The Blog
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This is where we work it out: routes and rhythms, the ethics of a cheap flight, the right way to miss a train. If it lands, Mise en Place is the same voice once a month, and the My Life in Burgundy waitlist is open.
Browse our articles…
The Two Weeks Burgundy Goes to Work
(9 minute read)
The vendange is the two or three weeks when Burgundy stops being a wine region and becomes a farm racing the clock. We picked Pinot Noir for a Givry domaine in 2025: the clippers, the hills, the long lunch, the paulée at the end. Here is what the harvest involves, why premier cru is still cut by hand, and what it means for anyone visiting Burgundy in September.
Museum Audio Guides: A Field Guide to the Voices, the Drama, and the Unexpected ASMR
(7 minute read)
Explore museum audio guides beyond basics: narrator styles, pacing, dramatizations, whisper tracks, and surprising sensory appeal (yes, ASMR moments). Learn how to choose guides for art, history, and niche exhibits so your museum visit feels richer, clearer, and more enjoyable.
Anthropology in Aisle Seven
(9 minute read)
What a French supermarket teaches you about the country, from someone who shops them in rural Burgundy: the multi-store circuit, the etiquette that trips up Americans, the butcher who knows you, the dairy wall, and a picnic blueprint.
Christmas in France, Like a Local
(10 minute read)
What Christmas in France is really like, from a France specialist living in Burgundy: the réveillon table, the truth about midnight mass in rural parishes, the Alsace markets, Provençal santons, and the galette des rois that carries the season to Epiphany.
A Totally Subjective Guide to French Pastries That Could Ruin You (In a Good Way)
(6 minute read)
A biased, bakery-fed love letter to France's best pastries, from croissants and chou à la crème to gougères and the humble chausson aux pommes, written from a village in Burgundy.
The Ground Rules: Europe’s Coffee Culture
(4 minute read)
A country-by-country guide to Europe's coffee rituals, from Italian espresso rules to Swedish fika and French café life. What to order, when, and where to linger.
Sundays, Siestas, and Strikes: Navigating Europe’s Surprises
(5 minute read)
When shops close, why Sundays and evenings catch you out, how strikes actually work, and whether to tip in France, from an American who lives there.
Do Not Disturb: It’s August in France
(4 minute read)
An American who moved to France on what actually closes in August, what stays open, the crowd surprise nobody expects, and why you should still come. Plan around it instead of canceling.
You Will Never Blend In
(7 minute read)
You will be spotted in your first sentence, and it costs you nothing. What actually matters: the bonjour rule, when la bise happens (rarely, to travelers), the single principle behind cutting cheese, and why the French correct you with their face.
An Incomplete and Biased Guide to French Toilets
(6 minute read)
What toilets in France actually cost, why Paris street toilets are free and fully accessible, what a squat toilet really demands of you, and why the staircase, not the fixture, is the real problem. Written by someone who lives here.
Knead to Know: Somebody Has to Get the Bread
(7 minute read)
There are no shops in our village, so somebody drives to the boulangerie every morning, and it is usually me. Two years of getting it wrong: the salt-free Italian loaf, the Thursday closure I never remember, the tradition versus the ordinary baguette, and the flour sack that feeds horses.