Sonia Marsh - Gutsy Living

Life's too short to play it safe

You are here: Home / Archives for Travel & Adventure

Inside a French Boulangerie and Market

by

If there’s one thing I admire about the French, it’s their obsession love of fresh, quality food and bread.

Fresh Coquilles St Jacques (Scallops) in their shells at local market

 Markets are bustling with shoppers even on a cold, crisp Wednesday morning where parking spaces are fought over and pedestrains race across the street to purchase their warm baguettes for lunch.

This baker has the best grainy baguettes in the area.

As soon as you step inside the boulangerie, the movie unfolds. Steam-clouded windows and the aroma of fesh, golden loaves, bring you into another world. During a ten-minute wait in line, you can watch the baker open the oven and place baguettes on a metal shelf.
Behind the counter, his wife and her assistant smile and chat with each customer.

The baker and his wife treat each customer with the same warmth and attention they give to their craft.

Another bakery with creamy eclairs, and tartes aux fruits.
Bread is purchased daily; a must in French society, hence the importance of relationships between the baker and each customer. In a way it’s a form of therapy for the customer, where for several minutes a day, you can share stories about your family, your health or ask questions about which type of bread goes with a camembert , saumon fumé, (smoked salmon) or pâté de foie gras. Even in a city like Paris, the store owners value relationships with their customers. They pay attention, remember who you are, and show that they care.
Bon appétit
Another fish stall with fresh oysters and mussels. Wish we had seafood, this fresh, in southern California.

Copenhagen: My birth place.

by

Sonia in front of the little mermaid in Copenhagen

Greetings from Copenhagen where the snow is melting and more frost is on its way.

After living in the U.S for twenty-eight years, I’m always surprised at how easy it is for me to become “European.” Sometimes I “forget” that I live in California.

“Skaal” from Denmark

Old habits and customs return, such as the way people interact with one another.
Danish people are warm and friendly and speak “calmly,” to one another, unlike the French. (More on that later.) One of my favorite airports in the world is Kastrup, in Copenhagen. Danes are world renowned for their architecture, furniture and home design. They come up with new designs for simple things. I don’t see these in the U.S. For example, an unusual, high tech wine glass, a contemporary candlestick, a special magnetic see-through picture frame that can make a photocopied photgraph look professional. Style, design and cozyness are three words that best describe Denmark, to me.

Nyhavn in Copenhagen
The new opera house in Copenhagen

As far as Danish habits, I had forgotten one tradition. In Denmark, it’s considered impolite to take a sip of wine when you’re having dinner with friends without saying “Skaal,” first. I did the California thing of taking sips whenever I felt like it, and remembered my manners.

Next post from Paris.

Funny how every country has different habits. Are there any traditions or habits you remember from childhood or from living in another State or country? 

3 Reasons to use a different airline.

by

“Tomorrow I’m going to Paris.”

“Which airline?” a pilot I know at the gym asked me.

“Air Tahiti Nui.”

“They fly to Paris?”

“Yes, and they offer better service and real meals. Plus it’s fun to see flight attendants wearing Tahitian dresses, smiling and actually enjoying their job.”

He laughed.

Later, while working my abs on the ball, I blabbed about my trip to another friend at my gym.

“You’re not the first person who’s told me you get better food and more leg room on foreign airlines,” she said.

“Even British Airways has friendlier flight attendants than American Airlines, Continental or US Airways,” I said.

“You won’t believe what happened to me last time I flew to Denver,” she said.

“What?”

“I couldn’t get my carry-on into the overhead bin so I asked the flight attendant to help me. You know what he said?”

“No?”

“We’re not allowed to lift bags because of our backs.”

“You’re kidding.”

“So I complained. After that they apologized and gave me champagne. At least they did something about it.”

Many Americans don’t think about using other airlines, like Air Tahiti Nui to Paris, or Air New Zealand from LA to London. There’s more leg room, and the flight attendants are friendlier.

Are we so focused on frequent flier miles we forget to check out other options? Other airlines are partnered with US airlines, so you still get your miles. For example, Air Tahiti Nui offers miles on American Airlines, so when I fly in the U.S., I can use them. Though that’s another sore subject for me; I rarely seem to get a free seat despite having sufficient miles. I’ve come to the conclusion that airlines only offer one free seat per flight. Am I right, or is there some secret to receiving a free ticket?
So if you want:

  • Real food
  • More leg room
  • Friendlier flight attendants

Next time try it our. Fly a different airline.

Please share your travel experiences. Which airlines are your favorite? Which do you dislike?

Life is calling. How far will you go?

by

Lately, I’ve noticed a trend in blog posts addressing the following questions:

  • How can I make my life more meaningful?
  • What is my life purpose and what can I do to make a difference?
At first I thought those questions were geared towards middle-aged and older people: those who start to re-evaluate their life after the kids leave home or they retire, but then I noticed how this question is becoming more prevalent in today’s youth.Perhaps a shift is taking place in the way people see their future life, the economy forcing people to rethink their short and long-term goals. It seems as if people are seeking alternatives to the 9-5 jobs?

