Venice is a human city
There are no cars. The canals are arteries, the streets are veins, and the people are the blood, the life force.
How I Learned Bliss
On road trips and bliss.
I spied everything. The North Dakota license,
the “Baby on Board” signs, dead raccoons, and deer carcasses.
The Garfields clinging to car windows—the musky traces of old coffee.
I was single-minded in the buzz saw tour I took through
the flatlands of the country to get home. I just wanted to get there.
Never mind the antecedent. I had lost stations miles ago
and was living on cassettes and caffeine. Ahead, brushstrokes
of smoke from annual fires. Only ahead to the last days of summer
and to the dying theme of youth. How pitch-perfect
the tire-on-shoulder sound was to mask the hiss of the tape deck ribbons.
Everything. Perfect. As Wyoming collapses over the car
like a wave. And then another mile marker. Another.
How can I say this more clearly? It was like opening a heavy book,
letting the pages feather themselves and finding a dried flower.
- OLIVER DE LA PAZ
Notes (and photos) from Prague, CZ
One line a day + a camera roll
One-Line-a-Day Journal
Monday, July 7 -
Flew to Prague to visit Sasha and see her new place. Sasha has a place! Where she lives. Alone. wtf? Wild. Sophia flying in for the week also - we’re staying at The Hotel Paris which is now my favourite hotel in Prague.
Tuesday, July 8 -
Walked around town and visited some of our favourite places… Frank, of course! Plus Old Town Square, The Globe, etc. Bought three books. Dinner on the water, overlooking the castle.
Wednesday, July 9 -
Explored Holisovice which is becoming a super cool area with an art gallery, hipster cafes and boutique shops. Went into DOX and fell in love with two exhibitions: The Museum of Innocence by Orhan Pamuk and Up in Flames, the David Lynch Exhibition. Walked home by way of Mala Strana and bought three more books.
Thursday, July 10 -
Took a tour of the Jewish quarter because we hadn’t done that in almost a decade. Later, we met up with A and Frank for dinner and some live music at The Jazz Dock. Even later - Sophia and I went to open mic night at a comedy club!
Friday, July 11 -
Quick tour of the new Mucha Museum, before heading to the airport to fly back to Geneva. Had dinner with B at Le Pecheur to talk about the week. xo
Wild Geese
My favourite poem by Mary Oliver. xo
Artist: Lucy Grossmith
Our first set of guests have come and gone. Among them, my sister-in-law who, among other sparkling qualities, is an amazing cook. This woman can turn an ordinary vegetable into a dazzling culinary experience. I don’t know how she does it, but I’m going to convince her to let me help her publish a cookbook. (She doesn’t know this yet.) As per usual, I took NO PHOTOS because I was too distracted by the food and the conversation. I really must do better. I really do want to capture this summer in all its beauty.
Instead of photos, I will leave you with this - my favourite poem.
Wild Geese
You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting -
over and over announcing yoru place
in the family of things.
- MARY OLIVER
Champagne Problems
You’ll have to get your serious news elsewhere.
Just another sunset on Lake Annecy, France.
It’s been so hot here on Lake Annecy. We don’t need to talk about it, do we? Chances are it’s hot where you live too. And yes. I realise the world is on fire both literally and figuratively, but you’ll have to get your serious news elsewhere. I tend to write about ridiculous problems, so buckle up.
Pool Emergency
My first day at the lake house. It’s 86° and the water in my swimming pool is so thick and slimy that you can’t see the bottom. I can’t get anyone out here to look at it for at least two days because… apparently every single swimming pool in the region is affected by algae??? The reason I keep getting is: well, it’s been very hot…. But isn’t that the whole POINT of a swimming pool? To provide refuge from the heat?
Outside temp: 86°
Pool colour: pond-scum green
Pool Emergency, Day 3
The pool guy came over! Like many of the local pool guys he was a delicious 20-something who cleans pools in the summer and teaches skiing in the winter. My friends like to be here when the pool needs to be serviced and that’s all I’m going to say about that. Anyway, he repaired something in the pool room, gave the system a “shock treatment” and said the water would be clean and clear in 24-48 hours. Thank God!
Outside temp: 88°
Pool colour: pond-scum green with patches of cloudy yellow
Pool Emergency, Day 4
The pool is a little better, but definitely not swimmable. I’m worried because I have a girls weekend planned in just a few days. I called the pool guys again, but they said to wait the full 48 hours and then call back if it’s still bad. I can’t look at it, so I left the house and spent the day shopping for summer essentials: cases of sparkling water and rosé, some extra water shoes and beach chairs.
