Roscoff Skies
After a rainy drive to Roscoff, we were rewarded in clouds. Other rewards included delicious local delicacies (crèpes and cider), a hike around Île de Batz, and a visit to a gorgeous botanical garden. The next day, we were off to Cornwall by ship… Share...
read more ->Quimper in Stained Glass
Whenever I visit a new city, one of my favorite pastimes is photographing stained glass in every church and cathedral I can find. Not the usual, “this is a really big wall of glass and look at all the beautiful colors” photos, but photos of the intricate details that are easily missed when taking in the window as a whole. Why do I do this? Sometimes to find inspiration for my own illustrations. Sometimes because I love the stories the glass portraits tell. Sometimes because they make me laugh. And sometimes, simply because I like...
read more ->Saint-Émilion, Home of the World’s Most Convincing Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
Is nine months too late to write an overdue travel post? Last June we found ourselves in peaceful Saint-Émilion, staying in an historic farmhouse in the middle of wine country.1 We began in Bordeaux on the day of a huge wine festival,2 enjoying local wine and the best sunset of our trip. The following day, we explored Saint-Émilion, an ancient city dating back to prehistoric times. We explored Roman ruins, sampled more local wine (of course), confused a cat, and visited a nearby market town with friends. We bought homemade, herb-encrusted...
read more ->Peeking at Peaks in Py
The next stop on our European odyssey was Py, a tiny village1 in the Pyrenees. First, though, we had to get to France! After saying goodbye to our hosts in Girona, we hopped on the bus to Perpignan, on the French side of the mountains. The driver chatted away to me as he hauled our bags into the belly of the bus. (He quickly figured out that my command of Spanish is only slightly better than my command of North Baffin Inuktitut, and proceeded in French.)2 When I explained that I grew up in the US but currently live in Morocco, he immediately...
read more ->Journey to Girona
After over a month of traveling in Spain, France, and England, I am shamefully behind in blogging my adventures, of which I have had many. Couchsurfing1 through Spain and France, I made new friends along the way and had some great experiences. I left Tangier by plane on June 23, with my faithful (and unbelievably patient) sidekick travel partner, Erin. Just after touching down in Girona,2 we were whisked away by our hosts, Miguel and Cristina, to a party in honor of St John’s Eve. I couldn’t have asked for a better introduction to...
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Writer, illustrator, musician, rogue librarian, explorer, ill-fated baker.