Update #11 - Paris Update, but Not Paris Adventures

 July 10, 2025

Hi all - well, I am making progress and getting another update out that is late....i have one or two more i will try and get to you after this one as well...as my spring break trip to Albania, N Macedonia and Kosovo will be in the next one...and if Albania is not on your travel card for a visit, you need to add it!!! 

this post will be about my travels this spring that were not to the balklans and not in paris....so malta for a conference, london x2, dusseldorf, sicily (mostly palermo), plus st malo, mont st michel, and die, france (Die for one last visit 🙁) all fun adventures, but only sicily was the first time visit out of them....i love that it is so easy to travel out of france to places in europe....by train or bus or plane...and so easy to travel IN france....just an awesome perk for living in paris....on with the pictures....

First spot I visited, in January, was Malta...it was my second visit, but this time it was for work...gotta love that i got sent to such a lovely, sunny & warmer spot for a conference when it was cold and grey in paris 😉 this was the view from my first room....it is my favorite conference for middle level educators to get re-inspired for the rest of the school year....

one of the evenings, the team from school that went, travelled over to valetta for dinner and a wander after the day of workshops...i loved this lit up fountain, called the triton fountain, that sits at the entrance to the old town portion of valetta.....

this conference is always a great time for me to connect with old friends that i have taught with from around the world...including ted o'oconnell....we worked together in panama....but this is one of those perks about teaching abroad...since i move so frequently, i have friends from all over, who i get to see when they move somewhere else...it is an awesome part of my life as an international educator!!! 🎉

the next few shots are from my first london trip in March for Nadine's birthday theatre weekend....we did three shows in two days..it was amazing!!!! ⭐ we saw kyoto - an incredible play about the UN kyoto protocol...then tina - a musical about tina turner - the woman who played tina was phenomenal, and lastly hadestown...one of the best productions i have experienced...from the music & musicians to the actors, dancers, lighting and set design...just incredible....

we stayed over by hyde park and in the morning of the first theater day we had a wander through the park and surrounding area....i had not seen the royal albert hall or monument...which you see above...

to celebrate nadine...at kyoto i got the champagne package!!! ooooh-la-la... the play itself was amazing...it was in a theater in the round and had been set-up like the UN...so we were actually delegates and "part" of the play....it was so well done!!!!

the tube, like the metro, always has interesting stations and each one has its own flavor....i loved the mosaics in tottenham court station...so colorful.....i guess i should spell that the british way - colourful 😉

this was the crew that went to hadestown...a mini panamanian reunion!!! nadine's daughter anna, also joined us....some of us had not seen each other since before the covid lockdown in panama...as it was one of the strictest countries during covid and we had to get out when we could....crazy times for sure....

another trip i made was to dusseldorf, germany....you might be asking why...well, it was between the warsaw, where cat lives, and paris...we could both get there relatively easily, and both of us had never been there....once there...this was the morning pancake maker for breakfast...i had never seen one of these before....can you see the pancake movin through????  so cool!!!🥞

i had no idea that dusseldorf was the fashion capital of germany...this particular street with a river running through it is where you will find all the chic brands (Dion, Louis Vuitton, Dolce & Gabbana, etc)....it was super similar to the Champs-Elysees....who knew???

this is Cat and I chillin' in dusseldorf....funniest thing for this trip for me was that my train ticket did not take me here, even though it was supposed to...no one ever contacted me about this, and when i asked the conductor on the train out of paris what the deal was, he let me know the connection tracks were under construction....so i had to get off at the last stop and book a new route up to dusseldorf...luckily the conductor spoke english and was willing to help me....you find most folks are helpful!!!! the conductor was also astonished that i did not receive an email letting me know this was going on...in his words...."this is very un-german!"

another country i visited this spring was italy...specifically sicily....it was my first time to this part of italy...i was mostly in palermo, but also spent a day in cefalu, by the beach....it was familiar to be back in a place that has corner saints (Le Edicole Sacre)....this one was just down the street from where i was staying!

