12:45 AM French time
So I had a somewhat spotty internet connection at the first hotel/bed-and-breakfast, so posting here was problematic. I've moved to the second hotel now, which is in more of a tourist area, so the internet is a little more stable now - YAY!
I've taken a few pictures over the last couple of days and will post them this weekend, probably in some backdated posts. I didn't actually bring a paper journal with me on this trip (I carried enough other junk with me....) so the blog is my travel journal. It's easier for me to keep everything in the right date order, even if it isn't necessarily easy for you all to read it!
So....the end of the first week in France, and I think things are going well. I am slowly slowly slowly starting to remember more of my French. What I do not remember is how to conjugate any verbs beyond "to be", which makes forming sentences a bit hard. But I can pick up a few words here and there in conversation at work, and read parts of the menu/order dinner! Work is going well, although this is clearly not a group that only works 35 hr/week like we all hear about in the US. That's ok, it's keeping me busy, but it makes for very long days, especially considering that an "early" dinner here is 7:30 pm. Tonight we got to the restaurant at 7:15 for drinks, and I got back to the hotel (a block away) at 11:30!
I am falling asleep at the keyboard now so I'll cut this short with just a couple of links for you to check out. Tomorrow Olivier (the product manager I work with) and his wife Fernanda are taking me to Chamonix to take the cable car up to view Mont Blanc, which is the highest peak in Western Europe. They promise me fondue at the restaurant! And Sunday Olivier, Fernanda, and I are meeting up with Liliane (project manager at work, she is the new French employee who is doing training with me) to go skiing at Flaine! Skiing in the Alps! I am going to possibly be in over my head, but I cannot wait!
Hiking exploits, experimental cooking, general nerdery, and cat pictures.
Seriously. Do not call me Katy.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Day 2
This will be an extremely short recap of today as it is bedtime, the wireless network is down, and I am writing this on the Blackberry.
Today was better. The French is coming a little bit easier now that I am not so tired, but still not good enough to carry on a whole conversation or even to form a complete sentence.
There is a gentleman from an English business unit within my company who is also visiting the French facility today and tomorrow. He is staying at the same hotel, so I had company for dinner tonight.
So....now it is late here, it is snowing, and I am headed to bed. No pictures today, but I will try to take some more tomorrow. Bonne nuit.
Today was better. The French is coming a little bit easier now that I am not so tired, but still not good enough to carry on a whole conversation or even to form a complete sentence.
There is a gentleman from an English business unit within my company who is also visiting the French facility today and tomorrow. He is staying at the same hotel, so I had company for dinner tonight.
So....now it is late here, it is snowing, and I am headed to bed. No pictures today, but I will try to take some more tomorrow. Bonne nuit.
Monday, February 9, 2009
One last thing
Oh, and the rental car I have - is a bigger SUV than the one I drive at home. This is Europe, home of the SmartCar. I feel like SUCH an Ugly American driving this thing!
End of Day 1
French time 9:15 PM
So I just posted several things in a row, but I finally figured out how to get internet access in my hotel room, so I am catching up.
All in all today went mostly well. The flights and getting to the hotel went off without a hitch. I couldn't fall asleep this morning (though almost did this afternoon) and so I'm pretty tired right now. Work was fairly non-stressful - had a tour of the factory, met lots of people whose names I do not remember, met with the Quality Director/Manager, entertained some guys with my inability to work a car. Everyone seems very nice so far.
Dinner was on my own tonight, which was okay because I am close to dead tired and didn't want to be out late. I'm staying in a B&B that serves dinner as well. It is run by a husband and wife, and she does the cooking. Oh. My. God. I am in heaven. Three course dinner, and that's only because I was too stuffed to have dessert. Pea soup (at least, I think that's what it was). Salad with some type of zesty oil dressing. Pork tenderloin with wild French mushrooms in demi-glace, risotto, stewed celery (sounds weird, tastes like applesauce), and a cooked artichoke heart. And of course, French baguette, with a local red wine to wash it all down. Delicious delicious delicious!
HOWEVER. There is definitely a language barrier here. My high school French is not just rusty, it's a big ol' pile of corrosion. I can understand maybe 1 word out of 10 or 12 (and they're not useful words, just "with" and "now" and "how's it going") and while I can mostly plan out a sentence in my head for what I want to say, somehow I can't get it out in French and just stick with the English. So I have a long way to go on that.
But over all, today was good! And now, I am heading off to sleep. Aahhh, sleep.
Bonne nuit!
So I just posted several things in a row, but I finally figured out how to get internet access in my hotel room, so I am catching up.
All in all today went mostly well. The flights and getting to the hotel went off without a hitch. I couldn't fall asleep this morning (though almost did this afternoon) and so I'm pretty tired right now. Work was fairly non-stressful - had a tour of the factory, met lots of people whose names I do not remember, met with the Quality Director/Manager, entertained some guys with my inability to work a car. Everyone seems very nice so far.
