An unusual communication campaign

The coronavirus is also fought through communication and prevention. Paris' mayor has been using all the means of the city's display, such as information panels, social networks and media to mobilize and inform Parisians about the situation in real time. Here are a few examples I came across on my morning jogs around the deserted avenues...

The beautiful days have never been so beautiful

Thank you. Take care of caregivers! Lets support them.

Neighbourhood spirit

Parisians in Exodus (this is actually an exhibit currently closed)

Protecting ourselves together while protecting others: Stay home

The right moves to limit the circulation

Every window has its story in Paris

Week number 6 in Paris' confinement and the sun continues to shine as if to mock us. I can't help but feel like the Earth has just sent us all to our rooms to think about what we've done!

A view onto to Argentinean Embassy in Paris

Art Deco in black & white

Closed and abandoned 

But this does not mean that the world stops: Spring is in full bloom 

24% of Parisians have left town!

Let the sun shine in

Feeling patriotic

Old but not forgotten

Chou translates into cabbage, sweetheart or cream bun?

Ever been to the Bains-Douches?

Feeling desperate!

Parked on the balcony for the past 6 weeks

Paris architecture in all its beauty

Glass stained window from the 17th century 

A sneak preview onto the next fashion collection?

RF stands for "Republique Franciase"

Expat with Kids recipes

Looking for some inspiration in your kitchen? Have some time to cook together with your kids during self-confinement? Why not check out my Expat with Kids Recipes blog?

I have a passion for cooking and a curiosity for any new recipe as long as it is easy, uncomplicated and fast to prepare. Desserts are my speciality but I can bash up a 5 course meal if I have to in a couple of hours.

I adore recipes and have been collecting them since my teens. Only few know, that tucked away I own a third blog called Expat with Kids Recipes. 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.

My biggest success is definitely the Italian Tiramisù recipe but the Raspberry&Prosecco version isn't bad either. So, tell me, which is your favourite?

Click HERE, enjoy and BUON APPETITO!

Empty Paris

This is real...

You know your world is out of sync when you are Whatsapping your best friend abroad and we realize that her highlight of the day is having a flat tyre changed at the local garage and mine is popping down the road grocery shopping at Marks and Spencers! This cannot be our real life?

Monotony is settling in...

By week five the routine is becoming repetitive and monotonous. We are used to a city offering us every activity and event under the sun. No matter what tickles your fancy Paris will have it on offer - it is up to you to find your passion, your hobby, your pass-time - and you'll find a group or place to answer your needs.

Concerts, exhibits, cooking classes, photo workshops, historical excursions, fashion shows, flea markets, International day at school, Roland Garros, park picnics, river strolls, happy hours on the terrasse, dinners out, disco boogieing ... it is all wiped off the table until further notice.

What's left is family and food...

Somewhere early on in this lockdown I read you should stay focussed on the positive and wipe out the negative influences during this period. Well, I cannot think of any better combo than family and food. Needless to say our Italian side takes over when it comes to either... as such we are enjoying lunch and dinner around our dining room table every day and have a giggle when Expat hubby yet again comes up with his favourite subjects of the past. Expat boy finally needs to change his favourite subject of football (because the only League left still playing is Belarussia!) and Expat Girl as always is three steps ahead of the rest of us with her geo-political views.

While I am sitting there listening to everyone with a smile on my face, thinking... obviously, it would be better if this pow wow could take place on a sunny beach somewhere!

Life goes on with a lockdown routine

It has been four weeks now since the lockdown began and it seems like a lifetime has passed. Looking back who would have ever believed we could all be ok with staying inside and - if some governments have their way - even have our every step geo-tracked?!? How fast plans can change and how adaptable human beings can be?

We have been confined to our flat in Paris for a month and the city has never seen sooooo much sunshine and blue skies.....EVER!

It is also eerily quiet. For a country that receives 91 million tourists a year going out for a jog before 10am or after 7pm - with my justification approved by the state - is like running through a Woodie Allen movie set... surreal!

During this period of confinement, many a moment gets stuck in my mind and I am sure they will remain with me once all this is over. Hearing Andrea Bocelli singing from an open balcony window while running past the Eiffel Tower last night was definitely a magical one.

Parisian attitude has shifted tremendously... people are friendlier and actually smile and talk to each other. We are still allowed to go out during the day to shop for essentials at supermarkets, pharmacies, bakeries and.... the wine shop is also open! This tells you about the country's priorities... if we go under it will be in style as always!

The highlight of many kids are the nightly applauses at 8pm when Parisians step out onto their balconies paying tribute to the health workers in a collective act of solidarity. During this nightly show of appreciation the little ones get to bang pots, blow horns and make as much noise as they can.

In general people are respecting the rules and regulations also due to salty fines handed out by the police who are all over the city. Many road checks have been set up before Easter to make sure Parisians don't escape to the countryside taking the virus with them and spreading it.

So far, we have cancelled a trip to Ibiza, one to Lugano and Semana Santa in Madrid... but not a person prone to regrets, I am planning my next suntanning session on my parquet floor in front of the window... because desperate times require desperate measures!

Happy Easter from our balcony to yours

Not from Lugano, not from Madrid, not from Ibiza, not from the Swiss mountains but from confinement in Paris... we wish you and your family a happy Easter! Stay safe.

Paris all to myself

After five and a half weeks the cast has finally come off and I feel liberated. My wrist is still sore but I can now go for a run.

Armed with my "attestation de déplacement dérogatoire" and with the excuse of going grocery shopping I took a deep breath of fresh air and stepped into the sunshine.

Sticking within the 1km radius that the government allows and keeping track of the one hour limit I crossed the Bir-Hakeim bridge, ran passed the Eiffel Tour, traversed the Champs de Mars came back over the passerelle Debilly and across the Trocadero with 20 minutes left to shop in Marks&Sparks!

My world is back in order, at least for today. Paris is eerily empty but hearing your own footsteps pad the cobblestone roads and the birds singing in the blossoming trees with the sun beaming out of a deep blue sky is absolutely priceless.

Even though the self-confinement has its bad sides, the little exceptions are all the more appreciated... and Paris will never ever look the same again!

The sky has never been so blue!

The Jardins de Trocadero all to myself

Spreading the love

Place de Trocadero is unrecognisable without the flow of tourists  

Missing the newly weds on the Bir-Hakeim bridge

Just a distant memory!

Siamo con voi Ticino

There are countless actions happening around the worldwide lockdown as many governments are asking their people to stay home.

One of Europe's most famous mountains is being used to send messages of hope during the coronavirus pandemic. Switzerland's Zermatt ski resort has begun light projections to the top of the Matterhorn, the famous pyramid-shaped peak that straddles Switzerland and Italy.

The light projections include messages such as #hope as well as #stayhome on a red backdrop, and the Swiss flag with its white cross.

Last night the 14,600ft mountain was lit up in the colours of the Canton Ticino. The Italian-speaking southern region of Switzerland - which borders hard-hit northern Italy - is the worst-affected of its 26 cantons. Watching this spectacle online has obviously hit close to home since we called Lugano our home for five years. #siamoconvoi

Everyone can help to contain the pandemic by staying at home. Watch the spectacle on the Matterhorn from your living room via webcams daily between 20:30 hrs and 22:00 hrs.

Click here for the best view: https://zermatt.roundshot.co/rothorn/
To access all the Matterhorn webcams click here: https://www.zermatt.ch/en/hope