Making Friends in France

I've read on many ex-pat blogs and discussion boards about the difficulty in making friends in France.  While I don't doubt that this can be true, I have found that it is easier if you're open to trying new experiences and not writing off any possible avenues.

The French tend to really take their time in regards to colleagues because of the risks involved in mixing your personal and professional lives, but it can still result in a friendship over time or if one of you leaves the company.  I'm glad that I did not decide the workplace was completely off-limits because this is how I met my first French friend.  I would have been her boss, but since she left the company, a friendship is possible now.  She is a lovely woman and I look forward to spending time with her again over the holiday break.

While out exploring France, do try a café (or chocolat) gourmand.  It's a lovely offering of mini-desserts with espresso or hot chocolate (or sometimes tea).

I mentioned at the start of this post that one shouldn't write off any options because I met my second French friend in a most unexpected way.  I have determined that I do not want all of my friends to be American and British ex-pats, and I know there are others who feel the same way, but some ex-pats really make an effort to avoid befriending any other ex-pats (or I've read they do).  While I can understand the desire to integrate into French society through having French friends, if I had excluded all Anglo ex-pats from my social circle, I would never have met my second French friend.  He's the neighbor of my American co-worker and new to the area, so he's also interested in meeting people.  So, we're now friends and exploring the area to see if we can add even more friends to our group (or have a good time trying anyway)!

I haven't told him that I blog yet so, for his privacy, we'll call him Pierre(he knows now, hates the name Pierre & said to use his real name).  So far, Alexis and I seem to have several things in common that should make for an enjoyable friendship.  I have met a few French men now though and I'm learning that they tend to be really chivalrous, even as friends (or colleagues for that matter).  When I first met Alexis, my co-worker mentioned that I have a snake issue.  This was in regards to me learning, during my first 3 months here, that there are poisonous snakes (!) in France.  We have only very tiny non-poisonous snakes in the area where I've lived my whole life.  Picture borrowed from the internet of an Asp Viper, which lives in my region.

When I talked to PB about this, he was trying to tell me how to identify the asp vipers and I told him that I wouldn't get close enough to try!  If the blasted thing was in my house, I'd lock myself in the car until someone could remove it.  Of course, on weekends he lives quite far away, so there was some discussion of how long I was really willing to sleep in my car (yes, all weekend if a snake is involved)!

Alexis helpfully suggested that the firemen here will come remove snakes for you, so I could simply call them up and I wouldn't need PB's help.  I'm certainly glad I learned this prior to any horrific snake incidents!  This backstory about French snakes is necessary to understand the below example of how chivalrous French men really are.  Your new male French friend is likely to happily offer his help . . . of course, in my case, he also clarified he's no (snake-killing) fire person; however, he clarified that he'll kill my snakes, so I think we'll manage just fine!

I'll be back on Thursday with the rest of my Les Sables d'Olonne weekend and what Halloween is like in France!

Part 1: The Vendee Globe Race and a Gorgeous Weekend on the Atlantic

I'm finding that I want to add pics to the story of my weekends rather than letting the pics I took drive the story, so I'll be posting fewer of them here.  They'll all be up on my FB page "American in France" for those interested: An American In France FB

I thought it would be fun to see the Vendée Globe village, although clearly the attacks are on my mind since I intentionally decided not to go next weekend when the boat launch happens (and also because I hate crowds).  As it turned out, this was a perfect plan because November 1 is a holiday and I'd forgotten that the French nearly always bridge to the holiday.  I was able to extend my trip for the full 4 days!  This blog is two parts due to that.

People who know me well know that my heart is happy at the beach and I was prepared to go for a weekend, no matter the weather, but was pleasantly surprised with near 70s F and sun!

I'm glad it was lovely because I was a little misled by the hotel saying there's free street parking and a lot nearby - there's nothing on the actual street of the hotel (not even to pull over and check-in), and on a lovely weekend, the free parking was full (and nearly all the paid too).  After a frustrating search, I finally found a good spot 10 minutes away.  Not a bad walk, unless you have 4 days of luggage to haul with you!

