European Adventure

Marseille & Avignon: A Study in Contrasts

19 November 2009

Marseille, port city, oldest in France after Paris, is vibrant and raw, with an influx of North African and Mediterranean immigrants that lend their own culture and identity to the city. It sprawls between the coast and the St. Victoire range, throbbing and pulsating and demanding to be noticed. Avignon, on the other hand, is […]

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The Elusive Picasso

6 November 2009

It seems that Picasso and I were never meant to be together, not really: by now, I’m pretty sure I was never meant to appreciate his art in person. Yes, I’ve seen a few random Picasso works — the famous Guernica, at the Reina Sofia modern art museum in Madrid, for example, or some of […]

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Aix-en-Provence Revisited

4 November 2009

I visited Aix-en-Provence once, 11 years ago, when Ann and I backpacked around Europe after we graduated from high school. We came here because I had seen the town in a movie and wanted to experience it firsthand, though now, I don’t remember what the movie was, or why Aix had seemed so charming. Aix […]

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The Bastille Market

29 October 2009

I didn’t realize that markets could have character until I stumbled onto the one at Place de la Bastille last Sunday. I went back again this Sunday because once just wasn’t enough. The Bastille Market is my favorite one in Paris, bursting with life and flavor and color. The market takes place every Sunday morning […]

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Exciting London

20 October 2009

London–what an exciting town! In four days, I witnessed a protest at Parliament, watched dignitaries enter Buckingham Palace, saw others leave Kensington Palace in a helicopter, walked into the middle of a police chase that included a dog and a bike thief, and had a lucky future predicted (unsolicited) by a holy man. Add to […]

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