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.
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.
The enchanting Le Panier, Marseille’s Old Town
“Qu’a vist Paris e noun Cassis a ren vist.”
“He who has seen Paris and who has not seen Cassis can say … I have seen nothing.” Frédéric Mistral (1830 – 1914)
I had taken the short train ride from Marseille to Cassis, a small seaside fishing village, over twenty years ago. It was a sunny morning when we boarded the train and hopped off at the St. Charles train station, a 2-3 kilometer walk to town. If I close my eyes, I can picture the lush verdant greenery of the rugged countryside of Provence, the brilliant blue seaside and the reddish-orange terra cotta tiles of the rooftops. I also remember the beautifully colored buildings and boats of Cassis and how magical a place I had found. Would her colorful, playful buildings still dance atop the turquoise sea?
The spectacular Harbor at Cassis
Like many places in the world, I never believed it would take me twenty years to get back. But sometimes life gets in the way and keeps you busy. As I road the bus from Marseille to Cassis, over twenty years later with my sister and mother, I wondered and desperately hoped, “Would it be the same”?
So often memories are nostalgic for a reason. Things change. Places get discovered and sadly get spoiled. Would Cassis have the same fate as so many other beautiful places in Europe? Would it be lined with tacky t-shirt and souvenir shops taking all of her beloved charm away? Would it be overcome with tourists pushing and shoving for a table at an outdoor cafe? I would have to wait and see.
Throughout my travels, I’ve always marveled at the beauty, innocence and hopeful smiles of children. I believe strongly that children are our future. What has amazed me so much is how similar children are despite their unimaginable differences in culture, economic resources and lifestyles. At the end of the day, all children want is to be loved. All children want to have enough food on the table, a roof over their head and books to read. All children want to be respected, cared for and offered the same opportunities in life.
Here are some of the world’s children and their friends who have captured my heart and have filled me with hope.
Here are the smiling faces of some of the girls I volunteered with in La Ceiba, Honduras.
The more one does and sees and feels, the more one is able to do, and the more genuine may be one’s appreciation of fundamental things like home, and love, and understanding companionship. – Amelia Earhart
At the end of April, we traveled via TGV south from Paris to the Mediterranean town, Marseille. The second largest and oldest city in France, Marseille has experienced a dramatic rebirth from a rather banal port city to a vibrant, cultural mecca in line with any of Europe’s major cosmopolitan cities.
Room with a view of Vieux Port and Notre Dame de la Garde
I was curious to see Marseille again as it had been a very long time. Twenty years ago I wanted to faire un stage thus spent the summer as an intern at a French business after graduating from university. I honestly do not have many fond memories of my time there. I loved the region of Provence surrounding Marseille yet found the city to be dirty, uninspiring and relatively bland. After hearing so much fanfare about Marseille and what a magnificent city it has become, I decided to give it another whirl and I was not the slightest bit disappointed in what I found.
In Marseille, I found a pell mell of culture and electricity that other cities would die to have just a sliver of. In a nutshell, Marseille had come to life with a pizzazz and heartbeat that pulsates the city like a radiant shower of gold.
The lovely sailboats of the Vieux Port.
Within the chaotic narrow streets of Old Delhi lies the largest mosque in India, the Jama Masjid, whose enormous courtyard has the capacity to hold 25,000 devotees. Built between 1644 and 1658, this sensational mosque was the last extravagnance commissioned by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, whose love for his wife resulted in the world-famous Taj Mahal in Agra and zest for beauty and power built the Red Fort of New Delhi.
The Jama Masjid’s spectacular beauty resides in her masterful architecture of various curving archways, gates, minarets, towers and decorative carvings. Jama Masjid’s brilliant red-hued sandstone juxtaposed against white marble is equally as impressive especially on a sunny, bright day. It took over 6,000 workers, mostly slaves, to build the mosque and today it remains one of India’s crown jewels and an important place of worship.
No trip to Paris would ever be complete without a visit to the beloved Cathédrale de Notre-Dame. Built between 1163 and 1345 the Notre Dame has withstood centuries of history and is one of the most iconic cathedrals in the world. Not only is the Notre Dame a pure masterpiece of French Gothic architecture, it has also remained the city’s heart and soul for centuries of dynamic struggle and change.
“And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair”. – Khalil Gibran
For some reason, when I was in India I became rather obsessed with photographing feet. Feet were everywhere and on full display. Perhaps it was the insanely high temperatures that scorched the skin like fire that lead so many to simply remove their shoes. Or else the Indian custom of removing ones shoes before entering a building or a temple, which unveiled so many glorious, diverse bare feet. Whatever the reason, I became mesmerized by all the variations of beautiful feet I saw in one of the most fascinating countries in the world.
