Paris Update #14 - Paris in the Fall & during the Holiday Season!

 December 24, 2025

Happy Holidays to all who celebrate. From the Winter/Summer Solstice to Hanukah to Christmas to St Nicholas Day to Boxing Day to New Year's and the start of 2026!!! Can you believe it's going to be 2026?? I can't. I was doing my annual presentation to my students about Antarctica and realized it has now been 22 years since I was on Ice....crazy to think that....they always ask..."would you go back?" And I always answer "yes - but with some stipulations - South Pole in the Summer, McMurdo in the Winter or Palmer whenever they would take me!!!!" It's just crazy to think it was that long ago. Anyway, time marches on, as someone once said...and here's hoping your time is going well and you are enjoying the ride.....

I am still really enjoying my life in Paris.....especially getting to see so many people as they pass through...I guess Paris is the number one tourist destination in the world again....and I am so happy that I reap the benefit of seeing folks when they come through....I have also really enjoyed all of the musicians I have seen and will see in the start of 2026, all of the theater performances, all of the amazing food choices, the fun bars and pubs I can visit, all of the incredible museums that are available to me and becoming an Opera Patron, i have seen a bunch of operas now and dance performances.....plus, I am still amazed that I am tenured and have a job that funds my life.....so all is good there....and if you are headed to Paris, please let me know....my place is small, so staying with me is a challenge, but I will definitely spend time with you during your visit if possible.....

I figured my last post of 2025 should be of my life in Paris these past few months - fall and into the holiday season....Paris is one of the most beautiful places during the holiday season that I have ever experienced....the Parisians really take it upon themselves to make the City of Lights stunning....the weather is usually not that great, but the lights and decorations really make up for it.....so on with the pictures of paris & some French locations I have visited this past season.....sorry, its a lot of pictures - but its been a fun 4.5 months 😜

one of the things that Paris set up this summer was swimming spaces in the Seine river...when I got back to Paris before school, a friend of mine and I went swimming....the water was super clear, had a mild current and was chilly....BUT it was sooooo cool to think we were swimming in Seine....I will do it again, if they set the pools up next summer....

Another thing I was able to attend was the festival Rock on the Seine - this is actually the night that school started....but I was so excited to see Vampire Weekend 🎶 Lots of other bands were there, including a woman from Philly - Zinadelphia....she was super cool.....I was just reminded again how much I like festivals....

one site I do not think I will ever tire of is the Eiffel Tower twinkling....it does this in the evenings, every hour on the hour....this was a catch of mid-twinkle....thanks Iron Lady ⭐

One of the nicest looking museums, especially on a sunny day, is the Louis Vitton Foundation...located out in a forest & park....we went to see the Hockney exhibit that was there...which was amazing...although, I just don't get his piece, Portrait of an Artist that sold for 93 million dollars...but I guess art is in the eye of the beholder....I would have chosen a different one, as I love his landscapes.....I did get to see Portrait of an Artist in person though.....as it was part of the exhibit....

I am still living in the same apartment since moving to Paris...which I really like...especially for the balcony and the views I get of both the sunrise and sunset....this sunrise is from the first day of school...and the sun is coming up over Notre Dame in the distance....what a view....

i finally made it to one of the cutest streets in paris....rue cremieux...the folks that live here definitely take care of the street they live on...all of the colors and cobblestones down the center....adorable! and the restaurant down the end is quite tasty 👍

over the summer, the olympic flame balloon was back up in paris....it would rise with the sunset and be lit up all day & night until 2am? you could get closer to it than when it was the olympics....and it was soooo great to see it in the air again....gotta love that it is in tuileries garden & just in front of the louvre....

one of the fun events i attended this fall was La Course de Cafe (the waiters race)....it had not happened for the past 13 years....there were hundreds of waiters racing through the Marais district carrying a tray with a cup of coffee, a glass of water and a croissant...this is to celebrate the parisian cafe culture....it was open for professionals and then the public could try...no, i did not try 😉 waiters must walk, not run, the approximate 4 kms/2.5 miles and NOT spill the coffee or water, while wearing a waiter's uniform...it was a blast to watch and the winners finished the race in a crazy quick amount of time - men's - 13 min and 30 sec and women's - 14 min and 12 sec......so impressive!!!

