take a deep breath, relax.....

in a world of uncertainty, constant change and self-discovery where the road can be long and winding.....we may sometimes feel lost, many times worried or unsure what the future may bring us. if you are like me, and find the search exciting and very much worth the effort, you may also feel the pressure (even if only our own on ourselves) weighing in heavily.

we all need to take a break, take some deep breaths and realize that everything works out in ways sometimes we don't, or can't, understand. the outcome may not even matter - - we are not reader's of the future, of our own or others. happiness is not fleeting....it sticks around, if you let it.

in those times of self-doubt, which i know everyone has, albeit probably more often than we like.....a break, an escape, a parting with life's bothers is greatly needed.

let me take you to a place that can make those worries a faint whisper, a long parted trouble and taken away in the wind. a place that has the ability to pull out of you those nagging troubles, no matter what they may be - - however insignificant or faint.....

beauty has that affect on me, at least. i arrive with more than what i leave with. the hands in the wind grab at what nags at me at takes it away, lifts it off my shoulders. launches it into the horizon, far, far away.....

i can only be eternally thankful for what i have been lucky enough to experience in my life. the sights, the sounds, the people. and these i will hold dear and never let go......

for they provide me with solace, escape and utter happiness. they have given me insight into myself and they are part of the pieces of me. what makes me who i am.



so let me take you to a place that can make those worries a faint whisper...

take a deep breath, relax...

inhale the beauty and let your worries drift far, far away into the wind....and beyond.










it works for me......and that is why i love cap d'antibes. this one gets tucked away for safe-keeping. i know i'll need to look on it again, when i just need to relax.

did you know?

any american that watches any portion of television in france is bound to notice a remarkable difference in the way that france advertises commercials on tv.

let me make a comparison (based solely on my opinion of course):

summary of american commercials: buy lots of stuff you don't need because we say so and you need it; our food is good to eat so go and buy it you need it (and we don't really care if you get fat eating it); you need to watch this movie because it's the best ever; drink lots of beer - it's really good, and cold; call this number on the screen for something free and then we'll take you for all you've got; buy this car so you can be better than your neighbor plus it's the biggest one on the road (we don't care if it is too expensive and harms the environment).......the list could go on and on, right?

summary of french commercials: protect your clothing with this detergent, they will look better over time; eat this wonderful food, but not too much and be sure to exercise; buy this perfume because you will smell like a flower and waltz through life; spend time with your family and cook our food; eat this yoghurt for your health and to keep your body and internal flora in harmony; buy this body lotion to smooth out your skin so it looks it's best ever......sounds a little softer and less 'in your face' huh?

you get my drift i'm sure.

and i'm not saying that france doesn't advertize to get people to buy stuff, that is the bottom line of advertising of course, i'm not debating that. (or that france is better than the u.s. - - not saying that either). it's just the way in which advertising messages are portrayed to the public and what responsibility is being taken (either by the actual company themselves, the broadcasters or the government).

did you know that in france, there are many types of tv commercials that are banned?
for instance.....anything advertising:
- alcohol
- tobacco
- prescription medicine
- anything specifically geared towards children

i'm sure there are others, however these are the most common. how many commercials are there in the u.s. for prescription drugs? think about it....

and a recent law here that went into effect last year in february, states that one of the following messages must be shown on food ads or the company is subject to large fines:
- "avoid snacking between meals"
-"for your health, eat at least 5 fruits and vegetables per day"
- "practice a physical activity regularly"
any of which must be followed to a reference to visit the website http://www.mangerbouger.fr/

mangerbouger.fr (stands for moving eating), has tips on healthy snacking, what to eat if you are a child, adult, adolescent, pregnant, etc. it is chock full of information on healthy eating and exercising for fitness and wellbeing! it's great, and it's not sponsored by a supermarket chain or a nationwide brand.

how great would that be for everyone living in the united states if a responsibility would be taken over the knowledge of what goes in peoples mouths and how it affects a person's wellbeing?? in commercials!!!! i'm sure advertisers wouldn't hear of it and the government would be hassled that they are too involved in people's rights.....

many people don't realize how many calories are in that frozen meal that is advertised on t.v.; or that if you buy too many snack foods like crackers, doritos, peanuts, etc. you may end up overweight and a big ball of salt; or that if you eat out at that chain restaurant you'll walk out having consumed your calorie allowance equal to two day's worth; or that even though a product is advertised that is 0% fat, an extra 100 chemicals have been added to make it edible.

