A few of the things that I did in my first 24hrs since arriving:

• saw a soldier with fully automatic machine gun patrolling the train station
• drove a Land Rover up a winding mountain road
• watched a Jazz band play in a park with a chateau behind them
• drove a BMW down to town to get lettuce
• went to the Marie (town hall) to figure out how to get my residency card (I was told to not worry about it - I have 3 months - why start now - wait a month or two at least)
• took the train 600 km (3.5 hrs - station to station w/ two stops along the way)
• eaten every meal outside
• eaten cheese at every meal
• broke an antique bed
• fed a bunny
• eaten quiche made with fresh eggs from the farm across the field