Valentine’s Day Gift

Hello ladies and gents

I hope you are well and that you are looking forward to Valentine’s Day on February 14th.

I know, I know... I’m a little late to post an idea for the day itself, but as Valentine’s Day is every day for those who are in love, here’s a great gift idea for your loved one:

A spa treatment in a 5-star hotel.

As I had received a Clarins gift voucher, I decided to try this spa and while I was there I took a few snaps and then wrote a small post.

Clarins is located within the prestigious Intercontinental Hotel located at Petit-Saconnex., the neighbourhood which houses the international organisations, such as the Palais des Nations United Nations Headquarters.

Upon my arrival at the hotel, I was warmly greeted with a big smile. After a brief look around the hotel and a trip to the rest room to wash my hands - the hand wash and hand lotion smelled divine - I went up to the second floor where the Clarins Spa is located.

The institute offers various treatments for the face and the body in a very luminous and tranquil setting.

I was very well received and I really enjoyed the atmosphere, as well as the relaxing massage with essential oils at the hands of a Clarins beautician, all of this complemented by very zen background music. My whole body thanks me for the experience.

It is important to take the time to do things for yourself, to relax and enjoy these pleasurable moments, either alone or as a couple, in a haven of peace.

Pictures taken with my very old smartphone 

Spa by Clarins - Intercontinental Hotel

Ch. du Petit-Saconnex 7-9

1209 Geneva

From 9:00 - 21:00

Teacup chocolate fondant

On a November Friday evening, after getting home, I desperately wanted something sweet, intense and chocolatey. In my cupboard, I found Cailler 64% Cocoa Dark Chocolate and this recipe came spontaneously into my mind.

To be honest, I avoid making this recipe because it is dangerously good. But I missed these yummies so much…I prefer to cook this cake in a teacup, it looks gourmand and it is original to serve a classic dessert in teacups.

For those who do not know, a chocolate fondant is obtained when a cake is baked until it is done on the outside, but soft and gooey in the centre. The secret to keeping the centre of the cake runny is to refrigerate the mixture for an hour before placing it in the oven.

Ingredients (4 teacups)

125g Cailler Cuisine Noir 64% (Cailler 64% Cocoa Dark Cooking Chocolate)

60 g butter

3 eggs

70 g sugar

30 g flour

Preparation: 15 min

Refrigeration: 1 hour

Cooking time: 10 minutes

Material: 4 teacups of 7-8 cm of diameter

1. Lightly butter the inside of the teacups and place them on the cold baking tray. Leave outside the oven.

2. Melt the chocolate in a bain-marie. Add the butter cut into small cubes and mix to a smooth cream.

3. In a bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar with an electric beater until they are pale and slightly foamy.

4. Pour in the chocolate cream and, using a spatula, gently fold in the flour.

5. Place the bowl with the mixture in a refrigerator 1 hour before cooking.

6. Fill the teacups with the preparation and place in the oven preheated to 200°C. Bake for 10 minutes at 180°C.

7.  Let them cool a little before serving.

Note: This is a slightly adapted Cailler recipe.

Photo Souvenirs

Early January, I decided to clean out my heavy photo albums, full of Kodak photos. Yes, before it was like that, remember? We took pictures with film and, once the roll was finished, we gave it to a photo shop to be developed.

In short, to come back to my story, I had a lot of trouble getting rid of these photos. My passion for travelling started very early, it’s in my roots. You could say that travelling is like breathing in my multicultural family.

That said, with age, my craze for travelling has cooled. 12 hour flights, plus stress at airports and the hassle of organising the whole trip are things that I can only face once a year now, instead of four times a year as I used to do.

What I retain from every trip I have made is the beauty of the country I visited, its culture and customs and the people I met, not to mention the culinary specialties and landscapes. I captured this beauty with my very old non-digital film camera. This is where my passion for photography comes from.

I was overcome with emotion as I looked at these souvenirs of my travels and I remembered lots of details. Travelling for me means always taking time to explore places calmly, at length and passionately. Like when you fall in love and you discover your partner every day a little more...

Here is a post that filled me with joy to compile. These pictures were chosen with difficulty among many. And, in case you want to know, no, I could not lighten my big photo box.