I've never actually been in the Atlantic Ocean on this side of the pond, so I took a walk along the beach and walked in the surf.  I don't really think of 60s as being that warm, but it is when the sun is shining on you!  In fact, I wasn't sure that I'd brought enough light-weight things to wear, but the weather was a little cooler on Sunday and Monday, so it worked out fine.  I checked the weather and it was 13 degrees warmer than in Civray - I was REALLY happy that I decided to come after that!

I made a brief stop for an afternoon Coke, which is a rare treat here since meals are usually accompanied by wine or water.  After enjoying the view for a bit, I was off to see the very thing that brought me here to Les Sables - the Vendée Globe village.  The walk over was lovely and I was amused by the long line of people waiting for the boat across instead of walking around; it turned out to be quite a long walk though, so I understand the boat now!  Of course, part of the distance was because I took the scenic route along the water - there's a direct 15 min walk from my hotel through town.

When I arrived at the Vendée Globe village, I discovered that MANY people had the same idea as me and, with it open until 22:00 (10pm) on Saturdays, it's quite a public gathering place!  The displays were in buildings that are probably perfect for a normal Fall day, but it was sunny and hot today (and packed), so it was sweltering inside.  I only looked at a few things, like the route map, then I headed to the boats.

For those who don't know (I didn't), the Vendée Globe is a race around the world by boat, but it is particularly difficult to finish at all because they can't use many types of modern technology or receive help (outside of emergency medical).  They must do it all solo and even perform their own repairs if necessary.  They start from Les Sables in the Vendée region and this is the 8th race.  When I returned on Sunday, I learned the race only occurs every 4 years, so that explains the crowds!

Some of the booths were interesting, so it's too bad that it was so hot!  My "favorite" had this display of fish, octopus and a half alive lobster, all helpfully labeled in French so I know what to avoid!

If the pictures aren't bad enough, you should know that sometimes French food comes to the table still looking exactly like it did when it was caught . . . just cooked!

After a short time, I was tired of the crowds and I'd dropped and broken my sunglasses, so I headed toward the center of town where, of course, French people were shopping on Saturday night!  I came across this very unassuming looking church, but a peak inside at the blue was enough to convince me to enter.  Simply stunning - I didn't want to leave!  As in most places, people here are not really good about photo etiquette.  As I was trying to take a picture, two people walked right in front of me to snap their own.  *sigh*  It's not like I had my DSLR and was taking forever either, just people too rude to wait their turn.  When it comes to certain pictures though, I have the patience of a saint, so I finally took my photos sans people!

It was almost, but not quite, dinnertime, so I sat for an apéritif.  Apéritifs are really fun in France.  Along with kir, which is virtually everywhere, each region has specialties.  I'm lucky to be in the Charente, near Cognac, because the same eau de vin used for Cognac is also combined with grape must to make pineau.  It's essentially a distilled wine (like Cognac), so it's served in tiny glasses as it has a higher alcohol content than wine.  The regional apéritif can be so local though that my tutor didn't know what I was talking about and kept trying to tell me that, no, "pinot" is NOT an apéritif!  They're pronounced basically the same, which happens with a few words because the French often don't pronounce the last consonant!  This evening, I decided to try kir pétillant, which I'd never had.  A standard kir is made with white wine and a fruit liqueur, usually cassis (red currant).  Kir Pétillant is made with sparkling wine instead (and a kir royale with champagne).

I ended my first day with dinner on the boardwalk while watching the sun set and walking along the beach at night.  Such a stunning place!  It was quite cold though and adding my sweater wasn't cutting it, so you have to be prepared for a significant temperature variation!

My New French Name and the French Comedy Routine

Along the same lines of realizing that the story of how I ended up living in France was missing, I noticed that I never posted about Saintes, Biarritz, Lyon or Annecy.  Since I was a little burnt out by then, I'm not sure that I really gave them a fair overview anyway.  I really liked both Biarritz and Annecy, but I was so drained from long days at work and traveling EVERY weekend that I actually skipped my plans for my final weekend in France and just stayed home.  I have a few lovely photos, but I plan to return to all four cities and see what I missed, so I'll wait and share photos and stories from both visits when I'm able to return.

