From Northern Ontario to Paris

I start with a photo of Northern Ontario.  Our journey to Paris started here.  We didn't actually paddle a canoe to the airport in Thunder Bay, but regardless, no contrast could be more dumbfounding than that between a cottage ("camp" in local terminology) on a cold clear lake in the woods an hour outside of Thunder Bay - a place lacking any internet or cell phone connection for example - and Paris.  The expanding aircraft size alone tells a story.  From Thunder Bay to Toronto: a Bombardier Q400, a prop aircraft (not a jet!) with 4 narrow seats to a row, and very small overhead bins, into which we were very lucky to fit our instruments.  Toronto-Montreal, Boeing 737, number of seats to a row 7.  Montreal-Paris, Boeing 777 with 10 seats to a row.  (We very much regret that the Airbus A380 no longer flies between Montreal and Paris.)  Nobody slept.  It was much too exciting (and much too uncomfortable), and the night was short anyways, flying into the dawn off the coast of France.

Then, Paris!  Of our first day, suffice it to say that we oriented ourselves.  Much was accomplished, including, importantly, getting the keys for the apartment we have rented for the next two weeks while we search a more permanent location.  The apartment is perfectly charming, very reminiscent in many details of our apartment many years ago in Grenoble.  We are on the top (6th) floor. Unexpectedly, we have a view of the top Eiffel Tower from the kitchen window and the balcony.  Not a close view, but enough to increase everyone's excitement even more, if that were possible.  This can only be Paris!  We often jump up to go check the changing light on the tower.

On the first morning I woke to the sounds of doves cooing on the roof opposite.