The Story of Chicago May by Nuala O’Faolain (2005)

Outlaw, showgirl, confidence trickster, thief and occasional prostitute, red-haired May Duignan was, according to legend, “The Queen of the Underworld”.

At nineteen, she stole her family’s savings and ran away from rural Ireland to America. The extraordinary life of crime that followed would take her from Chicago to the rip-roaring Tenderloin district of New York, from London to Paris, from bordello to jail. But her tale has remained little known, until now. Her gifted memoirist, Nuala O’Faolain, reaches across the decades to re-tell the incredible story of an independent and unrepentant woman: one who remained an outsider all her life, yet could still find herself, after everything, transformed by love…

Author: Nuala O'Faolain was an Irish journalist, teacher and writer born on March 1^st, 1940. She died of cancer on May 9^th, 2008. O'Faolain shared her time between Ireland and New York City and never got married. She became well known after the publication of her memoirs Are You Somebody? She only published five books.

My thoughts: this is a terrific book that re-tells the history of May Duignan, a 19 year-old who, in 1890, left her deprived Irish town and departed to the United States in search of a better life. May wanted to escape from a life of misery and she tried to do so by any means open to her. I felt empathy for May, even though she did not lead an exemplary life. Her existence was filled with roughness and troubled events across various cities. May was sometimes cruel and also unwise and vulnerable in her love-affairs. She moved me a great deal and all the time I was reading the book I absolutely wanted May to succeed, to take the right path and to have a good life....

I read this wonderful book in March 2007, in just a couple of days. How do I know this? Because I usually date and sign all my books once I have read them. It also stuck in my mind because I really enjoyed this book. I have always been passionate about novels set in the 19th century. I have quite a few on my shelf (already read or waiting to be read), most of them are stories about women.

Caudalie Premier Cru The Elixir

Hello ladies! Today, I review a phenomenal product! When my Clarins serum finished a few months ago, I bought this serum by Caudalie - known as the Rolls Royce of serums.

Some time ago, I was offered a sample which I used for a week and was seduced by it...This is how I became familiar with Caudalie, a French skincare brand.

So let me tell you why this serum has impressed me and has been a pleasure to incorporate into my skin care regime.

The texture: half dry oil (non-greasy) and half serum.

The scent: a subtle smell of roses and lovely essential oils.

The result: I have sensitive combined skin and every night I apply 4 drops on my face and neck before my moisturiser. Since then I’ve noticed that I wake up with a more glowing skin.

In addition, The Elixir is a 99.5% natural anti-aging product and it is not tested on animals. It helps to target deep wrinkles and age spots and it firms and nourishes the skin.

The presentation/packaging is chic. The thin glass bottle has a dropper/applicator that is easy to use and avoids waste. It is going to last a while.

This is definitely a luxury product, but well worth the price. Caudalie Premier Cru The Elixir (29ml, CHF 74.00) is available at all good pharmacies.

Et voilà, job done.

Now, tell me, have you tried this? Are you a fan of Caudalie?

This post, like all my blog posts, is not sponsored.

Best Desserts in Geneva 2016 - 2nd 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 small but equally fabulous.

Folar doce de Páscoa

It is a Portuguese tradition to eat this brioche during Holy Week. At Easter time, folar is considered a “must”. The origin, back in time, of the Easter folar is not known. All that is clear is that it is very old...

Pâtisserie Boulangerie Nogueira

Avenue du Leman 69 - 1005 Lausanne

We love the Jean-Luc Guerraz cake shop, 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.

The cakes in Guerraz are to die for and I will definitely be ordering my birthday cake there. Any bets as to which one of these has conquered my palate??

Jean -Luc Guerraz

Grande-Rue 16

74160 St Julien-France

The Framboisine, an incredibly delicious cake, made of layers of sponge cake, with fresh raspberries, custard, whipped cream and completely covered with bitter dark chocolate.

Alizee is composed of two creamy mousses, strawberry and passion fruit, with a fruit coulis jelly inside.

Raspberry Alizee is composed of a creamy raspberry mousse and a raspberry coulis jelly inside.

Red Fruit Tiramisu

Japanese is made up of an almond biscuit layer, praline cream and chocolate ganache.

To finish, the traditional Aimé Pouly, a kind of Geneva institution (see October 2015 review). We love their fresh and delicious fruit tartlets.

Aimé Pouly - Four de Bourg

Rue Etienne Dumont 1

1204 Geneva

Raspberry Tartlet is made of Breton shortbread covered with fresh raspberries and topped with a light vanilla crème pâtissière (custard cream).

Strawberry Tartlet is made of Breton shortbread covered with fresh strawberries and topped with a light vanilla crème pâtissière (custard cream).

I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh (2014)

A tragic accident. It all happened so quickly. She couldn’t have prevented it. Could she?

In a split second, Jenna Gray’s world descends into a nightmare. Her only hope of moving on is to walk away from everything she knows to start afresh. Desperate to escape, Jenna moves to a remote cottage on the Welsh coast, but she is haunted by her fears, her grief and her memories of a cruel November night that changed her life forever.

Slowly, Jenna begins to glimpse the potential for happiness in her future. But her past is about to catch up with her, and the consequences will be devastating . . .

Author: Clare Mackintosh is a freelance journalist and author, living in the Cotswolds, England. Formerly a police inspector and public order commander, she is a columnist for Cotswold Life magazine. I Let You Go is her first novel.