What do you think?

Since our return from Belize in 2005, I have volunteered once with a group of nurses in a Mayan Village. Since that day, I’ve thought about joining the Peace Corps. Last Saturday a recruiter from the Peace Corps offered a seminar at Borders Books in Costa Mesa, California. I decided to attend. Here are a few points for those of you who might be interested.

  • There is no upper age limit for volunteers
  • Entire application process takes 1 to 1.5 years.
  • Safety and security of volunteers is highest priority
  • 27 month commitment, (includes a 3 month training period)
  • Living allowance covers cost of housing and other necessities
  • French and Spanish a plus
  • 48 days vacation to visit country or go home
  • Graduate school opportunities before and after
  • Develop skills for global marketplace
  • Receive advantages for federal employment
  • Earn $7,425 for transition when you return
  • Health and dental benefits, extended up to 18 months after your return
Peace Corps Programs:
Education 33%, Youth and Community 18%, Health and HIV/AIDS 18%, Business and IT 17%, Agriculture 8%, Environment 7%.Peace Corps Main Locations:
Africa 41%, Latin America 23%, Eastern Europe and Central Asia 17%, Asia 8%, Caribbean and N.Africa and Middle East 8%, Pacific Islands 3%.

The one comment I keep hearing from all Peace Corps Volunteers is: “I feel like I received more than what I gave.”

Your thoughts and opinions are truly valued.

How to retire comfortably for under $1,500 a month.

by

 Ambergris Caye, Belize, where we lived in 2005

Many of you know my family lived in Belize for one year, from 2004-2005.
A week or so ago, I received a link to an article in US News on: How to retire comfortably for under $1,500 a month. The location: Belize.

I read the article with great interest, and decided to comment on what I think is true, and what I believe may be slightly misleading.

The couple in the article moved from Canada to Belize, three years ago. They bought a piece of property on the sea, but it does not say where. My guess is perhaps in Corozal/Consejo Shores area in the north, close to the Mexican border where we lived when we first moved to Belize.

Here are their expenses: (I added my comments after each category.)

  • Rent: $300 (PROBABLY RUSTIC FOR THAT PRICE. DEPENDS ON LOCATION TOO.)
  • Utilities: telephone, and Internet: $500 (Your biggest expense in this country.) (I AGREE.)
  • Groceries: $150 (IF YOU LIVE LIKE A LOCAL IT’S CHEAP. NOT WINE, FILET MIGNON.)
  • Health insurance: $50 (WE DIDN’T HAVE ANY.)
  • Entertainment: ($100 EATING BURRITOS AND FRIED CHICKEN OUT IS CHEAP. NOT TOURIST RESTAURANTS WITH AMERICAN STYLE FOOD THOUGH.)
  • Car expenses: $300 (GAS IS EXPENSIVE.)

They barbecue lobster and filet mignon at home. They have reliable Internet to keep them connected to the outside world. My biggest disappointment in Belize was the frozen lobster in the supermarkets. I never found a store with fresh lobster. As far as filet mignon, I would not call it “filet mignon” unless you ordered it from an upscale American restaurant and it was imported from the U.S. There were two butchers on Ambergris Caye, and their meat tasted better after a few months of living on the island. Seriously, your taste buds change.

They have reliable Internet. I’m not sure about that. There were several hours a week when the electricity shut off in the entire town/country. We went for eleven hours straight without electricity. We had a satellite dish and there were also times, during heavy cloud cover, we were without Internet.

Through Belize’s Qualified Retired Persons program you can establish foreign residency as young as age 40.  We applied for our QRP cards before leaving the U.S. They were supposed to arrive within six weeks from the Belize Tourist Board. We never received them, after one and a half years and paying $5,000 for them. The reason: they were being redesigned with a security feature attached. We never saw ours.

Belize is a beautiful little country. It’s a peaceful, eco-tourist retreat home to more than 540 species of birds, 4,000 species of flowering plants, and 700 kinds of trees. That I agree with. We fell in love with the sense of adventure and the beauty of the country, especially the islands and snorkeling.


Furthermore, Kathleen Peddicord  wrote an article on , “7 affordable places to retire abroad,” and strangely enough, France is listed among countries such as Panama, Belize, Mexico, Uruguay, Croatia and Malaysia. I have lived in France and Belize, and visited Mexico, and I certainly wouldn’t place France in the same category of affordability as Belize and Mexico, and not from what I hear about Panama either. So that seemed like a huge surprise.

Any tips on retiring comfortably for under $1,500 a month?
(Even if you’re 40.)

Latest from the blog

Top Posts