The start...

The place we stayed in for our HHT was averagely priced and a typical Parisian apartment. Old, small and creaky but with a charm that grows on you.  The old wood floors were so squeeky we were tippy toeing around for the first couple days! Especially because our hours were still opposite.  We were amazed there was a full size fridge and a bathtub.  There was a showerhead but no curtain or hook to hold it..this is commonplace here from what I've been told.  The toilet was in a tiny room of its own but had no sink lol.  There were alot of French novels and the owner was kind to leave us some wine and metro maps.  In the petite living/dining room there was a very interesting sculpture of a large heron like white bird.  Upon observing it we concluded it was made out of hair painted white.  Maybe from the drains lmao. hhmm I wonder what my dna will be sculpted into?

The apartment was conveniently located close to the metro station just outside of the peripherique of the 17th arrondissement in an area called Neuilly sur Seine.  A lovely area with many apartment buildings and of course a large fountain in the roundabout on the main strip.  Standing at the fountain looking outside of Paris you are looking at le grande arch in la defense, looking towards Paris you are looking at the Arch de Triomphe! Absolutely gorgeous and we were right in the middle although both are a bit of a stroll away.

Jet lagged, tired and very excited all in one we began our search for a flat.  We knew it was going to be difficult but had no idea it was going to be as challenging as it was. We had a large list of agencies and locations to enquire about.

HHT..travel

So we found out the very end of May that we would be posted to Paris.  Lots to do in a very short period of time.  Especially sell our house!  Can you say..STRESSSS

I'm not gonna sugar coat it... it has been an administrative nightmare for just a year posting! Doctor letters/school letters/passports/VISAs (more on that later) and a tonne of military papers..I was also very worried about my workplace and them finding another clerk as I didn't want to leave them in a jam with all the red tape hiring process of the Public Service.

A few weeks after our posting message came out we booked our House Hunting Trip (HHT) 9-17 June. We knew it was going to be a quick whirlwind trip as it normally takes a day to get there and a day to return.  Most good rental properties in Paris also booked at least 6 months in advance!

We were booked with Lufthansa airlines and had a 6 hour delay in Vancouver...great start!  As it turned out.. someone had died on the airplane that was to pick us up!  What a horrifying thought.

The steward/esses were all friendly and the food was actually decent... as well as the free booze!  The plane however was an older aircraft with very small seating and lucky me gets to sit between Seb and a big guy who clearly had no respect for women!  As I was walking down the aisle to find our seats I was hoping it wasn't the row with the guy picking and flicking his boogers..just my luck! When I went to sit in my seat he had put his headphones blanket and pillow on my chair? I picked them up to hand them to him and he just ignored me? ohh well up into the overhead luggage they went except i left his headphones out that fell on the floor..he promptly picked them up and shoved them into my front folder? I tried to be polite and make small talk.. no use.. It was a long 10 hours from Vancouver to Frankfurt especially with his legs and arms..crossing the line! he even kicked me a few times when my legs were firmly planted securing my tiny leg space..sheesh..ohh how I wanted to pop something in his mouth while he was sleeping facing me with it gaping open! 

Anyone who knows me knows... I am not a good flyer!  Especially with take offs, landings and any kind of turbulance!  On one previous flight I even grabbed the lap of an unknown man sitting next to me... what I grabbed I'm not sure but he was awfully friendly afterwards!  Thank god I didn't react like that on this flight!  Each bump or rumble I know I sound/act like a fool as I always get the looks or people laugh at me. I'm usually red faced, squeezing the seat arms wimpering and panting like a fool.. someone even said it sounded like a big "O"! lol far from it although it is quite the adrenalin rush.

Frankfurt airport is huge! Even though Lufthansa had rebooked our connecting flight and we ran to the next terminal we still just missed our connector since we had to clear thru customs and the lineups were sooo long! So another few hours lounging in the airport... I didn't mind much though as I could browse around and at least say..I've been to Germany..and the german folks were very nice and had wicked accents.. you can also drink beer/wine in the airport!  I was surprised to see they had glass smoking huts inside and bicycles for indoor terminal transportation.  Lufthansa even gave us a decent credit to purchase dinner at any of the restaurants.  I was hesitant as I know that airports are one of the germiest places...but we got a bite and a few drinks and relaxed. 

 the smoking room

this pic is for my friend Heather .. I thought this was chocolate milk and took a big swig...it was Chocolate Buttermilk!

