I landed in the UK the day before William and Kate showed the world the very best of what it means to be a Royal (not to mention “young and in love”). Being an incurable romantic, I was engrossed from the minute I spotted the first silly hat to the last of the tacky outfits, running commentary with my gracious hosts, Mr. and Mrs. H, in Yorkshire. Could have done with a more tango-inspired kiss on the balcony, but all things considered (what with the Queen, the Step-mum and the Uncle who’s a bit sketchy), well… Well done! Nothing like a little blue blood spectacular to pump up the £ (pound). Continue reading “LIVING UNSCRIPTED: A Wedding and a Funeral Make History” »

Some things just make me wimp up . . . A good hallmark commercial, the ending of Charlotte’s Web . . . or apparently, saying good-bye to Ricky (my German sister) and Thomas (her husband) at the Express Bus stop to the out-of-the-way airport in Berlin where I was catching my low-cost flight to Edinburgh on a no-name airline with ridiculous weight restrictions. Unable to speak, I shooed them away without making eye contact . . . I just couldn’t say good-bye.

And it wasn’t because I got to share yet another wonderful Easter dinner with Continue reading “LIVING UNSCRIPTED: It’s Wimps Anonymous” »

Piss-S-S-S-T-T, Shaz!

S-h-h-h-h-h-h!

Around the bend, in the unseen, arising from the very uncertainties that may now seem to taunt you, there are amazing Continue reading “LIVING UNSCRIPTED: The Universe Hath Spoken” »

I had breakfast last Wednesday in Italy (speaking Italian), boarded a train for Zurich where I had lunch (speaking German) before catching my connection to Strasbourg (where they speak French).  And let’s not lose the fact that I’m writing about all this in English. It’s a private joke from me to me (that I spoke all of my languages in one day) and I’ve had a lot of those on this trip.  Private jokes that are funny to me — and then I look around, expecting to be able to share a laugh with a familiar face — and I’m reminded again, that I’m on my own, flying solo. Continue reading “Living Unscripted: Life in Any Language Is Still Complicated” »

Northern Italy is as beautiful as Southern Italy, but with different architecture, wider/brighter – and Faenza, famous for ceramics, lasagna and Parmesan cheese, is where Lorenzo (my Italian brother) lives. Married 25 years this summer (when they’ll re-vow before family and friends), he and his wife, Chincia, have a daughter in Medical School and a son tall enough to make it onto the High School basketball team at 14 (I watched them play). Continue reading “Living Unscripted: Life, Love and a Day at the Opera” »

So here’s a travel tip: don’t fly Blue Express from Rome to Palermo (although I suspect it’s the same, regardless of destination) unless you’re escaping for a special moment, packing only a garter belt, one pair of stockings, spiked heels — and maybe a toothbrush. Anything more will cost you in excess baggage fees that will set your postmenopausal hormones ablaze. Continue reading “LIVING UNSCRIPTED: A Funny Thing Happened on the way to Palermo…” »

I was shopping with a friend in Paris yesterday and looking through the racks, I wondered if I’ve chronologically outgrown my look. Even without looking in a mirror, I suddenly felt outdated in cargo jeans, swing tunic and a stack of bangle bracelets … after all, I’m in Paris, the fashion capital of the world, shopping with my niece Brigitte. A fashionable French woman my age sitting nearby was wearing simple beige with a turquoise scarf. Continue reading “LIVING UNSCRIPTED:Making a Fashion Statement” »

A Francophile is a person who has a strong positive predisposition or interest toward the government, culture, history, or people of France. This could include France itself and its history, the French language, French cuisine, literature, etc. The opposite of a Francophile is a Francophobe – someone who dislikes all that is French.

In my version of “Paris, Je t’aime,” the cast-of-characters are a mixed bag of Francophiles who teeter on the brink of morphing in to Francophobes. Continue reading “LIVING UNSCRIPTED: Francophile or Francophobe? That Is the Question!” »

It felt like (yet another) home, turning the key and walking in to my elder cousins’ apartment when the taxi dropped me off in the center of Tel-Aviv. Still vibrant at 85 and 91, they were excited to hear all — and great bate for testing the attention span for listening to my Kibbutz stories.  And how fun: they actually worried about me – loved having parental units again.

I planned three days in Tel-Aviv to unwind before heading back to Paris for ten, priority being a hair appointment to nix the gray (oh yeah) with my cousin’s wife, Hanita.  She’s one of those women you instantly connect with — smart, attractive, interesting and interested. We sorted through stories from our weeks apart, sipping tea, non-pulsed by the sight of brown paste framing our faces. Continue reading “Living Unscripted: Another Chapter Ends” »

Wisdom arrives in silence, Shaz.

And silence, Shaz, is always there.

Shhhhhhhh,

– The Universe

Time was up/time to leave “somewhere in the middle of nowhere.” Ruth rushed in to the dining room — the car was waiting to take me to the junction to catch the bus to Tel-Aviv and I was running late. I caught their faces out of the corner of my eye as I scurried past the courtyard towards the office … But I didn’t turn around.  I didn’t want to look back.  I couldn’t look back. Continue reading “LIVING UNSCRIPTED: The Faces of Neot S’madar” »