Author: Soraya

  • Adapting To French Culture – Exploring Transportation

    The French way of life and philosophy about transportation reflect a blend of practicality, cultural appreciation for leisure and a respect for the environment. The idea of a shared urban transport system in France first emerged in 1662. Blaise Pascal obtained permission from King Louis XIV to establish a public carriage…

  • Adapting To French Life – Food and Shopping

    I would like to share how my adjustment to life in France has been going. It’s been a cultural shift adapting to French life – food and shopping. Each of the next few posts will address a certain area, such as food and shopping, transportation, the local culture, life with…

  • My First Week Living in France

    Hello, again! So, we landed in Paris a day later than anticipated due to our flight having to be rescheduled for the following day because of maintenance issues. I coordinated my travel with my daughter so she could help me my first week living in France. My daughter, Gillian, had…

  • Flying with K9 Jets

    Our long-awaited flight with K9 Jets was scheduled to depart on a Friday night at 9:00 p.m. from Teterboro , NJ  Airport arriving at Le Bourget Airport just outside of Paris at 10:00 a.m. All ten passengers and their furry companions were requested to arrive an hour and a half…

  • Packing, Passports, and Paws

    Traveling with 2 dogs required another checklist of items. We are getting to the final steps and have to consider the packing, passports, and paws of the journey. The airport I was leaving from Teterboro, NJ was 6 hours by car. The flying regulations for the dogs were that they…

  • France here we come!

    Well we have arrived in France!! It’s been a little over a week since we’ve been here. The dogs, Lily and Lucy and I have started to settle in our new “home” for the next seven weeks on the French Riviera.  The trip was filled with unexpected turns of events. The…

  • A Little About Me

    Hello, my name is Soraya and as of mid-April I have retired from work and stepped into the world of retirement. I am in the process of embarking on a brand new adventure moving to France in Mid October. I am ready to fully embrace this new chapter and wanted to…

  • Packing to Move to Europe

    The trip is finally starting to take shape day by day and becoming more of a reality than a fantasy. It’s officially on the calendar now, a big bright bold reminder that this adventure is happening. I’m talking about it with family and friends more casually now, almost like it’s…

  • The Time Has Come To Move

    Today I am “moved” to write about organizing my move in 2 ½ months to France. I plan to be there for the period of 3 months with the plan to hopefully move there permanently. The time has come to move. It can be quite overwhelming at times encompassing all…

  • The History of Retirement

    I was thinking about what I would write about next, and I have completely missed the obvious. How did the concept of retirement come about? What is the history of retirement? After doing some research for a while this is what I found. I have included some historical perspectives. I will keep it…