Remember that song, "I Got You Babe" by Sonny & Cher? Well, they sang about a whole bunch of things they didn't have, but the most important thing they DID have was each other, which was really sweet, of course. My family has been discussing (maybe complaining) like,"What?? Our cell phones don't work!" "No TV!" and, "NO CAR??" How are we supposed to get anywhere?? "How can I cook anything without a microwave?" So, if there is some outside chance my family might read this post, I'd like to remind them of some of the things we GOT:
- Navigo passes--beginning August 1, we can ride the Metro, bus, or train with a flash of the pass. It's quick, easy and cheap. Go where ever you want without any of the worries of driving, gas (it's about $9 a gallon here) or car maintenance.
- Every day fitness--we walk about 15 minutes to the nearest Metro station, plus walking our dogs several times each day, so we have all found that no matter how much of this fabulous food we eat, we are feeling super fit!
- Zero Junk Food--yes, if you can believe, there is virtually no junk food here, so all our food is fresh, as in purchased the same day it is eaten. I have to say, I feel great between eating fruits & vegetables and all the walking.
- A towel warmer...I know my Houston friends can't imagine...But, it's this rack that you put your towels on that heats up, so when you get out of the shower, you have a warm crisp towel. It's pretty nice!
- More family time--My husband is such an early morning person. He loves to be the first one to work--always has. But here, they start around 9:00 am (they work longer in the evenings--to around 7-8 pm), so he has time to see us all before he goes to work. It's been really nice. Plus, a shorter communte--he always rode the bus downtown Houston, which was about an hour and a half one way. Now he takes the bus or Metro and we are only about a mile from his office in LaDefense`. Voila`!
Okay, we are missing things from home--can't lie about that. In no particular order, this is what we are starting to crave:
- Flavored coffee creamer...I haven't found any over here yet. If you come to visit me, I'd love a big Coffee Mate in Peppermint Mocha flavor.
- Whataburger!!!!!! (For obvious reasons)
- A complete shower stall: over here, they only have like half of the shower door/stall--it's a "wet"room, but gee, I'm freezing since I'm not really enclosed in the shower. It's a really weird system. Also, to get in my shower, you step up about 2 feet. I'm hoping if I ever fall out, someone will be here to help me get back up. Not sure how older people manage.
- Ice--they don't put ice in the drinks, but I did remember this from previous visits and nipped this on in the bud--went to the dollar store and got ice trays. So at least at home, I can still be a Texan with a big ole glass of ice. Thanks to my friend Lina Hardin for the tip on where to find the ice trays. Priceless!
- Backyard for the dogs--yes, no backyard to let the dogs roam around. So every day, we walk them all around our block. We do live close to the Bois de Boulogne, which is a park 2.5 times larger than Central Park in NYC, so we can also take them there for great walks.
- Paul says a comfortable couch is what he's missing (see earlier post about "extremely basic furniture"), so we're working on getting some new furniture. I think it could be challenging though as all the living spaces are smaller, so the furniture is smaller=bad for us tall folks with long legs. We need those Texas-sized couches that swallow you up whole.
Of course, our family and friends--we're missing you, but enjoying keeping in touch through social media, texts, phone calls and letters.
"So let them say your hair's too long, 'Cause I don't care, with you I can't go wrong. Then put your little hand in mine, there ain't no hill or mountain we can't climb. Babe....I got you, babe..."
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