In 2019 the revered Notre Dame cathedral suffered a devastating fire. President Macron declared “we will rebuild Notre Dame more beautiful than it was before.” He was not kidding. On December 8, 2024 the landmark reopened to great fanfare and the restoration is phenomenal! Chief architect Philippe Villeneuve led the team of over 2,000 architects,

My yearlong culture trip continues to be both enjoyable and fascinating. If you’re new here, I’ve committed to engage in and highlight the color and culture of a different country each month.  This first venture was Spanish flamenco dancing. I enrolled in classes and chronicled the progress (or lack of :-)) on social media and

I miss traveling. The anticipation when planning a trip, foreign foods, experiencing new places, meeting people around the world. I miss it all. Undoubtedly, you do too. While countries outside the United States may be closed for now, we can still create our own foreign getaway at home.  A few years ago I spent the

The City of Light is dog friendly, if you know your way around ‘Is that a service dog?” the flight attendant asked as she pointed to my bichon frise curled up beside me on the airplane seat. “No, he’s not” I said. “Then he needs to be in his carrier under the seat in front