France Part 1

It's autumn half term here and so with two weeks and no school the children MUST be entertained.

Last year we went to Rome, it was, I have to confess, a huge success, the weather gods smiled down on us, the children will both happily eat pizza until it comes out of their ears and the history was delivered in small enough doses that neither the older son nor the younger daughter were bored.

Easter I tried Naples, big fail.

This October I took us all to France, Paris to be exact. I thought it would offer everything that Rome had, it's just that there would be no pizza and the language would be different and the monuments also...

First problem: the weather gods were on strike (something the French do have a bit of a reputation for, so I should have anticipated this). It rained most of the journey* there and the rest of that afternoon, stopped on Sunday, then started up again Monday, fun.

Second problem: the teenage son decided to act like a full on teenager. He didn't want to see anything of Paris apart from the couple of things I had booked, little git, so we left him in the hotel room with the wifi connection while we explored the Champs Elysees the first afternoon and the Seine the second afternoon. He did join us for dinner, otherwise he'd have starved!

I have been to Paris before, at least three times I think, but the Eiffel tower never ceases to amaze. We saw it by night as we walked back to our hotel along the Seine, timing it perfectly** so that it was the top of the hour when it goes from being lit up and beautiful, to sparkly and breathtaking.   We also did a tour on Monday morning, which was very informative, there was mention of the number of rivets, an elephant and even Hitler, it's just a shame that the weather had closed in so much that when we got to the top we couldn't see the ground.


On Sunday afternoon we watched the Eiffel tower being used as a backdrop for the filming of a flashmob style*** recording of "Gangnam Style". As we set out to catch one of the Batobus (hop on & off taxi style boat)  they were all practicing and then as we returned, an hour or so later, we caught the actual filming.

In cities before I've booked tours, in New York we did a cycling tour of Central Park, Rome we cycled around too and Naples we did a culinary tour that ended in a pizza making workshop. For Paris I would have booked Segways, but J is too young, was about to book bikes when I stumbled across 4roues-sous-1parapluie. Wow! What a great, personal way to see Paris, 90 minutes being driven through light, Sunday morning traffic from the Eiffel tower to Notre Dame and most points in between (including up the Champs Elysees and around the Arc d'Triomphe****. It was made even more entertaining by the fact that this car is a French classic and people were stopping to take photos of us as we drove around.

All in all we had just 48 hours in Paris, a little taster, nothing more than that, saw the Louvre (only from the outside) and the Sacre Coeur (just about, from the Eiffel tower) but at least the children can report back that they've been up the Eiffel Tower and around the Arc d'Triomphe and along the Champs Elysees.   If they're interested, they can go back when they're older...



* We chose to drive, it's five hours, door to door.   We figured a flight plus all the airport transfers, hanging about etc. would take about the same time, plus we needed the car to drive to Disney.
** and accidentally
*** I'm sure the name "flashmob" is meant to imply that it happens on the spur of the moment in public, but these guys had an area in the Trocadero roped off and were all rehearsing in groups for most of the afternoon.
**** and it's an urban myth that your car insurance doesn't cover you here, what does happen apparently, is that any accident is declared to be the fault of everyone involved and so costs are split equally.

Sunday Snaps 132

We're in Paris for a couple of days, this was the view from the car as we were almost at our hotel.
Ignorance is bliss, don't you think? Blindly following the instructions from the satnav ensured that Si had no idea he had to navigate the traffic chaos that surrounds the Arc d'Triomph...

You can choose your friends

When Germans ask me what I miss about England I always say "my friends", the rest is importable - within reason, but friends are trickier. Hour long phone calls have to take the place of leisurely lunches and weekend/week long visits have to be organised months in advance to replace those casual drop bys for coffee and a chat. Long distance friendships like long distance relationships take time and effort from both parties in order to last and flourish.

I am lucky to have a good group of expat friends here now that supplement my 'old' friends back in the U.K. We are a mixed group of nationalities and ages with two things in common, we all speak English and none of us is German, and perhaps just as importantly, we are all there for each other.
This maybe sounds a little twee, but for most of us the closest relations are at least an hour's flight away, I say 'most of us' because some are married to Germans and therefore have inlaws close by who can be called upon in an emergency. And it's in an emergency, when you're living as an expat, that friends come into their own. Stuck on the autobahn because of a traffic accident and need to collect a child? Call a friend. Need someone to hold your hand at a gruesome doctors appointment? Call a friend. Missing a vital ingredient like Golden Syrup or self-raising flour? Call a friend. Need a lift home from the garage? Call a friend. Want cheering up with an evening of cocktails? Call all the friends.

