One of the many things I love about French culture is the association of traditional foods around the many holidays here. In Paris and the rest of France, February the 2th is the celebration of Chandeleur or the Festival of Lights. The majority of the French celebrate the holiday with crepes, but not in Marseille! …
Crepes or Orange Flower Cookies Celebrate Chandeleur(Festival of Lights) Read More »
All of us have months, dates, or seasons that we have associative memories, both good and bad. February is one month that brings back some painful and sad memories, wishing I could just as soon zoom past straight to March. I do not think I am any more superstitious than the average person, but perhaps …
This is the second time that I have been a victim of pickpocketing within a year! Once is already enough! This last time occurred after buying a ticket at the machine in Cité Universitaire RER rail station using my credit/debit card. Last Monday, Paris was still covered in snow as I scrambled in haste to …
You know what I really like to do in Budapest when it’s so blasted cold? Stay submerged up to my chin in bubbling hot thermal waters. With the steam rising off the waters, it creates a thick swirling mist that envelops my head and I feel transported to an ethereal calm of well-being, I always …
Here I am again with open arms embracing the Queen of the Danube for a few days. I guess you might find it strange that I am trading one snowy European capital for another, as if Paris is not not cold enough! Actually I was there about the same time last year, and despite the …
As an outsider and an American observer, I just had to roll my eyes and scratch my head over the recent protest march against a proposed law enabling homosexual marriage last weekend. Throngs of French citizens clogged the routes of Paris as they marched towards the Eiffel Tower, interrupting several bus lines and metro stops. …
The French Ironically Now Fighting to “Save” Marriage Read More »
As you might guess from the my title, I am not much of a fan of New Year’s resolutions. Not because they aren’t made in all sincerity. Most of the time they are! It is just they are by nature inviting resistance from the very people who made them! You! You might ask, but how …
My almost little misadventure started out innocently enough after I had just finished putting the final touches on my last post. The sun was setting and felt I better get my walk in now, knowing the park closes at 5:45pm in the winter due to the early darkness. I got there at just before 5:30, …
Most Christmases are what we make them, but for myself and others I am sure, there is a cloud of sadness behind the tree and all the trimmings this year. In light of the very recent slaughter of 20 children, it is hard to get pass this and be so very merry. Perhaps it ripped …
Wishing You a Merrier Christmas, From a Grateful Heart Read More »
It is always the same following a mass killing. We weep and pray for the victims, but no action is ever done towards prevention. I am personally sickened by this cultural lassitude in our country that continues to deplore these heinous acts of violence, yet does absolutely nothing to change laws that would at …
I read with much sadness about the suicide of the nurse who helped care for the Duchess of Cambridge. She hung herself after being fooled into thinking she was talking to a member of the royal family and passed the call through to one of her colleagues. There is a lot we do not …
Suicide Following Public Humiliation, The Last Straw Read More »
I had read about romance scams and the stories of those exploited, but until recently had never talked directly to a victim. Apparently the scams have become more sophisticated and prolific in targeting victims. The amount of money lost is staggering and the emotional damage is vast and scaring. Traditional internet meeting sites can …