Sainte Suzanne, located not far from the town of Mayenne in Normandie, has the distinction of being one of the few fortresses that William the Conqueror was unsuccessful in overtaking. He and his forces tried in vain for three years to take the town, and eventually gave up; you can read more about that here.... Continue Reading →
The Expat Life
The expat life seems to conjure up images of tropical beaches, long lazy days of perfecting the art of idleness, open air markets where one can easily chat with the locals, and the ability to take off for a few days at a moment’s notice. In reality, being an expat brings many challenges. It’s an... Continue Reading →
Château de Domfront, Normandie, France
Château de Domfront has a turbulent and interesting history that goes back many centuries. From what I was able to find out, it appears that the chateau was built by Henry I Beauclerc, and was standing in 1051 when it was assailed by William the Conquerer, Henry’s father. It passed through many hands during the... Continue Reading →
A Week In Photos
It’s been a hectic and somewhat stressful week, so I’m going to share some photos of what we’ve been up to, and follow up with more details when time allows. Last weekend, we enjoyed a relaxing walk in our neighborhood and a visit to a nearby chateau. Château de Bois Thibault On Tuesday, we drove... Continue Reading →
Saint Céneri le Gérei, France
In 1982 an association named "Les Plus Beaux Villages de France" was created to increase tourism in the French countryside. A village must have some specific cultural or historical significance in order to be considered for this distinction. Today, there are well over 100 of these villages in France, including six in Normandie. We visited... Continue Reading →
Getting Settled in France
We arrived in France on Monday, March 14th, and have settled into our rustic, little cottage near Torchamp in Normandie. Torchamp is pretty much a wide spot in the road. We wanted to escape the hectic pace of the city to find some peace and quiet, and we have done just that. Here are a... Continue Reading →
Guest Blogger, Neville
We arrived in France on Monday and are busy getting settled in our new (to us) home, so I have asked Neville to be a guest blogger today and share his thoughts on our recent move. Hi, I’m Neville. I don’t understand why humans can’t stay put. Until a few weeks ago I had a... Continue Reading →
Antiques, Ruins and Old Stuff
It has been an intense week with closing on our condo, sorting, packing, and getting ready to move to France. Whew! I’m glad that part of the move is over! I forgot how hard moving can be. Anyway, as a result I haven’t had a chance to prepare a blog post, so I’ll share some... Continue Reading →
Travel Highlights of 2021
I’m so thankful for the vaccine which has allowed a little normalcy back into our lives. We were fully vaccinated by early April, and as a result, theTravelsketcher and I have taken a good number of trips this past year. Our first adventure was in April when we went to Eastern Washington to do some... Continue Reading →