Outside temp: 90°
Pool colour: infected-wound yellow
Pool Emergency, Day 5
I can see the bottom of my pool now, but it’s murky and slimy, instead of blue and sparkly. Apparently “it’s fine - it’s just dead algae.” But, seriously, NO. I’m not swimming in dead algae. I begged the guy to come over again and he just said, “I’ll put you on the list.”
It was bad time for the pool to be beige because we had a previously scheduled commercial photoshoot here today. But in the end, the pool colour was no big deal - the producers decided they could fix it in post production.
Outside temp: 92°
Pool colour: dirty-dishwater
Pool Emergency, Day 6
A new pool guy came. He was more like a pool man and he seemed to know what he was talking about - the problem is I didn’t know what we were talking about. He used words I don’t understand in English, much less in French. Plus I only know the grammatical basics of past, present and future. I don’t know how to say: The last guy did this, because the time before that he did this other thing. But if he would’ve replaced that part from the beginning, we wouldn’t be in this situation now.
I’m super frustrated because it’s clear that the previous guy was just distracting me with his shirtlessness and clearly he had no idea what he was doing. There’s literally a giant piece of plumbing missing in the pool room. But I couldn’t show my frustration, because I don’t want to be a whiny rich woman complaining about her swimming pool when these guys are working, like, 14 hours a day. Actually, we’re in France, so they’re probably only working 6 hours a day, but still. They are knowledgeable and this guy was trying to be helpful so I tried to be friendly and grateful.
But just as we were nearing the crux of the issue (with the aid of google translate) a small swarm of bees (maybe 5?) flew up my kaftan and started stinging me on the butt. I started shrieking and spinning around in circles and spanking my own ass. But you know what? It’s really hard to kill bees when they are angry and swarming under your clothes. The only option was to lift up my dress and try to swat them off me. The pool man smirked and took this opportunity to try to leave- but I didn’t want him to go. Wait! I said. We’re not finished! Don’t leave! I took a deep breath and tried to regain my compusure, speak calmly with him in French about plumbing parts and filtration systems while simoultaneously, nonchalantly picking stingers out of my butt.
He said he would come back tomorrow with a new pump and a new robot to clean the pool. I made him promise, which was super awkward and I regretted it as soon as it left my mouth.
I have three red welts on my right butt cheek and I can’t sit down properly.
Temp: 94°
Pool colour: dirty-dishwater with dead floating bees on top
Pool Emergency, Day 7
He came back! He replaced the pump and brought an aquatic electric vacuume cleaner that properly cleans the pool and doesn’t just kill whatever’s in it. The only catch is that in order for him (his name is SuperAquaBob) to be efficient, I need to scrub the pool floor just in front of wherever he goes, so that the dead algae floats and he can suck it up. Picture underwater curling. My arms are super sore but thankfully my butt welts no longer hurt, they are just super itchy.
And just like that…
My pool is pristine blue again! My girlfriends are here from London and we've had the most perfect few days - swimming in both the pool and the lake, long walks, boat rides, incredible food, and best of all, 48 hours of non-stop laughter and conversation. They are worth every bee sting. ;)
Creative Projects ~
I’m supposed to be writing short essays and poetry for my collaboration with Sophia. But so far, I’ve just been daydreaming while scrubbing the pool.
Books ~
I’m currently reading Orbital by Samantha Harvey and listening to The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton. Will let you know my thoughts next week!
xo, L
Summer hours, reinstated
Yesterday I woke up in London, loaded the car with six boxes of books and drove to our lake house in France.
View from my bedroom. Sunset over Lake Annecy, France.
Travel ~
Yesterday I woke up in London, loaded the car with six boxes of books and drove to our lake house in France. It took 13 hours - during which time I drank way too much coffee and listened to every single podcast ever recorded until all the words and ideas turned into noise and I had to switch it all off.
But I made it here safely, and the dog didn’t puke, so life is good.
The house is quiet. I like to arrive a week before everyone else - to stock up on essentials and see what needs fixing. June has been super hot, and the garden needs some love. The path down to the lake needs clearing. And where did the deck chairs go? They’ve disappeared. Later this week I’ll dig through the plastic storage bins and look for the life vests and bicycle helmets and flip flops and beach blankets. The pool needs to be serviced and the propane tanks need to be filled. And then, finally, a big trip to the supermarket for essentials: bags of ice and cases of rosé and sparkling water, plus more toilet paper than seems necessary - but it will never be enough.
