A transitionary home for my soul stuck somewhere between the Swiss Alps and Parisian chic.
October 31, 2017
October 27, 2017
Back home in Lugano
Back in town for half-term and it is a fabulous sunny autumn day. The air is fresh and my Paris routine seems a million years away. It took Expat girl and myself less than 24 hours to get back into the Ticino groove. After having left over six years ago it still feels, smells and tastes like home.
Never get tired of this view
This bench has my name written all over it.
Indian summer in Lugano
Geometric visual games
A shot right out of a Hollywood movie
Sometimes you need to change your angle
A black and white impression
Feel like a ride?
Playing with shadows
An exotic touch
Time to call it a day!
October 24, 2017
Two Fat Expats make me giggle
As a blogger you discover a whole new world inside the net. A virtual world that seems to have little to do with real life. Well, in reality "Two Fat Expats" Facebook page, website and podcast have thousands of followers across the globe with very real problems, concerns, advice, and recommendations that members are happy to share and which can be applied to real life allowing a smoother transition in a foreign environment.
Admittedly Paris is an easy destination, it's Europe, it's a home game for anyone who has grown up on the continent. I am fascinated to read about the adventures the group members write about in the Middle East or the Far East.
Kirsty Rice, the co-founder, is my absolute favourite blogger whom I have been following since 2010 when I came across her post about an Expat woman.
Her posts are written straight from the heart and she has a knick of describing that precise feeling of what it is like to be an Expat in a foreign country. Together with her co-host Nikki the "Two Fat Expats" believe that expat life should be lived large. Making the most of it, filling it up with as much as you can, and if you’re on the move – enjoying rather than enduring.
We all know that it can be really tough being away from family, friends, and familiarity which is why Two Fat Expats always provides ideas and inspiration to make Expat life fatter. This group is all about support, encouragement and giggles with a bit of expat reality thrown in.
The Two Fat Expat ladies came up with a game today: a map to put your expat locations on. The code is green for where you live, yellow for where you come from and red for places you've lived.
It's would seem they have gone truly global. Bravo Two Fat Expats!
Admittedly Paris is an easy destination, it's Europe, it's a home game for anyone who has grown up on the continent. I am fascinated to read about the adventures the group members write about in the Middle East or the Far East.
Kirsty Rice, the co-founder, is my absolute favourite blogger whom I have been following since 2010 when I came across her post about an Expat woman.
Her posts are written straight from the heart and she has a knick of describing that precise feeling of what it is like to be an Expat in a foreign country. Together with her co-host Nikki the "Two Fat Expats" believe that expat life should be lived large. Making the most of it, filling it up with as much as you can, and if you’re on the move – enjoying rather than enduring.
We all know that it can be really tough being away from family, friends, and familiarity which is why Two Fat Expats always provides ideas and inspiration to make Expat life fatter. This group is all about support, encouragement and giggles with a bit of expat reality thrown in.
The Two Fat Expat ladies came up with a game today: a map to put your expat locations on. The code is green for where you live, yellow for where you come from and red for places you've lived.
It's would seem they have gone truly global. Bravo Two Fat Expats!
October 22, 2017
A never-ending summer
When your friends are on the same wave-length and you all decide to slip in one last long weekend at the beach before the grey Parisian winter hits. Verdaderamente una maravilla!
Breakfast with a view at 22°C!
Homemade lemonade for a hot day
A walk along the port of Ibiza
Closed for business
Wondering what's up that staircase?
Lunchtime Spanish style
Siesta time
Off to the beach
Anybody want to join me for a swim?
Better than the Caribbean
A Swiss triangle lost in Paradise
A spectacular island sunset to round up a fantastic day
October 18, 2017
October 14, 2017
The Paris Expat Book Club
Never the one to pass up an occasion to widen my horizons and meet new people, the Expat Book Club seemed like just the ticket. So what, if it happened to be online? Actually, this suited my fine since I could read or NOT read the book and no one would be the wiser. There was no monthly meeting it was just about the sharing.
This is what Expats do, they share!
But let's start at the beginning... on August 9th a British lady based in Germany decided to create a Facebook Expat Book Club. This group was set up to build a community of women living overseas via a love of reading. Relaxing under a sunshade on an Italian beach and very much in "book-mode" I decided right away to sign up. All of a sudden a group had been created that had so much to share that many a post was exchanged before the first book was even announced.
"Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine" by Gail Honeyman travelled all over the globe as photos kept being posted of where the various members were reading it. More sharing. More comments. More giggles.
Until one day someone asked how many members were based in Paris? Another lady inquired as to which part of Paris we were living? Turns out there are quite a few of us that are practically neighbours. I could not resist. I created an event on Facebook and the Parisian branch of the Expat Book Club was to meet at the local café in real life!
We were only four yesterday morning and the discussion veered off the book pretty fast, however, it was great meeting up thanks to a Facebook group page and finding out you do have quite a lot in common albeit coming from very different places.
This experience has proven to me once again that meeting other Expats is always interesting, inspiring and fun. Two months later the Expat Book Club has over 900 members from all parts of the world...
... and as soon as the founder has settled in her new home, we'll be happy to welcome the lady who made it all happen in Paris. Bienvenue et Merci Rebecca!
This is what Expats do, they share!
But let's start at the beginning... on August 9th a British lady based in Germany decided to create a Facebook Expat Book Club. This group was set up to build a community of women living overseas via a love of reading. Relaxing under a sunshade on an Italian beach and very much in "book-mode" I decided right away to sign up. All of a sudden a group had been created that had so much to share that many a post was exchanged before the first book was even announced.
"Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine" by Gail Honeyman travelled all over the globe as photos kept being posted of where the various members were reading it. More sharing. More comments. More giggles.
We were only four yesterday morning and the discussion veered off the book pretty fast, however, it was great meeting up thanks to a Facebook group page and finding out you do have quite a lot in common albeit coming from very different places.
This experience has proven to me once again that meeting other Expats is always interesting, inspiring and fun. Two months later the Expat Book Club has over 900 members from all parts of the world...
... and as soon as the founder has settled in her new home, we'll be happy to welcome the lady who made it all happen in Paris. Bienvenue et Merci Rebecca!
October 12, 2017
October impressions
If September was not the best month in terms of weather, October has made up for it. We are enjoying a true Indian summer and it is bliss.
Bonjour Grande Dame
Bonne nuit St.Eustache
Fashion week is in a twist
There's always time for romance
Months with the letter "r" and seafood is back on the table
Seafood in many different shapes and forms
The little pink car that could
Taking a break in the Jardin des Tuileries
My fascination with door knobs ...
... and my love for staircases!
October 8, 2017
La Parisienne Girl Power
The month of September has been so busy I never got around to mention an event that has become a yearly tradition and one of the highlights of my Parisian routine: La Parisienne!
For many years I ran this 7km race by myself, preferring solitude amongst the 30'000 other runners but for the past two years things have changed. It has become an occasion to gather with my International Parisian friends to celebrate our friendship and engage in a good cause at the same time.
One dear friend has moved on to another destination but makes the effort every year to return for a girls' weekend and participate in the world's largest female race, La Parisienne.
It is not a competition - although some couldn't keep from setting their personal stopwatch - it is about having fun, about enjoying the departure below the Eiffel Tower, about running along the Seine, down the Champs Elysées and past the Grand Palais, about being cheered on by thousands of husbands, dads and children, about dancing along with all the bands stationed along the parcour, about a little exercising, about motivating your friend that she can make it to the end, about girl power and solidarity!
... and I wouldn't miss it for the world!
For many years I ran this 7km race by myself, preferring solitude amongst the 30'000 other runners but for the past two years things have changed. It has become an occasion to gather with my International Parisian friends to celebrate our friendship and engage in a good cause at the same time.
One dear friend has moved on to another destination but makes the effort every year to return for a girls' weekend and participate in the world's largest female race, La Parisienne.
It is not a competition - although some couldn't keep from setting their personal stopwatch - it is about having fun, about enjoying the departure below the Eiffel Tower, about running along the Seine, down the Champs Elysées and past the Grand Palais, about being cheered on by thousands of husbands, dads and children, about dancing along with all the bands stationed along the parcour, about a little exercising, about motivating your friend that she can make it to the end, about girl power and solidarity!
... and I wouldn't miss it for the world!
21st edition of La Parisienne and my 7th year!
Picking up the race number and the t-shirts the day before the race
Weather is not looking too good
The next morning and we are ready to goooooooo!
How to motivate 30'000 women and keep them happy!
Can you spot my name on the wall?
Running down the Champs Elysées making sure our team stays together.
We start together, we finish together!
Girl Power and friendship all the way!
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