Stuck in the dark ages

Every move has its moments where you just want to go home, slam the door and forget that a move was ever proposed. This week has had plenty of those moments.

I'm posting from my Bberry as France telecom haved @#*! up our phone line, so no phone, internet or TV service until either Saturday or Monday at the earliest. It takes FOREVER to get help in this country. First they refuse to admit there's an error; then they say they are fixing it; but only when a technician comes to see the problem does he agree there is a problem... And then we have to have another technician come and fix it (not before Saturday... Even though all this started Monday), and then yet anothjer technician come and install the TV / internet / etc sometime next week...

AAAAAAARGH

France Telecom. HATE.

And then there are all the other issues... Useless Darty (electronics store) salesman who screwed up our order, so we had to have items replaced, delivered late (or not at all), who didn't arrange to get the fridge fixed into the cabinet, etc... I'm actually quite proud of the fact that I won my first big French customer service face-off - he emphatically (and loudly) told me he was right; I responded in kind (ok, let's just call it yelling) and told him to fix it; he is now fixing it and we get the fridge installed for free. Still never any admission of error... But this is France. That would be expecting too much.

The apartment still has some cracked window panes, loose electrical sockets, doors that won't close (new paint), broken blinds, holes between floorboards, a crooked and wobbly kitchen faucet, and single-glazed (not double, as we were led to expect) windows in the living & dining rooms. We are trying not to let this depress us - when fixed, it will be a great place. But getting anything done here seems to take forever. At worst, we are thinking of trying to get all these repairs done ourselves instead of w-ting for the management company to come through, and then deducting the cost from our rent. We shall see.

The highlight of the week... Drumroll please... Samuel rolled over for the first time from his back to his front! Unfortunately Dave wasn't home to see it as he was in French lessons, but I consider myself very fortunate that at least I got to see this milestone as I will miss so many once our roles are reversed and I go back to work. Samuel has also taken to scooting quite far (several feet) across the floor on his back, so he is getting increasingly mobile.

We'll post again once we get back into the 21st century. In the meantime, just have a drink for us.

Yet another move...

The cats are now installed in our new apartment. We hope they will both still be there tomorrow, when we move in. We drove them over this evening as tomorrow the movers come at 8am to pack up our stuff in the temporary apartment - so as of tomorrow evening we will finally be installed in our new home! (Albeit with rental furniture and a lot of empty space... but our sea shipment should arrive soon. The boat is due to dock in Le Havre tomorrow, so we're hoping to get the shipment delivered at the end of the first week of September).

It's been another busy couple of days. We hope that in a few days time things may calm down a bit as we are really all getting quite exhausted. I consider it a minor miracle that Dave and I are still talking to and being supportive of each other given all the stressful situations we have been through - but that just goes to show what an amazing man I married, and what a wonderful son we have, as he helps to remind us what is truly important.

We've spent the last few days checking out options for curtains, lighting, furniture, etc. Suffice to say that I would rather rip out my fingernails than ever go back to IKEA (quality slipped dramatically vs. my memories of 8 years ago, far too many people, miles to walk, hours to wait... generally a pretty close approximation of hell on earth), and we are now the proud owners of a GPS system and a mapbook. Yes, we took many not-so-scenic routes around Paris this weekend as we tried to find various places. We did manage - unintentionally - to find what appears to be one of the (or even the) largest mall in France at La Defense. We didn't have the time or patience to explore much, so we'll go back during the week by public transport (2 metro stops) during the work day when hopefully there will be far fewer people. In the meantime, after the last few days of dealing with all the problems in the flat, deliveries, bureaucracy & paperwork, etc., my feet hurt, my legs are tired, I've had a splitting headache all day... and I know Dave is also exhausted. It is an understatement to say that moving is hard work.

