I have lived in Paris for almost exactly 8 years, and whilst itโs fair to say Iโve long since been pretty damn parisienne, Iโm clearly not โ nor will I ever be โ French. Iโm very comfortable in this country; more at home than Iโve ever felt anywhere else; thoroughly assimilated in a culture that made more sense to me than the one I grew up in long before I even moved here. But I donโt have the references of a native franรงaise, having neither been raised in France, nor by French parents.
Paris mon amour: Creative dating in the City of Love
It goes without saying that Paris is full of charming date night locations for dinner and drinks. But if variety is the spice of life, then itโs the bread and butter of courtship โ and simply rotating between different bars and restaurants doesnโt necessarily cut it when it comes to keeping things fresh on the... Continue Reading →
Lyonnais Love Affair (Part 2/2)
TL;DRIf you stumbled across this blog in search of some quick suggestions for your upcoming Lyon trip and you can't be bothered with all the waffle in between, click here to head straight to the recommendations at the end. (Although in my totally unbiased opinion, it is worthwhile waffle.) Missed Part 1? You can read... Continue Reading →
Lyonnais Love Affair (Part 1/2)
Surprise, surprise, Iโm writing this blog post on a train - speeding through the French countryside, direction Paris, somewhere in the vague vicinity of Dijon. Itโs a perfect โgolden hourโ, the rolling wheat fields and villages of tiny terracotta-roofed cottages bathed in the gorgeous glow of the setting sun. Iโm reminded of how much I... Continue Reading →
2022: Time to Invest in You
Bonne annรฉe ! Itโs a funny one, this year, isnโt it? Just about this time last year, the world couldnโt wait to see the back of 2020, certain that its successor could only be better, sure that we were finally getting shot of C Who Must Not Be Named. We all hugged and hurrayed with... Continue Reading →
Under the Tuscan Sun: Anglaise in Italy
WELL. This anglaise has been having all kinds of adventures recently โ although for the most part, they werenโt occurring in Paris, or even France, so I initially decided against immortalising them in blog form. However, a good portion of those adventures took place in Tuscany, and I feel that the part of my heart/soul... Continue Reading →
Oh Crรชpe!
Joyeuse Chandeleur ! Nope, that's not a real greeting in French, I just made it up โ but any day consecrated to the consumption of crรชpes is worthy of one, in my humble opinion. And Chandeleur is exactly that. More or less. It falls on the 2nd February every year, 40 days after Christmas. The... Continue Reading →
Flying Solo
Solo travel is a special kind of time to yourself, when thereโs no obligation or pressure to do anything specific or productive. How often, in the busy balancing act of grown-up life, do we get the opportunity to spend several (waking) hours in total repose, without any guilt or consequences?
Every Cloud: 2020 Highlights (Yes, Seriously.)
Letโs face it, thereโs been a lot more to complain about than there has been to celebrate in 2020. It really was one hell of a year, and I donโt mean that in the good way. For me, among other things, itโs included spending six months jobless, and three of those without seeing another human... Continue Reading →
Confinement Crazy
Iโm starting to wonder if thereโs something wrong with me. Weโre 26 days into the official confinement in France, itโs been 27 days since I had a conversation with another human face-to-face, and 29 days have passed since I saw anyone I actually know. Not that Iโm counting or anything. But if I was, I... Continue Reading →