I also realized that I keep making "bonus" posts because there are still so many new things happening.  In light of that, I'm going to make a post every Tuesday and Thursday for now - one to share stories about the general culture of France and one to share about "how I spend my weekends."  Welcome to this Tuesday's cultural edition!

My French Name
I have learned that it is very difficult to change your name in France compared to the US; however, you are given the grand opportunity to pick a French name when you become a French citizen (to help you integrate into French society better).  I've read of a few ex-pats who didn't change their name and wish they had because they are forever "the English" or " the American" and their name gives them away as foreign no matter how good their French is.

I think there is a possibility that I will become a dual-citizen in the future, so I've started speculating on what French name I might like.  If I'm going to change it, I need some feedback from the French, of course, so I've sought out the guidance of my colleagues.  I started with my old Spanish class name, "Isabel;" however, PB made a terrible face and vetoed it immediately without giving a reason . . . ok, so perhaps not Isabel if my GM dislikes it so much.

For additional ideas, I looked at French name days (each French name has a day associated with it, often the old Saint's day).  I selected "Ella," which strangely has a name day, but is not at all French!  Half in jest, I suggested Céline, which passed the first round of approvals.  I recalled that the French also seem to know the meanings of names though, so I checked that out . . . yeah, Céline is perhaps not the right fit either.

One problem for me is that the French typically do not have middle names and I am struggling with giving up mine since it came from my grandmother.  I thought that converting it into French might work and it sounds lovely in French, but in English it is "Helen."  Sorry, but I'm not a Helen.  My American co-worker agrees that I am not a "Helen," but this is still the favorite of my French co-workers so far (it sounds, and looks, much prettier in French - Hélène pronounced eL-en).

At a work dinner, we were discussing the topic of a suitable French name for me and another co-worker, CB, very sincerely suggested Marguerite (the name of a daisy in French).  GO (also a co-worker) starts laughing when I say it's a pretty name.  Of course, GO wouldn't tell me why he was laughing, yet continued to do so every time I said the name was nice.

I learned the reason later - I would like to introduce you to Marguerite!

Yes, a cow!  I learned this the following day when PB told me that I could not be Marguerite, no matter how pretty I think the name is, because he will NOT call me the name of a cow.  Of course, CB claims he was tired and forgot about the cow.  GO still thought it was quite funny that I wanted to name myself after a cow.  It was very clear that they weren't implying that I *am* a cow though because they both looked horrified when I teased them about it and were very thorough in ensuring that I knew they weren't trying to insult me.  Apparently, it was only funny because I'm American and didn't know about the cow.

The French Comedy Routine
I made the mistake of telling PB that I like the way French people say my name, which was the first time he realized that they weren't actually pronouncing it correctly.  Even though I said I liked it, he was quite insistent that he needed to learn how to say it properly; however, the first time I tried, he told me he couldn't hear the difference between what he was saying and what I was saying . . . which is when I learned that we not only lose some ability to pronounce sounds from other languages, but to HEAR them.  When I returned this time, I realized they were saying my name like it had a French U in it (rounding their lips), so I told him he had to keep his lips flat when pronouncing the vowels.  He tried this and said it exactly right with no accent!  Of course, it didn't help that he immediately made a terrible face, shook his head and said, "I don't like the way it sounds; it's too harsh for a woman.  It's better in French, no?"  Yes, French people will say EXACTLY what is on their mind - it takes some getting used to. 😊

It was only mildly amusing at this point, but it became hilarious when he tried to teach others how to say it at dinner.  He proceeded to make a "duck face," pinch his lips flat with his fingers and basically growled my name in the deepest voice he could and REALLY over-enunciated.  This was then repeated several times while some of the others tried to sort it out.  I was laughing so hard my stomach hurt.

The next day I had the pleasure of again watching one French man try to teach another Francophone to say my name correctly.  Apparently, keeping your lips flat means you must also stick them out in a pronounced duck face.  AM, "It's Brouk, no?"  PB, "No, you have make your lips flat like this," insert duck face, "Brrrrooook."  I couldn't help it, I started giggling, which caused PB to throw his hands up and declare that I need to hurry up and get a French name because my name is too difficult.

I'm beginning to think it's funnier to keep my English one (and they have 5 years to wait before I'm even eligible for citizenship)!