another new experience for me this fall was apple picking on a farm....we went to Cergy Picking Farm....they had so many different types of apples...it was incredible 🍎 this was me with the galas....they also had pick your own veggies and wild flowers....and we had a farm-to-table brunch before going picking....the french LOVE food and really care about quality of food they eat...this place was so much fun! 🍎 

i also made it to paris' oldest cafe/restaurant when my friend David came to visit....Le Precope....founded in 1686 by a Sicilian chef....in the shot above you see Napoleon's hat....yes, THAT Napoleon....he supposedly had a meal at this restaurant and was unable to pay with money....so he left his hat, with the intention that he would come back for the hat and pay the bill.....i guess that part never happened...

here are David and I enjoying our meal in this very traditional french restaurant... the waiter we had was awful, which is also something that happens a lot here, I guess...BUT the runners were awesome....we handed them the tip...not the waiter....which is a big deal, mostly because you don't tip in France....you can leave a smidge extra, but in most cases, that does not happen.... 

i got super lucky on one of my visits to the trocadero overlooking the eiffel tower...look at those crazy clouds!!! it was insane....and as you can see in the bottom of the picture, everyone else was there too 🤪

another fun event my friend Bill and I went to was the playing of LaLaLand soundtrack live while watching the movie...the conductor of the event was the original composer of the score - Justin Hurwitz...i guess he lives in paris....it was an incredible version 🎥🎵

some other folks who came to paris for a weekend, were my friends Heather & Maja, who I have known since Beijing...where we all started at WAB - so its funny that there is a brewing company along the canal that is called WAB....gotta love that 🍻

one of the things i love in paris is all of the graffiti....i understand that lots of folks find graffiti obnoxious, but i love it....i am an avid fan of invader, alien, A2, diamond, and seth...plus i love seeing Shepard Fairey's stuff on the city hall....these artists are incredible and some of the ones you see around town make you wonder if the artist who did the art will be the next one to make it big....🎨

as i said above...i really enjoy the balcony off of my apartment and before winter really sets in, i always try to have my coffee in the morning on the balcony before school to start my day...this sunrise in october was just incredible 🌅

one of the restaurants i have been wanting to try is called stellar and has a space theme throughout....the food was really creative and the atmosphere was awesome...especially for a space enthusiast like me....this is bill and i with the NASA astronaut at the front of the house.....so much fun 🪐

one of the most beautiful spots i get to experience for ballet, dance and opera is the palais garnier...this is one of the main opera houses in paris and was designed between 1861-1875 for Napoleon the 3rd...it is of french baroque design, has a ceiling painted by Chagall and is a huge hit with Instagrammers 😜

one of the trips i took outside of paris was to the town of amiens...it has a HUGE notre dame cathedral, like paris, and is where the president of france met his wife (whose family owns the oldest chocolaterie there and makes world famous macarons - funny that his name is Macron)...and yes, she was his high school drama teacher...they did not start to date until he was in college....ah, the french!

Amiens is also known as the "venice" of france for all of its canals....unfortunately, when we went there in Nov., all of the canal boats were finished for the season.....so we will need to go back....but it really was a quaint town and is where Jules Verne is from....

the strangest thing we saw in Amiens though was what you see above.....Cheers?!?!?! i had no idea there was a cheers outside of boston....i did not make it inside, but if i had, i would be curious to know if they knew my name 🍺

one of the many bands that came through this fall was mumford & sons....and this was the first time i had seen them live....wow!!! they were incredible live....we saw kings of leon in this space about a month before....and mumford & sons blew them out of the water...if you get the chance to see them live....do it!!!🎵

another speaker i had the pleasure of seeing live was Molly Ringwald, at the American Library of Paris...i had no idea she had written a book and had translated books from french to english....she is also in the process of writing her memoir and is a library fellow....so when i am there, she could be there too, writing her newest book...how cool is that....gotta love the red tights....

as november started, the city started to get dressed for the holiday season....one of the things Paris prides itself on are the department stores...i know they are going out of fashion in the states....but they are definitely not in paris...they are grand old buildings that are beautifully designed both inside and outside...and they all decorate their windows for the holidays....they always have themes and folks always can be seen checking out the themes of the windows throughout the season....

another performer i got to see was Lady Gaga....if you have not seen this woman perform...you have to go...she was incredible....the whole production was simply mind-blowing!!!!

and when it was just her and the piano, it was incredible....she shows so much gratitude to her band and dancers, and especially her fans.....wow, what a show!!!!

Bill and i went out to eat before the show....and look at the quote we found in the stairwell to the food court....perfect!!!!

this florist is just down the way from where i live and i love what they do with their storefront every year for the holidays....most stores do this...maybe not to this extent, but shop owners pride themselves on decorating for the season.....

paris is such a great town to re-connect with folks.....so many people come through and i love to show them the parts of paris i love, in between them going to see what they want to see in this city....Kelly swung through in November and I had not seen her in quite awhile....

the Galeries Lafayette is another department store and every year people flock there to see their christmas tree that is always in the center of the store....the roof at the top is called the majestic Coupole....the stained glass is stunning and it was built in 1912 by a glassworks artist.....

another friend who swung by on her way to africa was Jen.....we knew each other in Beijing during covid, but were not really able to say a proper goodbye there....so it was great to say hello and catch up close to notre-dame....

Notre-dame always has a small, artisan Christmas market just across the way....which i was able to check out again this year....i am much better with the smaller, not-as-commercialized version of the christmas markets in paris.....

a super cool exhibit i made it to before coming to the states for the holidays was a minimalist exhibit at the bourse commerce building....you can see how big these sculptures are...but they were made from natural materials - the cone is a cone of salt, the mound that is yellow is made from sand, the mound that is brown was made from clay, the bushes all were pieces of plants that were found in the surrounding area of paris and shaped into a ring and the yellow curved structure is made from beeswax.....it was outstanding...

i also made it to the grand palais for an exhibit as well...and got to peek into the area of the building where they have built a huge ice skating rink, with an enormous eiffel tower in the middle...not sure i will get to skate here, but i was glad i got to see what they had created this year.....

another building that is always dressed up for the holidays is the Dior building....this year's theme is a "Circus of Dreams"....all of the windows and the outside of the buildings of the Dior brand have this theme on them for the holiday season....it definitely "highlights how the Dior brand can change everyday spaces into spectacles"(quote stolen from instagram 😉)...it really was stunning.....

after one of my holiday meals with friends (raclette & fondue🧀)...we were wandering around and saw this penguin that was drawn on one of the doors in the neighborhood, so of course i had to take a picture with it....too cute 🐧

this last shot is me from my birthday this year....we went to a vegetarian/vegan restaurant that was awesome....i realize i am not holding a beer, and hopefully all of you can forgive me for this....in paris i don't always drink beer these days...its more wine, champagne and vodka drinks....but i promise the next update will end with me and beer.....here's me wishing all of you a very happy holiday season!!!!

sorry for all of the pictures this time, but i really wanted to showcase how awesome life in paris is and how pretty paris becomes for the holiday season...the parisians have a lot of pride in their town and make sure it is a beautiful place to live & visit....and i have to say that i am certainly enjoying my life in this city 😊 i am planning on staying for a fourth year...the first for me at any school....so i think that speaks volumes....

anyway....i hope you enjoyed this looooong update....i do have some fun travel already planned for 2026 - Italy, other locations in France, Philippines, and chansing the solar eclipse in August in Spain!!!! so very exciting....please let me know if you are headed to Paris and if so, i will make plans to hang out and show you some of my favorite places....happy holidays to all and i wish you all the best for the start of 2026!!!

peace out & have a fab day...dani 😎

Paris Update # 13 - Countries 98, 99, and 100!!!!!

