Author: Bob

While living in North, Central and South America, in the middle of the Caribbean and the Pacific Ocean, and now in Europe, my passion has remained the same: travel and meeting new friends.
Life in France

Triple your pleasure

Brugge Tripel beer
Brugge Tripel beer

Bruges, Belgium is a beautiful city. You can glide along its canal admiring the medieval buildings that line the cobblestoned streets. The central market square is surrounded by fanciful guild halls that are towered above by a 13th century belfry where a carillon is still manually played several days a week. Within walking distance from there are windmills that add even more charm. On our first visit there 16 years ago we were won over by the city’s history, architecture, and its beer, especially a fine brew called Brugge Tripel. Continue reading “Triple your pleasure”

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Life in France

We’re going to a biker bar?

A bar on the pedestrian walkway
A bar on the pedestrian walkway

We’re not late night people and the TV channels that we get don’t help us to stay up. We intentionally have only French television so once 8:00 PM rolls around and the news comes on our unofficial language instruction stops and we struggle to find something interesting to watch. Last night was a bit different because a semi-final episode of Eurovision, the multi-country song contest, was playing and we wanted to see what artist might be getting their big break. Previous winners who went on to worldwide fame include ABBA and Céline Dion. Around 9:30 PM, with the show still on, imagine our surprise when the doorbell rang. Continue reading “We’re going to a biker bar?”

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Life in France

Don’t go in there

No vehicles, no people, no camping
No vehicles, no people, no camping

We walk a lot. Some days it’s to the market in town; other days it’s to the hypermarket on the outskirts of town; but every day it’s to pick up a baguette (this is France, after all) and to walk along the river. The accompanying photo and the conglomeration of signs is what we encounter if we go on one particular route. What does it all mean? Continue reading “Don’t go in there”

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Life in France

Poo vs. pooing

Shampoos for men and dogs
Shampoos for men and dogs

When friend and fellow blogger Tracy was trying to encourage us to start this blog, she said that just about anything we did or saw could become the subject of a post. I’m not sure that she had this post’s title in mind when she wrote a few months ago “even the French shampoo you use on Heather” could be something to write about. You see, in France you have to add an “ing” to the word we use in English to wash our hair. The attached photo should explain everything. Continue reading “Poo vs. pooing”

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Life in France

Not there you don’t

TV Carcassonne's studios overlooking the main square
TV Carcassonne’s studios overlooking the main square

One of the advantages of living in another country is getting to compare your new experiences with the ones you are used to. We were watching television the other day and a political ad came on. That’s not a topic we pay a lot of attention to but in the hopes of improving our language skills we watched it anyway. As with much of what we see that doesn’t come with French subtitles, we didn’t fully understand the message until the commercial concluded and the sponsor’s logo and name flashed up: Parti Socialiste. Oh my, that would never happen on American TV. Continue reading “Not there you don’t”

Unknown's avatarBob
Life in France

Drive, he said

Drive up shopping
Drive up shopping

If you just glance at this photo you might think that we had gone to a drive-through gambling establishment. In Louisiana and some other states too they have drive-through liquor stores where you can pick up a case of wine and a frozen daiquiri to-go without ever leaving your vehicle. In France, it’s all about the food. There are about 3000 stores here, including this one called Casino, where you place an online order and a couple of hours later just drive into the designated area and it’s loaded into the trunk for you. We even have a chocolate maker here in Carcassonne who will do that for you. Continue reading “Drive, he said”

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Dealing with government, Life in France

In residence

Paperwork
Residence permit paperwork

It’s official, we’re legal residents of France for a year, at least, as of yesterday afternoon! The process all began back in January of this year when we went to the French consulate in Miami to request a visa. Americans can stay here for up to 90 days in any 6-month period with only a passport but for any longer than that you need a visa that’s valid for a year. But wait, even with that document issued in the US you still have to request a titre de sejour (residence permit) once you arrive.Then the wait begins. Continue reading “In residence”

Unknown's avatarBob5 Comments