In the end, the guys declared that I should keep my name, but pronounced the French way.  They seem to think that people knowing I'm an American, educated and trained in US business practices, will be an advantage over here once I learn French.  And I've now had four different French people (men and women) tell me it will be an advantage in dating because French men see American women as "exotic."  As an American, I find it hard to believe that we're seen as different in a positive way, but we are certainly different from French women in many ways!

Bonus Post: How I Ended up Living in France

I'm in the middle of a 4 day weekend, which was critical given the hours I have been working.  Anyone who tells you that French people don't work very much has never been here!  PB and I have spent the last two weeks working until 7-9 PM every night (arriving around 8 AM) with an hour lunch.  A couple of other people have been there that late a handful of nights as well.  Of course, this isn't how it ALWAYS is, but with budgets, then month-end book close and the Senior VP of the whole plant coming right after, things have been busy!

Looking Back at the Past & My Decision to Move
I took some time over the weekend to go back and read my blog myself - it's kind of fun to remember some of the things that I found surprising when I first arrived.  One thing that I realized is that the REASON and story behind why I moved to France were missing.  Due to it being a move for work, I was required to keep it quiet until everything had been approved, so my blog didn't reflect the process that led to my decision.

The pictures in this post are of my current French house and the large lot it is on.  First, my back yard:

There's kind of a big gap because of this, so I'll tell the story now in a bonus post.  It was the weekend that I returned from England (late April) that I remember thinking, "I'm glad I'm on my way home!" and I clearly didn't mean Portland.  I let that sink in a little, but decided to give it some time.  I knew before I came to France that my company was interested in me becoming the Controller if my project went well, but even though I'd dreamed of one day living in France, it was a "I'd like to study for a term" kind of dream, not a permanent relocation!

The primary house on the property - my house is a barn conversion!  This house is also for rent, but no luck so far, so I have the land to myself!

The following weekend I was standing at the old port in La Rochelle, soaking in the sun, and received a very kind e-mail about my work from PB.  I was completely happy in this little beach town, in this moment and that's when I knew.  The small country town I lived in felt like "home" in a way that Portland never had; I was never really excited to return to Portland from vacation, but I found myself looking forward to returning to France; I would still be close to a lovely beach; my French co-workers seemed to like me and the GM, who generally doesn't work weekends, had taken the time to compliment my work (not a typical French boss thing to do).  Not only could I be happy during my personal time, but I also enjoyed the work and team here (really important given the long working hours).

Since I knew that my primary job would be performing all of the analyses and providing whatever finance support PB (aka the GM) needed, I felt it was critical to ensure that I had his support before telling Portland and Belgium that I was interested.  So, immediately upon my return from La Rochelle, I scheduled a meeting with him.  In typical French fashion, the first thing he said was, "I'd prefer a Controller who speaks French."  I assured him that I planned to learn French and he said, "Yes, but my biggest risk with you is that you will never learn French.  You might NEVER learn French!"  I thought this was a "no thanks," so I told him that I understood and I was glad I talked to him first, then stood to go.  He indicated that he wasn't done though and basically told me that he'd prefer the risk that I never learn French over the risk that he hires someone else who can't do the job properly because he was very happy with the work I was doing and my way of doing things.  Since I knew that I had his support, it was time to express my interest in the job to my Senior VP at HQ and the Director in Belgium!

While I was pretty sure I wanted to live in France by then, it was a certainty after my week in Germany.  I had a great vacation there, as much fun as I normally do (aside from a terrible cold), but I still felt excited when the train was pulling into the Poitiers station - "I'm home!"  This was never the case for me when returning to Portland; on some level, I think I've always known that Portland was not "my place," but I just wasn't sure where I wanted to go.  So, now I find myself in France, a country that feels very much like home, despite the numerous language and cultural differences!

A Night on the Town in Civray and A Visit to My French Friend in La Rochelle

A Night on the Town in Civray
My American co-worker and I decided to see if there was really a nightlife in Civray.  First, we were surprised to see a little brocante shop (that she's never seen open) was open on Friday evening, so we stopped in.  The proprietor was very nice and I plan to go back now that I will have a French home to decorate.