But today was a day of rest. :) I banned myself from listening to podcasts and instead listened to this playlist. I also went to the market and came home with a beautiful bounty:
One cavaillon melon
Three heavy peaches
Two handfuls of sweet cherries
A single perfect tomato (the kind you can’t find in a supermarket)
A handful of fresh green beans
Some new potatoes
A handful of fresh spinach
Salted butter from Normandy
Local goat’s cheese
Some local yogurt for breakfast
A fresh baguette, still warm
All of it went into this super cute basket that I bought in Provence ten years ago which was handmade exactly for this purpose. It was such a main character morning! I even wore a sundress. But I didn’t take a photo because I never think to take photos and now the moment’s gone so you’ll just have to believe me. The scene was cinematic, the soundtrack was awesome and my hair looked f.
Books ~
A writer friend told me once that the hardest part of writing dual-timeline books is that readers are invariably drawn to one storyline over the other. I thought of that recently when I read Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid. It was a fine book - but I found myself speeding through the love-story timeline so I could get back to the outer space one. I love TJR! Maybe I was just in the mood for something different, something more adventurous? So then I read a Dean Koontz novel, which was exactly what I thought a Dean Koontz novel would be like. And then Heartwood by Amity Gaige, which is a mystery set on the Appalachian Trail, which was fun, if forgettable.
Creative projects ~
Sophia and I are working on a collaborative poetry/photography book! I can’t say more because that will suck the joy out of it. But it’s so fun to be working with her!
Other important goals for the week: floating, swimming, reading and daydreaming.
xo, L
Not exactly Jessica Fletcher
On first drafts, the Women’s Prize Summer Party, and planning a road trip
Jessica Fletcher, Murder She Wrote
This week’s project ~
You know the opening credits of Murder She Wrote, when Jessica is sitting at her desk typing away while the cheerful theme song bops along in the background? I love those opening credits. I never skip that part! By the end of the song, she’s written the final page of the book and has closed the manuscript cover.
My writing process is… not that. It’s more like having food poisoning. You know it’s in there and it needs to come out - but you have no control over when it happens. All you can do is be in the right place at the right time and hope for the best. That’s my writing process. It ain’t pretty. I wear noise-cancelling headphones and every now and then, when I realise I’ve turned into Quasimodo with a tech neck, I lurch my shoulders back into place and groan.
I’m trying to write six chapters per week - but do NOT be impressed by that number, because my chapters are only a few pages long. Also, it’s a pretty shitty first draft. So when I’m done with this stage of the process, I will have a lot of work to do. But I’m writing again! Hooray for me!
Books!
I just finished Anthony Bourdain’s book Kitchen Confidential - WOW, it was so good! He narrates the audio version and I highly recommend it - his voice is commanding and so entertaining. I also finished The Salt Path by Raynor Winn. It was slow-going but cinematic - the movie is on my list to (eventually) watch.
Earlier this week, I went to the Women’s Prize Summer Party which was a fabulous and friendly event - but mostly I stood around looking awkward and tried not to stare at the literary LEGENDS who were in attendance. Seriously, every year this event gets more and more star-studded. I felt like a Huge Nobody - just a 53-year old girl from Indiana who conned her way into a ticket. I took a glass of champagne, put my head down and tried to blend in. Rachel Clark, author of The Story of a Heart, won the prize for Non-Fiction. Yael van der Wouden, author of The SafeKeep, won the prize for Fiction.
Travel / Where I’m at, where I’m going ~
I’m still in London and I’m still looking for a new place to live - it’s not going well. We might end up putting everything in storage and living the nomad lifestyle for a while. Honestly, I’d prefer that option! But it would be hard on other members of the family, so the search continues.
I’m also prepping for my summer relocation to France. My office is the staging area: boxes of books, a few yoga mats, extra dog food, etc. This time, I’ve decided to make the drive to Lake Annecy in one day. It’s a long slog, but totally do-able. The key: entertainment and nourishment. The only thing worse than airplane food is rest stop food, so I’ll pack a food bag for the road: whole grain/seeded crackers, good cheese, hummus and veggies, fruit and nuts, a stack of PB &Js, air-popped popcorn, some dark chocolate, a thermos of iced water and a thermos of hot water for tea. I’m even bringing a package of Rummo spaghetti and a jar of Belazu Aubergine and Parmesan Pesto for when I arrive late that night and need a hot meal.
Today’s fun project: queue up a bunch of podcasts and buy three extra credits on Audible. The next time you hear from me, I’ll be in France!
xo, L
Print by Liana Finck 2022, Gifted to me by my daughter. :)
A summer begins
A new book project, a long Devon walk and my summer reading list
Fidan Nazimqızı
This week’s project ~
I started to work on my next book! The working title is Notes From a Summer on Lake Annecy and it’s something I’ve been noodling on for a while now. It will be another memoir-in-essays and the themes are my usual obsession - identity and transformation with a strong sense of place.
