Day 2: Oh, the Things We "Could" Do

Day 2:  This is kind of a weird day. We got to sleep late, all waking up in new beds and new rooms.  For the most part, I think Andrew and I woke up with memories of living in Bucktown and Lakeview.  Our apartment is dead in the center of Caen. Right next door is a movie theater.  A busy bus stop (the Twisto) is right across the street.  It is a very active scene.  Much more active than the dead silence we have become used to in the mountains of Colorado.  In Colorado, sometimes I cannot sleep  because it is too quiet.  The quiet is loud if that makes any sense.  In Caen, it is really just loud.  The windows are single pane and made of what I feel could be Reynold's Wrap.  This first night wasn't so loud that it concerned me, as Andrew had warned me ahead of time about "city living".  Never the less, none of us fell sound asleep. 

Having slept in, Day 2 started late.  Andrew had to go to work - after all, his job is the reason we came to Caen. So he left around noon and then it was me and the girls to spend the day doing whatever.  I have to admit that I felt a little abandoned.  In this new city with which I had no familiarity, a slight language barrier and three rambunctious children, what was I to do with my three daughters for the rest of the day?

We did have a TV, but Andrew had been unsuccessful at getting it to work. There were some local channels we received so I think the girls watched JAG in french for a while. They played with their Leapsters and other random toys they had packed in their backpacks.  We had (and still only have) two small chairs from IKEA (the couch I ordered didn't fit up the stairs so they had to take it back) so they fought over who got to sit in the chairs.  Some 4 boxes that I had shipped over before we left Crested Butte had arrived earlier that morning. The boxes would not fit up the stairwell so I attempted to unpack some of the boxes and bring small loads up the four flights of stairs.  One bonus of this shipment was our Apple Computer.  I took it out promptly and set it up where the girls then watched movies from iTunes for a few hours - Cars, High School Musical, and listened to some of their favorite music.  Looking back, I think the cost of shipping our Apple was well worth the effort and money.  It has taken us through some needy hours here in Caen.  Not a very adventurous day and not a day that exemplifies exotic living in France, sorry to say!

Andrew arrived home from work around 6:30 p.m.  We had some dinner and the day basically ended by the girls going to sleep and Andrew and I talked about his day at work for quite a while.  Then it was off to sleep - well, kind of.  So, Day 2 was short the action but we all seemed to end in a state of satisfaction.