MOROCCO

1. The “guerrab” or water carrier in Djemaa el Fna Square, Marrakesh

2. Inside the Medina - I love those narrows alleys of Marrakech

3. Berber village in the High Atlas

BOAVISTA, CAPE VERDE

1. Sand dunes on Chaves Beach

2. On top of the sand dunes

SAL, CAPE VERDE

1. My driver and guide

2. Very early in the morning when the fishermen arrive

3. Fruit seller (I adore this photo)

NASSAU, BAHAMAS

1. Atlantis Paradise Island, probably the most spectacular hotel where I have stayed to date

2. Sunday parade on the Bay Street, Nassau

MALDIVES

1. The Kanuhura Resort, Maldives

2. Very tanned and pensive...

DUBAI, UAE

1. Impressive city, but not my cup of tea - too much glitter...

2. The Ritz-Carlton Jumeirah Beach, early morning swimming under the cascade

PORTO, PORTUGAL

1. Dom-Luís Bridge

2. Porto Ribeira is the historical centre of Porto

3. Lello bookstore, ranked among the 10 most beautiful bookstores in the world

MACAU

1. The ruins of Saint Paul

2. View from the bay - you can see the Grand Lisboa skyscraper that resembles a lotus leaf

LA VALLETTA, MALTA

1. La Valletta

2. Fort Saint Elmo

THAILAND

1. Golden Buddha statues in Wat Po, Bangkok

2. Woman resting in Bangkok’s floating markets

MONTSERRAT, SPAIN

1. Montserrat is a mountain range near Barcelona. The rocks have very peculiar shapes that reminded me of giant stone figures

2. Montserrat Monastery near Barcelona, the abbey houses the black virgin of Montserrat, patron saint of Catalonia

LAC DES QUATRE-CANTONS, SWITZERLAND

1. Lake Lucerne is a glacial lake in central Switzerland. It is 38 kilometres long. If I were to name my favourite place in Switzerland, it would no doubt be here. A breath-taking beauty spot close to Lucerne.

2. The mountain, the huts, the cows (I love farm animals and especially cows ... aren't they really beautiful?)

Oh, this photo melts my heart, my little Labrador puppy on the day I went to get him. He was the most wonderful birthday present!

Death at the Priory by James Ruddick (2001)

It took three tortured days in 1876 for Charles Bravo to die. Six doctors, including Queen Victoria’s physician, had attempted to save him from the poison that burned its way through his body. The subsequent police investigation revealed a surprising number of people who harboured a grudge against the young barrister - just six months married - and who had both the means and motive to kill him. The dramatic inquest that followed was covered in sensational detail by the press. Yet, in the end, no-one was ever convicted of Charles Bravo’s murder.

James Ruddick arrived at the scene of the crime over a century later to find the mystery still unexplained. Drawing on new evidence, his brilliant conclusion finally and emphatically solves one of the most famous murders in British criminal history.

Author: James Ruddick is a journalist and television researcher. He is the author of several books including “Lord Lucan: What Really Happened”. “Death at the Priory” was nominated for a Non-Fiction Edgar Award in the US.

My thoughts: I read this non-fiction book in May 2012 and in November 2014 and again last December. I loved this book very much because I have always been attracted to the Victorian era. This is not just a thrilling investigation story, we also learn a great deal about how life was for men and women in Victorian Britain. This is the story of their private lives and the traditions in British society. The book reads like a dramatic love affair intermingled with detective work. I really liked the meticulous research.

It is the true story of Florence Campbell, a wealthy young woman unhappy in love. She was married twice to men who did not suit her. After becoming the young widow of the handsome, alcoholic and much courted Captain Alexander Ricardo, she embarked upon a long love affair with Dr James Gully. Florence met the brilliant and eminent Dr James Gully, 30 years her senior, at Hydro, a high-class sanatorium in Malvern, the Worcestershire spa town on the Welsh borders. She went there for a while - alone - to figure out what to do with her unhappy and abusive marriage to Alexander Ricardo. This “cure” was a typical Victorian compromise to find a solution to marital issues. Her unhappy marriage to Alexandre Ricardo had come to an end and she desperately wanted to file for divorce, an unpopular procedure in Victorian society.

Dr Gully brought her the love, tenderness and support she so badly needed. But their love affair became known and both were rejected by the prudish society of the time. To be accepted again in high society and to regain a social life, she sought a husband and met a young barrister, Charles Bravo, whom she married. Her new husband was a brutal, cold, calculating and opportunistic man. Sadly, the marriage was a very unhappy one right from the start. Six months after their marriage, Charles died in atrocious suffering due to poisoning.

Two senior detectives from Scotland Yard were assigned to investigate Charles Bravo’s homicide. They narrowed their inquiries to a handful of suspects all of whom had the opportunity to administer the poison. There was Charles’s Bravo wife, the beautiful and wealthy Florence. There was the couple’s housekeeper, and Florence’s long-time companion, Mrs Jane Cox, who had faced dismissal at Bravo’s hands. There was also Dr James Gully, Florence’s lover and one of the most prominent physicians of the period. He bore a grudge against Bravo for stealing his mistress. Or perhaps the other servants?

After five weeks of inquiry, the jury announced that there was insufficient evidence to name Bravo’s murderer and all the suspects were duly acquitted.

Thanks to the investigation of the author James Ruddick, one can see more clearly. But do not count on me to give you the outcome, otherwise it will spoil the pleasure of discovering the story...and, believe me, this easily approachable book is well worth reading.