Nobody enjoys queuing although most of us accept it as a necessary evil. Queuing and Joe are like cats and water; he hates it. He grumbles and heckles loudly which makes me shrivel with embarrassment as people turn to stare. It amazes me that no shops have banned him from entering their premises. “Why don’t … Read more
The continuing Adventures of June Finnigan, Her Man and Farty Barty the Cat. On the first day of April, and right on cue, we heard the first cuckoo of the year. Swallows swooped in front of us as we drove back from coffee, and Wood Pigeons began building a nest in one of the fir … Read more
After living in a foreign country for a number of years, many expats find that they have taken on a lot of local customs and habits—sometimes due to sincere efforts to integrate, sometimes despite themselves. Which is why it is always so fun for me to ask fellow longtime expats if they feel they have … Read more
The Way of St. James was one of the most important Christian pilgrimages during medieval times. Legend holds that St. James’s remains were carried by boat from Jerusalem to northern Spain where he was buried on the site of what is now the city of Santiago de Compostela. It is also a pleasant hike. With … Read more
“Look out!” I braced against the dashboard with my right hand and held firmly to the passenger door handle with my left as Kurt swerved quickly to the right, briefly crossing the center of the two-lane highway before correcting back to our lane. We were dodging potholes on a small highway in South Africa, northbound … Read more
What do expats do about their real estate in the UK? Do they keep a foothold in the old country, or do they – metaphorically – burn their boats? Some say Alexander the Great was the first to burn his boats. Others say it was Cortez: you could spend hours on the web and come … Read more
Every morning in Costa Rica is different and exciting. This morning I chose to spend it with Kayak Jaco and I’m happy for it, since it was the highlight of my month. Guides Wilbur and Jacob taught the group the basics of paddling, with Kayak Jaco’s homemade bamboo paddles, prior to pushing off for a … Read more
When I studied for my degree in Literature and Film &TV I’m not ashamed to admit I was a bit obsessed with America and all that it had to offer on the other side of the pond. I chose to write about British and American TV shows in the 1980s for my dissertation and ended … Read more
I suppose the same can really be said of travel in general, but with expat life, you don’t have the protection of the tourism status – “I don’t know what the heck I’m doing but that’s OK, I’m only here for a week”. And boy, there’s nothing like being thrown in at the deep end … Read more
One day, some friends and I decided to get out of the city of Nice! We decided to have lunch in the vicinity of a nearby castle, where we had planned on doing a guided visit and dégustation (wine tasting). I drove into the heart of the Bellet vineyards, which took about 25 minutes, as … Read more