Provencal Lavender Sachets
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The Magical Markets of Provence

One of the best delights of a trip through the villages of Luberon is experiencing her magical local markets laden with Provençal products.  Local markets offer a glimpse into the true heart and soul of the countryside offering a wide variety of products such as lavender sachets, handwoven baskets and linens, flowers, wine, produce and other regional specialties that are renown to the region.

During our April road trip through the perched villages of Luberon, I was instantly drawn to the markets as an ideal place to buy the perfect gift for friends and capture the real essence of Provence.

Products of Provence

Beautiful handmade lotions and creams from Provence.

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Millennium Park Chicago
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Chicago’s Millenium Park: A Masterpiece of Urban Architecture

There is no city in the Midwest like Chicago. Chicago shines with her hearty down-to-earth values while dazzles as one of the premier urban cities in America. Home to over 9.5 million souls in the metropolitan area, Chicago has an electric vibe like no other Midwestern city in what some refer to as “flyover land“, and is always on the cutting edge of architectural innovation and beauty.

During a long weekend in Chicago, I was able to rediscover her soul as well as foresee her future, all at Chicago’s ultramodern masterpiece Millennium Park. Built to celebrate the millennium, the park was opened in July of 2004 as an urban oasis in the heart of the city. Squeezed into a piece of land between Lake Michigan and Chicago’s business district known as “The Loop“, Millennium Park truly personifies what Chicago is all about:   Modern, gorgeous, innovative and fun.

A stroll through this fabulous park will prove how far Chicago has come to being a world-class, international city. Come take a stroll with me through some of my favorite views.

Jay Pritzker Pavilion

The centerpiece of Millennium Park is the Jay Pritzker Pavilion

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Lourmarin
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The Perched Villages of Luberon: Lourmarin

Our first stop on our tour of the perched villages of Luberon was the lovely hillside village of Lourmarin. About 70 kilometers south of Marseille in the heart of Provence, lies lovely Lourmarin, a quaint village known as the final resting spot of Albert Camus. Founded over a thousand years ago at the slopes of Luberon Massif, Lourmarin is a sleepy town most of the year until the herdes of tourists arrive mid-summer and wake the town up.

The hour and a half drive to Lourmarin from Marseille was full of laughter and gorgeous views of the lush countryside of Provence. We passed brilliant yellow fields of fennel, vineyards, orchards and olive groves. The only disappointment of the drive was that the famous lavender fields which symbolize Provence were not in bloom yet. Apparently that does not happen until summer time but it is a spectacular sight to see. So beautiful that I know I’ll have to someday see it for myself.

Lourmarin France

Approaching Lourmarin

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Fountain of Hope, Zambia
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Fountain of Hope: Bringing hope to Zambia’s street children

Over the past ten days, Jennifer James, founder of Mom Bloggers for Social Good and Global Team of 200, has been in Zambia as an International Press Reporting fellow covering HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria and how these diseases impact mothers and children. She was selected to report in Zambia along with nine other new media journalists, who have all covered these topics from different perspectives. It has been amazing reading all the stories about their work and learning more about the conditions in Zambia.

One of the places that Jennifer and the fellows visited that I found truly inspiring was the Fountain of Hope center in Lusaka, Zambia. The Fountain of Hope was founded in 1996 by a group of local Zambians as a way to help rehabilitate the growing population of street children in Zambia’s capital. In a country of 14 million, it has been estimated that there are 75,000 street children throughout the country and 2,000 alone in the nation’s capital Lusaka. Oftentimes these children spend their days on the streets, not going to school and doing whatever they can to feed themselves and stay alive.

Fountain of Hope, Zambia

Fountain of Hope Center (Photo thanks to Jennifer James).

Child Labor, Marriage, Education and Survival Global Issues Global Non-Profit Organizations and Social Good Enterprises SOCIAL GOOD
Gordes, France
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A tour through the perched villages of Luberon

Our last day in the south of France was spent on an eight hour tour visiting the perched villages of Luberon. Luberon is an area of Provence located south of Marseille and is known for its hilly, picturesque villages, lavender and fennel fields and vineyards. You could spend a couple of days cruising around and visiting all the different villages, each lovely and magical in its own right.

