First few days in France

When we arrived at the Dimanche residence (our host family) in Mouans-Sartoux in January, we had no clue of what, when, where, who or how…… it was all totally new …and not speaking much French did not help. But all experiences so far have been positive ~ friends, strangers, people we met on the street have made our stay in France very pleasant and enjoyable. The first such experience was within a half hour on the day of our arrival, Our host family was away on a ski trip. Ms Sylvia, Frederic’s neighbour, was so kind – speaking to us only by actions, convinced us that we should take a ride with her to the Village and go to the grocery store, Casino, which is like a Super Walmart so that we will have some food, and then drove us back home.

And we cannot put in words how thankful we are for the generosity and kindness of Frederic, Christine, Celine and Alexis, for having us as house guests for the month of January and helping us settle in.

We met with Frederic’s family on Sunday, had breakfast and then went for a drive around the area and then drove to Antibes. We them drove to see Gene’s office in CERAM, Sophia Antipolis.

Everything looked the same as home but yet quite foreign, I mean it is foreign, and it does not help when you do not speak the language. Watched the first sunset in France.

The Cote d’Azur is very scenic… from the beaches to the mountains – there are many things to do and see, medieval villages, churches, etc.. and there are a lot of festivals….. we will try to visit some of them…….

The country looks so beautiful, different from the US. All houses kinda look the same. We have had some really good dining experiences while at the Dimanches’ – Good food, wine, cheeses and deserts… never ending food…..

There were lots of things that we need to figure out – like, getting our bearings, opening a bank account, looking for an apartment, buying a car!!! Gene starting teaching his classes on Wednesday the 9^th of January and that has kept him really busy.

View from hilltop village Mougin.