The French castle, Chateau de Martainville. Built in 1495, this renaissance castle in Normandy was a pleasure to visit. Each nook and cranny was filled with interesting and odd treasures from times gone by.…
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An engagement 18 years in the making! During my first trip to Paris when I was 15 years old, the tour guide had us stand on the zero milestone in Paris, called Point Zero,…
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In spite of failing to achieve my 2016 resolution and then reading this article about not setting too many resolutions, I have SIX resolutions for 2017. Yes, that’s a bit much. Yes, I think…
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Now that I’m married to my charming Frenchman, I’ve been exposed to a whole new way to celebrate the end of the year. Sending Holiday cards In my family we always sent Christmas cards…
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We planned our Thanksgiving in Paris for Saturday afternoon, so I woke up earlier than usual to pick up the second turkey at the butcher shop. I’m all about saving time, so I was…
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My husband raves about this butternut squash soup. It has more ingredients than a typical butternut squash soup recipe, but I had such great reviews, I think they are all worth adding! Click here…
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This Thanksgiving my husband and I will be hosting 7 guests in our tiny 350 square foot (33m2) apartment. We’ll have everyone over on Saturday, since Thursday isn’t a national holiday in France. I…
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Thanksgiving in Paris is just a normal Thursday day at work. Having never had to construct my own holidays or traditions before in my adult life, I wasn’t prepared for Thanksgiving last year, and…
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The French are surprised to learn I voted by mail. They have two options for voting while abroad: going to the local French embassy in the country where you are staying or naming another…
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“Madame, you can go downstairs now,” the receptionist politely orders me to go to the dentist’s area in the basement. I have no idea where the staircase is. I apologize and also ask where…
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It’s easy to spot the tourists in Paris. They have hiking backpacks, hiking shoes, pants with pockets near the knees and a metro map in one hand. Sometimes they are less assuming, and it’s…
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I started running the moment I got off the bus. There was no way I could make it on time and the email reminder specifically stated that appointments could be cancelled due to lateness.…
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So many things come to mind when I think about this question, but everything leads me to feel safe and say YES! There’s a lot to think about that brought me to that statement. I…
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I had seen the impressive white building with green tiled roofs from the outside, but never guessed I would ever go inside, mostly because as a non-muslim, I didn’t see any way I would…
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A 30-Year Record The level of the Seine was normal only a week ago… And now it has rained so much over the past week, boats can no longer pass under the bridges, the pedestrian…
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Travelers: Labor strikes are in full swing in France and your train has been cancelled. Welcome to Paris! You want to survive your trip to Paris during a transportation strike AND stay on budget?…
