Things take a really long time here.

Posted: July 16, 2012 | Author: Jessica Slice | Filed under: dogs, food, friends, Paris | Tags: Bob's Kitchen, paris |2 Comments »

I had hoped to post yesterday and simply ran out of time. That’s sort-of amazing considering that all we did yesterday was:

- eat breakfast

- take a walk

- sort our suitcases

- shower

- lunch

- shop for dinner

- read

- cafe for snack

- dinner at home

- Ally McBeal

- bed

It’s just that everything takes a REALLY long time. For example, we didn’t  finish our lunch out yesterday until 3:30. We then spent until 5:30 finding food for dinner. Many stores are closed Sunday, plus you have to visit a different store for vegetables, cheese, bread, etc.

All that to say, I’m sorry for my absence.

As I thought about the blog today I was tempted to start delving into all the new thoughts I’ve been having here. Thoughts on health, travel, food, time, happiness, etc. It’s like I’m a college freshman all over again. However, I’d love to just review the first couple days to give a glimpse of what life has been like settling into our little attic apartment in the Marais.

We arrived around 1pm on Friday and after putting down our 48 bags, walked immediately to the brasserie on the corner for lunch (although it felt like breakfast but we should probably call it lunch because we had already had breakfast a couple times).

The corner cafe is perfect and I had an omelet and coffee. Joel demolished his sandwich and we felt much more human after.

 

After lunch we unpacked as best we could. This place is TINY. the ceilings are low low low. It’s adorable and we love our landlord though so we feel really happy with our choice. I’ll give a photo tour of the apartment in an upcoming post. For now I’ll leave you with the view from our bedroom window.

After unpacking we explored the neighborhood a bit including a walk through Paris’s oldest covered market. After picking up a few groceries and freshening up at home, we walked to a nearby cafe known for their salads.

We enjoyed two fresh build-your-own salads at the very early (for Paris) dinner time of 7:30. If you know me at all you know that’s about 3 hours after I usually eat and about 30 minutes before my bedtime.

We forced ourselves to stay awake until 9:30 by watching The Bachelorette and researching the neighborhood. Ben Nevis had a few ladies he needed to email.

 

Saturday morning we woke up refreshed around 7:00 and left for our walk (after some yogurt at home). We were so amazed that jet-lag wasn’t an issue and we seem to have adjusted to the time change almost immediately.

We stopped at a brasserie for a coffee at the bar before visiting Notre Dame.

Visiting the cathedral our first day couldn’t have been more perfect and I felt so full of hope and energy. I lit a candle and prayed for our year, our marriage, our family and our friends.

After the cathedral we walked to the likely location of our second apartment.

The walk was about all I could handle, physically, and we took the metro home for a break.

After some reading we walked a few blocks to Bob’s Kitchen. I was elated to find gluten free, sugar free, soy free pancakes with fresh fruit and greek yogurt. I really was beside myself.

After lunch Joel spent about 4 hours running errands (he purchased convertors and a pillow it’s just that everything really does take forever).

I read at a cafe, napped, and picked up some produce for dinner. (When I purchased the avocado he asked me if I was eating it today or tomorrow).

I “cooked” dinner in our apartment, with Nevis’ help of course. Cooking on 1 square foot of space and using a dorm fridge is an adjustment.

We enjoyed our first dinner in at our tiny apartment and went to bed Saturday very optimistic about our year.

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