Currently October 2021

Currently | 10.28.21

Life in the Age of the Queen

I am back!!!!!!!! My first big trip since the queen began her reign of horror. [Explaination of the name in April’s Currently.] Is it sad that I already want to be on the road again? I didn't find a new love for airports but I did immensely enjoy my time on the road, it felt so good!

It’s funny how quickly we returned to old routines being in France. Especially when it comes to things like food. We have followed a low-carb lifestyle for 5 years now, but during the 5-weeks we were in France we “let ourselves go” eating whatever we want. From croissants in every variety, pain au chocolat, escargots (pain au raisin) and baguettes and levain to all the desserts in Brittany: kouing amann, far breton and more plus crêpes, we ate it all!

Now I am back on the wagon, at least for the next two months before we spend a month in Lisbon where I plan on eating many, many pasteis de nata ( as well as stocking up on my favorite hand lotion)!

Our weather was phenomenal, including Brittany. It rained our first 3 mornings after that we had exceptional weather. It was our third trip to October in Brittany and each time we have been lucky. We hit some foggy mornings especially along the coast but the afternoons were spectacular although during the week I was looking at them from behind my laptop. But I can’t complain because I had a wonderful view!

In our 5th and final week in France, I was on vacation and we moved from our farmhouse in Tréguier to a house near the sea just outside Lorient then to 3 days in Vichy and finally 2 days in Amboise before spending a final day in Versailles and evening in La Défense.

Our return home was eventful and in one word, delayed. We arrived at the airport on Sunday morning just as they were canceling our flight due to mechanical issues the plane had in NYC. We could not get on another flight to basically any East Coast hub that day and had to rebook for the same flight the following day (Monday). We did not feel like paying 50 Euros x 2 to go to Paris and back and decided to stay put.

Thanks to my status with Mariott Bonvoy, I was able to book a room at 8:30 am in the morning at our favorite Sheraton CDG (which I have written about in the past!) and when we went to drop off our suitcases so that they could hold them until check-in time, but by the time we walked over there, they had upgraded us to a suite and actually let us check-in and have the room – formidable!

We walked the terminals and gather food for the day, plugged in our HDMI cable to the massic TV in the suite, and watched Dune!

The next morning we arrived back at the check-in counter, left our luggage, and proceeded to the gate. About an hour before our flight there was an announcement that there was a mechanical issue and to “please hold.” 30 minutes later they said they were sorry to scare everyone by using the term “mechanical issue” and said the front 2 tires were being replaced. The first tire was no problem, but the 2nd one was not on hand and was being brought in. Etc., etc. Three hours later we were boarding as they scrambled to then add the luggage and cargo (they had held off from loading due to the weight) and 3 hours and 30 minutes later we were taxing from the gate.

Exactly the amount of time we had for our connection at JFK. As we landed in JFK, our flight to Raleigh was taking off. Delta was super cool about re-booking us on the next flight which I was able to confirm in the air in the Delta app. We had a 4-hour layover so I took the opportunity to have my Global Entry interview which had been hanging over my head for 2 years. I got flagged for an interview when I renewed but because of the Queen was unable to get an appointment to do it ANYWHERE. Thankfully they rolled out a program that you can do your interview when you arrive from an international flight, so within 10 minutes of landing that was done!

Four hours later we boarded our flight to Raleigh. We pulled away from the gate and then the captain announced we would be hanging out there for the foreseeable future as the tower was not letting any planes leave due to weather. And he had to turn off the air to conserve power. Not fun. Small plane. No air. Yuck.

45 minutes later (miracles…) we were allowed to leave. It is a short flight between JFK and Raleigh, 1 hour and 40 minutes, but when we arrived we had to wait 30 minutes to have someone tow us to the gate. I just wanted my bed at that point as we were at hour 25. We finally got home a little after midnight and I dropped into bed.

I do not want to repeat that experience anytime soon, but I would repeat my 5 weeks in France!

Now, onto October and what's been going on in the Misadventures world!

Watching | Dune + Eiffel

> I didn’t watch much while I was away as there just weren't enough hours in the day. I started Season 2 of The Politician, but only watched the first 2 episodes. So now I am [slowly] making my way through the remainder of the season.

