I've spent the last couple of hours raving to various friends, colleagues and whoever cares enough to watch my Stories on Instagram about the croissant I had this morning, and it's not enough. Must. Enthuse. More. So here is a quick (by my standards) blog about my breakfast. On y va. The day dawned bright... Continue Reading →
Surprise, surprise, I’m writing this blog post on a train - speeding through the French countryside, direction Paris, somewhere in the vague vicinity of Dijon. It’s a perfect “golden hour”, the rolling wheat fields and villages of tiny terracotta-roofed cottages bathed in the gorgeous glow of the setting sun. I’m reminded of how much I... Continue Reading →
As you are quite likely aware, this blog is called Adventures of an Anglaise — “anglaise” being the French word for English girl/woman. But in truth, I’m actually half “anglaise” and half “irlandaise”, and although I've never lived in Ireland, I’ve always identified very closely with that side of my nationality/heritage. It’s not particularly surprising,... Continue Reading →
Bonne année ! It’s a funny one, this year, isn’t it? Just about this time last year, the world couldn’t 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 →
WELL. This anglaise has been having all kinds of adventures recently – although for the most part, they weren’t 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 →
Three years ago, I wrote a blog post entitled Paris is Closed. It was about how, every year, half the city packs up and migrates South (or abroad) for the summer - much like a flock of impeccably dressed birds - and, consequently, a lot of independent shops and restaurants close for several weeks. As... Continue Reading →
You'll have to excuse the geeky Greek mythology reference in the title; strange though it may seem, Classics grads don't get to use their degrees too often in real life. If you're not into slightly obscure deities from ancient cultures (though I find it hard to imagine why anyone wouldn't be), Eos is the Greek... Continue Reading →
Joyeuse Chandeleur ! Nope, that's not a real greeting in french, I just made it up - but any day consecrated to the consumption of crêpes is worthy of one, in my humble opinion. And Chandeleur is exactly that.* It falls on the 2nd February every year, 40 days after Christmas. The french name derives... Continue Reading →
Let’s face it, there’s 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 don’t mean that in the good way. For me, among other things, it’s included spending six months jobless, and three of those without seeing another human... Continue Reading →
I made it! As of two-and-a-bit weeks ago, I have now been resident in France for a full year. I would have written about it on the day, but I actually celebrated my ‘anniversary’ by being in another continent – where I was a) making the most of every precious minute with friends and family... Continue Reading →
Adventures of an Anglaise 