French la Vie

Saving Grace

 

When I was a child during lent my family would gather at my Grandparent' house. My many Aunts, Uncles and forty-some grandchildren combined.

We would kneel down together in my Grandparent' living room and pray the rosary. My Grandfather would lead it saying the Hail Marys, and Our Father's in Portuguese, we would follow in English.

 

 

 

 

Our praying together was like a wave rushing overhead. As if our prayer was something I could touch, hold on to, grab and sail the seas. Over the years I have retreated to that living room of my childhood, that womb of protection, to hear those voices I loved-- in a difficult time, that wave of prayer has brought me comfort, given me courage.

 

 

The Peaceful Path

Above Us

 

                    Love is a crown worth wearing.

Connected

 

The land surrounds me, there is nothing but the dirt under my feet,

the sky overhead

and my bare body.

Alone.

I imagine what that would be like?

Back in the beginning whenever that was, back when sparks flew and light spoke in the darkness. Far behind the present life yet still living within us, it was then, now and tomorrow. Weren't we all the same in that moment of deep reality in a nanosecond?

I wonder at the magnitude, the enormous meaning of having it all and having nothing. 

The beginning of life.

This seriousness, this sensitivity, this unexplainable wonder stands in front of me. Not that I am  standing alone on barren land with nothing to hold on to because my arms are full.

Life is beautiful, unending, beyond scope, unfair and 

 more connected to goodness than not.

 

Invisible to the Naked Eye

                   

                         Applying Healing Balm

 I imagine the prayers being sent. I imagine them floating above him waiting to be placed on the area where he needs the healing. Believing that to be true I hear myself saying at times, "May the prayers being said today bring healing peace to my brother's pancreas and liver." Then I sense the prayers streaming into his body.

When I had cancer years ago I felt prayers being sent my way. I could sense them as strongly as the clothing wrapped around me. It was one of the most amazing feelings to sense something invisible to the naked eye though tangible.

Have you had a similar experience?

Thank you so much for your many prayers, positive thoughts, messages, sharing, and love they are needed and felt.

The Broccoli Pipe

Baby loves broccoli, fingers crossed he likes the brocante as much.

He was eight months old a few days ago.

I miss him.

x

A Head Full of Doubts

 

A Head Full of Doubts

Avett Brothers

 

 

"There's a darkness upon me that's flooded in light
In the fine print, they tell me what's wrong and what's right
And it comes in black and it comes in white
And I'm frightened by those that don't see it

 

When nothing is owed or deserved or expected
And your life doesn't change by the man that's elected
If you're loved by someone, you're never rejected
Decide what to be and go be it

 

 

There was a dream and one day I could see it
Like a bird in a cage, I broke in
And demanded that somebody free it
And there was a kid with a head full of doubt
So I'll scream 'til I die

 

And the last of those bad thoughts are finally out

There's a darkness upon you that's flooded in light
And in the fine print, They tell you what's wrong and what's right
And it flies by day and it…"

 

 

 

Avett Brothers True Sadness

Heros

 ^Heros 

^{big and small, young and old.}

     ^{not with capes nor with superpowers} 

^Heroes

^{whose big hearts surround like white oak tree roots,}

^{and actions that create Pacific coast waves} 

^{that cover every inch of fear into calm.}

^Heros

^{that hold us up to the light}

^{where genuine goodness runs as thick as honey with}

   ^{golden flickers that pave a path ahead.}

 

Anchoring

 

Anchor- verb

to make something or someone stay in one position by fastening him, her, or it firmly: 

We anchored ourselves to the rocks with a rope.

The Woman with an Appetite for Teriyaki Chicken.