In terms of process - I’m doing something radically different this time around: I’m planning to write from an outline! This is new territory for me as I usually write 70K words and then spend a year/lifetime trying to make sense of what I wrote. This time, I’m going into the writing process with a general sense of a beginning middle and end. I’ve got a list of 45 essays to write, in a very loose order, which will undoubtedly change. But it’s a road map! Also, I love a good list. Here are my notes to self:
1) Protect your writing time.
2) Look at the outline. Pick up where you left off. Keep going.
3) Do NOT edit as you go. Edit in September.
I’ve given myself a short time frame for this draft because I tend to get bored quickly and I want to keep my energy and vibes high. This is either a brilliant idea or completely unrealistic.
A quick trip to Devon ~
Stonehenge after the rain. ©Laurel Kallenbach
Haldon Belvedere: a triangular castle overlooking the Devon countryside.
This weekend, we took a made a quick overnight trip to Devon to visit some friends. We unexpectedly drove past Stonehenge to get there! The view from the highway was underwhelming. I’d love to go back for a proper look around - maybe on summer solstice? How much pegan fun would that be? Later, when the rain cleared, we went for a proper English walk and stumbled upon the Haldon Belvedere is a triangular castle overlooking the Devon countryside.
My Summer Reading List ~
My Summer Reading List!
Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton
Isola by Allegra Goodman
The Salt Path by Raynor Winn
Heartwood by Amity Gaige
The Inheritance of Orquidea Divina by Zoraida Cordova
I Seek a Kind Person Julian Borger
If You Love It, Let it Kill You by Hannah Pittard
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Until next week!
xo, L
Instead of depression
Try calling it Hibernation.
Artist Philip Geiger
Instead of Depression
try calling it hibernation.
Imagine the darkness is a cave
in which you will be nurtured
by doing absolutely nothing.
Hibernating animals don’t even dream.
It’s okay if you can’t imagine
Spring. Sleep through the alarm
of the world. Name your hopelessness
a quiet hollow, a place you go
to heal, a den you dug,
Sweetheart, instead
of a grave.
- ANDREA GIBSON
Letting go and moving on
Graduation celebrations, food writing obsessions, and the joy of purging
Photograph by Bettman-Corbis
This week’s project -
My youngest daughter graduated from high school! Our days were filled with ceremonies, celebrations, dinner parties, cocktails. We were celebrating her, for sure. But you know what? I’m also proud of me. I birthed two babies, kept them alive and got them through high school. Congratulations to me!
Apart from journaling, there was very little time this week to work on my creative projects. But I did start brainstorming my next book… The working title is The Lake House Project. The idea is still forming in my mind and I can’t yet put it into words. But I think it will have a strong visual component as well as written words. Sophia’s agreed to be my photographer and art director! Should be fun.
Artist: Luc Lavenseau
Travel: Where I’m at, where I’m going -
We’re moving! The owner of our London home wants to sell and we don’t want to buy - so we have until September 30 to move out. I’ve looked out dozens of houses and apartments here in London, but I just can’t get excited about any of them. Both kids will be in the US for university, so we could literally live almost anywhere.
What I really want to do is travel around the world and be a nomad for a while… But what about work? Is that realistic? We are brainstorming options…
In the meantime, I’m going through the house room-by-room and deciding what to keep, what to donate and what to throw away. And Oh My God I Love This Process So Much! B asked me if I needed help going through the things in the attic and I was like YES MAN, TALK DIRTY TO ME! LET’S GO! We spent all day up there and then donated two carloads of stuff to our local charity shop. And then I took a carload of junk to the Refuse and Recycling Center. Is there anything more therapeutic? I FREAKING LOVE IT. Nothing is safe from my purging! I’m a woman on a mission.
HENRY’S book cover is fuzzy like a peach and I can’t stop petting it.
Books: What I’m reading -
I’m still making my way through Tiananmen Square by Lai Wen. I haven’t made up my mind about this book. I’m told the ending is phenomenal, so I’m sticking with it.
I’ve got two other reading obsessions at the moment. The first is I’m searching for great stories by exquisite food writers. A few months ago, I read The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl (which I loved) and I just finished Butter by Asako Yuzuki (which I liked). Next up is How to Eat a Peach by Diana Henry and then Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain.
I’ve also fallen down a rabbit hole researching visual memoirs. I might have made up that genre, but here’s what it means to me: Books where the images carry as much narrative weight as the words. Books like the perennial favourite Film for Her by Orion Carloto or It by Alexa Chung. Or even Sara Berman’s Closet by Maira Kalman or Elena: A Hand Made Life by Miriam Gold.
I know these two categories of books seem wildly different, but they are both feeding my next project!
Where I walk my dog. :) The River Thames, Chiswick to Hammersmith. Artist: Arabella Harcourt-Cooze
Look what I made!