Luberon map

Map of Luberon (credit: Wikipedia)

I have always wanted to visit Luberon ever since I lived in Marseille back in 1994. But I never made it. The only thing I have from this beautiful part of Provence is a framed print sitting inside a spare closet with a beautiful picture depicting the countryside.

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Delhi Street Photography
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The tilted view of the streets of Delhi

“It is impossible not to be astonished by India. Nowhere on Earth does humanity present itself in such a dizzying, creative burst of cultures and religions, races and tongues”. -A Rough Guide to India

A trip through the streets of India brings humanity to her knees. No place on earth is quite like India. When asked by friends “What is India like” I seem to suddenly become silent as no words can fully describe the place unless you’ve been there.  Through all her culture, her craziness, her unbelievable sights and her charm, India remains perhaps one of the most intriguing places in the world. I don’t think any place on earth can quite compare.

Getting around India is one of the most knuckle clenching, heart racing things you can do. Oftentimes there are cows in the streets, traffic coming at you in every direction and people everywhere. Many times you get awfully close to an overpacked car and the two dozen pairs of eyes seem to stare into your soul.

Inspired by the views seen through the streets of Delhi I compiled a post of my favorite street shots, many taken from inside a moving vehicle as I was tilting or craning my neck. Just taking a ride through the streets of Delhi is bound to capture your attention and your camera. I remembered to take my third eye along on this trip and it is a good thing I did. Everything and anything is possible in India.

Here are some of my favorite captures.

Delhi Street Photography

View outside the car at the over-crowded streets of Delhi.

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Marseille's Fish Market
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Marseille’s Marché aux Poissons

Anyone who has even been to Marseille knows about its beloved Marché aux Poissons (fish market). The oldest and second largest city in France, Marseille was founded in 600 BC by the Greeks and became one of the most important port towns along the Mediterranean Sea. Given its prime location and wonderful harbor came a long-held tradition of fishing. The Marché aux Poissons has been around for centuries and is the best place around for fish lovers to buy the freshest seafood in France.

Marseille's Fish Market

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Pregnant mothers class at Indira Kalyan
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How Save the Children is Saving the Unborn Child in India

Author’s note: This is the third post documenting my visit on behalf of Mom Bloggers for Social Good to see Save the Children’s work at the Indira Kalyan slum in Delhi, India. To read the first and second post click on the links. 

Indira Kalyan

Heading to our next visit within the Indira Kalyan Camp

Having a baby should be one of the most joyous times of a woman’s life. Yet tragically throughout the developing world childbirth is also one of the most deadly times of a woman’s life as well as the life of her newborn child.

Per Save the Children an alarming 3 million babies died globally in their first month of life (2010) and India continues to have a persistently high rate of newborn mortality accounting for 29% of all first day deaths globally or 309,000 a year.

India is not an easy place to be a mother either. A decade ago close to 75,000 women died during childbirth every year. Although that number has been reduced to 56,000 in 2010, it is still way too high, especially given the tragic fact that many of these deaths are preventable.

In India, there is no place that it is more dangerous to be a woman giving birth than in the slums where woman lack access to basic health care services, midwifes and hospitals. Yet organizations like Save the Children are making remarkable progress in educating women about prenatal and postnatal care as well as the importance of delivering their child in a hospital.

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Le Panier Marseille
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Getting lost in the streets of Marseille’s Le Panier

Perhaps the most picturesque place in all of Marseille is the lovely “Le Panier” district.  One of the oldest parts of town founded by the Greeks over 2,600 years ago, Le Panier is known for her charming narrow, paved streets and steps that curve up and down the quaint hillside north of Marseille’s Vieux Port.

Le Panier Marseille

The enchanting Le Panier, Marseille’s Old Town

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Meeting with Frontline Health Care Workers in The Indira Kalyan Camp
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India’s Frontline Health Care Workers: Working door to door to save lives

Author’s note: This is the second post documenting my visit on behalf of Mom Bloggers for Social Good to see Save the Children’s work at the Indira Kalyan slum in Delhi, India. To read the first post click here. 

