A transitionary home for my soul stuck somewhere between the Swiss Alps and Parisian chic.
July 31, 2016
July 29, 2016
Very busy in Spain...
Yeahhhhh, finally after a very long drive from Paris...
we have reached the Mediterranean...
and we're soo ready to have a dip!
Barcelona's basilica is a never ending construction... since 1882!
Happy Hour along the beach... make it exotic, please!
The Osborne bull...
initially a billboard, it has exceeded its advertising sense
and has been integrated into the landscape.
Heading towards Madrid and it seems we are hit by a sand storm from Northern Africa, really!
Viva l'España!
15 hours of guaranteed sunshine a day
Average temperature 38°C... and loving it!
July 27, 2016
Best of Paris: Expat Blog Nomination
I am totally excited and feel immensely honoured to have made it to Expatriates Magazine's list of "Best Expat blog in Paris" nomination. I am competing with sixteen other Parisian bloggers some of which are seriously heavyweight such as David Leibovitz, Inspirelle, Mama loves Paris and Les Lolos.
My best score two weeks ago was 14% honing in at No.2. In the meantime I have slipped down to 2% just ahead of Thank you Paris and Best Adventure but it doesn't matter.
What matters is the confirmation that people out there are reading my blog and I am on the radar of the Parisian Expat blog scene! A fact I still have difficulty in believing for some reason but I do not know why!
Maybe from now on I will start answering that I AM a blogger next time someone asks me what I do! After nearly six years of blogging it has still not quite entered my mind that I might actually be a real blogger after all rather than just blogging!!!
My best score two weeks ago was 14% honing in at No.2. In the meantime I have slipped down to 2% just ahead of Thank you Paris and Best Adventure but it doesn't matter.
What matters is the confirmation that people out there are reading my blog and I am on the radar of the Parisian Expat blog scene! A fact I still have difficulty in believing for some reason but I do not know why!
Maybe from now on I will start answering that I AM a blogger next time someone asks me what I do! After nearly six years of blogging it has still not quite entered my mind that I might actually be a real blogger after all rather than just blogging!!!
The vote is still on, so go ahead and make my day!
July 26, 2016
Going behind the scenes...
Another invitation I could not refuse... it was over a month ago but nevertheless a story worth sharing.
Back in 2014, the first editions of "Les Journées Particulières" showcased the amazing diversity of profession and expertise at LVMH companies. The third edition invited visitors for a behind-the-scenes look at some of the most emblematic sites of the finest French craftsmanship.
I was lucky enough to take a peak at Christian Dior's rich heritage normally inaccessible to the public in its haute couture salons on Avenue Montaigne. The LVMH Group was proud to showcase its savoir-faire, reveal its creations and allow its people to share their passion for excellence with a wider audience.
The event unveiled an impressive wealth of heritage, know-how and perfectionism that is passed on from one generation to the next. Strolling through the salons I enjoyed demonstrations of artisanal skills, stimulated talks as well as interactive itineraries. During the evening I admired expertise and talent that were unmatched and truly unique, craftsmanship delicate and precious, and extreme attention to detail...
... and closing my eyes for a moment I truly felt like Lady Dior!
Catching an Uber feeling like a filmstar
The staircase of the Haute Couture salons
The two ladies have been working for Christian Dior for over 30 years!
Exquisite, delicate and enchanting!
Devilishly glamorous!
Every creation has its mini model...
... exposed on a mini mannequin.
A close-up of the delicate needlework
Mr. Christian Dior' passion and trademark: flowers
July 21, 2016
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!
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!
July 19, 2016
Some like it hot...
Why is it the one time we are not in Paris the city is sizzling with temperatures up to 38°C? Two weeks ago we were all still wearing our winter coats!!!
And while some are complaining... the Parisians are good at that ... others are just jumping into the nearest fountain to cool down. Department stores are in high demand but not due to summer sales but for the instant relief that the air-conditioning provides.
Now would be a good time to catch up with all the movies you have been wanting to see. France's cinemas are freezing in summer and a fool-proof way to escape the sunshine for a while.
When all else fails head for one of the places selling Berthillon ice cream. They're not hard to spot, there's usually a queue out the front. Amorino stores are also pretty good.
As for me, I am happy to sit out the 40°C in Madrid under the scorching sunshine and bright blue sky and work on my suntan... because some like it HOT!
And while some are complaining... the Parisians are good at that ... others are just jumping into the nearest fountain to cool down. Department stores are in high demand but not due to summer sales but for the instant relief that the air-conditioning provides.
Now would be a good time to catch up with all the movies you have been wanting to see. France's cinemas are freezing in summer and a fool-proof way to escape the sunshine for a while.
When all else fails head for one of the places selling Berthillon ice cream. They're not hard to spot, there's usually a queue out the front. Amorino stores are also pretty good.
