This morning my friend O and I have a leisurely, light breakfast of yogurt, bread etc. A farmer’s market runs on Tuesdays (and Saturdays) on the boulevard where my friend lives; the merchants set up their stalls and trucks in the tree-lined pedestrian lane between the split lanes of the street. We head back to the bakery / boulangerie down the street, which has a long line out front. We want to...

I arrived to Strasbourg without incident! The Lufthansa flight from Dublin was probably half full, it was a smaller plane than I was expecting, but business class still was with it for extra perks and service. I decided to try to take both my bags as carry-ons, which I managed to get away with thanks to a cooperative security person and an eager to please flight attendant, who also insisted on...

Today I’ve been getting ready for my trip to Strasbourg, France over this next week to visit my friend O. Packing is one of my least favourite activities. My brain goes into overdrive contingency planning mode, not wanting to forget anything. It’s not so much clothes as it is toiletries, pharmaceuticals, electronics, and other miscellaneous stuff. I use checklists so that it’s not all whirling...