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It was a little tough being without family for Thanksgiving, but we are so thankful to have some wonderful American friends here.  We got together with 3 other families on Saturday since the guys had work on Thursday and each made some dishes for our Thanksgiving meal.  There were 8 adults and 9 kids so it was a full house!

Our turkeys had to be special ordered as they are not normally served here.  Turkey is a traditional Christmas meal, but the butchers do not get them in for another few weeks.  Apparently our friend that ordered them had to request a few things be removed before taking them home…I will leave that to your imagination!

Makenna and her friend Olivia had their own little table next to the adult table, and it was so cute watching them interact with each other.

We had a delicious meal and afterwards the guys watched the Virginia Tech game while the ladies chatted and the kids played.  The little girls were having fun playing dress up and getting piggy-back rides.  Ryan and I really enjoyed seeing Makenna play with the older kids and having fun.

I am thankful that we are living in France and have made some great friendships along the way!

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This past Friday Clermont-Ferrand had a Christmas kickoff night which included the lighting of the Christmas tree and decorations throughout the main square in town, the start of the Christmas market and a parade.

We walked through the square and saw the ferris wheel and lighted decorations, but the tree would not be lit until after the parade.  After waiting almost 40 minutes near the cathedral where the parade was to start, we finally heard a band coming down the street.  The parade had finally begun!  It was a fairly short parade and started with Santa in a car, a band with a woman on stilts and an illuminated outfit that was supposed to be the princess from Frozen followed by several Disney characters including Mickey, Minnie, Donald Duck and the chipmunks.  I’ve never experienced a parade like this because the street was not blocked off and people watching were standing in the middle of the street and right up against the parade.

It was really cold but Makenna loved it.  She was amazed by the Christmas lights and loved listening to the band.  It was getting late so we didn’t stay for the Christmas tree lighting, but it was a great start to the Christmas season and got us into the Christmas spirit!  There is nothing like the festive feeling you get from being in a place like this for the holidays!

I have a meeting with the photography club here where we will be taking photos of the Christmas lights so stay tuned for more/better photos 🙂

I’ve read about the amazing French school lunches in several articles and books such as “Bringing up Bébé” and today the town’s Facebook page shared the school menu for the month of November. Here is the menu for the first week of November:

Monday– pork cheek confit, braised lentils, cantal (cheese), kiwi
Tuesday– grated carrots and tomatoes, roasted chicken, cheese, yogurt, fruit cocktail
Wednesday– rice salad, stewed beef and green vegetables, camembert (cheese), apple
Thursday– endive mimosa, fish with hollandaise sauce, braised carrots, emmental (cheese), chocolate
Friday– rosemary lamb roast, steamed potatoes, vanilla chocolate pudding

I can’t believe this is the type of food being served in school cafeterias!  French children are said to not be picky eaters, and this is a prime example of why- they are served a variety of food right from the start and are offered healthy dishes at home and at school.

I’ve read and been told that the French believe you should have a well balanced diet- no avoiding carbs or cheese etc. and not making dessert something that is a “cheat meal” or something to be avoided.  They enjoy their food, savor it, and don’t binge on certain things because they allow themselves to eat everything in moderation.

Of course, not everything is healthy and a lot of the snacks for kids are sugary.  But I’ve also seen, on several occasions, French children eating cherry tomatoes and avocado like they’re candy.

Now if I could only make meals like the ones on this menu….

Unfortunately for the second time since we moved here last year, there was a terrorist attack in Paris.

Our friends and family in the US knew about it before we did, as it happened after we went to sleep.  Ryan was in Germany for work, and Makenna and I were thankfully home safe.  I woke up to messages from both friends and acquaintances checking to make sure we were ok.  I was so touched that people I don’t even know that well or don’t speak to that often reached out to me.

As soon as I saw the messages, I turned on the tv to watch CNN and find out what happened.  I felt sick to my stomach seeing this horrific news and thinking of all the innocent lives that were lost.  It also scared me that  this is the second attack within a year in Paris, which has made me nervous to plan a trip there.  It also makes me nervous to travel, and of course it is scary that we are living not too far from there and we don’t know if something like this will happen again and where it could happen.

