Tuesday, April 12, 2016

TWENTY-FIVE YEARS IN PARIS!

Tonight Marti reminded me that it's been twenty-five years since we moved to Paris from Washington DC. We've lived happily in this Left Bank 'hood for all that time.


Our first destination was a hotel at Porte de Saint Cloud, close to Marti's British Telecom Paris office.


Boulogne Billancourt, the close-in suburb where we'd be living for the next seven weeks, was home to France's film and television industry. Hence the movie-themed decor of our hotel.


I was surprised to see that strawberries were in already in season here. They became our favorite snack food.


In addition to the hotel accommodations, our meals were on BT's dime. Our go-to restaurant was Le Cardinal at La Place de Saint Cloud, specializing in seafood, a five-minute walk from our hotel home.


I must admit I underwent a bit of culture shock after I turned on the TV on the morning of April 13. It was all in French! But that day I realized how close we were to my church, the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Saint Stephen. We went to services the next day and I once again felt at home.


Seven weeks after our arrival Marti and I found the apartment where we would spend the next twenty-five years. 85 rue Blomet. In the 15th arrondissement. Home Sweet Home.

We knew we'd have to make new friends and build relationships in our adopted city. But that proved to be easier than I'd thought. By July 4th we'd met these guys and all was right with the world:


A French Grateful Dead tribute band! Talk about landing on your feet.

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