Bienvenue!

Welcome to my blog!  I've been in France for 3 weeks and a day and I've already experienced a host of blog-worthy things, but I'll catch you up on those as we go along.  For now it'll suffice to say that France is wonderful so far!


I've never liked the idea of blogging because I thought it was presumptuous to assume people wanted to read the mundane details of your life (as if you have nothing better to do!)... But with all my lovely relatives and friends asking how I'm doing, I decided that, if I'm ever going to bite the bullet and blog, now's the time.  I'll leave out the mundane details and throw in some French culture tidbits so that maybe you'll learn something. I'd send a hand-written letter to each and every one of you if there was enough time in the day, but there's not, so thanks for reading.


Last week I went to the market in the Capitol square-- there are weekly and daily open-air markets in every city and small town in France:  stands full of fresh fruits and veggies, big circles of natural cheese, whole ducks, all varieties of fresh-baked bread and pastries.  Don't go hungry or you'll be dying to buy everything.  I hauled my purchases back to my apartment on the metro in two bags I had brought from the U.S.  One of them said Wal-mart in huge letters on the side, which I didn't notice until someone commented that I must be an American.  So much for blending in!


Today was a different shopping experience-- my first time in a French supermarché.  The brands and specialties make even grocery shopping a cultural experience.  The French cheese and wine image, for example, is no myth.  The wine section was far more extensive than in your usual Market Basket or HEB, as was the cheese aisle.  It was overwhelming- which cheese to buy?  I had to tell myself that it wasn't a million dollar question and I could try a different one each time I came.  I grabbed one, only to discover at dinner that it was regular cream cheese (not the exotic choice I was going for, but still good).  


French Culture Tidbit of the Day:  They've solved the stray-cart-in-the-parking-lot problem.  The carts are locked together in the coral and you must insert 1€ to get one.  When you return it, you get your euro back!


In other news, I can't figure out how to turn the heat on in my apartment and I'm freezing my ass off.