I have tried not to watch too much coverage of the attacks and just read the important updates.  I don’t want to live in fear.  I don’t want to read stories of people who “walked by that area before it happened”….people who are just giving an interview but were not there or did not lose a friend or loved one.  It makes me sick that there were people taking photos of the attacks while they happened and of the victims during the aftermath.  I want to be aware of what is going on, but not swept into the hours of media coverage that are unnecessary.

It is sad to be here after a tragic event like this has happened.  But the amount of support France, and the victims, have received from all over the world is amazing.  This world unfortunately has seen a lot of evil, but there is kindness, empathy and unity that will not fail.

Above are some photos of the memorials and support shown in Place de Jaude, the main square in the city.

A couple weeks ago one of our American friends, Meredith, was so sweet to offer to watch Makenna.  Ryan and I decided to have a date day at a local spa, Royatonic, about 10 minutes from where we live.  Most of the spas here offer spa treatments but also have “baths” of thermal water (local water that is said to have healing benefits) to swim or relax in.

The spa was beautiful and had a variety of different baths.  The baths look like hot tubs, however, most of them were just luke warm.  There was one large pool area with tepid water that had a waterfall, a bath in a room that was lavender scented for relaxation, a bath that was warmer more like a hot tub, a bath with massage jets, one with really cold water for circulation and to cool down after using the sauna, and then several baths/pools outside.  The inside was decorated with fake rock to look like you were in natural waterfalls and baths.

In between trying out the different baths, we relaxed in the saunas and hammams (steam rooms).

During the week they offer exercise classes and baby swim classes in the pool area.

It was so nice to have some time to relax!  Next time I think I’ll be scheduling a massage in the spa 😉

After we left we had a little bit of time to stop for a drink so we went to a little bar near our friend’s apartment called Le Fizzy.  It was a really interesting little place and we tried a cherry flavored beer which was delicious!

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Halloween somewhat exists in France, but there aren’t many festivities and they don’t do trick-or-treating.  In the past, other expats have put together a Halloween party and this year I decided to take on the task.  We met at Parc de Montjuzet which overlooks the city and has 7 different playgrounds throughout the park.  I invited the people I know here, as well as people from the Moms and Babies group I meet up with and told everyone to invite anyone that wanted to join.

We wound up having a lot of people show up!  There were about 50 children and we had families from several different countries, which was nice because they got to experience our American tradition.

Makenna was an old lady for Halloween.  Ryan made her a walker and I made a wig out of cotton balls.  Earlier in the day she wore a duck costume that Ryan bought her when he was in the US.

After letting the kids run around and play for awhile, we gathered the children to trick-or-treat.  Somehow we were able to get them all together for a photo!  The parents chose different areas near the playground to stand and the kids walked around to get their candy.  Makenna quickly figured out how to trick-or-treat and loved it!

We had a great time and really enjoyed how beautiful the park and the city views were!

We just celebrated our first “Franceversary”!  This year has flown by and we’ve had so many amazing experiences.  Of course, there have been many ups and downs….many “I hate France!!” days and “France is awesome!” days.  Sometimes I have moments where I still can’t believe we live here, and other times it feels so normal, like we belong here.

I am so thankful we have a great group of expats here that we have met throughout the year.  They are from many different countries too, not just the US.  They offer support, friendship and a look into other cultures and traditions.

Here are some refections so far on life in France:

Things I Like:

• The amount of vacation days! Ryan has 42 days this year.  This offers people enough time to de-stress, spend quality time with their family and travel
• A more relaxed lifestyle- 2 hour lunches, very few people rushing around to get from one place to another, sitting down and enjoying a meal or coffee rather than while walking or driving or working at your desk
• Pharmacies- each one has a slightly different selection, they have high quality and a wide variety of products, they offer homeopathic solutions and pharmacists are well trained on all of the products (not just the medicine)
• The FOOD!! Not just the type of food but the quality
• People are active- walking is the main method of transportation when it’s a viable option, biking is common even for those in their 70s and 80s (more so here than in the US), hiking and other outdoor activities are very popular
• Public transportation – It is much more accessible here and offers an inexpensive and reliable way to get anywhere around town. There is also a great level of respect in terms of allowing the elderly or women to sit, even on a packed tram.
• We rarely drive.  Our 6 year old car has only 25,000 miles.  It’s a fun change for us to walk and/or take the tram to most places.
• Public parks – the quality and amount of the parks here.  There is one park nearby that is high up on a hill overlooking the city with amazing views, and it has 7 different playgrounds throughout the park.
• Accessibility to European travel destinations
• The “dress code”- Not only are most people here fashionable, people just dress nicer in general.  They have an appreciation for looking put-together and presentable.  I see women of all ages walking around town wearing heels or nice looking shoes with dresses/nice pair of pants, a nice jacket and classic purse….some of the older women dress nicer than I ever have!  No sweatpants or pajamas here!  I can’t imagine the horror if the French saw the “people of Walmart”
• Healthcare- We pay very little for doctor appointments and prescriptions, and even less after our reimbursements.  We are also prescribed and reimbursed for things such as vitamins, lotions (typical body lotion that people may choose to buy without a prescription) and midwife services, more so than in the US.
• Childcare – There are numerous methods of childcare available in France. They range from nannys, US-like daycare to in-home childcare. Cost, after paying almost 60% of the salary of the nanny on top of hourly cost, is comparable to the US.  The government even offers a reimbursement that most people are eligible for.

Things I Don’t Like:

• Healthcare- although I like most aspects of the healthcare here,  I don’t like that it can be hard to get an appointment with the doctor (sometimes because the office literally consists of one doctor and his secretary, so if the secretary is not there and the doctor is busy there is nobody to answer the phone).  For Makenna’s eye doctor appointments, I have to go to the pharmacy to get the drops to dilate her eyes and then I have to put the drops in her eyes before we head out to the appointment….this can be tough with a toddler!  I also have to go to the pharmacy to get Makenna’s vaccines before her appointments; the doctor doesn’t have the vaccines in her office.
• Dog poop.  On the sidewalk.  Everywhere.
• Cell service quality – good luck outside the city
• Smoking – It’s probably healthier to not go running around town due to secondhand smoke.
• Being so far from family

Favorite Food and Drinks:

• Baguettes.  Need I say more?  My favorite is a baguette aux céréals, which is made with a mix of different seeds.
• Wine, wine and more wine – Bordeaux, Saint Emilion, Châteauneuf du Pape, Rosé, Champagne
• Canned duck “confit de canard”
• Croissants, pain au chocolat, tarts….basically anything at a patisserie
• Macarons
• Crêpes
• Truffade- a traditional dish in this region (Auvergne) of thinly sliced potatoes mixed with melted cheese mmmmm
• Café- if you want to order a “regular” coffee somewhere, good luck.  it’s all espresso here!
• Kir- white wine and blackcurrant liqueur
• Fromage blanc (yogurt)
• Fresh orange juice machine
• Salmon tartare
• Dark chocolate mousse
• Cheese- Cantal, Gruyère, Saint Nectaire, Chèvre
• Lentils

Before we left the US, I became interested in essential oils due to their increasing popularity.  When we arrived in France, I realized they have been popular here for a long time and can be found EVERYWHERE.

If you go into any grocery store, pharmacy and even other retail stores, you will find essential oils and a variety of diffusers.  They are a popular homeopathic remedy for all sorts of ailments.  The best part is, you can go into a pharmacy and the pharmacist will know all about the oils and which oils are helpful for different things.  Usually there are free pamphlets with information on the different types of oils, what they can help remedy and how to use them (in a diffuser, through massage or by ingesting).  You can even find sprays to purify the air, nasal sprays and roll on oils for uses such as winter illnesses.

The first oil I bought was an anti-stress mixture last winter when I was having some expat-life frustrations haha.  I can’t wait to try a few more!

I love that the oils and diffusers are so widely available and affordable, and that many people use them as a natural remedy.

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My best friend from college (and Makenna’s godmother) lives in Geneva, Switzerland and is due with a baby boy in December.  Yesterday she had a baby shower at her apartment, so we headed to Geneva for the weekend.

There is no Starbucks in Clermont, so I had to make a trip to Starbucks when we arrived in Geneva.  There is a new Toasted Graham latte so I was excited to try that, but apparently it’s only in the US.  But no worries, I got my beloved Pumpkin Spice Latte!

