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It's funny how these bouts of nostalgia hit. Just a few weeks ago I wrote about moving to France and the point of no return , and yet here I am today after watching a cooking show that took place in southern Louisiana and New Orleans, feeling incredibly homesick. We only lived in New Orleans for a few years, but it definitely got under my skin. I do know what it means to miss New Orleans. I try to return almost every year and while I'm there I eat (best food city in America!) , soak up its rich atmosphere and celebrate. Because that's just what you do. Because almost every day there seems to be some kind of celebration in New Orleans. For music. For crawfish season. For cocktails. For living in a great neighborhood. For holidays and for non holidays. Because it's the weekend. Because it's a Tuesday. It doesn't matter...New Orleans simply celebrates. Everything. So I've decided to take a little trip down memory lane to easy my homesickness until my next visit

1) Hôtel de Sens 2) Colorful bollards 3) Lazy afternoon at le café 4) Overseeing 5) Intriguing Parisian doors

On Friday I went to the cathedral in Coutances with a friend who is not only an architect, he is currently in charge of all the  momuments historiques in the entire Auvergne region. Spending the day with him is like having a history, art and architecture professor at your disposal and I was more than happy to visit as many cathedrals, churches, abbeys and châteaux as he wanted. We arrived under beautiful blue skies and thanked Mother Nature for giving us the chance to enjoy a day free of the drizzle and gray skies that decided to take their holidays in Normandy this August. We walked around the exterior, snapping photos and admiring the Romanesque/Norman/Gothic facade. In the square in front of the cathedral we came across a series of photographs depicting the bombardment and destruction of Coutances during World War II. Seventy years ago, the exact place where we were standing was a giant pile of destroyed homes, businesses turned to rubble and pieces of the cathedral. It was a sober

1) Sweet summer at the Bayeux market 2) Busy summer in Montmartre 3) Rue Crémieux 4) Incongruous 5) Wood, water and old stones

A fellow expat friend and I were talking over drinks and nibbles the other night and out of the blue she asked me if I ever thought about moving back to the States. I sat there for a minute, like a deer caught in the headlights, trying to come up with a response. Of course, I think about it. But would I ever really consider it? We've worked hard over the years to live here and there are many things I love and take for granted in France. fabulous, inexpensive healthcare and doctors and nurses who make house calls  600 + kinds of cheese! unpasteurized, hand churned salt butter amazing AOC wine from more regions than I can count efficient train travel (unless there's a strike...) numerous European countries at our doorstep inexpensive monthly internet and phone packages weekly outdoor markets with fresh, local produce  the café culture long Sunday lunches diverse regional cuisine flaky, buttery croissants a more relaxed pace of life the history, art and architecture On the oth

1) Paris corner café 2) Zen cat 3) Signs 4) Spotted while driving into town 5) Extra chairs