Tag: France

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Tectonic Shift Ahead

We’ve been sitting on this one for a while.

After a lot of conversations, long walks, and asking ourselves what we want the next chapter of our life to look like, we’ve decided it’s time for a change. This May, Joan and I are moving to Dijon, France.

Bend has been our home for the past nine years, though we’ve bounced around between LA and the Bay Area for work, it’s here where we’ve built community, friendships, and a life we’re deeply grateful for. Leaving Bend doesn’t mean we’re closing the book on this place or the people here. We’re just turning the page.

This move isn’t about running from anything. It’s about curiosity, a different pace of life, and choosing new adventures while we still can. Everything that matters most to us — connection, time outside, shared meals and good conversations — all come with us.

We are excited. And more than a little nervous. And very aware of how lucky we are to get to do this.

And yes, our door is always open to friends. Burgundy hikes, bike paths, wine, and long, leisurely French lunches are officially on the menu. ????

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Day 19 in Paris: Love, Locked

Love, Locked

If you look closely, you’ll find our lock on this bridge near Notre Dame.

This is a wonderfully odd real-world meme. The story I heard from a guy in our cooking glass (who has lived here in Paris for the past nine years) was that the guy who started this was despondant over unrequited love. He “locked his love” to the bridge, the jumped off and drowned in the Seine.

Not sure if that’s true, but since then, lovers have taken the idea to an extreme. And area sales of padlocks and Sharpie pens has never been better.

Oh, if you look closely, you’ll see a padlock for Joan and I, too. And that alone was reason enough for me to chose this as my Day 189 photo for Project 365.

For more on our trip to Paris, check out Joan’s travel blog and our Memolane timeline.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Day 18 in Paris: Refuge des Fondus

Joan at Refuge des Fondus

One of the meals we wanted to enjoy was fondue. A quick search on Yelp turned up what sounded like a fun place in Montmartre called Refuge des Fondus. It’s small with a fixed menu. You get an apertif, an entree, your choice of cheese or beef fondue, wine (served in baby bottles to avoid the per glass tax), and if you choose, desert afterwards.

There are a row of tables along each wall of the narrow restaurant, with no room to scoot to the bench. So the waiter helps the ladies step on a chair and hop OVER the table.

When you’re finished, you can sign your name or leave a message on the wall, the ceiling, or anywhere you can find a scrap of available space. That’s what you see behind the beautiful Joan in this photo, #188 from Project 365.

C’est magnifique! And a lot of fun, too.

For more about our trip to Paris, be sure to check out Joan’s travel blog and our Memolane story.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Day 17 in Paris: Old Bones in the Catacombs

On our 17th day in Paris, we visited the Catacombs. There’s a formal name for this which eludes me, because this is actually a cemetery of sorts.

It was created in the late 1700’s when overcrowding at the graveyards which traditionally surrounded each church became a serious health problem. The catacombs were a network of underground tunnels originally created as builders mined for stone for more buildings.

Each of the graveyards was transferred to a specific section of the catacombs and marked, so if you know where your loved ones were originally buried, you’d be able to find their new subterranean home, too. There are 6-7 millions Parisians in the catacombs.

It’s rather creepy. I’m glad we went, for the historical value, but for the most part, this photo shows you pretty much all you’ll see.

Oh, and you’re looking at my photo for Day 187 of Project 365.

For more on our trip to Paris, read Joan’s travel blog and check out our Memolane story.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Day 16 in Paris: Opera Garnier

The Grand Foyer at the Opera

On our 16th day in Paris, we visited the amazing Opera Garnier. This Grand Foyer was designed with the thought that during intermission, the “performance” of life goes on… so why not provide a suitable stage to showcase the performance?

Joan and I liked the Opera Garnier better than Chateau Versailles — which was great, but overcrowded (and hot on the day we went). The Opera Garnier, though newer, is amazingly opulent, and still serves as a performance hall (mainly for ballet).

I also created an interactive panorama of the hall with Photosynth and my iPhone. Check it out!

This is my photo for Day 186 of Project 365.

For more details on our trip to Paris, visit our Memolane story and check out Joan’s travel blog.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Day 15 in Paris: Cooking Class

The Class

On our 15th day in Paris, we took a cooking class at La Cuisine Paris. They have classes in both French and English (we chose English) and in a variety of formats.

We cooked a simple, traditional French meal:

  • Agneau a l’ail, romarin et moutarde
  • Ecrase de pomme de terre au piment d’Espelette
  • Crepe aux fruits rouges

Our classmates came from around the world. Texas, Michigan, California, Melbourne, Vancouver, and even Paris (one expat couple who had lived there for nine years). We had a great time with a great bunch of people and enjoyed a wonderful meal that we cooked. Thanks to Camille of La Cuisine Paris for guiding us through the process!

And for the record, I was the first to successfully flip a crepe in the pan without a spatula.

I chose this photo to represent Day 185 from my Project 365.

For more on our 15th day in Paris, read Joan’s travel blog and our Memolane story.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Day 12 in France: A Visit to the D-Day Landing Site

Contemplation

Since we were in France on the Fourth of July, we honored the day with a visit to the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial at Omaha beach.

Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t expect to be moved to tears, but I was. The visitor center has a series of multimedia displays, exhibits and films that really express the tremendous sacrifice of our service men and women. Thank you.

In this photo, Joan was reflecting on that sacrifice at one of the memorials. I felt that this was a fitting choice for Day 182 of Project 365.

You can read more about Day 12 of our trip to France here on Joan’s travel blog, and you can see a full overview here on our Memolane story.