The baby shower wasn’t until 5pm, so after Starbucks we headed to Bois de la Bâtie, which is referred to as the “forest in the middle of the city”.  In it there is an animal park with goats, sheep, mini horses, donkeys, wild boars, birds, peacocks and owls.  I’ve been wanting to take Makenna to a zoo and this has been the closest we could get to it since there are no zoos nearby.  I think I enjoyed it more than she did, but she liked saying “baaaa” to the sheep and looking at the birds.

Later on we went to Claire’s for the baby shower and met some of her friends and family.  Some of them spoke English but we tried to speak French and we did pretty well!  Makenna had a great time playing with balloons and getting attention from everyone.  It was more of a party, as here they don’t really do baby showers.  I actually had to explain to Claire’s dad what a baby shower is and why we call it a “shower”, and they were surprised it is so common in the US.  People don’t usually buy much for the baby until after it’s born because they feel it can be bad luck.

This morning we had breakfast at a local boulangerie and drove back home.  It was a fun weekend and we can’t wait to meet Claire’s little boy!

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I normally go grocery shopping on a daily basis here, which is definitely a change for me, but there are also a lot of other differences with the grocery stores and shopping experience in France.

One of the biggest differences is the variety of grocery stores here.  There are about 7 different chains that I know of close by, and then some of those chains have several types of stores such as the “super” store, the city store and the express store.  Each store has a different selection and some become the “go to” place for certain things- one store is the place to get meats and veggies, one has the best seafood and one is the “not-so-nice but it’s a 2 minute walk down street” store.  Two of the chains are similar to Walmart in the sense that they carry everything from food to household decor and supplies to clothing and toys.  Another is more like a health food store, somewhat like Whole Foods but much much more scaled down.

Some of the grocery stores are in mini malls.  When you walk in, you can find pharmacies, restaurants, clothing stores, shoe stores, hair salons etc.  You could literally spend the whole day eating and doing all of your shopping while going to the grocery store.

The other major difference that you’ll notice right away is if you don’t have some coins on you, you won’t be using a shopping cart.  In order to use a shopping cart, you need to enter a euro or 2 and when you return the cart you get your money back.  The carts here have 4 wheels that swivel, which make it pretty hard to turn and maneuver…sometimes I really wonder why they make them like this!

France likes to keep things old-school when it comes to produce.  At most grocery stores, you have to weigh your produce and it prints out a barcode sticker with the price on it.  The nice thing about shopping for produce here is it’s all in season.  You can sometimes find things that aren’t quite in season or aren’t grown locally, but you’ll pay for it (oh sweet potatoes, I would buy so many more of you if you didn’t cost as much as my French haircuts).

Now, although not many aspects of grocery shopping are convenient here, let me tell you what IS convenient.  Beer, wine and liquor are sold right there in the store….not next door, not at a liquor store, no sales bans on Sundays outside of city limits.  Oui, excuse moi, I’ll take some eggs and whisky please.  Oh and what’s even better?  HELLO French wine!!!  I mean good wines for under 10 euros.  Amen.  (one of the stores even has a separate wine cave for nicer vintage wines)

The yogurt aisle is insane.  There are so many types of yogurt I literally don’t know what half of them are.  Regular yogurt, fromage blanc, fromage frais, locally produced yogurt, soy milk yogurt, goat’s milk yogurt, whipped yogurt, some kind of vanilla yogurt in a glass jar that’s so delicious…the list goes on.

Looking for milk and eggs?  You won’t find them in the refrigerated section.  They’ll be sitting on a shelf somewhere, and there’s quite a selection of milk.  There’s also a milk specifically for kids that’s fortified with iron.

Have I mentioned the bread and pastries?!  The mouth-watering fresh baguettes, croissants and pastries are plentiful.  And there’s probably a crowd of people around them because seriously, these are a daily staple in the French diet.

So what’s the worst part about grocery shopping?  Trying to remember your reusable bags because they don’t give you bags, and then bagging your groceries.  That wouldn’t always be so bad, but just imagine how slowwww that can make things go when someone is slowly packing their bags, and then they have to dig through their purse for their money or to pay by check.  All while the cashier is just blankly staring.

Overall, I really enjoy some of these differences and I know I’ll be missing them when we move back!