The great news though was that we had our first visitors this weekend! Our friends Lucy and Julian and their 3 children stopped off on their way back to England from Italy. A real treat as they live in Johannesburg, so we hadn't seen them in a couple of years. It really struck me how much I miss seeing our friends more often, and how nice it would be if we could live close to them all... but then I also realize that they wouldn't be the people we love if we all statically lived in the same place and only lived the same experiences. So I content myself with the knowledge that we will hopefully see a lot more of our European friends and family over the next few years, while still seeing our American friends and family with some frequency. (Reminder to all - great guest room!! Hotel Charter is now taking bookings!!). I have to put in a quick plug for anyone reading to take a look at Lucy's book, as she is now a published author and has some fascinating stories/experiences to share - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Welcome-Islam-Converts-Lucy-Bushill-Matthews/dp/1847062164/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1219009734&sr=8-1

Anyway... we'll post again in a few days once we have internet access again (10am Tuesday). The next few days will be a marathon of events - moving, dealing with workers to repair, deliver, install, etc. a whole series of things, and getting the family settled in the new location.

In the meantime, please start thinking of when you might want to visit us!

- Julia

Samuel hates me?

We had a nice relaxing day today. We watched the summer olympics (thanks to slingbox and my sister and brother-in-law) and we did not have to watch the french coverage of the epee competition.

We sat around, caught up on e-mail and relaxed after a stressful week. Late in the afternoon we took the metro to Neuilly where we took Samuel for a walk in the bois de boulogne. We found a nice playground for smaller children, that is outside the jardin de acclimititasion(sp) and it is free.

We then drove back to the temp place(as we had left the car at Madrid yesterday).
When we returned it was after 1900 and Julia fed Samuel and then she went into the kitchen to cook dinner and left Samuel with me. No sooner had she left the room then Samuel started to cry. I tried every trick I know to get him to calm down and none of them worked. I thought he may have still been hungry so Julia came back into the room and tried to feed him. As soon as she sat down he stopped crying and started smiling. She tried to feed him but he would not latch. She gave him back and returned to the kitchen. Whereupon Samuel commenced crying. I took Samuel into the kitchen where as soon as he saw Julia, he stopped crying. I turned him away so that he could not see Julia and he started to cry. Our final solution was to place him in the bouncy seat in the kitchen so that he could see Julia and I am sitting on the couch in the dark feeling very sorry for myself.

Tomorrow is a big day as we are going to Ikea to look for tables, chairs, and bathroom and kitchen stuff. We plan on being there for 4-5 hours.

We are also welcoming our first visitors in Paris as Julia's friends from Cambridge will be driving through Paris on a return trip to London. Julian and Lucy and their kids(those of you who attended may remember Saffiya as the very cute young girl who liked to blow bubbles). They will meet us at Madrid and be the first to see our new home. Unfortunately we will have to dine out as we do not have a stove yet as that is one of the items that needed to be returned when delivered yesterday.

Also, apologies for the very sloppy writing in yesterdays post. I did not realize how tired I must have been until I read that rambling piece of......

-Dave

New apartment, french lessons......

I'm back!!

Sorry for the delay in posting but life has a funny way of catching up with you.

For the last week it seems as if we have not had time to breathe, let alone post to the blog.

Now time to report on the happenings in Paris and London.

First of all Diesel is doing well. Samuel is continuing to change everyday and keep us grounded with what is really important in our lives. It is not diesel in a petrol engine, or all the boulangeries being closed or a french teacher who will not answer questions but raising our wonderful little Samuel.

Samuel is less than 4 months old and has just returned from visiting his 3rd country. We spent a long weekend visiting friends and family in London. Samuel was finally able to meet his godmother Poonam and her wonderful children, Tara and Max. Samuel and Max got along splendidly. We placed them side by side on an activity mat and they spent an hour exploring each others hair, ears and arms. It was quite cute. Pictures will be posted later as we have not had the time to download the pictures. Looking forward to seeing everyone again over the holidays. Hopefully we will be able to spend more time with each of you.

