After the strict confinement in Paris finally was relaxed to some degree, I found myself craving to flee to the sea. Oceans for me offer the most healing and revitalizing energy available from mother earth! I first thought of Biarritz in the southern part of coastal France near the Basque country and the border of …
My Mini Abbey Retreat By The Sea Near Saint Malo, Part One Read More »
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 …
My longings to return to Rocamadour took on a rather sudden mysterious calling again about 7 days ago. Out of the blue, I decided to go back to Rocamadour for another procession of Notre Dame de Rocamadour, this time to celebrate her nativity on September the 8th, which is a major feast day for Catholics …
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 …
[instagram-feed]Wherever I travel, food and culinary traditions always capture my interest as one of the most important and enjoyable things to seek out. Croatia may not be a sought after culinary destination, such as France, but there are some wonderful foods and terrific wines to enjoy! You would think that any country with 1,200 islands …
I realise that bitter oranges, cannoli and tears have no particular association with each other, nor with anyone else but myself. But blogging is writing down in many ways what’s on my mind, so voila, here it is. I have made no secret that February and March are difficult months for me. Grief slumps or sometimes valleys …
I realise that saints, sausages and red wines don’t go together, but they just happened to have been my new travel discoveries and delights from my latest trip through the French Jura mountains and the upper Rhone valley of Switzerland. Each one was certainly meritorious in their own right, and anyways I always seek spiritual …
Saint Maurice, Superb Artisanal Sausages, And A Sublime Red Wine Read More »
I felt a longing to be around an abbey in the silence of the countryside as Thursday was All Saints Day, a holiday here in France and the next day the celebration of the dead, a difficult weekend for me, even more so since the death of my son. Families go to the cemeteries to honor their …
Ancient Abbey, Soup Festival, And Healing Vichy Waters Read More »
Truffle hunting in Champagne? I had never heard of truffles from Champagne before, except the chocolate ones made to look like Champagne corks of course. Truffles generally come from two areas in France, Provence, and the Perigord region, and I have never even thought I going truffle hunting before. While on my recent grape picking adventure …
Hunting Truffles And Other Discoveries In Champagne Read More »
The sky was a glorious cerulean blue with nary a cloud in view for the Champagne harvest as I crouched in the hot sun trying to snip off a cluster of blue grapes without cutting my fingers! I was as proud as can be of filling up my basket with those hard to get to …
I always enjoy going to Budapest, a two hour plus flight from Paris, for the foods and wines and other reasons. Last week, I wanted to go beyond to the pretty Lake Balaton area for an unusual thermal lake. Whereas my last two winter visits were so cold that the Danube had frozen into huge chunks …
I always look forward to the biggest farm show in Paris, the Salon de L’Agriculture. I know is will be crowded, and I know I will come back exhausted with some sad feelings about the animals seen and adored. It is a once a year humongous farm extravaganza and immersion into all aspects of …