I have been away on my annual February grief getaway. This time I chose to explore some Austrian Alpine spas sandwiched between a few days in Vienna. Getaway is a misnomer in so far as there is no getting away from grief. Yet, travel does offer somewhat an alternative distraction of sorts, not avoidance by …
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 …
Paris is always a feast for the eyes, but recently the strike had limited my getting around to enjoy all of its beauty as I usually like to do. Now it is fears of a virus. I finally was able to zoom out of my arrondissement last week when the metro was running almost back …
First It Was The Strike, Now Virus Fears Are Keeping Me Put Read More »
In 36 years of practice, I have seen and heard of some of the most unbelievably tragic tales of people being caught in relationships, where the seeds of dissent and dissolution were there from the start! It is like the signs of heartbreak were already blinking like a neon sign, that were overlooked or …
Maybe you have been pumped up to rush out into the New Year like a snorting bull roaring and bucking to break out of the rodeo gate of the New Year, hell-bent on shoving yourself into your New Year Resolutions. Some of you already know that I am not a big fan of New Year …
Tweaking Your Life, Instead Of New Year Resolutions Read More »
I struggle with the word “merry” as applied to Christmas celebrations coming up perhaps as some of you do also. Without wanting to sound emotionally austere, merriness departed from my holiday celebrations after the death of my son 2 years ago. Don’t get me wrong, I continue to strive to find moments of joy and …
Replacing The Merry In Christmas With Meaningful Read More »
French strikers are not showing any glimpses of backing down. So far, the strike has been extended to Wednesday and I won’t be surprised if it continues even longer. I would venture to say that if you had their plum retirement age and pensions promised to you when you were hired, you would be out …
French Strikers Have Reason To Fight For Their Plum Retirements. Read More »
Black Friday craziness has unfortunately invaded France, but there is also a strong resisting push here to make it Green Friday instead! So what is Green Friday and from where did it come? Green Friday is a completely different French mindset resisting relentless promotion of consumerism, greed, and exploitation of others and of the planet. …
Le Grand Palais is a beautiful building created for the world exhibition of 1900, which hosts multiple events throughout the year. Trying to “bring” Rungis to Parisians was not one of their best. Rungis is not the prettiest word, nor a pretty village, but is famous for housing the humongous former “belly of Paris” Les …
Rungis Au Grand Palais, Great Quality, Pretty Displays But Limited In Scope Read More »
Pierre Gassendi was the first to observe and describe the transit of Mercury across the sun in 1631, a rare occurrence that was repeated this past Monday. In the early seventeenth century, he was seen as one of the most gifted scientists, astronomers and philosophers of his time, yet he was also a Catholic priest. …
Pierre Gassendi Built Bridges Between God And Science Read More »
My son André Alexandre loved well made dark chocolate from the best artisanal chocolatiers here. I always enjoyed bringing him some from the finest chocolate makers in Paris each time I flew across the pond to visit him. He also enjoyed going with me to these salons when he was a culinary student at Ferrandi. …
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 »