The long-awaited opening of terraces arrived in France on Wednesday, May 19. Restaurants and bars that are lucky enough to have an outdoor space reopened precisely 203 days after closing for the second lockdown in October. Previously a ghost town, our neighborhood is starting to feel alive again. In the days leading up to the … Continue reading Enjoying the Terraces in France
Hello, friends. It's been a while. My time in the garden city of Augusta, GA, has come to an end as I took an extended break as an expat. I safely arrived back in Lyon at the beginning of May. I was warmly welcomed by Jordan, who was waiting at the airport with a beautiful pink and white … Continue reading Life in the Garden City: Augusta, GA
Happy Easter and Joyeuse Pâques! My Easter update this year looks eerily similar to the one I posted last year. This time last year, France announced the extension of the first lockdown to May 11. Today, the entire country officially enters the third lockdown until May 2. It's hard to comprehend what is happening in France, … Continue reading Easter Update 2021
Spring has arrived! As flowers start to open and bloom, we hoped this would be a symbol for France to reduce the restrictions and start reopening too. But France had the opposite in mind. France has officially entered the third lockdown starting this weekend to try and combat COVID. The British variant is rampant, and production delays … Continue reading Taking A Break As Expats
Can you believe it? This weekend marks one year since we started our expat journey in France. So what has it been like as an American living in France for one year? Scary, challenging, exciting, and delicious are the first words that come to our minds. According to Jordan, "fortunately, I've been able to mask my emotions." … Continue reading Living in France for a Year
The pandemic is raging on in France. News outlets remind us of the grim situation. Confirmed cases are higher than they should be, a third lockdown is looming, and vaccinations are delayed. The death count is high, and the number of beds available in hospitals is decreasing. Each day, we are required to be in … Continue reading Living With a Curfew in France
They say when life hands you lemons, make lemonade. But what happens when you drink too much of it? Is too much of a good thing actually a bad thing? All that acidity is sure to damage your teeth, and there's a lot of sugar in lemonade. We've been making a lot of lemonade lately in Lyon, … Continue reading How Much Lemonade Can Be Made From Lemons?
According to Jordan, "it's not Christmas until Hans Gruber falls from Nakatomi plaza." So to officially kick off the Christmas season in the Shane household, we watched the movie Die Hard. If you aren't familiar with the thirty-two-year-old movie, let's break it down. The story follows John McClane, a police officer who decides to visit his wife … Continue reading A COVID Christmas Season
It's Thanksgiving in France, which means it's just another ordinary day. That is if there are any ordinary days while in confinement. It was a comfortable 55-degrees outside, and we enjoyed all the sunshine we could during the one-hour allotment at lunch. I had the day off work and "enjoyed" listening to Jordan on his long conference … Continue reading Our First Thanksgiving in France
It's been three weeks since France implemented a second lockdown. Not that I'm counting. The lockdown is planned to end on December 1, but all indicators point that this will not actually happen. We initially mentioned how we planned to spend our time in the second lockdown. What we are actually doing may surprise you. Read all … Continue reading How We Spend Our Time in the Second Lockdown
