lease signing + tapas + lost bag + 11pm nap = the perfect night........SCRATCH THAT this ones aaaaallllll about Beatrice.

So we finally signed a lease last night!!

 

 We walked across town to the real estate agents office where our personal angel aka our relocation expert aka Beatrice met us.

She rode her bike there. In a dress.

 

I need to take a moment to tell you about Beatrice [pronounced: Bay-eh-trees]. We hired her from the states (sight unseen) because we were told landlords won't even talk to you without a middle manager. We had no idea what a blessing she would be!! She is beautiful in a   sturdy way. She is tall and strong with large hands and feet but flows thru the streets, with us jogging to keep up with her, like a silk ribbon. The 1st day I met her it was pouring down rain and she came rushing into our hotel lobby in a trench coat and a floppy rain hat jammed down on her head. When she gripped my hand firmly with her right hand and introduced herself she used her left hand to sweep the rain hat off her head. Her shortish hair was pulled in a tight knot on the back of her head with unruly wisps framing her beautiful fierce brown eyes. I loved her instantly! She has made it possible for us to get our cell phones hooked up...find a flat that works with our American safety regs...our bank accounts set up and has made arrangements for our cable and Internet to be hooked up the day we get the keys. After looking at 6 flats on that rainy afternoon, walking miles thru the city streets my head was spinning. I was so lost and thought even if we found an apartment I would never be able to find my way back there. She must have noticed the lost look in my eyes because she kept smilimg at me from across the room as we waited for the English speaking banker, a friend of hers of course, to help us set up our new French account. The banker comes in to get us, Beatrice rises to say aurevoir...she shakes hands with Him, then comes to me, kiss's me on both cheeks and looks into my eyes and says in her thick French accent "Don't worry. Everything will be alright." She has reached hero status for me!


  Before she left us at our bank appointment she took us to a bakery that was filled with beautiful little cakes and candies and cookies and big lovely decorated wedding and birthday cakes. She knew just what to order because she had been coming there since she was a little girl with her grand mother. She ordered 3 little pastries and cafe for 3.

 

 

 

This was her favorite little cake when she was a little girl

and we of course had to order a violet Macaron since Toulouse is famous for it's violets.

 

 

I don't take sugar in my cafe but you better believe I dropped that little piece of chocolate in it!

 

 

 

 

 Until you are an American expat in a European country on Uncle Sams dime you can't understand how difficult it is to do such everyday things. You can't get a phone account set up without a bank account and you can't get a bank account until you have an address and you can't get an address without a bank account and you can't make any calls for these chores if you don't have a phone account. When needed she gave her own address. She called in favors and wooed her friends to give us deals or set up appointments in a timely manner. Beatrice is a dream and a tangible proof that God loves us and was already here making a way for us before we even got our visas!