The woman sitting next to my brother talked and talked on her cell phone to one person than another I could tell this wasn't her first day of chemotherapy but rather one of many. She talked about her plans for her bathroom, "Do you think tiling the bathroom wall is necessary, maybe we could have a free-standing tub and simply paint the walls... I think pale blue would be pretty... well, yes if we had grandchildren tiles would be practical but being practical is so boring..." Later she chatted with someone else, "... I always wanted to go to Tulum, I heard Cancun was too touristy... oh you think Tulum is too touristy too?... But those white sandy beaches I can see myself walking along those white sandy beaches picking up seashells... No, I do not want to go to Hawaii, I like Mexican food she laughs. I am teasing you. I would be happy to go anywhere and I wish I could say anytime."

The woman's spirit kept shining through during each conversation. Near lunchtime, her husband walked in, "... really peanut butter on a hamburger neither sounds good to me... no, I don't think I could stomach that not even on a good day... But the Teriyaki place around the corner certainly does... yes it is spicy, but it is not peanut butter on hamburger...". She leans over to us as if we have known each other for years, and chirps "If you want some lunch there is a Teriyaki place around the corner it is fast and good. Just thought you might like to know that for the future, the cafeteria is good too, but after a while, you might like a change." She doesn't tell us where the peanut butter on hamburger place is.

She spent her day making plans, dreaming, writing lists with various colored pens, in pretty notebooks. Between bites of her Teriyaki chicken she said, "Honey, we need to go to TJ Maxx... yes I want to go there again... I know we were just there yesterday she laughs... I want to find some new pillows and something pretty for spring. Doesn't it feel like spring is in the air?... No, nothing is wrong with our pillows... Oh, Honey, she winks it simply is something I can change.

Her spirit was contagious. Healing. A light in a dim place leading a way for the newbies to follow.

My brother Marty's chemotherapy dripped into his veins ten hours worth, later he would go home with a forty-eight-hour drip hooked to his port (Hickman line). It was his first day and the mental notes he wrote went something like this, "...What will this be like?... Will I lose my hair? ... Am I going to be sick? ... Is this feeling I am having normal? How much longer is this going to last?"

The nurse hooked up another IV sack to drip through his port, "This might give off a metallic sugary taste in your mouth." As she said that I flashed back to my own time with cancer. That metallically sugary taste I despised to the point that sweet things do not appeal to me, but vomiting was much worse than that taste. I pitied my brother. 

After eating her Teriyaki chicken the woman sitting next to my brother woke her husband up by asking, "Maybe, we should move, do you want to move?... No, I am not talking about walking around the clinic, but moving from our home to a smaller home along the river?... Oh, your funny she giggled, "Of course, I still want new pillows!"

As the day slowly went along, and patients came and went, IV dripped, buzzers went off, the sunset, the woman gathered her pens, notebooks, and positive spirit and went home. We sat alongside my brother watching his new path take shape with stage four pancreatic cancer that has metastasized to his liver the path that I wish wasn't so.

Now my prayers include the woman with her appetite for Teriyaki chicken.

Please pray for my brother Marty.

Spring May it Come Within

Commenting on my Blog... Added note: IT WORKS!!

A few weeks ago I asked,

"Regarding the comments on my blog, for some time now many of you have said that you cannot leave comments as the comment section does not open, or /nor can you see the comments, and I don’t know what to do I have talked to my platform server. They have said maybe to try a different browser and or use a different subscription to receive my blog. Please try writing or reading the comments on your phone or your laptop and computer let me know if any of these things changed the results of seeing or writing comments that’s what they have asked me to tell you..."

I tried a new format on my blog and changed a few things that I was advised to do to see if there is a positive change in receiving and reading the comments. Please let me know if this has helped or not. Either in the comment section or by email coreyamaro@aol.com

The information that was on the sidebar of my blog is now at the end of my blog to see it you need to scroll to the bottom.

I hope this helps. Thank you,

Corey

 

 

 

 

Fearless

 

 

 

5445 quotes on Goodreads about purpose (courtesy of Jennifer Lee and my blog reader Ann Maitland for sharing this link)

How to Sing a Love Song

 

How to sing a love song:

1) Find a song you like.

 

 

 

 

2) Practice singing it.