perhaps people do know this.

perhaps there just isn't enough of someone telling them,
"put down the dorito, man!!"

we all need a little help sometimes.......right? ;-)


(found this interesting article on french commercials in the new york times - - click here to read)

hiking the circuit des chateaux, mandelieu

(i made some new changes to my site - - to expand any of my posts and stay on the main page, click on the [...], to open in a new page, click on Read More)

another amazing day of hiking yesterday. i think this route is up there in the top 2 best hikes we have taken so far! it was part hillside/rock path (literally up the side of a hill, it was gorgeous!), part city/beach and part summit/hilltop. my photos are in order of what we saw (minus some of the beach parts in the beginning because i already took some of this same beach earlier...no need to repeat).

the first photo: this was our ascent into the side of the hill - - david was barreling ahead of me!

here is me, posing for a photo (it was my turn to carry the bag...i always manage to get out of carrying it....water is necessary though ;-) glad we had it!

the first sign that let us know we were on the right path! i love to see the signs...we moved forward!

this was at the top of the first hillside/rock path. quite a beautiful sight....it was overlooking the port just past the mandelieu castle...we we able to hang out for a few minutes, take photos and drink some refreshing water...then on towards the next part of the hike!

this was a even further up the hill, i love the arches at this port - - quite unique and very picturesque..

this arch caught my eye - - you can actually see the coast directly through the middle of the gates. this was part two of the hike, we descended a bit and then walked along a main road. we wrapped around a few bends to get to the next major hillside part of the hike

in a hidden little pathway, between a bench (and near a bustop, oddly enough) this scene caught my eye. the water looked tropical - - i just wanted to dive right in!

just around the bend the second part of our hike continued. i snapped this photo because it almost took my breath away when i turned around after we crossed the road. it was actually quite a busy roundabout with lots of cars. the angle that we were at made it look so wide open and serene. i just had to snap a photo....

typical signpost. quite obvious which way you would need to go, right? always cracks me up.

hhmmmmmm, go left? yup, i think that makes sense.......

this was a quiet street about halfway up towards the summit of the hill - part three of the hike. if you look on the left of the photo you'll see a gate. this is actually someone's house.

spectacular.

the view from the tower (on old castle ruin).

wow. i was breathless.

(but still had enough breath to take photos......) cheese ;-)

this was a map of 360 degrees of view that we had. we were literally standing on the top of the hill (not sure when a hill is considered a mountain, we were as high up as you could get for miles around....). beautiful.

the map showed all of the ports, including cannes off in the distance towards the far left and behind us, some of the mountains.

the view on the way down......again, breathtaking endless blue ocean....

(sigh....if i could look at that forever.....)

follow the path....

and go down the stairs, you'll find your way home ;-) we did!

did you know?

so i thought of something new and fun for my blog today.

i manage to write an entry once or twice a week, sometimes more, sometimes less.....but i realized that i don't really share a lot of everyday things, factoids, etc. about living here. probably because it's difficult to make an entire entry on something like french pharmacies, sort of boring right? plus i believe in always providing a photo or image with every entry. as a resident here, i feel silly snapping photos at my local neighborhood pharmacy....as you can most likely understand. there are interesting things about french pharmacies that i would like to share though, so i do feel i need a fun way to talk about it......

but what happens if i write small paragraphs, with one or no photos, providing 'did you know' facts and or everyday things about france? i may use images other than my own (i will always say as such either way) as some things are just awkward to take photos of myself.

i figure that this is a fun way to help everyone uncover the small little things that make life different here, without feeling like i have to write a long entry. just a quick snippet.

so i'll start off with this as:

DID YOU KNOW??

each time you go to any grocery store, you will be expected to provide your own bags. you can purchase reusable bags most of the time, however, they are more solid than lets say, a meijer bag, and last for many, many trips. most places offer 3 types of bags: cheapie tiny plastic bag (only lasts one or two additional trips) for 10 cents, sturdy plastic, larger bag for 40 cents or less and then the largest, sturdiest bags normally cost 60 or 70 cents (they last a long time and can carry a ton of stuff). i also rotate using three canvas-type bags from a company called muji, that i got for a present from my big sis, they are great!! they are good to use also when not at a supermarket since they are prettier.