This morning we (my expat girlies & I) spent the morning together celebrating three birthdays, Rachael's was last Saturday, Emma's was Monday and mine is this Saturday.
What a feast.
Karen was hosting, and boy, does she know how to put on a breakfast spread, we ate until we could eat no more and then there was cake, of course!
I think we (9 of us) got through two bottles of of Prosecco, many jugs of coffee, an egg casserole, a smoked salmon pizza thingy, plates of cheese and ham, banana loaf, croissants, bread rolls, tomato and mozarella, boiled eggs and last but not least cake.
Friendship is truly a remarkable thing.

An English Thing

An American friend surprised me a while ago when she wrote (either on her blog or FB, I can't remember which) that she had had an unexpectedly fun time with her new Brit friends, I think she'd expected us to be very straight laced, prim and proper and yet there we were, not quite swinging from the light fittings and getting thrown out of the bar, but quite definitely having a ball.

Similarly a Fench friend expressed surprise when I admitted that despite having a garden, and therefore having to 'garden'*, I'm not a fan of gardening.  To me a garden is for sitting in with a tall glass of Pimms, a bowl of nibbles and a good book.

I guess growing up in the U.K. you never really have to confront the fact that people from other countries have misconceptions and preconceived notions about you, just because you have British passport.

There are some stereotypes that I do conform to however.

- being happy naked.  Naked sauna is a BIG thing here, and I, like most of my English expat friends would rather walk over hot coals** than sit with friends, naked.  We're trying to organise a girlie spa day, it's proving impossible because so many of the 'wellness' places here expect their clientele to be nackt.

- have bad teeth. My teeth are perfectly healthy, which my German dentist considers to be nothing short of a miracle, however they're not straight, and straight teeth are considered a god given right here.   I was recently at the dentist and as she is currently off on maternity leave I got her stand in.  I was not amused when he asked if I'd considered having my teeth straightened...I told him that they'd been like that a long time and were quite happy, cheeky bugger.

- drink tea.  I do drink coffee (but it has to be good coffee) but my beverage of choice for breakfast is tea, two cups please and then and only then am I prepared to meet the day. What's more, I prefer my tea the way I make it, not too weak (so that you can taste the milk, bleurgh) and not so strong that a spoon would stand up in it.  When certain guests are here I will make sure to offer tea just so that I don't then have to drink their offering***.

- hate confrontation. This is me to the core.   I'm more likely to turn and walk away than face up to an argument.  In fact this very issue is what sparked today's subject.  J was in a school show last summer, the people at the local theatre who run a kids theatre group were impressed with her and specifically asked her to come along this autumn and join in.  J went with a friend, had a great time and we sent in the enrolment form.  The friend didn't, but rather than 'fessing up, said nothing.  Now J doesn't want to go on her own, but is in tears over missing out.   And I am livid.  But will I say anything to the mother (who also happens to be a friend of mine) highly unlikely.  For one thing, it wont gain me anything, the problem will still be there, although if she does ask about it I shall tell her about J's tears.

- being polite.  I hate the idea that someone might think me impolite, and I will probably let someone push in front of me in the queue at the bakers (although only one person and I will glare at their back as they do it and mutter about it afterwards) and rather than offer an outright 'no' to a request that I don't like the sound of I am more likely to give a 'maybe' response, afterall I don't want to hurt their feelings!

Since moving away from England I do feel more English, I have never been as patriotic as I am now and yet the very distance that has fertilized my patriotism has also allowed me to see Britiain for what it is, I can see clearly its faults and failings and love it despite these.****

* my version of gardening is more the slash and burn method, well it would be if the burning of garden refuse was allowed here, instead I have to haul the sacks of debris to the recyclinghof, and pray they don't tip over in my car on the way there, fun.

** whilst fully clothed clearly.

*** and they thought I was being a wonderful hostess....

**** but no, I'm in no rush to go back to the island, I'm quite happy here in my new home thankyou.