Not yet, but we may retire here in 10 years.

Kiwi, if you have the chance... I have only seen 1/100th of it and I’m already in awe.

Well, instead of the "heat of the South" I have found New England. I am currently in New Hampshire and forgot to bring a jacket for these brisk mornings!

I have never been to this State and I must say it is quite nice! I will be here till the end of the month staring at a crystal clear lake and killer sunsets....

The lobster rolls are good too!

Still in Tuscany. I think I could live here. Amazing that I can follow conversations for about 70%, after only 2 months. Shopping etc. is not a problem. The old brain still seems to work a bit. Then again, it was that or starve.

Went to an open air concert last night. They told me to bring a jacket as it would be cold. And sure enough, it was only...23°C

Bought a cooling mat for the dog. It took the old guy 10 seconds to “get it”. What is it they say about old dogs & new tricks. (PS: they work really really well!)

Off to catch a few rays of sunshine, can’t work all day now can I!

Low of 18C last here last night....thought I was going to die for sure! Spent the day in the mountains near Mt. Washington and this place is downright beautiful!

Wide-O, I am impressed with your language skills; I suspect that they put my very rusty school-boy French to shame. Good that your dog figured out how to use the cooling mat so quickly and that it works .

Icehouse, I envy you the lobster rolls and will swap my 4 C overnight for your 18 C anytime .

Ooh, chilly Icehouse!

Kiwi, it is one of the advantages of growing up in a tiny country. Only half speaks Flemish, so at 8 years old we were also taught French (for 10 years), at 10 we add English and at 11 or 12 German. I also learned Dutch, which is 90 % the same as Flemish. Note that Flemish, French, and German are all official Belgian languages. So most of us learn 3 to 4 languages as a kid. Add some Spanish, and you get the “hang” of it. Everybody in the world (well, say most) know basic English, so you guys are never “forced” to speak another language. We are - which is great.

Learning from books or apps is one thing, living in it for 2 months an entirely different one, as you connectt the words to places, dates, people etc.

Language also has its music, which helps me. I can not begin to describe how rich you are when you can watch difficult comedy in French, or Formula 1 in German (commentary by Niki Lauda...). It’s like new worlds opening up.

All movies and series are subtitled, so I grew up knowing a few words of English when I was 5, watching Mannix.

Kids suck up languages, almost by osmosis, so that’s what we should be doing in schools all over the world. Language unlocks cultures, and makes it very difficult to become racist; it all becomes part of you.

Here endeth the preaching LOL

Preach it!

I watch French movies on Amazon just to keep the skills up