When you visit Venice, do you want the whole of Venice? Do you want the Venice of sunrises and sunsets, sweet leisurely breakfasts, and crowd-free calli? Do you want at least a little taste of what the locals get from her? Do you want La Serenissima to give you an experience that sends you away… Continue reading How to Go Gently on Venice
I hope by now you’ve seen my building excitement for #MayontheMove2019 over on Instagram. It’s building slowly, but I can’t wait to see what connections will emerge! If you’re still not quite sure what it’s all about, read on for a primer and some inspiration. Depending on what you choose to follow, you might well… Continue reading #MayontheMove2019 Inspiration
A few weeks ago (before end-of-winter illnesses and school holidays) we were invited to Esbjerg’s rådhus – city hall – for a welcome event with the mayor. I went along with the kids, despite somehow thinking that after 6 months of living here I barely felt like a welcome was necessary. (Only a serial expat would… Continue reading Esbjerg: What Do You Know?
Best. Wedding Present. Ever. Well, it was the one that impressed me the most that day anyway: a large shiny gift box filled with fancy goodies from Paperchase. When I opened it up it seemed like the most thoughtful and tailored collection of life-enhancing little items in the pile. The Book Journal was an obvious… Continue reading How Not to Keep a Travel Journal
Cliquez ici pour lire cet article en français. ‘Tu as peur? C’est ça?’ No, I wasn’t scared to visit our housekeeper (ménagère) in her quartier, not in the way he meant anyway. But it had been two months since she’d had her baby, and he was right to wonder. I had plenty of reasons I… Continue reading Breaking Out of the Bubble
I was recently emailing a friend who’s on her way to live here. I described Pointe-Noire as a ‘grey, flat shabby town’. I stopped to ask myself if I was being ungenerous. Well, no. Sometimes it seems like half the sites in town are either in the process of being built (a very positive thing)… Continue reading Getting Out Of Town
I’m Catriona, a writer and editor, currently lucky enough to be living in France for the third time, this time in Paris. Since leaving Scotland with my husband in 2009, we’ve also lived in Uganda, Congo, and Denmark. In that time we’ve had two sons, seen seven moves, lived in nine homes (plus temporary accommodation!),… Continue reading About
The Frustrated Nester 