 

 

 

 

 

3) Sing it often, throughout the year, with family and friends.

Make sure it stirs you, encourages you to dance.

 

 

 

 

4) Usually, if a love song stirs you,

you will sing it for a very long time and

it will guide you through many a journey.

 

 

 

 

 

5) The love song might change beat, or rhythm, or be remixed...

 a true love song never ends, it flows.

 

 

 

 

 

6) Don't worry that your voice might not be good enough,

or that you might not be able to carry a tune, or that your melody might be a bit flat.

Singing a love song changes all that. Just sing and sing often.

A love song goes beyond the surface of what is and how pretty.

 

What is one of your favorite love songs?

Mine is breakfast in bed oh wait a minute that isn't a love song or is it?

Happy Valentine's dear Valentines!

 

The Source is Community

 

kneeling in the church that I have known 

all my life

stained glass windows reflecting light and love

 sacraments I have witnessed

forty seventy no closer to hundreds maybe more

certainly more

washed with prayers holy water stains 

 your name was mentioned

please pray for

I lost it and at the same time found home

in the community of saints living and eternal within those church walls

with its unending faith carried by one or the other

buoyed my spirit ebb and flow

to the healing source 

 

 

 

a distant fragrance spoke

 

they said you were dead and that I should throw you away

those flowers are dried up toss them in the bin

fresh flowers wrapped in paper waiting for a vase

waiting

but I could not for a distant fragrance spoke

but look at the richness in color, and the elegance they speak in saying goodbye

note the movement surely they are a watercolorist dream

nothing last forever you said 

that narrow view was never mine 

a spirituality of time seeing beyond 

dirt

seed

rain

light

bud

blossom

bloom

compost

 

those dried petals are not just that

how is it that they have ...

triggered that which I have buried in my heart

 

 

 

 

Light is a Beautiful Hand

 

How do we measure the ticking clock? What is time anyway?

Hearts don't tell it the same way. I must believe that to keep sane with most of my family and friends living far from my reach.

We know what love and friendship can do when it comes to bridges, walls,

mountains, differences, even distances.

We are closer than we can hold or touch.

Light It is a beautiful hand.

 

"We are the stained glass and (God's) love is the light that shines through."

Stained,

brilliant,

different colors and form

spectacular pattern

and 

 belief in one another is a light we also create

and if we give it

beauty spills wide.

No Hard Feelings

 

 

 

No Hard Feelings

The Avett Brothers

 

When my body won't hold me anymore
And it finally lets me free
Will I be ready?
When my feet won't walk another mile
And my lips give their last kiss goodbye
Will my hands be steady?

When I lay down my fears
My hopes and my doubts
The rings on my fingers
And the keys to my house
With no hard feelings

When the sun hangs low in the west
And the light in my chest
Won't be kept held at bay any longer
When the jealousy fades away
And it's ash and dust for cash and lust
And it's just hallelujah
And love in thoughts and love in the words
Love in the songs they sing in the church
And no hard feelings

Lord knows they haven't done
Much good for anyone
Kept me afraid and cold
With so much to have and hold

Mmh
When my body won't hold me anymore
And it…

"No Hard Feelings Avett Brothers"

Back Home

 

After an eleven and a half long but safe flight I am back at home in California. At the airport going through customs took over two hours (no seats were available as bad as it was I felt lucky compared to a pregnant woman who was also carrying a small sleepy child as the fear) due to the C. virus at hand. A flight from Hong Kong had arrived at the airport at the same time as our flight arrived. Most of the passengers from Hong Kong were wearing face masks. At Customs, we were asked if we had been to China during the last three weeks. If anyone had been to China, which more then several passengers from Hong Kong had been, they were immediately taken to be examined and for further questioning. As soon as I went through customs I went to the bathroom and washed my hands, suitcase, passport and cell phone. A big thanks to my cousin Robin and Andy who picked me up at the airport and drove the long drive to Willows.

