Category: culture
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Cape Cod, Massachusetts
As a child in the ‘70s, Cape Cod seemed like a magical land where the Kennedys had a compound, people vacationed and kids like me visited only in dreams. Luckily, though, it is no longer a dream for me: I have visited several times! Most recently, I spent a week in late August 2024 visiting…
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Costa Rica: Pura Vida!
I will not do justice to the amazing trip I had to Costa Rica in March 2024: I simply waited too long to write and my memories are less clear. Yet, I don’t want to lose the pictures and mark the journey. I traveled with my daughter to a yoga retreat on the Pacific side…
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Denver: Museum of Illusions
I didn’t know what to expect from this museum. Would I learn magic tricks? Would I learn how to interpret political promises? In fact, this museum demonstrates how our brain plays tricks on us. Optical illusions. Mirror tricks. Slanted floors, ceilings and walls. It was awesome!
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Paris: Holocaust and Current War
Discussing the Jewish experience in Paris during WWII was hard, because the actions of the government were antisemitic. It was even harder because Hamas’ Oct 7 terroristic attack was the first or second day of our trip. We toured the Marais section, which was known both as the Jewish and gay quarter (although less concentrated…
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Paris: Churches
We visited so many beautiful churches during our week! I was very happy to see the restoration progress on Notre Dame. When we watched that fire back in April 2019 I never thought it could be fixed. They are planning to open it in December 2024. St. Suplice, St. Germain, and Sacre Couer were other…
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Paris: Art Museums Part 4 – Musée d’Orsay
The Musée d’Orsay was one of Henry and my favorite spots in Paris, as the pictures below demonstrate. I spent some quiet time outside and distributed some of his ashes.
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Paris: Art Museums Part 3 Musée de l’Orangerie
Imagine sitting in the middle of these curved rooms, surrounded by Monet’s waterlilies, painted at dawn, midday, and dusk. My pictures don’t do these rooms justice. I learned Monet was inspired by Japanese art for these, and they are displayed in fairly small rooms where one must be silent; meditation is encouraged. How beautifully this…
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Paris: Art Museums Part 2 – Musée Rodin
I loved learning a bit about the process of creating a cast for a bronze sculpture. The cast could be used repeatedly. Rodin was accused of creating casts by putting the materials directly on people. He was so insulted that he started making hands and feet disproportionately large. Many casts were on display because Rodin…
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Paris: Art Museums – Part 1 Louvre
A big part of our trip was seeing art in museums. Our guide Agathe studied art history and I learned SO MUCH from her. I can’t possibly capture it all. So, I will do a few different posts with highlights. The Louvre has served as a palace and a fortress, but people in our time…
MB Meets World 