TRAVELS WITH VANESSA

My last day in Paris was truly magical. I resisted the temptation to visit just. one. more. museum — after my visits to the Louvre and...

Part of the reason I haven't been to France in 9 years is the massive carbon cost of flying. Just as a quick reminder: we are in a...

Ok, so I also picked the wrong day to visit the Musee d'Orsay. It houses a large collection of impressionists works -- many of which I...

OK, so I picked the wrong day to visit the Louvre. The Olympics just ended, Paris is full of tourists who don't know what to do with...

I was surprised at how few EVs are on the road in France. I saw almost no EV chargers anywhere. This was the only charger I saw during...

The last time I was in Paris, nine years ago, we borrowed bicycles from our friends and rode out to La Villette. It was fun, if a bit...

The French take their holidays very seriously. It’s one of the things that I love about French culture - workers typically get 4-7 weeks...

I am continually struck by the glorious variety of tilework on the floors here.

My first Airbnb apartment in Paris was a good find - and a great lesson in tiny house living. My final AirBnB was equally awesome, and...

Walking through French cities looking at the shop signs, I am constantly reminded of the scene from The Princess Bride in which Inigo...

Saturday we all got the day off, so Gwen invited me and Dario to join her on a road trip to explore the region. It was so relaxing and...

I’ve been here four days now, and there have been serious ups and downs; but for the most part it’s been a great experience. Staying at...

Unlike English, French has different ways to say "you": "vous", which is either plural or formal, and "tu", the informal, singular you....

I signed up last month with Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) . It’s really a fantastic program, where volunteers sign up...

To get to Ales from Cannes, I needed to change trains twice. For the first leg, from Cannes to Marseille, I caught the TGV InOui — it’s...

I realized last night that my train to Alès will pass right through Arles, so I took the earlier train and made a Nannybag reservation to...

At Banana's Camp, I befriended another solo traveler, an Australian woman named Jana. She was curious about the island where my workshop...

For my last day in Cannes, I spent a lazy morning wandering along the  Croisette , popping into the Hotel Carlton and gawping at the...

I left Marseille for Cannes, in order to attend a one-day drawing/watercolor workshop. I didn't anticipate how fun the city would be!...

When I lived in France in the 1980s, I smoked cigarettes. Practically everyone over the age of 13 smoked, indoors and outdoors; the smoke...