Accueil

n. – welcome
Dejeuner
n. or v. – lunch or to lunch
Café
n. – coffee
Apéro
n. – cocktail time
Durée
n. – duration

One thing I am very fortunate for is the gracious warmth and hospitality of all our good friends here. Everyone we know has reached out regularly since we arrived with offers of support and help with everything.

Parisians like New Yorkers can suffer a bad reputation of being cold or unfriendly. In fact, I find the opposite true of both cultures. Perhaps the formality of the former can be misconstrued at times, but once you get to know them and they consider you their friend, they are genuine and loyal.

There is a true appreciation of spending time together here that we may rush a bit more in the US. A lunch or even getting together for coffee can span an entire afternoon. We were invited to an “apéro” (see above) not long ago that started at 7:30 and ended at 11:30! Luckily there were heavy hors d’oeuvres, but I was so wrapped up in the conversation, I hadn’t noticed the time fly by.

The people we know here are interested in many things – politics, business, travel, culture. They have a real appreciation for the US and were as involved in this last election as I was. So I guess I just wanted to take a moment and pay tribute to our friends and the people of Paris. Because even if I’m having some trouble adjusting to the city itself, I am thankful for those we know living in it.

Merci mes amis pour tout!