Zwarte Piet / Black Pete
It’s Sinterklaastijd in Holland. Literally this means “The period of Saint Nicolas” – not to be confused with Santa Claus. In reality it’s an excuse for throwing all dietary restrictions out of the window. Children and adults alike are consuming…
Magical thinking
On the ever inspiring TED site, I recently viewed the talk ‘The origins of pleasure’ in which Psychologist Paul Bloom investigates our love of art and wonders why we like an original painting better than a forgery. In his opinion…
Symposium (Jolimont 6)
Or what I took away from the mountain. The evening began with a fire. Under the doubtful eyes of four city men, our sturdy Swiss host constructed a pyramid of twigs. He showed no fear of the rain clouds overhead.…
Call and answer – the pure joy of discovering a magic trick
It’s a sunny day in the Jardin du Luxembourg. I’m walking on one of the raised balustraded terraces along a row of tall trees. Up in a branch, a bird is calling out. It is hidden from sight by the…
My Days Inside
At nine in the morning, the sky above Paris is blue. Today I will walk on Boulevard Raspail in the sun, I promise myself. From my past experiences in trying to find winter sunlight, I know this street delivers unobstructed…
The Bureau for Unfulfilled Weekends
HE I had so much fun with you this weekend. SHE That’s the added bonus of leaving – when you return, we are overly excited to see each other. HE But I feel the weekend should not be over yet.…