I love to read books set in the locations I travel, both before and during my visit. For Ireland, I read and enjoyed:
Lightening Up (Again)
Even though we didn’t pack particularly heavily to begin with, the cobblestone streets in France convinced us that even less stuff would be better. About a month ago, we traded in our one suitcase for a second backpack and culled our possessions (mostly clothing) so that everything would fit.
Theo Bikes
The woman we are staying with in L’isle-sur-la-Sorgue has grandchildren near Theo’s age and lots of toys, including a balance bike. Most of the nearby streets are only sporadically driven on by cars, so Theo has been experimenting with riding down them.
Being Excessive at the Market
This photo in no way captures the huge mass of venders and shoppers that is the L’isle-sur-la-Sorgue twice weekly market. The (smaller) Thursday market is about twice as large as any market we’ve previously visited, and the Sunday market is ginormous. Interwoven with the many different types of food stands, we’ve seen stands selling clothing, shoes, yarn, fabric, and small electronics.
Yet Another Playground
Working In Transit
Moving from place to place in quick succession with a toddler is much harder than staying in place for a while, especially since we’re both trying to work part-time.
Books Set in France (that I read in France)
Paris: The Novel, by Edward Rutherford
I’ve read many Rutherfurd novels, and this one was probably my favorite thus far. As usual, he weaves together the lives of several families through many generations. Unlike many of his novels, though, this one jumps back and forth through time. While it would sometimes take me a moment to orient myself, I loved how his departure from strict chronological order let me see an event and then later discover the family histories that sparked it. Plot-wise, my favorite story was at the end, set during World War II.
While reading this book in the Les jardins du Palais Royal, I realized that I was serendipitously reading about the building of the Palais Royal.
Continue reading “Books Set in France (that I read in France)”
Mending
Theo and Brian’s jackets were missing some buttons, so we pulled out the sewing kit we bought back in Ireland to fix them. For some reason, Theo decided that the thimble was his “wedding ring.” I decided to just let him go with it.
Holiday Giving
Brian and I celebrate the winter holidays mainly by acknowledging just how very fortunate we already are. (So, lovely family members reading this, please don’t feel the need to buy us any gifts. We’d ask this even if we weren’t planning on carrying around our worldly possessions on our backs for the next year and eight months.)
Dolac Market
Zagreb has an amazing daily market with produce, cheese, meat, pasta, baked goods, pickled foods, and even specialty items like tofu and seitan.
