Mauvaise nouvelle de nouveau

Jane's Dad died this past weekend after a long illness.   His suffering is over. It was hard but Jane was able to have some great talks with him in his last days.  Thank goodness that we live in an age where communication is so amazing.

Ralph was a role model for expatriates.  He was born and raised in England, brought his young family to Canada when he was a young engineer (Jane was 2), and then moved down to the states in the 80s.  He had jobs in Italy, Turkey and Chile as well.  Everywhere he went he had many, many friends.  We know we are making him proud these days.

A bientôt Ralph.  Tu nous manqueras.

La campagne française: si douce

The country side is very beautiful here.  There are alot of forests, hills, and mountains in the south of france.  Jane and I spent the weekend hiking and driving through the baby mountain passes (St. Victoire and the pass between Cassis and Le Ciotat).  The "woods" of france are SO different than Minnesota.  I remember a passage in Shogun where the author describes the countryside of Japan and how every inch of the terrain has been manicured by man.  I feel the same way about France...more wild perhaps but almost everything has been touched by man.

We were hiking through a beautiful forest yesterday on Sainte Victoire.  The trees were beautiful but on inspection it was obvious that nearly every one had been trimmed.  It wasn't a wild forest.  It was a garden forest.  Every forest I have been through in France is like this: beautiful but, effectively, man made.  Most forests in Minnesota are so wild that you can barely penetrate them.  One can easily sense the forest primieval in a spot like the boundary waters.  I think it must be hard to have that experience in France.

Likewise with insects.  Minnesota seems thick with an insect world but France seems to have somehow avoided our crawling friends.  How is this possible?  One of my favorite features of southern france is the shuttered windows.  Too hot at night?  Just open the window and let the world in.  No screens.  Just nature.  Where the heck are the critters?  Why aren't french households overriden by insects?

I appreciate the wild of Minnesota but frankly it is sure nice to have nature be so hospitable for awhile.

Le faux pas

It was a very unusual weekend for us. Celebrating an American holdiday in France was a little challenging. For us, Thanksgiving is all about family so being so far away was sort of hard. Alas, we had one evening that was really special with the local expat group. This group has really been a life-line for us. The group is filled with english speakers but it is also well-attended by many local french who enjoy improving their english. They are all very welcoming and we've already made some good friends.

We're very sensitive to any cultural faux-pas that we might commit here (curious that I have to use french to describe that nuance). It's difficult though to be aware of somethings. There are so many things we take for granted. For instance: teasing. Americans tease. A lot. Not in a mean way. We just like to give ourselves gentle ribbing. It's very much a way we show affection. Tonight was a great example. The folks who organized our Thanksgiving outing invited a gentleman from the local americsan consulate to say bonjour. He was very gracious and, I thought, the consumate American. He did the usual political niceities and then he requested that the audience give a friend of his (who was in the restaurant business) some feedback suggesting the locale of our dinner was far superieur to his establishment. It was, I felt, so American. Understand that I've had almost no social contact with Americans (other than e-mail) for 3 months so I'm probably hyper-sensitive. But the teasing made me feel transported.

Minutes later, I was chatting with a french friend at our table who had just received her after-dinner coffee. Unlike the rest of us who recieved a paper cup with our espresso (very unfrench) she recieved a ceramic cup. Well, I demanded jokingly of her "how come you deserve a real cup"? She looked at me guiltily. She did NOT understand that I was teasing. Perhaps it was my french. Humor is SO subtle. Or perhaps it is simply not the way one plays with a friend in France. So much to learn.

Sainte Victoire

This weekend we focused on starting our hiking adventures.  First order was going out to the local Decathalon store (read: monster sporting good store) to get some hiking boots for each of us.  I love the stuff that I can buy at these stores but I always end up feeling empty and have a strong desire to get out of there as fast as possible.  Rampant materialism is everywhere now.

Properly attired we headed up to Sainte Victoire for our first hike.  We had a wonderful little visit from the local moutons (see video).  Very fun.  Amazing that sheep ranching is still practiced this way.




This weekend we went to Barrage de Bimont.  This dam in Sainte Victoire controls the water supply to a large provencal water system.  It's also the beginning of lots of great hikes into Sainte Victoire.