 October 30, 2025

Hi all - well, it is official...i have now visited my 100th country on this planet during my October Break! It's a big deal to me....and I don't plan to stop visiting new places (or previously visited places) any time soon 😜 Over the summer, my last trip was to Toulouse, France, Andorra (country #98) and Barcelona, Spain. It was short, but filled with craziness, fun, food, history and surprise. I took this trip with my friend Lisa, a seasoned traveler like me, but for Andorra, we did not plan well. Now, when we have something that is just not going right...our word to describe it is Andorra...more on why a little later in the update.

This past week, I was in London for an american football game (ram vs jaguars), then flew to Georgia #99, and spent a day in Armenia #100, while there.....this trip included visits with Karen (from Ghana days), Jason & Katie (who I had not seen for 19 years - since their wedding) and traveling to the two countries with friends Maja and Heather)....it was a great week of catch-ups, sports, food, drink, adventure and exploration.....so happy i got to experience these places with these people!!!!

There have been other events in Paris between these adventures, and I will send out a true Paris update next about my adventures here. I will be in the states over the winter holiday, but it will be a quick trip...if you would like to try and meet up, get in touch and we'll see if it can happen....in 2026, i am hoping to travel to Italy and the Philippines (country #101)....so am excited for these adventures that are already scheduled.....now onto the pictures from the other adventures.....

Lisa and I arrived on a super HOT day in Toulouse at the train station.....it was ridiculously hot, but it got worse after we left.....not a fun way to explore a city....but we did it!!!

One of the amazing things we visited in Toulouse was the Halle De La Machine.....it is an incredible exhibit of street art and mechanics....the machines are large enough for people to ride on them....and they are controlled by humans...the Minotaure was mind-blowing!!!!

This one is actually a dragon that lives usually in Beijing...it was designed for the city...I never saw it when I was in china, but it is visiting Toulouse currently, so I was pretty excited to check it out!!!🐲

From Toulouse, we traveled by bus to Andorra...which actually does not have an airport or train station...bus is the only way to get there....this was country number 98 for me!!! and what a strange place it was.....

The three main things to do in Andorra are ski (it was the wrong time of the year), shop (due to lower taxes than the EU, but I am not much of a shopper), and hike (but it was 35C+/100F+ while we were there....too hot!!!)....we did go on a hike up to a human-made lake, but you were not allowed to swim in it....so we wandered around it and had a beer while there.....

we also went up to a local mineral pool, as Andorra is also known for its spas...we also wnet to their biggest spa for a morning....we really wanted to relax for the day...but 4 hours was the maximum time allowed....no more for you!!!!! it was weird!!! 🤷

we did end up finding some good food....this chinese place was actually quite authentic and we loved this sign....due to Andorra being soooooo weird....not really sure why we stayed for four nights....we made the wrong choice with this, but we made it work.....

We also found a great wine bar, run by argentinians....but overall, this is a place you should go to if you are going to ski or shop....and if you are not doing those things, you really only need to be here for a day...not four....but now when things are really weird for Lisa and I, we just say "Andorra", and understand it all from that one word 🤣

and then we were on our way to Barcelona for one night....i made a point to go visit the Sagrada Familia, as I had not seen it for over 20 years! Last time i was there, there was no stained glass..it was incredible!!! 3 parts on the outside, of four are now mostly finished.....

As you can see from the shot above, the stained glass really has a huge effect on the inside of the cathedral...this was the side that faced the sunset....simply breath-taking!

the other aspect of this cathedral that i love is that it was built to look like a forest when you look up! the nature focus is throughout the design and really gives the building an interesting and different perspective...it is just incredible! We were only there in Barcelona for one night, but we certainly enjoyed every moment of it!

the second trip i am going to write about was just last week.... I was off to London for the first weekend of my October break....and I met up with Karen and her two-year-old son for breakfast....we had not seen each other since we both left Ghana in June of 20216...it was a lovely catch-up!

