This weekend we celebrated an anniversary of sorts—two years since our first trip to Europe together. We took a European cruise in 2013 and that cemented, not only our love of world travel, but our love of seeing the world together. We departed out of Barcelona that trip, but our first port was Marseille, France….
Category: Toulouse France
French Jokes and Crystal Chandeliers
I am funny in multiple languages—at least after an adult beverage or two. For the second time since we’ve moved here I’ve made French people laugh in their own language and it didn’t have anything to do with my terrible accent (at least that’s what I’ll keep telling myself). It all started when we went…
In the footsteps of saints and wine growers
I think I am not the only one who occasionally often dreams of living in an 18th century French farmhouse in the countryside surrounded by vineyards, fruit trees and vegetable gardens. The pure simplicity of growing and harvesting the food we need and waking up to sunrise over a stunning and natural landscape is part…
The Stars of Champagne–A Tasty Adventure
“What did Dom Perignon say to fellow monks after he invented champagne? … Come quickly, I am tasting the stars.” ― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars This weekend we’re going to be heading back up to Bordeaux—this time to explore the Saint-Émilion region. Thinking about the tastings we have planned, I began reminiscing to…
Wheels of Freedom in Toulouse
We are officially official. Our VélôToulouse cards came in the mail this week, so now we have our city wheels and the freedom that comes with them! If you’ve been following my blog regularly, you might have picked up on the fact that I find riding around on a bike (especially if a skirt and…
Fairytales do exist…in Bruges
This week has been an off week for me with my writing and I attribute that to the weird hours we’ve been keeping. Matt’s schedule changed drastically resulting in him working overnights (going in around 6:00 in the evening and coming home as late as 4:00 a.m.). Feeling bad about the hours he is keeping…
Port Leucate Through Rosé Colored Glasses
Yesterday I made a joke with a woman in a flower shop—in French. It was such a victorious feeling to be able to make the shop owner laugh in her own language. It wasn’t anything very complicated. When she asked if the plant we were buying was everything we needed, I looked around and joked, “Je voudrais…
A Load of Bull in Pamplona, Spain
“Everything became quite unreal finally and it seemed as though nothing could have any consequences.” ― Ernest Hemingway, The Sun Also Rises We are making a lot of memories living in Europe, but some experiences are absolutely unforgettable. Such was our journey to Pamplona, Spain and, in particular, our participation in the 2015 San Fermin…
10 Lessons I’ve learned as an Expat (thus far)
1. World history and geography CAN be fun. When I was growing up, I was never really good at geography and probably mediocre at world history. Now that we’re doing so much traveling, I can actually relate different places to experiences and mental images. The lessons I learned in school make so much more sense…
Sun, Sand and San Sebastián
The weekend before last we discovered a gorgeous haven in Spain that we will most definitely visit again: San Sebastián (or Donostia). This Basque city that lies on the cost of the Bay of Biscay (just 12 miles from the French border) was our (desperately needed) R&R stop on the way back to Toulouse from Pamplona. It was the…
Eat, Drink, Move (Repeat) 