We then headed to the beer bar for a pre-dinner drink.  There were a few people in there, but when we returned after dinner, there were several groups both inside and out.  As the evening went on a number of people came and went, with many groups still lingering when we went home after 11:00 pm.  It seems that you can go out on a weekend night and have a decent chance of socializing, although it mostly appeared to be boys barely of drinking age (18) and both men and women around retirement age.  There seems to be a limited number of people in their 30's and 40's who were out, despite being able to bring children into the bar (at all hours, regardless of food service).

La Rochelle
The next day I was off to visit my first French friend, Rita, in La Rochelle.  We wandered around the area with shops, had lunch and chatted about what was going on in our lives.  We shared some comparisons of life in the US vs France and she told me funny stories about her classmates in her training program - she's becoming a customs enforcement manager!  Part of this involves learning how to use a gun, which is a very odd thing for French people since they only own hunting rifles (if they hunt), but no other guns.  While I would have enjoyed working with her, one of the advantages to her leaving the company is that I'm not her boss, so we can be friends instead!

I had such a good time with Rita that I forgot to take any photos!  So, I will instead share a picture of my Sunday drive to one of my favorite restaurants, L'Argentor (yes, I stopped fully to take them).  The roads here are crazy narrow considering they're for two-way traffic doing 90 km/hr; I have no idea what you do if you come across a giant tractor going the opposite direction!  As you can see, it would be a challenge to get around it!

Yes, this is a 90 km/hr road

L'Argentor is popular with both the English in the area and the French.  Due to this, it can be quite busy and you may have a bit of a wait; however, it's well worth it!  The food here is exceptional every time (ok, my toast was a little burnt this time) and they cook many of the meats on the open fire.  When they are very busy though, expect to take your time - I arrived at 1 pm and wasn't ready for my café until shortly before 2:30 pm.  This was not because I'm an American either, the French weren't leaving any faster than I was!

A delicious salad, but I liked their old vegetarian version with a grain patty better

The burger appears small because it is - I ordered the "petite"

I really believe there is a reason that many cultures in the world drink a hot beverage after a meal (mint tea, green tea, coffee, etc) because one of my favorite habits in France is an espresso after a meal (decaf after dinner).  Food just seems to settle better with a nice hot drink after!

Bonus Post: Counting My Blessings

I found a New Zealand woman's blog about moving to France six years ago and I can relate, in so many ways, to the various struggles she had.  She's still here six years later though, so I have faith that I can survive too!

I'm not going to sugar-coat it - there are tough moments.  The moments when you can't figure out how something works and the instructions are all in French.  The moments when a waiter babbles something at you in VERY fast French and it is outside of the list of things that you readily understand, so you stand, head slightly tilted to one side hoping your brain will slowly process it and come up with a reasonable suggestion as to the meaning.  The moments when your brain doesn't offer a solution, so you sit and a very annoyed waiter comes back and gestures at the other section of (full) tables.  Am I supposed to move there?  Clearly, I can't because they're full?  Ok, I'll leave and try somewhere else?

There are also little moments of victory when a question is asked outside the basic range and you DO understand.  The times you realize that you don't understand the whole menu, but you understand enough to order a full meal that you'll enjoy.  The moment you realize you're reading a sign or pamphlet and you understand enough to make out the general message, if not every word.

While things may not be perfect here for me, the other blog and various ex-pat boards have made me aware that many people moving to France have to deal with several other problems that I will avoid because of how my company handled my transfer.  So, the list of things related to my relocation that I am grateful for right now:

• My work permit was processed in a week, and I was assured that it would arrive at the Consulate before my appointment, because I had immigration attorneys in France who made calls and handled everything.  They'll also escort me to the prefecture to ensure there are no issues getting my residence permit and no "language barriers," which is apparently a common problem with the government staff who issue the permits.  In contrast, I will note that the speed of the French government ended the day I arrived - my visa expires in December, but they have no appointments until FEBRUARY!!!
  
