Well, here we are. Not in Paris, as we expected to be by now, but in Washington, DC. It turns out that our visas weren't ready on December 23, when we thought they would be. When we visited the French Consulate on Reservoir Road that day, the pleasant but firm visa officer told us (in an accent that, curiously enough, sounded more Eastern European than French) that Ashley was nowhere to be found in their paperwork. We had married quickly in the fall so that we could move together to Paris. We had a flight booked for December 27, and movers had carted away most of our belongings a few days prior. We had been told by the agency that was assisting us with the visas that they would be there for us on the 23d. The news that they weren't was deflating. To make matters worse, as we drove back to Philly that night, we got bogged down in holiday traffic the likes of which neither of us had ever seen. Having spent 3+ hours in the car and only gotten as far at Baltimore, we were physically and emotionally spent. We found a hotel in downtown Charm City and regrouped.
So here we are. Again. Christmas in Philly with Ashley's parents (the first that I didn't spend with my own mom and dad) was great. The city had been home to us over the last six months, but with no jobs or possessions remaining there, it was time to go. Figuring that DC was at least theoretically closer to Paris, since it's where the French Consulate is located, last night we moved in to the St. Gregory Hotel, at 20th and M. It's next door to my old France Telecom office, and a few blocks from the school where Ashley used to teach. It's kind of surreal. Here we plan to say one more farewell to our friends here (some of whom we saw for New Year's Eve last night at Ashley's old house), before we visit the Consulate Tuesday morning and -- fingers crossed -- receive our visas. Then we'll head to Dulles, hop on the next Air France flight and be in Paris at last. Stay tuned.
-- MBB
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