# A French Lens This Substack is about me, an American woman, her camera, and France. I am equal parts dreamer, equal parts measured. Come follow the journey as I write about living out my dream of moving to France as a photographer. Page: Feed: --- ## [Episode 11: Moving to France: Cell Phones, Apartment Hunting, and Cats — Small Challenges from Our First Few Weeks](https://afrenchlens.substack.com/p/episode-11-moving-to-france-cell) _2026-08-16 · Abbie In France_ This podcast episode of A French Lens follows Abbie and Jeff through their first few weeks living in the Loire Valley, recorded during a brutal heat wave in their un-air-conditioned stone apartment. [Listen](https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/211458834/3a5f91ac5d28cb79b23e7239b8008a45.mp3) ## [What life looks like after three weeks in France](https://afrenchlens.substack.com/p/what-life-looks-like-after-three) _2026-08-13 · Abbie In France_ Permission to call France home ## [Episode 10: Visiting the châteaux of the Loire Valley](https://afrenchlens.substack.com/p/episode-10-visiting-the-chateaux) _2026-08-12 · Abbie In France_ With over 300 châteaux scattered across the Loire Valley, where do you even start? [Listen](https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/210895180/060b27426c96dfafe60616737fbc7a9d.mp3) ## [Episode 9: Blois, France. First impressions, no edits.](https://afrenchlens.substack.com/p/episode-9-blois-france-first-impressions) _2026-08-03 · Abbie In France_ We love it! [Listen](https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/209684747/728833ab77a3073a544caadf4b1764e7.mp3) ## [Less sure of the version of America I grew up with](https://afrenchlens.substack.com/p/less-sure-of-the-version-of-america) _2026-07-29 · Abbie In France_ "A pillar to stabilize themselves from within..." ## [Episode 8: How Our Cats Made It To France](https://afrenchlens.substack.com/p/how-our-cats-made-it-to-france) _2026-07-27 · Abbie In France_ Two cats, a plane, and a very late USDA form. [Listen](https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/208702082/b1283451dd52f09e3c9ca78326397bdc.mp3) ## [A Little Discovery of Music in France](https://afrenchlens.substack.com/p/a-little-discovery-of-music-in-france) _2026-07-25 · Abbie In France_ Practicing John Williams in a 12th-Century Nave ## [Four days remain before our move to France](https://afrenchlens.substack.com/p/four-days-remain-before-our-move) _2026-07-18 · Abbie In France_ Before it becomes a story ## [What 11 days out from a move to France looks like for me](https://afrenchlens.substack.com/p/what-11-days-out-from-a-move-to-france) _2026-07-11 · Abbie In France_ As we move closer to single digit days before our move, life and time are moving rapidly. ## [Episode 7: How do you say good-bye before a move?](https://afrenchlens.substack.com/p/episode-7-saying-good-bye-before) _2026-07-09 · Abbie In France_ We’re under two weeks out now, still packing two-thirds of a house, still working through a quarter of the people we need to see. [Listen](https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/206321776/510db2b36beae78c8816c64a13e989fe.mp3) ## [Accept your Doppler invite (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/ENQGdg4Zrwdp) _2026-07-09 · **Sponsored**_ Create your Doppler account using the invite code you received. ## [Episode 6: Packing Up a Life to Start Anew in France](https://afrenchlens.substack.com/p/episode-6-packing-up-a-life-to-start) _2026-07-02 · Abbie In France_ Episode 6 of A French Lens tackles the messy reality of packing up ten years of life into four checked bags and two carry-ons, twenty days before departure. [Listen](https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/204654305/9a88aa2e7cd04e8db93bf7a0c98ecee0.mp3) ## [Episode 5: What It Really Feels Like to Close the Chapter on a Career You've Known for Decade(s)](https://afrenchlens.substack.com/p/what-it-really-feels-like-to-close) _2026-06-28 · Abbie In France_ Abbie has two days left as a psychiatric nurse practitioner and Jeff finished up teaching earlier this month. [Listen](https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/204015384/d0641213493bbb329d8f197c1d0fc558.mp3) ## [Three weeks to go until our move to France](https://afrenchlens.substack.com/p/three-weeks-to-go-until-our-move) _2026-06-27 · Abbie In France_ This past week has been a doozy. ## [Episode 4: 29 Visas and a Master's Thesis](https://afrenchlens.substack.com/p/episode-4-29-visas-and-a-masters) _2026-06-25 · Abbie In France_ Navigating the French Visa Process [Listen](https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/203483350/b8e1201c8197e3302335af922935ed97.mp3) ## [Episode 3: Why Blois? How We Chose Our French Home](https://afrenchlens.substack.com/p/why-blois-how-we-chose-our-french) _2026-06-23 · Abbie In France_ On this podcast, we piggy-back on our last episode, making the decision to move to France. [Listen](https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/203169771/77afb60281bb17ef391d7f0ac106f2c1.mp3) ## [Episode 2: When Your Husband Says, "I Don't Want to Move to France"](https://afrenchlens.substack.com/p/episode-2-when-your-husband-says) _2026-06-22 · Abbie In France_ You’ve thought it through, made the spreadsheets, half-packed the metaphorical bags. [Listen](https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/203017946/8456d47a14ba3e0ce5914a26d0ec5f30.mp3) ## [Episode 1: How We Decided to Move to France](https://afrenchlens.substack.com/p/episode-1-how-we-decided-to-move) _2026-06-21 · Abbie In France_ The backstory of our move to France. [Listen](https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/203003070/8dd2dc6d43be413464586aeec7b9239d.mp3) ## [I'm Leaving My Career in American Healthcare to Move to France](https://afrenchlens.substack.com/p/im-leaving-my-career-in-american) _2026-06-20 · Abbie In France_ In the fall of 2025, four happenings occurred in succession that were a tipping point for me. ## [Thursday Was Not The Reminder I Wanted](https://afrenchlens.substack.com/p/thursday-was-not-the-reminder-i-wanted) _2026-06-13 · Abbie In France_ C'mon Man... ## [Licensed Dispensaries, Pay with Crypto (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/BtK4mOgGicvB) _2026-06-13 · **Sponsored**_ Search verified licensed dispensaries and pay with Bitcoin, Lightning, or stablecoins. ## [How Close Ups of Flowers Are Keeping Me Grounded](https://afrenchlens.substack.com/p/how-close-ups-of-flowers-are-keeping) _2026-06-06 · Abbie In France_ Forty-six days until France