Vending machines

The only redeeming quality of the metro -- from our kids' perspective -- is the ability to find coins in the ubiquitous vending machines. Evidently Parisiens in their rush to quickly grab a snack before jumping on a train will take what they purchased but leave behind the change.

Paige and Clay have learned, with some initial direction from me, that if they push the change button then scoop out the coin dispenser, they can often find a coin or two -- usually between 10 and 50 cents. Clay has been considerably more lucky than Paige in this venture -- which has been a major point of contention between the two. It seems that he finds coins four or five times more often than she does.

A few days ago, for example, he reached in and pulled out five or six coins, totaling almost a euro. Not bad. Given all of the people we see begging for money in Paris, it is amazing that the kids are able to find as much as they do.

Clay showing how it is done

Pickpockets

Whenever you read travel guides about Europe, particularly those focused on the large cities, they warn about pickpockets. So, on our first trips over here we would be vigilant and wear money belts under our clothing whenever we would travel, just as Rick Steves does.

Traveling on the metro in Paris you often see warnings about high pickpocket activity. We also hear about theft all the time. Some friends have had their apartment broken into, another has had her purse stolen and has been robbed at an ATM machine in our neighborhood. Our school has sent out a warning about ATM robberies near it.

Our friend Paul back in the States has a great story from his last visit to Paris. He was a bit surprised, when putting his hand into his pocket, to find another hand already there!

And despite all of this, we feel very safe in Paris, particularly in our neighborhood but also as we venture out to different parts of the city. There are definitely areas that feel a bit "rough", but I haven't been in an area yet where I feel unsafe.

With becoming more comfortable in the city, I've also become less cautious as it relates to pickpockets. I haven't worn a money belt in years and just keep my cash, credit cards, and phone in my pockets.

This past weekend I took the metro to and from Gare du Nord to pick up my brother-in-law Clark and nephew Jaron who flew in from Portland for a visit. On the way back home from the train station we were on a very, very crowded metro. After we boarded it, a couple warned us, in English, that two young girls very close to us were pickpocketing and to be careful with our valuables.

So, we kept an eye on the girls and had our guard up. At the first stop, after only a minute on the train, a bunch of people exited it and, with the crowd, we got jostled around a bit. A new batch of people got on and we started moving again. Once I regained my balance on the moving train I reached into my pocket and found that my money -- about 50 to 100 euros -- was gone. Damn!

The girls were still nearby so I confronted them. After some limited discussion in a mix of English and French, they indicated that I was crazy and got off at the next stop.

I honestly don't know if it was the girls that robbed me or if it was somebody else. It seems like they were too far away so I suspect it was another person that was behind me. But, either way, the money was gone.

Luckily, they didn't get (or want) the credit card in the same pocket or my phone in the other pocket. Those would have been a lot more painful to lose. I look at the money as a tax I need to pay for living in Paris.

The $15 box of Cheerios

France is well known for its excellent food. Eating is ingrained in the French culture -- children are taught from an early age to develop an appreciation for the entire range of flavors and foods, meals will extend for hours, and the French set a high bar for the quality of their food. People buy food fresh, the same day or, with breads, the same hour that they'll eat it. The fresh fruits and vegetables are wonderful and the breads, pastries, and sweets are second-to-none. There is even a ubiquitous chain of frozen-food-only stores, Picard, that has excellent quality (someone could make an absolute killing if they could figure out how to replicate the model in the States).

That said, after six months here, there is a lot of food we miss from back home. Pizza, for example, isn't nearly the same here -- it is almost always ham and it is very rare to find the flavorful pepperoni, onion, peppers, garlic, sausage, mushrooms, etc. that we crave. There are also a variety of meals that we try to replicate but that just don't quite turn out the same because of differences in available ingredients. While the tacos never tasted better (probably from better quality beef and vegetables), getting the spices right in the chili has been a challenge and the pumpkin pie just wasn't quite the same.

Breakfast is an area that is a bit of a grind for us. Before moving here I anticipated that we'd run to the local boulangerie each morning, grab a croissant, pain au chocolat, or chausson aux pommes, and enjoy it with some juice for breakfast. Reality, however, has been different. On weekdays we have cereal and on weekends we have something else -- crepes, eggs, pancakes, or toast -- just like we'd do at home. But I really miss waffles and oatmeal and, after all of the rich French food, plain bran flakes.

The French brands of cereals tend to be very limited, very sweet, and full of chocolate. It is fine for a day or two but after a while it gets old. So, after six months, you get to a point where you are ready to spend $15 (12 euros) to buy a box of Cheerios. And, fortunately, there is a store where they'll enable that transaction. The place is appropriately called Thanksgiving and it is located in the Marais. There you'll find peanut butter, jelly, the disgusting-looking peanut butter and jelly mix (aka Smucker's Goober PB&J), macaroni & cheese, Pop-Tarts, candy corn (still stocked in March), Coors Light, and shelf after shelf of all-American goodness. And if you can't find what you need at Thanksgiving, you can always head over to The Real McCoy near the Eiffel Tower to see if they have it.

Erin has also gone to the grocery store at Marks & Spencer a couple of times to stock up on items that we can't find in the local stores. She'll usually get things such as cereals, peanut butter, bacon, and cheddar cheese.

In addition to these grocery stores, there are also a number of restaurants that specialize in all-American food. We've been to Coffee Parisien -- with its place mats listing all of the American Presidents -- and Schwartz's Deli. Both have menus that look great -- burgers, shakes, etc. -- but that don't quite exactly deliver what you are longing for. Which is probably just as well.