Daily Life

We've been in Tours almost two weeks so we're starting to get a feel for daily life here.

Yesterday the kids and I went to the public library to get library cards. The library is a quick walk along the river from our apartment. There is a big beautiful fountain out front and a very businesslike man at the front desk. I brought my passport and proof of residence but he also needed a photo for my card so we'll have to go back today with that. I already am completely swept away by libraries. I love them. They are my Disneyland, my shopping mall. This one is no exception. The children's library is huge and, guess what? All the books are in French! Quelle merveille! The kids were feeling a little impatient so I had everyone read 5 books before we left.

Needless to say, we've been very pleased with the food thus far. Luckily we live on the 6th floor and we can walk up and down to work off the extra bread and cheese! We found an organic food co-op where we can buy tofu, oats, brown rice and peanut butter. These are not foods you'll find at an ordinary grocery store.

We are going over to sign up to rent bikes today. Tours has a system of bike rentals where one can rent these cool cruiser bikes monthly for 10 euros for adults 5 or euros for kids. We found two adult-sized bikes in the cave. Steve and I took a long bike ride Monday morning along the Loire. Tours is a very bike-friendly town. There are bike lanes and racks all over. Interestingly, I rarely see people wearing helmets.

One challenge for the kids has arisen from apartment living. We have an older lady who lives directly below us who is, we're told, VERY sensitive to noise. This means we have to be very calm in the house-no jumping, running, etc. Those of you who have ever shared a residence with a five year old know how difficult this can be. We want to be good neighbors so we're really trying our best. We're trying to figure out an appropriate way to ingratiate ourselves to la dame en dessous.

We are watching way more t.v. than we're used to, since we actually have a t.v. here. It is, in part, because we've really been enjoying the olympics, but also so we can keep things calm for our neighbor at critical times. The kids love French cartoons and hopefully they're picking up a few words before school starts. We meet with the principal today...