The first few days

The first few days were a bit strange, almost surreal. We just packed up in one place and several hours later landed in another. You think you can pick up where you left off, as if nothing's changed. After all, this is how it usually is when you're on vacation. You land somewhere else and you're ready to go, to see the sights and enjoy the time you're there. It's how it was the last couple of times we were there. But this time it felt different, and we did not expect it. Something was off. Maybe it was the new sights, sounds, smells, and language, maybe it was the 9-hour time difference with Seattle, or maybe it was the fact that this was our new reality, not just a holiday. So even though we were happy and excited to be living in Paris—in Paris!—I think our bodies and minds were still somewhere in between, trying to catch up with everything that had happened and getting used to the new environment. So we spent those first few days fighting jet lag, acclimating, and getting used to our new home and surroundings.

We did some grocery shopping in the nearby Monoprix, but that was something we needed to get more used to and adjust our habits because in the U.S. we didn't just buy groceries, we stocked up. We were used to driving to the local supermarket and the big warehouse stores like Costco, buying like there's no tomorrow, loading everything in the car, and then stuffing it into large pantries and refrigerators. In Paris we walked to the Monoprix, a chain grocery store that was smaller than the typical drugstore in the States. The amazing thing is, it had everything we needed, plus a department store upstairs where we ended up getting school supplies and clothing articles throughout the year.

The shopping carts were about the size of carry-on luggage, which I guess was good since some of the aisles were not much wider than an airplane's. And that was fine: we couldn't buy that much anyway since there was only so much we could bring back by hand or in our little shopping trolley and store in the apartment. So we had go there every 2-3 days. As most businesses in Paris, Monoprix did not open on Sundays, but fortunately we also had a G20 mini mart a block away that did. There was nothing "super" about this supermarché—it was tiny—but it did come in handy sometimes.

But while we got into a groove we did a lot of outdoor eating. Our second evening in Paris we went around the neighborhood looking for dinner and found a crêpes and galettes restaurant nearby called L'Etoile D'Or. We were looking for something quick and easy since everybody still felt a bit zombie-like as we continued to adjust to the time difference and it seemed like the perfect place. And even though the place had the dubious distinction of being the first restaurant we visited in Paris, it didn't impress us very much and I think we never returned.

After dinner we walked around to liven up a bit, and since we were near the Arc de Triomphe we walked over to say bonsoir and ended up enjoying a great view of the Arc with the Eiffel Tower in the background on a beautiful but windy summer night. Every night, at every hour on the hour, the Eiffel Tower sparkled for a few minutes while the beam lit up the city.

We also tried the Triompho pizzeria down our side street from our building, which we saw on the way to the Monoprix. From the moment we walked in the staff made us feel welcome. The restaurant had a wood-fired oven and the pizzas were excellent and arrived super fast, and they looked and tasted as real pizzas should (and they are eaten with a fork and a knife!). We had a really nice lunch there and we returned many times to eat in or pick up some pizzas to take home on Fridays.

When we were in Paris the previous summer the kids loved going to the carnival they set up every summer at the Jardin des Tuileries, so we wasted no time going there, but it had just shut down a couple days earlier. Fortunately there was still plenty to do there, since they have a really nice playground that you only discover when you have kids. But we did not count on a sudden rainstorm that descended on us with no time to run for cover; maybe we should have paid more attention to those ominous clouds that had started to appear in the sky. So we got soaked in the park and felt a bit destitute before remembering that on Rue de Rivoli, right by the park, they had the covered arcades where we found shelter and dozens of little tourist shops that sold cheap umbrellas. We definitely learned to check the forecast before leaving the house and to carry umbrellas more often, since even when no rain is predicted there can be unexpected showers. Apparently this is Paris's best kept secret.

Our first Sunday in Paris was a tough day because in Seattle we were used to going to our favorite brunch place. In Paris a lot of places, even some restaurants, are closed, so we didn't have many options and we were still getting the lay of the land. So we ended up in a Chez Clément, a chain of family-style restaurants, that was just down the street from us on Avenue de Wagram. They seemed to be favored mostly by tourists, which I suppose we still were so it was okay. We all found something we liked on the adult or kids menu, and the kids definitely enjoyed themselves.