Summer is definitely tourist season in Paris, unless - apparently - you're living here, in which case all your friends and family prefer to come in the fall. For the first six months, we had exactly two houseguests: (1) my mom, who works in an elementary school and thus can only get away during the … Continue reading Tourist season, take two (it’s better with champagne)
Travel
The mountains were calling
In the words of John Muir: the mountains were calling, and I had to go. Last week, Colin and I returned to my new favorite place in France - the Alps - this time with his brother and brother's girlfriend, who were the first in a long string of visitors we have coming this fall. We … Continue reading The mountains were calling
A few days in Montpellier
Like the rest of the Parisians, Colin and I skipped town this week for somewhere more scenic. We're in Montpellier, soaking up the last of summer with seafood, sun, and - hopefully one day soon - a trip to the shore. Colin's here for an evolution conference so we aren't totally in vacation mode, but … Continue reading A few days in Montpellier
Été in the Alps
Paris is sweltering after weeks of near-triple digit temperatures. It's a solid 10 degrees warmer than what Colin and I expected from Parisian summer, and since no one here has AC, we all just sit around and sweat. Ice cream and chilled wine only help so much. At what point do we admit that year … Continue reading Été in the Alps
France-Belgium
On Tuesday night, France played Belgium in the semifinals of the World Cup. I’m telling you this because, if you’re American, you probably have no idea that the rest of the world has spent most of the past month riveted to their TVs, drinking beer and wearing silly hats in their country’s colors. You’re missing … Continue reading France-Belgium
Three days in Tel Aviv
As I've alluded to in previous posts, Colin and I took a very quick trip to Israel after my mom left. Colin wanted to attend a conference on mediterranean lizards at Tel Aviv University, and I jumped at the chance to see a new country—and a new continent, since neither of us had ever been … Continue reading Three days in Tel Aviv
By the numbers
Hey guys! Hello! Hello? ... Anyone still there? I never intended to take such a long break from blogging, but I guess that's what happens when you work sunrise-to-sunset as a field assistant for three weeks, then your mom falls in love with Paris and decides she's going to move in with you forever but … Continue reading By the numbers
View from above
Hey, look what we flew over on our way to Tel Aviv yesterday! That's Naxos on the left, Paros on the right, and the SeaJet ferry sailing between them. It's crazy to think that I was down there just one week ago, and since then I've hopped between three countries, two continents, and three alphabets.
Catching lizards and catching up
What a whirlwind the last month has been! As I alluded to earlier, my mom has the stamina of a marathoner when it comes to sightseeing, so we crammed about four weeks' worth of touring into two, and with all the back-and-forth to Greece, I've now been to the airport five times in the last … Continue reading Catching lizards and catching up
Wind
Time is flying! Today is our last day in Greece, and it's the first day that the weather hasn't been essentially perfect. It's a little windy, a white-caps-on-the-sea kind of day. So, instead of going on a sailing trip as planned, we're sitting at Cafe Citron, reading and watching the sailboats rock in the waves. It's … Continue reading Wind
Practice Makes Parfait 