Anne-Cecile and I begin a two week visit to see her family and friends in and around the Paris area. We have learned to plan early. Anne-Cecile begins a year-long chaplaincy internship at a Hospice center in Tacoma, Washington this September. So we decided that the trip to France had to happen sooner rather than later.
May 16th arrived sooner than we thought and we were on our way to SeaTac International Airport in Seattle for the beginning of our trip. This is the first time we didn't fly on Air France directly from Seattle. The flight was operated and we traveled on a Delta airplane. NOT the most comfortable ride I have ever had on an airplane! We were packed-in too close for comfort, and that is not an exaggeration. But we're here, arriving almost 10 hours later at Charles De Gaulle International Airport in Paris. Anne-Cecile's father, Denis Baer, was outside baggage claim to claim us and the reunion began.
Since Denis and his partner, Muriel, were hosting her sister from southern France when we arrived, we stayed with Anne-Cecile's brother, Frederic, and his family the first day/night. After a wonderfully French lunch with the whole family, Frederic, his wife Virginia, niece, Julie and her boyfriend Quinton, nephew's Martin and Ugo, these eyes had been open far past their bedtime so to "nap" we went for a few hours.
The thinking on international travel is that in order to acclaimate to the time difference (+9 hours difference) you should only "nap" during your first day and then sleep when your hosts are sleeping. You may wake up earlier than everyone else, I was up at 5:30 am wide awake, but begin the acclaimation process. I may need that "nap" again this afternoon. Will keep you posted.
Frederic owns and operates his own computer software business from a small cottage next to their home in Aisniere, a suburb in the northwestern part of Paris where they have raised their family. He enabled our laptop to hook-up to their WiFi hotspot and here we are. We actually brought our laptop in order to download pictures from our cameras to the laptop but its also nice to use our own laptop to check emails, Facebook, etc. The AOL software connection works just fine as if I were in Puyallup.
This afternoon Denis will pick us up and we will relocate to his home for the duration of our stay. Denis and Muriel live in Igny which is a town south of Paris about 20 miles. What is striking about coming into Paris from there is the view of the city including the Eiffel Tower each time. I never get tired of that! Traffic can be a challenge however.
Denis' home is in a development built by a Canadian construction company while they were in France working on a long-term project so the homes are definitely North American in size and plan. They have two vehicles so graciously allow us use of one while we are here.
So today is acclaimation day - no plans but moving out to Igny.
As I sit here typing, the window in front of the desk looks out over the very busy, both pedestrian and traffic, Rue du Menil. The community is a mix of ethnicities including Muslim, African and French. Their clothing sometimes identifies their enthnicity but not always.
A French cultural magazine is on the television describing the latest French cultural events of the day. Sometimes the story is from England so I can understand without reading subtitles. Decided that learning to be conversant in the French language is no longer an option, it must happen sooner rather than later. I have been married to Anne-Cecile for almost eleven years. Rosetta Stone - you and I are going to become good friends this year!
Au revoir pour le moment
