Sidelined by a microbe in Nanterre


Last Wednesday the homeless viruses of the area decided they needed a place to hang out, and I was chosen to be their AirBnb. In spite of the efforts of the Airborne that we took I succumbed to their invasion for a few days of coughing and sniffing. Thankfully for me, they checked out yesterday,…

Some Things About France I Would Miss


If we ever left France and returned to the USA, which would not be a bad thing since we love the PNW, there would be things I would miss. Here are just a few that come to mind. When we first moved to France we spent a lot of time visiting châteaux and old churches…

An Appetite for Arles


After five days in Arles I can confidently say that the food here does not disappoint. Well, except for the one time I ordered a small steak cooked saignant, which in the US would be considered bloody rare, thus the name. As is common here, once they hear my accent, she said, in English, “medium”,…

I like Europe – A Lot


I like Europe. I particularly like France. Since moving to France over sixteen months ago, we have had the opportunity to visit twelve European countries, a few of them we had already visited at least once before we moved here – that is more than I ever dreamed I would get to see. If you…

Basel Ticked All the Boxes


Basel was our first introduction to Switzerland, and what a pleasant place to start. Stereotypes of mountside cottages with goats and cows ringing their bells would have to wait, Basel is a big city. Bicycles and pedestrians rule, crossing and swerving with no rhyme nor reason. Driving our car was a two person job –…