My recipe collection, two book recs and some link love
Look what I made! It’s a cookbook inspired by my travels and organised by cuisine.
This week’s project -
I finally - finally! - finished the edits on my recipe collection and sent it to the printers! Turns out, collecting all the recipes and photos was the easy part. Formatting them into a professional looking book was supremely tedious. In case you're curious (and a process nerd like me): I used Google Drive to organize the content, Canva to create and format the book, and Bookvault to print.
The cover photo was taken by my daughter when she was in first grade and I was still young and beautiful. Apart from that one photo, I don’t own many of the photos in this book, so I can’t sell it or even distribute it as a promotional gift. But that’s okay! That was never my goal. My goal was to learn how to professionally print a photo-heavy book. Now that I know how to do that, I think the next project will be something I can share publicly.
Books: What I’m reading -
I started and finished James by Percival Everett in three days flat, because it’s that good. It’s a re-telling of Huck Finn, but told from the perspective of James - but it’s so much more than that. It’s a literary page-turner: a book you can’t put down, but that is also so compelling that it should also be taught in schools. I loved it.
On the lighter side - I’m almost finished with The Agathas by Kathleen Glasgow and Liz Lawson which is super fun and should be made into a TV series asap. Think: between Veronica Mars meets Agatha Christie.
My local bookstore, as illustrated by Matthew Wright
Some link love -
You’re most repeated thought becomes your reality. I don’t normally listen to Jay Shetty’s podcast, but this episode has some gems.
Paris recommendations to consider by Shelby Chambers. (My own Paris List is much shorter!)
Women’s Prize Events are coming up! This is always a great way to kick off summer.
xo, L
3 Ways to Experience Literary London
Reader's Guide to Literary London: Three ways to dive deep into the city's literary culture.
The London Library
1 - Book Talks
You could spend every evening of the week at a literary talk somewhere in the city—if only you knew where to look. Luckily, Literary Listings London does the work for you. This weekly newsletter curates upcoming author events, readings, and conversations across London’s bookish haunts.
2 - Book Walks
London Literary Tours is exactly what it sounds like— walking tours for people who care about books and the ghosts of writers past. The two hosts - Cindy and Mike - are incredibly knowledgeable and entertaining. You will be whisked away to a different time and place. I loved the Bloomsbury tour so much, that I’m tempted to take another one later this year. Current options include walks inspired by Virginia Woolf and Oscar Wilde.
3 - Book Paradise
There’s no place like The London Library. Founded in 1841 and still privately run, it’s where Virginia Woolf, Charles Dickens and countless other writers borrowed books and wrote prose. The red-carpeted staircases and labyrinthine stacks feel like a portal to another century. You can’t just walk in—you have to join—but if you love books, it’s the best investment in inspiration you’ll ever make.
My List for London
From swimming to sipping spritzes by the shore — here’s my personal list of things to do, see, eat, and enjoy around Lake Annecy.
From swimming to sipping spritzes by the shore — here’s my personal list of things to do, see, eat, and enjoy around Lake Annecy.
Two long city walks:
1 - The Southbank Walk - start at Westminster and walk across the Westminster Bridge. Walk along the river towards The London Eye (kids love it, and there are nice views). Keep walking and you'll pass more bridges, restaurants, art galleries, theatres, etc. You'll eventually end up in front of the Tate Modern. You can't miss it - giant smoke stack. It's an awesome inside space - pop in for free to take a look. Then cross the millennium bridge which will spit you out in front of St Paul's Cathedral.
That whole thing will take you 45 minutes to walk if you never stopped. I like it because it ticks a lot of tourist buckets: westminster abbey, parliment, big ben, the river, the southbank promenade, the tate and st paul's.
2 - Borough Market area - Borough Market is the Pike Place of London. :) Check open times before you head out. Places nearby to walk to: Shakespeare's Globe (they do a great tour), the Shard, London Bridge and Tower of London.
Favourite parks:
Hyde Park - largest park in central London - you can walk, bike, boat, etc.
Primrose Hill - (central) smaller, but pretty views and in charming neighbourhood
Hampstead Heath - (north central) huge and beautiful and/but you will definitely run into Ricky Gervais
Richmond Park - (south west London) enormous, tons of deer, great for biking
Favourite neighbourhoods for strolling, shopping, eating:
Covent Garden, Mayfair, Marylebone
Want to see a show?
Favourite museums:
The Tate Modern
The V&A
Natural History Museum (which is very close to the V&A)
The British Museum
Restaurants:
There are too many excellent places to list! If you find yourself in a particular neighbourhood, let me know and I'll find some faves.
