse? I guess it depends on the situation.

Right now, we're in Manhattan Beach and will be here until September.

So for the next few months I will enjoy good weather, driving my cute blue car, speaking English (!), getting some Spring cleaning done, seeing family and friends.

And I will miss french conversation with my friends and the great people at WICE. My french language skills have already started to suffer (as if they weren't bad enough already).

I've substituted Target for Monoprix, chicken breasts for oiseaux sans tete, California red for Bordeaux, The Strand for the Luxembourg Gardens, Savior Faire for WICE.

I'm still counting the days until our retour.

The New Passports (not to be confused with the carte de sejour)

We still have not heard from the prefecture about our carte de sejour. It has been about 6, make that 7 weeks now (4/23).

In contrast, I mailed our passport applications to renew them about 10 days ago and today, new passports were in the mailbox. Quite a surprise!

Let's see how long it takes the french...

A Little Homesick

From the Pont des Arts

Living in two places, it is easy to get homesick for the "other" place. We left Paris prematurely so that Terry could have his knee surgery. We haven't missed Spring in Paris in many, many years. While Fall is my favorite time of year in Paris, the Spring has many things to recommend it. The trees become green again. The flowers all get the message at the same moment and start to bloom. And they "time" their blooms with the daffodils and narcissis flowering first followed by poppies, tulips and many others.

In the Luxembourg Gardens, it is obvious that the gardeners plan each bed with precision. The colors coordinate, the differing height of the plants adds interest, and when something dies, it is promptly removed and something else is put in it's place.

So, to get my Paris fix, I've read, re-read a couple of books about Paris. The first book I read is new to me, "A Paris Life" by G. Thomas Thornton. It is his account of life in Paris post WWII. There are many interesting stories, but the book lacks continuity, it could have used an editor. There are some ideas in the book that make it worth reading. And he wrote, "My exposure to the people, history, attitudes and social strata of Parisian life changed my outlook. I became liberal in my views, far beyond my years." I will have to remember this when someone in the US asks me, "what do you do THERE???"

But, the book that really made me homesick for Paris was "Paris to the Moon" by Adam Gopnik. I read this book when it was first published and enjoyed it, but in re-reading it, I found the language extraordinary, the scenes familiar. I especially like his descriptions of taking the bus. He writes, "The hardest thing to convey is how lovely it all is and how that loveliness seems all you need." He goes on to point out that this is transitory.

So, I will, for the moment, have to rely on my memory, the writings of others and my iPhoto collection.



This is where I buy my flowers



The small annoyances of Paris life...

A Hospital Room With A View

Only in Southern California!



Here is the view from Terry's hospital bed at Scripps Green Hospital in La Jolla. That's Torrey Pines Golf Course in front and the Pacific Ocean in the background.

The sunsets were incredible!

Unfortunately, the hospital didn't serve champagne to help us enjoy this sunset.

Terry's doing fine, the surgery was a success, we should be back in Paris soon.