The “official sales dates” in France are roughly January 6-February 16 and June 22-August 2. SOLDES! The all caps scream out at you from all the shops in Paris — then there’s the deuxième démarque, and the dernier…at each stage … Continue reading
French for “Customer Service”
“It’s not my problem” — accompanied by a shrug, said by almost every French person ever to a customer in need of help. The quote above is a caricature, surely, but my French friends will admit it’s pretty close to … Continue reading
Making the most of Free Museum Sundays
A large number of museums in Paris are free on the first Sunday of the month. Some budget-minded travelers know this and schedule a visit to Paris around such a date to knock out some museums for free. Is this … Continue reading
Mailbag: Passport Pages, Transferring Your Visa, and Taxes
It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these, but it’s often helpful for me to share some of these answers to questions I get in email so that others who are also wondering might have their questions answered … Continue reading
Don’t Use Opodo
When I lived in the United States I unfailingly used the (now defunct) Hipmunk to search for flights. They use an “agony index” which scores layovers, price, etc. to give you the best option for your journey, not necessarily just … Continue reading
Picard: a Dirty Little Secret of the French
So before we arrive in La France, we non-French perhaps imagine that all French people have an advanced knowledge of wines and cheeses, and while we don’t expect the full Julia Child/Jacques Pepin experience, we expect that most native French … Continue reading
Unexpected Consequences of an International Move: Instant & Ongoing Decluttering
I’ve mentioned before on this blog that the Four Hour Work Week is a major influence on my life and was a big part of the “how” portion of the massive quality of life upgrade that was my move from … Continue reading
Meetup: a Great Way to Build a Core of Diverse Friends
This summer I went to the Fête de la Musique with a large group of friends. Though it originally started in France it’s now a worldwide annual event. As the evening closed out at our fourth musical venue out of hundreds … Continue reading
Taxes and Wise
I recently had the opportunity to meet with one of the readers of the blog over lunch. We discussed some of his strategies for staying in France but since he had just recently arrived I asked him to check with … Continue reading
You Can(‘t) Go Home Again
“What do you miss the most?” My friends smile, anticipating a favorite dish, a favorite place, or a particular time of year. “Well, you guys, of course,” I say quickly, hoping to deflect the question from my true answer: “Nothing.” … Continue reading