This evening in French class we discussed a Parisian apartment type called the chambre de bonne. The direct translation is “maid’s room”, and it’s exactly what it sounds like. A small one-room apartment that is found on the top floor of bourgeoisie apartment buildings. Indeed,… Read More
In 2023, there were 379,000 babies born in Italy. This is down from 393,000 babies in the prior year and represents a new record low. Already in 2022, the number of births was noted as being the fewest since Italy’s unification in 1861. The result… Read More
This is the chalet that our group has been staying in for the last week: Every site has its challenges and that is especially the case in the mountains.
This is a photo taken from the base village of Val Thorens. I took it while we were sitting on a massive terrace in the middle of it. But what stood out to me even more than the terrace itself was the buildings that frame… Read More
There are a number of ways to evaluate a good après ski spot. There’s the food. The drinks. The views/sun exposure. The overall atmosphere. And the simple test of: Am I having fun here? But another important telltale sign is the tables. Yes, the tables.… Read More
One of the things that I have noticed while walking around Lyon is that there seems to be a lot of office space right at street level. And most of it does not seem to have a consumer-facing element where people just walk in off… Read More
It’s that time of year again: the annual ski and snowboard trip. Regular readers of this blog will know that this happens each and every year, provided a global pandemic isn’t currently underway. Last year we went to Park City and this year we’re off… Read More
Rental housing in France is both heavily regulated and supported through dedicated public funds. Here’s a high-level overview of what that means (via this 2021 Brookings case study by Arthur Acolin): If you’re interested in rental housing, Brookings also has articles covering the US, Germany,… Read More
BRANDON DONNELLY 