January 31, 2018

Paris in 50 shades of grey

Yet another rainy day and the monotony is starting to seriously dent the Parisian's state of mind. A promotional holiday deal to St. Lucia spotted in the Sunday Times seems increasingly enticing!?! Maybe I will take a tour of the four listed greenhouses at Les Grandes Serres and meander the profuse tropical forests of the Botanical Garden this afternoon?


La Grande Dame de Fer always looks good, no matter what the weather


The Statue of Liberty might have her feet standing in water soon?


Searching for alternative entertainment to keep up the spirits.


Spot the metro above ground


Looking rather grey...


Even the Grand Palais has lost its sparkle.


Architectural buildings actually look better in shades of grey


Looking at the current tear around a sculpture from the top of the Les Invalides bridge.

January 28, 2018

When the water hits Paris

The Seine in Paris has been flooding for days and is set to reach a peak of nearly six metres this afternoon. Giving in to my curiosity and ... I am honest, feeling chuffed Roger has won the Australian Open (hop Schwiiz!) ... curiosity got the better of me. Taking hubby by his hand we headed towards the Eiffel Tower and started our Sunday afternoon stroll along the river with the millions of tourists.

Roads and paths along the river have been closed off and the metro line running alongside the river has been suspended in the central section. The Louvre has closed the lower level and the Musée d'Orsay and L'Orangerie are also on high alert.

River traffic has long been halted on the Seine, which is normally packed with tour boats and owners of the city's picturesque houseboats worry their vessels might drift into the quais or the next bridge given the very strong current at which the water is flowing beneath the century old arches.

The river has not quite hit the six meter level from 2016 nor "La crue de la Seine de 1910" where the Seine reached 8,62m. Nevertheless, everyone is wondering: What will happen in the years to come?


Quais and Riverbanks are blocked off near the Eiffel Tower


The "peniche" house boats are moored from every angle.


The Bateau mouche tourist boats are unreachable by foot.


"Due to the flood, departures are cancelled today"


This Parisian resident is having a field day.


Lamp posts sticking out the water like sad sunflowers 


The Zouave statue - traditionally used as a gauge to see how high the river is - has the water well up to his cape!

January 27, 2018

Look on the sunny side

Ironic that the idiom of the day popping up on my computer this morning is: look on the sunny side (of life/things)

Even though the definition is to view one's life, situation, or circumstances with a generally optimistic and cheerful attitude; to focus on what is positive in life it seems hard to do so when winter has been one of the darkest ever. Paris has been through 3 months of solid rainfall beating a 100-year record of precipitation.

Paris region clocked 10 hours of sunshine by mid-January when the monthly norm should be 63. Needless to say Madrid's average hours of sunlight for the first month of the year is 148. And then you wonder why I am always escaping to Spain!

Health experts say a shortage of sunshine can lead to seasonal depression, whose symptoms include a lack of energy, a desire to sleep and a perceived need to consume greater quantities of sugar and fat.

Therefore... bring on the chocolate!

January 24, 2018

Nonna's favourite family recipe

It seemed fitting to share one of Nonna's recipes today. I have taken a page out of Expat boy's homemade cookbook which he published age 15. The story behind the dish says it all...

January 22, 2018

La Nonna

It has been a long and emotional day. The sun shining onto a sea of antenna-studded dilapidated flat Neapolitan rooftops intercepted by church domes and washing lines marked the frame for the small procession of a black-dressed congregation following the ornate wooden coffin placed in the dignified hearse which drove along the century old cobbled street.

After a short illness my mother-in-law has passed away yesterday and only 24 hours later every smallest detail has been put into motion to lay her to rest with dignity and respect.

Neapolitans have a very close relationship with death as it plays a vital part of the chaotic network that connects past and present in Naples. It is difficult as a foreigner to understand all the finesses that comes with a funeral. There are well-established rituals and prayers to perform.

During the day following her death family and friends attended the customary prayer vigil, they  mourned and payed their last respects, they prayed for her, talked to her or just sat beside her in silence. Coffee was passed around every once in a while freshly prepared by an upstairs or downstairs neighbour. Food appeared magically so the family needn’t worry about the hospitality that the Neapolitans are famous for. Tears, caresses, murmurs and low voices, rosary beads and pictures of saints were proof of how much my mother-in-law was respected and loved amongst her friends and neighbours.

The next morning as the procession slowly made its way by foot towards the church not a single car honked or complained about the pace the hearse was advancing. All the shop owners along the way came out to show their respect and the hundreds of motor bikers which crowd Napoli’s streets slowed down to make the sign of the cross and bow their head towards the coffin while driving by.

It seemed to be one of those days that Nonna would have enjoyed walking to her local church with the sun shining and a fresh temperature. Even at 15 C she would have worn her fur coat and her jewellery never forgetting to wrap a scarf around her neck to avoid the draft in the over 400 year old little church with the pink ceiling!

Nonna would have risen early to prepare tomatoe sauce, friarielli or pastiera in order to make sure she would have more time to spend with us during our short weekend visits. Not to mention the cooking odours that need never to be smelt, ever!

