The weather has turned cold here in the south of France so that Leigh and I have plans to go bargain hunting for sweaters and jackets tomorrow, though the word "bargain" doesn't really translate to French shopping. We will do what we can because it's chilly and I have been re-wearing the same outfits to work for over a month now.
It looks like I will be moving to a new apartment next week because the old place is proving to be almost unliveable. It is very difficult to cook here and impossible to keep it clean for more than a day at a time. Leaves blow in the front door every time we go in and out and there simply is not enough space for two people. Plus we're noticing some leaks in the ceiling and some puddling in the bathroom near the shower. This just won't do for the next month. Plus the new place is so very nice that it's hard to stay away from it, so we're finding the extra money for this month and essentially paying double rent to get out of the studio sooner.
In other news, we have some plans to see some nearby villages in the coming weeks. We are planning to visit Eze-sur-mer, which is a short train or bus ride away from Antibes. I really want to visit Arles and Grasse soon but am still awaiting my first paycheck, so that might have to wait. I would like to see other parts of the Cote d'Azur and the Var, but it might be best to wait until closer to spring when it gets warmer and sunnier. Since soccer is played pretty much year round in Europe we are also hoping to see a game or two played either in Nice or Monaco, but that is just speculative at the moment.
We have started making some serious plans for our major Christmas trip, so that is also very exciting. It looks like we will visit a small village in Switzerland for a few days, then see Amsterdam (with a side trip to Maastricht) and Paris, with a stopover in Brussels if our train schedule permits. So much to do! Now I just need to start getting paid so I can afford to do more than hang out at home eating baguettes!
I'm officially starting to miss having a car and certain American conveniences like stores being open late, businesses being open all day on Sunday, and delivery. When we move closer to downtown we can start getting delivery sometimes, but it's still crazy expensive here for most things- like a pizza that will feed two people for 12 euro or more! Leigh has implemented a new rule that we are allowed to think about things we miss and cravings but we cannot SAY them outloud because it makes it worse and there's nothing we can do about it usually.
That being said, I think I need a rule that we keep chocolate in the house at all times and that we make a more serious effort to cook American foods to keep our cravings at bay. I think first on the list will be cheeseburgers using "cheddar" cheese I found at Carrefour that more closely resembles a harder American cheese. Whatever, it'll do.
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