Six Month mark

As hard as it is for me to believe we have been here for six months already. The time has slipped by with incredible ease full of the mundane and the spectacular. As I reflected over the half year I am surprised at how much we have done and seen and how dreamlike it all has been. I came over here hoping that I could perhaps become some better version of myself, that all the culture and change would in some way develop some extraordinary maturity and grace. Although not totally abandoning the hope I will acknowledge that it seems that it will take longer than six months.  However as I peruse the memories of these days and weeks I feel that perhaps I have learned a couple things about myself and this place that I felt I would like to share with you all.

1. This country is easy to fall in love with.
Between the rolling country side, the ancient architecture, the history, and it's people there is very little not to love. It is no wonder that movies and books are inspired from those visiting, living and dreaming of this beautiful place. I am no exemption, I am inspired. Maybe not to great novels but to be better, to be changed by this place.

2. Things are just Things
Okay I admit it, I have said this before and have meant it to varying degrees but the reality is that I am far less attached to things. One thing about moving the way that we did is that you learn very quickly to evaluate the stuff we carry with us. Even with a house now fully furnished I have far less things than probably most other times in my life. I have found this liberating in a way, and I have also learned to truly appreciate the few things still left in my world. I am particularly found of a teal kettle that I splurged on simply because I loved the color. Every piece of furniture and decoration has been carefully chosen and put in place and then promptly reminded that it is not really important.

3. The value of good friends
I think that it is possible that when surrounded by all my family I took for granted all of my many friends. It was easy to turn to them in times of need and spend my spare time in their company, in times putting on the back burner beloved acquaintances. Since moving to a place where this is far from an option I have learned to appreciate the need for great friends. Since being here I have been embraced, welcomed, helped and guided all by people who I can't call family, instead I will call them loved. I would want all my friends in North America to know that I feel the same way about you despite my inadequacies at showing it.

4. At any age there things to learn about myself
I really thought I was the brave adventuring type, I believed that once a great adventure presented itself I would obviously leap into it with grace and dignity. This is possibly not a true fact about myself, a difficult thing to discover considering the adventure I took. Not as brave as I thought and not as good at adventuring as I had hoped, and still discovering more things that I didn't know about myself. It is somewhat disconcerting to be as old as I am and find that I really don't know myself at all. I am choosing, though, to see this as a challenge. I can still be whatever I want to be.

5. You never outgrow being a suck for your family
As I prepared to leave Canada I said many goodbyes to friends and family alike. As the time for actual departure drew nearer and nearer the reality of what I was doing hit me rather hard. In fact in the final moments on Canadian soil I found myself wrapped in the arms of my eldest brother with tears streaming down my face and thinking very seriously of climbing back into his van and moving back into his basement. Everyday I think of how far away my family is and wonder how I will possibly make it without them, sometimes questioning why I am not still hiding in the protective care of a big brother. Obviously that is not an option as I am almost a grown up, but it does remind me that I will always be the kind of girl who needs her family. 

Six months, that's a long time, imagine what I may be able to find when its a year or years. I think I have much to take away from all this, I hope that it will make me better, wiser. I will continue to share my journey with you and thank you for coming along with me.

Time in Paris

I have to start by saying that I have learned that even when you are willing to walk for hours every day, a week is not enough to see everything you want to in Paris. My brother spent two years in this area and provided me with an impressive list of must see attractions and and must try delicacies, sadly neither of which I was able to get through. Thanks to the impressive train system though we did manage to explore much of the city and were able to cross many items off our list.

Day one we spent learning to use the rail lines, visiting cathedrals, and seeing the city on foot. We found Sainte Chapelle quickly as it is right outside a metro station but were unable to get inside to see it, obviously under repair of some sort as the tower was embraced by scaffolding.

From here we set off in the direction of Notre Dame, sort of, and found ourselves walking along La Seine. The river walkway was lined with picnicking couples and groups enjoying wine on a sunny day. Admittedly we passed some clearly urine soaked underpasses but once back in the fresh air it would be hard not to enjoy people watching, passing boats and the surrounding view. As we came up from the waters edge we found the chain link fences covered in 'lovers locks'. Romantics come with marked locks and attach them to a vacant spot along the wall and hook theirs on and toss the key over into the river below symbolizing their undying connection. 

