Go Philly!

This has been a rare week in which all-consuming coverage of the pandemic has been overshadowed by the extraordinary electoral battle going on across the Atlantic. It was the perfect excuse to take my mind off the lockdown and be transfixed by the drama unfolding in America.

I've been glued to the TV since Tuesday evening waiting to see how the US Presidential elections pan out. Never had I expected such a reality show... and it is still unfolding three days later. 

I went from hopeful to disappointed, to frantic, to nerve wracked, to disgusted, to hopeful, to excited. I am still waiting for victorious to kick in but it's looking pretty good right now.

My Dad was born in Philly and Pennsylvania flipping to blue would have made even him rejoice albeit being a life-long Republican. I have missed him dearly these passed days knowing he was a big CNN fan ever since they launched in 1980 and would have enjoyed following the US Election live coverage 24/7 together with me. 

This year the integrity of the US election process has been put to the test and I truly hope that the traditional values such as diversity, racial equality, women's rights, immigrant rights, working with foreign allies will be fully embraced again and taken back to the White House... meanwhile I will return to watching TV and continue to lose track of the day.

It's not over until it's over

 ... glued to the TV since yesterday...

Vote! Vote! Vote!

It seemed vital last time around... back in 2016... when it was hard to believe that Donald Trump would actually win the US presidential elections... need I say more?

This time around casting my vote seems even more important. New York State has voted Democratic in national elections since 1988 so I am not sure how much of a difference my ballot will make but I have the freedom as well as the right to vote - a privilege not every citizen in this world can claim - so, I WILL VOTE!

A few months back, my teenage daughter asked me if she could participate at a black lives matter demonstration in Paris... after we had just been confined for 3 months due to Covid outbreak?!? Honey, get real! 

Instead I sat her down and asked her to join me while I registered to vote. There are ways and ways to make a difference and timing is everything! This weekend we sat down in front of the computer together casting my vote. However, Expat daughter was not impressed with the format and I don't blame her. 

Having to print your electronic ballot is one thing but having to tape your printed template of an envelope to send the other end of the pond seems mighty old-fashion for the world's leading technology power. Whatever the process might be, whatever nationality you are... if you have the privilege to vote.. USE IT!

Happy 4th of July

As a half-American, the 4th of July definitely does not go unnoticed and is part of our family tradition each year as so many other celebrations. Italian, Swiss, Spanish, French, British, there is something to celebrate practically every month to a certain extent.

By this month our family is usually already enjoying the Spanish sun as our house household moves to Madrid for the summer. Our July 4th tradition is a shopping trip to Taste of America, the local US grocery store which costs a bomb. Expat girl gets to stock up on American candy and weird coloured cereals while I dive for the Cinnamon bagels and the fun cake decorations. 

The boys of the family don't really get it, they'd much rather stick to their Italian heritage when it come to food... but as they say... you can take a girl out of New York but you cannot take New York out of the girl!

Happy 4th of July!

Today I registered to VOTE!

Voting is the expression of our commitment to ourselves, 

one another, this country and this world!

Make a difference. Register to vote!

Happy Thanksgiving!

May your stuffing be tasty

May your turkey plump,

May your potatoes and gravy

Have nary a lump.

May your yams be delicious

And your pies take the prize,

And may your Thanksgiving dinner

Stay off your thighs!

Expat with Kids Recipes

My friends know I have a passion for blogging. My Paris blog is a home for all my photos - because you cannot stroll though Paris without taking pictures - as well as an outlet to share my Parisian adventures with the world.

To keep a close link to Switzerland I have also continued my original Lugano blog Expat with Kids, a funky lifestyle website for the English speaking community in Lugano that began back in 2010 as the first English online Ticino guide.

Only few know, that tucked away I own a third blog called Expat with Kids Recipes. I adore recipes and have been collecting them since my teens. A giveaway to my Swiss upbringing is that I have been a loyal subscriber to Betty Bossi since 1996. My recipe blog came to life since I decided to have all my favourite recipes in one place and available online to wherever I travel.

As of late, I have decided to blow some wind into its sails and have revamped the site entirely.

Expat with Kids Recipes are a mix of origins true to my own heritage and travels. You'll find Swiss, American, British, Italian and French recipes. My faible for the Caribbean is also quite apparent in my choice of exotic recipes.

The one thing they all have in common is that they are easy and fast to prepare. Simple ingredients and straight forward directions keep it hassle free and tasty!

My biggest success is definitely the Italian Tiramisù recipe. So, tell me, which is your favourite?

Maintenant, il ne faut plus se trumper!

Every once in a while I get carried away... the Sister March in Paris to the Women’s March on Washington D.C was definitely one of those moments. I am not a political person but this movement struck a cord in me, somewhere between the human rights and women's lib I found a cause I identified with. It was nothing to do with Donald Trump... this was bigger, it was about personal conviction and fundamental beliefs.

I invited Expat Girl to join me in the March which was to lead us from the Trocadero Esplanade of human rights to the Wall for Peace Monument on the Champ de Mars. Rather sheepishly she declined because she didn't feel safe to walk with such a big crowd of people. I respect that. The terrorist attacks had had an impact on her young life and there were things she was not prepared to do.

As I walk towards the terrace where the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 10, 1948 I was surprised to hear only murmurs and relaxed conviviality. Usually during demonstrations you can hear shouts and chants a block away from the Trocadero.

Sure enough, as I came around the Musée de l'Homme - ten minutes before the March was suppose to begin - I saw a little crowd, women of all ages holding various signs and flags. Were the Parisiennes suitably late or was this just not on the city's agenda I thought a wee bit disappointed?

True to French style, however, people were late, and half an hour later thousands had turned up and it was impossible for the tourists to even attempt to get a picture of the Eiffel Tower from the Trocadero Esplanade.

With grace, dignity and conviviality women AND men from France, the USA, Mexico, Spain, New Zealand and many other places walked the walk side by side, each with their own belief and their own cause at heart. There was no aggressiveness, no arguments, no shouting or screaming. People were talking with their neighbours, smiling at one another, kids were asking each other where they were from in English, journalists were taking snapshots to capture the serene and peaceful mood of the colourful crowd blessed with sunshine and a wonderful and rare blue winter sky.

A unique and unforgettable afternoon in the French capital born of a solidarity movement with the Women’s March in the USA which will go down in history and in my memory as a very special moment of this complex, modern world.

As one of the signs said: "Maintenant, il ne faut plus se trumper!

Some say we were 7000 at Trocadero today!

A sign that sums it all up

Il faut du tout pour faire un monde

Best script board

The beauty of this march is that everybody can have their own agenda!

Recognise this Spanish sign?

Every person has their own personal reasons to participate

The French are part of the party as well!

An impressive view

Ready to march the March 

The beauty of this sign is that it was carried by a man!

Arriving at the Wall of Peace with police escort

Greeting our sisters in Washington DC

A peaceful Saturday afternoon march comes to an end

The Wall of Peace, a favourite site of rendezvous for militants of human rights

Picture of the day: "Je suis une femme"

The show WILL go on ... somehow?!?

This week, I am appalled to read that the U.S. president-elect has issued an official order which requires politically appointed ambassadors to leave their overseas posts by his Inauguration Day.

Now while this is usually a pretty standard procedure, the mandate issued breaks with the tradition of providing even the “briefest of grace periods”. Supposedly HE will not even allow a handful of ambassadors, particularly those with school-age children, to remain in place until the end of the academic year.

This hits very close to home since postings abroad are often motivated by a job offer but ultimately revolved around the children's school calendar.

The order threatens to leave the United States without Senate-confirmed representatives across the globe for months. It's as if a Multinational company were to call its General Managers back to headquarters and expect all the affiliates to fend for themselves. It's just not good for business.

So, as an Expat I feel for all the families who will be uprooted in the middle of the school year! As a voter I am shocked to observe how little thought goes into these actions! As a citizen I need to hurry up and renew my passport...

In the meantime, I'll just post my photos taken during a holiday tour around the American Ambassador's residence in Paris just before Christmas.

The inner courtyard of the Hôtel de Pontalba on Rue Faubourg St. Honoré. The estate was acquired by a Rothschild in 1876, then sold to the U.S. Government and is today, the residence of the American Ambassador to France.

A gigantic Christmas tree adorns the staircase of this hôtel particulier, a grand 60,000-square-foot residence in central Paris.

Flowers are prominent throughout the residence...

... as are the little feminine touches...

... and festive decorations in red, white and green.

Playing with reflections

A quiet corner in the ladies' garderobe 

The back terrasse looking onto the gardens

The only photo spotted of Mr. President

You'll never guess who did the Christmas decorations?

The Ralph Lauren creative team!!!

The "Art in Embassies program" is an arrangement whereby the ambassadors can chose local, Americana, or contemporary art to decorate their residence while in office.

One of the living rooms...

...in a whole row of reception areas.

Another Christmas tree in the entrance hiding the fountain

In true American style the US Ambassador's residence is all decked out in extravagant holiday décor. 

It's gonna be a long night...

So, I've been glued to CNN TV since lunchtime and if - over the past months - the world got more than an earful of the US election whether we liked it or not, I have definitely had an overdose by now.

However, I have cast my vote and sent it in to the New York State Board of Elections and at this point am ready to receive the result and move on.

As I watched both candidates voting this morning in New York, I realise we all absorbed so much more about US politics than we ever thought possible or even necessary after incessantly being bombarded by the media. Thanks to Donald Trump and Hilary Clinton we might even have learnt more about US politics than we know about our own home country's.

My kids certainly got a huge lesson in US politics and world history. We had talks about ethics, feminism and chivalry. Why, my daughter just came home and showed me Barak Obama's one and only Snapchat of the day!

So, yes, we re all fired up and are ready for a long night before we hit the Parent-Teacher conferences tomorrow at school!

Get out and vote!

I am good to go.

I have never voted in the United States before but the time has come to change that!

The process has been surprisingly easy even for someone like me who had never registered to vote before. It took filling out a form online, two e-mails to the Board of Elections in my county due to some doubts about my last address of residency - you don't want know how many decades ago - a phone call to a very kind clerk on the other end of the pond and a week later my ballot arrived in the post this morning.

So, wherever you may live in the world: are you ready to vote?

To New York with love from Paris, France

My personal absentee ballot received this morning.

Registered to vote

I did it. I FINALLY did it! I registered to vote and requested an absentee ballot. This is a huge deal for me.

For months most of us have been following the Trump saga... thanks to extensive media coverage the entire world now knows that the US holds presidential nominating conventions to field nominees in the upcoming U.S. presidential election. It has been an incredible reality show for all of us to follow.

But enough is enough! Usually, I avoid talking politics, it's just not my thing!

However, as one of my Swiss friend's father once told me: "We are lucky enough to live in a free country therefore we must vote to defend that right." His words have stuck with me for decades.

Swiss are world champion voters and go to the polls on average every 6 weeks. Switzerland's voting system is unique among modern democratic nations in that Switzerland practices direct democracy in parallel with representative democracy, which is why the Swiss system is known as a semi-direct democracy.

I have never voted in the US but a certain Facebook post by a dear American friend got me thinking. My friends know that I am never the one to stay still and do nothing.

So, here I am - standing to defend what I believe in - knowing my Dad would be incredibly proud of me.

This is for my girls

The following video is just too cool not to share on my blog. It is not about Paris or Expats but should get you smiling or even moving to the groove. It is linked to an initiative I feel very passionate about: Education.

In March 2015, the First Lady Michelle Obama launched Let Girls Learn to address the range of challenges preventing adolescent girls across the globe from attaining a quality education that empowers them to reach their full potential.

But Michelle Obama did not stop there, this spring she enlisted a major girl squad to sing the power anthem "This Is For My Girls." The song, which was inspired by the Let Girls Learn initiative and the 62 million girls around the world who do not have access to education, features Kelly Clarkson, Missy Elliott, Jangle Monáe, Kelly Rowland, Zendaya, Lea Michele, Chloe x Halle, and Jadagrace.

While the First Lady is not featured on "This Is For My Girls," it was a natural fit for her to join James Corden for a Carpool Karaoke segment to sing the song and celebrate the power of musical activism.

Now, I don't know about you, but my vote definitely goes to the current first lady!

From the Bronx to Paris' metro station

A few months ago some photographs exposed in a metro station caught my attention. I thought: "Trust the French to plaster culture wherever they possibly can." It is in fact a cultural programme invitation by the RATP (Paris transportation services) to give passengers the opportunity to discover original artistic works within its transport areas.

"Sometimes I feel like the world is a place I bought a ticket to."

Walking through the underground tunnels connecting the various Paris metros, is like reading the cultural section in a newspaper. Not only will you find Department stores, holiday destinations and dating sites advertised - these are always nicer to look at than the odd car ads - you'll also find billboards for theatres, exhibitions, shows and special events. Many a time I come home to buy a ticket online after having seen the advertisement in the metro.

This is how I came across Garry Winogrand's exhibit in the Jeu de Paume, an arts centre for modern and postmodern photography and media I have been meaning to visit since my arrival in Paris. It is located in the north corner of the Tuileries Gardens. Did you know that the Jeu de Paume was used from 1940 to 1944 to store Nazi plunder looted by the regime's Reichsleiter Rosenberg Taskforce in France?

Anyway, back to Garry (1928–1984), a great American photographer, who chronicled America in the post-war years. Winogrand is still relatively unknown because he left his work unfinished at the time of his death, but he is unquestionably one of the masters of American street photography. Dying suddenly at the age of fifty-six, he left behind approximately 6,500 rolls of film (some 250,000 images) that he had never seen, as well as proof sheets from his earlier years that he had marked but never printed. Roughly half of the photographs in the exhibition have never been exhibited or published until now; over 100 have never before been printed.

My absolute favourite photo was the one below. If only pictures could talk, this shot would speak volumes!

We're off to New York for the weekend!

When your hubby flies off to New York for work, what would you do? My passport states Manhattan as place of birth but I am a Third Culture Kid and haven't been back to the Big Apple in 20 years. Basically, any excuse is valid to visit New York.

It was a suprise for the kids, they thought we were off to Lugano - once again - until ... oops... I got the wrong airport terminal, there are no flights to Switzerland on the departure board. "So kids, if you could choose any destination on the board, which city would you choose?" "New York" came the immediate reply from Expat daughter, followed by Expat son: "Yeah, I guess, but it's too far to fly for a long weekend."

Surprise. We are off to New York for the weekend. The kids could not believe it, even when they had finally settled in their plane seats, they still couldn't grasp the fact that we we're off to the U S of A.

While my hubby was enjoying THE view from his workplace, I spent the next 4 days pacing around the city with my kids viewing ALL the sites of New York.

We stepped out of the hotel at 6am (slightly jet-lagged) in search of a real American breakfast. Boy, that bacon is scrumptious! We then proceeded to walked our feet sore for the next 12 hours. Every single day!

We climbed the Emprire State building with 0 visibility, it could have been the Eiffel Tower for all we knew. We ran through the American Museum of Natural History with it's impressive dinosaur collection beause they close at 5:30 in the afternoon. We ate hamburgers at the Hard Rock Café in Times Square with the music blaring in the background. I made my children walk through Tiffany's and they cuddled soft toys at FAO Schwarz. We stood in line at Abercrombie & Fitch and scouted out two of the most humongous candy stores and an M&M store with three levels!!!

We whispered across the arch in Grand Central Terminal and checked out the NY Public Library. We made a deal that I would accompany my kids to Nike and Adidas if they would follow me to Victoria's Secret! We had breakfast in Little Italy and witnessed a funeral in Chinatown. The kids discovered contemporary artist at the MOMA and were obliged to walk though the recently inaugurated Anne Wintour Costume Center in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Of course, we could not miss the Guggenheim museum at which point the kids refused to enter any more museums so we headed to Central Park where under a splendid blue sky the Japanese community of New York was celebrating Japan Day.

Sunday morning we entered St. Patrick's Cathedral which is being renovated from top to toe. After a short conversation with the Ritz Carlton concierge, we ended up celebrating Mother's Day at the Brooklyn Diner where we had the biggest, most delicious, most American brunch ever! Oh, I nearly forgot, we strolled through Soho hopping in and out of stores; Apple, Beats, Christian Dior, Lululemon, Uniqlo and Under Armour ending up at Starbucks so my techno starved kids could hook up with WIFI and snapchat their friends back on the old continent!

Three words to describe our trip: intense, emotional and impressive!