We’re on the cusp of entering a New Year. Before we go forward though, I’d like to take a bit of time to have a look back at 2011. I’ve decided to do that in photo form, with photos to represent every month of the year that’s gone. Let’s go!
January
We’re on the cusp of entering a New Year. Before we go forward though, I’d like to take a bit of time to have a look back at 2011. I’ve decided to do that in photo form, with photos to represent every month of the year that’s gone. Let’s go!
January
France is home to some quite brilliant castles. As well as being magnificent to look at, these castles also bristle with history, from playing host to damsels in distress, to being the place where Kings die.
Below, I go on a journey around three Chateaux in the Haute Vienne region of France. Read on to find out what I learnt!
Three French Castles, and the death of a lion
France is home to some quite brilliant castles. As well as being magnificent to look at, these castles also bristle with history, from playing host to damsels in distress, to being the place where Kings die.
Below, I go on a journey around three Chateaux in the Haute Vienne region of France. Read on to find out what I learnt!
Today’s post was going to be either about French food, or French sewerage systems. (Or Christmas. But that was a distant third.)
As there has been a massive digger outside my window for the last few weeks creating a sewerage system, my mind has been unable to focus on much else. The result is that I have been swayed towards talking about poo, rather than food. Food will follow. I appreciate that usually it is the other way around. Sometimes convention has to be broken.
So what do I need to share with you about poo? Well, a fascinating part of living in the vaguely remote French countryside is that large scale plumbing, of the take your unmentionable waste away to be looked after in remote locations variety, isn’t universally available.
French poo
Today’s post was going to be either about French food, or French sewerage systems. (Or Christmas. But that was a distant third.)
As there has been a massive digger outside my window for the last few weeks creating a sewerage system, my mind has been unable to focus on much else. The result is that I have been swayed towards talking about poo, rather than food. Food will follow. I appreciate that usually it is the other way around. Sometimes convention has to be broken.
So what do I need to share with you about poo? Well, a fascinating part of living in the vaguely remote French countryside is that large scale plumbing, of the take your unmentionable waste away to be looked after in remote locations variety, isn’t universally available.
Ah, Paree. The city of love. A city that is a delight to visit at any time of year, be it for a sunny summers day stroll along the Seine or for a wander through the festively lit streets in Winter.
Paris is a city that I’m deeply fond of in Europe. It vies with Rome for being the capital of romance (personally I’m with Paris on this one), and, like Rome, has much to offer the visitor.
In today’s post I’m sharing with you some of my favourite bits of Paris. Much like Rome, Paris is a well visited city, so you’ll rarely be alone. However, there are myriad areas to get lost in, and its appeal year round means you can skip the crowds if you don’t mind risking the weather. Now, on to my Parisian highlights!
On my visits to Paris I’ve always stayed in a hotel, usually as a result of accumulating far too many Marriott points from a long lost corporate lifestyle. These days though, I’d either be considering a hostel, or the flexibility of an apartment. If the latter sounds good to you, check out the apartments on offer from All-Paris-Apartments.com
My favourite bits of Paris
Ah, Paree. The city of love. A city that is a delight to visit at any time of year, be it for a sunny summers day stroll along the Seine or for a wander through the festively lit streets in Winter.
Paris is a city that I’m deeply fond of in Europe. It vies with Rome for being the capital of romance (personally I’m with Paris on this one), and, like Rome, has much to offer the visitor.
In today’s post I’m sharing with you some of my favourite bits of Paris. Much like Rome, Paris is a well visited city, so you’ll rarely be alone. However, there are myriad areas to get lost in, and its appeal year round means you can skip the crowds if you don’t mind risking the weather. Now, on to my Parisian highlights!
On my visits to Paris I’ve always stayed in a hotel, usually as a result of accumulating far too many Marriott points from a long lost corporate lifestyle. These days though, I’d either be considering a hostel, or the flexibility of an apartment. If the latter sounds good to you, check out the apartments on offer from All-Paris-Apartments.com
Over a year ago, I did a photo theme post on sunsets. The sun has since set multiple times, and I’ve been lucky enough to witness some spectacular sunsets since that last post, so here, as the year starts to set, are some of my absolute favourites from the past year. Enjoy!
A year of sunsets
Over a year ago, I did a photo theme post on sunsets. The sun has since set multiple times, and I’ve been lucky enough to witness some spectacular sunsets since that last post, so here, as the year starts to set, are some of my absolute favourites from the past year. Enjoy!