Palermo has quite a large port....this was the area that the private boats & yachts were kept! wandered down here and hung out at some of the outdoor cafes to enjoy the breeze and have a beverage!

This is the Teatro Massimo, or opera house of palermo...i did not get inside for a show, but this is the largest opera house in Italy....it is an important place for sicilian culture and is the center of palermo....

above is one of the four seasons depicted in an intersection of palermo....called the quattro canti (4 corners) - there is one of these edifices on every corner of this intersection...the above one is in the southwest corner of the intersection....the bottom part is a fountain...the statue above the fountain, the first one you can see in the picture, is of one of the four seasons - this one is spring....above each of the seasons is a statue of the spanish kings that used to rule in Sicily - this is Charles V, and at the top is is the patron saint of the section behind the building - this is Christina of Bolsena, patron saint of the southwest portion of palermo...history is everywhere in palermo!!!

this is the palermo cathedral....it is a beautiful building externally....i wandered around it for awhile...it was originally built in the 12th century by the normans and represents four main types of architecture, as it was changed and added onto thru the centuries...it has features of the norman style, the arabic-norman style (it even was a mosque during its long history), gothic style and baroque style...just stunning!!!!

one of the other things i did in palermo, to honor my sicilian heritage, was take a cooing class..it was vegetarian, and i was the only student....which led to awesome one-on-one attention, great food and interesting stories about what i wanted to explore....we made panelle (chick-pea fritters- very tasty), many different types of pasta...and ended with a citrus jelly (no gelatine included)...the instructors were a ton of fun....it was a blast!!!

here you can see all of the different pasta types....from gnocchi to messina style macaroni - longer pasta....we used every day kitchen tools to make the different styles...no special equipment needed!🍝

one of my days i headed out to cefalu for the afternoon....a quaint sea-side town....had some food while watching the waves...it wasn't super warm, so i only put my feet into the water....brrrrrrrrrr......

while walking through the old part of the town, there were many lookouts to this point....as you can see, lots of folks were out having a wander....the water was beautiful looking!

in cefalu, it is more hilly than palermo, so they make the effort to make the uphills in the alleyways look pretty....this type of pot with plants was very common...it also made sure that these particular alleyways were for pedestrians only....although of course a scooter or two was spotted going up or down them at times....crazy italian scooter drivers....ciao!!!!

this last shot is back in palermo...where everything is brightly colored and flavorful...it has been said that palermo has been the most conquered city in the world....which is why there is so much diversity and color found there...even in the street food and drink....lots of the tastiest drinks are made from citrus and ice....palermo was definitely filled with life and vibrancy....

i got to spend a second theater weekend in London with my friend bill in may....we stayed around st paul's cathedral and had amazing weather (a bit chilly, but clear blue skies)....made for some lovely pictures of this particular cathedral....

we walked most places, so i was able to get this great shot of tower bridge....the naval ship is not moving, but i like how the bridge and ship are black in contrast to the sparkly thames river.....

 

we made it a point to go to the borough market for food and a wander one of our mornings....so many options...from excellent coffee to vegan arepas to a Croatian seller (got ajvar!!!)....it was a blast and my first time at this market...i will definitely be back....

while wandering along the thames, towards the theater district, we saw this image on a wall...these are ALL OVER Paris too...i was excited to see the same one we see in paris...too cool....

in between the shows we came to see - my master builder, starring Ewan McGregor (which we did not really enjoy) and The Book of Mormon (which was offensively hilarious!!! and we loved it)....we went out for indian food...the place we went to actually did a flight of pani puri....yummy!!!!

sunday, before we headed back, we went to the tate modern for two exhibits they were showing! at the bottom of the tate is the love statue...the same as the one in philadelphia....i had not spotted it before!

