The JimAnna Chronicles

We decided to utilize the long weekend of Halloween (All Saints Day is a public holiday in France) to visit Paris.  While there, we stayed with our friend C.C. who hosted a great Halloween Party.  We were also able to meet up with Tom, who was able to come down from Belgium for the weekend. [...]

A work trip took me up to Lyon.  Since it was pretty close, I could drive, which meant that Anna and Alexander were able to come too. Although I had to work most of the time, we were able to enjoy a little of the city.  Enough to know we need to come back!  It’s [...]

So, we took a weekend trip to one of our favorite mountain villages, Mürren.  While there, we had the good fortune to coincide with the first real snow of the season.  That meant that we spend most of our time indoors.  However, we did venture our for one extended hike.  These first images are from [...]

As is starting to become a theme, these images of Alexander are a little out of chronological order.  But, I couldn’t resist. So, we start off with a little baby yoga, courtesy of his guru (AKA, his mother). He’s got Happy Baby pose down pat! I came home one afternoon and Alexander was sitting on [...]

So, I’ve learned what it felt like for my sponsor family 14 years ago … and I have a new found appreciation for what they did for me.  Thank you Leitz Family!  I owe you … big time! Part of my job here is to help the USAFA cadets who come on exchange.  That means [...]

So, I had the opportunity back in September to watch a bit of military training by the French Air Force.  The cadets went up to the mountains as a part of their initial indoctrination. It was quite impressive to be a part of.  I appreciated the realistic training.  Of course it was grueling for those [...]

Aix-en-Provence is the closest “big” city… so, we spend a lot of time there.  As such, we’ve found some amazing restaurants.  Our current favorite is Pierre Reboul, which we found thanks to the Michelin Guide again.  This time, it was recommended as a one-star (out of a possible three, but a big deal for the [...]

Nîmes has a long, rich history… It was a former Roman colony that rose in importance and wealth in the first two centuries of the current era. As such, a huge amphitheater was built to hold gladiator contests (among other contests and spectacles).  The following images our from our visit with Tom and Olga. The [...]

We’ve become believers in the Michelin guide.  With only one exception, it has steered us to some amazing restaurants in France.  The one we visited in Bandol was no exception.  Le Clocher was recommended as the good balance of price and quality … and it lived up to expectations.  One thing we’ve had to get [...]

We again visited the gorgeous Calanques.  This time it was with our friends Tom and Olga. Since we’d visited Cassis several times, we decided to try La Ciotat and take a longer boat ride to see more of the Calanques … turned out to be a great plan, with lots of beautiful bluffs. Off we [...]