It has been far too long since my last post, first my apologies. Well what can I say? The warm weather is here, the flowers are blooming, the birds have returned and the tourists and residents of Capestang have come out of hibernation. The streets are bustling with tourists; some on bikes and others on…
The Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci was painted between 1494 and 1498 on the north wall of the refectory of the ancient Dominican monastery of Saint Maria delle Grazie. On the opposite wall is the fresco of The Crucifixion by Lombard painter Giovanni Donato da Montorfano, from 1495. Housing both the initial and…
In the heart of Catalan country, a quick two-hour car trip from Capestang, you will find the pretty ski village of Eyne, Pyrénées Orientales. Winding roads lead you up towards snow-capped peaks with beautiful views of the valley below. Joining three other families from Capestang on this weekend getaway, we had 6 kids…
The ancient Greek poet Homer called old age “loathsome,” and William Shakespeare termed it “hideous winter.” So it is no wonder since the beginning of time, people searched the globe for ways to restore their youth. But it was the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon that explored the new world for the actual fountain…
We had the perfect day. Alfonz rarely plans an outing, but when he does, it usually ends up being something special. First, admitting, I have been very neglectful of the chores around the house. Between work and gatherings with friends and my garden, the last few weeks the general stuff like the dishwasher and vacuuming…
‘The end of labour is to gain leisure.’ Aristotle How many gendarmeries per square mile in the south of France? I wonder how these little creatures got their name, and laughed to myself at the comparison. It is nice to have a few moments to contemplate life after such a busy summer. I started the long overdue…
Traditional Hungarian beef stew, or Marha Pökölt is made like most pörkölt or paprikas, but I decided to try something a little different and used smoked Hungarian paprika in place of traditional mild paprika and added mushrooms. I served this with jasmine rice and a sweet and sour lettuce, both…
Milano! You either love it or hate it here or at least that’s what the tourist book says. Milano on first glance is noisy, crowded, busy and dirty. On second glance you will find a lively culture, with people out and about with many things to do and see; even in the middle of…
‘Enlightened leadership is spiritual if we understand spirituality not as some kind of religious dogma or ideology where we experience values like truth, goodness, beauty, love and compassion, and also intuition, creativity, insight and focused attention.’ Deepak Chopra After class today I thought, wow, what an awesome time in world history we live in! I asked…