The spectacular view was taken as the plane flew over the Alps. 

Tell me Your Story

Tell me your story one word slowly at a time

each detail no matter what it means

tell me how are you and how were you.

did you ever feel scared

tell me your name in a shape in the sky

the one you call yourself inside.

Slowly now I want your words to breath in me 

so I can hold every ounce that is you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Family Name

When I was married I decided to keep my family's name. I could never understand why anyone had to give up their name unless they wanted to, and I certainly did not. I have four brothers and they all kept their name, the guys never have to think about that. Yann was completely okay with me keeping my name, in fact, he too felt like I did, "why would you give up your name?"

Chelsea and Sacha took Yann's last name. As it was a family name already hyphenated I did not want to add a third name.  

 

 

"Amaro"

Ocean Eyes

ocean eyes

Billie Eilish

 

I've been watching you
For some time
Can't stop staring
At those oceans eyes
Burning cities
And napalm skies
Fifteen flares inside those ocean eyes
Your ocean eyes

No fair
You really know how to make me cry
When you gimme those ocean eyes
I'm scared
I've never fallen from quite this high
Falling into your ocean eyes
Those ocean eyes

I've been walking through
A world gone blind
Can't stop thinking of your diamond mind
Careful creature
Made friends with time
He left her lonely with a diamond mind
And those ocean eyes

 

 

On my way home. Thank you for your many many emails and messages of hope, love wishes, energy-giving and prayers my family and I have felt them and appreciate the outpouring of kindness.

 

Also, some of you asked if I could elaborate on any of the "sixty-two blog post" of course I can let me know which one(s) and I will fill in the mystery.

 

 

Imagine All Good Things

 

 

“Everything you can imagine is real.”
― Pablo Picasso

Sixty-Two

 

 

Sixty-two things I have done in my life in no order because my storytelling mind doesn't work that way:

1 lived on a farm

2 went crabbing

3 Danced two twenty-four hours dance marathons

4 -5 Worked in an ice cream parlor and got fired for being "a dirty Portugee" said the boss to me.

6 became a mother of two

7 -8 married a French Man and moved to France, first Paris and then Provence.

9 grew up in a large loving family

10 lived in a monastery

11 became a vegetarian when I was 18

12 sang out of tune

13 cheated a lot in cards

14 dealt with ovarian cancer

15 hiked the Grand Canyon

16 caught butterflies

17 fasted for nine days

18 had a butch haircut

19 as a child and teenager too, in the still of the night, when everyone was asleep I would open my Christmas gifts before Christmas and then rewrapped them.

20 bloomed late

21 had mice cleopatra and mark anthony, they had babies

22 accidentally got drunk as a kid from spiked punch

23 walked part of the Great Wall in China with a severely sprained ankle

24 became a grandmother 

25 made cinnamon buns for fifty or more people without a recipe.

26 missed a plane to Greece while eating Pizza with my cousin

27 posted a blog every day for fifteen years

28 rode a motorcycle with my husband for three weeks with just two sets of clothes.

29-30 had a C-section and then a natural birth

31 did the Chinese splits

32 witness four births not counting my own

33 dance without a routine with a marching band on a football field 

34 stayed up sixty-some hours

35 made dinner for dinner guests dropped it and called for Pizza

36 taught catechism when I was fourteen

37 shattered my wrist while wallpapering

38 was a matchmaker three times

39 read Les Miserables throughout Paris 

40 learned French

41 laughed until it hurt

42 fell asleep at the wheel and didn't crash

43 crashed on a motorcycle 

44 entered a pie-eating contest what a mess

45 loved

46 became a French Citizen 

47 entered a long hair contest

48 skinny-dipped

49 Snuck into a movie with my dad and Chelsea 

50 lived in a haunted house

51 took ballroom dancing, don't remember much

52 sat in a full lotus yoga posture for hours on end

53 has always been my favorite number oh that is not something I have done, so I can say I have been sidetracked.

