This gallery contains 23 photos →
The Signs of Provence
by Slowlanefrance •
Visiting the Markets of Provence
by Slowlanefrance •
This gallery contains 24 photos →
15 Small Scenes from 6 Months in France
by Slowlanefrance •
This gallery contains 15 photos →
No Au Revoirs … Instead, I’ll See You Soon
by Slowlanefrance •
This is the 161st time I’ve posted on this blog since we landed in France Jan. 5. It’ll be my last — for awhile. I say for awhile because the project that drew me to France on sabbatical has just begun to come together. I say for awhile because we hope, after I retire, to…
A Lasting Lesson Across Cultures: Community Counts
by Slowlanefrance •
It’s hard — perhaps impossible — to wrap six months overseas in a neat bow. I can’t provide you with “Five Ways to Find Friends in France” or “Six Ways to Be Smarter in Learning the Language of Love.” Sorry. I’ve written enough such silliness already. I’ve posted more than 150 blogs as Kathy and…
Tempted to LItter on the Trail? Read This
by Slowlanefrance •
Think it’s OK to bury those orange peels on the trail? Or toss out a piece of chewing gum? Chamonix mag’ has this to say about litter on the trails: The lifetime of your waste: Fruit peels — last 6 months Chewing gum — 2 to 5 years A cigarette butt — 2 to 15…
In Chamonix, Choosing a Trail’s Direction Is No Small Matter
by Slowlanefrance •
The next time we hike the Grand North Balcony trail above Chamonix, it won’t be by accident. We’ve learned by luck and happenstance that the best route on this magnificent trail, which links the Montenvers’ cog-rail station and the mid-point of the telepherique to the heavens of Aguille du Midi, ignores the advice you’ll get…
Playing Hide-and-Seek with the Giant of the Alps
by Slowlanefrance •
Kathy intercepted me as I walked out the bathroom door. “You have to come see Mont Blanc,” she said. It was barely light out. “I can tell the time by the birds,” she added excitedly. “It’s 5:10, and they always start going crazy at 5.” I wondered if it would be rude to crawl back…
Lost in Translation Once Again: To Dread or Not to Dread?
by Slowlanefrance •
The president of the community of villages in the Chamonix valley offers greetings to visitors using public transportation. It’s a great system: free bus and train rides for those staying in a local hotel. But perhaps the president should hire a new company for his English translations? Here is his message: The Municipality Communities of…
An Old-Fashioned, 5-Course French Meal Beneath Mont Blanc
by Slowlanefrance •
“The mountains are so silent,” Kathy said as we finished the fourth course — the cheese — of a quite exceptional five-course meal at Hotel Aguille du Midi near Chamonix. “They just sit there.” No. They stand, actually, towering 10,000 feet and more above the floor of the Chamonix Valley. We have settled in at…