“Black Friday”. THE day upon which retailers place their hopes and base their projections for their year’s sales and their holiday “retail success”. The day after Thanksgiving, when much of the country is turkey-drugged, stuffed with carbs, off-from-work and feeling the pressure of the looming Christmas gift list. The thing to do? Join the frenzy. [...]

Journal Entry: “8:00 P.M. After a day at the Louvre. I’ve just eaten the most sumptuous dinner at a little restaurant/bar, “Louis Vins”. The food had me melting at the first bite. I ordered the warm goat cheese salad, which had rounds of cheese crusted with pistachios (?) and grilled, served on a dressed bed [...]

It seemed to me that the ultimate Parisian, Catholic experience would be attending Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve. (And it seemed the thought occurred to thousands of others, too.) It was raining last night at 8:00 as I walked from my hotel, across the bridge and toward the cathedral. What a sight with the church [...]

What was for dinner on Christmas Eve in Paris? Fast food, Parisian-style! From my journal yesterday: 5:30 P.M. Christmas Eve, Paris. I’m eating in my hotel room, after spending all afternoon at Musée D’Orsay absorbing the impressionists and Art Nouveau and before heading to Notre Dame for Midnight Mass. At the Maubert-Mutualité exit for the [...]

Christmas. Friday. 9:11 PM. My suitcase just arrived from my flight on Monday. I can change my clothes tomorrow. (Don’t fly Air France. They’ve handled this poorly.)

Group tours aren’t generally “my thing” but I found out in Washington D.C. a few years back that hitching a ride on a tour bus is like a crash course in the new city. (Not literally, of course!) So I decided to take the “3-hour cruise” of Paris with a tour group: drive around to [...]

If someone had said to me: “You’re going to Paris for a week, but the only thing you get to wear is what you wear on the plane” I would NOT have picked the following: a bra, heavy opaque tights, black polartec pants (almost sweat pants, but snug), gray cashmere turtleneck, off-white polartec pullover, a [...]

Today I simply followed inspiration and ended up south instead of north. I had all sorts of wonderful encounters with people along my wanderings and saw beautiful, delicious arrays in front of me. …But right now, it’s approaching one in the morning (again, same as last night) and I’m too tired to post much, so [...]

From my journal entry, 21 December, 2009, 9:00 pm: I just ordered French Onion Soup, to be followed by pepper steak and a nice red wine. (Chateau de Brague 2006, Grand Vin de Bordeaux, Bordeaux Superieur). I spent the last 5 hours walking across the Left Bank area, starting in the 5th Arrondisement, ending in [...]

Packing for Paris. Leaving early in the morning and I’ll get there at about noon. It’s COLD there, and snow is predicted much of the week. A white Christmas is almost assured. I’ve been gathering all the warmest clothes I have or can find. I’ve even decide to take my gore-tex hiking boots. Not so [...]

In addition to the International Festival of Light that’s present in Milano right now, there are special light displays and decorations all over town. I like the illuminated scrolls that line the major avenues, these along Via Alessandro Manzoni, through the center of town: Brera is the chic, creative, cultural neighborhood north of the Duomo. [...]

Milan is currently the host of 33 large-scale lighting installations. (6 December – 10 January.) In the evenings, I’ve wandered through town to see the pieces and love how it changes the night scene, the visual texture and energy of the city. These intriguing works of light encourage after-dark strolls. Along Corso Vittorio Emanuele, Milano’s [...]

We awoke to a dusting of snow in Milano yesterday. Today the sky taunts us with more. The air has a chill I haven’t felt here before, and the thermometer in my apartment has dropped 4 degrees. With just two radiators in the place, I wonder about feeling warm enough and am glad I brought [...]

…a lot like Christmas. Thanksgiving tomorrow and no sign of a turkey on my horizon, except for the snippet I had on Sunday. After searching the entire Saturday street market, I DID finally find one stall that had sweet potatoes (the pale yellow, not the deep orange yams). I bought two and will cook them [...]