I remember it as if it were yesterday. Such an old saying yet no truer words have ever been spoken. Unless they were all lies. In this case the memories are fragments, growing shorter and shorter as years pass, but the happiness even in the crustiest corners of my mind remains true. It was an … Continued
The word “burning” normally brings about visions of fire, of heat and of light. Of licking flames, flickering tongues momentarily illuminating a warm brick hearth or charring wood until a bed of glowing embers is born beneath. The word “burning” does not normally haunt the same descriptions as do “dark” and “wet”. But if ever … Continued
This Panthéon is gratitude made stone. It started life as a church, built to honour St. Genevieve, the patron saint of Paris, in thanksgiving for her intercession during Louis XV’s illness. Since then, the Panthéon has been the site of Foucault’s demonstration of his pendulum, which showed the rotation of the earth, and the home … Continued
Ancient Dignity Travelling is my passion. It’s the thrill of experiencing the blend of ancient and modern in places like Athens or Rome, or knowing that anything can happen such as having to get off the track outside a village in Thailand to make way for a water buffalo carrying two small children on her … Continued
A zoo in winter is a strange place to feel awe. A zoo is a place that symbolizes captivity, leashed freedom. But it’s not the place, although the Menagerie of Paris, France is one of the better zoos I’ve seen. With wide, clean paddocks, there is enough space, but not here. Not for this animal, … Continued
A Meditation on Paris It’s nearly impossible to write about Paris while sitting in a Café on the Carrefour de L’Odeon, the oldest square in the city. I’ve lived here for nearly a year and everything still seems completely surreal, one big cliché, and there simply is no obvious place to begin. One could write … Continued
Life is astounding. It works in many mysterious ways; it can surprise you, it can challenge you, it can beat you down; but above all, it can amaze you. I have had people amaze me, ideas and theories amaze me, and best of all, I have had places amaze me. Finding beauty in the most … Continued
A recent foray into Paris saw me slightly off centre from my usual stomping grounds. Generally a Rive Droite sort of girl I decided to shake it up a bit, and no I didn’t casually cross a bridge to the left bank instead. In true bohemian spirit, I opted to take an apartment in Montmartre … Continued
Once upon a time, Joan was a Princess for a day, in a country called France. Standing by the window, inside her castle, Joan could see the roses, nestled together in the garden below her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath; it was the sweet scent of the roses. Oh, it was a … Continued
When the traveling bug bites you, you should expect an expensive doctor’s bill. The only cure is more traveling—and revisiting places too. (Paris, London, and Edinburgh: I’m not done with you yet!) I am home when I travel. It doesn’t matter if I am unable to speak the native tongue of the country I visit. … Continued