As for me, I am happy to sit out the 40°C in Madrid under the scorching sunshine and bright blue sky and work on my suntan... because some like it HOT!
Worth the wait!
Finally... Summer has hit Paris!
The perfect place in the shade to enjoy an ice cream!
July 17, 2016
It's a full house!
It is Saturday evening and I am off for a run under the scorching heat... just to be by myself for half an hour. 30 minutes to recoup and regroup myself... and to step out of the action for a moment in order to appreciate all the good things in life.
Summer holidays are undeniably linked to Spain in our family. We left a piece of our heart in Madrid when we moved on to Lugano in December of 2006 and have been coming back here every year since.
The Expat Exodus is when you travel back to your home town/country for the long summer holidays which in our case happens to be Spain. Full house would be the most appropriate definition of our life-style here but I like to call it home.
The kids' friends come for sleepovers the day we arrive, the neighbours turn up at our doorstep with margaritas in hand to welcome us home (yes, they know me well!), birthdays are celebrated and girlfriends' reunion lunches organized (with lots of pink cava flowing!), friends and family come to visit from Switzerland, Italy, Sweden and England. Even the gardner was happy to see us again and brought us a big platter of his wife's home-made couscous yesterday! We were ten people at the table and camp beds were pulled out later that day to accommodate all the friends who wanted to stay into the wee hours of the night. My Italian mother-in-law tells me it feels like a family hotel.
Kids know that the breakfast buffet is open between 10am and 1pm, however, no one is allowed to sleep past midday. Lunch is light and home-made and served around 3pm. True to Spanish style dinner is not before 10pm. We all gather the chairs around the wooden table on the terrace at the end of the day when the heat decreases and temperatures invite us to stay up late enjoying good company, scrumptious food and refreshing drinks.
So, when I go off for a run before dinner it not just for the exercise, it is to give thanks for all the lovely moments in life I have been blessed with.
July 10, 2016
Ode to Life
Tonight I received one of the most touching farewell messages I have ever received from a fellow Expat. It was not a personal note but nevertheless went straight to my heart. What a beautiful way describe one's emotions that are so difficult to explain when asked why do you keep on moving homes if it makes you cry every time?
Here is the answer:
Slowly dies he who becomes a slave to habit,
repeating the same journey every day,
he who doesn't change his march,
he who doesn't risk to change the colour of his clothes,
he who doesn't speak to he whom he doesn't know.
Slowly dies he who shuns passion,
he who prefers black on white and dots on i's rather than a bundle of emotions,
the kind that make your eyes glimmer,
that turn a yawn into a smile,
that make the heart pound in the face of mistakes and feelings.
Slowly dies he who doesn't overturn the table,
he who is unhappy in his work,
he who doesn't risk certainty for uncertainty,
to thus follow a dream,
those who do not forego sound advice at least once in their lives.
Slowly dies he who doesn't travel, he who doesn't read,
he who doesn't listen to music,
he who doesn't find grace in himself,
He who slowly destroys his own self-esteem,
who does not allow himself to be helped,
who spends days on end complaining about his own bad luck, about the rain that never stops.
Slowly dies he who abandons a project before even starting it,
who fails to ask questions on subjects he doesn't know,
he who doesn't answer when he is asked something that he knows.
Let's avoid death by small doses,
remembering always that being alive requires an effort far greater than the simple fact of breathing.
Only a burning patience will lead to the attainment of a splendid happiness...
By Pablo Neruda
Here is the answer:
Slowly dies he who becomes a slave to habit,
repeating the same journey every day,
he who doesn't change his march,
he who doesn't risk to change the colour of his clothes,
he who doesn't speak to he whom he doesn't know.
Slowly dies he who shuns passion,
he who prefers black on white and dots on i's rather than a bundle of emotions,
the kind that make your eyes glimmer,
that turn a yawn into a smile,
that make the heart pound in the face of mistakes and feelings.
Slowly dies he who doesn't overturn the table,
he who is unhappy in his work,
he who doesn't risk certainty for uncertainty,
to thus follow a dream,
those who do not forego sound advice at least once in their lives.
Slowly dies he who doesn't travel, he who doesn't read,
he who doesn't listen to music,
he who doesn't find grace in himself,
He who slowly destroys his own self-esteem,
who does not allow himself to be helped,
who spends days on end complaining about his own bad luck, about the rain that never stops.
Slowly dies he who abandons a project before even starting it,
who fails to ask questions on subjects he doesn't know,
he who doesn't answer when he is asked something that he knows.
Let's avoid death by small doses,
remembering always that being alive requires an effort far greater than the simple fact of breathing.
Only a burning patience will lead to the attainment of a splendid happiness...