In addition to great hikes we also discovered paragliders taking advantage of the local cliffs and attendant thermal up-drafts.  Pretty amazing to watch these folks.  They were literally aloft for hours.  The sport was invented in France and there are now 25,000 french who "faissent du parapente".

Settling in

Life has really changed since our move to Aix. Aix is not as exciting as Paris but it is beginning to feel more like home. Our push to get involved has really payed off. We have lots of new french friends: mostly older friends (retirees) and younger friends (college students), not many between. This works for us. We’ve always had friends in a pretty broad age range.

Last weekend we headed down to Cassis for a nice Friday dinner and spent Satuday luxuriating in the beautiful cliffs and hills of St. Victoire. We’re intent on joining the local hiking scene. It is such a surprise to find out how popular hiking is here. Perfect for a couple of Boundary Waters fans: les voyaguers sont ici! This weekend we’re heading out for our first serious randonnée at St. Victoire.

Sunday found us in the pretty town of L’isle-sur-le-Sorgue walking through anitiquités and then on to Gordes. Gordes was amazing. The town is known for its bories: homes made entirely of stone, no mortar. What was most fantastic was that they still build their houses completely out of stone without mortar.

We’re starting to get excited about the ski season. Apparently there is a bus we can catch at the center of Aix that will take us to the local peaks (we’re talking the Alps here) for x-country or downhill. We cannot wait!!!

Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Paris anymore

Well we successfully moved to Aix-en-provence from Paris this week. None of the luggage nightmares arrived (we were moving 5 pieces...one very big: my bike). It was a great move. We chatted with a couple of teens on the TGV from Paris and even helped them with their English homework. On arriving in Aix we were greeted by the owners of our apartment: a wonderful woman and her brother who shepherded us and our luggage from the train station and then showed us around town and entertained us. So nice.

Aix is a bit of a shock. Almost anything would be shocking after Paris. Perhaps another grand city of the world would have been an easier transition than Aix. Aix is very small (140K, 40K of whom are students), very white, and very warm (we had a 70F day yesterday). The beautiful Massif Sainte Victoire (sort of a baby mountain range) is just east of Aix. Hiking is VERY popular here. Almost immediately we regret not having a car. Yes, you can get anywhere in Aix by public transport but we are going to quickly grow out of Aix. I've taken two bike rides to Sainte Victoire and I loved it. I can't wait to bring Jane...but I need a car to get her there.

We've both jumped into the social life here. We are determined to become part of Aix. Jane has joined the local expat group and has been invited to pick olives next week...that's right...pick olives. I have gone nuts on language exchange groups and have met with 2 new people with several more on the agenda this week.   We're looking for a yoga group and hopefully we can get some cooking instruction.  We are REALLY bad french cooks!

Parisiennes

Two months amongst the Parisiennes has given me a much better appreciation of the inhabitants of this beautiful city.  One of the most surprising experiences in my time in Paris was how safe I felt...always.  In 2 months in Paris I never felt threatened or hassled.  Good luck getting that track record in New York or Chicago.

My theory is that another classic Parisienne characteristic helps: they don't talk to strangers.  The French need more personal space than Americans.  I don't mean physical space. They just seem to feel like they are violating your privacy (or having theirs invaded) if conversation is too casually introduced amongst strangers.   Perhaps this is another reason that American's perceive the Parisiennes as cold.  Introverts are often seen as arrogant or unfriendly for the same reason in the states.

So...the Parisiennes mind their own business.  Not the best place for finding new friends.  Gee minnesotans...sound familiar?  They are not uncaring however.  Far from it.  I was always amazed at how quickly the Parisiennes jumped in to help somebody who needed help on the street.   If I am going to be hurt in a foreign city...let it be this one.

The Parisiennes seem to have an odd love/hate relationship with the English language.  In Paris english is VERY cool.  That's right.  You heard correctly.  English is très chic.   A store is simply not cool if it doesn't have some english splashed on it's name.   English pop music is everywhere.  I almost never hear a french song here.  Starbucks is a huge success right now.  However, in spite of the cool, the parisiennes continue to have a strong preference for communicating in french.    Who can blame them?  French is simply a beautiful language.