Samuel will soon be visiting his 4th country. P & G continues to amaze me as they have asked Julia to attend a meeting of western European finance directors from September 1st-3rd. These are the first days that Julia will be returning to work full time so she is very anxious about having to leave Samuel for 3 days. P & G has offered to send Samuel and myself to Frankfurt with Julia. This is not the best for me as I am adapting to Paris life(lessons have begun, but more on that later, and leaving for 3 days will be a setback for my adaptation). However, as usual we have to make the decisions that are best for Samuel. The best thing for Samuel is to be with his mother so that he can eat breast milk on(or near) his regular schedule. So we have gratefully accepted P & G's offer. While Julia is in her meetings, Samuel and I will be touring Frankfort and possibly tasting a few German beers.

We took possession of our apartment on Madrid on Wednesday morning. We were very disappointed in the quality of the work that was done after we first saw the apartment. Fortunately the representative of the owner was equally disappointed. So all of our concerns are being addressed. We hope that they will all be corrected before we take possession of our sea shipment. It is a relief to finally have a place to call home for the next 3 years. Julia did have lunch at eh pub around the corner and they do televise EPL(english premier league) matches so Samuel and I will be able to view Chelsea matches(Pictures to follow. You do not want to miss them. Guaranteed to be oh so cute(Samuel, not me))

Julia has had a very stressful week as she has begun driving in Paris. The quickest route from the temporary apartment to Madrid is to drive the arc d'triomphe roundabout. Very, nerve racking, Even at 8AM in August. Julia had to manage the delivery of our rental furniture and our electronics from Darty. The Darty shipment was stressful in that they delivered some wrong items and Julia had to return to the store to correct the situation. Our shopping experience was hilarious as our salesman saw ex-pat written on our foreheads and everything he tried to sell us was the most expensive of its line. I was amazed when he tried to sell us a 1,500 euro stove. I was even more amazed that Julia was actually interested, until I pointed out the price. Then we moved on.

I started my french lessons at Berlitz this week. I have had 6 45 minutes session each day. Sometimes I feel as if I am making progress. At other times I feel completely and utterly lost. But as the week progressed I have felt more and more comfortable. Today I actually started having conversations with the instructors, albeit on a very, very basic level but It is good to know that I am beginning to think in french. I am not sure how much P & G is paying for the lessons but they have to be expensive. The Gucci store is next to the berlitz office and the aston martin dealership is around the corner. Tres cher neighborhood.

I was the ugly American this week as I was unable to connect with one of my instructors. The first lesson she tried to teach me I had her questions and her responses were always along the lines of, "It is what it is" or "you should not be confused. It is the same in english". I had to go to the admin and ask that this instructor not be assigned to me in the future. Very bad American.

Had my first solo lunch this week. Of course, I had to go to Pizza Pino(The franchise where we had our ex-pat lunch). I think the only mistake I made was when I was asked if I wanted to sit inside or outside. I said outside but pointed inside(I meant to say inside).

I also was shy this week. Our temp apartment company is unable to provide us with a second set of keys. So this week, since we have been in both apartments I have had to return to the area of the temp and wait for Julia to return with the keys(as since she has Samuel she needs to have the keys in case of emergency). I walked around looking for a cafe to have a beer. I saw quite a few and chose the one that had the fewest people sitting outside. Ostensibly so that I would not embarrass myself when ordering. of course, then I pulled out my french lesson book and worked on the exercises and had many people staring.

Saw a wonderful beggar trick this week. As I was sitting in the cafe waiting for Julia there was a couple to my right and a beggar came and stood directly in front of them until they gave him money. Not that I endorse begging but I have to admire the creativity and ambition.

A day (or two) that will live in infamy...

Where do I even start...

Today we drove to London. In theory, this should have been a 5 hour drive with little or no complications. Instead, it turned into a 10 hour ordeal where just about everything that could go wrong did - including my making an incredibly stupid mistake. The good news is that we are all well and safe and sound in London. We are just all exhausted.

