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 …
I had decided last Saturday to take photos of the Gilets Jaunes during their manifestation on the Champs Élysée. I am glad my plans changed! I had even thought of wearing my own gilet jaune as a token of my sympathy. I, along with 72% of the French people, at that time, was initially supportive of their movement …
Will A Temporary Moratorium Stop The Explosive Angry Waves Of Les Gilets Jaunes? Read More »
Paris would never be Paris without the Seine. Paris was birthed in the middle of it, on Ile de la Cité, one of the most prominent islands that dot along the whole river. The banks of the Seine, called quais in French, have now officially returned back to Parisians, who were deprived many years of …
Banks Of Seine Return To Parisians And A Bit Of Cheese Read More »
Walking the sidewalks of Paris is the very best way to see and feel the energy of the city, yet it can be hazardous. Dodging people, sidestepping the pigeons and not sliding on wet gooey leaves are already enough. At least there will be one less thing to watch out for though. No, I am not …
Parisian Sidewalks Just Got A Little Less Hazardous 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 »
When it rains, it pours, it seems. Mishaps, mischance and misfortune like Rabelais said, never come alone! They come totally unexpected, suddenly disrupting our everyday lives and throwing us into time spent fixing them we ordinarily would avoid like the plague. October is a transition month, so not surprisingly there are serious earthly rumbles of hurricanes, floods …
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 »
You never know how much you can miss a thumb, unless well, you can’t use one! When the useless thumb belongs to your dominant hand, you miss it even more! Hand surgery on my thumb 13 days ago kept me from writing any new posts up until now. First, it was in a splint and even …
As a neophyte therapist, I was really surprised to find that well more than half of my patients, majority female, had suffered from some sort of sexual abuse. Due to hand surgery last Thursday, I am republishing this updated article, as I can not type much with any ease. Sexual assault is the unwanted and …
I don’t think anybody sets out to be an expert in grief, not even therapists unless they have suffered a personal loss and find themselves in the upheavals of grieving. Last week, I found myself thrown out of my usual coping wagon, which is never a guarantee to stay on the rails in the first …
Heading north is not in my general nature, as my southern instincts pulls me more on a southerly route, except occasionally it seems in September when cooler temperatures beckon my spirit. I am likewise pulled towards the sea as if I need the views and sea air for my well being and just pure enjoyment. The …
Up The Northern French and Belgium Coast Onto Holland 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 …