Last Thursday, I found myself in the pretty Jardins de l’Europe in Annecy, wheeling and dealing on a mobile phone while police watched on with loaded guns. This is one of the famous areas of Annecy, right by the lake,…
Tag: strangers
The world’s grumpiest hitchhiker
Learning how to speak French can be challenging, especially for those who move to France knowing only croissant, un, deux, trois, and merci, like me. Everyone has their own methods to improve their language skills, and mine began with driving. I started…
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged with: culture, driving, French language, kindness, Le Grand Bornand, strangers
Can I sleep at your place?
Antoine de Maximy is a name you’ve probably never heard of. He’s a French man who has travelled the world in an interesting and brave way. With cameras all around him recording his journeys, he asks random people if he…
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged with: culture, English language, kindness, strangers, television, travel
How to survive Morocco
I’m back from a two-week trip to Morocco, with stays in Casablanca, Fez, the desert, the mountains, movie sets and more. Morocco is now independent of France, but the French influence is obvious throughout. Even with this influence, the Moroccon…
Haggling in your second language
I recently came back from a week in Morocco, where I was able to enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of the cities. French is the second language in Morocco — a country where the locals are comfortable speaking many different…
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged with: animals, culture, French language, Morocco, shopping, strangers, translation, travel
Does absence make the heart grow fonder of France?
I’m back in St Jean de Sixt now after a month away from France. Visiting Hungary, Czech Republic, Austria and Greece, I planned ahead to fit in as much action and relaxation time as possible. I expected I would look…
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged with: food, Greece, kindness, local, shopping, strangers, translation, travel
Looking up in Annecy #2
One of the great things about Annecy is how quickly it sprouts from a wintery, quiet town into a lively hive of activity. By May, vibrant flower pots line the gushing canals, and the ice cream shops already have queues…
A pedestrianised highway in Annecy
Annecy bursts into life as soon as winter ends, as you can see from this photo from just a few days ago. The old town of Annecy becomes a labyrinth of tourists and locals lounging over long lunches on chairs…
SPRUNG! Knowing when to keep quiet
Superdry. When I hear the word ‘superdry’, I think of nappies. Don’t you? Of course, there’s the clothing company with the same name, and they like sticking their logo on their clothes, as clothing companies do. Thanks to this clothing…
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged with: culture, English language, French language, marketing, strangers
Pros and cons of a health spa
Yesterday, I was swimming in the pools pictured below. What heaven eh? What you’re looking at is a very large pool filled with hot spring water, and a smaller pool more suitable for doing laps. The big pool has a…
