About me

Hi Visitor, I’m Cris, originally from near Albany, New York, and now living in rural France. I arrived here on a circuitous route via Germany, Switzerland and Amsterdam.

I live in Haute Savoie with my family of four. I’m married with Aninia, from Switzerland, and we have two daughters, Daphne and Silvana, born 1999 and 2002, respectively, in Amsterdam.

We live in Designy, which is a village of around 600 people, in an old house with a lovely view, and in need of renovation. This is our current project.

Until recently, almost everybody who lived here belonged to a family who had been here for generations – mostly farmers. But Desingy is only about 45 minutes from Geneva, and recently lots of people have moved in who work in Geneva. Aninia works in Geneva. So we’re part of a pretty radical demographic shift in the region.

I have an enviable lifestyle, since I work for Independent IP in Amsterdam, and travel there often. The Amsterdam buzz and Desingy tranquility are a great combination. I work outside on the terrace, or at the kitchen table, and that’s a great luxury.

One of the things I enjoy most about living here is cycling. There are beautiful hills and quiet roads, and I can ride in every season. For that matter, France as a whole is certainly one of the nicest places for riding. For those who care, I ride a custom built Serrotta racing bike. I just have to recover now from my ACL operation, and get back into shape.