My List for Lake Annecy
My list for Lake Annecy — where to swim, hike, shop, and eat in one of the most beautiful corners of France.
My list for Lake Annecy — where to swim, hike, shop, and eat in one of the most beautiful corners of France.
Activities on Water
Every village on the east side (best side!) of the lake has a public beach with a bar, a restaurant and a beach volleyball court. Talloires has a diving board. Menthon has a water slide. Veyrier has live music most weekends through July and August.
Jean-Louis is our guy for waterskiing and wake-surfing. He also rents paddle boats, stand up paddle boards, etc.
Wherever you are on the lake you will find opportunities for:
swimming, floating, shell collecting
stand-up paddleboarding / paddle boating
pier jumping / cliff jumping
water skiing / wake surfing / kite-surfing
Compagnie des Bateaux acts as a local ferry and also offers breakfast and dinner cruises. (I’ve never done this, so I can’t vouch for it, but they’ve been around for ages.)
You can also privately hire boats for transfers to/from Annecy or simply for cruising.
Activities on Land
For walks/hikes, use All Trails to find a hike of suitable length/difficulty. An easy/gorgeous route is Roc de Chere. Hiking to the Cascade D’Angon will leave you winded but it’s totally worth it. A great longer hike is the Mont Veyrier - Mont Baron loop. You can cut the trail in half by driving half way up the mountain. From the top you can can see Mont Blanc on one side and a panorama of Lake Annecy on the other. Truly spectacular.
Bike rentals are everywhere and easy to find, but if you’re a cycler, you may want to check out Nomad in Talloires. Biking around the entire lake takes between 2 and 5 hours depending on how many times you stop for a swim and a smoothie. And by smoothie, I mean Aperol Spritz.
Canyoning is an incredible experience. It’s not for the faint of heart, but I highly recommend it!
There’s a tennis club in every village that are open to the public. Just stop by and ask how to reserve a court.
Activities in the Air
Parapenting isn’t nearly as death-defying as it seems! Try it and you’ll be hooked. We always use Adrenaline Parapent in Menthon/Talloires.
Accrobranche (ropes course) is usually a family favourite. There’s a place in hills above Talloires, but we prefer Aravis Parc d’Adventures in Thônes. There are various levels - so if you are a weenie like me you can skip the black-belt level routes and stay closer to the ground.
Via Ferrata - This is a love-it-or-hate-it activity. Dan took the girls and thought he would love it. He was wrong! He thought he was going to die and still shudders when describing it. The girls loved it and want to do it again.
Summer Camps for Kids
We’ve been coming to Lake Annecy since the girls were little and I always put them in some sort of summer camp (stage d’été). Their favourites were: Pony Camp in Thônes, Tennis Camp in Annecy-le-Vieux and Dance Camp at Centre Artys. The soccer camp that my youngest went to is no longer running, but FC Annecy now hosts summer camps and they look great!
Shopping
Talloires has a bi-weekly arts and crafts market where you can find locally made products ranging from soaps to lamps.
Annecy has a brocante fair on the last saturday of every month.
Also in Annecy: Try the little shops along Rue de l'Île… Yes, they can be touristy and hit-or-miss, but I always get lucky. I found a gorgeous Indian block print dress that I lived in all spring. And there’s a chapellerie (hat store) which is always popular with out-of-town guests. There’s a great Vinyl and Coffee shop just out of the old town. Murmur is a nice gift shop with locally made jewellery, decor, journals and more. And of course, I always ALWAYS love a trip to Monoprix. It’s like a French Target! I especially love their pyjamas.
Skip the mall in Annecy (called the Centre Commercial)- it’s nothing special. Instead walk to Galleries Lafayette. There are several boutiques and local pop-ups that circle the department store - plus a few good casual eating spots and a climbing gym!
If outdoor gear is your thing, you’ll find most major brands in Annecy or neighboring Epagny. If luxury brands are your thing, drive to Geneva.
Restaurants
My favourites seem to change seasonally and yearly. I’m currently enjoying:
Le Pecheur: This is our local spot and a perennial favourite. It’s right on the lake, and you can watch the sunset while you wait for the waitresses to finish flirting and come serve you. They have loads of tables and the atmosphere is always fun and lively. Never disappoints. They don’t have a website or phone number though, so just turn up and wait. 10 Av. General Doyen, Veyrier-du-Lac
Haven: An excellent Ausie brunch place in Annecy.
Auberge du Lyonnais: On the canal in Annecy. Make reservations - good for a nice night out.
