A Taste of Home

Hi everyone....I'm finally getting a chance, thanks to the neighbor girls for kid-sitting the peanuts, to do a post or two that have been waiting fairly patiently.  Pics are now downloaded from my phone and camera so here we go....

In January J was supposed to make a trip to the US to do an audio book in the studio.  At the last minute it was put on hold and since the hotel was non-refundable T and I jumped on the plane and spent a cold week in NYC.  It ended up snowing there while we were flying so we landed in a white wonderland that lasted a couple days.  Long enough for T to enjoy it and short enough for me to enjoy it. :)

The trip was a very good break from France and a good chance for T to see some friends he asks about ALL the time, get in a good snowball fight, and make a snowman (albeit a rather small one), and for me to do some comfort Target shopping, catch up with some of my favorite NJ/NYC girls, and get my Starbucks fix. :)

I used just my cell phone for all the pics.  Here's what we did.....

This was on the way to Target.  On the way back from the store we saw people pass it and smile,
not knowing T had made it.

A little exercise at the Children's Museum of Manhattan.

Had our favorite hotel brunch at the Hyatt in Jersey City with it's awesome view of Manhattan.
A bit of a cloudy day. 

Rebuilding the skyline around the World Trade Center area.

Met my friend at this super cute (French) coffee spot, La Maison du Macaron.  Yummy macaroons!!

A pizza party for T and his friends from our old apartment building and his school.

The Portside Three Musketeers.

Got my NYC diner fix at Johnny Rockets.  The staff does a little dance for you when the tune is right.

An American meal...burger (turkey for me) with cheese, tomato, bacon, ketchup, mayo, some cheese fries and a strawberry and banana shake. YUMMMMMMMM.  The one thing you CANNOT get here in France!  No one makes turkey burgers or a meal this good and greasy!

Our one beautiful sunny day.  Good time to play in the sun and have a little siesta.

I really stocked up at Target!  I was a little nervous about going through customs. :)

Only in Europe, this is in the Frankfurt airport, a smoking box!

The tickets were super cheap so maybe this will be our yearly mom and son voyage.  At any rate, it was a great trip even with the crummy weather!

This New Cyber-World....

I just love this new Cyber-World we live in.  It makes me feel that the world has become so much smaller, more accessible.  I'm not a phone person, don't know why, but I just find it soooo hard to pick up the phone and call someone.  But to throw out an e-mail or text and get one back right away….I love it.  Yes, yes, "but it's making us less social and more solitary", but for me, it's made me keep in contact with people just a bit better. I'm almost more social.

Sooooo, now living in France I see it even more.  Facebook was taboo with me just 6 months ago, now I check it once a day.  (I don't go crazy though and get messages sent to my phone, but I do keep up.)  I feel that I can just let people know I'm thinking of them and care about their lives with one simple "like".  I can also let everyone know something with one "share".  It used to be I had to call a number of people to share any news.  And that takes time.  Sometime you just don't want to take that much time to do something.  Maybe that's why I have a hard time with making a phone call.  It takes time.

I heard someone say once that he was upset that his niece had sent him a condolence over Facebook.  He thought it rude, that she should have called.  Maybe, but she's young and he's not so much anymore, and she's of a new age, he's not so much.  Our worlds and etiquette are a changin'.

Even e-mail, texting, and instant messaging help us all to stay more connected.  I can have a conversation with someone for free basically through all of these, instantaneously, anywhere.  I don't have to wait for them to get home to check their messages.  And it's been awhile since I had to wait for a letter to be delivered and the reply to arrive.  Do we realize that our children will probably never write or receive a handwritten letter? (Although getting one is still super special!)

And Skype, wholly moses how fantastic is that!?!  Since Daddy is stuck in NYC doing work, we've been able to feel like he's right here, within reach.  He even shared bath time (with the kids).  It was like he was there in the room with us.  He even caught T pouring water over Emm's head while I wasn't looking.  Wow, does that mean that cyber babysitting will be next???

The kids getting to chat with Daddy.

Emmerson getting to see an old friend who got left in NYC...soon to be reunited.

So anyway, there are no worries about living a country away when I have the means to stay connected as if I was next door.  And the Grandparents can still have regular visits with the grandchildren and watch them grow.  (Although I may have to make a trip home to help them set up their camera and Skype.)

The IPad Special...

I didn't know these IPads were so darn in demand.  Seems they sell out like hotcakes!

