Europe - Ashley Abroad Travel Blog

The Best Summertime Activities in Paris

October 11, 2019July 29, 2013 by Ashley Fleckenstein

Despite the utter lack of air-conditioning, Paris is a wonderful city in the summer. From the white-sand beaches on the Seine to the irresistible summer sales, there’s always something to pique your interest in the sunnier months. So without further ado, here are some of my favorite ways to beat ze ‘eat. (See what I … Read more

The Lunch Spots in Paris It Took Me a Year to Find

November 21, 2017July 22, 2013 by Ashley Fleckenstein

After spending a year lunching in the city of lights, I’d like to say I know my way around the food scene pretty well. Here are my nine favorite lunch spots in Paris that I visit again and again and where I send friends and family who plan to visit the city. Le Comptoir du … Read more

Hot July: The Firemen’s Ball and Bastille Day in Paris

July 26, 2013July 16, 2013 by Ashley Fleckenstein

Bastille Day, or le quatorze juillet, commemorates the end of the monarchy in France and the beginning of a kingless French republic.

For the first time ever, I got to celebrate under the “bleu, blanc et rouge” of my adopted home country, and take part in the trifecta that makes up Bastille Day weekend: the Firemen’s Ball on Saturday night, the Military Parade on Sunday morning and the fireworks on Sunday night. (Well um… I actually didn’t end up going to the military parade but more on that later.)

15 Things I Learned About Wine After a Year in France

May 24, 2015July 3, 2013 by Ashley Fleckenstein

Like any Frenchman worth his sel, my French host dad loves wine. On any given night we might be uncorking a 1997 Côtes du Rhône or pulling an award-winning Rioja out of the cave à vin. And as someone who once felt that yellow tail was a splurge, I’m not sure I deserve all of this well-aged goodness.

Dear Paris: A Love Letter to the City I Finally Adore

October 8, 2019July 2, 2013 by Ashley Fleckenstein

Dear Paris, I have a confession. I didn’t love you at first. And I’m not really sure why. Maybe it’s because I associated you with loneliness, as I spent my first three Parisian summers wandering the cobblestone streets by myself. Or maybe it’s because I thought you were cold and uptight, that your citizens were too … Read more

Moments from a Weekend in the French Countryside

February 14, 2014June 25, 2013 by Ashley Fleckenstein

Last weekend, I escaped Paris to visit my friend Laura’s horse farm in the south of France. It was a weekend of muddy wellies, Earl Grey, good friends and big laughs. Laura, who hails from the north of England, has an English mother and French father who run a horse-riding school near Limoges. And even … Read more

The French Open for Beginners

June 13, 2013 by Ashley Fleckenstein

While I may not be the sportiest/most adventurous of bloggers, I am really into tennis and used to play varsity in high school. So when a family friend visiting Paris asked me, “Do you like tennis? How would you like my extra ticket to the French Open quarterfinals?” I actually had tears in my eyes.

An Hour from Paris: the Beautiful and Tragic Château de Vaux le Vicomte

March 4, 2017June 11, 2013 by Ashley Fleckenstein

I headed to Vaux le Vicomte on a rainy Monday with my French host family, and if I were a Lonely Planet guide I would proclaim it to be, “The perfect day trip for those who tire of the crowds at Versailles and Giverny.” (Ahem, me.) And while the château is opulently beautiful, its most … Read more

The Most Parisian Park in Paris, the Jardin du Luxembourg

July 23, 2014June 6, 2013 by Ashley Fleckenstein

Spring is an undeniably beautiful phenomenon, especially when you live in Paris. After the long, overcast winter the sun finally shines, the flowers burst open in color and the city-dwellers stroll Paris’ many parks feeling a little… lighter. As I learned this spring, there’s nothing like feeling sun on your face after enduring months of living under eternally overcast skies.

A Mini Blogger Meet-up in Karlsruhe, Germany

January 18, 2018June 3, 2013 by Ashley Fleckenstein

So while spending a few days in Strasbourg, Julika and I decided to pop over and visit Alex from Ifs, Ands & Butts in her adopted hometown of Karlsruhe, Germany. Alex, by the way, is one of my favorite bloggers, who I have met up with before here in Paris.

After a zippy forty-minute train ride, we made our way to Germany, a country I always enjoy visiting. The combination of stay-out-til-dawn nightlife, hearty food and 6′ 2” gentlemen just gets me every time, and I have a not-so-secret love for the German language.