Expat Guide

by Erik Olsen on

Living abroad is one of the great experiences in life. I’ve lived a couple of places around the globe, if just for a short time, including Bangkok, Thailand, Santiago, Chile and Madrid, Spain. Don’t know where I’ll go next, but one of these days I’ll hoof my way outta NYC and do a couple of years in another country.

That said, living abroad and fully taking advantage of the city you’re in are two different things. In Santiago, I regularly ran into people (that is, Americans) who hung out only with other Americans and who kind of kept to their own comfortable environs. This is NOT the way to live abroad.

I have two suggestions here for you if you are considering a move overseas. First, check out the helpful series of books by the folks at Avalon Publishing. They are expanding their series all the time, but for now have nice books on Japan, Ireland, France, Mexico, Italy and more. I’ve taken a look at a few of these books and believe anyone thinking of making the move would be well-served by taking a look at them. Another good book group is the Culture Shock series. You can find more about them, and more about being an expat at this site.

Which leads me to the whole how do I make the most of living abroad question. The telegraph UK has got a list of events put together for expats in various cities around the world. The links here tell you about nightlife and cultural events and also help you with nitty gritty details like consulate info and such.

Planning is key when you move abroad, so take a look at some of these resources if such a move is on your calendar and, well ,good luck to you. It will be one of the best moves you ever make.

Tunneling under Paris

by Neil Woodburn on

Ever since posting about the Paris underground a few months ago, I’ve kept an eye out for further articles about the topic and was therefore very pleased to run across one in National Geographic Adventure.

Of course, the underground of which I write is not the subway nor is it the French Resistance. No, this particular underground is miles and miles of catacombs which stretch beneath the French capital. A short section is open to the public, but the remaining couple hundred kilometers are closed off and accessible only to the those willing to break a few laws and trespass.

Take a moment to read about the exploits of a couple of such renegades as they spelunk their way through bone filled catacombs, ancient bunkers, sculpted castles, the remains of an illegal underground cinema operated by the mysterious Society of Tunneling Mexicans, and a strange German troglodyte.

Sign me up! I want to go!

Travel Works of Titouan Lamazou

by Adrienne Wilson on

Earlier this month I found some dazzling artwork by a French woman of the name of Aurélie Pedrajas. Today I decided to revisit the site to see if there where any updates or new colorful pieces worth admiring. In the process of doing so I became curious at what things the artist fancies and went on to explore some of the links listed on her page. Of those links I discovered the travel artwork of another French artist – Titouan Lamazou and I was equally blown away.

Not to skip over Pedrajas and her artwork, but I do wish to point you over to Lamazou’s site. His most recent project Femmes du monde (Women of the World) has been in the works since 2002 and is set to be published, exhibited, and broadcasted in audio visual programs in 2007. From what I can see online it looks to be quite promising whenever it finally hits the streets. For now interested art lovers can purchase a few previous art pieces from art.com.

Word for the Travel Wise (08/18/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

For all the Tour de France or bicycling fans who dream of cycling across the country one day, this word is for you. And if you have yet to start making this big dream of yours come true isn’t it time you started planning? Check out Discover France and their bicycling tours.

Today’s word is a French word used in France:

vélo – bicycle

French is the third largest Romance language in the world in terms of native speakers according to the Wikipedia and is the official language of 29 countries. There are a number of places to learn French abroad which include Canada and Switzerland in addition to France. Amerispan offers immersion programs in all three of the countries and more info can be found by clicking here. Search other study abroad programs at some of these sites here: Coeur de France, Accord French Language School, and Transitions Abroad to name only a few. Swing over to My Language Exchange where you are sure to find someone willing to exchange their lingo skills for some of your own. Free online sources for learning French include France-Pub, French Assistant, and the BBC Languages.
Past French words: confiture, difficile, frottis, ma reum (mère), pensées

French Railways Bring High-Fashion to Trains

by Adrienne Wilson on


Most travelers know the absolute best part about train travel is the opportunity to see the land at a slower, more relaxed pace through the windows. Blurs of colorful countryside and villages all to be seen at a much better view than any flight from above could offer and up until now it was the only thing to be seen when comparing the sights of train interior to the outside landscape.

French Railways is doing it up these days. Out with the drab and bland rail interiors and say hello to haute couture on your next high-speed train adventure. They’ve commissioned French designer, Christian Lacroix to renovate the interiors of their trains on the Atlantic route and a new route to Eastern France. His promise is to make travel by rail feel more like a boutique-hotel-like environment. Looking at the pictures found above I’m already getting that vibe.

For more up close shots of what the future of French Railways looks like dash on over to The Cool Hunter.