Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Je Suis Ici!

We arrived in Paris on Sunday, three days ago and only two days late. It was a drizzly and overcast day, but it felt perfect to me. We were so lucky to have a taxi driver take us to our apartment who happened to have such a familiar grasp on what we must do in Paris that we were recommended such hidden gems as Eurodisney and the Moulin Rouge, and thank goodness he warned us about certain sex shops that get you in the door but then charge a fortune for champagne. Thanks taxi driver, that was brilliant and appropriate advice...

Walking into our apartment was definitely a bit of a shock. Even though we viewed the pictures dozens of times and even used tape measure to block off the portion of our Phoenix home that would give us an idea of the size of this place, it was still surprising how small it really was. But, once we got unpacked and spent some time checking it out, we both got used to the size quickly. It's pretty well laid out and as long as we fold up the hide-a-bed as soon as we're up in the morning, it's comfortable and cozy. And who can complain when we happen to have a view of the Eiffel Tower from our dining area?! It may only be the top 20 feet or so, but we can see it nonetheless! It lights up the sky at night and the whole thing sparkles every evening for about 5 minutes at 7:00, giving me something to look forward to each day!

Something tells me that Majerle was born to be Parisian. I had a calculated plan to start out my walks with him using his muzzle the entire time, then reducing this each day, presuming he was not growling at passersby or barking at anyone who looks in his direction which is his usual habit. But I have yet to use his muzzle even once because he's been a perfect street walker! He weaves through the constant crowds of people better than I do, although sometimes we head different directions and then nearly trip people with this leash. He puts up well with me tugging him in all different directions. When we walk the bridges crossing the Seine, he loves to pull me aside to jump up on the side of the bridge to see the river. I guess he's impressed and wants to take it all in too!

Our neighborhood is exactly what we were hoping for. We thought we already knew it inside & out thanks to our many virtual jaunts around the streets a la Google Earth, but we are pleasantly surprised every day with new discoveries. Yesterday, for example, I found that L'Olympia, a very famous music hall where Edith Piaf sang one of her final concerts, is tucked away on a street just minutes away. I have counted already three H&Ms within a five minute walk scattered around the world renowned Galleries Lafayette and Au Printemps, department stores that occupy about four long blocks. C'est tres dangereux pour moi! Within a 30 second walk we have estimated there are two grocery stores and at least 15 restaurants, including two patisseries and two sushi bars. Our street is also lined with all sorts of shops and salons. The nearest metro station is only 3 minutes away, although we have yet to use it since everything is walking distance.

It is definitely time for us to get going on the job search, although it's tough to get motivated with all of these wonderful distractions!

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