The Blue Mobylette – La mobylette bleu

We saw this at the market on Saturday and it brought back memories of the Vespa Ciao Bravo I bought when I first moved to France in 1975.  Moby, is a model of moped by the French manufacturer Motobécane made during the second half of the 20th century. The Mobylette was launched in 1949 and was manufactured until 1997, with production …

A Beret, an Acubra and a Lovely Lady – Un béret, un chapeau Acubra et une femme sympathique

At the market this morning I heard an Australian accent very similar to my own. And it was. This lovely couple from Brisbane have been staying in nearby Chouzy-sur-cisse for the last six weeks. We found it very amusing that the Australian is wearing the beret and the French man is wearing the Acubra, made …

All Rugged Up – Tout emmitouflé

We weren’t sure, considering the snow and temperatures over the last few days, whether there would be many people at the monthly second-hand/antiques market, but there was a surprising turnout – and enough to pick up the very good etching below of the François I staircase in Blois Castle for 15 euros. Etant données la …

Postcard from Istanbul – First Impressions

You may have noticed that I missed a couple of days – I was getting ready for a trip to Istanbul. Here we are and are enthralled. What a wonderful city! Here are just a few photos. The first is taken from the edge of the Bosphorous looking towards Galata Tower, the area we are …

Youngest French President? – Le plus jeune président de la république ?

With only a week the go before the first round of the French presidential elections, the campaign is full-on with the Saturday market in Blois a popular venue. According to the latest poll, the four leading candidates could all qualify for the second round, with the youngest, Emmanuel Macron, at 23%, slightly ahead of Marine Le …