I understand this is way more exciting for me than you. Yesterday I found a store which sells bras and panties in my size, shape, and fabric and they’re not 100€ or more! Hallelujah! (p.s. this is a really big deal!)
(u) x(o)x
I understand this is way more exciting for me than you. Yesterday I found a store which sells bras and panties in my size, shape, and fabric and they’re not 100€ or more! Hallelujah! (p.s. this is a really big deal!)
(u) x(o)x
July 2017
It does exist! A steakhouse in Bordeaux where you saunter up to a meat counter to choose your cut of boeuf and the size of your personal slab. Accompanied by anything between a green salad and potatoes gratin (with duck fat french fries a popular choice), the entire meal is presented family style in short order. Along with a dazzling wine list, Le Bar du Boucher delivers a friendly and tasty experience…who could ask for more?
April 2017
I just watched a short video about how the French culture reveres food…and particularly lunch. It is a social occasion in no hurry…lasting at least an hour and many times two. Typically, the three courses include an: entréé (appetizer), plat (main course), and dessert. Most people will have a glass or two of wine and a café afterward, the tiny shot of espresso to energize the afternoon and balance the digestion. The french are some of the most productive and creative workers in the world…maybe it’s because they don’t work through lunch!
July 2017
Do you remember the dance “Tequila”? That’s the dance I’m doing these days as I have a bottle of Jose Cuervo margarita mix, salt, and limes. What a perfect combo! Thanks N and C for the contraband from the German/American commissary :)
April 2017
Château de Reignac
A beautiful castle located northeast of Bordeaux between the rivers Garonne and Dordogne, this estate produces some of my favorite bio wines. Apparently “the wine gurus” agree because it’s been awarded more prestige than some of the Grand Crus of Bordeaux even though its appellation is Bordeaux Superior. There simply isn’t a bad Reignac even in the years that other estates have a thumbs down approach to the harvest. We’re going to visit the vineyard in person for a tour and picnic in May. There’s an aroma garden within an Eiffel glass greenhouse with plants growing for all the scents that are perceived in their wines…how fun is that? The picnic will be VERY french and I truly cannot wait to see, small, and taste it all in person!
July 2017
My latest reads are “How to Play Bridge” in English AND French and Lonely Planet’s Guides to St. Petersburg and the Baltics. I haven’t touched a french lesson in two months and my goal to read War and Peace before traveling fizzled out completely. I thought about Doestoevsky and Chekhov too but never downloaded a Kindle word of it. It might be nice to take along a book while traveling but suitcase space is tight and I’d rather have an extra pair of shoes. So, my life without words and pages will continue for a few more months and when I begin again, I think I will be the stay up until 4 am voracious reader. Maybe I’ll even finish W&P.
Septembre 2016:
In addition to online news sources, a print copy of The Connexion is almost a must-have for English speakers in France. It’s a monthly news magazine with stories ranging from world to community issues and events. There’s always something to learn and something to enjoy and usually, something to do because of reading it. The perfect trifecta!
lightning less (june 7, 2014)
thunder rumbled
exploding forth through narrow streets
rain sheets illuminated
by stalwart street lamps
pounding pavement, bouncing back
walkers drenched
without intuition
to bring umbrellas
seeking shelter, finding none
cars splashed
while slippery roads
hold onto tires
for cover
splattering rivers onto sidewalks
night darkened
going coastal...
glistening...listening, shhhhh
sea to shore
humpback whale or humpback wave,
the spout, the spray
the slam of water on rock or sand
frothy surf
white, gray, green, blue
horizon beckons
what's beyond and what's before
glistening...listening, shhhhh
waves put their arms around each other
as they swell and break,
their necks racing to shore.
kelp anchors sea otters
................
I ought to stay
what's the hurry? the sea birds ask
as they follow retreat of surf and sea.
you cannot be the wave you were
but you will always be water
seeking another shore.