54 held the ancestry family book while in the azores that dated from the 1500s with the names and birthdates of our family

55 while driving on the freeway hit a herd of boars

56 sunbathed on a roof while at the monastery

57 was in a choir in school though I cannot sing

58 planted a garden, had tomatoes until December

59 jumped off the high dive with three massive inner tubes

60 climbed to the top of saint peter's and celebrated mass in saint peter's basement

61 met Mother Teresa

62 looked deeply into the eyes of those I have loved.

 

Tell me about yourself...

 

Love Always

Here Within Me

You have been mine and you will never leave.

Even if the ground shifts as it feels like it has,

Even if you go faraway like dad you will be here within me.

 

A Tiny Splash

 

We can be delicate and strong,

We can be sad and share joy,

We can have today and live it by moment by moment and yet yearn for tomorrow and the next day too.

We can have nothing to say and yet want to scream and remain silent.

We can feel the sun on our faces and feel the rainstorm running down on our cheeks.

We can be hungry and not want to eat, and eat and still feel hungry.

We can waste so much time on so many unimportant things and yet guard what is important with our lives especially when it comes to the edge.

We can be many things, hold many things, love many things and want more and wonder how and why it goes so fast. The thing is we have more than most and still think it is not enough.

We can question God, our faith, life and shake our heads and call it unfair and beautiful and realize we are just one beautiful drop in the bucket, and glad to have made a tiny splash.

 

Image found here

Gabriel

 

 It has been eleven days that Gabriel has not been feeling well. Today his fever broke. We have held him around the clock xxxx Hopefully, tomorrow he will be closer to his happier self. 

Faith

 

Holding on to everything I believe is true, beautiful and holy.

 

Comments on my Blog

Regarding the comments on my blog, for some time now many of you have said that you cannot leave comments as the comment section does not open, or /nor can you see the comments, and I don’t know what to do I have talk to my platform server. They have said maybe to try a different browser and or use a different subscription to receive my blog. Please try it on your phone or your laptop and computer let me know if any of these things changed the results of seeing or writing comments that’s what they have asked me to tell you. 
Hopefully, this can be resolved. I appreciate every comment and email. 
Thank you

Miracles

Miracles happen every day, change your perception of what a miracle is and you'll see them all around you.     

Jon Bon Jovi

 

 

Out of difficulties grow miracles.

Jean De La Bruyere

 

 

Miracles are not contrary to nature, but only contrary to what we know about nature.

Augustine of Hippo

 

 

 

Miracles are a retelling in small letters of the very same story which is written across the

whole world in letters too large for some of us to see.     

C.S. Lewis

 

 

 

Miracles come in moments. Be ready and willing.     

Wayne Dyer

 

 

 

 

Impossible situations can become possible miracles.

Robert H. Schuller

 

 

There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle.

Albert Einstein

 

 

Everything is a miracle. It is a miracle that one does not dissolve in one's bath like a lump of sugar.

Pablo Picasso

 

 

Life's Unfairness

 

^{There is so much to say, there is so little to say.}

^{Gabriel is still not feeling well. It has been over a week that he has been out of sorts, feverish, not his extroverted overly curious little dumpling self (he lost a pound)... Chelsea and Marin are taking him to the doctor's again tomorrow. I am saying this to let you know that Gabriel though sicky it is a bad cold.}

  ^...

^{There is another very recent news in my family that I cannot mention in full that is devastating. Please understand accept that I will share it as soon as it is mine to share. I am going home on February sixth to be with my family and add support. In the meantime, I might only post quotes and photos until I can share more openly. I am sorry to write this in a way that is non-disclosing, and disturbing. For the most part, I am transparent on my blog though recently have found myself at odds since I cannot share what is going on and feel the need to say something. This is saying something... bear with me.}

 

^{Please please pray for my family for a miracle.} 

 

^{Thank you for being the best support community one could ever want or need.}

 

Never Give Up

 

 

 "Never never never ever give up hope."
 Miracles can come from where you least expect them. 

