The view from our balcony.
Well we made it! It took a lot of planning, packing, unpacking, support raising, crying, laughter, and any other emotion you could possibly conjure up. And yet the craziest thing is that it's just the beginning of our adventure...and our emotions.
While I wish I could have blogged much sooner, life in France has proven to be, well, a life in another country. Not speaking the language and trying to do complicated things like opening a bank account, setting up wi-fi, getting a sim card for your phone, and so forth, proved to be much more difficult than we thought. It's not Paris where everyone speaks English (whether you want them to or not) and will switch to a perfect English accent after you fumble through a simple, "Je...voudrais..." (I would like)
So yeah, here we are figuring out life together in France, and it's kind of awesome. The mountain view is incredible, the people are tres gentil (very nice), and our school, teachers, and former students have provided an amazing community.
Below are some photos of our apartment, which by the way is huge! Especially for European standards. So of course, we had to take advantage and entertain a few friends for food and games.
Our dining room, study, and living room.
The foyer as you walk in the door.
Don't be fooled, the view outside more than makes up for the awesome wallpaper and bedspread.
The kitchen, which opens up to the balcony, and also includes a washer, stove, and oven.
The salle de bain (bathroom) literally, because the toilet is in it's own little room next door. :) And yes, it's blue as well.
The guest room. Who wants to come visit?!
The view from our bedroom. I told you it was worth it.
One more view from our balcony.
The view from our bedroom on a crisp October day.
Downtown Albertville. The restaurant on the left is our favorite place to eat—L'avant Premiere.
The train station. We have frequented this guy a lot, as it's our ticket to exploring the rest of France and surrounding countries!
Our little boulangerie (bread shop) down the street from our apartment. They were closed for the summer and didn't open up until September, and then of course they close on Wednesdays and Sundays, so getting a photo of when they are actually open proved to be difficult.
On our way to the grocery store. This is the life sans car!
Cute little hotel across from our school.
A house that is being restored into a retired living place. I would love to know the history of the place and what life was like for those that lived there.
Albertville and some of the surrounded cities have a festival every year to educate people on other parts of the world. In the plaza they had huge photos displayed. It was beautiful!
