We stayed with my belle-mère (mother-in-law) when we first arrived in France. After three weeks, we finally moved into our own place in the Ardèche department. The Ardèche is known for its stunning scenery, including rolling hills, vineyards, and forests. We…
Closing a restaurant, selling our belongings, and giving them away; packing and cleaning up the house for renters was an exhausting experience. I worried for months about how the cats, Toby and Summer, would travel, hoping that they wouldn’t be relegated…
Fontaine-de-Vaucluse in Provence
Have you had confusing moments in a foreign language that still make you laugh years later? I can tell you about one of mine. It was my very first trip to France and the year was 1989. I had studied…
HAUTERIVES It was a hot day in the Drôme department, one hour south of Lyon, as we drove through a rural landscape, stone houses placed here and there along the road, getting closer to the day’s destination: Le palais…
While I’m anticipating our next trip to France, I’m thinking of the places where we visited during our last stay. In fact, we visiting some very interesting and fun villages and sites, but I neglected to post anything about them. Why? I’m ashamed to say it, but here goes: I was mad that I had to leave! Yes, I said it. It’s true. I didn’t want to think about it once I returned home. Not that normal life is bad – to the contrary, there is a lot to feel grateful for. We live in beautiful San Francisco, have a great house, a happy family, etc. But driving down the street while I do errands I might see any number of cute places and I think, “Oh, that would be fun to hang out there” and then I think, “When…?” Lack of time is a very real dilemma and a big reason to wish
Take butter for instance. There are so many brands: President, Montfleuri, Elle & Vivre, Grand Fermage, Reflets de France, le Marin, Paysan Breton, and the supermarket’s own brand, Carrefour. Whew, I may have even missed some. Within all those brands,…
What do puppets and tooth extraction have in common? Imagine a crowd has gathered on the street in Lyon, in about the year 1797; people laughing and clapping. You push forward to see what it’s all about and you see…
On a winding road from Lyon toward Saint-Étienne, hidden in the high craggy hills, sits a magical little stone village called Malleval. Although this area isn’t famous for shopping and glamorous fashion, what you will find is the picturesque charm…
I haven’t written in a while. I had a little blip in my health, but everything has checked out fine, and I’m feeling much better. To be honest, I also happen to be a real person with a real job….