Today I’m delighted to be hosting a guest post by Tom, author of travel blog Active Backpacker. Tom’s an Australian who has spent a good number of months backpacking around Europe and Asia. He is currently living with his girlfriend Trudy in Rotterdam, which is the subject of today’s post. Enjoy!
The city of Rotterdam in The Netherlands has a lot to offer, but it is often skipped by travellers who head directly in and out of the capital, Amsterdam. One of my favourite things about Rotterdam is the markets that run twice weekly on Tuesdays and Saturdays. I’m lucky enough to live close by, so I tend to find myself at the markets twice a week.
Rotterdam Markets
Today I’m delighted to be hosting a guest post by Tom, author of travel blog Active Backpacker. Tom’s an Australian who has spent a good number of months backpacking around Europe and Asia. He is currently living with his girlfriend Trudy in Rotterdam, which is the subject of today’s post. Enjoy!
The city of Rotterdam in The Netherlands has a lot to offer, but it is often skipped by travellers who head directly in and out of the capital, Amsterdam. One of my favourite things about Rotterdam is the markets that run twice weekly on Tuesdays and Saturdays. I’m lucky enough to live close by, so I tend to find myself at the markets twice a week.
Now that I’m back in Europe, I’m looking forward to exploring all that this amazing continent has to offer, from local French attractions, to more distant jewels.
Having spent time touring in a country where the distance between towns was measured in driving days rather than hours, my perspective on the scale of Europe has now changed, so what once seemed far, is now a mere hop skip and jump away.
There are parts of Europe that I am lucky enough to already be very familiar with, with Italy being near the top of that list. Her capital, Rome, is a veritable travellers paradise, with endless options for exploration, from churches, to crypts, to crumbling relics of bygone empires. Today I thought I would share some of my personal highlights of Rome with you.
My favourite bits of Rome
Now that I’m back in Europe, I’m looking forward to exploring all that this amazing continent has to offer, from local French attractions, to more distant jewels.
Having spent time touring in a country where the distance between towns was measured in driving days rather than hours, my perspective on the scale of Europe has now changed, so what once seemed far, is now a mere hop skip and jump away.
There are parts of Europe that I am lucky enough to already be very familiar with, with Italy being near the top of that list. Her capital, Rome, is a veritable travellers paradise, with endless options for exploration, from churches, to crypts, to crumbling relics of bygone empires. Today I thought I would share some of my personal highlights of Rome with you.
In today’s technology themed post I’m going to explain how to publish content to Google Currents. First though – what is Google Currents?
Google Currents is a new product from Google. It’s an application for smartphones and tables running either Android or iOS which allows you to consume content offline in an elegant way – much like Flipboard already does for iOS devices. It’s a bit like an RSS reader, only on some serious steroids.
Google Currents main advantage over a traditional RSS reader is the fact that you can pull content from all sorts of different sources, such as a twitter feed or website, and present it all to your readers in one neatly packaged application.
Google Currents launched with a heap of big name publishers all on board, ready for consumption. But the good news is that Google Currents isn’t an exclusive platform – anyone with content can have it published into the app. And it’s easy to make it look good. In today’s post, I’m going to show you just how you can do that, including how to add your twitter and Facebook pages into your finished publication.
How to publish your content to Google Currents
In today’s technology themed post I’m going to explain how to publish content to Google Currents. First though – what is Google Currents?
Google Currents is a new product from Google. It’s an application for smartphones and tables running either Android or iOS which allows you to consume content offline in an elegant way – much like Flipboard already does for iOS devices. It’s a bit like an RSS reader, only on some serious steroids.
Google Currents main advantage over a traditional RSS reader is the fact that you can pull content from all sorts of different sources, such as a twitter feed or website, and present it all to your readers in one neatly packaged application.
Google Currents launched with a heap of big name publishers all on board, ready for consumption. But the good news is that Google Currents isn’t an exclusive platform – anyone with content can have it published into the app. And it’s easy to make it look good. In today’s post, I’m going to show you just how you can do that, including how to add your twitter and Facebook pages into your finished publication.
It is, I’m sure you would agree, the perfect time of year for a sharp exit from Europe, and a swift arrival somewhere warmer. Somewhere like the Seychelles.
Europe, after all, whilst wonderful in many ways, is not known particularly for offering tremendous piles of warmth in winter. At least, not in the parts I’m familiar with.
My parents have reached the same conclusion, and today marks their departure from our French abode, on a sunshine bound flight to the Seychelles.