By Pablo Neruda
July 6, 2016
July 4, 2016
An exotic birthday celebration
It was an important date in the calendar, one that just needed to be celebrated in defiance of the fact that we grow older and there is absolutely nothing we can do to avoid it. I decided to embrace my new milestone with grace and in style.
My birthday wish was to be whizzed away for a surprise weekend with my family. I didn't want a physical present, all I wanted were some memories my kids as well as my husband and I could look back onto and which would make us smile.
The kids were great, they planned for months together with their Daddy without ever letting a word drop in my direction.
And so I was told last Wednesday to be ready the following day at 4pm with my bag packed for a beach destination.
Up until then my mind had wondered to Amsterdam and Bruxelles. Now I was thinking more like Marbella or even Sardegna.
We set off for the airport the next day and I still had no clue where my family was taking me. Despite my curiosity I managed to get through check-in and passport control with the destination unknown to me. The feeling was liberating: all I needed to do is follow my family. I am so used to leading the troops that letting loose was were my birthday present started.
Not until we boarded - thanks to some rather insistent advertising on the head rests - did I find out we were on our way to Malta!
Not in a million years would I have guessed. The tiny little island lost in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea was the coolest destination I could have asked for.
Exotic yet European, far enough but not too far for a long weekend and the weather would be so much better than in Paris! ;)
Home to the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, the world's oldest surviving chivalric order, with its rich and ecclectic heritage. A weird and wonderful mix of cultures and a language which origins are impossible to pinpoint.
In short: my kind of paradise!
We spent three unforgettable days walking through medival villages and sumptuous cathedrals, colourful fishmarkets and even got a tour through the Baron of Piro's 400 year old home.
Of course, we hit the beach and the pool, cried a bit watching Italy on the giant beach screen lose the football match against Germany and celebrated my birthday with lots of bubbly around a candle-lite dinner table with our toes in the sand under a starry sky overlooking the bay of St.George.
We rode in ancient Mercedes with taxi drivers defying gravity as well as speed limits and tasted local delicacies we do not know the name of.
We laughed, we teased, we sang, we took pictures, we quarreled, we swam, we ate, we danced, we walked (lots) and we learnt (lots), we shared, we enjoyed but most of all ... We will remember!
My birthday wish was to be whizzed away for a surprise weekend with my family. I didn't want a physical present, all I wanted were some memories my kids as well as my husband and I could look back onto and which would make us smile.
The kids were great, they planned for months together with their Daddy without ever letting a word drop in my direction.
And so I was told last Wednesday to be ready the following day at 4pm with my bag packed for a beach destination.
Up until then my mind had wondered to Amsterdam and Bruxelles. Now I was thinking more like Marbella or even Sardegna.
We set off for the airport the next day and I still had no clue where my family was taking me. Despite my curiosity I managed to get through check-in and passport control with the destination unknown to me. The feeling was liberating: all I needed to do is follow my family. I am so used to leading the troops that letting loose was were my birthday present started.
Not until we boarded - thanks to some rather insistent advertising on the head rests - did I find out we were on our way to Malta!
Not in a million years would I have guessed. The tiny little island lost in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea was the coolest destination I could have asked for.
Exotic yet European, far enough but not too far for a long weekend and the weather would be so much better than in Paris! ;)
Home to the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, the world's oldest surviving chivalric order, with its rich and ecclectic heritage. A weird and wonderful mix of cultures and a language which origins are impossible to pinpoint.
In short: my kind of paradise!
We spent three unforgettable days walking through medival villages and sumptuous cathedrals, colourful fishmarkets and even got a tour through the Baron of Piro's 400 year old home.
Of course, we hit the beach and the pool, cried a bit watching Italy on the giant beach screen lose the football match against Germany and celebrated my birthday with lots of bubbly around a candle-lite dinner table with our toes in the sand under a starry sky overlooking the bay of St.George.
We rode in ancient Mercedes with taxi drivers defying gravity as well as speed limits and tasted local delicacies we do not know the name of.
We laughed, we teased, we sang, we took pictures, we quarreled, we swam, we ate, we danced, we walked (lots) and we learnt (lots), we shared, we enjoyed but most of all ... We will remember!
Air Malta and its distinct branding...
Downtown Valletta...
... a strange mix of architecture.
A spice merchant
The inside of St. John's cathedral in Valletta
La casa Rocca Piccola
If these balconies' only had voices to speak...
The touch of Christianity is omnipresent
L'Imdina or the Silent City!
The signs of a Christian stronghold
A tiny time capsule
St. Paul's Cathedral in L'Imdina
A deserted alley way
Marsaxlokk, the Southern tip of the island...
... an enchanting fishers' village...
... with a distinct Italian touch to it!
Il terrone!
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