Insights into the French way of life and European travels by an Australian living in the Loire Valley
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Category Archives: Home exchange
Discovering Canal Saint Martin in Paris
We’ve come to Paris for a long week-end to celebrate a friend’s 60th birthday, organised by her daughter as a surprise. As usual, we’ve fitted in a few medical appointments, as there is a severe lack of specialists in Blois, … Continue reading
Posted in Accommodation, Architecture, Cycling, France, Home exchange, Paris, Sightseeing
Tagged bastille market, canal saint martin district, le bataclan, velib
9 Comments
Learning a Language with a Home Exchange
As you know, I am a keen home exchanger. We have just redeemed three home exchanges in Australia (Coff’s Harbour, Adelaide and Drysdale) and enjoyed hospitality in Melbourne with the home exchangers of French friends in Paris. Jean Michel, less … Continue reading
Posted in Accommodation, French language, Home exchange
Tagged home exchange, hospitality, learning French in France
7 Comments
Lost in Australia
I can’t believe that we left Blois nearly a month ago! After our first brief stay in Delhi, we have been in Sydney, Armidale, Coffs Harbour, Adelaide and Melbourne. We are now in Kennet River on the Great Ocean Road … Continue reading
Posted in Australia, Home exchange, Travelling
Tagged adelaide, armidale, coffs harbour, home exchange
10 Comments
Secret Venice – Carpaccio and Grande Scuola di San Marco
As this is our second time in Venice and we’re (almost) living like locals, the main attractions are not on our list. Our home exchange is in Castello, which is a working class area of Venice. Our host, Pierleone, is … Continue reading
Budapest – more accommodation problems
We’re driving along the motorway to Budapest pleased to have our Aschach and Bratislava accommodation experiences behind us. This time, there should be no problems. We have organised a home exchange with an American couple who have a well-located apartment … Continue reading
Posted in Accommodation, Cycling, Home exchange, Hungary
Tagged Esztergon, home exchange, Szentender
10 Comments
10 Do’s and Don’t’s of Home Exchange
We’re now up to 8 home exchanges and ready for more but I’ve drawn up a little list of do’s and don’t’s. If I have been remiss in any of these areas in the past, I hope that my exchangers … Continue reading
Cycling on the Basque Coast #1 – Ups and Downs
The first day in our home exchange in Ciboure on the Basque Coast gets off to a good start with breakfast on the terrace overlooking the Pyrenees. There’s so much sun we even have to open up the awning. After … Continue reading
Posted in Cycling, France, Home exchange, Sightseeing
Tagged Bayonne, Biarritz, Ciboure, cycling on the Basque coast
14 Comments
Red Tape in France part 2
Part 1 of the story of how I closed Leonardo’s one-man company ended with the drab tax office in Saint Maur so that leaves only two more places to go. First, the legal publications office, back in Paris, then the commercial … Continue reading
Posted in France, French customs, Home exchange, Restaurants, Wine
Tagged café pouchkine, closing a company in France, Galéries Lafayette, Paris Opera, Printemps
6 Comments
The Wonderful World of Home Exchange
If you’ve been following my blog recently, you will have noticed that most of the places we stayed in Australia were home exchanges. Our first swap was last February in Madrid. Since then, all our exchanges have been with Australia … Continue reading