India has made a tremendous amount of progress over the last two decades fighting to save the lives of mothers and children. A decade ago close to 75,000 women died during childbirth every year and this number has been reduced to 56,000 in 2010. Significant progress has also been made in newborn survival. Since 1990, India has reduced the rate of deaths of children under 5 by 46% or almost in half. Despite the major achievements, newborn and maternal dealths are still way too high given the tragic fact that many of these deaths are largely preventable. The situation is especially dire in India, the second most populous country in the world, with a hugely disproportionate percentage of maternal and newborn deaths.

The Indira Kalyan Camp Delhi

Inside The Indira Kalyan Camp, an unauthorized slum in Delhi

The Indira Kalyan Camp

Women inside the indira Kalyan Camp

Per Save the Children’s 2013 State of World’s Mother’s Report:

  • Nearly 1 in 5 deaths of children under age five are in India. (1.6 million children or 29% of the global total ).
  • 19% of these deaths take place on the day a child is born and 53% occur within the first month of birth.
  • Large scale inequities within India continue to persist today in terms of wealth disparities, rural-urban divide, education, age of mother, caste, which means that not all babies born in India have an equal change of survival.
Children within the Indira Kalyan Camp

Children within the Indira Kalyan Camp pose for a picture

Global Health Global Issues Global Non-Profit Organizations and Social Good Enterprises India Poverty SOCIAL GOOD TRAVEL BY REGION Women and Girls
Les Calanques de Cassis
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Touring the Calanques of Cassis

One of the highlights of any trip to Cassis is a must-see tour of the spectacular Calanques. Like Norway’s steep-cliff fjords, the jagged creamy-white calanques dotting the Mediterranean coast of Provence are a sight to see.

Salade au chevre chaud
Cassis harbor
Vin de Cassis

Following our delicious lunch of Salade au Chèvre Chaud paired with tart, fruity Vin de Cassis (one of the best wines in all of Provence) at an outdoor cafe along the lovely harbor of Cassis, it was on to our tour of the world-famous Calanques. The Calanques are steep-walled inlets that have developed through time along the Mediterranean coast. The largest, most popular stretch of calanques lies between the coast of Marseille and Cassis. This range stretches for 20 kilometers long and a narrow four kilometers wide. Arguably the most beautiful stretch as well, the wide, rugged and gorgeous “Massif des Calanques” is made primarily of creamy white limestone.

It is very easy to get a tour of one of Provencal France’s most spectacular sites. Alongside the harbor is a variety of tour boats that will take you out to anywhere from three to nine or more calanques. We chose the “Circuit Exploration: 5 Calanques” which was a 65-minute tour of the five top calanques (Port Miou, Port Pin, En Vau, l”Oule and Devenson).

Cassis is a jumping off point to the calanques. Many boats offer tours from the harbor to the calanques.

Cassis is a jumping off point to the calanques. Many boats offer tours from the harbor to the calanques.

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Save the Children: “Bringing healthcare to the Doorstep” in the slums of Delhi

India, the second most populous country in the world, is known for her rich, vibrant culture and civilization that has spanned thousands of years. Over the last two decades, India’s economy has grown at breakneck speed becoming the world’s 10th largest economy in 2011 and is projected to be among the fifth largest by 2050 (per a recent report by economic think-tank Centre for Economics and Business Research).  Yet despite the enormous economic success of the “Elephant“, as India has been sometimes called, tragically a large percentage of the Indian population have been left behind.

Millions of Indians live in dire poverty especially the people who have left the villages and have come to the urban centers searching for a better life. According to the World Bank, rural and urban poverty in India remains painfully high, holding the unfortunate record of having the largest concentration of poor people in the world: 240 million rural poor and 72 million urban poor.  With poverty, an immeasurable suffering has also taken hold. Hunger, malnutrition and a high level of preventable diseases and death have struck India’s poor and have unfairly impacted women and children.

Indian girls inside a Delhi slum

Smiling and hopeful Indian girls within a Delhi slum are sadly thin.

Child Labor, Marriage, Education and Survival Global Health Global Issues Global Non-Profit Organizations and Social Good Enterprises India Poverty SOCIAL GOOD TRAVEL BY REGION