My thoughts: Sweetheart gave me this book for Valentine's Day. I know that does not sound romantic, but believe me, he is very chivalrous. Coming back to “I Let You Go”, I read this breath-taking psychological thriller in April. I was simply unable to put it down until I finished it, so I highly recommend it to you!!! In writing my review, I have deliberately chosen not to tell you the plot twist as this would spoil the story if you intend to read it... Here is a brief summary…

Jenna Gray, a sculptor, is desperate to escape from her past after a tragic hit-and-run accident destroys her life. Feeling lost she moves to a small Welsh village where she attempts to start anew. She begins earning a living as a photographer and meets a charming vet named Patrick, but she is still haunted by her fear and grief. At the same time, investigator Ray Stevens and his team work hard to seek justice for the mother of the five year old boy, Jacob, the victim of the accident. After more than a year, the work begins to pay off, thanks to the determination of Kate, one of Ray's inspectors (Ray and Kate enjoy a little flirt, by the way).

This psychological thriller has an emotional plot with a big twist that I did not see coming and which changed the dynamics of the story. I adore all the characters and loved the way they are developed.

My list of gorgeous Berlin restaurants

Sweetheart and I like to eat well (we are “bon vivants”). Our choice of restaurant is invariably directed to simple dishes that are well prepared with local and seasonal produce, whenever possible.

In Germany, the traditional food is based on pork, goose, different types of fish, peas, beans and potatoes, German food is one of the world’s heartiest cuisines. So, in Berlin, we enjoyed their specialties, except once, when I wanted steak, French fries and green salad...hahaha….

We had Berlin's iconic dishes, such as Currywurst (large grilled sausage with a curry-ketchup sauce), Wiener Schnitzel (breaded-and-fried veal escalope with potatoes and vegetables), Eisbein (pork knuckle), Flammkuchen (composed of bread dough rolled out very thinly which is covered with crème frâiche, thinly sliced onions and bacon). Pretzels, Apfelstrudel (apple strudel), Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte (Black Forest cake), to name only a few…

Needless to say we tried lots of beer, notably Berliner Weisse. I tried and loved Berliner Weisse with an added shot of raspberry or passion fruit syrup. The syrup changes the colour of the beer. A beer with the raspberry syrup is known as a “Red Berliner Weisse”.

Brasserie Desbrosses

The Ritz-Carlton

Ground Floor

Potsdamer Platz 3

Tel.: +49 30 337777

Dressler

Unter den Linden 39

Tél.: +49 30 2044422

Reinhard’s

Poststrasse 28

Nikolaiviertel/Mitte

Tél.: +49 30 2425295

Lindenbräu

Sony Center

Potsdamer Platz

Tél.: +49 30 25751280

Four fantastic cultural visits in Berlin

Hello dear readers! I hope you had a great weekend. Ours was very nice and the weather was kind to us. Thursday was a bank holiday and, for many of us, it was a long weekend.

We got away to a picturesque Swiss town and visited an old friend, Mr Charlie Chaplin... I will tell to you all about that later. Okay?

For now, I leave you with four fantastic suggestions for cultural visits in Berlin. Two museums, one palace and an open air gallery.

Note that there is a day ticket that allows you to visit several museums in one day for an attractive price. However, I would not recommend more than two museums per day because you will not have the time to enjoy the exhibits at their just value. Personally I prefer quality rather than quantity!

Pergamonmuseum

The Pergamonmuseum is a fascinating window onto the ancient world. The three-wing complex unites classical sculpture and monumental architecture from Greece, Rome, Babylon and the Middle East.

Note that the Museum is undergoing renovation works. The Pergamon Altar is closed to the public until 2019.

The Market Gate of Miletus is a large marble monument built in Miletus in the 2^nd century AD and destroyed in an earthquake in the 10^th or 11^th century. In the early 1900s, it was excavated, rebuilt, and placed on display in the museum.

Roman Emperor Statue

A Lamassu in the Assyrian Room

Assyrian Lion Sculpture in the Assyrian Room

NEUES MUSEUM

The Neues Museum was built between 1843 and 1855 and it was closed at the beginning of WW2, it was heavily damaged during the bombing of Berlin. The rebuilding was overseen by an English architect and the museum officially reopened in October 2009. Exhibits include the Egyptian and Prehistory and Early History collections. The artifacts it houses the iconic bust of the Egyptian queen Nefertiti.

Egyptian Courtyard

“Fourteen murals conveyed an impression of the sites of the ancient monuments in the Nile Valley in the former Egyptian courtyard which emulated a temple courtyard of the New Kingdom…”

Colossal statue of Helios

Colossal statue of a goddess

Egyptian Tombs Room: Sarcophagus of the general Pede-Esi, Sarcophagus of Meryt, official of auxiliary forces, Highpriest of Rê, Sarcophagus of Hori, Highpriest of Memphis

Schloss Charlottenburg

Is an exquisite baroque palace and one of the few sites in Berlin that still reflects the one-time grandeur of the royal Hohenzollern clan, who ruled from 1415 until 1918.

Golden Gallery originally known as the Grand Gallery, is one of the most important creations of rococo interior design from the reign of Frederick the Great. It is a magnificent example of the decorative arts of the 18^th century.

The Belvedere King Frederick William II of Prussia had the small garden palace built as a place for private retreat in 1788. Inside is displayed one of the most important collections of Berlin porcelain art worldwide.

The Mausoleum, the burial place of the Hohenzollern family, following the sudden death of Queen Luise of Prussia King Frederick William III had this mausoleum built for his beloved wife at the end of a pine avenue in 1810 in the style of a Doric temple.

The Monument for Queen Luise of Prussia, made between 1811 and 1814, is artistically the most significant.

East Side Gallery

The Berlin Wall is a 1.3 km long international memorial to freedom. And the world’s largest open air-mural collection, the Gallery consists of 105 paintings by artists from all over the world.