the next few shots are from two trips i took in france, outside of paris....we had a three day trip with students to saint malo....which you can see here...this is a walled city that used to have state sponsored pirates...it is also quite famous for some of the food it cooks and the butter it uses for this food...the most famous pastry is the kouign-amann....which is delicious and able to cause a coronary due to all of the butter it is made with 🫀

we also took the kids to mont-st-michel....which is a tidal island that has an imposing and impressive abbey at the top of it....we went through the abbey, wandered through the town and the kids walked in the bay, where quicksand is found to play in....don't worry...we did not lose any of the kids, as we were with a guide who showed us how to get out of the quicksand....

i also made it one last time to the town of die....it was my third or fourth visit here, due to my friends having a house in this lovely spot...the green hills and flowing river are stunning and i am so glad i got there one last time before they moved....

as you can see, the drome valley is surrounded by some rugged peaks...and we got some amazing weather and lovely clouds during my visit....plus it was the perfect place to chill, as spring at school had been quite busy!

these are the wonderful folks i got to visit...rick, thalia and their pup, sadie....it was such a fabulous and relaxing couple of days with them!

salut!!!! from me to you...with a frosty beverage from sicily....took this shot while chillin' in cefalu along the beach....

and there you have it...my travels during the spring to places for just a weekend or a bit....i have to say this is one of my favorite things about living in europe...things are not super far....so if you are headed to europe in the near future....be sure to reach out, because you never know if i am able to pop over to where you will be...its just a hop, skip and a jump in most cases....hope you enjoyed this finally written update of my travels in the spring!

peace out....

dani

Paris Update #10 - Paris to Vegas

 July 3, 2025

Hi folks - 

How is everyone doing? Its been a long six months since I last wrote and I have decided to try and catch folks up with a few updates that should come out over the next two weeks....sorry about the bombardment, but i took a hiatus from writing the blog....life is busy in Paris and now i am chillin in the states for a month or so and will try and catch folks up.....

the first post will be about my January time in Paris and the trip I took to Vegas, through LA to see friends from different times of my life.....it was crazy to do this for a week, i know, but i really want to see the hype that is vegas and have realized i only need to return there for one thing and one thing only....to see a live show at the sphere...otherwise, now that my friends have moved away from there, is not the place for me.....

but the time i had there and in paris between xmas break and that Feb break trip will be seen in this post....on with the pictures....

as most folks are aware, Notre Dame Cathedral reopened in Dec 2024....so while my friend Laurie was in town visiting, we made a point to go check it out....January was the perfect time....no crazy lines for when it just opened or crazy lines that are now happening with all of the tourists in Paris for the summer....as you can see, it is a stunning view on the outside, without all of the scaffolding.....

we had a beautiful, clear, winter's day....so the sunlight coming into the very clean cathedral was just amazing...i loved all of the colors on the walls from the stained glass... the interior is soooooooo clean and beautiful (almost too much for my taste)....but it was amazing to see the reconstruction and how it currently looks after the amazing work done to repair everything after the fire....

this is Laurie, Bill and I on the outside after our wander through.....if you do come to Paris and have been to see Notre Dame before, you might just want to walk through again, because it is beautiful and it looks so very different from the time before the fire....

We also went to a very swanky hotel with a rooftop bar overlooking the Seine....not sure I will go back, but wow, what a view for sunset! 

one of the many exhibits I went to this winter/spring was this one, by Chiharu Shiota, a Japanese artist who uses string/yarn/thread, and everyday objects to weave & tie them together....this piece is all about people making a choice to leave their home and experience travel....seems to fit me perfectly....my favorite line from her write-up of this piece is "The further you drift and the more you mix, the more you arrive at a place that allows you to to stare hard at yourself, anew....I think back on the feelings of these people (the owners of the luggage) on the morning of their departure." Love it!

Over Feb Break I decided to do a crazy trip to Vegas, through LA so I could connect with friends and catch up with their lives....my less than 12 hour stay in LA connected me with David Ing and my friends from China times, Deb & Eric....it was wonderful to reconnect and catch up with these folks...even if it was for a short moment in time.....here's to the next meet up somewhere in the world!!!