We left Paris a bit late (Dave was kind enough to let me sleep an extra half hour), but had barely got onto the ring road (peripherique) before we got completely stuck in solid traffic because of an accident just after a construction zone. We hardly went anywhere for an hour... during which time poor Samuel was miserably hot and uncomfortable in his car seat and screamed non-stop. By the time we made it onto the main highway north of Paris, Samuel had exhausted himself and gone to sleep. We drove for another hour or so until he woke up and started to scream again, so we had to pull over to cool and calm him down. We then had to fill up the car with gas...... which is where the day really went wrong. In a moment of unbelievable stupidity I filled the tank with petrol... only to discover afterwards the large label saying 'DIESEL' on the inside of the gap flap.

AAAAARGH.

I will not be competing for 'Brain of Britain' anytime soon.

45 minutes later the towing truck showed up to take us to a garage where they drained the tank so we could fill it with diesel and get back on the road. At this point we were already over 4 hours behind schedule and had completely missed our booked crossing on the channel tunnel - and they say they will only honour the booking for 2 hours after your scheduled time. When we finally got to the check in station, I told the lady about our nightmare experiences and she let us on the next available crossing without any problem.

Of course, by this point, Samuel was understandably completely sick and tired of his car seat and making his feelings known quite loudly again. He did enjoy the train crossing - if only because he was able to be free from it and be held by us. After another couple of hours of driving the other side, we made it to London. Phew. We've now all had a good meal, and Samuel has had a bath and is happily fast asleep in his pack & play.

All this on top of the previous day, where we first spent 3 hours at an electronics store spending Samuel's college fund on all the electrical appliances we will need for our apartment (oven, fridge, freezer, TV, washer, dryer, phones, etc.) and then I spent another 4 hours dealing with more wonders of French bureaucracy to get our telephone/TV/internet connection set up and a French mobile phone, while Samuel stayed home in the cool ... but had terrible gas, and so was miserable - which made things tough for Dave.

I have come to the conclusion that it is impossible to get anything done in less than two hours in France. A meal? At least 2 hours. A basic communication setup? A good 2 hours. Trying to get a driver's license? Getting on for 2 hours in total, and that was just the first visit. Be prepared to have all kinds of bizarre documentation and an endless fount of patience to hand...

I am sure Dave will add his thoughts later... but for now it is time for bed.

- Julia (a.k.a. 'Diesel'... though 'dim-wit' would work just as well)

The lease is signed!!!!!!!!!!

This is the view toward the intersection of avenue Charles de Gaulle and Madrid. It has a lovely fountain and the main traffic of Charles de gaulle is in a tunnel going under the fountain so the noise is reduced.
This is the view from our terrace(looking right) looking down Madrid toward the bois

de boulogne. Did we mention that we are only 3 blocks from the entrance to the jardin d'acclimatasion(A very nice zoo designed for children). So those of you with kids make your reservations soon.

This is our kitchen. Not very exciting. Julia says it is an Ikea kitchen.
This is our bedroom looking out the window toward Madrid.
This is the terrace off of Samuel's room. We will be researching how to child proof a terrace as soon as we move in. It overlooks a very quiet sidestreet which if taken leads to a very nice pedestrian area with a franprix, a couple of restaurants, dry cleaners and wine shop.

Will post more later. We are preparing to go out for our anniversary dinner.

Our new address is:

6 Avenue de Madrid

Neuilly-sur-seine

92200, France

Technically we do not live in Paris as we are outside the interior peripherique.

Our new apartment is not the first choice in terms of architecture but it is far and away the best choice due to location. As stated previously it is only 3 blocks from the bois de boulogne (equivalent of NYC central park) where I will be able to run and take Samuel on many adventures. Our new place has only 3 bedrooms but they are all quite large by Paris standards and that is one of the reasons we chose the Madrid location as we can work better with 3 large rooms rather than 4 smaller rooms. The guest room will be very nice with a brand new futon(see earlier post) with access to the terrace so that guests can sit and have a glass of wine in the evening.