The Light that is You

Boy Lo

 

 

Boy Lo has not been feeling well these last few days. He has had a mild fever. The doctor said it is a bad cold. It is not in his lungs nor throat. Martin the flu last week, and now Gabriel. I am in Paris helping them out. He sleeps in our arms and whimpers. Gabriel lost a pound. I think I gained ten. 

Poor little Boy Lo. 

I want to be a Smilingual

Dare to Be

Live and let it be.  Dive deep.   Turn the key.  Sing.  Laugh.  Cry.  Speak up.  Buy flowers.

Take the chance.

Play the game. 

Make mistakes.

Eat the extra slice of bread, and have wine.

Go around barefoot and sleep outside.

Enjoy the little things, like the art of tieing your shoelaces and brushing your teeth.

Invite friends over, cheat at cards, hid a treasure, unbutton one more button on your shirt. Wear red lipstick.

Let your hair go ...natural

and take a photo when you just get out of bed and post it.

 

 

 

Being a Flâneur in Rennes

 

 

 

 

 

 

A view from my mother in law's home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Walking about Rennes under a big unusual blue sky brought to mind the French word Flâneur which is best described, (via The Local)

« A flâneur is someone going for a stroll, taking in the sights and sounds of the streets and possibly having some elevated thoughts as they do it. It has a sense of sophistication, possibly even intellectualism, as it originated in the 19th century when only the monied classes had the leisure time to take aimless strolls."

 

"If you are walking round to the corner shop to buy toilet cleaner, you are not a flâneur."

 

"If however, you are taking an aimless stroll along the banks of the Seine, contemplating the historic architecture and the transience of all human experience then you've nailed it. » 

 

 

I was happily fortunate to be a flâneur at times while visiting my mother in law with my husband xxx

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mother and Son

 

Yann's mother, my Belle Mere or known as Bonne Maman (her grandmother's name) turned 90 last September. Imagine that she took a train from Rennes to the French Alps where she spent time alone, hiking, reading and breathing in the fresh air, then went to Vichy by train to spend time with her sister in law, then took another train to the French Riviera to be with her nephew and his family, then flew to Corisca to visit... and after two months of being young, free, and a bit wild flew to Marseille and then took a train home. Imagine that... and her famous little suitcase that can pack an unlimited amount of clothing for any activity, event, weather change or pop up surprise. 

Yann and I spent a few days in Rennes (Brittany region in France, about twelve hours away by car and six hours away by train... hence, the train won by six hours. Oh yes, that is where I saw the adorable mushroom dessert in yesterday's post. When we changed trains in Paris from Gare de Lyon to Gare de Montparnasse that is where I saw the mushroom dessert.)

 

Temptation at the Train Station

 

Red topped mushrooms.

Desserts disguised as mushrooms. Mushrooms lined in a row, straight from a fairytale. White chocolate coats filled with vanilla mousse and red fruits. I saw these darlings at the train station. Hidden wonders! I never would have guessed that the train station in Paris' main temptation was dessert.

Beating my Drum French La Vie

Come see Provence, those villages that are worth a thousand photos, where cobblestones make you wish you had worn walking shoes, and shutters of blues that you want to take and stuff in your suitcase but you know you cannot. Where walking through one village after another you are transported into some magical place that inspires your breathing into song.

 

 

French Breakfast. The real deal. Where eating baguettes and croissants with butter and jam never added weight to anyone. You see the French la Vie meals are the cherry on the cake because that is where friendships bloom amongst the guests and the conversation takes us to another glass of wine or simply time to smile at the carefreeness of it all.

 

 

 

Those backroads, stone houses, olive orchards, lavender rows, where nature winks at you as you follow the brocante sign to another village. 

 

 

Pops of color

Pop.

Eye Candy.

Splash.

Smile.

Lick it up.

Happy Provence.

 

 

 

Brocante

Big and small.