Dinner was on my own tonight, which was okay because I am close to dead tired and didn't want to be out late. I'm staying in a B&B that serves dinner as well. It is run by a husband and wife, and she does the cooking. Oh. My. God. I am in heaven. Three course dinner, and that's only because I was too stuffed to have dessert. Pea soup (at least, I think that's what it was). Salad with some type of zesty oil dressing. Pork tenderloin with wild French mushrooms in demi-glace, risotto, stewed celery (sounds weird, tastes like applesauce), and a cooked artichoke heart. And of course, French baguette, with a local red wine to wash it all down. Delicious delicious delicious!
HOWEVER. There is definitely a language barrier here. My high school French is not just rusty, it's a big ol' pile of corrosion. I can understand maybe 1 word out of 10 or 12 (and they're not useful words, just "with" and "now" and "how's it going") and while I can mostly plan out a sentence in my head for what I want to say, somehow I can't get it out in French and just stick with the English. So I have a long way to go on that.
But over all, today was good! And now, I am heading off to sleep. Aahhh, sleep.
Bonne nuit!
La voiture automatique
French time 5:05 PM
How the hell do I put this thing in gear? Or even get the parking brake off??
This is not a great picture, and I will try to get a better one tomorrow, but I had lots of fun trying to start my rental car today. There were 3 guys out front of the building smoking and I practically had them in hysterics. (One of them did help me!) So this is what we learned today about starting an automatic transmission car in Europe.
1. The car will not turn over unless your foot is on the brake.
2. The lever on the right hand side of the steering column that is the same size as a gear shift in the US? Yeah, that's the wipers/windshield wash. Repeatedly trying to shift with this will only make the onlookers laugh harder.
3. The little lever at the top of the steering column that looks like an out-of-place turn signal lever? Yeah, that's what you shift with.
3a. R = reverse. At least this is intuitive.
3b. N = neutral. Also intuitive. But important to know, the car will not turn over unless it is in neutral, nor will it allow the parking brake to be set (more on this later).
3c. A = automatic shift. Revs a bit much when it does so, but at least it does not involve Kate trying to get out of first without stalling.
3d. M = manual shift. No, there is no clutch. Yes, I can manually shift the gears with the short levers on either side of the steering column. I will be trying this once I'm slightly more comfortable with the whole driving in a foreign country thing, because it seems like all the fun of manually shifting without all the mucking about with clutching and stalling. Win-win for everyone.
4. There is no release lever for the parking brake. Do not bother looking for one. Just put your foot on the gas and the brake will release.
5. So you made it through 5 roundabouts and 2 small villages without killing yourself, the car, or any innocent French citizens. What, now you want to park the car? Use foot brake to stop, put car in neutral, and hit big "P" button in center of dash console to set parking brake. Do not absentmindedly hit red button directly below "P", unless you feel the need to turn the hazards on.
How the hell do I put this thing in gear? Or even get the parking brake off??
This is not a great picture, and I will try to get a better one tomorrow, but I had lots of fun trying to start my rental car today. There were 3 guys out front of the building smoking and I practically had them in hysterics. (One of them did help me!) So this is what we learned today about starting an automatic transmission car in Europe.
1. The car will not turn over unless your foot is on the brake.
2. The lever on the right hand side of the steering column that is the same size as a gear shift in the US? Yeah, that's the wipers/windshield wash. Repeatedly trying to shift with this will only make the onlookers laugh harder.
3. The little lever at the top of the steering column that looks like an out-of-place turn signal lever? Yeah, that's what you shift with.
3a. R = reverse. At least this is intuitive.
3b. N = neutral. Also intuitive. But important to know, the car will not turn over unless it is in neutral, nor will it allow the parking brake to be set (more on this later).
3c. A = automatic shift. Revs a bit much when it does so, but at least it does not involve Kate trying to get out of first without stalling.
3d. M = manual shift. No, there is no clutch. Yes, I can manually shift the gears with the short levers on either side of the steering column. I will be trying this once I'm slightly more comfortable with the whole driving in a foreign country thing, because it seems like all the fun of manually shifting without all the mucking about with clutching and stalling. Win-win for everyone.
4. There is no release lever for the parking brake. Do not bother looking for one. Just put your foot on the gas and the brake will release.
5. So you made it through 5 roundabouts and 2 small villages without killing yourself, the car, or any innocent French citizens. What, now you want to park the car? Use foot brake to stop, put car in neutral, and hit big "P" button in center of dash console to set parking brake. Do not absentmindedly hit red button directly below "P", unless you feel the need to turn the hazards on.
Arrival
11:45 AM French time
I am in
The trip over went well with no problems. The flight from
For 7 AM on a Monday morning, the
My room is very nice with a country ski chalet motif. A little on the small side, but then again, this is
This is the room, looking from the door.
And the rest of the room (I told you it was small!)
And the view from the window.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
France!
I still can't believe I am going. TOMORROW. Crazy! T-minus not very many hours and I will be out of here.
Things left to do:
pay a couple of bills
grab addresses to send people postcards
oh yeah, PACK!
Things left to do:
pay a couple of bills
grab addresses to send people postcards
oh yeah, PACK!
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