Okay, I have to admit to a mistake(which I never do). I was adding to the blog earlier and the keyboard fell off my lap and all of my best material was lost. Can I blame it on the cat? So this is my second attempt at telling the story of the day. Maybe Julia's narrative will be more entertaining.

We knew that Neuilly was a haven for ex-pats but until we actually walked around today and noticed that(it seems) half the restaurant cater to the Italian specialties( which is not a bad thing as pizza is very, very good here(as long as you don't order the egg (oeuf) :))

We will be in London from Thursday through Sunday so the blog may be not be updates as frequently(As we all know GB is boring(He says with a smile to all his GB relatives(through marriage)). We will be taking Samuel to met his godmother Poonam and members of the Denman side of the family who he has yet to meet.

As we stepped out of the metro(if I had not mentioned the pont de neuilly metro station is less than a block from the apartment) Julia noticed that we have an English pub around the corner from us. My only hope is that they televise the EPL(english premier league) futball matches on Saturday afternoons. If not I will miss my beloved Chelsea dethrone Man U and keep dastardly Liverpool in their place(again).

It has been a very long day. Samuel has been great s usual. He loves the metro. Falls asleep every time. We hope it is not the noxious fumes that are knocking him out. Tonight was the first night that we left Samuel with a stranger. we had a recommendation from one of Julia's friends who live in Paris as to a babysitter. Everything appeared to go well except that she was 30 minutes late. Very anxious time leaving your child for the first time with someone that you do not know.

Very tired, time to sign off for another day. tune in tomorrow for another thrilling episode of shopping in Paris. If all goes well we will shop at Darty, Orange(cell phone & internet) and Ikea(for small furniture pieces and curtains). Should be fun.

B-Bye for now.

Futon, car(?) & carrefour

We have not heard from our agent all day which we are taking as a good sign that the lease signing will go forward as planned.

On Sunday we took a 30 minute walk to the maison de convertibles where we found a very nice selection of futons and eventually purchased a very nice 160 x 200 cm futon. It has a 14 cm thick mattress. We laid on it and it was as comfortable as a real bed. It will be delivered on August 14th if we sign the lease.

Today we took a cab to Julia;s office where we supposed to pick up her company car. Very nice office in an industrial part of town. Unfortunately the car would not start. We left the car to be serviced at the office and we took a cab to the carrefour(a grocery/home goods store) which was our original plan except we had hoped to drive. We compared prices at carrefour to monoprix and decided that it would be worth 1 trip per month to carrefour to stock up on the bulk items such as fanta zero, loo paper, cereals, etc.. We also had a nice lunch at a pizza place. I think I could learn to like european pizza. Of course, I don't think I will ever order the pizza made with tuna or smoked salmon. Can someone explain how the pizza is made with ouef(egg)? Neither Julia or I can picture how a pizza is made with an egg and we are to chicken(no pun intended) to order one.

Well, after we were done shopping at carrefour we ordered a taxi to take us back to the apartment. After we had been in the taxi for about 5 minutes we received a call that the car was ready to be picked up. There was nothing wrong with the battery, it was the keys. The car Julia has been given is a very nice Peugeot 607. Metallic gray with 4 doors. She is disappointed not to have bun warmers but it does have a remote screen for the rear window for use when Samuel is in the car. So Julia asked the cab to turn around and take us to her office where she got out and picked up the car and I returned to the apartment in the taxi.

Another eventful day in the lives of the charters in Paris. Hope your days are as interesting and fun filled. Keep your fingers crossed that everything goes well at 10AM tomorrow.

We will send an e-mail when we have signed the lease but be sure to check the blog for a story and pictures.

We will be in London from Thursday through Sunday visiting family and godparents who have yet to meet Samuel.