Bienvenue

Alliterative title, check. Gratuitous use of a foreign language, check.

Welcome to the Year Abroad Blog™. Yes, you've read them before, and yes, they usually are acres of self-indulgent witticisms. This one probably won't be much different, but there will be infinitely less soul-searching and a whole lot more daytime drinking. It'll keep you abreast of both the giddy highs and apparent new "amis" I've been promised by the British Council, and the inevitable lows when I end up living with France's answer to Howard of Fresh Meat Fame. Think of it as a group skype session but without the awkward pauses and I get to spend longer trying to make it all vaguely amusing.

So, hold on tight, we're flying Ryanair to France's 3rd City,  The Manchester of The Alps, Lyon. (With a brief delay in the UK while I attempt to transform wading through French paperwork into an entry worthy of earning me a GQ column. Which is essentially the point of this blog.) On y va etc.