Yesterday I headed out to see the Christmas lights and decorations before they are put away for another year. Little did I know that thousands of others, be it tourists or locals had the very same idea! First stop was to the Tour Eiffel seen from the bridge, which I find is the most romantic …
Christmas depression is real and very painful for so many people. If you are coming onto the holiday period with depression, in grief due to a loss of a relationship, health, aloneness or other painful situations, then the symptoms can be quite magnified during the holidays. Trust me, no one choses to be depressed, in …
I don’t think that I could have ever been a monk or nun, but It looks like I am becoming one in the middle of the night. No, I am not waking up to the bells of matins, but frankly I might as well, as if these middle of the night awakenings are getting quite …
Too much of too much can be a good thing now and then! If the ultimate wine show wasn’t enough to take me on full blast, then comes the Saveur’s ultimate gourmet food show. Neck to neck weekends with these two monumental dazzlers is a guarantee to be either enthralled, broke or both! …
I ended up having this insatiable craving to have dressing this past weekend, despite the fact that I had not planned on having a traditional Thanksgiving meal. For me, the feast is not totally translatable here, without the rest of my family, and besides I was busy with the ultimate wine salon. But by …
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 …
Chocoholics were in chocolate heaven this weekend at the Salon de Chocolate, an annual affaire that is hugely popular here. A chocolate extravaganza and orgy all wrapped into one spectacular show that delivered on its promise to dazzle. And dazzle it did! As soon as I walked in, the aroma of chocolate engulfed me, …
Frankly, its been a long time since I took courses at the Sorbonne. I was a just a mere naive little 20-year-old, overwhelmed with excitement and joy to be in Paris for the first time in my life. Back then I took Cours de la Civilisation Francaise de la Sorbonne, which still exists today. I …
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, …
You gotta love the French when it comes to pleasures of all kind, be it wine, art, food and love! Not your everyday experience to find a working vineyard in a Parisian hospital, but Paris is known for her little surprising secrets! Hopital Bretonneau, up in Montmartre, has been growing grapes since 2001, with …
As the Hermitage came into my eyesight, I felt a distinct emotional flush and great sense of wonder approaching this monumental museum that was one of my primary reasons of coming to Saint Petersburg. The exterior is painted in a lovely soft mint green framed with white mouldings that gives it an overall feminine allure, …
Last Sunday, by some synchronistic event, I found myself immersed again in Russian culture, except this time, it was in Paris! I had been lamenting that I couldn’t stay in Saint Petersburg longer than 72 hours, because I entered Russia visa free on the Russian ferry line, which however is a good thing, …
Synchronistic Russian Sunday and My Own Strange Icon Story Read More »