One of the main reasons i was in london for 48 hours, was to catch up with Katie & Jason....we realized that we had not seen each other since their wedding, 19 years ago....it was a blast catching up, eating, drinking and exploring london with them!!!

Another reason i was in london was to catch an american football game at Wembley Stadium LIVE!!!! this stadium did such an amazing job....i guess the Jacksonville Jaguars call wembley their second home...the merch and PR for that team was quite evident....and even though they did not play well, it was definitely a jaguars fan base....

these were my seats for the game...not too shabby....and a lot cheaper than Eagles tickets back in philly 😉 the other cool thing was to see jerseys from across the league...if you had a jersey, you were wearing it, whether the team was playing or not....such a fun atmosphere and experience...i would do it again!! 🏈

after the game, i raced to heathrow to catch a flight to country #99 - Georgia...where i met up with my friend's Maja and Heather to explore this country....we stayed in tblisi, the capital, the whole time, but did get out to go to Armenia for a day (ore on that later - 100) and into the wine region for a wine tasting....loved this shot of us with famous artworks....

i really enjoyed the street art in Tbilisi...this is sergei parajanov...a famous avant-garde filmmaker & georgian artist....he was considered a political dissident during USSR rule and did spend time in jail.....

this is the famous leaning clock tower of tbilisi....it was created by Rezo Gabriadze, who was a puppeteer and created the marionette theater in tbilisi....which we went to....it was charming and so fun to watch...we saw a play called Alfred and Violetta....it was a wonderful story and the puppeteers were incredible....this clock tower has an angel that comes out and strikes a bell every hour....and then twice a day, a small puppet show happens here as well....as part of the clock....simply stunning!

One of our days in tbilisi we took a cable car up to the top of one of their hills....from the top we could see the largest orthodox cathedral in tbilisi - the holy trinity cathedral....we did not make it there during our visit...although we went to many orthodox churches while visiting....more than 86% of all georgians are eastern orthodox....something i learned while visiting this country....

and this was the statue of the mother of georgia - kartlis deda...she stands 20m/66 ft tall, she holds a sword and a cup of wine in each hand - this is because georgians treat good faith guests well and offer them the wine, but their enemies will be dealt with ruthlessly

georgian wine is becoming more and more known...because it uses a different process of fermentation and production...more on that later...i did like some of the georgian wines, but only the dry ones....their semi-sweet and sweet wines are just too sweet for my taste...but this must be why they kept asking us how many liters of wine we could drink at once?!?!?!

for one of the days in this part of the world, we took a trip into Armenia - my 100th country to visit on the planet!!!! some interesting things i learned about armenia - it was the first country to adopt christianity as a state religion (92% of its population is christian), it was the first country to build. states church, and it was the first country to make chess a mandatory subject in school.....we had lunch at a food court along our drive...and were blown away by all the different types of baklava....yummy!!!!

our first stop was at the largest lake in armenia - lake sevan....this is a HUGE freshwater lake...it is one of the largest freshwater lakes in the world....there was a monastery on a peninsula that we stopped to check out....it is called sevanavank...it was founded in 305 AD....crazy!!! the stones you see above are armenian stone crosses, known as khachkar...they act as a focal point for worship...

this was the altar inside of the monastery...quite beautiful....the monastery still holds services today and it is considered one of armenia's most spiritually charged places....

this is a view of the beautiful lake as the sun was coming out from behind the clouds...the view was stunning....lake Sevan makes up 1/6 of the size of all of armenia and is considered the jewel of armenia....

this is the monastery from the outside...it was a beauty of a day....actually it was quite drizzly, but every time we got to somewhere we were visiting, the rain would stop and the clouds would part and we would get pictures like this one....incredible!!!

this is me with the armenian flag, outside of the monastery, trying to make the number 100 with my fingers...easier said than done...i did make a sign, but forgot to bring it on the trip with me, but there is a shot with it on my phone a bit further down....