Chez Ingalls: A traditional French restaurant bizarrely inspired by Little House on the Prairie. It’s super weird but surprisingly elegant and the food is pretty good! We asked our server why the restaurant was themed on this random American TV Show and she said (I’m translating) “Because there used to be a chicken farm nearby.” Which is a ridiculous answer for so many reasons, but let’s go with this one: I grew up LOVING Little House on the Prairie and I’ve read all the books and watched every single episode of the TV series, including the all the specials. But if we played the word association game and you said Chicken Farm, I would never in one million years say Little House on the Prairie. And yet somehow in the middle of the French alps, there’s a restaurant that serves a Nelly Burger and has a wine cellar that’s called Le Cave de Charles.
Groceries
Honestly, I usually eat at home because you can make a world class meal with some local cheese and produce. All you really need to know is: go to a fromagerie for your cheese, go to a boulangerie for your bread and go to a live market for your produce. Stop by the local supermarket for everything else. I could write a whole book about grocery shopping in France, but I’ll leave it there for now!
Where to Stay
For years, we used VRBO and stayed in many wonderful places at various price points. I recommend staying on the east side of the lake: Veyrier-du-Lac, Menthon St Bernard or Talloires.
My favourite hotel in the area: Le Palace De Menthon. We call it the Wes Anderson Hotel and you can see why! Even if you aren’t staying there, it’s a great place to have an apéro (pre-dinner drink and nibbles).
My List for Prague
My favorite spots in Prague — where to eat, stay, listen to jazz, and wander through history.
My favorite spots in Prague — where to eat, stay, listen to jazz, and wander through history.
Restaurants
U Zlate Studne - Great restaurant with terrace overlooking Prague (Castle side of river). Need a reservation.
Kampa Park Restaurant - Castle side, on the water. Need a reservation.
Apparently best cocktails in town are at Bugsy’s Bar -
Pařížská 1068/10, 110 00 Staré Město, Czechia
Our home away from home - The Globe Bookstore & Coffeehouse
Our neighborhood pub - U Parlamentu, Valentinská 52, 110 00 Staré Město - local, not fancy!
Vegetarian czech food? It exists! Maitrea in Old Town
Lots of great sites, a few not to miss:
Jewish quarter and cemetery
The Castle
Old town square
The Mucha Museum: https://mucha.eu/
National Memorial to the Heroes Of the Heydrich terror. If interested in WWII, it’s worth a quick visit and a read of the story of “Anthropoid”. (There’s a film about it from a few years ago called Anthropoid and a great book about it called HHhH by a French author Laurent Binet).
Jazz Clubs
The Jazz Dock https://www.jazzdock.cz/en
U Malého Glena https://malyglen.cz/en/pages
Hotels
Hotel Paris (in Prague)
https://www.hotel-paris.cz/en/
The Mozart
https://www.themozart.com/
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Clubs for young people
Lucerna https://musicbar.cz/en/
Duplex: https://www.duplex.cz/
Karlovy Lazne:https://www.karlovylazne.cz/
My List for New York City
My current list for New York City — favorite restaurants, museums, and off-Broadway theatres that make the city endlessly inspiring (and delicious).
My current list for New York City — favorite restaurants, museums, and off-Broadway theatres that make the city endlessly inspiring (and delicious).
Restaurants on my list to try:
Via Carota, West Village
Soda Club, East Village
Loring Place, Greenwich Village
Shuka, Soho
Restaurants I love
Planta Queen, NoMad
Spicy Moon, West Village
ABCV, Union Square
Eataly, Madison Square Park
Ofrenda for Happy Hour, West Village
Joe’s Pizza, Union Square
Karakutta Ramen, West Village
Balthazar, Soho
Maman, Greenwich Village
Little Itally III, South of Union Square
Top Thai, West Village
Favourite Museums
The Tenement Museum
The Whitney, for the views, then walk the Highline.
The Met
The Moma
The Natural History Museum
Off Broadway Theatres
The Public
59E59
HERE Arts Center, Tribeca
New York Theatre Workshop
Cherry Lane Theatre
Signature Theatre
Playwrights Horizons
Off-Broadway (Musicals)
Joe’s Pub (at The Public)
New World Stages
The York Theatre Company
Second Stage Theater
Theatre Row
The Vineyard Theatre
My List for Paris
My running list for Paris — favorite bistros, museums, and jazz clubs, plus new spots I can’t wait to try. From crepes in the Marais to brunch by the Jardin du Luxembourg.
My running list for Paris — favorite bistros, museums, and jazz clubs, plus new spots I can’t wait to try. From crepes in the Marais to brunch by the Jardin du Luxembourg.