• The General Manager (GM) {aka PB} of the plant has been really proactive about helping me to get my social insurance number.  Originally, we were told that I couldn't have one until my prefecture appointment (they'd still be taking the taxes from my check), but he asked our HR person to call back and I will be issued my number for temporary use until I get my Carte Vitale at the appointment.  If they hadn't found a solution, he was going to go with me on walk-in day to see if he could impress upon the government that they were hurting a French company by not resolving this.
• While I only have a few suitcases of my own things now, my company provided a 20' container and everything that I really, really wanted to bring is on the way and will arrive in December.  It's hard to be without certain things now, but it would have been much harder if I could only bring what I could afford to ship.
• For things it didn't make sense to bring (awkward shapes, electrical 110 volt devices), I was given an allowance to replace them.  It's really nice that my company didn't make this move a financial hardship for me.  Let's just hope all of the manuals aren't only in French!  I'm going to be in serious trouble if I can't make myself some coffee.
  
• While my base pay is lower due to the leased car I picked out, I had the pleasure of designing my own car online with the features that I really wanted (back-up assist, GPS, cruise control, fog lights).  This also saved me the hassle of negotiating my own deal and it includes insurance and maintenance, which would have been a challenge to obtain myself in French.  Work also arranged for a temporary rental car until mine arrives - this is close to what I'll be driving, but mine will be blue and I'll have the 4-door "business" model.  It's honestly the closest thing I could find to my Fit, which I love.
  
• On the work front, I'm also lucky (for the most part).  Last week was much better than the week before!  Also, PB has asked HQ to ensure I'm included in the corporate training for managers next year.  It's great to know I have a lot of career support, not just in Portland, but locally as well.

Ma visite à La Ville Rose (My Visit to the Rose City - Toulouse)

First off, my last week at work (second week) was dreadful!  While I had a good experience with my French coworkers before, there is one person who is now quite awful.  I've decided to edit this to remove the specifics for now, but suffice it to say that it was incredibly stressful ("not being able to sleep well past 1 AM" levels of stress) and I'm glad it is over!

I really needed a reminder that there were reasons I wanted to live in France, so I went to Toulouse.  I spent the weekend soaking up French culture, speaking only French and eating delicious French food.  Each region has slight differences, like I've seen no chèvre salad on the menu in Toulouse, but I had a dish Sunday that was new for me (pancetta that was like a big ham steak).  To illustrate my point about the little salad with nearly every meal, here is dinner and lunch from the weekend.  I will also note that PB (the GM) thought that Americans calling pomme frites "French fries" was rather funny and yet they serve them with EVERYTHING - burgers to fancy dinners.

I also partake of a local wine once a day when traveling on the weekends.  I had two good, lightly sweet whites this weekend.  The nice thing with a sweet white is it serves as an apéritif, goes with many dinners and is good with dessert!  I can just slowly enjoy the one glass, which suits me better than an apéritif, wine with dinner and wine with dessert (not uncommon here).

It was a sunny, gorgeous day in Toulouse when I arrived.  The city is called the rose city, presumably because of all of the brick?  And maybe the roof colors?  Or the pink columns?  Or pink stone roads?

I headed to see the Basilica of St. Sernin, but it was closed ,either due to the hour or signs about the restoration.  Either way, I saw a street that had shops and cafes, so I headed in that direction.

The thing to understand about French cities is that the walkable shopping area appears to be the social center of every French town I've been to.  Sure, you'll find some overpriced restaurants and other places near tourist sites, but the shopping area is where you'll find the local French in droves on Saturday!  While I've never been a big shopper, I've learned to head to these areas for the social aspect alone.  Here are some scenes from this part of Toulouse on Saturday:

Despite being the second most secular (non-religious) nation in the world, virtually everything is closed on Sunday.  They may not believe in God, but they believe in a day of rest!  Here is the same shopping area on Sunday just before noon:

I have very good luck with festivals when I visit cities; similar to the festival last week in Poitiers, there was an event at the Capitole this weekend in Toulouse!  These appear to be one of the rare times that the French will talk to strangers or share a laugh.  I had a couple of brief exchanges and could have had a French male companion, but I'm not accustomed to how forward they are yet.  Once you're here for some time, you get used to it, but from an American perspective, it's overwhelming.  There's no "playing it cool" in the Frenchman's playbook - it's a full court press!

One of the most intriguing things about France is seeing really old things that only partially survived, but were just incorporated into the new.  I love that these little pieces of history are kept alive, even if the original purpose has been lost.

