I light a fire in my new shoes

Well, today is day 3 in Paris! I have gotten a lot of rest since I have arrived - with jet lag and such - and my first day being so long - I NEEDED IT! Last night it was tough to sleep. I was up until 3:30am watching TV online. Don't know what it was, but just couldn't sleep. However, got up in time to put out the garbage this morning (FYI - in Paris, garbage pick up is 2 days a week, one of them being Saturday... @ 8:00AM!!! ugh). Couldn't get back to sleep after that, so I decided to go for my first run in Paris. Now many of the blogs I read prior to my arrival indicated that you will rarely see locals running in Paris, its much more of a tourist thing... however, I learned quickly this morning where all the Parisians run... Parc de Monceau!! There were tonnnnnnns of people running there this morning. Now maybe that is because it is a Saturday, I am not sure, but those blogs are definitely WRONG! However, I did not notice many people running in the streets. I guess they like to run in circles around the beautiful parks in Paris, and who wouldn't!! It was honestly one of the most beautiful places to run. The photo above is simply of the entrance. Took it when I was with the children. Also a neat little thing... when I was on my way to the park, one of the streets I would normally take was shut down do to a movie being filmed there! Which is really cool! I don't know what show it was, but the side streets were filled with black transport trailers and black wires all taped along the sidewalks, with large cameras, and props! So that was pretty cool!!

Anyway, beyond that, my day is going to consist of some shopping and wandering!

Au revoir!

Au Revoir Canada, Bonjour Paris!!!

So I have arrived in Paris! :) Today was a wonderful day! After landing at Charles de Gaulle at 9:40am, getting through customs, getting my luggage, and finding a cab, I made it to the house by 11:30am! Great timing! To my surprise when I arrived, the children I am staying with left immediately and returned with a surprise for me - my first taste of Paris - pain au chocolat! So we sat, had tea and ate our pain au chocolat! For an 8 and 10 year old, the two were just like miniature adults! So proper, polite and helpful! Within 20 minutes of spending time with them I felt as if I had known them both for years - old souls, I guess!! After eating the delicious treat I got a tour of the house, then we went on a tour of the neighbourhood. We went to their favourite bakery, met their favourite cheese man (had some wonderful emmental & mimolette), their butcher, their dry cleaner and went to the market to get fresh produce. Following that I had my first experience with Monoprix. Basically a miniature version of Walmart - they have a grocery store, clothing, pharmacy stuff and so on. This is apparently the best place to get random things like deodorant (where an actual Pharmacy will charge 12 Euros = $20!!!!!). After our day of adventuring, I took the kids to Parc de Monceau (my new place to run). We played tag for an hour and had a great little time! Then we went back home, and out again to run some more errands - one of which included a stop at La Maison du Chocolat!! They have the best chocolate I have ever tasted!! After that I got settled in my room and finally unpacked! Long day! Need to sleep soon since it is 10 pm!!

a new beginning that is my life, I'm turning to the rythm of the night...

Well... the time has come. Tomorrow is the big day - I am officially moving to PARIS, FRANCE! How exciting! Today has been a stressful day of packing and running last minute errands, but now I am sitting on the couch, watching MTV, likely for the last time in a year! How exciting right? What a way to spend my final night in Canada! I am nervous for the flight, but I am so excited to experience a new country, culture and language!!