June is Pride month when Pride parades allow LGBTQ+ people to come out and be as wild, outlandish, and exuberantly flamboyant as they want. It’s all great fun and a joyous occasion to be seen and heard. Being who you are is about the healthiest accomplishment you can do in living your life. It’s the …
The fact that Notre Dame is still standing is said to have been a miracle. The mere reality that you and I are still here having survived so far the 8th deadliest global pandemic is also a miracle! Sunday, I spent a good part of my afternoon doing what I love to do on a …
Notre Dame, A Symbol of Our Own Resiliency, Renewal and Resurrection Read More »
Hemmingway described Paris being a movable feast. Certainly, it is with all the beautiful sights, but also a tantalizing olfactory feast for your nose! Because of recent confinements, when I couldn’t go around as freely as before, I started to be more nostalgic of some of the marvelous smells of Paris. I don’t go anywhere …
After a week of sub-zero temperatures, the weather flip-flopped with a sneak preview of spring. A rare treat in February for Paris! My first thoughts were a walk in nature. With a 6pm curfew, wherever we went, it had to be close to Paris, so as not to be stuck in the habitual bumper-to-bumper late …
Château Gardens, Church of Miracles and Covid Reflections Read More »
Well, the Christmas flea market was a surprise, at least to me. I looked down last Friday evening and saw the telltale white booths lining up on the Avenue! Never saw any banners announcing it, which I find strange. But Paris is always full of surprises! I am not a huge fan of them in …
A Surprise Christmas Market Springs Up Overnight Below Me Read More »
I better get going soon! The striated sky is slowly turning a deeper shade of steel grey. That dark cloud coming in seems to be settling lower. Rain perhaps? Halfway out the door, I realize that I forgot to fill out my attestation(authorization form) needed during our strict confinement. I duck back in to complete …
It happened on Wednesday, October 1. Suddenly out of the blue. No warnings, no alerts, just boom! All it took was one second to throw me into feeling practically disabled. I thought that I was up for the job! I felt like Superwoman facing the task in the beginning. After a year and a half …
Delivery From Back Pain Misery And Lessons Learned (I Hope) Read More »
Sometimes things don’t go the way you want, despite what I thought was careful planning. T’was the case a Sunday two weeks ago when I stood in line waiting patiently to get into the Institue National d’Histoire de l’Art. Les Journées Patrimoine, (heritage days) is something I look forward to each September. It is when …
When My Special Plans Went Awry, Ordinary Paris Scenes Saved The Day Read More »
As I saw the sun rising over the rooftops, I greeted my birthday with much gratitude. Another year to behold that would offer seeds of hope and joys to be gathered and shared. Birthdays are more of a challenge to me since I lost my son and with this year, I felt additional rays of …
Each time, I prepared “mes sorties”, or outings, during confinement, I would feel this slight anxiety as I went through my mental checklist. Authorization QR code or paper? Did I fill it out correctly? Did I bring my French ID card? Am I going beyond the allotted one kilometer? My mask? After all, I had …
Anybody who lives in Paris will have to get used to living in small spaces. Downsizing is essential if you want to live in lilliputian Parisian apartments! When I came here over 20 years ago, the sudden transition to suddenly living in a small place wasn’t really difficult. After all, I arrived with 3 suitcases …
Rue Mouffetard has long been one of my favourite foodie streets for several reasons. Crammed with a jumble of eclectic food stalls, the ambience can easily whisk me back to medieval Paris. Rue Mouffetard has stayed “dans son jus”. A colourful French way of saying that it has remained unchanged or still basking in “it’s …
Rue Mouffetard, A Medieval Looking Food Street In Paris Read More »