Life in France

You can bank on it

The Bank of France building in Carcassonne
The Bank of France building in Carcassonne

Banks in France are different from what we were used to in Atlanta. Here they have fees for pretty much every service and we understand that it can take at least a couple of weeks to get an account open. It’s not uncommon for your branch to close for lunch, be open on Saturday mornings only, if at all, and not at all on Mondays. Combine that with the US government’s requirement that the Bank of France report all financial activity of any American who has an account here and you start to understand the delays and the challenge. Thanks to the Internet, we may have a solution. Continue reading “You can bank on it”

Unknown's avatarBob2 Comments
Life in France

Bundles through Britain

The French crystal comes home
The French crystal comes back home

During World War II an organization called Bundles for Britain sent non-military supplies including knitted sweaters, scarves, and hats to the UK from the US. Seventy-five years later we have our own version, right down to the knitting, going on with the arrival of our household goods from Atlanta via Southampton, England. Continue reading “Bundles through Britain”

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Life in France

Little choices, big impact

Team Farmers!
Team Farmers!

You’ve seen several posts on this blog about markets. In Carcassonne we have the open-air fresh fruits and vegetables market on the square three days a week; inside the heated/air-conditioned Les Halles covered market you can buy meats and seafood all week-long; and every other week or so there seems to be a fair that highlights the local wine, honey, nuts, cheese, and other products made here. In other words, we’re faced with an embarrassment of choices. Continue reading “Little choices, big impact”

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Life in France

Angels’ feet

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An afternoon snack of Morbier, St. Nectaire, & Tommes des Pyrenees cheeses.

Today we were in a supermarket and I noticed a display for an air freshener. I didn’t bother trying to translate the words since the pictures told the whole story. The product’s maker wanted you to know that their freshener would handle the strongest odors from dogs, shoes, and since this is France, cheese. Yep, a big ‘ole hunk of stinky cheese was right up there as a common household smell. Continue reading “Angels’ feet”

Unknown's avatarBob
Life in France

Worth its weight in chocolate

One of 3 chocolate shops around the square
One of 3 chocolate shops around the square

Carcassonne has three chocolate shops around the main square plus a fourth one about a 5-minute walk away. These are not your ordinary salt water taffy and fudge candy stores but artisanal workshops with many of their treats created on the spot. You may have read an earlier post about the annual Chocolate Fair and these folks carry on the tradition daily. Of course, that does come at a price and now I know why these confections are so highly prized. Continue reading “Worth its weight in chocolate”

Unknown's avatarBob
Life in France

The Home Show, French style

Home Show ad from their website
Home Show ad from their website

We used to watch a lot of Home Garden Television (HGTV) where our favorite show was House Hunters International. When they would feature a location in Europe we would always record it so that we could later pretend that we were the ones that were looking for a home overseas. Every spring in Atlanta there is a huge 3-day home improvement exhibition that always features one or more of the hosts from this TV network and we usually went just to see what was new and maybe catch a glimpse of a “star”. This weekend at the exhibition hall that’s a 5-minute walk from where we live was the Salon de l’immobilier et de l’habitat de Carcassonne (short version: Home Show) so we just had to go. Continue reading “The Home Show, French style”

Unknown's avatarBob4 Comments
Life in France

Induction into induction

Cooking curried vegetables outside
Cooking curried vegetables outside

We bought something recently that had all of the following and many more warnings: Don’t use this if you have a pacemaker, wear hearing aids, have reduced physical, sensory, or mental capabilities, lack experience and knowledge, are under age 8, live in a farmhouse, on and on. With all of this cautionary advice I’m surprised that we were even allowed to make a purchase. Welcome to induction cooking. Continue reading “Induction into induction”

Unknown's avatarBob2 Comments