Art / Off-the-beaten-path / USA
by Jeffrey Kontur · Published May 10, 2018 · Last modified May 7, 2018
Who started this insane tradition? In the alleyway that serves as the back entrance to Seattle’s famous Pike Place Market, is the equally famous “gum wall”. Actually several walls along about 50′ of the alley
Finally back in the US after nearly six months, I flew into Seattle recently. Of course, what tourist visit to Seattle would be complete without stopping by to check out
Visiting a vineyard and doing a wine tasting in Bordeaux, France is one of those things that I imagine is on most people’s bucket lists. Fair warning: don’t go on a Sunday!
The farm I’ve been babysitting for the past month has a very small man-made pond in back. The pond is roughly the size and shape of a swimming pool yet is home to an incredible number of frogs. They sing pretty much 24 hours a day. Frogs in France sound...
by Jeffrey Kontur · Published May 2, 2018 · Last modified April 26, 2018
For some reason, the town of Châtellerault, France seems to have a magnetic pull. My first visit to there was under somewhat trying circumstances. I had just done my best to completely destroy a rental car.
Europe / Off-the-beaten-path / Wandering
by Jeffrey Kontur · Published April 30, 2018 · Last modified April 26, 2018
Driving through the tiny villages of the bucolic French countryside, it seemed that every single one of them was as cute and adorable as the one that came before. There was so much cuteness that
Everyone thinks of France as a place of art and beauty. Yet few realize how true that can be. In many rural villages and hamlets, there are even decorative murals on
The price of getting to live in an incredibly charming 16th century French farmhouse is that it’s an actual farm. My end of the deal is taking care of the place and that includes the animals. I’d like to introduce them.
Europe / Off-the-beaten-path / Sedate
by Jeffrey Kontur · Published April 24, 2018 · Last modified April 8, 2018
Just four and a half miles from my tiny little French village sits the closest town that actually has
Europe / Off-the-beaten-path / Sedate
by Jeffrey Kontur · Published April 22, 2018 · Last modified April 16, 2018
Here I am, sitting next to a roaring fire in a 16th century French farmhouse. Part of my journey has included housesitting. I often get asked what that is and how it works. Basically,