“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…
Tag: Travel
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…
La Fête Nationale (a.k.a. Bastille Day)
This past weekend was a long one and full of parties and celebrations, which is probably why both Matt and I ended up with colds this week. Let me just say that Europeans really know how to party. Obviously our poor bodies weren’t quite up to the challenge. Let’s start with start with Bastille Day here…
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…
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…
Eat, Drink, Move (Repeat) 