James and I decided to get an IPad, especially now that it has Skype, and figured we should pick one up in America since with the exchange rate it's about $200 less in cost.  But, when he called around to see if stores, Best Buy, Target, Apple, etc., had any, they all said no.  

Except...Apple knows in the morning at 7:30am if they got in any in a shipment.  Ends up it's like a hot concert ticket where people wait in line outside the store every morning to see if they're lucky enough to nab one.  

So, James gets in line at 6:30am and is already about number 20.  By 7:30 there are another 20 behind him.  The Apple employee comes out with the news.  No IPads with Verizon or At&T contracts, just WIFI without a contract in black or white.  So immediately half the people leave groaning, and the rest left standing end up all being foreigners.  Funny.  Cause in a way now we're foreigners too.

The Apple employee comes down the line and asks what James wants, you're allowed two only, and he says okay, two.  The store then opens special for these lined customers and the coolest thing happens.  (Okay, maybe cool to us cause we're old and not used to these new fad things)  James is now met by an employee holding his two IPads, she walks him over to a table, pulls out her IPhone and does the whole transaction with her phone.  Scans the boxes, then his credit card, he signs her phone with his finger, and she e-mails him the receipt.  Super cool.  Gotta love this "new age."

Now, we are officially a 5, yes I said 5, Apple family.  So that makes one for everyone, even Charlie.  I wonder if our stock went up?

The Eagle Has Landed...

NOTE....be prepared, it's a long one.  You may want to pour a glass of red wine and get comfy.  Or do it as a three part series. :) 

I've been a bit AWOL lately, sorry.  Lots has been happening and it's taken everything in me to keep up.  Let alone not having internet here in France yet.  So I bought a 3G key for the computer and am using it to send this out into the cyber world and catch everyone up on what's been going on with the final move.

So, let's start on Thursday April 28th.  Charlie's International Medical Certificate arrived from the USDA, WHEW (btw...there is no quarantine for France and all the dogs need are up-to-date rabies, a microchip, and a vet exam 10 days prior to flying and a stamped International Medical Certificate-filled out by a certified vet and stamped by your local USDA-to enter), 

AND...UPS came and picked up the boxes.  We had priced 20 and were aiming to be ruthless and get down to 10.  We ended up with 19.  Hmmm.  Well at least it wasn't 20!  So…mission accomplished!

Friday was jam packed with saying goodbye to friends and agents.  Always when I'm leaving do I find the time to get together with my lovely girlfriends and realize just how wonderful getting together for coffee is!! This is the, "I'm not gonna see them for a long time", phenomenon that makes us do the things we really should be doing regularly.  Or at least it is for me.  Note to self for the "new" life...Don't do that!!

Saturday and Sunday I worked on creative ways to pack two bags with all my clothes and the kids clothes and those little extras that seemed to be needed.  I ended up with three bags in the end. Not a problem really since we had three tickets and each allowed a bag.  BUT…what I forgot to mention is that James ended up needing to stay in NYC to do three audio books in a studio and will be joining us in three weeks.  So I was on my own with two kids, a dog, and three bags to deal with, let alone not knowing the language.  I wasn't really that worried, was going with the "zen" approach.  (didn't really have any other choice)

If you think this is ugly, you should have seen them before  surgery. :)

Monday, May 2nd, I got my stitches out and we flew.  I really must have been quite a sight walking around the airport with two kids and a dog in my slippers.  Yes, my slippers.  I couldn't put my feet in my tennis shoes yet so I had no other choice.  Thankfully I understood the idea of using the big muscly guys outside the airport and the art of tipping.  Therefor I didn't have to lug my three bags or wait in the LONG line to check in.  Thank you Mister Outside Bag Man, you were my White Knight!!  

Finding ways to spend our 5 hour layover in Germany.

Can't really say much else about the trip, the kids were on extra special behavior, obviously they knew mommy needed it or someone would lose a head, and we landed on Tuesday in warm sunny Nice, France without a problem.  Well, besides that mean German man who was rude to Emmerson, but we'll skip that.  

Grandpa met us, we took a cab to the apartment, unpacked and then re-met Grandpa out to have a bite to eat.  Everyone surprisingly had energy even after all that traveling…..until the ravioli hit their bellies.  Taylor suddenly glazed over, laid his head on the table, and was asleep in two milliseconds.  Made for a difficult walk up the hill to the apartment.  

Wednesday we did our banking, got minutes for the phone, shopped for groceries, Skyped Daddy, and relaxed. This is so easy.

