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Celebrating International Nurse’s Day, The Lady With The Lamp

I proudly present guest blogger and my talented daughter Aimée Grosz, who has had the courage, and fortitude to practice nursing in three foreign settings.  I can’t think of anyone more qualified to write about experiences in transcultural nursing, than Aimée!   Today is May 12th, and It’s the first time I’m actually aware and …

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Sainte Anne Psychiatric Hospital in Paris, A Hidden Sanctuary of Nature and Art.

A haven of beautiful peace amongst flowers and statues is tucked away inside the walls of  Hôpital Sainte Anne, which is the main psychiatric hospital of Paris.  Nature and art covers the whole hospital campus, offering visual stimulation of beauty as part of the healing process. The gardens are so lovely that guided tours take …

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Moulin Rouge Shoes and Other Tales of Feet

While meandering around Pigalle, in preparation for an upcoming post, I ran across this  very interesting store window that captured my eye.  Thought I would share it  just for a fun peek into the many interesting finds awaiting discovery in every nook and cranny here. I wasn’t planning on writing much, but a sprained  foot/ankle …

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Tis The Season Of Hope Eternal

To me Easter isn’t just one day but a season of hope, resurrection, rebirth and renewal. Of all of these, hope is the most important aspect that provides the momentum to break through the barriers that lock us in sadness, grief, dismay, sickness, loneliness, heartbreak, or any other human bondage. Hope is like a beautiful …

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Easter Chocolates and Cherry Trees

  Easter chocolates and cherry trees have little in common, except that they both appear in the spring.  Nevertheless, in the past week, I have had long and fruitful walks discovering both again. The first one was a 14 kilometer walk through three of the prettiest parks south of Paris in the suburbs of Sceaux, …

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Skiing Drunks In The Alps

If avalanches weren’t bad enough, now you have to be on the lookout for drunk skiers!  According to ski patrol monitors in Austria and in France,  there is a growing problem of dodging inebriated skiers. We already know the dangers of driving a car , flying an airplane , or piloting a boat under the …

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Contamination Fears or Germaphobia

Contamination fears, germaphobia or mysophobia are all the same and all fall under the broader  and complex diagnosis of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.  Fear of germs in its most severe form,  can be very debilitating; literally isolating and keeping the victim from living any normalcy of life. Obsessive compulsive hand washing is probably the most well know …

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Rainer Maria Rilke; The Tortured Nomade

If there ever was a poet that I had almost a fetish admiration for , it would have to be Rainer Maria Rilke.  His poems and writing touch a part of my psyche that no other writer/poet can.       He is considered the most famous of German-speaking poets, and is known for his, …

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Blog en Petit Pause

Chasing the sun again, by going north! However strange it might be, Scandinavia was having a wave of perfectly clear blue skies and with a surprisingly hot sun! Stockholm was wonderful, with much warmer temperatures  than Paris.  Sunday took an overnight ferry to Tallinn, Estonia.  Tallinn is a true medieval jewel of the Baltics! Enjoying …

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France Welcomes Bare Breasts Femen Protestor

France has offered a safe harbor to bare beasts, at least those belonging to Inna Shevchenko, who comes from Kiev, Ukraine. Inna, aged 23, is one of the cofounders of Femen, which was started in 2008, in her native country to protest various feminist causes. For those unaware of Femen, they are a group of …

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Weekend Frenzy of Tropical Dancers Plus More

The summer sun finally arrived in Paris after a very long absence. Surprisingly hot temperatures(for Paris) have replaced the cool drizzly days that seemly lingered on since winter. Firing it up the most last Saturday was the feverishly wild and dazzling music of the Carnival Tropical parade. Actually, this past weekend was one of those …

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Louisiana Purchase Announced on July 4th 1803

Thomas Jefferson, the 3rd president of the United States of America, announced on July the 4th, 1803 to the American public, that their country had just about doubled in size due to the Louisiana Purchase. Of course the residents, living in that vast swath of land west of the entire Mississippi river did not even …

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