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…
Tag: France
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…
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…
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…
Painting a Picture of Giverny
I am following Nature without being able to grasp her, I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers.-Claude Monet Looking back at photos we’ve taken during our past month in France, I am reminded how lucky we are to get to travel abroad and see so many new and wonderful sights. Monet contributed his becoming a painter…
One Hot Weekend in Bordeaux (SFW)
It was hot in southern France this past weekend. I mean 100ºF hot (that’s 38ºC for those of you who use that scale). There’s no better way to beat the heat than a nice cold glass of wine. That’s why we once again hit the road and took a two and a half hour jaunt…
Five Tips for Surviving Une Coup de Cheveux in France
I am fairly girly. I will admit it. I love makeup and pretty clothes and getting pampered at a salon. Salons in the U.S. are great, but I envisioned getting my hair done in France as an exotic treat–after all, that’s where many of the top hair and makeup brands seem to be based. When we were…
Escape to the Pyrenees
Saturday marked a milestone for us. It marked the one-month anniversary of our move to France. It’s hard to believe we’ve already been here that long, but we are loving every minute of it. To celebrate, we booked a trip to Andorra–a small country located in the Pyrenees Mountains in between France and Spain. If…
Gotta Shop Till You Drop!
Toulouse is nicknamed the “Pink City” for the rose-colored hue emanating from the sun-drenched bricks of the beautifully architected buildings comprising the city, but it should also be nicknamed “Shoppers Delight.” Every corner of the city seems to be packed with shops and markets are staged at various locations each day of the week. With our husbands heading…
Eat, Drink, Move (Repeat) 