My husband and I really detest the cold weather. Back in the early fall of 1988, we looked at each other one blustery morning and asked, “do we really want to go through another winter?” The answer was an unequivocal No!, so we put our house on the market and moved with our (then) four … Read more
The continuing adventures of June Finnigan, her Man, and Farty Barty the cat. November, in our little bit of Chianti in Tuscany, generally brings a mix of weather patterns ranging from warm and balmy to horrendous rainstorms and landslides. This November was no exception and we enjoyed aperitivi in sunshine one day and then were … Read more
While it’s no secret that Costa Rica is home to some of the best beaches in Central America, where to find them can often be a challenge. Living in Costa Rica has afforded me the time and relationships with locals that privy me to this sacred information that I will now share with you. Playa … Read more
Anyone who has visited Nice can’t help but notice the city’s iconic Belle Époque, palatial hotel on the Promenade des Anglais, With its white facade, pink roof and pink dome, and signature doorman dressed in regal bourgeois attire: blue frock coats, red breeches, and plumed top hat, the hotel is Nice’s signature hotel. Henri Negresco … Read more
Many of you fellow expats are going back to your home country for the holidays. But those of you who are spending the holidays in your adopted country this year will be able to learn about and explore new traditions there. I have found that many of the Spanish traditions are quite similar to what … Read more
It’s actually quite difficult, even for me, to be grumpy in November but I try. The trees explode in tones of russet and amber, the air is crisp and the rain stops, albeit temporarily. St Martin’s day, on November 11th is famous for its Indian summer. Actually the sun does show its face but it … Read more
I must have been looking the other way because it’s suddenly winter and very cold. The manageable minus three degrees, crisp sunshine and bracing air that chased us into the supermarket at the weekend were gone when we came out – replaced by snow tumbling from the vast black maw above and a wind-chill of … Read more
The first year I lived in the UK I was here with other American students. We lined up at the phones with our phone cards calling home and cooked a sort of Thanksgiving dinner with what we could find in the shops, which meant no pumpkin pie. We all felt a bit lost, unsure, but … Read more
“There are no foreign lands. It is the traveler only who is foreign.” – Robert Louis Stevenson As an expat, my arrival in any country (these days) brings with it, the steely eyes of a super sleuth. The minute I step off the plane, I’m giving my holiday destination the once over! Judging, comparing, making … Read more
The continuing adventures of June Finnigan, her Man, and Farty Barty the cat. The highlights of October, here in our little bit of Chianti, included the grape harvest and a visit from my lovely mother-in-law to celebrate her eighty-eighth birthday! Gi-Gi, my mother-in-law, was welcomed back by the village locals, which made her feel very … Read more