She would entertain the kids for hours when they were little, hiding Kinder chocolate and playing “fuoco, fuocarello” with them. She taught them how to play Neapolitan card games and spoilt them with gifts. She even taught Expat boy how to cook Neapolitan dishes and I have copied her unbeatable Christmas Cassata recipe.

She will be dearly missed by all of us but never forgotten for she has passed on so much Southern Italian heritage through her tales and by her deeds that she will live on in our family’s traditions, rituals and stories. And wherever we may live in the world the children will always find their way back to Napoli thanks to the roots she so lovingly nurtured and a cultural identity she so strongly represented.

Ci mancherai Nonna.

January 13, 2018

Where I live: Paris in B&W

A few years back a fellow Paris blogger challenged me to post a coloured themed Paris collage. A vignette of greens was the result making Paris look very lush and verdant in the spring!

Winter is very grey in the city of lights and a blue sky is rare and much appreciated when it does finally show. The city's architecture, however, looks stunning in black and white hues.

January 12, 2018

Food, glorious food!

Who is not complaining about having eaten too much food over the holidays? Well, if you aren't you are one of the lucky few.

Spending the Christmas season south of the Alps means that the festivities are essentially about food, maybe a church service or two and some presents. But above all come the extra-special family meals that can only be described as loving, dramatic, emotional, crowded, loud and, of course, scrumptious. When I say food I am talking about two full-fledged meals a day starting on December 24th and possibly lasting until New Year's Eve! Then... you start eating the leftovers!

Here are just a few foodie pictures that now looking back make me smile even though my scales might have seemed unusually out of synch this morning?!?


Leftover salmon blinis with some bubbly on January 1st.


Neapolitan aperitivo... before the five course meal starts!


Amaretto biscuits... my favourite!


Hot chocolate with whipped cream to keep the energy levels up.


Couldn't resist this cannolo siciliano 


This salumeria is defiantly calling my name


The beauty of Italian supermarkets


 Even better when it comes in Pink!


January 6th is Three Kings day and the feast continues...


... to be topped off with "banan peze à la creole" 
for a farewell dinner by my beautiful Haitian friend.

January 5, 2018

Ever heard of the Olive path?

How could we resist the beautiful sunshine? Spending a few days in Lugano over the holidays we were very lucky with the weather. When in Switzerland do as the Swiss, so, we stepped into nature for an invigorating breath of fresh air!

We opted for a hike along the "Olive Path" - a route through lush country with impressive panoramas - enjoying a landscape reminiscent of the Mediterranean. The trail wound along the lake and passed across the remains of old olive groves and areas on which this prized tree is being planted anew. The path thread its way through several little plantations of young olive trees as well as several examples of very old trees.

At the end of the trail lies one of Ticino's most charming village called Gandria. Between its alleys and stairways we discovered charming little corners, miniscule terraced gardens, old staircases and walls decorated with frescos. It was a perfect place to play hide and seek...


The view down the valley towards Gandria.


The view towards Lugano.


A glorious day in the Ticino, Switzerland's sunniest canton.


Feeling like I'm in Ibiza.


After a swift 3km hike we arrived in Gandria.


Church of Gandria.


The village is so small only about 250 people live there.
Gandria can only be reached by foot, bike or boat.


Luckily no one steals their neighbours' firewood in this village.


Off-season stillness and peace.


A romantic entrance.


Imagine arriving to your doorstep via boat?


Olive trees wherever you look...


... or palm trees!

January 4, 2018

Sun-kissed Ticino

While the rest of Europe is being battered by winds up to 140km, ski resorts are closed due to excessive snowfalls and rain is forecast across the Northern Continent, the Ticino is enjoying some lovely days of sunshine and spectacular moonlit nights.

Admittedly, I would have loved to go skiing these holidays after having watched all the snow falling across the Alps over Christmas on TV, however, I am now not so sure.

Villages are snowed in, valleys cut off, routes blocked due landslides, chalets evacuated and entire ski areas closed due to danger of avalanches. Even the Gotthard tunnel - which runs 57km through the Alps - was closed this afternoon due to an accident, while I am strolling along the lake side of Lugano enjoying the beautiful blue skies.


Swiss Meteo forecasting rain at least for another two days across the country except...


... in sunny Ticino


Blue skies wherever you turn.


Feel like a dip in the lake?!?


Lugano's 15m high Christmas tree in Piazza Rifoma.


A spectacular full moon on January 1st, 2018 over Monté Bre.
Although the "biggest full moon of 2018" doesn't look that different from a typical full moon — it is at the moon's closest point in orbit, called perigee, but it appears a bit bigger and brighter than other full moons.

January 1, 2018

Expat with Kids 2017 best nine

You may or may not have seen the "Best 9 of 2017" grids popping up on your Instagram feed these past days? Well, I could not resist the trend and let the feed locate the nine most-liked posts from Expat with Kids in 2017. This is what my #2017bestnine looks like... my heart is clearly torn between big city life and the sunny beach.


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