Category Archives: Western Europe To walk in rural France is to step back into an era where babies were bathed in basins in cobblestone streets, women set laundry on second story lines draped above narrow alleyways, and men spent evenings sat on benches in rows facing the street, perfectly placed to watch the world slowly go by.  The French attitude toward food had me saying Oui! Oui! to France from the get-go. The meals served as individual courses, paired with wines, and sprinkled with conversation and laughter – food in France exists to be enjoyed and shared, and is a centerfold of the day, just the way I like it.  It was an epic trip. Meeting Bruno’s family for the first time, visiting his childhood and teenage haunts, my parents finally meeting their son-in-law, visiting medieval villages and towns… With so many photos and special moments, a single blog post about my five weeks in France is utterly impossible. Here is the first of a trio of France-posts on the beauty of family connections. A few days ago I stumbled upon the following BBC article about how Viennese people love to grumble about their city. The author’s perspective is interesting because she is not the first to tell me this – even my boss’ mother described Austrians as a people who love to grumble about their country even though […]  Vienna is a city of contradictions – of old buildings sitting side-by-side with the ultra-modern; of young artsy creative people who all look the same; and of a winter town who does summer right! The first thing you notice upon your arrival in Vienna is its architectural beauty. Enormous Viennese castles with golden icing painted […] |
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