A little bit of me on Pinterest

I got my hot and sunny day!

"You don't have to be crazy to do this... But it sure helps!"
Bugs Bunny

I've survived! I have survived an entire day in a theme park! Oh, what fun you might be thinking.

During the nine months we have been living in Paris I have managed to avoid EuroDisney by sending my kids off with visiting friends and various willing Godparents. I hate going on rides, they scare the hell out of me.

In Madrid, however, I have been taking my children to the Warner Bros theme park religiously every summer since 2006! It is their yearly treat before school starts.

On this hot, sunny day - a crackling 38°C - I was dilligently waiting at the exit of every ride the kids had chosen. Needless to say we were not leaving the park until they had been on every single ride and seen all the shows.

They got soaking wet in Rio Bravo and Coaster Express. Batman and Superman rollercoasters gave them a real thrill but I did beat them at Scooby Doos' laser shooting haunted house.

We managed to entertain ourselves an entire eight hours in the scorching heat of Madrid's Sierra. The absurde part of today is that I'll be wishing for this day when we get back to chilly, wet Paris!

A present for Phillippe Starck from Laura Ashley

Try to picture Philippe Starck meeting Laura Ashley. This pretty much sums up my planet. My hubby and I come from different parts of the world and our perceptions about life can vary some times ... to say the least!

The biggest challenge, however, comes around every year when I need to find him a birthday present. What do you give a man who works in fashion, does not care for gadgets and who's taste differs completely from your own?

The big date is lurking and I needed ideas. Now I am no artist. I used to work (before I became a trailing spouse, eh, I mean a PIM as in Professional International Mover) for a world renowned pencil & colouring manufacturer so I did pick up some tricks of the trade. I therefore decided to pull out some well-hidden paints and set to labour.

Inspired by my love for colours and flowers I admit I got a wee bit carried away. On the other hand, there was no way I was going to paint in black & white, I will leave that to Philippe Starck!

My sketch

 My workspot

My chef d'oeuvre

Three little workout videos

It is 35ºC in Madrid this week and just too hot to venture outside for a jog. Feeling guilty about not running for an entire week - I am on holiday after all - I decided to try out some YouTube fitness tapes. I set up my weights and mat in the coolest room of the house, the kids' playroom and got to work.

Little did I know that after only three workout videos I would not be able to walk up the stairs the next day. I thought my Dailey Method classes that I have been attending since January hit every single muscle in my body. Well, obviously not!

So I will keep doing my squats until my leg muscles turn rock hard. On the other hand my ab excercises are being defeated by indulging in Cava and Ice Cream. But hey, we're on holiday!!!

Time for a new phone

For practical reasons as well as sentimental ones, I have hung on to my Spanish mobile phone over the past nine years, eventhough we moved in 2006. It has come in handy since I still spend over two months a year in sunny Spain.

Between you and me I am considering just staying here until Parisian weather conditions become livable again. We had nothing but rain every single day for the last three months.

Back to my lovely Spanish pink flip Sony phone. It has died on me more that once over the past months, so I decided it was high time to check out what the Spanish phone market has to offer these days. Surely with the economic crisis going on, the phone deals must have evovled over the years.

Well, my type of contract was not to be found in the movistar computer - that's how outdated I was!!!

The young sales clerk did not look like the brightest cookie in the box but I figured I would trust him on this one. He showed me which phones I could choose free of charge - thanks to all my "phone miles" I accumulated over the years - and I opted for a Samsung Android phone. Ok, I admit I would have preferred an i-phone - and after having used the Samsung I am convinced that the Apple product remains the most user-friendly and fastest mobile phone - but it came free of charge so I won't insist.

Needless to say I had to wade through a new jungle called Google play, I needed to sign up for yet another e-mail, connect differerent accounts, merge services and switch primary with secondary mails. I refuse to sync all my information (yes, I am old-school) and spent a while reshuffling my contacts. I am now downloading android rather than i-tunes apps. I was under the impression technology is suppose to make your life easier!?!

So far, I have downloaded Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp, Google Maps, Adobe Reader, Instagram, Solitaire, and Shazam. I cannot, however, download my latest discovery called MagicPlan. After France, Canada, Autria and the Netherlands, MagicPlan has been selected by Apple as THE APP OF THE WEEK in 92 countries including Spain, India, Brazil, Russia, Saoudi Arabia and Argentina. Wake up Google play!!!!

However, the most important point is that I found the perfect cover: a pink, sparkling glitter case!

So tell me, what are you favourite apps?

A German car with French number plates in Spain

On our expat travels across the globe we stopped in Spain for 3 years where we lived on the northern outskirts of Madrid. The whole family fell in love with the country, the city, the people, the food, the rhythm, the climate and the football. We therefore religiously return every summer to soak up the sun and hang out with friends around the pool. Though life, eh?

