Starting off...

This is the start of a long project that should last for quite a few years.  I lived in Paris from 2003 to the end of 2007 working for Nestle Waters. Living on Que de Grennell just down the street from Le Tour Eiffel and over looking the Seine, it was about a 10 minute drive to the office on my motorcycle.  Now, soon to retire, I will be returning to France and living in Paris for 6 months of the year, starting in 2010.

I am in the process of getting a Long-Stay Visa and will rent a furnished apartment somewhere in the city.  Shortly after I arrive, I will buy a motorcycle (Honda Deauville) which will be my primary means of transportation.

My wife will join me for 6 weeks in April/May and by the end of that time she will have had enough and travel back home to Texas and leave me to my wandering ways.  So, what will I do when I get  there? My intentions are to immediately enjoy French wine and cheese sitting at a small table outside a cafe watching the people and reading my latest book. Mainly, to unwind from the trip from the US and to get my stomach and time clock reset to France.  This will take a few days.  From there, I will search Paris and northern France using http://www.moto85.com/ to locate and purchase a Honda Deauville. With transportation secured I will be setting up several small trips in the countryside around Paris to ensure the bike is road worthy and there are no surprises.  After that my intentions are to go places and do things...  most of which I will record in this Blog.  My long terms intent is to build my portfolio of pictures of Paris, France and other European locations (which I will post in this Blog) and in the process enjoy some great rides through the French country side.  I have several friends in Europe that I plan on visiting and some of them also have motorcycles.  It is difficult to be more specific than that as the last thing I want to do is set a rigid schedule, but suffice to say, my intent is to recapture the time I spent as a teenager when I had few responsibilities or commitments and just plan on having fun and from time to time report on my musings, take lots of pictures, provide trip reports, enjoy good French meals and contemplate any other random activity that strikes my fancy.

Right now, I am in preparation as I have about 4 months to go before I leave for Paris.  So, this Blog will not actually start to be interesting for a few more months.  There are some things I can discuss concerning my preparation which might be of use to others who may be interested in spending more than 3 months in Europe which is the current length of time allowable without a Visa.  I will discuss these preparations in future posts.