Travels With Halifax

Travels With Halifax

- Why an “Eye Pollution Relief Act”?
- How did Maurice reach his unfortunate and premature demise?
- Why does it seem that everyone in Turkey is a carpet seller?
- Is it true that you can't get a plumber to show up in France?

Do you ever think about selling the house, the cars, the furniture and sailing off to exotic places in a small boat? The sun is setting, a gentle breeze rustles the palm trees along the white sandy beach along which you are anchored. You sip a cold drink in good company and contemplate that life's not so bad. Maybe you'll take another swim in the crystal-clear water later. There are those moments, of course, as promised in the cruising magazines. But there's also that sinking feeling that you get when you use an ATM and discover that your retirement nest egg is again worth less than it was last week and a paycheck is a thing of the past. That gentle breeze is supposed to turn into a gale tomorrow (but it will probably happen at midnight) and your boat would look out of place between those two umbrellas on the beach.

Then your wife decides that she would much rather be planting wisteria than varnishing teak. So you take another leap into the financial abyss and buy an old farm in France (the romance just continues!) and compromise to spend half time there and half time on the boat. Life is a small southern French agricultural village has a charm all its own, but you're clearly not in Kansas anymore.

Jane and Fred Hoette sold the house, bought the boat and set off to the Mediterranean.

This book is a collection of amusing tales of contrasting cultures and lifestyles. Despite it all, they remain married to each other.