Retired journalists Dennis and Lesleyann Lingane spent 15 months living in Europe so Lesleyann could achieve a lifelong ambition to speak French like a native.
They chose the 13th century city of Chambéry in France’s Savoie region where Lesleyann attended the international college Institut Francais des Alpes located in the Chateau de Boigne on the edge of the picturesque and historic town and 20 minutres from the ski slopes.
This humorous sometimes poignant biographical account of their experiences mixing it with 20 year old international students and bar flies of the Bar St Michel in Chambery started as an offbeat diary of travel features to help finance the sabbatical but burgeoned into this book .
It presents a picture of the glamour of living in Europe dashing across the boarder to Geneva for Lunch, popping through the Mont Blanc Tunnel to Turin, drifting south to Monaco to embrace the Grand Prix, camping at Le Mans for the 24 hour event. All this made a breeze travelling in their Continental-R Bentley they shipped to Europe for the duration so Dennis was able to open it up to its 240km/h potential on the German Autobahns.
But they also share the hand to mouth existence as 65-year-old students when the Global Financial meltdown depleted their retirement play money.
Would they do it again – absolutely!
Enjoy !