If you live in the US you’ll be aware of a rivalry between the north and the south that dates back to at least 1864 when the Civil War ended. Bill once had a boss in Atlanta who said that he was taking his family back to New Jersey so that his kids would learn in school which side really won that war. There’s a rivalry here between those same two regions of the country except it’s centered around something much more interesting: sports. Continue reading “North vs. south”
We can buy 3 daily newspapers in Carcassonne and for a town of 50,000 people, that’s not bad. These are actually regional papers, all owned by the same company, but we still think it’s amazing to have that kind of coverage. Many of their articles are published for free online and that’s one of the ways we find out what’s going on. Here’s a quote from the president of this region’s governing council regarding the upcoming fiscal year’s budget: “A tax increase is the only solution”. Oh, la, la, can you imagine ever reading that in a US newspaper? Continue reading “You read that in the paper?”
Did you ever watch the PBS television program hosted by Fred Rogers where he invited you on a daily excursion to meet the people around him? In contrast to the fast-paced cartoon entertainment offered at the time on other channels, Mr. Rogers was a kind and gentle man who made you feel comfortable in strange surroundings, emphasized respect for others, and offered reassuring advice that things would work out OK. His Land of Make-Believe even had a castle towering above all the houses below. Guess where we live. Continue reading “Monsieur Rogers’ neighborhood”
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”
Yesterday was Easter and as you might expect most places were closed. In fact, almost everything is closed around here on Sundays: shops, restaurants, even the buses don’t run. Having moved from being within a 5-minute drive of several supermarkets and a supercenter that literally never close we thought it might take a long time to adjust. It didn’t. Continue reading “Falling in”
My first long term relationship was with someone who lived in New York City. The first time I went to Manhattan it was truly overwhelming; skyscrapers, people, endless avenues of shopping, bumper to bumper traffic, Broadway, Times Square, and noise. In the daytime it was exciting but at night it was too noisy to sleep. After a week there I kind of got used to the crowds but nighttime sirens, garbage trucks with clanging cans, and screaming drunks validated the nickname The City That Never Sleeps. Continue reading “Night and day difference”
When I was in high school you had two choices about what track you were going to take. If you said that you wanted a “technical” education then you got to take classes like metalworking, carpentry, food preparation, automobile engine repair, and other hands-on instruction. You know, the fun stuff. For the rest of us who said that we were college bound then out came math analysis, calculus, physics, and 17th century literature, for example. Yep, the knowledge that we all use on a daily basis. In France you get some additional choices including the ability to go to a high school that concentrates on the agriculture of your part of the country. Guess what they grow around Carcassonne: grapes. And what do you make with grapes: wine. Yes, in France you can go to high school and learn how to make wine. Continue reading “Wine high school”
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