Columnists Archives - Page 46 of 86

Tales from a Spanish Village: Two Old Fools and Queuing

Nobody enjoys queuing although most of us accept it as a necessary evil. Queuing and Joe are like cats and water; he hates it. He grumbles and heckles loudly which makes me shrivel with embarrassment as people turn to stare.

A Month In The Life Of An English Writer In Tuscany – April Reflections

The continuing Adventures of June Finnigan, Her Man and Farty Barty the Cat. On the first day of April, and right on cue, we heard the first cuckoo of the year. Swallows swooped in front of us as we drove

To What Degree Have You Become A Local?

After living in a foreign country for a number of years, many expats find that they have taken on a lot of local customs and habits—sometimes due to sincere efforts to integrate, sometimes despite themselves. Which is why it is

St. James’s Way (Caminho de Santiago, Portugal)

The Way of St. James was one of the most important Christian pilgrimages during medieval times. Legend holds that St. James’s remains were carried by boat from Jerusalem to northern Spain where he was buried on the site of what

Mpumalanga Potholes In South Africa

“Look out!” I braced against the dashboard with my right hand and held firmly to the passenger door handle with my left as Kurt swerved quickly to the right, briefly crossing the center of the two-lane highway before correcting back

Burning Our Boats?

What do expats do about their real estate in the UK? Do they keep a foothold in the old country, or do they – metaphorically – burn their boats? Some say Alexander the Great was the first to burn his

A Day In The Life Of A Costa Rican Expat With Kayak Jaco

Every morning in Costa Rica is different and exciting. This morning I chose to spend it with Kayak Jaco and I’m happy for it, since it was the highlight of my month. Guides Wilbur and Jacob taught the group the

American Dream vs British Reality

When I studied for my degree in Literature and Film &TV I’m not ashamed to admit I was a bit obsessed with America and all that it had to offer on the other side of the pond. I chose to

Expat Life Keeps You Humble

I suppose the same can really be said of travel in general, but with expat life, you don’t have the protection of the tourism status – “I don’t know what the heck I’m doing but that’s OK, I’m only here

A Fashionable Château In Nice

One day, some friends and I decided to get out of the city of Nice! We decided to have lunch in the vicinity of a nearby castle, where we had planned on doing a guided visit and dégustation (wine tasting).