as well as bringing your own bags to the store, you will never, ever encounter a 'bagger' anywhere. literally. you pack your own groceries into your cart. i love this. nothing gets squished or broken (depends on who's doing the packing though, i guess!!) and you know that you are getting as much into the bags you paid for too. you are also more engaged in what you are purchasing.

try it out one day.....bring your own bags and pack them yourself, you'll see, it's fun!

and not to mention, great for the environment ;-)

(photo i took of 2 of the larger grocery store bags and one of my canvas-type bags that has a pouch to keep it in too!)

nissa la bella

nissa la bella, nice the beautiful

we hung out all day in nice, walking around, enjoying the gorgeous, beautiful weather on saturday. i, as always, took tons of photos (with the help of david, thanks!).

now that the carnaval is over, spending the day in nice is much easier. not to mention parking! i don't have much to say today, so i thought i would just share some photos.

i hope you can enjoy them as much as i do!

colorful buildings surrounding the port of nice



marché aux fleurs - this famous market takes place on the cours saleya in the heart of the old town nice

i took this photo for aaron and carla
(this restaurant, Restaurant du Gesù is a small gem in old nice)

aaron & carla: we had some socca and beignets at Chez René Socca for ya! (oh, and a pression also) ;-)

i'll write all about socca and food unique to nice another time....unfortunately we were so enthralled with eating our food, i actually (if you can believe it) forgot to take photos of the food so i could write about it.....but don't worry, there'll definitely be another time. yummm.....!!

i was intrigued with this building. such rich and happy colors. i just wanted to reach out my hand and touch the building, it looked "soft", if that even can describe how i felt when i took the photo....

a view of the end of the beach, looking towards the quai des etats-unis (the united states quay/waterfront) just in front of old town nice





another couple of the beach / surrounding buildings near the quai des etats-unis

until next time my friends......

all from a cup of tea...

it's wednesday, nothing special happening. it's raining outside. and this afternoon, i decided to make a cup of tea and i love tea.

i'm not exactly a worldclass tea connoisseur nor am i a tea snob, however, i do appreciate good quality (organic fair trade if possible!) loose leaf tea anyday. but today i just grabbed one of my favorite teabag herbal teas from the states. it's called Organic Sweet & Spicy Herbal Tea, by GoodEarth. it's spicy, cinnamon-y and is my cure-all when i'm feeling blue or just want to relax...today i just needed a nice relaxing cuppa.

and as if the tea isn't a good pick-me-up in itself, each teabag has a quote. you can't resist but to read.

okay, okay, you are all probably thinking 'wow, how cheesy?' but i am fueled by these small thought-provoking things in life, not to mention i am terribly sentimental, and i oftentimes find inspiration in weird places....even things as simple as a teabag. sometimes that's all it takes, right?

standing in our blue-toned kitchen near the window, with the rain methodically tapping against the panes of glass and windowsill, i stood and dunked my teabag as it steeped. i turned over the teabag pull, as i normally do, to read the quote:

"What we play is life" - Louis Armstrong (1900-1971)

normally i read the quote, smile for a minute, and continue on and toss out the teabag. but for whatever reason today, this quote struck a chord. i tore the teabag pull off of my teabag and shoved it into my pocket for safekeeping.

what we play is life. perhaps you may not interpret this the same as me. but for me, when you play something, you are the operator, the creator, the one in control, so to speak. whether you are kicking a ball, playing an instrument, throwing something, you are in control, you are making the plays, running the course, creating the music. you are the one playing. so if you play life, you are in control of your life.

seems pretty obvious, you say? some people stay in situations in life, unhappy situations, and never change or take control of life because sometimes it's scary. the unknown, the difficulty perhaps, or the fact that sometimes it takes sacrifices. oftentimes big sacrifices. but in the end it's for the good. what is possibly better than happiness?

i guess that the quote struck a chord because it has lots of meaning to me right now. it was a reminder to not let life pass me by, i am in full control - choosing my destiny. and it's not easy by all means, yet never too late and with no regrets. with a little inspiration and the feeling that change can make all the difference, i am playing my life. not as a game, but as a journey.

i like to think that i challenge the everyday stuff, shouldn't we?

