Sweet Montreal

 Macaroons from Maison Christian Faure, photo courtesy of Maison Christian Faure. It’s a little known fact that Montreal is home to some of Canada’s best restaurants and chefs, including world-renowned chocolatiers and pastry makers. This is great news for anyone who, like me, has a giant sweet tooth. In the

Jennie Lynn MacDonald’s Masterpieces

 Ottawa artist Jennie Lynn MacDonald’s art is a force to be reckoned with. After attending fashion design school, MacDonald taught fashion illustration for three years before deciding to focus on her art in a broader way. MacDonald worked for an art supplier for almost nine years, giving her access to

Crimea Uncensored: A Look from Inside the Peninsula

 Photo courtesy: Igor Mazurov, Flickr In 2014, on a sunny August day, my spouse and I were on our way to Crimea. We were driving along the shorelines of the Black Sea, curving green hills of the Caucasian Mountains. I have been following the Crimean crisis from home in Ottawa, watching

Medieval Villages of the French Riviera: Saint-Paul de Vence and Èze

 (visited in May 2014) There is no doubt that French Riviera (la Côte d'Azur) is a hallmark of beauty in many things: architecture, design, views, people, food, and history. During my second visit to the region, I engaged a local tourist guide Boba (www.yourguideboba.com) to personalize my visit. What a