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”
We lived in Los Angeles for a couple of years and out there earthquakes seldom make the news, despite their prevalence. I read that there are several small tremors daily but only sensitive scientific instruments, and probably small dogs, can feel them. One morning, however, Bill was having breakfast in a diner when the hanging light fixtures started swaying. At that same instant the building where I worked was also swaying and from the 14th floor, that’s not fun. When we moved to the east coast of the US we thought that we’d left all of that behind only to discover that Atlanta sits beside the New Madrid fault line that’s been shaking buildings since the early 1800s. You’d think that moving another 4500 miles east to France would get us away from all that. Continue reading “The earth moved”
If you’re the King or Queen and you’re trying to run a castle, it’s going to take a lot of bread to keep everyone fed and a lot of sheets for all of those beds. Why not build a mill that will grind all of that wheat and turn all of those threads into cloth. If you’re lucky enough to have a powerful river running near by, as we do through Carcassonne, you can use that force to run your mills if it doesn’t wash them away in the process. So how can you control a wide and forceful river? You create a diversion. Continue reading “A diversion”
We usually take a couple walks a day plus a few other quick outings down by the river for Heather’s breaks. There are the “must” excursions to the open-air market for fresh produce or the bakery for some croissants, for example and then the pleasure walks that get us out exploring medieval streets, open countryside along the canal, or pathways beside the river. On a recent walk inside the Bastide, the part of Carcassonne that was founded in 1240 and used to be totally encircled by a thick stone wall, we saw the plaque seen here in this picture and wondered what it was. Continue reading “Level headed”
It was with trepidation that we went to the post office in Carcassonne for the first time. We had to go there because we needed to mail an initial contact letter into the immigration office in Montpelier so that they could schedule us for a physical exam and an interview. I know, sounds like fun in France, doesn’t it? There seems to be a universal dislike of post office practices worldwide and when you couple that with the insurmountable bureaucracy we’d read existed here, you can understand our dread. But then as we approached the building with the familiar blue and yellow La Poste logo, right in front we saw something else: a garden, a flower garden with benches and a water feature all newly installed. In fact, this haven of greenery replaced a parking lot. What post office does that? Continue reading “Parking lot to paradise”
Heather is going to sleep well tonight. In fact, it’s only 2 PM and she’s already napping on her favorite pillow on the sofa. Up to now we’ve been walking along the river that provides the tranquil, green environment that lends itself to relaxation. Today we ventured into the city for the first time with her since we’d like to take her wherever we go and dogs are typically welcome into most businesses. We may have to rethink that. Continue reading “River walk vs. city walk”
You might have to be a fan of movie musicals and/or Judy Garland plus know a little bit about Carcassonne to understand this post’s title, but you won’t need to read French to tell from this poster where we went today. About a year ago when we decided that this town would be our new home one of the first announcements we read about was for the annual Chocolate Festival in March. Guess what month it is? Continue reading “Meet me in St. Louis, Louis”
Let's Live In France 