Driving from Paris to Madrid is quite a hike (at least for us Europeans) but well worth it. Unfortunately, I do need to drive around the city with French number plates. Swiss Ticino number plates were soooo much cooler. It seems I am not the only one who thinks so.

Last night while sipping my margarita de jamaica with my Mexican and Argentinean friends, some idiot decided to break into the cars parked outside the restaurant. My side window was smashed but luckily nothing was stolen. Within 10 minutes three policemen showed up to take note of the incident.

Being terribly Swiss I fetched a dustpan and brush from the restaurant to scoop up the broken glass. The charming Spanish policeman took over, put on some gloves and cleaned the mess up for me. Clearly he was trying to save Spain's image having detected my foreign accent. All I can say is thank Goodness I speak Spanish. I also picked up quite a few new technical expressions last night at midnight!

What can I say? A German car with French number plates driving in Spain - a country suffering from economic hardship - might be asking for trouble. Not only are Spain's long lunches threatened - as many now wonder if struggling Spain can continue to afford a tradition that borders on sacred - maybe so are foreign cars.

Finally, we have found the summer!

“Summertime is always the best of what might be.”
Charles Bowden

Finally after weeks and weeks of endless gray skies and even more rain, low temperatures and dark clouds at noon, we have fled the city of lights heading south in search of some sunshine.

It seems the heatwave that hit Spain earlier this week is heading towards Switzerland but that is a minor detail, we'll just keep following it. For the time being we are enjoying our homebase in Madrid and I will not be moving until I have my usual summer suntan back! Then I'll follow the weather towards Lugano and endulge in some barbecued servelat or luganighetta with rösti and a scrumptious mousse au chocolat.

Happy Summer Holidays!

A true friend

“Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for awhile and leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never, ever the same.”

Growing up in Switzerland I had two girlfriends who have been by my side all my life.

I was fine with that. It was all I needed.

Naturally they were both only half-Swiss! We had our foreign origins in common and knew we would never fit in completely, no matter how hard we tried. We grew up and the Latina married a Latino, the English married a Brit and I chose to be swept off my feet by an Italian. Over the years we criss-crossed the globe but we never lost touch.

I was fine with that. It was all I needed.

For twenty years I was convinced that only my childhood friends could touch that part of my heart deep down and that two was enough.

Through my Expat travels I have learnt that my heart has much more space than I could have ever imagined. Again and again I have left behind two "sisters" in Geneva, in Buenos Aires, in Madrid and in Lugano just to find yet a new one in Paris.

Today she is leaving me behind but you know what... she didn't know she had that space in her heart either... until today!

How to prove you are your childrens' parents

Reminder to self: NEVER AGAIN fly through Florence airport during high season! The flight was delayed three hours on the way out and eventually rerouted to Pisa due to an improvised last-minute Florentine airstrike.

Pisa, you are joking???? Just let me check on my i-phone GPS were we are. Oh, I forgot my connection does not work because Orange France cuts off my internet connection everytime I go 50.-Euros over my limit eventhough they posess all my bank details and we need to have a "friendly" chat about it at least once a month.

We eventually got to Florence thanks to a great and loyal friend who came to pick us up at 1o'clock in the morning at Pisa airport.

For some reason still unclear to me you cannot check-in online at Florence airport and therefore - on our trip back to Paris - we needed to stand in endless queues because heavens forbid if they'd have to open more than one counter!

60 minutes later the lady behind the check-in counter kindly informs my husband and I that we cannot leave Italian territory with our children since our names do not figure on their passports! Come again?!? I don't think I understood that part?!? I turn around and ask Expat girl: "How many times do we take a plane a year?" My 9 year-old responds non-chalantly: "About 500 times, Mummy". Nobody has ever stopped me from travelling with my kids! "I can call the authorities" suggests the lady. "Now, that is a brilliant idea, because if you don't I will! I would love to have a chat with the Italian authorities!"

Expat hubby who knows there is no stopping his wife once she is on a roll - no matter in which language - by now knows very well wbere this is heading. Apparently the new law (When exactly did this new law happen, Signora? Ah, 3 years ago! Hmmmm, interesting!!!) requires parents to prove that they are really the parents. Remind me please what we need passports for in that case? Was is not to prove our identites? "So, are you gonna make that call or not lady?"

But wait, maybe I can confuse her by flicking out my Swiss passports, if we're not Italian than it's not our problem, right?
Wrong! That trick didn't work but worth a try I believe. The Swiss will save you no matter how sticky the situation! THE SWISS!

The check-in lady informs us after a short telephone call that the law has changed as of June 26th and that we are allowed to check-in as our children's lawful parents. But wait a minute, wasn't June 26th the day after TOMORROW. I don't think I'll argue with her on this one!

