Greetings dear readers and friends. Well, if there was any time of year to be grateful for living in south of France, it would have to be right about now. For most of the year, life proceeds in its normal routine: work / school, making dinner, cleaning house, grocery shopping, etc etc…. But in the […]
Read more
Happy New Year! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and wishing you all a happy & healthy 2018. We had a calm and relaxing Christmas in the north of France with my in-laws. Of course I ate way too much, and had a few too many glasses of wine, but isn’t that what the […]
Read more
Greetings dear readers and friends! Well, life is ticking along here in France, and the holiday season is right around the corner (shops are already decked-out with holiday decorations galore), and I’ve been thinking a lot about life here in Provence. So much has changed in my life since I moved to France some 7 […]
Read more
Greetings dear readers and friends. So… we’ve moved! After living for 7 years in the portside city of Toulon, we recently moved just outside the village of Ollioules – a ten-minute drive from our former home and near the towns of Sanary-sur-Mer, Six-Fours-les-Plages, and Le Beausset village. We’d been thinking of moving from Toulon for […]
Read more
Greetings dear readers and friends! Well, as an expat, I think we all go through highs and lows when we live abroad. I can go for months desperately craving all the American things I miss back home (mainly tacos, shopping at Target, and anything with pumpkin-spice) and I’d just die to go to a French […]
Read more
Greetings dear readers and friends! Well, fall in Provence is just whipping past us… witnessed by the fact that Christmas decorations are already on sale in most stores around town. Not to mention that they’re preparing to open our local Christmas market (in Toulon) any day now. No complaints here, as Christmas in France is […]
Read more
Greetings dear readers and friends! I’ve been getting quite a few emails lately from folks thinking of moving to la belle France, and far from being an expert, I thought it was time to share some of my thoughts on what goes into making a successful transtion. I hope this post will be helpful for […]
Read more
Sometimes you start out with a new goal in mind, a dream perhaps, and you’re not sure exactly what direction you’re headed in, but you know you’ve just got to get moving. This was how my expat life started out, fulfilling a “dream” by moving to Italy and then eventually, through a few twists of […]
Read more
Things have really slowed down in the South. It’s hot, humid, the cicadas are chirping away, and the most strenuous activity involves stuffing a towel in a tote & lugging yourself down to the beach. If there’s a better word than languid to describe this time of year, I’m still searching for it. Then we […]
Read more
I’m thrilled to post an interview today with Elizabeth Bard, author of Lunch in Paris and Picnic in Provence. Today she shares with us her inspiration for moving to the south of France, a few “top tips” for visiting the region, and more about her artisan ice cream company, Scaramouche. Many thanks to Elizabeth for this […]
Read more
I’m sure I’m not the only one, but I always feel quite productive when the sun comes out and this morning was no exception. So I set off on my usual route past the small Port de Saint Louis in the neighborhood of Le Mourillon. I really enjoy this quaint port for several reasons – […]
Read more
In January, I passed the 5-year-mark of living in France. At once a shocking, amazing, and comforting fact, the date passed with little fanfare… except for my overwhelming sense of gratitude and relief. Gratitude for all of the people who have supported me through my move to another country, and relief for the sense of […]
Read more