And then it was off to Vegas to meet up with Shannon and Josh, and their friend/now my friend Laura...I landed and in my jet-lagged haze, I signed up for a 5K.....what was I thinking?????

This is after the 5K was finished....Shannon & Laura ran, while Josh and I walked....first one for me...no idea if I will do that again...but you never know....i do hope if i do it again, it will not be jet-lagged...people were kind...music was playing and it was cool to walk through Vegas...Baby!!! And we had a celebratory drink at the end!!!! Cheers!

The next day Shannon and Laura did the 10K, with Josh and I cheering them on from the side....we stayed the night just off the Strip and had a blast watching everyone run the 10K or half marathon on the Strip...it was definitely a partyin atmosphere and good time!!! it ended near the Bellagio, so here is shot after it was over, being mesmerised by the fountain!

the next day we grabbed a bite to eat under the Eiffel Tower....what?!?!? crazy....but it was tasty food and funny to see how Paris is represented in Vegas....I think i'll stick with the real Eiffel Tower😜

After some time in the city, Josh and I went exploring about an hour away from Vegas to the Lee Canyon Ski Resort, which was having a ski day with beautiful blue skies and sunshine....the mountains in the area, as you can see, still had snow on them (it was February)....

It was a beautiful day to see the boarders and skiiers...who knew this was so close to vegas??? I had no idea, as i had never been to this region of the area.....

Josh and I also caught a show at the sphere....U2 had opened the sphere between September 2023 & March 2024...and the film they shot that was all of their shows stitched together is what is playing at the sphere when a band is NOT in residence....the outside of the sphere is used for emojis and current events, etc....so cool!

the movie was crazy!!!! they were not present during this movie...but man, it sure seemed like they were playing live....if you zoom into the picture you will see the band members in 3-D down at the bottom of the shot on the stage....how did they do this??? I have no idea...what I do know is that i need to go back to vegas to see a live show there....i would love for this to happen with Dead and Co, but they always perform in May, when I am still at school...but one can dream...

Josh and I also took the time to go to the Valley of Fire.....what a stunning State park this is...the colors of the rocks are burnt orange due to it being sandstone, and in places it looks just like the Rainbow Mountains found in Peru and China....it was incredible!

This rock is known as elephant rock...can you see it??? I love the red sandstone that this park is composed of...and we went down to the park to wander a bit and have a picnic....

this park is known for its 2000-year-old petroglyphs....here you can see some of the ones we found in the canyon walls....these were first carved by members of the Basketmaker Culture 2500 years ago, and then the Early Pueblo culture moved into the area, which are who these petroglyphs were written by... the Paiutes were the last tribes that came into this area.....

the color of the rocks in this valley were simply stunning and the park is so close to vegas...only about an hour away....i had never been to visit this regions just outside of vegas and i am so glad i got to experience this state park and Lee Canyon firsthand....

it may have been a looong flight to and from vegas, but it was totally worth it to see my friends in LA during the layover and then to spend a week getting to know a place my friends Shannon and Josh called home for a few years....our last night of fun was at the golden tiki...which even had shrunken heads...it was wild everywhere you looked....vegas baby...wowowow what a trip.....

and then it was back to work....but its not all that bad when this is the view from your school bus stop every morning.....i am thinking of taking a shot of the Eiffel Tower every day next school year and stitching them together to make a crazy video of what the Iron Lady looks like on a daily basis....we'll see.....

This last shot is of course me with a beer, in front of a beer can wall....so many quirky places in vegas and this was just one more cool bar in the Arts District of vegas that is blending old school styled vegas with modern, retro stores and funky eateries....

and there you have it...update number one while i am in the states...hoping to catch you up with my following adventures not just in Paris, but in London, Dusseldorf, Albania (country #95), N Macedonia (#96), Kosovo (#97), Sicily and Die.....it was a great second half of the school year when it came to travel and fun!

More to come...but until then.....peace out😎

Dani