When I was growing up, I vaguely recall that once a year my grandmother, who lived with us would meet up with her friends and they’d ride into city for the Philadelphia Flower Show. I’ve really never had much interest in the show until I saw photos from last year’s show. It was more than […]
A Visit to: Philadelphia Flower Show Read More »
Canele, cannele, canelle — there seem to be an awful lot of ways to spell this small French pastry with a hard, crispy, caramelized exterior and a soft, custardy inside. And that’s even before we non-French speakers try to pronounce them (“What? You’re making cannollis?” “No, canneles!”). To be serious, canelés or canelés of Bordeaux
I am not a fan of crowds — not at all. I am one of those people who goes out of her way to travel during the off-season, attend events on weekdays, arrive at opening time or pretty much anything else that will hopefully mean that I get to miss the crowds. At least as
My Must See List: Baalbek Read More »
Nestled between New York City and Washington, D.C., Philadelphia can be easily overlooked. We’re often underrated. But the City of Brotherly Love has some incredible secrets, especially when it comes to art. The Rocky movies memorialize the front steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. But within the walls of the impressive building is, unquestionably,
Rodin Museum Brings French Sculpture to Philly Read More »
You know that you’re becoming a serious tea drinker (is there a special name for that? A tea head?) when your collection of tea accouterments includes a clay teapot. I acquired one, along with some incredible organic oolong tea from Taiwan, from Eco-Cha. That’s when I found out that the teapot has to be cured.
How to Cure a Clay Teapot Read More »
Architecture. Art. Historic. Unique. There are certain words that will pique my interest quicker than a turkey gobbling in the neighbor’s yard will grab my dog George’s attention. One artful, historic, unique architectural wonder that’s always been on my mental “must see” list is Sagrada Família in Barcelona, Spain. It’s a one of a kind
My Must See List: Sagrada Família Read More »
I first became aware of German singer-songwriter Toni Kater through her collaborations with Einstürzende Neubauten percussionist and a favorite of mine, Rudi Moser. In addition to his appearances in Kater’s own music, the two worked together under the name Kill Royal and released an English language track (the darkly absorbing “Remember”) through the Lokalhymnen Berlin
German Music: Toni Kater Read More »
After reading Swiss author Christian Kracht‘s debut novel Faserland I was hooked. While not overly simplistic by any means, Kracht writes novels that are challenging for a German language learner but aren’t overly complex either. I’m a loyal reader, a loyal fan, generally speaking. If I like the book an author has written — or
German Book Review: Kracht’s 1979 Read More »
It seemed for a while like Mother Nature had forgotten that it was winter. It’s been so mild here! Even at the end of fall, when we’d normally see at the very least a dusting of snow, we saw next to nothing. Well maybe Mother Nature finally checked her calendar. The past week has been
First Snow of 2015 Read More »
From the Liberty Bell to the Declaration of Independence, Colonial Philadelphia has an important part in the history of the United States. In addition to Pennsylvania being one of the original thirteen colonies, Colonial Philadelphia served as the location of the First and Second Continental Congresses as well as, temporarily, acting as the capital of
Colonial Philadelphia: From Liberty Bell to Independence Hall Read More »
My week-long self-imposed German challenge is over. So how’d I do? I made it — but only just. The whole reason I challenged myself was because life has gotten really busy. But as we all know, if you don’t use it you lose it. After years of hard studying, I’m sure as hell not ready
German Challenge: Recap Read More »
The German Challenge is half over! How about that? As I write this, I’m mid-way through my self-imposed challenge to do 30 hours of German practice in a week. There have been positives and negatives and I wanted to share those, as well as how I’ve been spending my time.
German Challenge: Mid-Week Check-In Read More »