challenge what you've got. and i don't mean material possessions. this isn't about how many suv's you can cram into your driveway. it doesn't have to cost money. it's about quality of life, things that make you happy, a job or hobby that you love to get out of bed in the morning for, education, travel, love.......and go get more if it's not enough. but don't let the moment pass you by.

and it's okay if your inspiration comes from a teabag. today mine did.

carnaval nice 2009 ~ roi des mascarades

david and i went to the 'bataille de fleurs', the flower parade, at the carnaval de nice last saturday. it was amazing!! i felt like a little kid again...the atmosphere was so jubilant and festive, musicians playing, confetti flying everywhere and flowers, flowers, flowers!!

and if you happened to get a stream of silly string flung at you, you just shoot it right back - - silly string wars were happening constantly to our left, to our right (and some sneaky little kids behind us that kept spraying the crabby lady in front of us!).

confetti was flying everywhere, as well as flowers being thrown from the floats and the people in the parade, it was great! it was all in good fun and it was made all the better with the amazing weather we had!

i was literally like a little kid, i kept saying to david (who has seen the carnaval a million times when he lived on the promenade for years...he's totally 'over it') "look at that one!", "oh that is awesome!", "oh wait, i like that one better!!", "look at her costume!".....and it went on and on.....photos and all. he just smiled and let me take in all the fun, as annoying as i probably was...

a little bit of history i found:

"The most widely-believed origin of the word "carnival" is from the old Italian "carne levare", meaning "away with meat". By the Middle Ages, the people of Nice, before fasting forty days, as appropriate for the Catholic tradition of Lent, enjoyed rich and plentiful dining....

The first reference to a carnival in Nice in the history books dates back to 1294 when Charles d'Anjou, Count of Provence, mentions having spent "some joyous days of carnival" in the city. But In the 17th century excesses were brought under control by the "Abbés des Fous" whose role was to regulate the population. At this time, under the influence of the famous Venice Carnival, balls become more common that street entertainment...

However, the first carnival parade, which is typical of the modern carnival, was inaugurated in 1830 in honor of Charles Felix and Marie-Christine, sovereigns of the Piedmont Sardinia Kingdom. The parade involved a display of thirty carriages before the king and Queen to announce the start of the carnival.

The carnival in the form we know it today was started in 1873, with the founding of the "Festival Committee" which would organize the carnival and massively increase it in size under the patronage of the city's governors. Now parades and floats, paying stands and a more organized event made their appearance. It was at this time that one of the carnival's most spectacular and fascinating features was born. The local artist Alexis Mosssa together with his son Gustav Adolf brought a surprising particularity, at once both fabulous and grotesque - the now famous giant models which have become its hallmark.

The first Flower Procession was started in 1876 on the Promenade des Anglais. The same location has been used ever since and it has developed into a glorious show, an important part of today's carnival."

"The Carnival of Nice, the largest winter event on the French Riviera, will be held for the 125th time, and will return to Place Massena, one of the city's historic squares...."

"This year's theme, "King of Masquerades", will be stages in a Carnival Parage with twenty monumental floates, accompanied by more than two hundred 'big heads'.

"The theme evokes the art of concealment in every sense : wearing a mask, changing one's appearance, staging, in short the art of deception. From a simple disguise to plastic surgery, from manipulation to celebrity press & the Carnival is no longer the only realm of fancy dress and device in all its forms, represented in a modern and outrageous fantasy..."

the ladies on stilts were so whimsical and beautiful, and one can't help but wonder, how do they not fall!

the dinosaur was amazing - - it was probably 50 ft long - - 'breathing' fire (ok, we so it was fake smoke, but it was really cool)...and it was fully animated, so they would tilt it's head up high and swing back across into the crowds, it was very well done and quite fantastic to look at!

this is an example of one of the flower floats, at the end of the parade (and somewhat throughout), the ladies on the floats would throw flowers (mainly mimosa's) out into the crowd. you'd better be quick to grab some or you'll miss out!

i loved the feathers on this group of gals, bright pink! david said that this alone was worth his 10 Euro admission fee......oh wait, i think he said that about the other scantily clad ladies, the one's wearing the thongs! (haa haa!)

oh there you go....one of the thong ladies!

amazing african style music and dancing!

we had a fabulous time, i highly recommend it to everyone - - it's one of those things that you just need to see once in your life ;-) i am happy we went! (and i managed to catch some flowers too!)