Thursday Taylor started school again.  He was in super good spirits when we picked him up so I assume he slid back into the system quite easily.  And it seems little Nikita was happy to see him which I'm sure helped.

Should have known by her face that it was the beginning of the end. The other photo I took looks much more confident but less poignant. :)

Friday, Emmerson got to start school too.  Well, her type of school being two and all.  She was super excited since she was going to Taylor's school and got to take her new book bag.  She proudly entered the school and sat with Taylor in the waiting area until the teacher gathered her and the other mini students to head downstairs to their area.  What a big girl she's become already.  And YEAH!!!  Mommy got a day off to tool around and do nothing.  


Ok, far from the nothing I was aiming for, I went to the Orange store to sign up for Internet, cable, and phone…..and the beautiful vacation came to a screaming halt.  I knew I should have been better about doing my Rosetta Stone!!  So I called in assistance from my new California expat friend who was a smart girl and studied French for years once she knew she wanted to live here.  I wish I was her.

And, I will have everything installed in oh, maybe, three weeks…….ah, gotta love the French.

Friday continued...it was also Emm's last day of school.  Seems she was a bit weepy and clingy with the teachers and they thought it best to wait til September to go at it again. She's usually quite independent, but if I had all those new people around me and most speaking a new language I'd be weepy and clingy too.  Don't fret my little sweetie, we'll have lots of fun together.  You'll be my cafe and beach buddy.  

Saturday was spent at the "Beach Club" in St Laurent Du Var with three other moms and their kids. The restaurant is on the beach so the ladies got to sit and have cocktails and food while the kids played in the sand. Must go there again!

That's Taylor being shot out of a tube that started up in the trees.

Sunday was spent at an outdoor park called Le Bois des Lutins (The Forest of Elves) in Villeneuve, where the kids got to climb rope ladders to tree houses and then slide down huge slides from up in the trees.  If I didn't have such bum feet I'd have been doing as much climbing and sliding as Taylor!!  Next door was a tennis club so next time James can come for his tennis lessons while we children play in the forest. :)

Monday, May 9th, Taylor goes to a farm with his school and I find some fun classes for Emmerson to attend at Le Kid's Club.

I don't know about you reading this, but I'm tired, and loving every minute of it!!

And there you have it.  My week and a half NYC to Nice transition.

And the List Goes On....

In 12 days we leave.  Crazy how fast time goes.  As always, you feel you have tons of time to get everything done and then all of a sudden you have two days to see all your friends, pack all your things, get all your papers in order, close up your house, the list goes on.

I'm currently recovering from a second round of bunion surgery in a month (I loved it sooo much the first time around I thought I'd do it again). and making a list of all the things that need to be done as the days trickle away.

Bandages from bunion surgery.  Yes, it hurt.

I have to admit that I always hear people who talk about ALLLLLL the things they need to do before making a huge move and this doesn't seem as difficult as I assumed it would be.  It's probably all the pain meds! I don't know.  But, here's my list for anyone who's wondering.....

1. Charlie's Vet appointment for his International Medical Certificate, i.e. Pet Passport
2. Box up our "10" boxes, fill out customs forms, print shipping labels, and take to Post Office
3. Sell or have all excess furniture and such removed from apartment
4. Kids last Well Visit and Vaccines
5. Get all updated doctor and dental records
6. Cancel utilities and cell phones
7. Talk to Taylor's school about leaving
8. Organize bank accounts and transfer any extraneous monies into them
9. Cancel any unnecessary credit cards and memberships
10. Figure out how to pack my favorite piece of art, a painting by Kristopher Stillwell
11. Drop off toys to our favorite daycare and clothes to a donation center
12. Ebay those few pairs of shoes I decided to part with
13. Change of address to Post Office-our friend is taking in any mail that still comes to us
14. Create a phone book of all my friend's numbers in my cellphone
15. Contact all my friends, even the old ones I haven't talked to in a while, and tell them we're moving and how to keep in contact with us
16. Contact the ABC School in France and make sure they have room for both kids when we return
17. Have coffee dates with all my close friends before I ship out
18. Talk myself into letting my mom see the kids before we go (a long story that one day may be told)
19. Get my hair colored and cut, Taylor's hair cut, and Charlie one last grooming
20. Pack our suitcases.....

Painting by Kristopher Stillwell

I'm sure more things will come up, but that's pretty much the list.  Now if I could just walk, some of it could actually get done. Oh vanity, she rules me so.  But cute shoes in my future is soooo worth it.  I'll just have to work double time next week.