The flight from Frankfurt to Paris was very nice!  You can see alot of the surroundings before you disappear up into the billowy clouds. It was only just over 2hrs and we were landing again.  I was surprised to see how flat Germany and France looked and how much countryside was outside of the main metropolises.  Beautiful! 

 Germany

 Germany

 Germany

 France

 France

We landed and if anyone has ever been to the Charles de Gaulle airport they will know what I mean... it's a hamster village! (in some terminals)  Clear covered walkways run this way and that...how bizarre! but little did I know.. that was just the beginning of the odd french ways!

Scrambling to find our luggage we contemplated.. taxi or train.  We were pretty exhausted so opted for a taxi. The driving chaos begins! Holy frackin crazy ass drivers!  I didn't know you could drive like a demo driver on a public road!  There are lane lines but heck no one uses them..and the scooters/motorcycles ride down the middle and weave where ever there is a space to sneak in! My god! we totally weren't bringing our vehicles!

It was a pretty long ride to our rental appartment.  Apartments are much better and less expensive to rent if you are planning a few days stay in Paris.  Luckily we found one over the internet and booked.  It was in an old building(of course) and much, much smaller than it looked online. (marketing photographers use wide angle lenses to make places look bigger)  A friendly artsy type lady met us and handed over the keys ...exhausted we crashed we knew the hunt was gonna be on in the morning!
...tbc

Intro

For those who don't know us..here's a little intro:

Who we are?
I am a 37 yr old mother from BC with 2 beautiful daughters.  They are ages 20 and 12.  The 20 year old is still in Victoria BC (crazy girl) and the 12 year old is in Paris with us.  My husband and I have been together off and on for 16 years.  We recently got married 29th Feb 2012. (actually decided on Mon and was married in a romantic ceremony on Wed - with thanks to some amazing people!)  I work for the Public Service of Canada but am taking a year off for self discovery and to learn French! My husband is a LCdr Navy combat systems engineer and is currently at Staff College.  We have 2 dogs, a black cocker spaniel and a shitwowow..haha (shih tzu/chihuahua).

Where we live? Where we came from?
We currently are on a military posting to Paris, France.  We live in the 16th arrondissement in the Porte St. Cloud area.  It is close to the peripherique of Paris.  We live in a "townhouse" like villa from the 1830's.

We previously came from Victoria, BC Canada.  I am originally a BC girl and my husband is originally from Quebec (francophone).

This move is a big change for us! I have never been to Wbefore and he has only been on work TD trips in Europe but never France.

What the heck are we doing here?
As previously mentioned.. we are here on a Canadian Military Posting.  Hubby is going to staff college at L'Ecole de Guerre, taking mandatory courses to progress to the next rank.  We were given the choice of ..Toronto, Shrivenham England or Paris.  It was a toss between England and here...so Paris won! 
Since, I am on a leave of absence from work and my children are getting older and not needing me as much I will be on a bit of a self discovery journey and learning French.  I was a teen mom and always very involved with my childrens activities that I find I am at a place where I'm not sure what I even like or am interested in - or..maybe its an early midlife crisis?!
My younger daughter will be attending an english private school which will be a whole new world with new challenges.  Moving from elementary school to a school with grade 7-13 ..and Uniforms!
and well the dogs... are gonna learn to be french poochies and how to plop on the sidewalks like a real Parisian pup!

Wow!

So here we are ...Posted to Paris!  I actually didn't think it would happen but it did!

I am writing this blog to express my thoughts and share the journey.. should you wish to come along.  I have appreciated other writers visions and creativity and now I have the time to share some of my own.

I will be posting pictures and candidly write of our adventures and discoveries. 

Hope you enjoy our authentic wanderings :)

xoxo love and peace to all!