Cheese’d off

With my last weekend here in Nice seeming like a distant memory ...

San Remo for lunch

Any reason to travel is a good one I say.  With D’s ...

Picture this: Naked in the park

What? Were you expecting to see moi naked in the park?  That would ...

Nuts, I say

The year generally ends this way.  There’s always a project to complete or people to meet.  With that comes the prospect of getting away from Nice for a few days.  (This may not be a good thing where the weather is concerned, especially if leaving Nice means heading north to colder temperatures.) Our itinerary was [...]

Colours of Provence

I’m still trying to recover from the serious change in weather last week.  The rainstorms had me hibernating like a bear in its den.  All my energy was sapped; I felt listless and lifeless.  I just wanted to sit.  And do nothing.  The skies were grey and sad, not the azure blue that I love.  [...]

A Day of Discovery

On Saturday, probably the last sunny day in Nice –  a petit exaggeration as the sun is shining this morning — D and I set off on a discovery tour.  For our recent trip to Switzerland we had rented a car and had decided to keep it a few extra days for the sole purpose of [...]

Get used to it

In my post last Wednesday I wrote about les français and their love of paperwork.  I’m learning to come to terms with the mass of paper that I’m likely to receive.  I realize that I may need to keep every single piece of paper the government sends me forever.  This is France after all.  Get used to it, [...]

Picture this: Le Negresco

During the day, especially those sunny summer côte d’azur days where the sea is brilliantly blue, I find myself looking southward at the sea.  How could I not?  Once the sun has set however, no matter the time of year, Le Negresco gets my full attention. I remember the first time we drove along the Promenade.  I’d [...]

Paperwork à la française

In this digital age it still surprises me at how much paper and paperwork the French like to dole out.  Ask any expat, regardless of country of origin, how much paperwork they’ve had to collect and/or provide and with their response will come some eye-rolling or head-shaking look of exasperation. It’s a little known fact and [...]

A Weekend in Corsica

L’île de beauté.  The beautiful island. If I had to choose one word to describe Corsica I would use rude (French for rugged or rough).  From the first glimpse of Cap Corse, all rugged mountain peaks, rude was the word that kept repeating in my head. We landed at Bastia’s Poretta airport on Friday evening, [...]

I *heart* shopping

“Love is in the air, every sight and every sound…” It’s been a while since I channelled a song for a post.  Love Is in the Air, by John Paul Young, has been bouncing around my head for the past few days.  It’s no wonder as our 1st wedding anniversary just a few days away [...]

Picture this: revisited

Here’s the entire photo.  For my anglophone friends, the advertisement is for a window-treatment company.  I gather the couple in the photo could use new window coverings — a new set of blinds perhaps — to keep their private life private.  I don’t know if the little cat is traumatized by the behaviour of her [...]

Picture this

Did you look at this picture?  Are you wondering the same thing I am? D and I pass this sign everytime we drive to Coustellet.  This picture, which is part of a sign for a business, is along the road from Robion to Coustellet.  D and I crack up everytime we see the photo. So, can [...]