Practice Makes Parfait

… all the fun and funny faux pas of life abroad.

Skip to content
  • Home
  • About
  • Archive
Search

Autumn

Through the seasons

January 28, 2019 / Claire / Leave a comment

Writing about last week’s snowstorm reminded me that I wanted to share some “through the seasons” photos I’ve taken this year. I wasn’t particularly disciplined about the project, but it was a good excuse to revisit some of my favorite spots in Paris every few months. I picked three places: Notre Dame, the Coulée Verte … Continue reading Through the seasons

A few days in Barcelona

November 30, 2018 / Claire / Leave a comment

Well, tourist season in Paris is officially over. It's turned wintry - meaning rainy - over the last couple weeks, and our last visitors left on Wednesday. That in itself is bittersweet. It's nice to get back to a regular routine, but it's sad to realize that we'll be leaving ourselves in just a couple … Continue reading A few days in Barcelona

Beaujolais Nouveau: il est arrivé!

November 16, 2018 / Claire / Leave a comment

Yesterday - Thursday, November 15th - was a totally French holiday. Not the kind of holiday that gets you out of work but the kind that warrants drinking wine just because. It was Beaujolais Nouveau Day, which is the day - always the third Thursday of November - when that year's vintage of Beaujolais Nouveau … Continue reading Beaujolais Nouveau: il est arrivé!

Bikes, boats, and beer, oh my! (Or: Amsterdam)

November 13, 2018 / Claire / Leave a comment

As if speaking French weren’t hard enough, last week Colin and I decided to try our hand at Dutch and hopped a train north to Amsterdam. Our friend Ben, who is a professional singer currently living in London, had let us know that he would be performing there, and it took us only half a … Continue reading Bikes, boats, and beer, oh my! (Or: Amsterdam)

If you thought Versailles was fancy…

November 9, 2018November 13, 2018 / Claire / Leave a comment

A couple weeks ago one of my best friends from grad school visited with her husband, and she said she wanted to see somewhere fancy. Pas de problème—France has so much history that sometimes it seems like every large building used to be a palace of some sort. When she asked about Versailles, though, I told … Continue reading If you thought Versailles was fancy…

I ain’t afraid of no ghost

November 7, 2018November 5, 2018 / Claire / Leave a comment

Halloween isn't really a thing in France, so Colin and I decided to celebrate on our own in the most spook-tacular way: by going ghost-hunting in the catacombs. The Paris catacombs, created in the late 1700s to address problems with overflowing cemeteries, are hidden deep underground and are full of artfully arranged human bones, mostly … Continue reading I ain’t afraid of no ghost

Encore, the Alps

October 16, 2018October 16, 2018 / Claire / Leave a comment

One of the hardest parts of living abroad is being so far removed from Big Important Things that are affecting friends and family in the States. Last week, that was Hurricane Michael. It's been heartbreaking to see the destruction to Mexico Beach, which has been my family's go-to beach for generations, and to the area … Continue reading Encore, the Alps

A quiet realization

October 4, 2018October 5, 2018 / Claire / Leave a comment

I know you're all anxious for an update on my secret identity - and I promise I'll get to that soon - but the prelude to that update is actually my recent trip to Italy. I know, I know—after having just written about how this fall is jam-packed with visitors, how did I have time … Continue reading A quiet realization

Tourist season, take two (it’s better with champagne)

September 26, 2018September 27, 2018 / Claire / 2 Comments

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)

The mountains were calling

September 13, 2018 / Claire / Leave a comment

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

Recent Favorites

  • Molettes
    Molettes
  • The apocalypse
    The apocalypse
  • Pandemic Picture Project, Installment 2
    Pandemic Picture Project, Installment 2
  • Earth Day
    Earth Day
  • Another milestone
    Another milestone
  • A milestone
    A milestone
  • Pandemic Picture Project, Week 1
    Pandemic Picture Project, Week 1
  • "I salute the effort you are going to make"
    "I salute the effort you are going to make"
  • What to do at Lake Como if you aren't a billionaire
    What to do at Lake Como if you aren't a billionaire
  • One day in Venice
    One day in Venice

Looking for Something?

Archives

  • May 2020 (2)
  • April 2020 (7)
  • March 2020 (2)
  • October 2019 (1)
  • September 2019 (2)
  • August 2019 (2)
  • July 2019 (1)
  • June 2019 (1)
  • May 2019 (4)
  • April 2019 (2)
  • March 2019 (3)
  • February 2019 (4)
  • January 2019 (11)
  • December 2018 (7)
  • November 2018 (9)
  • October 2018 (8)
  • September 2018 (6)
  • August 2018 (10)
  • July 2018 (11)
  • June 2018 (8)
  • May 2018 (6)
  • April 2018 (9)
  • March 2018 (9)
  • February 2018 (9)

Tags

Alps Amsterdam Antigua Apartment Arc de Triomphe Art Autumn Belgium Boston Cafes Car-Free Cell Phone Champagne Cooking Cricket Eiffel Tower Fieldwork Fontainebleau Food Forest Park France Greece Helicopter Holidays How To Immigration Israel Italy Lake Geneva Language London Long-Stay Visa Louvre Lumiere London Marseille Memorial de la Shoah Montpellier Mont Saint Michel Morocco Moving Mur des Justes Musee d'Orsay Museums Notre Dame OFII Packing Parc des Buttes-Chaumont Paris Parks Picnics Rodin Sacre Coeur Sainte-Chapelle Saint Louis Seine Shakespeare's Globe Spain Spring St. Louis Stanley Cup Story Maps Summer Switzerland Template To Do Tour de France Tower of London Travel Turks & Caicos Versailles Voting Abroad Wait Wait Don't Tell Me Westminster Abbey Winter World Cup
Create a website or blog at WordPress.com
Cancel

 
Loading Comments...
Comment
    ×