pomegranates were everywhere on this trip - both georgia and armenia...i really liked the way this picture looked with the colors, which is why i took it...they are seen in both georgia and armenia as symbols of prosperity and good fortune....

we also stopped at a town that is called the switzerland of armenia...it is called dilijan...it has this one beautiful stone street with a few artisans and souvenir shops...it was a quaint street where we could get things to remember this very quick, but lovely trip into armenia....

here are heather, maja and i on the top of the hill the sevanavank monastery....you can see the lovely lake behind us....we are celebrating our stop in this beautiful spot!!!

and of course, to celebrate number 100, i had to have a local beer with lunch....on my phone is the sign i made for this moment of my travels...who knew this would happen...and i am pretty excited that i did it!!! i will continue to go to new countries, as much as possible, but i am quite happy that i have reached one of my lifetime goals...and you have been along for the ride!!! yahooooooo!!! Thanks, Armenia!!!

one of the things i loved about tbilisi was all of the street art...whether it be murals or graffiti or sculptures, it was everywhere...it reminded me a lot of the street art in Bratislava...you never knew where you would see it, you would just need to keep looking....loved the sax player walking through the wall♬

Georgia is becoming more and more known for its wine...this is due to the interesting process it uses for production and fermentation....in the small wineries - like the one we visited outside of tbilisi, they use these earthen containers called qvevri....they put all of the parts of the grape, mushed up, into this and let it ferment based on the type of wine they are making (dry, semi-sweet, sweet, etc)....we saw how they did this in this small winery we did a tasting at....the wine is too sweet for me most times, but i can sometimes handle the dry wines....especially the super dark red one - saperavi....yummy🍷

the town we went tasting in was adorable and located in the kakheti region...it was called sighnaghi...and had these old, 18th century, city walls we could actually walk along....the views of the caucasus mountains from these walls were incredible 😲

then we went to the bodbe monsatery complex, which was originally built in the 9th century, it has been modernized and updated, but is still an orthodox monastery being used today...the main church was currently under construction and the mosaic they were making was stunning....we had a beautiful day to visit this place and had some of the best georgian pastries outside of its walls made by two grandmothers...delicious!!!

our second wine stop was at a more industrial distributor, KTW - this stands for Kakhetian Winemaking Tradition....they still use the same methods, but on a much bigger scale and we got to taste directly from the huge vats of wine.... Drinking red wine cold is not necessarily my style, but the Georgians certainly like it this way! this company's wines are the ones most commonly found outside of Georgia and if you have not tasted them, i recommend you do! This region is up and coming, definitely starting to export quite a bit of wine....

our last full day was back in tbilisi, where we went to their daily flea market....it was so interesting to see stalin everywhere - he was born in georgia, and the georgians claim him as one of theirs, but more as a historical reminder that all people are born somewhere and that place does not necessarily cause them to turn into the adult they become...this is the deda ena, the mother tongue statue in tbilisi....this was built to commemorate when georgians rose up against the USSR to NOT have their mother tongue (georgian) replaced by russian as their country's main language...they actually succeeded with this protest, and this is why georgian still exists today....it was a super cool statue....

one of my most favorite things about georgia was the food....they have a lot of vegetarian options...including the dumpling-like sacs above, called khinkali....you actually eat them upside down and you can have them boiled or fried....they are filled with veggies or meat, and are kind of like dumplings or pierogies.....and they also had this amazing walnut paste on salads and with roasted veggies...sooooo tasty!!!

so here is a final toast from me to you....on a balcony in tbilisi....here's to Andorra - country number 98, Georgia - country number 99 and Armenia - country number 100!!!!! they were two terrific trips, with terrific people, and just once again showed me how large and varied this planet we live on is!!! My hope is to get to country number 101 in 2026....the Philippines!!!! Bon Voyage to all of you...i urge you to get out of your comfort zone and travel...whether somewhere in your own country...or world-wide...there are amazing adventures to be had!!!!

if you have any questions, comments or concerns...please reach out....happy fall/spring to you all and i'll catch you on the next update!!!!

Peace out....

Dani