"Let's go to Strasbourg," Jordan and I have both repeatedly said to each other over the past year. This French city has been at the top of our travel list, but we've never found the right time to go. But when we learned Strasbourg transforms into a magical Christmas wonderland each year as the "Capital … Continue reading Strasbourg: Capital of Christmas
After a tough year of restrictions and event cancelations, the Bastille Day events would recommence this year throughout France. I planned to take Bastille Day off instead of the Fourth of July this year at work. We then made plans to travel to Paris and experience the celebrated events on July 14. Even though many … Continue reading Bastille Day in Paris
If there's one thing for sure, the French enjoy their holidays. Particularly in May. It feels like France has a holiday every other week in May, and maybe that's because it does. There's May Day (Labor Day) on May 1, WWII Victory Day on May 8, Ascension Day on May 13, Whit Monday on May 24, … Continue reading Faire Le Pont: Long Weekend in Barcelona
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
Choose your side. Are you team "Valentine's Day is an artificial holiday created is a holiday created by candy and card companies to sell more products?" Or are you team "Valentine's Day is the most romantic day of the year" and think of grandiose plans to spend the day? For me, I'm more of the … Continue reading Valentine’s Day in France
Have you ever had a love-hate relationship with something? Maybe you love your new haircut, but you hate all the maintenance required to keep it looking like it did when you walked out of the salon. Or maybe you love cooking, but you hate that it takes one hour to cook something devoured in five … Continue reading The Maldives: Paradise is Waiting
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Shanes! We are wrapping up our week in the Maldivian sun and will return to France to ring in the New Year. We hope everyone got to spend time with family, whether in person or virtually. Here’s to hoping 2021 will bring more time with friends and … Continue reading Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Our Christmas vacation has officially commenced! We decided not to go home this year but knew we wanted to get out of Lyon. Initially, our plan was a white Christmas ski vacation, but France and a few other countries kept resorts closed until after the new year. Our next option was to go back to … Continue reading Dreaming of a White Christmas Vacation
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
