Insights into the French way of life and European travels by an Australian living in the Loire Valley
Header photo: Blois in spring, 2016. All photos on website copyright by Rosemary Kneipp unless specified otherwise. All rights reserved.Sign up for the latest posts below and don’t forget to click the confirmation email link:
-
Loire Valley Accommodation!
Stay in our beautiful 400-year old Renaissance house in the Loire Valley. Click on Gîte Loire Valley above. Accommodates 2 to 4 adults. 3-night minimum stay.-
Live like a local and improve your French!
-
Recent Posts
-
Popular Posts
Categories
Recent Comments
- Rosemary Kneipp on Visit the Loire without a Car based in Blois
- Katherine on Visit the Loire without a Car based in Blois
- Rosemary Kneipp on Cycling in Slovenia – our power bikes pass the test!
- Dennis L. Ward on Friday’s French – chevreuil, biche & deer
- William Kendall on Cycling in Slovenia – our power bikes pass the test!
Sites to visit
Archives
Meta
Author Archives: Rosemary Kneipp
Cycling in Slovenia – our power bikes pass the test!
We’re in Malibor in the north of Slovenia, a country known for its hills. We ask for a bike map from the tourist office and study it. In Malibor, there are cycle paths everywhere so we assume that outside the … Continue reading
Cycling from Breschia to Lake Iseo
We are on our way from Blois to Romania and Jean Michel has chosen Lake Iseo as our first stopover. We’ve booked an apartment for two nights in Cazzago San Martino 2 km from the Turin-Trieste motorway. By 5 pm, … Continue reading
Friday’s French – propre, clean, own, proper
I was talking to my Australian friend Susan from Days on the Claise recently and she mentioned the different meanings of propre in French. It does seems strange that the same word should mean both “clean” and “own”. My trusty Dictionnaire Historique de … Continue reading
Famagusta – Cyprus
Famagusta on the east coast of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, was the first stop on our one-week self-driven tour. In mediaeval times (particularly under the maritime republics of Genoa and Venice), Famagusta was the country’s largest port city, trading … Continue reading
Cyprus – Kourion
The archaeological remains of Kourion, one of Cyprus’ most important city-kingdoms in antiquity, are the most extensive on the island, and excavations have unearthed many significant finds. The city-kingdom was built on a hill overlooking the fertile valley of the … Continue reading
Posted in Architecture, Cyprus
6 Comments
A Garland of Wildflowers in Cyprus
We are visiting the ruins of Salamis, an ancient Greek city-state on the east coast of Cyprus. It’s a perfect spring day. There are yellow wildflowers everywhere and, in particular, yellow daisies. We see a young woman making a crown … Continue reading
A City Break in Angoulême
We haven’t had a break since we went to New York in September what with having to fill the coffers again after our three months’ holiday in 2016, digging the trenches for the automatic watering system and Jean Michel’s varicose … Continue reading
Posted in Accommodation, Architecture, City breaks, France
Tagged angouleme, le saint andré
8 Comments
French-Style Primaries
The first time I voted in the French presidential elections in 2007, there were no primaries. In 2012, the main parties held their own primaries but it was an internal vote and you had to be a party member. This … Continue reading
Posted in France, French customs
Tagged benoît hamon, françois fillon, french politics, French primaries
12 Comments
Friday’s French – savoir-faire, savoir-vivre, savoir-être, know-how, expertise, interpersonal skills
Savoir-faire looks like a word that should mean the same in French and in English. But it doesn’t! Savoir-faire in English is the ability to act or speak appropriately in social situations. Savoir-faire in French, however, means skills acquired by … Continue reading
Friday’s French – galette, galet, shingles, gâteau, cake, pancakes, crepes, biscuits
It’s galette des rois time again. This is the cake used to celebrate the Epiphany in France, the 12th day of Christmas, January 6th, the day on which the three kings reached Bethlehem. It has become an essential part of New … Continue reading
