La France

after all, l’Hexagone est la bestagone

After our big trip to Japan in March and April 2025, I only got to spend one night at home before going right back to SFO.

Third continent and fourth country in two days. Ugh.

6 April 2025

I had to go to Sophia Antipolis for the spring meeting of W3C’s Advisory Committee, held by ERCIM (W3C’s European partner), and hosted at Inria.

I was on the upper deck of a BA A380 for the SFO–LHR leg of my travel. I love how quiet it is up there.

Bonjour, NCE!

6 April 2025

I arrived in the afternoon on Sunday, rented a car, and drove to Antibes. This was my first time driving in France, which was the part of the trip I wasn’t looking forward to. 🔰 It ended up not being that bad, though I did accidentally get on the freeway one time and that wasn’t fun at all.

A wooded peninsula separates the sea from a clear sky. — Antibes’ coast

A mountainous peninsula separates a cloudy sky from the sea. — Massif de l’Esterel

Antibes really is a lovely city, and the spring is a great time to be in town. This was my third visit. I was last here two years ago, for another AC meeting. Before that, I came for a CSSWG meeting in 2014.

A small street meanders uphill. Colorful Mediterranean buildings line it on both sides. A woman is walking a dog up the street, away from the camera. — Streets of Antibes

A cobblestone street lined with restaurants and shops stretches away from the camera. Suspended above the street are many colorful paper lanterns. A group of people stand on the street in the center of the frame. — Streets of Antibes

Hello from day 1 of w3c’s spring Advisory Committee meeting!

7 April 2025

TPAC and the spring AC meeting are work, of course, but they’re also reunions—annual opportunities to see a whole bunch of friends and colleagues. It was particularly nice to catch up with Brian, Chris, Coralie, Elena, Elika , Eric, Florian, Ian, Jaunita, Léonie, Matthew, Max, Tantek, Tristan, Wendy, and Yves. I’ve certainly unintentionally left some off this list. Sorry!

There was a reception one night on a rooftop in Cannes. Lovely view, lively conversations.

A blue coast guard cutter floats in calm waters under a clear sky.

A photo of the rooftops within a Mediterranean city. Most of the roofs are made of tan/orange terracotta tiles, as is common in the region. A medieval stone tower stands on a hill in the left of the frame. The French tricolour hangs from a flagpole on the top of the tower.