Ann Sturgeon - An Adventure

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Ann Sturgeon

Vallauris "city of 100 potters" & Picasso

Vallauris "city of 100 potters" & Picasso

Vallauris is considered the unrivaled French capital of pottery and it's just over an hour from Nice. In late August, I took a day trip to check it out! When I arrived I found Vallauris to be a quiet unassuming artsy village. I headed to the Ceramics Museum

Scotland

Our son Matthew arrived in Glasgow last month to get settled before starting his PhD Program October 1. We flew up and spent 4 days in Glasgow with him and then a couple days checking out Edinburgh. This was the first time we tried the very cheap EasyJet tickets that

Scandinavia

We had a great week traveling in Northern Europe! Our 1st stop was Copenhagen; full of canals, bicycles, & funky counterculture. On arrival, we had lunch and locally brewed IPA along the historic Nyhavn canal pictured above. I loved this atmosphere! An unusual but interesting area of the city we

The Healthcare Experience

The Healthcare Experience

When my prescription med started to run low, I knew I needed to figure out medical care here. Finding a Dr. and getting an appointment was actually pretty easy. All Doctors are listed online on DoctoLib where I was able to look up ones near me and make an appointment.

Joie de Vivre

We're continuing to enjoy life here in France. One evening walking back from dinner I noticed a cute little art studio in Old Town Nice. I thought it might be nice to learn watercolor to paint some of the beautiful things I see here in the South of

The Pharmacy Experience

The Pharmacy Experience

I love French Pharmacies! I know that sounds strange. But they are very pleasant helpful places. French Pharmacies are small, carrying only medicines and personal care products; but also provide medical advice. French pharmacists can diagnose minor ailments and recommend treatments. All pharmacists in France are highly qualified holding a

We went to Greece!

We went to Greece!

John and I just got back from Greece and loved it! We got cheap EasyJet tickets; and after a short 2 hour flight, we were in an amazing new place, Athens! The history is everywhere you look. We stayed in Plaka; the oldest neighborhood in Athens, where people have been

Getting Around

We enjoy using public transport (trams, buses, trains) as well as walking to get around. It's been fun navigating and experiencing life without a car. One thing we've noticed is that it feels like cars here more readily stop for pedestrians. And people here seem to

Hiking Around

I've always enjoyed hiking and it's fun to have new places to explore. With all the hills around Nice there are plenty of trails to pick from. John was down with a cold last week, so I did French Class in the mornings and hiking in

Living in Nice

As I mentioned before, we purchase a baguette daily from our favorite boulangerie. We go right before lunch so it's fresh for our ham and cheese sandwiches. The same young man helps us everyday and has the specific type of baguette we like in his hand before we

Having Fun!

Last weekend we enjoyed hiking along a coastal path from Nice to Villefranche-sur-Mer. It was a beautiful day and the walk was amazing! Villefranche-sur-Mer is such a cute little village. We had a relaxing lunch on a restaurant terrace by the water. The friends we were

French Culture is Food-Centric

French Culture is Food-Centric

My Friend Lynne asked to hear more about the food. And French Culture is food-centric! Mealtime in France is practically sacred. As I mentioned before, many businesses are closed for a few hours for lunch. Strolling through the streets between noon and three o'clock the restaurant terraces

Another Surprise

Another Surprise

I forgot to mention something that surprised us soon after we arrived in Nice; the boom of a cannon! We noticed it happened everyday at noon. I finally looked it up online today. In 1861, an English gentleman, Thomas Coventry, persuaded the city of Nice to fire a cannon from

Surprises

My friend Darren asked: "What has been the most positive surprise? ... The most negative?" It made me think about all the surprising and interesting things (big & small) so far on this journey... Sunnier weather as well as spending more time outdoors has a good impact on my

Community

I feel a sense of community in the building that we live in and I love it! (There are 18 apartments and American citizens live in 3.) No too long after we moved in we met a younger women (30 something) Emmanuelle on the stairs. She welcomed us to the

Patience is a virtue & a way of life in France

Patience is a virtue & a way of life in France

When traveling, it's interesting to notice different countries have different ways of doing things. Living someplace gives you an even more in-depth exposure to these differences. In the US, we've relied a lot on Amazon. We like to purchase things locally but many things aren&

France is closed today

France is closed today

I had a head cold yesterday, so just hung out at home. Today I'm ready to go; however, today is Sunday and France is closed! It's closed Sunday and everyday between 12 noon and 2pm. Even Ikea is closed today. Hours do vary from place to

Settling In

We moved into our new place! Yay! My 2 favorite things: 1. For me, the view is fantastic! I love sitting with my coffee in the morning and seeing the sun come over the mountains. 2. I enjoy living in a building with French charm; high ceilings, French doors, ornate

Je suis fatigué

Je suis fatigué

We had a big day getting our bed delivered and building Ikea furniture. And we really are just tired from the week! Enjoyed relaxing by dropping in to a tiny local brewpub we had seen and having local beer, Niçoise bar food, and live Irish music. Perfect fun evening! The

A little French goes a long way

A little French goes a long way

The day of the 2nd try for our Ikea delivery… The elevator still wasn’t fixed; but it's not as if the boxes for the couch, table, and armoire were going to fit in the tiny elevator anyway. They must have some process for getting them up the

Show up in person

Show up in person

We’ve had a lot of difficulty getting our French phone numbers due to a number of reasons. We took all the paperwork/progress over to the Orange store yesterday. It had them even stumped for a bit! Whenever we need to have a detailed conversation in French, I feel

This is a lot!

The last couple days have be a lot! Just now bringing myself to blog about it. Difficulties are part of the journey though, right?!? If we had wanted things laid out neatly before us, we’d have taken a cruise. Saturday it stormed all morning but we finally headed over

Enjoying Life

We’ve had some fun going out to dinner some evenings. We even found a brewery we like nearby (because sometimes you need to have a beer even in France). They had a live Bossa Nova music event the other night which was fun. This place doesn’t just have

S’installer á Nice

S’installer á Nice

We are in week 2 of our adventure of living in the South of France, the city of Nice! We’re in an Airbnb and will move into our apartment on the 23rd. It’s in a 1933 building, has a lot of charm, and a nice view. It’s