At Home, Elsewhere

learning how to be at home

  • Simple is Better

    Simple is Better

    If there’s one thing I always learn from Ardeche, it’s that the little things are important. Especially when it comes to food, which I want to believe is at the heart of every culture around the world. Over here, there is nothing particularly fancy. Life is simple, but the nature is rich, beautiful and provides…

  • Growing Through the Seasons

    Growing Through the Seasons

    At the end of a long day yesterday, we sat at the table and had a simple dinner. Ham, cheese, butter, bread and a big glass of red wine. Just enough to keep the tummy content before an early night. At the other end of the table was a box full of photos and it…

  • Walking Slowly Through the Valley

    Walking Slowly Through the Valley

    Today, it rains. I look up and see undulating grey and white, as if the sky is reflecting the land in monochrome. I sit by the window and watch small wisps of cloud pass through the valley, until the entire area is draped in white. There is something peaceful about rainy days, it gives me…

  • Lunch Ardéchoise

    Lunch Ardéchoise

    It seems that I slowed down a little too much yesterday, I had forgotten to write my blog post. It was a busy day, even then. We spent the morning preparing for a lunch party at the home of a friend nearby, there would be quite a few people. First, I watched and helped a…

  • Learning to Slow Down Again

    Learning to Slow Down Again

    Today I spent my day caring about very little. I suppose that this is what it feels like when you relax fully. I have come to my friends place, but it feels like I have come to a home of my own. The pace of everything here is slow, and my body is following with…

  • Last Day in Montelimar

    Last Day in Montelimar

    Today is my last day in Montelimar. My mind is always occupied in these last days, planning and organising my time and belongings. As such, today’s post is a little short. I spent the morning packing up, and although I had a lovely time here, I didn’t feel sad about it. The first few days…

  • Shadows, Reflections and Other Simple Things

    Shadows, Reflections and Other Simple Things

    Taking the time to look at something mundane, to really focus in on it, is something I’ve found to be a wonderful exercise. Something boring only differs from exciting things in that there is less emotion around it. It seems so small and simple, but yet we feel the difference so intensely. After a period…

  • A Morning at a Patisserie in Montélimar

    A Morning at a Patisserie in Montélimar

    This morning I left the apartment to get some more snacks (I have more than made up for my under eating in the south east coast). It looked cloudy outside so I put on a jumper and a jacket, kept my umbrella with me and then walked out the door. To my surprise, by the…

  • The Slow Countryside

    The Slow Countryside

    This morning, the sun was out again. It was a beautiful day so I decided to skip my second coffee and go out for a walk. One evening before, I had seen a couple of girls sit on a wall by the castle which overlooked the side of the hill. I decided to go there…

  • Twists and Turns

    Twists and Turns

    Today is a rainy day, and although I am not able to enjoy the town as much as I’d like to I am somehow grateful for the bad weather. The rain always gives me an excuse to do what I needed to do anyway – rest. After my time in the south east I had…