The stories on the map
Journeys
February – March 2018 · road tripAmerican West road trip
Highway 1, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Zion, Antelope Canyon and Route 66.
9 stories
March 2019 · road tripFlorida and Louisiana
A few days in Miami and around Florida, then a flight to New Orleans, the River Road plantations and Cajun country.
4 stories
November 2019 – March 2020 · living abroadWinter in Montreal
First snow, a chalet weekend in the Laurentians, Christmas in New York as dog-sitters, Igloofest, a real snowstorm, Niagara and Toronto, then the world closing down.
10 storiesAll the stories
American West road tripFebruary – March 2018
Stage 1 · February 13, 2018A new chapter: discovering the United States of America
The big clock in the LAX terminal showed 6:40 am in Los Angeles. The plane had just landed and, despite our tiredness, excitement was winning. We were in the United…
Stage 2 · February 14, 2018Meeting the director of The Room in Santa Barbara: an unexpected anecdote
The next day we headed for Santa Barbara, well known to every French speaker thanks to the legendary TV series and its cult theme tune. So of course we were…
Stage 3 · February 16, 2018Exploring Highway 1 and Bixby Bridge: a scenic road trip on the US West Coast
We started the next day with brunch in Morro Bay. Well, we'd gone out for a simple coffee, but we'd fallen into a trap. We thought we could sit down…
Stage 4 · February 17, 2018A road trip from Monterey to Santa Cruz: nature, butterflies and a funfair
A man who was clearly homeless came up to us while we were hesitating over which gear to buy. He'd immediately spotted that we were foreigners and began giving us…
Stage 5 · February 18, 2018Exploring San Francisco and Alcatraz: iconic sights and city life
Our first night in the San Francisco Bay Area was in Mountain View, not far from Palo Alto. This part of the bay is home to the offices of all…
Stage 6 · February 20, 2018Between California and Nevada: Ceres, the desert and American hospitality
The next stop took us to Ceres, a small place by the country's standards where you only stop for very specific reasons. Nobody comes to wander here, and as it…
Stage 7 · February 22, 2018Immersed in Vegas: Red Rock Canyon, casinos and contrasting realities
From ten in the morning we were off exploring Red Rock Canyon, a group of mountains on the edge of Vegas. The rock hesitated between red and yellow depending on…
Stage 8 · February 28, 2018The national parks of the American West: Zion and Antelope Canyon
The next day's route took us through three states: Nevada, where we started, Arizona, which we crossed for about fifty kilometres, and finally Utah. The Mormon state is home to…
Stage 9 · March 3, 2018Discovering the iconic villages of Route 66
The next day we followed the road along the Grand Canyon, stopping in villages scattered here and there. We were still just as surprised by the wildlife roaming free. We…
Florida and LouisianaMarch 2019
Stage 1 · March 8, 2019A trip to New Orleans: local culture and authenticity
New Orleans International Airport has changed names several times. From Moisant Field to New Orleans International Airport, it became Louis Armstrong airport in 2001, marking the centenary of the virtuoso's…
Stage 2 · March 10, 2019Between the oaks of City Park and the Mardi Gras floats
Some cities you discover by rushing from one monument to the next, and others force you to slow down. New Orleans clearly belonged to the second kind. As on the…
Stage 3 · March 11, 2019On the plantation road: Oak Alley and Laura
You can't claim to understand Louisiana without looking squarely at what it was built on. Postcards happily sell the big white columned houses, the crinoline dresses and the mint juleps…
Stage 4 · March 12, 2019In the heart of Cajun country
For a French person, Louisiana is somewhat unsettling. You come across street names that sound like home, bilingual signs, families called Thibodeaux, Broussard or Landry, and yet you are right…
Winter in MontrealNovember 2019 – March 2020
Stage 3 · December 24, 2019Christmas in New York, as dog-sitters
While all of France is getting ready for Christmas Eve dinner, it's 10 am in Montreal and we're all set to hit the road to NYC, the city that never…
Stage 4 · December 25, 2019Christmas Day on the High Line
It's officially Christmas, and it's the second time we've spent it far from France and our families. The first time, in Adelaide, Australia, in 2017, was a bit depressing, and…
Stage 5 · December 31, 2019From Brooklyn to Harlem, then New Year's Eve dinner at 6:50 pm
Among New York's must-sees is, of course, Wall Street, the heart of global finance. The streets of this neighbourhood aren't necessarily spectacular, and since it's late December it's reasonable to…