Champagnac-de-Belair Trips

Thousand miles down the road | Jul 15 08'

We have traveled a thousand miles since I last wrote. It feels like it. Nice on the Cote D'Azur is so different from Normandy it could have been on... Continue reading »

At your service, Dr. Boobology | Mar 15 08'

"But I save my enthusiasm for later. Right now, I’ve got to push my boobs up against a machine."

I am on my way to Bordeaux for my medical visit, a seemingly useless procedure that is needed for my carte de sejour and my ability to stay in this... Continue reading »

Tibetan yoga... in France? | Mar 17 08'

"One thing I detest is loud, heaving breathing. And I am in a forest of it. "

My second attempt at being a joiner happens the following day when I finally get up the guts to go to a Tibetan yoga class. After spending two mont... Continue reading »

Sweating it out for the Chateau de Biron | Mar 14 08'

"I desperately try to read the road map Nadege has given me, hoping I look up in time to dodge the wandering goats... "

In preparation for my three-hour stick shift nightmare to the castle, I do the following things: First, I begin by having a full-on panic attack, m... Continue reading »

Exercising the family webcam | Jun 14 08'

"With that, my dad stands up in front of the camera, lifts his white polo shirt up to his chest and slaps his stomach with a thud, then turns to the side and slaps it again."

Finally, after weeks of ignoring the situation, I cave in and call home. I’ve been in France now for four months and haven’t heard the sound of my... Continue reading »

Angouleme, Bordeaux & the Tour de France | Jul 19 07'

"We tasted some incredible cognacs made by Martell, Hennessey and Remy Martin, up to $2000 worth"

We failed to mention in an earlier blog that we met a great UK family living in France, holidaying in Spain, who had given us their contact numbers... Continue reading »

Depositing my sanity at the local bank | Mar 02 08'

"Oh, the ups and downs of living abroad. It’s like being on your period every day for three months in a row."

What just happened here? Was that a bait and switch? I just opened a bank account, yet I have returned to my apartment empty-handed, even more b... Continue reading »

Pedalling towards Paris | Jun 14 08'

"we are starting to get sick of the view of our front wheels"

Well, we are at the beginning of the end now. Today saw Team Kiwi Cycling ride the first half of the penultimate stage of last years tour from Caho... Continue reading »

The Dordogne Valley | Apr 30 89'

"We saw the paintings almost as if we were wandering torch-bearing Cro-Magnons ourselves."

The Dordogne was a priority for Lew, who had enjoyed reading Jean Auel’s Clan of the Cave Bear se-ries, which is evocative of the area. We stayed... Continue reading »

There's no place like home... but is it? | Apr 28 08'

"I never knew when I could call myself a journalist. Now, the moment has arrived."

It's taken me two and a half months in France to finally write about my job. Shame on me. But it's hard when everything you want to write will prob... Continue reading »