Here are my feet sweltering on the burning carpets leading to a temple. It was 120 degrees out and the pain to walk barefoot on this rug was real. Yet I had to take a photo to remember how it felt.
There is no better way of seeing and understanding India’s capital than by taking a ride on back a rickshaw through the streets of Old Delhi. Built in 1639 as the Mughal capital Shahjahanabad ( شاه جهان آباد) the intensely crowded and dilapidated streets of Old Delhi remain the heart and soul of the city and are a sight to see. For the narrow, shadowy streets of Old Delhi offer a glimpse into what life was once like and still is for millions of Indians.
On back of a rickshaw, be prepared to be thrust into humanity and taken away by all one’s senses. The sights, smells, sounds, feel and taste of the place is enough to put any reasonable person over the edge. It is an overwhelming experience especially in the midst of Delhi’s infamous summer heat with highs reaching the unbearable 120 degrees. Yet it is an experience of a lifetime that will shed light onto this vibrant country filled with complexity and contradictions in every aspect of life.
Here are the photos taken from the bumpy ride on back of a rickshaw through the narrow streets of Old Delhi ( I was unable to stop so all these photos were taken in motion). I left the ones of my driver in this set so you can see how incredibly narrow these streets are to manage on a rickshaw. Sadly, most rickshaw drivers barely make ends meet and oftentimes live on the street next to their rickshaw fighting to survive. Another tragedy of Old Delhi is the state of the buildings. Many are falling apart and recently one collapsed to the ground in the middle of the night while 35 people slept right through their death. It is one of many sad realities of life on the streets of India.
Climbing on board. Note I am wearing a scarf over my head to keep the intense sun off.
The last three days in Delhi have been a complete whirlwind. We have been on the move visiting our NGO partners for Social Good Moms to learn more about their work on the ground. Being in Delhi is like being at the forefront of humanity. The buzz of mass civilization frenzies around you and engulfs all your senses. There is so much going on at any one moment that it is hard not to blink your eyes in amazement. To make the experience of being here even more surreal, the temperature has been dizzyingly high averaging around 114 degrees F/46C. In a crowded city of over 20 million people, the heat just adds to the intensity of the place.
Our first day was spent resting and recovering after our long journey to India. It took us over 30 hours to finally arrive in Delhi and the time change (Delhi is 11.5 hours ahead of Minneapolis time) has been hard to adjust to. Day two was spent visiting a small Delhi-based NGO called Protsahan that provides a unique approach to education for street children in the urban slums by using the arts. Day three was spent visiting India-based NGO Pratham who also works in education for underpriviledged children in the urban slums of India. Both visits were amazing and we learned a lot about how these NGOs are working with these children to give them a future.
I will go into the specific details of each visit and what we learned in a future post. However, in the meantime I wanted to share a small selection of instagram photos I’ve taken over the past three days in India to give you a feel for our trip so far.
One of my absolute favorite places in Paris is the lovely, picturesque Montmartre. Once a place of artistic gathering of the brilliant minds of Van Gogh, Renoir, Picasso and Dali, today Montmartre is a major tourist attraction that still continues to captivate the soul with its unique beauty, charm and bohemian feel.
A walk up to Montmartre through its winding cobblestone streets with expansive views of Paris is the best way to explore this area. However, you can also head straight up via a set of steep stairs or a funnicular to the creamy white Sacré Cœur and Montmartre as well. Once on top, you have a spectacular view of Paris in all her glory. You can take a walk inside the gorgeous Basilique du Sacré Cœur (constructed in 1919), and then walk around the Place du Tetre which has local artists and goods for sale. There are numerous restaurants, outdoor cafes and shops to keep you entertained as well as many little streets to get lost in. You could spend hours exploring Montmartre and being seduced by her charm. Unfortunately for us, it was raining thus we had to eat inside and my photos didn’t turn out as well as expected.
Just when we reached the bottom of Montmartre, the skies began to clear up illuminating Montmartre in all her loveliness.
One cannot go to Paris without taking a stroll by all her beloved monuments. There are so many spectacular things to see ranging from the metallic Eiffel Tower, to the numerous classic sculptures and fountains which line the parks, the gorgeously ornate churches and buildings, and of course the pièce de résistance, the Arc de Triomphe.
Commissioned by Napoleon in 1806 as a symbol of triumph and victory of his army, the Arc de Triomphe is perhaps one of Paris’ most important monuments. Many armies have walked beneath the arch after claiming victory. Inside the arch are hundreds of names of the generals who fought and died in Napoleon’s wars. There is also The Tomb of the Unknown Solider which is illuminated by an eternal fire. All this at the center of an enormous Parisien-style roundabout in which twelve grand boulevards come together creates a magnificent place albeit a traffic jam as well. But it is definitely worth a visit as its 284 stairs up to the top of the arch afford a spectacular view of Paris’ at her best.