Au revoir Paris

Sigh....  This is our last weekend in Paris.  Looking forward to Aix but very sad to leave Paris.  What an amazing city.  Some photos: Paris Photos

Tout le monde à la mode

Ok...I admit.  I want the french to think I'm french.  I think it is a general goal of all "expats" to NOT be the guy who obviously does not  belong.  It's especially frustrating when the parisiennes seem to instantly know I am not french, as soon as I open my mouth.  Last night it happened on one word.  ONE WORD!  I said "merci" to a woman opening the door for me and she said "your welcome" (and no...she wasn't an anglophone).  Alas, if I insist on speaking french they always come around and start speaking french.  I guess I should appreciate their willingness to help me.

Of course, it doesn't end with the language.  One must "look" french as well.  When I arrived it meant I immediately shelved my tan jeans.  Personne (nobody) wears light colored pants here.  Your choices are black, grey, or...if you are really a trouble-maker...charcoal.  Actually, the one exception is blue jeans.  My most recent purchase was a scarf.  I have never worn a scarf in my life (well maybe once) but in Paris it is THE accessory.  So...I marched out to the store last night for my scarf.   Jane says I look tres français now.   Black pants, black coat, scarf.  J'y suis arrivé.

If you love fashion, of course, Paris is a wonderful place to be.  Especially, by the way, if you are male.  I have never seen so many shops for guys.  It's nice to have so many options.  But it is an especially great place to be if you love lingerie.  The french obsession with...well...obsession is not a stereotype.  They love to love.  And the women love to make sure the men want to love them.  You can't throw a stick in Paris without hitting a lingerie shop.  Gee...what a shame.

Au cinema

I (Jim) am a huge film fan so, of course, I've been anxious to get to the cinema.  We had out first film outing this evening.  It was great fun.

At least half of the movies in Paris right now are American films.   English films are almost always dubbed in french although I was surprised to see that many films in Paris are also now available "VO" (version originale, i.e., subtitled).   So....French or American.  We had some choices:

1. See an American film subtitled.  Good american fun but not much french value,
2. See an American film dubbed.  Non-starter (I thought).  To me dubbing is horrific.  I cannot believe how horribly a great film can be destroyed when dubbed. 
3. See a French film.  Great experience but very hard to follow and appreciate with our french level.  Appreciating a film in another language is a very advanced language skill.  Also, I have watched ALOT of french films.  While I might laud their skill, I am rarely enthusiastic.  This is, perhaps, simply because I am not French: understanding a nuance sometimes requires some life experience in the culture.  

Our choice was 2: American film dubbed. We picked an animated film so it would be simpler to follow: "Moi, moche et méchant" ("Despicable Me" in the U.S.). And...the dubbing is not a problem with animated characters.

It was delightful!  We understood most of it and the parts we lost were not a problem because of the simplicity of the storyline.  It was curious to me that the film was totally translated, including titles, into French. There was hardly a smell of English except a few subtitles (the cardboard box with the words "Box of Shame" need to be translated) but the credits suggested that Steve Carell and a swath of Americans were the voice stars.  Hmmm.  At least the poster gave credit to Gad Elmaleh (Steve Carell's french stand-in).

We tried to see this film last night (Sunday) but the crowds were huge.  It would seem that Sunday is a movie night but Monday is dullsville (there were only a dozen of us in the theatre tonight).

Cost: 11€ each.

Technology

For those of you who might be planning a similar adventure I thought it might be helpful to update you on our technical situation...