Unfortunately, someone has to stay behind and mind the chickens. Who have, it seems, noticed that chicken does appear fairly regularly on our menu, and have started to actually produce eggs. Which is a surprising turn of events, given that chickens aren’t generally expected to lay eggs in Winter. Still, one can’t complain about free eggs. Even if the price of said eggs is an entirely decimated garden.
(Not) Off To the Seychelles!
It is, I’m sure you would agree, the perfect time of year for a sharp exit from Europe, and a swift arrival somewhere warmer. Somewhere like the Seychelles.
Europe, after all, whilst wonderful in many ways, is not known particularly for offering tremendous piles of warmth in winter. At least, not in the parts I’m familiar with.
My parents have reached the same conclusion, and today marks their departure from our French abode, on a sunshine bound flight to the Seychelles.
Unfortunately, someone has to stay behind and mind the chickens. Who have, it seems, noticed that chicken does appear fairly regularly on our menu, and have started to actually produce eggs. Which is a surprising turn of events, given that chickens aren’t generally expected to lay eggs in Winter. Still, one can’t complain about free eggs. Even if the price of said eggs is an entirely decimated garden.
It was a strange thing, I must admit, standing in an old French chateaux with a roaring fire going, singing Silent Night in Dutch.
The path that led me to that point wasn’t as complicated as you might imagine. Well, thirty one years of living were involved, and I had had to make the decision to leave a career, travel parts of the world and then move to France, all of which has been a heck of a fun journey, but once in France, my involvement in the decision making process which ended in me singing Christmas Carols in Dutch was remarkably low.
You see, the Dordogne region of France is fairly well saturated when it comes to expats. 20,000 Brits alone call this part of the world home. Then there are the Dutch, who have also come here in their droves. There are some French people left (I’m pretty sure of it), but if you want to find someone to speak to in your native tongue (assuming you are Dutch or English), it’s not exactly a challenge. Usually you just need to find your neighbour.
I’m dreaming of a white Christmas
It was a strange thing, I must admit, standing in an old French chateaux with a roaring fire going, singing Silent Night in Dutch.
The path that led me to that point wasn’t as complicated as you might imagine. Well, thirty one years of living were involved, and I had had to make the decision to leave a career, travel parts of the world and then move to France, all of which has been a heck of a fun journey, but once in France, my involvement in the decision making process which ended in me singing Christmas Carols in Dutch was remarkably low.
You see, the Dordogne region of France is fairly well saturated when it comes to expats. 20,000 Brits alone call this part of the world home. Then there are the Dutch, who have also come here in their droves. There are some French people left (I’m pretty sure of it), but if you want to find someone to speak to in your native tongue (assuming you are Dutch or English), it’s not exactly a challenge. Usually you just need to find your neighbour.
In the northerly part of the Dordogne region of France, on the river Dromme, sits the town of Brantôme.
Brantôme is often referred to as the Venice of France, and having visited, I can confirm that it isn’t that much like Venice, and really doesn’t need to sell itself as such to be a worthwhile place to visit.
Brantôme has charming backstreets, an ancient abbey, caves that were home to troglodytic eighth century monks and stunning river frontage: but Venice it isn’t.
Brantôme is the Brantôme of France, and that is enough.
It does sit enclosed by a loop of the river Dronne, which is perhaps where an over keen tourism official may have drawn a Venetian parallel. Three bridges cross this river to the town centre, which is on a little island of its own. It also has a thriving glass industry, where further Venetian parallels could be drawn, were one to be needing to be clutching at Venetian straws. Which Brantôme doesn’t.
Brantôme – France’s Venice?
In the northerly part of the Dordogne region of France, on the river Dromme, sits the town of Brantôme.
Brantôme is often referred to as the Venice of France, and having visited, I can confirm that it isn’t that much like Venice, and really doesn’t need to sell itself as such to be a worthwhile place to visit.
Brantôme has charming backstreets, an ancient abbey, caves that were home to troglodytic eighth century monks and stunning river frontage: but Venice it isn’t.
Brantôme is the Brantôme of France, and that is enough.
It does sit enclosed by a loop of the river Dronne, which is perhaps where an over keen tourism official may have drawn a Venetian parallel. Three bridges cross this river to the town centre, which is on a little island of its own. It also has a thriving glass industry, where further Venetian parallels could be drawn, were one to be needing to be clutching at Venetian straws. Which Brantôme doesn’t.
Paying the bills
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