Tag: France

Life in France

Charlemagne’s fountain

A fountain outside the castle
A fountain outside the castle

We used to live in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania where waterfalls abound as do the tales associated with them. When the owner of one of those mini-Niagaras closest to our house hoped to entice ticket-paying tourists to his attraction, he revived the Legend of Winona. The story goes that when a Native American princess fell in love with a Dutch army officer who was later summoned back to the Netherlands, they jumped/fell to their eternity together from a mountainside to the river below. At least the legend of Charlemagne’s fountain has a happier ending. Continue reading “Charlemagne’s fountain”

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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

The earth moved

The cracked wall on the front of our house
The cracked wall on the front of our house

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”

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Dealing with government

Ducks in a row

All of our ducks in a row
All of our ducks in a row

It’s taken us a while to assemble all of the documents that the French consulate requires to apply for a long stay visitor’s visa and I think we’re now ready. There are 10 offices in the US and while each follows a similar list of requirements (passport, application, fee, etc.) some tell you specifically what must be included on each document and some want more information than others. The Miami consulate website shows a pretty general list without many details. Here’s what they have requested and how we have complied: Continue reading “Ducks in a row”

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Life in France

Joy is where you find it

Hilltop village of Eus, France
Hilltop village of Eus, France

Awaiting a flight to the US, I was walking through the Barcelona airport back to where Bill was sitting when I heard someone calling out “Monsieur, monsieur” from directly behind me. I turned around and there was Sophia Petrillo from American TV’s Golden Girls (well, the French version in my head, anyway) trying to find gate 48B. We were at gate 18 at that point so we had a long way to walk. Continue reading “Joy is where you find it”

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Before leaving the US

Chip off the old block

Heather with her favorite toy
Heather with her favorite toy

We took Heather for her annual checkup this morning and and I’m happy to say that she came through with flying colors, as usual. The one difference today, however, is that she got chipped. In preparation for the move to France and getting her own pet passport, Heather had to have an internationally-accepted microchip ID tag implanted. As gross as that sounds, it truly is tiny and fits through a syringe needle, so in theory was no more uncomfortable than getting the rabies shot that she also had to have at the same time. Continue reading “Chip off the old block”

Unknown's avatarBob