We did go see Eiffel in an actual movie theater in Vichy with my mother-in-law and absolutely loved it! Mr. Misadventures is a huge fan of Gustave Eiffel and we really enjoyed this version of the part of his life while building the tower that had a romantic slant (The Guardian is calling the French Titantic…) And as I mentioned, we saw Dune on our last day in France and it was AWESOME!

Can't Wait to Watch:

No Time to Die, The Eternals, The Last Duel (set in France) Season 2 of Morning Show, the 4th Matrix movie, Season 2 of Emily in Paris, and this movie from Julie Delphy called The Verge.

Also, did you see they are filming the next John Wick and part of it is set in Paris? Montmartre to be exact.

Reading | Forgotten in Death

I finished Martin Walker's The Coldest Case and continue to love Chef Bruno and his beloved Périgord. I read How to Become a Parisian in One Hour by Olivier Giraud who also has a theater show in Paris by the same name. It was a quick read and very sarcastic.

I started Forgotten in Death, the 54th Eve Dallas novel (!), and am not quite finished with it.

Can't Wait to Read: Provence, 1970

I picked up Provence, 1970: M.F.K. Fisher, Julia Child, James Beard, and the Reinvention of American Taste because it was on sale, and love the idea of these American chefs, legends, and authors hanging out together in France, particularly during the year of my birth!

Best Bite | Far Breton

I have been to Brittany many times, but somehow missed eating the regional dessert Far Breton. I knew what it was, ut had never tried it. Big mistake. Our hostess at the manoir we stayed at (blog post on that coming!) baked one as a welcome gift and wow is it good! It is like a flan (an egg and milk custard) with a bit of flour and prunes and man is it good! We bought it at bakeries several times over our two weeks (after devouring the one we received as a gift) and will never again miss the opportunity to do so again!

Working On | The 2021 Holiday Gift Guide

The 2021 holiday gift guide. I don't know why I put myself through this every year, it is such a beast, but I have to admit I love the emails from readers who compliment my gift curating abilities. It is just tough with the trip I just finished, I wanted the guide out already! Hoping to get it out next week!

I am also working on Paris in December which will conclude my series on what to do see and eat in Paris each month of the year.

PARIS IN:  Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | June | July | Aug | Sept | Oct | Nov | Dec

I constantly update them to keep them accurate just like I do for my individual arrondissement guides.

Paris Arrondissement Guide | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | 11th | 12th | 13th | 14th | 15th | 16th | 17th | 18th | 19th | 20th 

I do the address book at the bottom of each post. By the way, I am still looking for the: 8th, 12th, 14th, 16th, and 20th arrondissements. So if you are reading this and live there, please reach out!

Feeling | Grateful

The ability to travel is not a given and I feel blessed and grateful for the trip we just completed. We did things to ensure our safety while traveling and while visiting Paris. We were very cautious. The French “Pass Sanitaire” was a plus. I did my first nasal test and survived. (I actually had to do a 2nd one at CDG because our first one expired before our rebooked flight was departing… le sigh).

Loving | Fall Y'all

Fall in autumn is beautiful! We had glorious weather in France and came home to Raleigh and found the weather to be pretty much the same. Cool, crisp air with fall-colored leaves, amen. Last October we got to get a sneak peek of fall in the North Carolina mountains when we stayed at a cabin with Greybeard Rentals. We missed out on the leaf-peeping this year, but my own leaves in my backyard are spectacular as well.

As we head into November we are thinking of doing some beach camping again at Cape Lookout or the NPS campground not too far from Alligator River where we can stop by and say hello to the bears. Oh, this is my favorite time of year!

Favorite Photo | Francophile Halloween

It has been a few years since I've had to dress up for Halloween for work! But my team had a [virtual] Halloween party this past Friday and because I didn't have a lot of time to put a costume together I came up with something that I had most of the elements for: a French mime! I had the beret, striped shirt, and scarf. I just needed to buy a make-up kit from Amazon, and voila! (P.S., I won the award for best costume!)

Published in October

• Paris in November
• The Francophile’s Style Guide: How to Dress Like French Women

That’s my month, what’s CURRENTLY going on with you?

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