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)
Museums
If you thought Versailles was fancy…
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
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
Reptilian invasion
After three weeks of full-time lizard catching, I'm now seeing little lizards everywhere... including at the Louvre. I was extra pleased to see that this young herpetologist-in-training is female. 1822 must have been a good year for gender equality. Unfortunately the lizard she's holding is dead, but I like to think she's gazing at it … Continue reading Reptilian invasion
Touristing around
Ever since my mom landed in Paris, we've been running around trying to see and do all of the things. Well, not all - that would take at least two lifetimes - but several big-ticket-must-sees plus some of my favorite off-the-beaten-path places. And we're not the only ones! Since I left in early May, the … Continue reading Touristing around
La Liste
I've alluded to my ever-growing To Do for Fun list in previous posts, but I never actually talked about what was on it. The list currently stands at 61 items, although a couple have been removed after further research (for example, tickets to the Moulin Rouge are outrageously expensive, so we decided we weren't interested) … Continue reading La Liste
Practice Makes Parfait 