It's been about one year exactly since my husband and I made an emergency trip to France because our son suffered a serious accident. As I wrote about here, last year, it was a harrowing experience. I can only emphasize that if your child decides to study abroad, do make sure that your passport is up-to-date as well. Check and confirm that his health insurance covers him even when he is out of the country. Also, insist that he program his phone with that country's version of 9-1-1. 

One year later, the kid is healthy, and that's my takeaway advice. Oh, and if the hospital's visiting hours are restrictive, go shopping. It passes the time very quickly. 

My husband spotted the flyer in the photo above, advertising two different events. While he very much wanted to don some board shorts and attend the 'Surf Party', I knew that a) Dijon is landlocked and b) a Sunday flea market in a smallish French town three hours from Paris could only be one big fat boeuf bourgignon of an opportunity.  

So we went to the marché where the goods were indeed magnifique. And now, I'm listing all this fabulous French bric á brac in the shop next week. Without leaving your comfy armchair, without worrying about the exchange rate, without lugging packages through airport security, without fibbing to Customs, you can purchase the really cool French thingamabob that the hardworking security people thought could be a bomb.  

With any proceeds, I'm going to save for a legitimate trip to France where I can be footloose and fancy free, going to French movies with a bottle of wine under my arm, taking a river boat down the Seine, or climbing Mont Blanc in the summertime. 

See you next Friday. A tout á l'heures!

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