Hi Everyone,
Thank you so much for all the birthday wishes!
Life is truly a gift and as another year has passed, I'm sitting here still finding it hard to believe that I just celebrated my 5th birthday in France. Wow time flies.
I also can't believe it's been almost 2 years since I last updated this blog. I love sharing my travels and experiences, but Aix-pat life keeps me on my toes and usually I'm already off on a new adventure before I have time to write about the last one.
These past few years have been filled with wonderful moments spent with family and friends, beautiful landscapes, linguistic challenges, continuous opportunities for cultural exchange, and of course food and wine.
As birthdays often impose time for reflection, I wanted to share a quick recap of what I've been up to and remind myself that "you can't help getting older, but you don't have to get old" (George Burns).
On y va...
Spring & Summer 2016
I started off spring 2016 with a visit to see Alessa in Amsterdam. We had a great time touring the city and I loved seeing all the tulips in bloom at Keukenhof Gardens.
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A few months later back in France it was time to celebrate my 30th birthday. Panos organized an amazing surprise party with our friends at one of our favorite restaurants, Don Giovanni...complete with the largest tiramisu I've ever seen!
With the summer temperatures starting to climb (no pun intended), I had the chance to join some friends for my first evening hike on Aix's Sainte Victoire Mountain.
Summer vacation time finally rolled around and I headed to Greece for the 2nd time. Arriving in Athens, we drove west across the country, then took a ferry to the island of Zakynthos.
Looking out over Shipwreck Beach...
Who knew you could not only buy watermelons, but also pumpkins in July?
At the end of summer I went back to the US for a conference in Golden, Colorado, but was also able to make a few of the usual stops along the way :)
Seeing family in Michigan:
Ok, so Trader Joe's isn't exactly family, but I have to confess that walking into this store does give me an instant feeling of home. People ask me all the time what I miss about the US as an expat living in France, and besides family and friends, this store is toward the top of the list lol.
San Diego:
I also met up with my brother and Dad in San Diego. It's always great to play the California tourist.
Seeing the seals in La Jolla...
After a few days on the coast, I headed to Golden, Colorado for my conference where in addition to working, I tried river rafting for the first time.
Who said scientists don't know how to have fun?
With the US tour complete, I then met my Mom in Florida and we spent a few days in Freeport, Bahamas.
Fall & Winter 2016
As the weather cooled down, Alessa came to visit me in Aix. We visited Marseille and Arles, and went horseback riding in the Carmargue region (marshlands where you can find flamingos, rice, and mosquitos...such an interesting combination). I was happy to finally visit Cezanne's studio, where you can find lots of the models he used in his still-life works.
Happy Halloween! Having already spent a few Halloweens in France I was starting to miss carving pumpkins. So we went on a mission. Finding pumpkins in France that are actually big enough to carve is not as easy as you might think. But the effort paid off (after driving to 4 stores) and Panos thoroughly enjoyed his first pumpkin carving experience!
The end of the year found us in jolly ol' Scotland to enjoy the Christmas season with some friends. I still remember going through passport control before boarding the plane...the agent looked at me and said "you're leaving southern France to go there? For vacation? in December? " Yes, yes indeed.
Despite the gloomy weather, warm Christmas cheer was everywhere to be found.
And before leaving, I made sure not to miss out on a true Scottish breakfast!
Back in France, ringing in 2017 in style!
Spring & Summer 2017
A day trip to Gordes, listed as one of the most beautiful villages in France.
Next was a trip to the region of L'Aveyron, a few hours northwest of Aix. On the way there we crossed the Millau Viaduct, currently the tallest bridge in the world (343 meters/1125 ft).
Of course we had to stop for a bite and try some of the local specialties, including "Aligot", a dish made of mashed potatoes blended with melted cheese, butter, cream and garlic.
The L'Aveyron countryside is beautiful and offers a great weekend escape from the city.
A few weeks later I was off to the US for...another conference. I was happy to be able to meet up with these lovely ladies in San Francisco. Had to stop by 2640 Steiner Street, also known as the Mrs. Doubtfire house!
The west coast travels continued with a mother-daughter trip to Page, Arizona to see the famed Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend. Nature always has some amazing landscapes in store!
Then it was off to San Diego again. On this trip my Dad and I checked out the San Diego zoo and the safari park. Although I love the zoo, I prefer the safari park where you can see the animals in their more "natural" habitat. I also couldn't help but sing Lion King songs to myself the whole time ;)
Last on this trip was another one of my home away from homes, North Carolina! It's always a treat to catch up with old friends and I was also thankful to have some time to stop in Salisbury and see Melissa and her "new" home.
Summer 2017
Conference season continued and I headed to Brussels, Belgium. My 22nd country visited!
Trying out some "French" fries where they were actually invented...Belgium!
With a little bit of free time before the conference started I headed to Bruges for a day trip. This UNESCO heritage site has amazing medieval architecture.
And since I still hadn't had enough...I headed to one last summer conference in...Singapore! I wasn't really sure what to expect for my first trip to Asia, much less of Singapore. The food was above and beyond anything I had imagined, but I wasn't prepared for the city to feel so much like...Las Vegas. With chain restaurants, casinos, and light shows everywhere sometimes I doubted if I was really that far from home.
The Singapore Merlion:
Gardens by the Bay:
At the end of the summer it was back to France to visit the lavender fields and do some field work. Yes, work at the beach! Have you ever wondered how much sunscreen residue washes off when you go swimming in the sea ? Well we were on a mission to find out...stay tuned for analyses and published findings!
After all the hard work at the beach it was off to Imperia, Italy for a few days of food, fun, and sun. The drive along the Mediterranean Sea from France to Italy was almost as good as the get-away itself.
Fall & Winter 2017
Surprise anniversary dinner and sightseeing in Arles.
Thanksgiving dinner 2017...
It's not turkey, but at least it's American, right?
December came and brought with it the first snow I've seen in Aix!
Oh yeah, and December also brought along a visit from some of our favorite Canadians :)
For Christmas I headed to Michigan to be with my Mom's side of the family. Such a gift to have the WHOLE family together for Christmas...for the first time ever!
A white Christmas was definitely not on my wish list, but it came anyway with some pretty cold temperatures (-6 deg F with the wind chill). I was thankful to thaw out a bit in San Diego afterwards. Oh the difference a few days and a few thousand miles makes...
Ringing in 2018 sibling style!
Spring 2018
This year has also started out with some new firsts for me. Not only did I finally make it to the French Alps, but I also got to try snowshoeing for the first time. I was happy to see that modern snowshoes are nothing like the traditional wooden ones!
Changing out the snowshoes for hiking boots, a group of us took advantage of a nice spring day to hike up the Saint Victoire mountain. I hadn't actually been to the cross at the top since my first year in France!
And since 2018 is continuing to be a year of firsts, we recently joined some friends for a weekend where we enjoyed the LONGEST meal I've ever had to date. A 6 hour lunch followed by a wine degustation, topped off with dinner, dessert, and dancing. I think this could be a new style of competitive eating!
Well, that brings us up to date. Thank you for reminiscing with me!
Time to take 32 by storm. And remember, no matter what anyone says, you CAN have your cake and eat it too!
A+
Danielle
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