Feeling like a local

We are just shy of the three month mark but I am beginning to feel like a local. I often forget that everyone around me speaks a different language. I see something interesting and go to read the information sign and am brought back to reality when I realize I can't read it. And actually I am sometimes able to make out at least the gist of it, often with the help of Google Translate. I can find my way around the old part of town pretty well now and am gradually expanding the boundaries of the known world. Clay and I have both had people stop us to ask for directions so we must at least look like we know where we are and what we are doing. He's a good ways ahead of me in this regard, but I am getting there. I can't say that my language skills are greatly improved, but perhaps slightly improved anyway, and I have a plan to continue studying when my class ends at the end of the month. 

We've found a boarding kennel that looks good for Bailey and we plan to visit it sometime soon. Once we have a secure place for her that I feel comfortable with, we'll start planning some excursions by train. 

Bailey and I get out for a half hour walk early in the morning and then a much longer walk in the afternoon that includes a visit to the dog park. That afternoon walk may not happen today, however, because a storm from the Atlantic is blowing in here today with strong wind and a fair amount of rain. I skipped class this morning and have been cooking today instead. I made another batch of gazpacho, a salad, and a salmon quiche so far. Next up is some sort of sausage and cabbage dish with ingredients we bought at a local market this week. 

We have tickets to another concert at the opera house this evening. 

The thing that made me feel most like a local, that made feel like I live here, was yelling at a motorist. When you're a tourist in a strange town, you watch out for traffic, never sure of the rules or the deference given to pedestrians. But in your own town, you tend to walk about like you own the place, or at least like you know what you're doing and what you expect drivers to do. Bailey and I were crossing the street to enter the Citadelle. It's a wide, cobblestone walk, but it's a crosswalk, we had green pedestrian lights giving us the go ahead. I think the car came from a side street, maybe didn't realize it was a crosswalk, I don't know, but it came uncomfortably close and I said a few choice words. It would have been even better if I could have said it in French. Life goals. 

One of the locks on the Deule. 

There's a circus in town. I think we'll try to go some day next week.

There's a small brewery just down the street from us. The beer is good. 

We took Bailey on a slow evening. She doesn't enjoy it like Maya did, but she was good.

More dog park fun.

Bailey is good with the smaller dogs, but she most enjoys one her own size and speed.

I am fascinated by the canal and the shipping traffic that still uses it. There is good walking trail on both sides and I think we could go on it for many miles.

We crossed over and went beyond our normal route yesterday for an adventure.

The old port of Dunkirk included a series of stepped ramparts along the river/canal that was built for defensive purposes. The site isn't used for anything anymore. They don't exactly invite access, but they don't prohibit it either, as near as I could tell. Bailey and I went in and walked to the top. The best view of the site is actually a satellite photo on Google. You can see what looks like stepped pyramids in the shape of the Citadelle. 

Those two stone posts and two stone block buildings are all that remain of the Port of Dunkirk. 

Bailey and I will venture in here some day and get some better pictures. The city uses it as basically a maintenance yard currently. 

I've posted pictures of the grazing sheep that they use to cut the grass on the green space around the Citadelle. The sheep are still around, but yesterday we were surprised to find a group of ponies and donkeys being grazed there too.

Blessings from Elvis, and other former fosters

My blog is, necessarily, rather focused on Bailey these days. Making her happy and helping her adjust to city living has been my primary focus ever since we moved, but I've recently received a few pictures from former fosters that I wanted to share as well.

Elvis would have been an easy dog to move to France and he makes friends easily. The noise wouldn't have bothered him since he's deaf anyway and he loves to work a crowd. He would have fit in well at bars and cafes. However, we didn't need to move with two dogs and Elvis was highly sought after and had many placement prospects back in the states. He went to live with a friend who had adopted multiple dogs from us in the past but was currently without one. I recently received some pictures of Elvis from one of those blessing of the animals events. He had a good time and was a hit with the crowd, as he always is, wherever he goes.

I think it's clear that Elvis is the one doing the blessing here, as it should be.

Elvis working the crowd.

Elvis at home

Meeting a rottweiler friend.

Remember Elliot? Sweet, deaf, and the only male from Allison's litter of ten Great Danes? They are four years old now. We saw Elliot fairly often and he's always been happy to see us.

This next one goes back even further. Athena was a nine month old Great Dane when we got her (on our anniversary) in August, 2016. She had a heart murmur, still does I guess, but it hasn't prevented her from having a rich, full life with friends and former adopters currently living in Georgia. They had adopted two dogs from us previously and had so much faith in what I said about her that they adopted Athena without much of a meeting and without the entire family meeting her. She lived up to their expectations and is still doing so. 

Danes are always looking for a place to rest their heavy heads. Fortunately, tables are often just right for that purpose.

More medical stuff

Last week we went to a local governmental office for our mandatory medical exam. Once upon a time I think this was used to identify tuberculosis patients. We gathered up and took all of our medical records showing all of our covid and other vaccines. Turns out they didn't really want any of that. A doctor who spoke English with an Italian accent took our blood pressure and asked if we had had all the normal childhood vaccines. He checked a lot more boxes than he had asked us questions for but it was all over and done with in a few minutes. Apparently we will need the certificate that they will be mailing us when it comes time to renew our visas next year. I'm guessing that the screening for immigrants from some countries may be more thorough than what we received. The only other person there that day for the screening was another American immigrant. We exchanged emails with him and saw him later in the week at an American Expats gathering. I also ran him to him at the Citadel one day recently; he was running, I was walking Bailey. 

