So long, farewell…
Hello from somewhere other than the French Alps. Above is a pic I took of my husband in March, unaware it would be our final day skiing in La Clusaz for the foreseeable future. And what an awesome day it …
Hello from somewhere other than the French Alps. Above is a pic I took of my husband in March, unaware it would be our final day skiing in La Clusaz for the foreseeable future. And what an awesome day it …
For those of us living in France, village church bells are part of every day life. Mine start at 8am and chime every half hour until 10pm. On Sunday mornings, we have the ‘get to church’ melodic bells at 8.30. …
Why the bells rang at 7.30pm all over France tonight Read more »
Safety is so important when it comes to ski resorts: there are standard rules for skiers to follow, mandatory helmets for kids in French ski school, and avalanche prevention procedures just to name a few. Somehow, whoever organises these huge …
Here’s a roundabout in Annecy which the infamous Gilets Jaunes (‘Yellow Vests’) have regularly camped by. It’s a bit of a paradox, and I’ll explain why in a moment. Back in late 2018, the Gilets Jaunes movement gained popularity throughout …
“Fermeture exceptionnelle” is a phrase that everyone who lives in France is familiar with. Literally, it means “Exceptional closure” — a one-off, unexpected business closure, but there’s absolutely nothing exceptional about it. Why? Because every business seems to unexpectedly close …
It’s been a while since I’ve written about an English translation fail, so here’s a sign I saw when visiting an ancient walled city near Nîmes last week. ‘Interdit de monter‘ means ‘Forbidden to climb (the staircase)’ in English. Apparently, …
Living in France when you don’t speak French can be isolating — and of course, frustrating. Cultural differences simply add to the confusion, and the first few years in France can be challenging on many levels (let’s not even mention …
Bordering the French and Swiss Alps, Emosson dam overlooks Mont Blanc from 1965 metres above sea level. From the Chamonix valley, visitors can drive up to the dam or of catch a series of interesting trains. I drove up, entering cloud …
Pavlova has always been a contentious subject for us ‘Antipodeans’. Us Australians say we created it. New Zealanders say the same. It all started when famous Russian ballerina, Anna Pavlova, visited both countries during the 1920s. Pavlovas, or ‘pavs’ as …
France has really embraced veganism lately. It’s like French people skipped the whole vegetarian stepping stone and went whole hog (minus the hog), and they seem to be sticking to it. It’s grown so much that it takes up almost …