We said goodbye to the Outback in California (on September 1st), were it was shipped via train from Oakland to Baltimore. Then it was put on a ship and floated all the way to Belgium. From there it was trucked down to Paris. And in Paris some random French man (allegedly contracted by the US Embassy) drove our beloved car to our house in Hyères. Other than the baguette crumbs found all over the driver's seat, it appears to be just as we last saw it.
We've had a rental car for the last five weeks in Hyères. But each week we've had a different rental car...because each week we thought SURELY our Subaru would arrive any day. But alas, each Tuesday night, Phil would sit online, shaking his head, and sometimes his fists, as he paid lots and lots of Euros for a rental car for the next week. It kinda became a joke. Kinda. Lily and I would discuss with excitement what color the new rental car would be. And nearly every time it was different. We had a Citron, a Renault, and an Opel...here is a picture of one.
They were small, manual, and without power steering, but they were very functional. And we even took one on a seven hour weekend road trip to Italy...two kids and a dog...we all fit just fine. But now that the Subaru is back, it's like we've been upgraded from a two star hotel to a five star. Oh, the spaciousness of it all! And the smell of the leather seats. It's fancy.
Having the Subaru back in our possession is another step toward my sense of independence. I haven't been driving any of the rental cars, and thus haven't driven for the last five weeks. Phil would take the car to and from work, and the kids and I would walk everywhere. And then if we went anywhere further away (like my dress shopping escapades for the Thanksgiving dinner) we ALL would go, because Phil would need to drive. But today I loaded up the kids in the car and headed to the mall, just because I could. It was a big moment for me....seriously... Lily was cheering from the backseat.
But here's the reality check moment. Tonight we filled up our car at the gas pump...can you read the total...
...that's right, sixty-six Euro. Very close to one hundred US dollars. The tin cans we had been driving were diesels. They averaged around fifty miles a gallon. And to fill them up cost us around thirty Euro. So, my five star car has a five star cost, if I want to drive it. Thankfully, once all our paperwork gets processed by both the French and American governments we'll be entitled to save a little bit of money on gas...but we'll be waiting awhile on all of that bureaucratic cooperation. And Phil will continue to walk away from the gas pump with a face like this!
Funniest moment in the car this morning with Lily--I had the radio on and the DJ's were speaking French (obviously). Lily said, "Mommy why are they speaking in French when it's our Subaru?" I answered, "Because we live in France, honey, and everyone here speaks French." There was a long pause and then Lily quietly asked, "Mom, will all my Bible Songs CDs be in French now too???" I assured they wouldn't...her precious Psalty will still be playing the synthesizer and singing in English!
No comments:
Post a Comment