Patience is a virtue & a way of life in France
When traveling, it's interesting to notice different countries have different ways of doing things. Living someplace gives you an even more in-depth exposure to these differences.
In the US, we've relied a lot on Amazon. We like to purchase things locally but many things aren't available in nearby stores. Yes, the employees are used and abused; but prime purchases will show up at your door the next day if not same day! Since Nice is a larger city, most everything is available in stores; however, we haven't figured out yet where to get some items. We got an amazon.fr account (Amazon with a French twist.). I would describe it as a slower, less predictable Amazon with a small town personal touch. The deliveries seem go to various small businesses in the area based on available space, where they are stored for pickup. Our deliveries have gone to a different business each time. Last Friday morning we went to pickup a package at a seamstress business. When we arrived, the seamstress said that her son is the one who takes care of the packages and that he wouldn't be in until the afternoon. When we came back in the afternoon, we had to wait a bit for him to find our package and the seamstress offered us coffee while we waited! On Saturday, John tried to pickup a package at a little market. Apparently they had received a lot of packages and had not yet organized them. So they told him to come back Tuesday! Thus is the pace of life here!
Moving into our apartment there was lots of laundry to do right off the bat: sheets, towels, and clothing. First I did a load of towels; after getting it started the timer read 3 hours to wash. Ok, I've previously experienced these long cycles with French "green" washers when traveling. This machine is a bit different in that it's washer/dryer combo that we bought from the previous renter. (This is a luxury as most people only have washers.) So I'm excited! But after the dry cycle, I open the machine to wet towels! After doing a bit of reading online, I realize that's as good as it gets. It's necessary to hang them to dry completely. Next I do a load of clothing which I will just hang dry. When it's finally done, I remember that my indoor drying rack is full with the still wet towels. I resolve to hang the clothes outside on the line and just hope for the best in regards to the pigeons and sea gulls pooping. As I pull the clothes out, there's lint on everything! John's black long sleeve shirt looks especially lovely. I'll have to figure out that problem! But, John promptly ordered a lint remover on Amazon.fr and it'll be here in 4 days!