Metal and paper, and Pottery and textiles, Paintings and watering cans, and literally everything under the sun and someone who knows how to negotiate for it and how to get it home for you, and even if you do not buy a single thing you still enjoyed every minute of being in a living museum.

 

 

Where those who come to the French la Vie come again and remain friends.

Even if they buy everything I love.

 

The dates are set for this coming year for the French la Vie even though this is January I am starting to plan the path ahead. The first French la Vie is in April which is literally tomorrow the way time goes by.  Antiquing in the way of brocante is high on the list it is the engine of the entire week, but it is not the only thing that we do while in Provence. Going to the brocante is a wonderful way to dip into the culture and history of France. The objects have a story, and those stories led to other stories simply because most of the objects are practical home items but not just practical like a piece of tupperware, the objects are handmade, and the stories start there. We will visit artisans' homes, studios and friends of mine who have created poetic homes and lifestyles to inspire. And of course, we will visit places that make Provence what it is... Charming.

Here is a listing of available dates for the French la Vie 2020

Please join me on:

 

April 7th - 14th over Easter 2020 ... Two places remain

 

April 28th - May 5th, 2020... FULL

 

May 12th - 19th ... One place remains.

 

September 8th to the 15th... FULL

 

September 29th to October 6th... Three places remain

 

For more information please send me an email or click here.

 

coreyamaro@aol.com

Chinese Noodle Soup

 

Chinese noodle soup

home made

made up by me

for my cold.

Take a pot of water and as it heats add the following

Some diced fresh green beans,

Sliced Chinese cabbage

Red chicory

Ginger and garlic

green onions 

parsley,

Chinese noodles (hence the name of my soup)

and here is where it goes in search of flavor and as I am not home where spices fill my cupboards I had to experiment... I added coconut milk, nutmeg, balsamic, mustard, and soy sauce. Honestly I did (!) and it tasted fantastically yummy!

Back to bed tomorrow I trust I will feel renewed.

 

 

 

In Paris to See Gabriel

 

In Paris for a few days to spend time with Gabriel, Chelsea and Martin. Though from the moment I stepped off the train I have been in bed achey, stuffed up nose and exhausted. I have slept nearly off and on around the clock. I guess I have a cold I do not have a fever, nor a sore throat. Hopefully, this will pass before I have to go home. 

Seven Months of Loving you

Seven months old. 
in Gabriel’s bedroom is a baby ballerina bar and mirror he loves it.

 

 

I spent a few hours sitting in a young man’s workshop in the souk in Marrakesh while he talked about where he finds his carpets and watched him make cushions and poufs. Most of the pieces were old (not antiques but definitely handmade) it was sad on one hand to watch them being cut, but on the other hand, creating new purpose. The souk is filled with artisans practicing old trades works such as leather, textiles, basket weaving, woodwork... I enjoyed every minute being in the Medina in Marrakesh talking with the people there.

The Dos and Don'ts that are printed in the Hotel Brochure in Marrakesh

 

 

 

Tea and Cakes Marrakesh Style

 

 

Little cakes with mint tea, such a variety of cakes it was hard to decide. Lemon, date, raisin, almonds, peanuts, pistachio, honey, argan oil, more honey, cinnamon and combinations of the above.

The one above was shredded toasted phyllo dough with honey and cinnamon which robed an almond paste nugget.

 

 

 

 

Moist lemon and almond baked in an egg white and powder sugar coating.

 

 

 

Which one? These were some of the many we had to choose from.

 

 

 

We did not have this one, but it looked promising. But how many cakes can one person eat in a day? I am not a sweets eater but still, it was hard to decide which one to have.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This one was like an amaretto. I had a tiny bite.

 

 

Oh my.

 

 

 

 

 

Just guess. Because I do not know I was in a food coma.

