Countdown to Le Départ
Headed back to France
First things first. An update on the visas we applied for at the beginning of August.
Roberto and I received our passports back in the mail on Wednesday. Here is a video of me opening the packages live.
We are currently planning to be in France for three months beginning in September. Although our passports alone allow us to do that, the new visas will allow us to return as soon as we want. Without visas we would have to leave the EU for a very strict 90 days and when we returned again, it would be for a very strict 90 days. The visitor visas will let us come and go as we please. So this is a very big step!
Fingers crossed that now that we have done it once, the second (and third and fourth times) will be smoother.
As we gear up for our longest trip yet (we leave in two weeks!) we have a long list of things to do.
Roberto and I have been discussing our packing plans. We left a lot of stuff in the apartment in Montpellier when we left in May, but it was all spring clothing. We know that it will get cold by late November, so we need to take winter clothes this time. I also want to take some light dresses for the hot days when we first get back. We’ll be walking a lot and there is scant indoor air-conditioning. This week Montpellier has hit 100 degrees, so our first few weeks there might be pretty rough weather-wise. As Roberto mentioned in our last post, we plan to join the local pool.
It’s tempting to pack a lot of stuff (I don’t want to buy things in France that I already own and don’t need) but we’re trying to show restraint. We have limited closet space in the apartment and, because we are traveling with the dogs, we don’t want extra luggage.
I’m also figuring out how much it will cost to send ourselves a box of stuff right before we leave. It’s not reliable to send things to the apartment because the mailwoman and Amazon delivery people don’t like to leave things in the foyer, so we have to be home for packages. Luckily le tabac (bodega) on the corner accepts Amazon packages, and they’ve been really reliable so far. Cross fingers they will also accept UPS packages.
My to-do list before we leave September 2nd:
Get three months worth of all my medications (the pharmacist at my locally owned place is being very helpful about this). Yes, it might be cheaper for me to get these in France, but I don’t have a GP there yet so I want to make sure I have what I need.
Get the dogs bathed and groomed so they look smaller than they are and won’t attract notice of the airlines. (I posted about traveling with the dogs a few weeks ago and all the prep and stress involved so far).
Get three months of the dogs’ flea and tick meds. And what about their food? It is fine to switch them to a French brand, but we’ll have to do it slowly so they don’t get bad tummies, so we need to take enough dry food to do that gradually. Ugh. We have to pack dog food?
Take the dogs to the mall for a test run in their new pet carriers.
Return all the airline pet carriers we are not using. Not kidding. I think we have tested everything on the market.
Dry-clean sweaters and winter coat. Get crazy looks from dry cleaner because it is literally 108 degrees here in Austin.
Clean out my writing studio for renters. We’re hoping to rent out this space to traveling nurses/professionals while we are away.
Buy and assemble clothing rack for writing studio rental.
Get the formula for my hair color from my hair salon for when I find a new salon in Montpellier (many of you will understand that this is THE most important item on this list)
Cancel/pause local subscriptions
Update our home insurance policy
Update my will. Not kidding. Roberto keeps reminding me to do this, which makes me wonder if he has a hot new lover in France and they are going to murder me by “accidental” cheese overdose.
Call Orange France to turn on our new phone lines and deliver our new router so it will be there when we arrive
Have lunch/dinner/coffee/drinks with all our friends and family who want to see us before we leave because they think we will never come back
The truth is, I’ve been avoiding most of this list. I had a big showcase Saturday night for my amateur band Supertight, and was putting all of my nervous energy into rehearsing and worrying about that. Now that it’s finished, though, I have to start to focus full-tilt on France and The Dreaded List.
It is comforting to know that so much is already waiting for us in the apartment. I left behind clothes, shoes, toiletries, socks, underwear, and even my favorite deodorant. I have to remind myself that even if I packed nothing but the dogs I could happily live there for months until it got chilly.
Yesterday we crossed off a big item: taking the dogs to the mall for a test run.
First we gave them some anxiety meds provided by the vet. She recommended testing them first. Woody seemed slightly more relaxed than normal. Rudy didn’t shake like he normally does in the car, but I would say the meds emboldened him? Which is not what we were going for.
For me the worst part was putting them in the carriers while we were in the parking lot of the mall (have I already mentioned it is 108℉ here?). The blacktop was so hot it would have burnt the dog’s paws, and we couldn’t put them on the ground, so that added a little extra fun to the whole experiment.
We got a top loader bag for Woody, so Roberto got him in with a minimum of resistance. Unfortunately, the bag for Rudy is a side-loader and he acted as if I was loading him into a crematorium. His bag also has a little hole in the top for his head and he escaped no less than three times.
We wheeled them around JC Penney, because it was the most obvious simulation of France.
I’m glad we did it. Neither of them barked or s***t themselves (and neither did we) so I call it a win.
And I’ll keep you posted on Roberto’s plot to murder me. Don’t tell him I know.
Jusqù’a la prochain fois (until next time),
Carolyn & Roberto
Laughing so hard at your dogs in carriers. Currently trying to teach my dog the same but she won’t go near the carrier, no matter how many treats I throw inside.
Bon chance with the dreaded list. I'm excited for you! Bienvenue en France!