First time in Paris

Went to Paris this past weekend with my soccer team. We left at 8:30am on Saturday, drove through the fog (brouillard), got to Paris at noon, drove through the city on the freeway, which took about an hour, and met the other team's captain at a Baptist church. We ate lunch there, and then headed to the field. Because there were no locker rooms, we all had to change at the field, which was right next to a major road.

We got creamed. And for some reason, our captain singled me out at half-time when explaining why we were losing. I thought I was one of the more skilled players on the team. I think he just doesn't like the fact that I can't understand 95% of what they say. I guess I wouldn't either if the situation was reversed.

Anyway, it was an interesting experience. Paris is not a bad place. It was rather scenic when the sun came out late in the afternoon, shining through the backdrop of fall trees and low-rise apartments. This upcoming week we're going back to Paris for a few days with my parents to see the sights. I think I will enjoy the ride a little more since we all speak the same language. Plus, we will hit some sights along the way. We'll let you know about it after next weekend.

Around Town

We did some walking today, and took the camera because I had wanted to post some pictures of our neighborhood and Angers.

Remember "American Pizza" that I described in an earlier post? Well, he has a cousin in the sandwich family. Behold, the steak and fries panini! You can get them at most street-side boulangeries. (I took the picture too quickly because I didn't want to look suspicious.)

Across the plaza is the Maison d'Adam. It has some very interesting carvings in the woodwork... We almost rented an expensive dump around the corner, in the same block. Being downtown in the heart of things would have been nice, but that was the only thing. Well, the bathroom was renovated...









Here is the view from our window.

Actually, it is the "Jardin des Plantes". I thought all gardens had plants in them. Anyway, it was very nice and had lots or interesting trees. There was a fenced in animal area, complete with goats, rabbits, guinea pigs and pigeons, all sharing the same space like one big, happy family.



Here is the real view from our window. If you click to enlarge, you can see the main cathedral of Angers in the middle. The maison d'Adam is right in front of that. We walk there almost every day. After a month I no longer get winded taking that walk.


Instead of living next to maison d'Adam, we chose to live next to the Bates Motel. This is the view from our bedroom window of the creepy house across the street. Nobody lives there. It has some broken windows and even some barbed wire. It is structually sound, though. Would be a good fixer upper. The lot is nice and wooded, and I think it is shared by another older house that is in much better condition.






From our living room window you can see the street intersection. The car in this picture has to be the smallest car ever made. There is probably a single cubic meter of room inside.It sounds like a gas-powered golf cart.


I think it is even smaller than a Smart Car, which has much more head room. I am gonna rent one of these to pick you people up if you visit. Guess only one can come at a time, 2 if you're lucky.

A la mode!

No, this doesn't mean "with a side of ice cream". In French, it means "in style" (when I told some French people that we silly Americans use that phrase referring to ice cream, they laughed... and then wondered why.). So to ensure I would not stick out from the flock more than I do, I packed about 4 black sweaters and two pairs of black pants in preparation of my daily wardrobe here. Since the US tends to feel the western wind of 'chic' from Europe, I thought I'd go ahead and prepare you for some 'hot' trends coming your way:

Women - Be prepared to wear your knee high boots OVER your jeans (which of course must be skin tight). Bootcut is SO last year. Also, you also have a choice of wearing a skirt or a short dress OVER your jeans, too, as many young hip women are doing these days. Layering is where it's at. Of course, even on a mild day, men and women will have a very bright, long scarf wrapped around their necks like a half dressed mummy. C'est chic.

Men - Be prepared to start wearing some capri pants soon, very soon.

On the good note for me and Zack, flip-flops did make it here so we don't feel too out of place some days. I'm trying to explore more fashionable footwear options when I can, but there are only so many shoes you would choose to walk in 4-5 miles a day. I thought I had brought my "comfortable" shoes and quickly found out, they don't last more than a mile without causing pain. So, I'm back to being the American in tennis shoes or flip flops most of the time. For those who visit us, let comfort win over variety.

A plus tard!