The Alleys in Marrakesh

 

Endless passages have we wandered about in the Marrakesh Medina aimlessly with a gentle pace gathering moments into our memory banks. Inspired by the kindness of people who's prayers echo over the sunkissed Riad walls where faith is evident as well as hardworking souls and traditions that carry them onward: A little girl walking with a tray of bread balancing on her head to be baked in the community oven, donkey driven carts, carrying supplies this way and that, racing scooters that weave smoothly as argan oil between anything everything along the narrow passages, spices stacked high while Amlou (a thick brown paste with a texture similar to peanut butter) is being made by roasting almonds mixed with honey and argan oil... plus the endless weavers, colorful rugs and sandals and snake charmers and cats.

There is something about Marrakesh that renders inspiration that stirs my senses that makes me want to sip mint tea until sunset and contemplate the stillness of peace.  

 

A Sweet Taste of Marrakesh

 

After an incredible lunch at Nomad

where the menu is a perfect blend of traditional recipes served with a modern hand richly flavorful. The menu changes as the products are sourced locally, served fresh and are made on spot. I savored each bite. After the meal, we had mint tea as we looked through the dessert menu. I am not a sweet eater and ice cream is lost on me though the dessert menu was intriguing and miles away from disappointing. 

The ice cream read like an exotic novel, Hibiscus flower infused with vanilla and wild mint, Amlou almond, argan oil, and honey, Olive oil and orange zest, Sweet pumpkin and saffron, Smooth spiced chocolate the spices we were told were Moroccan, Sorbet of Berber Tea – Sage, geranium, marjoram, wild mint, and lemon, and Rose, raspberry and black pepper. What was not to like? I wanted to say, "You have slathered my imagination! Literally drooling. I want to dive into a big bowl of a bite of each. Leave me no need for a spoon." Thankfully, I was polite and did not say that.

And if that wasn't enough we had the Saffron scented Moroccan Date cake

with vanilla ice cream and salted caramel sauce. Moist, hot, like a pudding no wonder it is the most popular dessert they serve. My waist could grow five pounds from one bite and I wouldn't care.

 

 

 

 

Colorful interior beautifully executed to the point where I dream of buying a Riad and asking the designers of Nomad and El Finn to decorate and cook for me for the rest of my life. If only I were rich and the world was free of poverty and in peace and I there was no guilt for having completely greedy dreams! God, I would have a knock-your-socks-off-home massive enough that my mother wouldn't call me a hoarder because it would be large enough that it would appear minimal. Oh and let's not forget the cooks to the point that my body would be one giant lovely lump of sugar on a bed of pillows.

Okay, food coma drama driven la la dream. I do not want to be a lump of sugar... but the bed of pillows I would keep.

 

 

Almond flour Cardamom Ginger Orange cake

with caramelized orange zest and vanilla ice cream.

Oh my, it reminded me of the dessert I had in Greece but instead of using dried crushed phyllo dough in Marrakesh they use Almond flour. Instead of orange juice they cook and used the entire orange.

Delicious.

I think my Bucket List that only had listed: To become a Grandmother, might have to add months stays in some of my favorite places with my family. 

Dreams they say are good. Imagination is equally as beneficial.

 

Back in Marrakesh

 

 

Well yes, I am back in Marrakesh with friends Ching and Gary. The weather is beautiful and warm with the perfumed air enticing me further and further into the souks, and the spices teasing me to take Moroccan cooking lessons.

 

 

 

We were supposedly looking for a rug for their apartment in Cassis but it is so easy to get sidetracked in the Medina and lost. But by some miracle, I haven't been lost and I haven't used a map, nor GPS, visuals have been my guide. That doesn't mean if someone asked me how to go somewhere in the Medina or draw a map that I could. No, it simply means that I know how to get back to the El Fenn Riad where we are staying. A true miracle.

 

 

But the big question is How many of these slippers do my friend buy?

 

 

 

If you have any questions about traveling to Marrakesh let me know and I will try to answer them in regards to my personal experience. Of course, I know very little but if you are thinking of traveling to Marrakesh I would encourage you to do so.

 

 

El Fenn Riad where we are staying