Still heading somewhat in the direction of the famous cathedral we found ourselves enjoying this area of the city. I was surprised to find that parking here was even tighter than in England with several instances of bumpers actually touching. I was tempted to sit and wait for someone to return to their car so I could witness first hand how one would get out of such a spot. We enjoyed some amazing architecture and the kids marvelled at the two story carousel.

Finally we made it to Notre Dame, difficult to get a good picture of but easy to stand in awe of. Outside the chapel is a set of permanent bleachers where hundreds of people can sit and observe the great building and listen to the bells when they ring. Out of respect for the religious nature of the interior and in some cases the services in progress you are asked to avoid taking photos inside. It is a shame though as the interiors are even more moving than outsides. It was hard not to think of the workman with their limited tools creating the massive structure.

Our last stop of the day was at Sacre Coeur, another beautiful cathedral right in Paris. I will say that I thought this was probably the most amazing building I saw, possibly on my whole trip. Set on hill, which we walked up many many sets of stairs to get to, it stands as a beacon that you can see for miles. Inside you can enjoy some of the most spectacular stain glass and woodwork, smaller than Notre Dame it still leaves a haunting memory that we all agreed was our favourite of the day.

 

The next day we headed to the Louvre, which was on my husbands must see list, however somewhat daunted by the immense line we opted to tour the inside another day. This left us wandering down the street, through an art filled park that eventually spit us out on the Champs-Elysees. We wandered down this famous street taking it all in before stopping for lunch.

After lunch, because we were so close we continued over to the Arc de Triumph. We braved the many stairs to get to the top and enjoyed a view of the city that was well worth the climb. We stopped and tried in our small way to honour the Grave of the Unknown Soldier while we were there and used this time to force a little history and learning on our kids.

From here we hopped back on the train and made a quick visit at La Defense, which truthfully I can't tell you anything about except that it's impressive to look at and on the list my brother gave me. Then our last stop of the day was at Palais Garnier, which I am told is the opera house that the Phantom is based on. I am also informed that it is a must see at Christmas when they show the Nutcracker but as I am unlikely to be back at that time of year I will have to be content for now with walking around the outside. We did a very inadequate tour of the Galeries Lafayette, which is like a very high end department store on crack. It has every insanely overpriced brand you can think of, with price points to match. Already well on it's way to being completely decked out for Christmas with the crowds to match it was a place I wish I hadn't been too tired to enjoy.

A relatively quite day in comparison, we spent the next day getting to the top of the Eiffel Tower where we enjoyed the most breathtaking view of the city and the most bracing winds. Once back on the ground and lunched we headed over to the Rodin Museum so that my son could see the famous 'Thinker', which he had been asking about since arriving in Paris. Due to the long lines and the time spent at each place we were surprised to find the whole day had passed just visiting these two landmarks.

Our last day actually spent exploring Paris we finally faced the crowds and visited the Lourve. Which although is filled with room after room of amazing talent was actually a bit overwhelming. We did manage to find the Mona Lisa and Venus De Milo, both which were impressive in their own way. I got elbowed and shoved and generally manhandled more in the few minutes I was near these art pieces than any other place I have visited likely. We couldn't leave Paris without tracking down a Grec as directed by both my brother and my bother in law so much of this afternoon was spent on the hunt for one that lived up to the hype. Not a meat eater myself I did not sample the famed sandwich but my husband practically purred when he finally found one.

Our last couple of days were spent shopping at the outlet centre near our hotel and taking the kids to Disneyland Paris. We spent Halloween night at the 'party' the park puts on for the holiday and we enjoyed the decorations, the costumes, and the Halloween themed parades. Friday was to be our full day in the parks and we woke to find it pouring rain and wind whipping around in a frenzy. Already paid for though, we faced the weather and spent most of the day trying to find rides and shows that would take us inside, but I think I have only now properly warmed up and dried out.