Buon viaggio!

A walk in the park

Yesterday we managed to muster an impressive group of over 40 ladies for walk through the Tuileries park. This in itself is not such an extraordinary feat unless you consider we were representing probably over 25 nationalities. What is our common ground? Our kids, of course! And our love for Paris.

We started our Tuileries Garden tour at the lovely church of St Germain l’Auxerrois, where royalty worshipped. We learnt of the legend of Catherine de Medici's curse. We walked onto Pont des Arts to peak at the thousands of lovers' locks who have vowed their love forever by throwing the key of their locks into the river Seine.

We strolled through the Louvre courtyards listening to our superb guide revealing it’s history as a palace while including all kinds of juicy gossip.

We admired the Arch of Carrousel which had once been the entrance gateway to Napoleon’s palace. We contemplated on the site of the Tuileries palace, with it’s history (Catherine de Medici, Marie Antoinette, Napoleon and Josephine) and the fire that destroyed it during the Commune. We were taken in by anectodes of kings and princes who have enjoyed the gardens, and some wild parties. We relived many exciting episodes of the Revolution, the first hot air balloon ride, Thomas Jefferson who came here to admire the Hotel de Salm and the dramatic escape of Napoleon III.

At the end of the day, I was just happy to be strolling through a park in the beautiful sunshine given that we have been experiencing a very wet and dull spring in Paris. Have a seat and join me before it starts pouring again!

A lesson in Sushi

“In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's mind there are few”
Shunryu Suzuki

One of the advantages about living in Paris is that there are more sushi restaurants than Pizzerias in this town. Expat daughter loves sushi, Expat boy hates it and my hubby has come around after 15 years of hard persuasion and is starting to take pleasure in this Japanese delicacy.

So I leaped at the opportunity when my Japanese connection, Ms Communication, suggested a hands-on MAKIMONO (rolled) SUSHI lesson and a demo on how to prepare sushi rice & cucumber wakame vinaigrette salad. This was to be followed by a lecture on sushi etiquette while enjoying chef Kino-san's sushi. WOW!

I was the first to sign up (along with Ms Organized of course) and we had a blast. Ms Communication did an excellent job of translating all of Kino-san's explainations and suggestions. No matter how hard I concentrated I could not understand a word of Japanese. But it was fun watching the bubbly and confident chef move his hands speedily in and out the gigantic rice bowl formatting all different kinds of sushi, Nigiri-zushi (hand shaped sushi), Oshi-zushi (pressed sushi), Maki-zushi (rolled sushi) and Chirashi-zushi (scattered sushi). Choping, cutting, dipping, splashing, composing and shaping this Japanese culinary art with delicious flavor and colorful form.

Kino-san's secret combination of rice.

Washing and soaking the rice before ...

...boiling it in the rice cooker...

...adding a litle sushi vinegar...

...and mixing the rice well.

An eely appetizer in the meantime...

... followed by a seaweed soup with egg to keep us going!

Years ago, one could not practice this art form without a minimum of 10 years of training and proven skill.  Now, due to the growing need, restaurants will hire sushi chefs with just a few years of learning experience.  But sushi is about culinary expertise and an Itamae-San (expert chef) continually strives to master his skill while performing for the delight of the patron and serving an array of bright colors, mouthwatering tastes and tingling sensations. Kino-san has it all!

Fish as fresh as it comes

Perfect Makimono sushi prepared by Kino-san.

Then it was our turn with a little help from our friend...

As for the Sushi etiquette: we learnt that Nigiri-zushi is traditionally eaten with the fingers, even in formal settings.
Soy sauce is the usual condiment - uff, we got that right. Traditional etiquette suggests that the sushi is turned over so that only the topping is dipped; this is because the soy sauce is for flavoring the topping, not the rice, and because the rice would absorb too much soy sauce and would fall apart - that was news to all of us apprentices.
Further NEVER "whittle" your chopsticks.  If you have to, do it under the table so the chef can't see you!  Doing so implies that the chef is cheap.
If you use your chopsticks to pick at a communal dish, use the back end of your chopsticks.  Never pass a piece of food with your chopsticks to another person's chopsticks, as this maneuver is reserved for handling cremated bones.

Most importantly, the best compliment you can give a sushi chef is to comment him on his rice! Good sushi comes from good rice!

I'd like to believe that Kino-san enjoyed our company as much as we did his. He certainly was very patient in answering all our questions. In future I will remember to ask the chef for a fish recommendation.  Fish is a seasonal animal, and the catch of the day will vary throughout the year.  Asking the chef for his opinion not only shows that you respect him, but will likely get you top-quality sushi.

In the meantime I will take home my (not-so-perfect) maki-zushi masterpieces to impress my loved ones! Itadakimasu!