Photo from the inside of Cathedral Sainte-Croix d’Orléans, which dates back to 1288. It’s been partially destroyed and rebuilt a number of times.

It’s been a busy first week here in Orléans, France. We had several critical to-dos that needed to take place this week to set us up for success in the coming year, all while trying to get our feet underneath us. Looking back over this first week, we’re happy with where we find ourselves and are excited for what’s to come. Here’s a summary, complete with learnings:

• Getting our visa validated – we mentioned this on our Day 1 recap, but this is so important to getting our legal footing in France, it bears celebrating again!
• Getting our cell phones sorted out – we were dead in the water for cell service without wifi when we got here (that was expected). Two things were critical: getting our French cell phone plan, and then getting our US-based cell phone plan to ride on top of it here so we can still get texts and calls from the US, as needed. Getting the French plan was a cheap and easy Day 1 event, but then Greg spent a week in tech support hell to sort out two SIM card issues. Now, this is done and no longer a source of stress.
• Moving apartments – our first long-stay rental here in Orléans was not working for us and we had to move into another one. This was unexpected and stressful. The apartment was much smaller than advertised, dark, and we had to use a death-trap 16th century staircase to get to it. Our new apartment is twice the size, has an elevator, and is much lighter and brighter.
• Getting a storage space – we don’t want to drag six suitcases, a bike, and a bike box with us in our travels this summer. We re-organized into one big suitcase each and Greg’s bike for our travels through early September. We found a storage space in the area and took the other four suitcases that have all our fall/winter clothes and the bike box there yesterday.
• Renting a car and driving in France – to get the items to the storage place, we rented a car and Greg drove in France for the first time. It was easier than expected and only cost us $42 for the day, including gas and comprehensive insurance.
• Getting Greg’s bike re-assembled – we also used the rental car to get it to the bike shop. Thank goodness for Google Translate, some charades, and the general helpfulness of the biking community.
• Applying for a bank account – buying things in US$ and converting them to Euros is not ideal from a transaction cost perspective and the fluctuating exchange rate. Getting a bank account in France is totally different than in the US. You have to find a bank that will work with US citizens given the complex US banking requirements, and then ask them to pretty, pretty please consider you as potential client with a hefty initial deposit. It’s like a job interview, but for a bank account. We’re still awaiting their decision on whether we will be selected, fingers crossed.

Lastly, feeding ourselves has been a fun adventure. We’ve shopped at a farmers market, several grocery stores, restaurants, bakeries, and more, and have started to find our groove as to what we want to be eating. We’re generally people who want simple breakfasts at home (cereal, oatmeal, or yogurt/fruit) and lunch as our big meal, with a small dinner in the evening. This has helped us keep our food costs reasonable and has allowed us to try new options.

Our general impressions so far are that:

• French people are kind and helpful, and Google Translate has been our best friend in helping us navigate situations with language barriers
• Food is fresh, healthy, and pretty inexpensive, but given the lack of preservatives, a 2-day old baguette is inedible and could be used as a hammer
• The pastries are fantastic!
• The weather has been great, with 60s and 70s each day
• The cities are very walkable and clean, with so much history and beauty to see

We’re off to see more of the city neighborhoods over the next few days and find more new things to enjoy.