Jim's iPhone:
The iPhone has been UNBELIEVABLY useful.  Consider just some of the apps I carry around in my pocket these days:
1.) GPS and Google Maps.  I always know  where I am in Paris and I can always find my way home.  The "directions" capability is also pretty helpful when trying to figure out how to get from point A to B with the most bizarre, inconsistent street system you can imagine.
2.) Paris Metro map.  This app tells me how to get from where I am to where I want to go and what time the next train arrives.
3.) Paris Velib locations.  This app tells me where I find the closest Velib (bike kiosk) for getting and returning our bikes.  Just click a button and it pulls up the map with the closest stations.
4.) Metric to U.S. unit conversions.
5.) French Language translators: phrases, words, conjugations, and pronunciations.
6.) Skype for making international calls.
7.) Camera for capturing the wine bottle label so I can find it later
8.) MapMyRide which has maps of bike rides in Paris so I can find my way out and back.
9.) Secure ID vault (passport, pins, credit card info etc....i.e., everything I would know if I were in St. Paul)

Oh yea...it has a phone too.

It was easier than expected to hook up here.  I had to jailbreak my phone but that was very easy for the release of my phone (3GS, 4.01).  The rest was simply popping a card in from Orange.  Orange has a "as you go" plan (no contract) which was good for me because I'm not making a lot of calls from the phone.  They also had unlimited internet access for 7euros/week with no contract.  This was a little dicey because it meant I couldn't use the iPhone's native e-mail/calendaring interface.  However, it wasn't much of a compromise to just use gmail and google calendar directly.

The iPad has also been wonderful.  We're only using it in the apartment so far so I haven't bothered to get 3G service for it like I had in the U.S.  However, it works great as an additional web appliance for e-mail and browsing.

Phone for Jane:
Bought an inexpensive plan from Orange for Jane with an "as you go" plan for her as well.

Calling home:
Skype is my solution for international calling.   Of course, I can call home to somebody's computer for free.  However, I can also call to somebody's phone for only $.02/minute.  Almost free!

Our old home number:
I've mentioned in an earlier post that I ported our old home phone number to 3jam.  It's very cheap.  Now all calls to home go to voicemail and I get an e-mail with the voicemail.  Folks can also SMS me at that number and they get sent to me as e-mail.

Getting called in France:
Folks can call me or Jane direct on our french cell phones then we call them back with Skype.

Computers:
I dragged my iMac and a work computer with me from the states.  Connectivity has not been a problem.  France has very good internet infrastucture.  They even have fiber to homes in Paris (although my landlord doesn't subscribe to that level).  So my performance is generally good.  The surprise was the number of internet sites that block traffic from France.  For instance, Hulu, Netflix, Amazon On-Demand, and Google Voice do not allow european IP addresses.  Of course there are some proxy services that make you look like a U.S. IP.  I might give one a try if my hunger for U.S. apps pushes me there.

toujours les cigarettes

There is SO much that I love about Paris but the smoking here is completely insane.  I had hoped things would have improved over the last 10 years with all of the information on the health risks.  It seems sometimes like EVERYBODY* smokes.  We can't sit at an outdoor cafe very long without smoke wafting over us.  For the last few weeks I keep asking myself "how do these folks rationalize this?!?".  This a health epidemic! The answer seems to be more about the french culture than about health.  Many french seem to believe that the smoking is necessary for socializing: sitting for long hours chatting would not be possible without the cigarette.  In an article I read one woman claimed that smokers are deeper thinkers.  Absurd, of course, but it reflects a deep-seated feeling that smoking has some actual value in french society.

The French now have laws that prohibit smoking in public places so it's a lot easier to escape the fumes.  However, it's amazing how much it is still in your face when you walk down the street.  Not only that, the cigarette butts are everywhere.

*I'm trying to reconcile my experience with the statistics.  When I google the statistics it would appear that 20% of american adults smoke and 30% of french adults smoke. 20% american vs. 30% french.  Doesn't seem that different.  Perhaps the american approach of treating smokers like pariahs makes them less visible?

Tout le monde a la defense!

We made it out to La Défense on Sunday. This is an usual part of Paris: a modern business district. In fact, the literature suggests it's the largest business district of this type in Europe. It's actually not in Paris. Rather it's a suburb.

I was really blown away. I had no idea how big it really was. It is like a very well designed U.S. downtown. In fact, it is a LOT like a U.S. city: modern, sterile with huge spaces. We visited Les Quatre Temps center and discovered a shopping mall that reminded us of Roseville Mall. Ewww.

This isn't my favorite place in France but I was, nonetheless, impressed.

