Christmas

What ideas do you associate with Christmas?

By judging from the shops traffic before Christmas, to many people it is gifts to the loved ones and being together in family that count most.

As I experienced it yesterday, this prevails also for my own family, as we have invited my wife’s 89 years old mother and my daughter with her companion and with their one year old son.

My grandson Théo received many toys yesterday. It’s true that he was looking joyful while discovering and trying to open them. But the toys were so many, that he was not able to really play with any single one.

I do not think this abundance will help with his development. Luckily, many toys will remain in our home and will be proposed to him here later, when he comes to our place.

Being together also means a special meal for the occasion.

My wife proposed for this occasion shrimps, a pie topped with asparagus sprouts, ostrich meat with leeks and frozen chocolate cake with green tea.

As I am vegan, I prepared my own menu: tomatoes with alfalfa sprouts and black olives, yellow and green lentils, buckwheat grains and leeks which we all shared, and finally hot cooked apple with cocoa powder on it (very nice aroma).

I regret animal lives sacrifice and the fact that I have little impact on my family food options.

Apart of being together in family, on previous night I also assisted to the Nativity service in St. Gervais church in Paris.

It was a full, more than two hours long celebration with relevant texts being read, different processions, prayers, beautiful organ accompaniment and especially, fervent monks and nuns choir.

We had some snow in Paris the week before Christmas, but it was gone since and the Christmas day was sunny though short.

St Gervais

In a Park

Farewell to Wanda

It was a short visit to Warsaw for the burial of my mother.
Hugo wanted absolutely to come along, to honor the memory of his Granma.
We took the Swiss plane to Warsaw via Zurich and stayed in Warsaw at my brother’s place.
Monday was completely busy with the ceremony and with the family gathering.
Among those who accompanied her was also Jurek, the physiotherapist who helped her a lot, both physically and spirit-wise in the last period of her life. He too was afflicted by her passing away.

It was a sort of relief when it was all finished.
The next day we did some basic shopping (I usually buy in Poland some « organic » food which is better than in France). Later, we walked in the Old City, a relaxing walk in a sunny day.
We had an early lunch with my brother’s family in the Korkociag restaurant (their vegetarian food is not really the best in class) and took the plane back to Paris.

Warsaw trip pictures:

Farewell to Wanda