Monthly Archives: May 2015

Château Courances

Posted on May 31, 2015 by John

France has a lot of châteaux – a LOT of châteaux. Although the best known are in the Loire Valley, there are beautiful châteaux everywhere around us; yesterday we visited Courances, a Renaissance château best known for its beautiful water … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Châteaux | 2 Comments

Boat Name

Posted on May 28, 2015 by John

Now, maybe it’s just that I don’t understand how a person names his or her boat, but it certainly seems to me that the owner of this boat could have chosen a better name…

Posted in Bois-le-Roi | Leave a comment

Les Fromions

Posted on May 28, 2015 by John

French has a phrase for a geographical area so small that it may not even be inhabited: lieu-dit. Driving on back roads of France you’ll see hundreds of signs for lieux-dits, places that might have a house or two, or might just be … Continue reading →

Posted in Rambles | Leave a comment

La Ferté Alais Airshow

Posted on May 25, 2015 by John

Warning: airplane geekiness ahead. If airplanes hold no interest for you, you might just want to skip this post. Two years ago I went to the Paris Air Show – the biggest in the world. This year, Hervé Rufin invited … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

An Afternoon Ramble

Posted on May 25, 2015 by John

Last Saturday Gilles was set to watch an important Rugby match of his favorite team, from his hometown area of Clermont-Ferrand. Knowing that it would be a really good idea for us to be absent during the match, Mary, Laurie … Continue reading →

Posted in Rambles | Leave a comment

Our First Amble In Paris

Posted on May 22, 2015 by John

We have a bunch of books of Paris walks, because Paris is definitely a city that rewards walkers. Heck, there’s even a French word for a person who just strolls in the city: flaneur. That’s us, a pair of flaneurs in our … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Paris | Leave a comment

First Day Back In Paris

Posted on May 22, 2015 by John

We’re in Paris for a couple days. Tuesday night we went for a stroll in our favorite part of Paris – the two islands. It’s a very nice way to start out, I must say…

Posted in Paris | 1 Comment

Bois-le-Roi

Posted on May 20, 2015 by John

We’re in Bois-le-Roi (Forest of the King). This town of 5,500 people is about 35 minutes by train south of Paris, and is where our friends Mary and Gilles live; we’re staying at their house for a few days, until … Continue reading →

Posted in Bois-le-Roi | Leave a comment

We Made It!

Posted on May 16, 2015 by John

We are in France! Not only that, we are well-rested, having had a full night’s sleep last night (assisted slightly by a little chemical magic) and ensconced in chez Germain, Mary and Gilles beautiful house. The Plane, the Plane! First, … Continue reading →

Posted in Bois-le-Roi, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

First Post!

Posted on May 13, 2015 by John

No, we haven’t made it to France, yet. We’re in Elmsford, NY, with the East Coast Z’s. We arrived Monday and will be here until mid-day tomorrow – Thursday, 5/14 – when we head for JFK and that Air France … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment