Magical moments in Paris

Motivation has been difficult to come by lately which means - for the first time in ten years - I have been lazy in feeding my blog. Inspiration is lacking albeit living in a worldly city such as Paris. For nearly a decade I  have been spoilt picking up the Parisian vibes as they come and taking advantage of all that the city of lights has to offer.

Eclectic as I am, rarely do I miss the occasion to adventure out to experience something new. My palate has been blessed with wonderful emotions and memorable stories: theatre class, cooking course, chocolate workshop, wine tasting, photography lessons, essay writing group, samba dancing, literary evenings, musical performances, classical concerts, jazz sessions, ballet premières, behind-the-scene opera insights, warehouse light shows, city tours, historical visits, UNESCO gatherings, Grand Palais openings, charity events, cultural encounters, ambassador's' receptions, consular lunch invitations, business networking hubs, peaceful manifestations, fashion shows, foodie gatherings, garden parties, heritage days, National Christmas bazaars, Foundation vernissages, Europe's largest flea market, the flavours and colours of the fresh produce "marchés" and I am forgetting many more.

However, the most memorable moments remain the magical terraces views: from the roof top yoga class looking onto the Eiffel Tower, to a farewell picnic on top of the Arc de Triomphe. A clandestine champagne brunch on the Eiffel tower's second floor springs to mind as does the unforgettable grand opening of the Peninsula Palace or the well-deserved pink champagne glass in the rose garden on top of Hotel Raffael. The first visit to the Louis Vuitton foundation and its many level terrasses was breathtaking as is the view of the St.Jacques tower in the city center. The ice rink on top was the Eiffel Tower was another fun moment.

So, the lights have gone out for a while but I am ready to jump into action and start "flaneusing" around town as soon as the portals open up again... and it looks like it will happen soon... slowly but surely. Stay tuned!

Tour de St.Jacques

Centre Pompidou

Eiffel Tower

Arc de Triomphe

Arc de Triomphe

Tour de St.Jacques

Arc de Triomphe

Tour Eiffel

Fondation Louis Vuitton

Peninsula Hotel terrace

Eiffel Tower

UNESCO building

Maison Blanche roof top yoga session

Galeries Lafayette roof top ice rink

Napoli's Golden Boy

Making nearly 200 appearances in a golden era for Serie A side Napoli, Diego Maradona was affectionately named "El Pibe del Oro" or "The Golden Boy" and it's not hard to see why. With 81 goals for the Italian giants, garnering two titles and a Coppa Italia, Maradona shone with Partenopei, becoming one of the greatest players in the club's history. It was in Naples that Maradona’s status as a footballing deity, at least as far as the inhabitants of this gritty southern Italian city were concerned, was confirmed.

Nowhere was Maradona's hypnotic talent and personality more adored than in Naples helping the unfancied club to usurp Milan and Juventus. It really was a match made in heaven, the diminutive street urchin from the wrong side of the tracks in partnership with a dramatic, chaotic city in southern Italy that felt undervalued and looked down upon from the great cultural cities further north, of Rome, Turin and Milan.

"Napoli non e Italia" (Napoli is not Italy), Maradona used to say. He felt right at home in a city where wealth, poverty, violence and football all co-existed on a daily basis.

He might have partied hard and with the wrong people, but the good memories are stronger and here Diego Armando Maradona will forever take his seat next to God under the "cielo azzurro" of Napoli.

It took Napoli mayor only 24 hours after Maradona's death to rename the San Paolo's football stadium in his honour: Diego Armando Maradona stadium.

Forza Napoli SEMPRE!

Curva B, in infamous fan club area of the stadium turned into an improvised Christmas shrine.

This mural dating from 1990 by Argentine artist Francisco Bosoletti has turned into a shrine since his death on Nov 25th, 2020.

The adoration is plastered across the city.... literally!

Little does it matter that Maradona played for Napoli over 30 years ago... he is still omnipresent...

... in every nook and cranny of this city...

... where even Japanese Napoli fans welcome!

This mural by street artist tvboy lasted only a few days back in 2018.

Souvenirs, souvenirs!!!

My photos - My Paris

I am no professional photographer, useless at manual mode and own a pink camera. Over the past ten years my canvas has been colourful and my inspiration the Eiffel Tower. Every year I print some of my pictures to sell at the school Holiday Bazaar to raise money for charity. This year the holiday season will be different in many ways and charities need all the help they can get... so here I am - sitting in confinement in Paris - choosing my favourite shots to prepare my greeting cards à la Parisienne!

Napoli in black & white

Artistic Ibiza

Strip away Ibiza's image of being a hedonistic party-island where just about anything goes and you'll see the real Ibiza, a laid-back spot of natural beauty, nestled softly in the western Mediterranean. 

Since the sixties, Ibiza has been known to a few for its magical aura. Aside from its more famous and wilder reputation, its hippy vibe beats quietly along under the radar of its louder neighbours. Flower power is definitely alive in Ibiza.

People have always been drawn in by the island's charms, its laid-back locals and its stunning scenery - and that doesn't look set to change any time soon.

Arte en Ayianna

Earrings from Antica Sartoria

Missoni beachware

A gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

Stone sculpture by Expat with Kids

Francesca Fontana art

African vibes

That Ibiza feeling

Empty chairs

They are everywhere but you don’t see them. Or rather you don’t notice them. They are sometimes a privileged place for chitchat where the world is put to rights, sometimes reserved for a moment of peaceful thought or prayer and often chosen to grab a bite during lunchtime or a ray of sunshine.

Some people use them as a reading room, others as a telephone box, yet others as a stopover on their pedestrian itinerary.

Georges Brassens sang of the public benches as a privileged place for romantic amateurs of deep kisses. It is heartwarming to see Paris' chairs and benches being brought back to life after two months of quarantine... and have you noticed how many of their occupants are lovebirds?!? Now more than ever before has Paris earned its reputation as city of love.