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Book review: Le Mot Juste by Imogen Fortes

We read on the back cover: “celebrating the art of the French language”. Beautiful, huh?   Le mot juste is a collection of French words, phrases and quotations with their actual meaning, pronunciation and sometimes also literal translation. I think it’s a good way to refresh one’s French if it’s a bit rusty or to…
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TV Review: The Protector (Netflix, 2018)

Magic, science, immortals, love…   I began binge-watching the Turkish fantasy series “The Protector” on Netflix back in March, and was devastated when the first series ended: only to discover that the second series was available a month later. Yippee! The story? A handsome young shopkeeper by the name of Hakan Demir (played by Çagatay…
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Travelling corner: Wales with kids

I’m taking you to Wales today! To South Pembrokeshire, to be precise. We visited the exact same location when I was first-trimester pregnant, but back then I only wanted to sleep (and was too tired to explore anything). So we decided to visit Wales again as a family of 4 and today I want to…
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Book review: Walking. One Step at a Time by Erling Kagge

Walking is man’s best medicine. Hippocrates Paradise is where I am. Voltaire This book is genius. That should be my whole review, but I’ll try to explain why. Erling Kagge is a Norwegian explorer and the author of Silence (my book review you can read here) which is a fascinating read. From this book is…
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Travelling corner: Polperro, Lansallos, Barcelona. Where are we?

Can you guess where you can find all those towns located almost next to each other? I’ll help you: in Cornwall, UK! Yes, I was as surprised as you are when I discovered that some Cornish towns sound more Spanish/Italian than English. Today, I’d like to take you to South Cornwall to explore this beautiful region….
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Travelling corner: A day in Manchester

What can you do in Manchester, if you a few hours or a whole day to spend (and you’re travelling with kids!)? Well, it’s best to choose one or two places to visit, to have enough time to actually enjoy them. See below our day in Manchester. Central Library When we arrived in Manchester, we…
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Breaking the ice: greetings in 12 different languages

What’s the first thing you say to someone in any language? It’s usually “hello” – but do you know the deeper meanings behind the ways to say “hello” in your chosen language?  And how do you say “goodbye”?  It’s not always that straightforward and sometimes it is quite poetic!  Here is a list of greetings…
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Book review: Neither here nor there. Travels in Europe by Bill Bryson

Love it or hate it, it’s definitely an interesting read (especially since it was written in the 90s – that’s almost pre-Internet era!). Neither here nor there by Bill Bryson, an American-British writer and traveller, takes us on a tour around well-known European cities. The book is written with a great sense of humour, so…
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Italy: Florence – Pisa – Torre del Lago

My travelling destination in Italy was Tuscany, and while there I visited Florence, Pisa and Torre del Lago. Today, I’d like to share with you my observations of those towns and what impressed me most. Florence Architectonically, it’s a true gem, breathtakingly beautiful. You can just wander around the town the whole day long and…
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On Languages: Greek

This blog post is about Modern Greek, its background, grammar and alphabet.  The Greek language has an important place in Western literature, science and religion, with Western canonical texts like the Iliad and the Odyssey, many foundational texts in science and Western philosophy and the New Testament of the Bible being written in Greek.  Many…
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