Since Sundays can be a little dead, I visited the Musée des Augustins.  It was a convent in its former life, yet another example of the French reinventing a space!  I found this sculpture of the woman's face with a veil interesting given France's hard line stance against face coverings now.

I was pleasantly surprised the museum was free since it isn't the first Sunday of the month (when they're virtually all free), but this first view of the cloister gardens was my favorite part!

The work on the church and convent started in 1309 (continuing into the 16th century) and it was clearly impressive in its prime, but you can see signs of the neglect that many religious buildings suffered after the revolution.

One section of the museum incorporated modern art with ancient art in a way that was actually complementary - not the norm here!  The color and presentation were designed by Jorge Pardo, formerly of Cuba (now working in Mexico).

I've realized that I am interested in visiting cities in a different way than before.  There aren't a lot of tourist sites here, but I've instead enjoyed the normal pace of life - walking around and seeing what the city has to offer.  Despite the capitole square being fairly empty, I discovered that the French are not hiding at home on Sunday, but appear to congregate at local parks.  Despite the weather being much drearier than the day before, the French are still outside!

I did notice heavily armed military and police in unusual places until I realized they were near churches.  It's a sad commentary on recent events in France that churches are guarded with heavy weapons during Sunday service.

Wandering down a different street, I came upon the Couvent des Jacobins.  Unlike a " convent," this was for priests.  Nuns seem to have been at abbeys in France.  This place was like many in France, where you appear to be on a normal city street, turn the corner and BAM! historical site just sort of tucked into the block.  In the center photo, you can see original decoration that they uncovered, which shows the sign for alpha and omega on the bricks.  It's rather incredible that anything survived considering Napoleon quartered his soldiers here by adding a floor midway up.

As I explored the free front area, I was horrified to learn that the SKULL of St Thomas Aquinas used to sit in this box.  It's now neatly encased in a golden box where the skull is not out for your viewing "pleasure."

I wrapped up my Sunday with the realization that all roads seem to lead to the Capitole since I kept walking down random roads in different directions, yet found myself back at the Capitole again and again!  The upside was that I noticed people walking inside and went to see for myself.  The capital buildings in France are often historic buildings that retain the beauty and character of a different era, but are usually called the "Hôtel de Ville."  I also read that the building sits where it does because it was the middle of two different parts of the city, as a reminder to its leaders that they equally represented both sections.

I also had to get a quick shot of these mirrors!  They were used in the Stuttgart palace as well - two identical mirrors directly across from each other that give the impression that they continue indefinitely, incidentally making the space appear larger as well.  I tried to get myself out of the picture at first, then gave up - I like how my outfit came together today anyway!  I'm actually loving the whole scarf thing now - the right scarf can take a blah outfit and make it look really lovely.

While I like Civray now and have committed to a 3-5 year role at the plant, I can easily see myself in a city like Toulouse someday.  It doesn't feel as hectic and tense as some French cities I've visited.  I also think it's the right size for me - big enough for a metro, small enough that you don't really need the metro if you don't mind a 15 minute walk.  I like the idea of exploring normal French weekend life in different places and finding the one that suits me best - so far Toulouse is the first where I took this approach, so we'll see what the final conclusion is!  I have plenty of time to decide!

While I did like Toulouse, it won't be *the* city because it's FIVE hours away from Paris by train - I need to be closer to a major International airport, not further away.  Speaking of trains, it is common that a 1st class ticket may be available for just 3-4€ more than 2nd class, so I tried one.  Much bigger seats (since one side is singles), electric outlets at each seat (not common in 2nd class on the TGVs) - my phone was almost dead, so it was worth the price for the power outlet alone!  Unfortunately, after the 2nd stop I had a seat mate with terrible breath who kept yawning - eek!  That is one of the two things that will make dating in France a challenge - there are many more people here who have bad oral hygiene.  The other challenge is that so many of them smoke!

First class seats - I could get used to this

And one last picture for your viewing pleasure - the French will truly put chèvre in nearly anything - including a McDo's (yep, that's what they call it here) wrap.  Admittedly, the curry shrimp one sounds kind of good, but we don't have it locally in the Poitiers area!