Colmar- the little Alsatian town that truly made me feel like I had stumbled into a storybook. Or maybe a film set. Because where else can you find princess turrets, rainbow-colored half-timber houses and romantic canals all in a few square miles?
Europe
Strasbourg: France’s Little Piece of Germany
Strasbourg can best be summed up by an argument I had with my German friend Julika while walking the street. Me: This town seriously looks just like Germany! Julika: No way, it’s totally French. Me: But look at the half-timbered houses! Julika: Have you seen the balconies? In fact, Strasbourg is kind of half and half- which … Read more
2 Days in Dordogne: Adventures in Foie Gras Land
So during our whirlwind road-trip down the French Atlantic Coast to La Rochelle, Île de Ré and Biarritz, we decided to take a vacation inside of a vacation in Foie Gras Land, more commonly known as the Dordogne.
The Dordogne is one of the many gastronomic heartlands in France, that specializes in foie gras, duck and truffles. (All of which I adore, for your information.) After so much travel, we were all ready for a few days of fluffy beds, relaxation and good old-fashioned gluttony. Let’s not forget- my poor mother drove a rental car from Paris to Spain!
Life as a Paris Expat
When Charles Dickens wrote the line, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” he must have been living abroad. In fact, there’s a strong chance he was working in Paris as an au pair. Over the past year I’ve learned that expat life certainly has its ups and downs, which … Read more
The Real Cost of a European Road Trip
As much as I adore traveling by train in Europe, there’s nothing like having the flexibility of a car when you’re exploring a new region. So when my mom and sister flew over to Europe to visit me, we decided to renting a car was the only logical option for our week-long trip around France … Read more
The Beauty of San Sebastián at Sunset
San Sebastián- Basque Country’s most beautiful city, is never more stunning than at sunset, especially from the summit of Monte Igueldo. From there you can soak in the views of San Sebastián, which contain beach and sky and mountains.
Though I know I’m an amateur photographer at best, I think theses are some of the best photos I’ve ever taken, which is in no small part due to San Sebastián inherent natural beauty.
Surf’s Up in San Sebastián
Besides buying millions of macarons, my 13-year old sister had one other wish for our French-Spanish vacation- she wanted to go surfing. And she wanted me to come with her.
To that, I responded, “Are you crazy, it’s April! The water’s going to be freezing.”
To which she responded, “All you care about is eating and speaking other languages!”
A Taste of Basque Country in San Sebastián
Spain- a country that has owned a very dear piece of my heart since I spent the summer with a Spanish family in sunny, terracotta-roofed Andalucia when I was 16.
But Basque Country, located way up in the northeast corner of Spain? Basque Country was totally different from the sunny south- a green, hilly and culturally unique region I had dreamt about visiting for years.
My Dream (and Future) U.K. Road Trip
I’m not sure I’ve mentioned this much but basically, all of my friends in Paris are English. (So um, having a French group of friends was a total fail. Sue me.) So this summer I planned a road trip to visit them all, as well as to indulge my Harry Potter fan nerd-dom and pretend … Read more
Getting Ritzy in Biarritz
On my my fairly budgeted French road trip with my mom and my sister, I knew there was one destination where we would have to go all out- Biarritz.
Biarritz is a French resort town known for its glitzy past as a 19th century seaside destination, when it was graced by European royals such as Queen Victoria and American royals such as the Vanderbilts.