Memories of Monet

Last month I ran off to Paris for a few days. I have been missing France desperately, so it was a wonderfully nostalgic trip. Many memories came rushing back as I visited some of my favorite spots. Among those is Le Musée de l'Orangerie. A number of years ago, I took my mom there to see Monet's waterlily panels. On the upper floor, L'Orangerie has two large oval-shaped rooms devoted to Monet's Nymphéas. Each room has four panels each; two shorter ones and two longer ones. Due to the size of the longer panels, I could barely photograph them. Obviously, flash photography is forbidden, so these photos are a bit dim. Below you can see the benches in the center of one of the mural rooms. It is so nice to just sit and absorb the calm beauty of the waterlilies. Thankfully, L'Orangerie is a relatively peaceful museum in my experience, without too much crowding or talking. I can still picture my mom posing for a photo next to the panel I have pictured last, which was our communal favorite.

Καλή Σαρακοστή

Two days ago was the religious holiday known as Καθαρά Δευτέρα (Clean Monday) here in Greece. Clean Monday is the first day of Lent (Σαρακοστή) in the Orthodox calender. Traditionally, people eat a special type of bread called λαγάνα which is only prepared that day. It is a flat loaf covered with sesame seeds on top. The loaf I bought from the bakery downstairs is pictured here, with a sesame seed close-up for good measure.

Since Clean Monday is a day of fasting and purification, people usually gather in the countryside to enjoy meat-free foods. Seafood is not off-limits, so octopus dishes and fish roe salad are among the local favorites. Kite-flying is another typical activity on Clean Monday. Due to my impending move, however, I spent the day cleaning and packing! I'd like to think that I saved the life of one lucky octopus in the process...except that I don't eat seafood, so that octopus would have lived regardless!