My Birthday…

My birthday weekend came and went in a flash. I had a fantastic birthday... I'm getting older...

I have always loved my birthdays and I still love birthday parties! We always have reason to celebrate if we are happy and healthy and have support from our family and friends.

When I was little, I could not sleep on the eve of my birthday; such was my excitement in anticipation of the following day.

Now that I'm an adult, I retain this same enthusiasm, even if my family lives far away and my birthday falls during the summer holiday period. To me it does not matter if we are six or twenty at the party.

The day started with birthday emails from friends living abroad, a call from my mum wishing me wonderful things... hugs and kisses from Sweetheart, birthday cards in the mail box.

In the evening, we had a simple buffet entirely prepared by me (with the exception of my birthday cake which I had ordered from Jean-Luc Guerraz). The table was decorated with DIY artifacts, candles and a gorgeous bouquet of flowers. 

The food was delicious and the guests showed up with their best smiles. The music was great and the night was filled with good vibes.

My addiction for little white dresses and ballerinas never wears off with age…witness my birthday outfit

Champagne and the “Fraisier” birthday cake

There will be always flowers to embellish the day

When I was younger, I wondered how my life would turn out later. I had no idea of what the future held for me. I look at my life now and, even though it is not what I had imagined, I feel grateful and happy.

I am fortunate enough to be surrounded by extraordinary friends, even if they are few in number. Professionally, I have achieved all my goals, even though I have never been a “career girl”. Now, I just want to have time for myself and not to lead a stressful life like I used to…

Finally, keeping this blog as a hobby has been so exciting. I enjoy sharing things I truly adore with people from all ages, horizons and countries.

Lots of Love

Best Desserts in Geneva 2016 - 3rd quarter

This post normally celebrates my favourite desserts from a cafe/bakery/pastry shop in the Geneva region. I have only documented delicacies here that I have tried personally (and many times).

For this quarter, the choice of cakes is tiny but equally fabulous. The cakes in Jean-Luc Guerraz are to die for and for my birthday I ordered my cake there.

The Fraisier is a classic French cake. It is an incredibly pretty and summery cake, made with a base of Génoise sponge split in half and brushed with kirsch liqueur. Then it is filled with delicious fresh strawberries and crème pâtissière.

The Jean-Luc Guerraz cake shop is located on the other side of the Swiss border in Saint-Julien-en-Genevois, a French commune located 10 km from Geneva. Many cross-border workers live in Saint-Julien and it is a small town where Genevans like to shop.

Jean -Luc Guerraz

Grande-Rue 16

74160 St Julien-France

Tel.: +33 4 50 49 10 99

In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson (2011)

1933. At the request of President Roosevelt, William E. Dodd agrees to be the new US ambassador in Berlin. Although he is a historian rather than a diplomat, he does have one ace up his sleeve: he is Germanophile. When he arrives in Germany, his wife and children accompany him. His daughter, Martha, 24 years old, quickly succumbs to the charms of Nazism and particularly to those of Rudolf Diels, the chief of the Gestapo. Over the months, W. E. Dodd’s eyes are opened. He attempts to alert the US State Department about the true nature of the Hitler’s regime, in vain. Martha, meanwhile, falls in love with Boris Winogradov, a Russian spy...

Author: Erik Larson was born in Brooklyn on January 3, 1954. He is a journalist and nonfiction author. He is a former staff writer for the Wall Street Journal. He has written for many prestigious publications; the New York Times, Harper's and Time magazine, to name a few. He lives a quiet life in Seattle with his blind-date wife and three daughters. He loves to cook, he likes to play tennis, he drinks too much red wine and he enjoys dry humour. His latest book is “Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania” published in March 2015. 

My thoughts: This is the third book written by Erik Larson that I have read. The other two are “The Devil in the White City” and “Thunderstruck”. When I came across this book I simply skipped it, as I was not in the mood for a WW2 read at that time.

This year, after I published a review of “The Devil in the White City”, one of my readers suggested this frightening and excellent historical novel. I read it during my holidays at the beginning of June and I simply couldn’t put down this thrilling book: I finished it in only a couple of days.

I find Erik Larson books based on historical subjects to be beautifully written and entertaining, even though the subject matter of this one is terrifying. The book is easy to read as well, giving a detailed and clear account of events that do not confuse the reader. I felt empathy for the humble and courageous ambassador, William E. Dodd, who became America’s first ambassador to Hitler’s regime. On the other hand, I really did not like his daughter, Martha. In my view, she is a spoilt, pretentious and manipulative young girl impressed with superficial things. Thankfully, she starts to improve herself as a result of her growing friendship with two great journalists, women of courage and determination.

I strongly recommend this masterpiece to you. It is a vivid portrait of Berlin during the first year of Hitler’s reign. We experience it through the eyes of a father and his daughter.

Les couleurs habillent la souffrance - Linda Naeff

Hello everyone!

This is just a quick post to talk about the exhibition which is currently taking place at the Museum of Carouge (Geneva). It features the work of Linda Naeff, a painter and sculptor.

I went last Wednesday and I literally succumbed to her art (I love Art Brut - in English Outsider Art) and her personality. She was a bubbly and frank woman and despite a life filled with drama, she was not a bitter person.

The exhibition ends on August 28th...which means you still have 3 weeks to visit it. Admission is free.

I wish you all a great Sunday

Musée de Carouge

Place de Sardaigne 2

Geneva - Carouge

Open from 14:00 to 18:00 (closed Monday)

Fátima

We spent a wonderful and very special day in Fátima, visiting and walking around filled with an indescribable peace of spirit.

To get there, we took the “Expressos Bus” from Lisbon, which is a pleasant and quick trip, just one and a half hour’s drive.

The town itself is not beautiful: it is full of guest houses, hotels, restaurants and souvenir shops for the many pilgrims.

We were glad to attend the Mass that was held at the sanctuary.

Santuário de Fátima (Fátima Shrine)

Nossa Senhora de Fátima (Our Lady of Fatima)

The inexhaustible water fountain, where you can drink fresh and excellent water

Souvenirs shops

Whatever your beliefs, you cannot help but be impressed by such religious fervour, the faith that every year leads more than six million people to this holy place where, on 13 May 1917, in Cova da Iria (Irene's Cove), the Virgin Mary first appeared to three peasant children, Lúcia, Jacinta and Francisco.

The Portuguese are a very devout Catholic people and a trip here will provide you with insights into Portugal’s religious culture. The key dates for the pilgrimage are May 13 and October 13.

I really hope you enjoyed this post about Fátima.