We invite you on our journey, the door is always open!!

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Four Lives in 10 Boxes.....

And the countdown begins......


James booked us on a flight back to France for May 2nd.  Now that the date is set we figured we should get a move on clearing the apartment and all of our needless "things."


So, we put up an ad on Craigs List offering all our goods.  Saying basically, "if you can see it, it's for sale."  Well, within one week we've been picked clean of most all our furniture and quite a few kitchen things.  I'm currently sitting on my big comfy sofa giving it a cuddle since it will be leaving the family in a few short days. 


Already Taylor's bed, our dressers, the dining table and chairs, my desk, and our office cabinets have gone, along with lots of shelving.  Taylor handled it really well once we discussed how difficult it would be to take his bed on the plane.  The other big pieces are leaving us this weekend.  What will remain for the next three weeks is our mattress, Emm's toddler bed and the TV shelving unit.  Crazy!  We'll have to have family picnics on our bed and watch movies on the computer. :)  


So......the 10 boxes have begun development.  As a reminder, we had a moving company give us a quote to move half of our furnitue and belongings to France and he gave us a price of $13,600.  We decided against that, obviously, and chose to ask UPS how much to send boxes.  It came to $100 for a 20lb box, $150 for a 30lb box.  So we set ourselves a goal of 10 boxes.  (With wiggle room of course.  Cause as I've said before, I'm a packrat.)


We moved all the things we thought we wanted to keep into the bedroom and all the things we didn't want to keep into the living room.  We ended up with 13 boxes in the bedroom.  We also gave Taylor and Emm each a box to fill with their favorite toys. If it fit it could come to France. T ended up putting some things in Emm's box and she didn't seem to mind since she plays with them too.  They ended up with three once I added their books and cuddlies.  One box is kept in mind for my favorite kitchen items, the cutlery/knife drawer and the cooking utlensils.  Yes, I'm sure France makes these things, but I'm partial to my dodads. Then add in a couple boxes for linens, love my down comforter and cover and have priced them out there.  Might as well spend to send.  So, we start with about 20.

Now, we'll spend the next week or so narrowing down these boxes to try and get as close to 10 as we can and then the final week of packing the 4 suitcases we'll bring on the plane.  Whew.  


Now I'm starting to get a wee bit anxious. Cause time will go fast and as much as you think you have it all under control, the day creeps up to you and you find you're scrambling.  And there are soooo many things to do before we leave, people to try and get together with, and dentist appointments, and doctors visits, and..................

"She's a Human Being isn't She???"

As I hang around couch-bound after bunion surgery the only work towards the move I can do is on the computer.  So, I was looking into flights for us to return to Nice and it reminded me of a story I wanted to share.....


Last April (2010) we planned a two week trip to Nice, France to visit with Grandpa and help him to settle into his new city.  Everyone was excited to go and Taylor had told all his school friends he was going to France.  Our date was shortly after the volcano issue and, lucky us, the day before our flight planes were finally okayed to fly in our trip's direction. 

Just dropped at airport...(T really was excited, you'll just have to believe me)

On the day we grabbed T from the bus, jumped into a cab and headed to the airport.  Each plane we saw taking off made us all the more excited.  We got into line, not horribly long surprisingly (we had expected the airport to be jammed with stranded people waiting for a break), and waited.  Well, with two young children anything more than five minutes is long and they began to complain.  A nice British Airways woman rescued us and let us into the business class line which was MUCH shorter. 


Once at the check-in desk we presented all our papers and passports and gave ourselves high fives that we were almost on our way.  Then, the British Airways woman asks for the infant's passport.  Ummmm....


Here's the conversation...


Us:  "The what?"  


Her:  "The baby's passport."  


Us:  "She doesn't have a passport."


Her:  "She needs a passport to travel."


Us:  "But she's only 1 years old! She doesn't even walk yet. Why does she need a passport?"


The male co-worker now standing behind Her:  "She's a HUMAN BEING isn't she?!"


(Add a silent "DUH" after his statement, coupled with hands on hips and a cocked head and eyebrow)


Her:  "NEXT..." (looking over us and never again in our direction)


Us:  "But what are we to do?  Our plane leaves in two hours?"


Silence.....


Well, we moved away from the desk, heads hung low, Taylor asking why we weren't getting on the plane.  I felt like I was going to both throw up and throw down.  The lady and the man were officially off my Christmas list.  We called a cab to take us home and rode home in silence.