Today, Tuesday, I had an appointment with a new primary care doctor. Clay made the appointment on Monday, online, choosing this one because of his availability (next day), proximity (easy walking distance), and his language skills (English). Clay came along and I'm glad he did because the initial sign in at the desk consisted of using a kiosk in the lobby to create and account and answer some basic questions, all of which were in French. It was very much like the self-check-in kiosks you see at airports. At least one of the front desk people also spoke English but it was nice to have Clay along to facilitate the computer sign in. 

I'm not sick but everyone needs a primary care doctor sooner or later. The main reason for the visit today was to get refills on my prescriptions. I came with at least a 90 day supply, but we will be reaching that mark before too long. It was quick and efficient. He took my medical history, my current meds, checked my heart, lungs, and blood pressure, and wrote prescriptions for 90 day refills on all my meds, vaccines, bloodwork, and a referral to a cardiologist, which I qualify for based on various risk factors. His English was nearly as good as my own and he had no trace of any accent. Oh, and the whole experience, without insurance, set me back a whole €30. It was even less than Bailey's vet visit, which was also a bargain. 

So far, so good. 

I've established a good routine with Bailey in the new apartment. We go out for about a half hour walk early each morning before I go to class. Mid to late afternoon I take her out again for a much longer hike and visit to the dog park. We can leave her crated in the apartment when we both go out together and she seems fine. She likes being able to look out the windows here and I think it may be helping her adjust to the street activity and sounds, although she's still not a big fan of it. We are doing more long-line walking in the park and I've even let her run free with other dogs on a couple of occasions. As long as someone is running and having fun, she's not going anywhere.

This handsome dog was good in the dog park and we ran into him on the trails today too. The owner said he's a wolf dog (25%) with the remainder being German Shepherd Dog and Malamute. 

The dog park is hit or miss for playmates. The best time seems to be the after work hours, early evening.

This German Short Hair Pointer was running around the big field, off leash, obviously looking for a playmate. His owner was in the center of the field just watching him run. I dropped Bailey's leash and let her go after him. He just ran huge circles around the field with her close behind him, both obviously having a great time.

Further settling in

Nothing big to report, just further settling into our new apartment, city, and life. Today is one of our two anniversaries, this is the "legal" one, 11 years ago at the Fluvanna County Courthouse, but we really date our relationship as 29 years old. We are going out to eat this evening at a place that is out of our normal price range. That's how old folks celebrate. 

We got two rugs delivered today and they look nice. I think we'll be getting a few more from the same company. It's making our apartment looked more lived in. We've also purchased a printer and have a bunch more stuff being delivered from |IKEA on Friday. We've finally worked out an organization system for the closets so we know where to find things. All the suitcases are empty and stored away but we still have a few more things to bring over from the old apartment. We are beginning to get the kitchen stocked and doing a little bit of cooking at home. 

Bailey continues to demonstrably earn and establish her title as the Most Fun Dog at the dog park. Today we walked in and found probably seven dogs just standing around with their owners doing nothing. She had them all running within the first two minutes and everyone had a good time. She's still spooky about city traffic and sounds, but our new place is only four blocks from the park and it's a pretty quiet, low-stress walk to get there, at least most of the time. I take her out early in the morning to poop and pee and then we go out for a long walk and dog park visit in the afternoons when I'm home from class.

We went to an afternoon concert at the opera house this week. It was weird, discordant music and people were laying on mats on the floor throughout (we sat on a long bench on the side of the room). It's something the new opera director is trying and they had a good turnout for it. We went mostly for the experience and to see the inside of the opera house, although we still haven't been in the central theatre part. This was part of a series of concerts they are doing and we have tickets for at least one more. We'll see actual opera there at some point as well.

We went to the Lille Street Food Festival last weekend, lots of food trucks and breweries. It was nice.

She has really been enjoying walks on the long line through some of the open fields in the park.

It gives her the chance to roll in the grass and hunt small creatures like she used to do in our pasture.

A quiet time at the dog park.

Cementing her title as Most Fun Dog.

The kitchen is very small but functional. The refridgerator (on the left) is huge by European standards.

The empty space under the counter is where a dishwasher could/should go, but after buying the refrigerator, washer, and dryer, we decided to wait on a dishwasher.

My only real cooking so far as been breakfast dishes, above and below, and I only have time for that on weekends. 

A few shots from the concert at the opera house this week.

This is a side room, outside the main central theater. 

Those laying on mats on the floor could stare at the ceiling, which was better than the music.

A piano, cello, clarinet, flute, and violin. The group calls itself dissonArt and makes strange sounds on their instruments. 

Bailey, leading the chase

Queen of the hill, and Most Fun Dog

I can't say that she's loving city life, but we are finding ways to make it fun, and she's more attached to me than ever.