Before heading off to France in December, Mr. TWS and I considered the options for staying connected while we were away. More than needing phone coverage, we’d need plenty of internet access for browsing the web and posting to social media. We decided to try the XCOM Global Mobile Wi-Fi Hotspot for the 10 days we’d be in Paris and Provence.
“Marseille is a way of life”. It’s the playing of pétanque (similar to bocce), the imbibing of pastis (an anise liqueur developed in Marseille as a substitute for the banned absinthe in 1915), the savoring of Bouillabaisse (for which Marseille is famous), and a certain “joie de vivre”. It is also a way of life that embraces the diversity of this melting pot on the Mediterranean and its rich culture, history, and art — giving an ample number of reasons for its designation as a 2013 European Capital of Culture.
“Qu’a vist Paris, se noun a vist Cassis, pou dire: n’ai rèn vist,”
“He who has seen Paris and who has not seen Cassis can say … I have seen nothing.” Frédéric Mistral (1830 – 1914), beloved Provençal poet and Nobel Prize laureate
After just a few hours in this village on the Mediterranean coast, I began to understand.
For many years, whenever someone mentioned the Louvre, I thought of the Mona Lisa. That was the picture in my mind every time. Of course, I knew that the Louvre held thousands of other treasures. But it wasn’t until I visited that I could fully appreciate that there are 35,000…