Now, comes the hurray part......


James, my amazingly wonderful husband, and our incredibly intelligent friend Jen worked it out so we could still use our tickets with no penalty and we rescheduled for two weeks later.  It ended up that, lucky for us, there was a "Volcano" umbrella that allowed us to reschedule our trip at no extra cost.  


Now it wasn't easy mind  you.  James had to talk to a couple BA operators who didn't know what they were doing and finally got a manager that was super good at his job and worked it all out for us.  But because we were so crushed by the ordeal we didn't see the way until Jen propped us back up.


Jen:  "You gave them thousands of your dollars for tickets and they still owe them to you, now get back on that phone and get your tickets!"


A couple days later I dashed up to Philadelphia and got Emm a passport and renewed mine overnight since it was close to expiring.  We kept our bags packed and made our next flight.  Whew!  Now, it's just a fun story we get to tell at dinner parties.


POSITIVE SIDE...the good karma part that kept me positive through it all was that because our family (three seats on the plane) couldn't go, it opened up three seats to people who were stranded in NYC due to the cancellation of their flights from the volcano. 


MORAL...If you're human, you need a passport.  And those BA agents are sticklers for that rule!

Tuna Casserole

This week has been a mishmosh of craziness.  Like a good casserole, filled with all kinds of things that all come together in one lovely satisfying meal. Ok, this weeks events may not have been satisfying or lovely, but all the events of this week were very educational regarding our move to a foreign country. Let me fill you in....


1.  We had an international moving company come to give us a quote on sending our belongings to France.  We love our couch and ottoman, it's big and comfy and the ottoman is a multitasker.  (See pic) Yes, we know they make these kinds of things in France, but we're partial to ours so we considered bringing the beast along with us. Along with Taylor's bed, a few shelving units and some boxes of kitchen stuff, books, and linens.  WELL, what a wake up call that was, a $13,600 wake up call.  If we re-bought all the stuff in France plus everything else we'd need to furnish a home we'd only spend about $10,000.  So, plan "B".  UPS will send small boxes at 20-30 pounds for about $100-$150.  So, we decided to be RUTHLESS (did you notice that ruthless is now in capitals!) and only take 10, yes 10 boxes. (we'll add one or two if in dire need)


MORAL: Either make sure you're being sent by your company so the move is paid for or say goodbye to your "things" and relish the idea of big shopping sprees on the other side.

2.  Taylor decided to try and leap over a small jungle gym at school and broke out his three front teeth.  When I entered the school to pick him up, unaware of the true damage, I was met with a line of school personnel.  Tip off that this was not just a little boo boo.  As we made our way to the Nurse's office, the Vice Principal said that the accident involved many teeth and I would probably need to consult a Dental Surgeon.  My heart sank and my mind raced, I didn't know a dental surgeon and if he needed one right away, what was I to do?  We had recently been to a new dentist near our house so I called them immediatley and they took us right in.  In the end he didn't need surgery, what looked like bone fragment hanging out of his gums was actually one of the teeth.  The whole sight was pretty gruesome but cleaned up well and in the end wasn't so severe.  But, it did make me realize that if we were in France I wouldn't know what to do or where to go or who to call.  (Note to readers...T is doing just fine!!)


MORAL:  As soon as you get to your new country, maybe even before, find the local doctors who speak English (cause if it's me on my own without James to translate then I'm in trouble with a French only Doc.) and meet them and get their numbers into your phone.  AngloInfo.com is a good place to start the search. AND know what number(s) to call for emergencies at any hour of the day.  When we were there this winter I didn't even know the number for the Police or the Fire Department. Pretty silly of me now that I look back on it. 

3.  Went to the French Consulate here in NYC to try and get a work permit.  I attempted a "Competencies and Talents" visa but was turned away.  Not for that visa in particular, but because supposedly as a wife of an EU citizen I don't need a work permit.  WHAT?????  Now I told Sami, my consultant at the French Consulate, all about my meeting with the lovely lady at Cadam in Nice, France.  He looked at me stunned and said he'd never heard of such a thing and that she didn't know her laws.  OK, now I'm confused.  Does anyone know the truth here???  So, another lady, the one he kept excusing himself to go and consult with regarding the info I was giving him, came out of hiding and backed him up.  She said to look up the EU agreement and see what it says.  Well, I found it.  It states very clearly that I do not need a special permit to work.  That I have all the same rights as my EU spouse.  I was hoping it would even say that I was NOT the junk in his trunk to show the nice lady at Cadam, but that particular phrase was no where to be found.  Darn.  Now, you'll just have to stay tuned to see if indeed this works on the workers at Cadam. (Note to readers...if you feel lost, read the post "I'm the Junk in His Trunk" to catch up on my visit to Cadam in search of a work permit)


MORAL:  When it comes to French policy and politics, nothing is as it seems.  Be ready for what you believe to be the truth to not actually be the truth. And so it seems that if you're feeling confused, you're doing everything right. Can someone say "run around?!" Next window please...


