My husband turns to me from the desk downstairs, his chest swelling up with pride. “Go upstairs,” he says, “and take a look on the mantle.” “Okaay,” I say slowly. I survey the scene dispassionately. Fragrant, full-blossomed roses – which he knows are my favorite flower – set on the marble shelf in an old hand-blown bottle from his great-grandfather’s… Read More
Before I got my French driver’s license, I thought I was just going to die from all the back-and-forths that come with having multiple offspring – ice skating, school, centre, nursery, multi-sports, etc. Now that I can drive, I am really not sure it’s any better. Our school days are from 8:30 to 4:30, but there is no school on… Read More
La Rentrée is pronounced “la ron-tray” and it means “back to school.” Except the meaning is more precise than that, because it means the first day of school or the first week of school – precisely. Once, a parent to one of my English students scolded me because she showed up to class the first week after the New Year… Read More
Bordeaux used to be called “The Black City” because everything looked like this: Now it’s beginning to be get a reputation as “The Quai of Lights,” which we’ll get to in a minute. If you would like to get there by car, the smartest way is to park in the parking lot of the tramway at Les Aubiers (a nearby… Read More
They had just about extinguished the forest fire when we arrived in Lacanau-Océan. The trees here were still smoldering when we drove by the first evening. And the fire-trucks full of firemen were everywhere – 200 of them on duty at once, relieved every 12 hours by the next batch of 200. They did their job, though, because the fire… Read More
My friends – I was going to tell you all about the interesting history of Lacanau on the French Atlantic coast – and I will! But when I was choosing the photos, I was arrested by the numerous pictures of the sunset, each more beautiful than the last. So I decided to settle for a photo montage (for now). I… Read More