A few favourite restaurants:
Les Philosophes, my favourite local bistro, Marais
Miznon - vegetarian Israeli street food, Marais
Le 404 - Moroccan, in the 3rd
MaoDumpling - in the 3rd. order the eggplant
Big Love Trattoria - in the 3rd
Breizh Café - proper crêpes from Brittany, multiple locations
La Taverne De ZHAO, best noodles ever, multiple locations
The Terrace at Galleries Lafayette, casual rooftop dining, in the 9th
Treize au Jardin, amazing brunch/lunch, in the 6th, next to the park
On my list to check out:
Tekés Restaurant - Incredible!
Fellows - pasta!
Peppe Paris - best pizza in Paris?
Museums, etc:
Entertainment:
My List for Provence
A personal list of my favorite places in Provence — from hilltop villages and seaside cafés to artist retreats and books that capture the spirit of the region.
A personal list of my favorite places in Provence — from golden hilltop villages and seaside cafés to artist retreats and books that capture the spirit of the region.
VILLAGES / SMALL CITIES
Saint-Rémy-de-Provence – Van Gogh’s Provence
A lively market town with great food, art, and history. The market is on Wednesday morning. Van Gogh painted many masterpieces here while staying at Saint-Paul de Mausole Monastery, which you can visit. Consider driving (15 mins) to Les Baux-de-Provence, medieval castle ruins and an art show at Carrières de Lumières.
Gordes – The Iconic Hilltop Village
A golden-stone village perched on a hill, with cobbled streets and sweeping valley views. The market is on Tuesday morning. Don’t miss the nearby Abbaye de Sénanque and its famous lavender fields.
Lourmarin – Chic & Artsy
One of the most stylish villages in Provence, with boutique shops, art galleries, and a Renaissance château. Lourmarin’s Friday market is one of the best in the region, featuring local cheeses, olives, fresh produce, lavender products, handmade pottery, and Provençal fabrics. It’s the perfect place to pick up souvenirs!
L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue – The Venice of Provence + Antiques/Brocant
A charming town with canals, antique shops, flea markets, and a fantastic Sunday market. A great mix of Provençal charm and shopping.
Cassis – Seaside Charm & White Wine
A quaint fishing village, perfect for seafood, boat tours to the Calanques National Park, and sipping local cassis white wine. This place will feel different from all the other places on your tour because it’s on the waterfront. Gorgeous seaside town - minimally, go down to the port, have lunch in a cafe and poke around the shops. If you can swing a tour of Des Calanques, do it! If not, you can always take a 2-hour boat tour around the bay (tickets available at the port, just walk up.)
Aix-en-Provence – The Elegant Heart of Provence
The cultural and artistic hub of Provence, with beautiful boulevards, fountains, markets, and Paul Cézanne’s legacy. A perfect mix of city sophistication and Provençal charm.
Gallifet Art Gallery and Restaurant have lunch in the courtyard! (A friend of a friend owns this place! But I'm not being biased - it’s delightful.)
And of course, you must visit the Atelier de Cezanne.
ARTIST RETREATS
This place looks stunning. (20 minutes drive from St Remy)
Not technically in Provence - it’s about 3.5 hours drive from Aix - but including it here just in case it suits.
Artists Retreat In September (off peak season).
Artists Retreat In September (off peak season).
LITERARY INSPIRATION
MEMOIR / CREATIVE NONFICTION
My Life in France by Julia Child: An absolute classic—Julia Child’s memoir of her years in Paris and the birth of her love for French cooking.
Lunch in Paris: A Love Story, with Recipes by Elizabeth Bard: A charming memoir about falling in love in Paris, with incredible recipes woven throughout.
Picnic in Provence: A Memoir with Recipes by Elizabeth Bard: Sequel to Lunch in Paris—moves from Paris to a small village in Provence.
Paris Letters by Janice MacLeod: One woman's journey from the fast lane to a slow stroll in Paris.
How to Be Parisian Wherever You Are by Caroline de Maigret: A fun, irreverent guide to Parisian life, fashion, and attitude.
The Olive Farm by Carol Drinkwater: The first in a trilogy about an actress who buys an olive farm in Provence and transforms it into a new life.
At Home in France: Eating and Cooking with the French by Ann Mah: A culinary memoir of life in France, food traditions, and learning to cook like a local.
A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle: A classic! Peter and his wife move to a small village, renovate a 200 year old house and try to blend in.
NOVELS
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah: A gripping historical fiction novel about two sisters resisting the Nazi occupation in rural France and Paris.
The Paris Wife by Paula McClain: A captivating historical novel about Hadley Richardson, Ernest Hemingway’s first wife, and their whirlwind life in 1920s Paris.
Suite Française by Irene Nemirovsky: A haunting, unfinished masterpiece depicting the lives of Parisians and rural villagers during the Nazi occupation of France.
The Perfume Collector by Kathleen Tessaro: A young woman inherits a mysterious perfume legacy in Paris.