We invite you on our journey, the door is always open!!

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The Classic American Roadtrip

This week I had the pleasure of going on a good ole American Roadtrip for a photo shoot.  Now unlike in Europe, if we drive 4 hours we've only crossed a state, not a country (or two).  Most people complain, but I really don't mind long roadtrips.  As a child of the Midwest, anytime we got in the car for a drive it was at least 4 hours.


Since we're moving ourselves overseas this will probably be my last (American) one for quite awhile so it seems fitting that everything about my trip was quintessential America.

• I had to drive to Massachusetts.  
• On the way I dropped into my favorite type of restaurant, the classic Diner.  
• I ate a burger (a surprisingly delicious turkey one) with onion rings. 
• Stayed in a Red Roof Inn.
• And worked for Yankee Candle.  

I don't think it could be any more "Apple Pie"!  Here's a photo tour for your viewing pleasure...

Thank you Raymond for being the best waiter EVER!

Yankee candle has the yummiest smelling candles so my job was SUPER EASY!  They're doing a campaign for the new stores opening this year.  So if you're lucky enough to have a store opening near you you'll see my shots.  Give me a shout out if you do!

Do they have Fruit Loops in France?

As I continue to pack and go about my normal American days I come across things I will miss or that I want to make sure and buy to take back to France.  


The other day we went to the Hyatt Hotel here in Jersey City Downtown for breakfast, a treat we give ourselves sometimes.  I mean, who can resist a hotel buffet breakfast, and the kids eat FREE! The restaurant looks over the Hudson River to Manhattan so it's also quite lovely sitting there.  


Anyhoo, we were munching on some Fruit Loops and I started to wonder if they had Fruit Loops in France.  Not that we eat them much, but it got me thinking.


Things I will miss.....

The playroom.

Such a great thing to have with two kids who need to get out and play with other kids -for free!  It's in my building so totally convenient and no need to pack up the kids for a trip to the park. We can literally take a trip down the hallway in our socks.  And it creates such a community with the families.

The dog parks.

Although the French love their dogs, they don't let them play together.  Strange if you ask me. So far I haven't found a dog park where the dogs get to run free and mingle.  Maybe I'll try to organize something for little Charlie.

24 hour shopping.

I love that the French are focused on family so the shops close in the evening and Sundays, but I'm used to going to the deli at 10pm when an ice cream craving kicks in. Better learn to stock up.

Ziplock bags.

I know, silly, but they're certainly VERY handy.

Understanding the product labels in the grocery/pharmacy stores.

You don't know what I've gone through just trying to find the right creamer for my coffee!! And forget about when I needed Baking Soda and Baking Powder for making carrot bread.  I'm afraid to make the bread cause I'm STILL not sure I have the right things!


Going on casting and auditions.


I love going out on my appointments.  I get to see all my friends and have a little catch up while we wait.  Sometime we even plan a coffee or diner visit in between appointments if we're not going on the same ones.  It's nice and I'll miss the built in social aspect of my "job".

Starbucks.

Ok, again, I know!  French coffee is super delicious and the culture is all about relaxing at the cafe drinking your coffee.  Which is wonderful. But I LOVE getting my big cup of coffee (with a sippy lid-child that I am) and walking to where ever it is I need to go, maybe that's just to sit in a park, while enjoying my coffee.  It's comforting to me to hold my cup and to leisurely drink it on the go.  I call it my adult bottle.  In France if I get a "cafe a emporter", it's a dixie cup of coffee, yummy as it is, with no lid.  Certainly not very portable and with one sip it's gone.  Just not the same.

ALTHOUGH...Starbucks is infiltrating the country, as much as they hate it, just not in Nice or the smaller towns.  I'd have to go all the way to Marseille to get it.  I like my Starbucks, but lets not go crazy.  Maybe that's a venture for me?  Is franchise owner in my future?  Hmmmm.  Free coffee is certainly an incentive!

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