Mo’s Blog:

We will be losing our WiFi connection for about a week, so we wanted to send out one final entry before we go offline.  Tomorrow is moving day from the hotel to our apartment.

Today was probably the most challenging day of our adventure.  Both Chris and I prepared ourselves for a big day, but who knew shopping at IKEA would be the biggest learning curve of our transition here!!

Chris and I left on our own at 9:15am to catch 2 train connections to IKEA. We arrived about 10:15 and asked about renting an IKEA moving van because we had been told you can show up on the day you want it and book it then – you can’t reserve it days ahead. The French employee pointed at a machine/screen where we book the van….So we proceeded to type our request and information into the machine including photos that it takes of license and passport and VISA information. We chose a time that it said it as available, then watched a video on how to use a code to unlock the van and do a damage inspection etc. Then after 15 min. of following this process, it said that time was not available.

Sooo we got an employee to help but they didn’t speak English and a shopper who overheard, stepped in to translate while we figured out the whole IKEA van request. One catch was that at the ned of the reservation (made for 3pm) the computer said it would email us the code needed to enter the vehicle, BUT we have no smartphone or data yet here (only an old school phone), SO, the lady who translated offered to add Chris’ email to her Google accounts and said she would text us when our code came in. What an angel she was!! We never would have gotten through the reservation process without her and now she was our email connection. Then we went upstairs to shop for all the items we had written down last visit and added more to it. We had to speak in French to another employee to order all of the items and make an invoice for those things that had to be pulled from the warehouse and those that we could get in the aisles ourselves. We had pages of items and everything took a long time…lots of line ups etc.

Finally, we paid LOTS of euros for our 3 huge skids and met up with our IKEA angel again who had a code for our van. Chris unlocked the van and we proceeded to try to pack everything in. Then a sweet little French man jumped in to help because he believed it could all fit in one trip if it was packed properly. He’s an ‘expert’ packer that hangs out at IKEA doors to help people out perhaps for a tip…? But we told him we only had a credit card and he didn’t have to help…However, he said it was France’s gift to Canada – him helping us and he went on to pull our fridge back out of the van and re-pack it the way he knew it would all fit (every square inch was full!).

Then came the fun part of trying to find out way back to our town through lots of hills and ’roundabouts’ and only a couple very bad maps and French directions that our hotel had printed for us. We eventually made it to pick up Greg and then go to our apartment to unload. That was an incredible amount of lifting and carrying as we live on the second floor and the ‘lift’ couldn’t fit certain box types (it is like a ‘shoe box’). We carried up the couch and fridge and beds etc. and then raced to the van to drop Greg off and return the rental before 6pm. We also had to get gas for it and we thought it took diesel but weren’t sure…then the IKEA gas credit card didn’t work for us because they had emailed us a separate gas card code but our friend didn’t see that until an hour later So we had to pay with our own credit card for the gas which you aren’t supposed to (plus, we didn’t think there was any room left on our credit card after shopping for an entire house!). After returning the van, we still had a lot of walking and 2 trains to catch to get back to the hotel. We sat on the train platform with our iron and blow dryer (that we bought after drop off) dreaming of the beer we’d buy at the next train station.

Thank goodness, it all worked out. More accurately, thank to a beautiful Finnish woman and our little French packer who made today’s success possible. We now have furniture ready to be built in our apartment and we are grateful for the kind, generous hearts that we witnessed today.  We feel very blessed at the end of this long day!