Well, that was fast!

Less than ten days in France, and we’ve already made an offer on a house and had it accepted. I’d hoped things would move along swiftly, but this has been much simpler than I ever anticipated. Unbelievably fast, really.

We reserved a studio apartment AirBnB for three months so we don’t have to worry about setting up utilities, wifi, appliances, furnishings, or household items while we’re in this transition phase. The apartment is tiny, but it’s within walking distance to everything here in this town, and so long as we don’t buy anything other than a few days worth of groceries at a time, there’s enough space for the short time we’ll be here. All the shops and offices are within walking distance, and Mom and I are walking 3-6 miles (5-10 kilometers) every day, depending on the weather.

Before we arrived, I worried that our dog, Mona, would struggle to adjust. Not so. She’s perfectly fine and happy since the tiny apartment and long walks mean lots of pack bonding and cuddle time. What a relief!

This week, besides buying a house, we’ve also figured out the postal system, learned how to use the washing machine and other appliances (no, it’s not intuitive), acclimated to the time difference and ways to keep in touch with folks back in the United States, discovered the best food markets and patisserie in the center of the city, wandered in a couple of parks, learned how to manage trash and recycling here, located the riverside dog park, found the BEST coffee roaster, set up our French Amazon account and ordered a few must-have items we haven’t yet been able to locate in town, and met some very friendly people in the area we look forward to knowing better. We also took time to go to the outdoor local market days and a few local restaurants and cafes. The more we learn and explore, the more certain we are that we made the right choice coming here.

I still want to explore the local bookshop, gather some information about the city from the tourism office here, and get to know some of the shops further afield via the bus. My mother wants to study French history, particularly in this area. I want to keep practicing my French conversation which has already improved from being completely terrible to mostly functional for basic needs. Turns out, those words really are still in my brain even though my last formal French conversation lesson was in 1993. I can read and translate easily, and I’m finding I understand 90% of what’s said to me, so I just need to work on my speaking skills to match. Mom and I also want to take a look at the local used furniture and antique shops, and we want to meet some of the other expats in the area. We need to find doctors, a veterinarian, and a dog groomer. We need to visit Bordeaux again and see some of the museums as well as spend a whole day at the IKEA for a little wish list shopping. And we need to get to know some of the smaller towns in-between which each have their own charm and flavor. There are tons of historic sites to explore. There is fabulous cuisine, fabulous wine, and amazing cheeses.

Now that the actual move to France is behind us, our next challenge is to figure out our monthly budget and make friends. Every day brings a new challenge, a new opportunity, a new way to stretch and grow. We’re loving the journey.