La Grande Arche:

View of the La Défense

French class

I (Jim) decided to take a french course here in Paris to continue my education. Of course I picked L'Alliance Française because all of my education in the U.S. was with them. So far I am really enjoying the class. It is mostly a review for me but I was expecting that. And the review is necessary....my grammaire is quite rusty.

The other students are quite interesting and really nice. There are 12 of us in the class: 2 Russians, 2 Italians, 1 Brazilian, 2 Brits, 1 Chinese, 1 Canadian, 1 Syrian, 1 Columbian and myself. Very cool. The conversations are amazing but my reaction is a little bit like the technical conference last year in Paris: everybody is alike. I always expect people to more exotic. In the end we mostly see things the same. What is challenging is the accents. It's hard enough to understand an american accent. Try understanding an italian accent in French!!! Surprisingly, the easiest accent to understand is Russian. Perhaps it's probably the most similar language in terms of sounds.

The teacher related an interesting perspective yesterday. She's been teaching for many years and she said she has really seen a change in how prevalent english has become. Fifteen years ago all of the students in our class would have needed to speak to each other in French because it was the only common language. Now, all of the students speak English. Some of them actually learn French by translating to English instead of their mother tongue (even, she said, speakers of other latin languages).

velo, velo partout

I don't know which is scarier: trying to signup for a special iphone deal in french or negotiating the streets of Paris on a bike. On the other hand the former is just embarrassing. The latter could turn me into a flesh pancake. I suppose it is true in every monster city like New York or Paris: competing with cars for the road is a losing proposition. Paris, on the other hand is truly insane. Roads become one-way without any clear reason and then change to one-way the OTHER direction. The names change regularly (it's rare to find a street that doesn't change names within a few blocks). And then there are the motos. These lunatics (motorcycles, scooters) are truly the most dangerous thing on the streets. They dart in an out of traffic without any regard for the rules. It reminds me of driving in India: chaos...except only the moto drivers think they are in India. At least every few blocks a moto driver passes within inches of my handlebars. Lord help me should I happen to turn slightly at one of those moments.

I'm still trying to get all away to Versailles from our apartment. In St. Paul this would be a pretty easy ride (35 miles round trip) but in Paris it starts with a 45 minute nightmare getting out of town far enough to start actually riding. Gratefully on the way there today I found a group of guys who ride constantly (literally) around the Hippodrome (an equestrian field and stadium). It's like a perpetual criterium. There are ALWAYS guys riding the circuit. You can join the peloton and try and hang in there...or drop off when you've had enough. Kind of cool.

In spite of the hazards Paris has an incredible bike-loan program called Velib. It's almost free (5 euros for 7 days). You pick up a bike in one place and drop it off in another. There are literally hundreds of Velib stations around Paris so you are never far from a bike. The bikes are simple but very well maintained. It's hugely popular. And of course "there's an app for that" (an iPhone app that shows me the nearest Velib station).

Mauvaises Nouvelles

My (Jim) mom died this week.  She had gotten weaker and a more senile the weeks before we came so we were worried.   She seem to get a bit better the week before we left but it was just hope.  She died in her sleep on Monday morning.  I flew back to Madison and returned yesterday.

Ma mere, je t'aime toujours.  Nous nous souviendrons toujours ton sourire et ton rire.   Au revoir.

´

Lost (literally) without my iPhone

I jumped on the bike today for my first ride in the city.  I was planning a ride out to Versailles...about 35 miles round trip.  Unfortunately I didn't have web access on my iPhone (and thus no GPS/Mapping capability) so I spent an hour carefully writing out maps.  Alas, I came to a rond point that didn't show one of my streets...nobody I asked knew where the street was.  When I gave up and decided to go back I realized that the street I had arrived on was not on the rond point either (the street name had changed before I arrived at the rond point).  Ahh!!!!!

I'll try again tomorrow when my iPhone internet access is ready.  No wonder the french never go anywhere.  They can never navigate to anyplace outside of their own neighborhood!!!

Nous sommes arrivés à Paris!

