Bonjour à tous

This is our third Christmas letter from Paris and we continue to enjoy our lives here very much. Paris remains a vibrant, exciting and generally safe city despite the two violent attacks this year. Security is once again high, especially with all the world leaders here for the COP21 climate summit, and we will remain under a state of emergency through February. It is interesting to be located so much closer to world events than when we live in Canada. In January, we took part in the "march" after the Charlie Hebdo shootings. The turnout was estimated at well over a million...far too many people to actually march...and a far larger crowd than is really comfortable. This time, such events are banned, so even the planned march for the climate that took place in cities all over the world could only be held here with a gathering of 10,000 pairs of shoes. However, these events have had little impact on daily life and we continue to enjoy this wonderful city alongside its native inhabitants. Fluctuat nec mergitur is the Paris city motto--Tossed but not sunk.

Andrew continues to enjoy working for the Nuclear Energy Agency, where as expected, his term has been confirmed to 2018.  Life at a small agency is never dull as staff come and go and activities evolve.  In the coming year, there is an additional adjustment as the NEA is relocating to a building that will consolidate a number of OECD offices.  

Leslie still spends her time learning French history, trying to learn the French language, visiting museums and galleries with friends, looking after guests and taking the occasional trip back to Canada for family & home maintenance. She doesn't spend nearly enough time in her sewing room, but the rest of her activities are really great, so she's not complaining.

We continue to travel as often as possible and enjoyed two really great "big" trips in 2015, along with quite a few shorter ones.

In January, we went south for some sunshine and spent two weeks driving around Spain. After eight hours in the car, we were in Barcelona, a city we'd visited a few (28) years before on our honeymoon. The work of the architect Antoni Gaudí is a highlight of this city which we enjoyed all over again, particularly the now consecrated Sagrada Família basilica which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site even before its projected completion date of 2030-32. Quite a lot of progress has been made as it was a roofless enclosure with towers when we last saw it. Other highlights included the Alhambra of Grenada, the Puente Nuevo of Ronda, the Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba and the Roman Aqueduct of Segovia. If you are interested in travelling to Spain, we suggest staying in Paradores, a network of nationally-owned hotels usually located in historic buildings. maplebrandy/spain

Our second long trip was in October. We closed the tourist season in Greece, literally the last ones out of our final resort stay. October is a great time to travel here as high season is very hot and very crowded, two things we don't like. Greece really was one of the best trips we've ever taken. We found the people to be laid back and friendly, the food to be excellent, the landscape to be dramatic, varied and beautiful, and the historical sites...well, beyond description. We didn't attempt to see the whole country, but did a pretty thorough job of Athens, the Peloponnese Peninsula and Santorini Island. We left Greece wanting more, so have some ideas about a second trip. maplebrandy/greece

Further trips of note included a trip to the Côte d'Azur (Leslie abandoned Andrew and went off with two friends), Le Mont-Saint-Michel and the Normandy Beaches, Bordeaux and Istanbul and a wonderful week of driving and exploring Bavaria and the Black Forest with Meghan & Lauren.

We had lots of guests, both friends and family, from April through August which makes for a busy time, but also for a lot of fun. Oddly, people seem more inclined to travel to see us here than in Deep River. Go figure! It is particularly nice to have the kids and family come. We had Meghan, Biniyam & Lauren last Christmas and both of the girls this summer. Mike & Diane made their second trip and Margaret came for the third time.

Kid Update, from the top:
- Meghan is in her fifth year at McGill and will complete her double honours math/physics degree in the spring. She will soon apply to start her masters next fall. She lives in an apartment in the Montréal Plateau with her boyfriend, David, his sister & two cats.
- Gosaye has started a new job at Boathouse in the Rideau Centre in Ottawa. His next goal is to find his own place. It is nice having him in Ottawa where he is available to help Leslie's dad with yardwork.
- Biniyam is busy, busy, busy in Prince Albert where he is running his own DJ business doing weddings and events. He's involved with the local Rotary Club and seems to have a hand in everything going on. Life is good.
- Lauren made a big move this year after graduating from CEGEP (junior college) in Montréal. She is now at Trent University in Peterborough (Ontario) where she is studying social work.

We hope that all is well with you and yours as we close 2015 and head into 2016. We look forward to hearing your news and perhaps seeing some of you in Paris in the upcoming year.