2011: Year in Review

It's hard to believe that another year has gone by since last year's Year in Review.  I had a rough start to 2011, but it was an important reminder of my mantra, no day but today.  As 2011 comes to a close, I feel very grateful for how this year has turned around and I'd like to share my thoughts with you all. I am grateful for my family.  For my family by blood, my family by marriage, and my family of...

Ciao & Auguri!

And we're back!  I hope you all had a lovely holiday with friends and family.  Michael's office is closed this week, so we've been taking it easy, relaxing and recovering after our 8-day, nearly 2,000 km road trip through Italy.  We traveled along the Cote d'Azur to Riomaggiore, up to Firenze, back down to Siena, and then up to Torino, before heading back to Montpellier on Christmas Eve.  I can't wait to tell...

Annecy City Guide: Dos, Don’ts, Eats

I've fallen in love.  Don't worry, Michael knows all about it.  In fact, we've both fallen in love - with Annecy.  Seriously, I am obsessed with this town.  I don't think I've stopped talking about it since we got back two weeks ago:  the mountains, the canals, the quiet side streets, the lake.  Even in the cold, slightly gray of winter, this town charmed me completely. It's...

Marché de Noël: Christmas in France

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas over here! I'm really enjoying how festive the town has become.  We've been going on a tour of the Marché de Noël, or Christmas markets.  About a week and a half ago, we visited the small, beautiful town of Annecy on the border of France and Switzerland and had a lovely time at their Marché de Noël. This past weekend, we visited...

Hump Day: Vin Chaud

About two months ago I started getting really annoyed that there was no apple cider here.  Not hot, not cold, not anything.  I whined about it a lot (just ask Michael).  I finally bit the bullet and just made my own hot apple cider on the stove whenever the craving hit, and I managed to get through the fall without too many tears. And now it's December and Vin Chaud entered my life, and I could give a flying...

Stockholm City Guide: Dos, Don’ts, Eats

For Stéphanie and Simon's final farewell in October, the four us took a quick trip to Stockholm.  Why Stockholm?  Well, why not!  It's a beautiful city made up of 14 islands connected by 57 bridges.  The food is hearty and the drinks are strong.  We still had some time before the sun went away for the winter and the off-season fares were too good to pass up.  We rented an apartment in the central area...

Hump Day: Stockholm’s Absolut Ice Bar

So, I have a confession to make.  We did something really touristy during our trip to Stockholm. We went to the Absolut Vodka Ice Bar... ...and we had a great time. Really!  Laugh all you want, but it was a fun way to end a full day of walking around and sightseeing.  Yes, it is super cheesy, but it's a pretty unique experience and there is booze involved, people.  How can you have a bad...

A Thanksgiving-Birthday Weekend

Hello all!  I hope you had a fabulous Thanksgiving full of lots of good food and friends.  We had a nice, quiet celebration over here for our first "official" holiday in France (Easter just doesn't really seem to count!)  We definitely realized that Thanksgiving is a lot more fun and exciting when you get to spend it with all your family and friends, but we still managed to have a great day.  We even had our...

A Thanksgiving Guide In France

It's Thanksgiving Week!  It's Thanksgiving Week!  Hooray!  As you probably know, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.   To me, it really marks the beginning of the holiday season and I love everything about it:  the food, the festivities, and the thanks.  Usually, we celebrate an Orphan's Thanksgiving in San Francisco with 25 or so of our closest friends, but this year we'll be doing things a little bit...

Porto City Guide: Dos, Don’ts, Eats

Oddly enough, I have to thank Ryan Air for introducing me to Porto, Portugal.  Stéphanie and I wanted to go on a trip together before she moved back to Montreal and Ryan Air had a great deal to Porto that we just couldn't pass up.  Before this trip I had never really heard of Porto as a European destination and I want to make sure that doesn't happen to anyone else.  Porto is amazing and it was my favorite trip...