Arrived in Paris on Wednesday night.  Spent most of yesterday recovering from jetlag and now amongst the living.  We love our neighborhood.  It is a quartier piéton (pedestrian neighborhood) so most cars and motorcycles are prohibited.  There are bread, fruit, meat, and wine shops at the end of the street so it easy to find our daily rations.

Our landlady is wonderful.  French belgian, living in Italy the last 30 years with several properties dispersed.  Very kind and intent on pleasing us.

Our arrival in Paris was challenging.  5 pieces of luggage including a bike case meant we had to take a tax or shuttle.  We couldn't find a shuttle on short notice so we went by taxi.   The experience was just too classic french.  The driver breaks out into an argument with the taxi starter.  Then he spies our 5 pieces and throws up his hands in disbelief.  At last he mangles them (and us) into his taxi and we were on our way.  By the end of the ride we were best friends and he was giving us a description of each building we pass.  Very fun.

Bringing the bike

Those of you who know me understand there was no way I was going without my bike. This was a new challenge. However, I think it will work out. I bought a used hard bike case for $100. I should have no problem selling it for the same price when I get back to the states. Aer Lingus only charges $50 for each piece of luggage and this is just one piece. Taking apart the bike is actually pretty easy. At first I was thinking I would need to remove the headset but that isn't necessary. A couple of bolts hold the handle bars to the headset. I also bought baggage insurance through American Express (no, you don't need to have an Amex card): $12 per person for max. of $2,000 insurance. Won't cover the total cost of the bike if it is stolen but it's getting a little old anyway. Now I'm dreaming of riding out to Versailles or Barbizon via the Seine.

Shipping to Europe has become insanely expensive!

When i was a young lad I thought nothing of shipping my ski boots home from Austria. The price was very reasonable for the "arrive in a month or so" plan. I just checked out the price to ship a 2' cubed (60 cm) box to France for the same low expectations delivery: $200. Yipes, $400 round trip!

This is crazy. What happened?!?!?

It seems like the best way to ship overseas is to bring it on the flight. Aer Lingus charges $50 per bag and allows up to 9 bags.

New tenant arrives

Last night we met Juergen, the father of the german family that is renting our house for the year. He and his wife and 3 girls will be masters of our house. He was so great! I can't imagine a better tenant. All of Jane's anxieties disappeared.

Aix it is!

We're going to Aix-en-Provence for 6 months after Paris. Cool apartment on rue cardinale, a few blocks from cours mirabeau. Aix is a "college town", with a bit of the atmosphere of my (Jim) hometown: Madison. Filled with art and music. 40 minutes to the mediteranean. 2 hours to skiing in the alps. Here is the view from our front door:

J'ai hâte d'y aller! The date is so soon! I'm really getting excited but I'm also daunted by the to-do's that remain. Hard to do my job and focus on preparing as well.

We're in the throes of a decision: in what village should we spend our winter and spring? Top candidates: Nice and Aix en provence. We were leaning toward Nice (close to sea, close to Italy, close to Alps) but are now gravitating toward Aix (university town, very french, the heart of provence that we love dearly). We hope to decide before next week.

Signed up for 3Jam last week. Soon (Thursday...why do the english think the days of the week merit capitalization?!?!?) our home phone number of 25 years will become virtual. Looking into what it takes to unlock my iPhone so I can use it with orange.fr or some such provider. Just cancelled Netflix (they won't ship overseas and they restrict on-demand to US ip addresses).

Starting to feel real. We have rented our house for the year to a wonderful german couple with kids. Fantastic!
Just committed to our first accomodations in France: 2 months in Paris on Rue Mandar (2nd arrondisement).
Just bought ONE-WAY tickets to europe. We're going to fly to Dublin and spend some time (~ 10 days) in the U.K. (Ireland, Scotland, London) before wandering down to Paris.

A long time since my last post. A number of things have conspired to slow down our exit...most of them positive. We've rescheduled notre sortie to September. This will improve the scenarios for our 2 most difficult efforts: work and renting our house.

Meanwhile on the phone situation...
Google Voice STILL does not have portability but there are others in this space now. 3jam has a cool offering as well. It's not free but close to it. 3jam offers portability so we can keep our home number and calls will be routed to Skype and/or voicemail.