My very first time to arrive in Paris was the beginning of autumn many years ago, when I was a young and naive student. Though it was only September the 5th, I well remember the day. As soon as I stepped off the Air France plane, I was ill-prepared for the shock of the very …
The Moulin Rouge just celebrated their 130 year anniversary of the French Cancan! It was October 6, 1889, when they first opened their doors in Montmartre. To celebrate this anniversary, the Moulin Rouge put on a spectacular Sound and Light show Sunday, complete with their famous Cancan dancers where I braved the crowds in front …
Moulin Rouge Paris 130 Year Anniversary Of French Cancan Read More »
La Petite Ceinture has regained some its glory and a new life, with a recent celebration, including an amusing Drag Queen Pétanque event! The French value restoring most old buildings and entities of merit, rather than tearing them down. This includes an abandoned old railway, La Petite Ceinture that once circled Paris. Deep trenches were …
La Petite Ceinture Of Paris, An Abandoned Old Railway Gets New Life Read More »
Little did I know that my birthday was going to be a mind-blowing surprise! I literally had zero idea, absolutely not even a tiny hint! I was totally taken off guard and astonished! All I knew was that I had made plans to attend noon Mass, take in something beautiful to see and then get …
Some of the weird and wicked sounding street names of Paris I encounter bring smiles or wonder. Some are just plain laughable! The more reasonable ones are historic in nature indicating that this street or area was well known for certain tradesmen or merchants. Some are a dead give off of what you presume they …
No, It is not my imagination, Paris is getting hotter with more heatwaves each summer! That is not necessarily a terrible thing, but it is becoming really difficult without air conditioning! Heatwaves here are called a “canicule”, which has its roots in the Latin word for a dog, canis. As Sirius the brightest star in …
Saint Sulpice is the adopted church of Notre Dame, while the burned cathedral is being renovated. The Archbishop of Paris and Notre Dame clergy give masses there on Sunday evenings at 6:30 pm, until they will eventually switch to Saint Eustache. Saint Sulpice is actually only a little smaller than Notre Dame, has a massive …
My beautiful aunt Margaret was like a second mother who was always there for me. I loved her very much. She always had a marvellous huge garden wherever she lived and it was she who nurtured my own passion for gardening. Most of her adult life she lived in New Orleans Louisiana. I have many …
The sun finally returned after a seemingly too long absence and it was just what I needed to stroll around Ile de La Cité and Ile Saint Louis, a favourite walk. The heart of Paris still revolves around Notre Dame! Notre Dame from Le Pont Saint Michel looked eerily almost the same, even though minus …
Ile de la Cité And Ile Saint Louis After Notre Dame Fire Read More »
Atelier du Temps Passé is a fabulous workshop and most unusual school! Let me take you inside to see the incredible work these students are training to master a rare craft and little known career; art restorers!! Knowledge of ancient techniques and modern science are the tools of the trade for restorers of art. Students there learn to …
A Very Unusual Workshop And School Training Rare Professional Art Restorers Read More »
You can never get enough joy, nor love, nor beauty in life! Unfortunately, these exquisite moments that brings sweetness to living rarely just fly into your lap, so we have to seek them out. Paris offers such an abundance of beautiful art that it can be hard to choose which place to go to next, …
Basking In Beauty Of Impressionists At Musée d’Orsay Read More »
Seeking refuge from a difficult world, I find the extraordinary beautiful Saint Lucia procession is like being uplifted to an ethereal cloud of song and beauty. Saint Lucia day is a very popular Christmas celebration in Sweden, recreated by the Swedish church of Paris and by Swedish students here. The approaching Christmas season carries …