Escaping the Empty Nest

In Case You Missed It:

I'm New Here: Thoughts on Being a New Expat in France

I’m still in the honeymoon stage of life in France. Culture shock is due to set in soon, but for now I just think this place is lovely! Everything is pretty. Food is delicious. Groceries are affordable. The weather is nice. People are friendly. Here are some nice pictures for you...(read more)

My Blog is Having an Identity Crisis

I’m not having an identity crisis, but my blog is. I started this blog to document my weird journey through sending two-thirds of my kids off to college and traveling around the world for a year. Now the kids are in college and the traveling is done. The remaining kid is low-maintenance.
So, if this blog lives on, what kind of blog should it be?...(read more)

Dear Paris

Dear Paris,
I don’t know if you remember me, but I visited you a couple of times in the past few years. I was the one who spoke high school French and ate your snails and frog legs. In a black coat. Walked a lot. Ring any bells? Well, we had some good times together. I’m writing because...(read more)

Maldives: The Grumpy Post

In general, I try to keep it positive here at Escaping the Empty Nest. I want my readers to feel like the world is a big, beautiful place that is inviting and available. I want you to feel like people are wonderful and if we just meet them all there would be world peace because we will truly connect. I want you to be inspired. Today is just not that day. Maldives is a...(read more)

Movie Review: Beauty and the Beast

Whenever I see a movie being remade, I wonder if we really needed to remake the old one. Ghostbusters? Spiderman? Annie? Usually the answer is no. However, after seeing the new Beauty and the Beast, I can assure you that we need this new BATB. First of all, let me say that I’m done with kid movies, so this isn’t one. My youngest is 14, and I plan never...(read more)

How to Look More-or-Less Like Yourself Far from Home: A Personal Journey

When I travel, I usually just maintain my personal care as best I can until I get home. However, long-term travel is hard on a middle-aged body, so if I didn’t want to look like Tom Hanks in Castaway, I’d knew I’d need some extra TLC. Briefly, here was my personal care routine back...(read more)

What to do in Hong Kong (After Shopping, Eating, and Hiking)

I have spent quite a bit of time in Hong Kong, because my husband is a native Hong Konger and we’re based here for part of our trip-around-the-world this year. It’s a fast-paced and energetic city. Public transportation is great, it’s safe, people are civilized and helpful, and there’s...(read more)

Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep: February 2017

When you sell your house to travel, you give up your own bed and some privacy. But you might gain something else, like new friends or a new perspective. During this year of travel, I’m sure I’ll sleep in houses, hotels, and hostels. However, I also hope to find some unusual...(read more)

Should You Visit Japan?

Yes, you should. The end. Shortest post ever! JK LOL. But seriously, I think you’d really like it. But why chose it over any other Asian country? Why fly across the world for sushi? You probably didn’t take Japanese in high school, and you might never have watched The Seven Samurai. You might not even like fish. But there are still plenty of good...(read more)

Health and Long-term Travel: Eye Surgery in Japan

We had planned our Japanese trip like this: six days in Tokyo, then six days in Kyoto and Osaka. It didn’t quite work out like that. DAY 1: The first full day in Japan, after we got SIM cards and subway tickets, visited a bunny cafe, and bought a few groceries, while on the way to meet our friends Kaz and Andrea for dinner, Sam mentioned that he...(read more)

Japanese Public Toilets: Women's Edition

You’ve read my Squat Potty post, right? The one about the porcelain (if you’re lucky) hole in the floor where doing your duty requires planning and preparation? Well, in Japan, all those horrible memories can be neutralized by the wholesome goodness that is the Japanese public toilet.
By the way, male readers, I have no idea what goes on in...(read more)

Mangosteen

My first taste of mangosteen was not my choice. We were walking along a street in Shanghai and passed a vendor with two big baskets of these little plum-sized fruits. He had opened one and was offering passers-by tiny sections on a toothpick. We stopped and asked what they were, and he stuck a piece in my mouth! Unasked! Cheeky! If it had been...(read more)

Asaph

Sometimes you don’t do things because you want to, you do them because the people you love want to do them. For a variety of reasons, I have never wanted to go on a Segway. I don’t like wheel-y things like skates and skateboards and scooters. I’m a bit on the clumsy side. Also, I really like to walk--I like the feel of my legs like pistons marching me...(read more)

Jerusalem: My Kind of Town

I had expected to like Jerusalem. As someone who has been going to church for 50 years, I’m familiar with the material. I just didn’t know how much I’d like it. Jerusalem is oddly familiar and still exotic. It’s a beautiful mix of European, American, and Middle Eastern cultures. As a city, Jerusalem is beautiful. Most buildings and sidewalks are...(read more)

To All the Walls I've Loved Before

I’ve seen a lot of beautiful architecture during my travels: castles, cathedrals, mosques, bridges, towers, museums. However, one of the most interesting kinds of architecture I’ve come across is the wall. In ancient and medieval times, walls were the best way to protect a city, but after the medieval era, walls were deemed useless because of inventions...(read more)

Sometimes You Need a Tour: Israel

Remember what I wrote in my Budapest post about doing a DIY day tour or a group tour? Remember what my conclusion was? No? OK, let me refresh your memory. I said, “If you’re going on an African safari, or if you’re going to an unstable area, or if you need a sherpa to make sure you don’t die of exposure, a tour might be a good idea.” This...(read more)

Strong Naked Women

When I saw Picasso’s At the Cafe at the Albertina Museum in Vienna last month, I knew that Picasso had spoken the truth. A woman and a man sit in a cafe, the man fully dressed with a pipe and a drink. He stares straight ahead. The woman is naked, with no food before her. Her hair is elaborately coiffed, and I can tell you--hair that big takes...(read more)

I'm Yvonne, and this is my blog.
The kids are leaving, I’m retired, and I’ve got miles to go before I sleep. If you are as perplexed and excited as I am about the second half of your life, come eat, travel, and figure it out with me.

In Case You Missed It:

​Health and Long-term Travel: Eye Surgery in Japan

Health and Long-term Travel: Eye Surgery in Japan