Tag Archives: religion

India: where to start

I have spent nearly three months in India, during three different trips, and I still haven’t written much about it. Why? Because India is overwhelming.

It has an extraordinary density of historical and religious sites. Its food varies enormously from one home to another. People look different. Languages change from one state to another and even inside. Hundreds of different gods are worshiped. There is an abundance of colors one has never seen before. How could I ever write anything coherent and compact about India? It is a challenge, but I am going to try.I am aware that I have a few posts that I have promised to write (Italy, Southeast Asia etc.), but I am also making a promise to start writing about India. Maybe once a week. Sounds like a reasonable promise?

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Revisiting Angkor

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Today was the last day of the exhibition Angkor, Birth of a Myth- Louis Delaporte and Cambodia at Museum Guimet in Paris. Coincidentally, it was almost one year ago that I visited these ancient temples myself. Even if we spent a rather long time (five full days!) in Siem Reap (Eat Drink Sleep Siem Reap (survival guide to Siem Reap) visiting nearby temples, I still felt it was not sufficient to really absorb and understand what had happened in the past. “Who what why when” became more complicated than ever! There were the Hindu Kings, then Buddhism; there were many different empires. To notice architectural details each religion brought to different temples during different times was not always easy, and having a lousy guide did not help. Indeed, it felt very overwhelming to be honest. And maybe this is why I still have not written anything about the Angkor temples (after one year!!).However, visiting the exhibition this afternoon enlightened me. It was such a great pleasure to see old drawings, photos, maps, paintings, moldings, replicates, etc. that I now feel one step closer to actually being able to write something about this extraordinary UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Meanwhile, have you ever felt the same about a historic or archaeological place somewhere in the world?

More information about the exhibition: http://culturoid.com/2013/10/angkor-birth-of-a-myth-louis-delaporte-and-cambodia-musee-guimet-paris/

Museum Guimet: www.guimet.frPS Museum Guimet is an architectural pearl. It hosts one of the best Asian art collections of the world, if not the very best. So pay a visit if interested in Asian art.

Top Ten of 2013

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One year and one week ago I started my blog, encouraged by a friend. I will always be indebted to her as this has been such a wonderful experience and one hell of a ride if I may say. The blog has brought an entirely new dimension to my life; I could have never thought about making so many new friends and attracting so many followers. My sincerest thanks to everyone of you!!

To celebrate this one-year anniversary, I thought it would be interesting to look back and see what the highlights of the year were. Enjoy, and pick the post that most interests you!

1. The most read post: Bus ride from Vientiane to Luang Prabang. Laos is a fantastic, rewarding country, but traveling inside is not always simple. I am happy that my post has helped so many thousands of travelers to enjoy Laos!

2. The second-most read post: Eat Drink Sleep Siem Reap (survival guide to Siem Reap). Nothing to add. Angkor temples, initially built by the Hindu kings, continue to fascinate the entire world. And Siem Reap is the base for exploring this UNESCO World Heritage site.

3. The third-most read post: Koh Lipe: mixed feelings. Thailand. Well. I did not fall in love with Koh Lipe, a tiny island in the Andaman Sea near Langkawi, Malaysia. I hear Koh Lipe was quite a paradise ten years but to me it seems the word “sustainable” was forgotten along the way…

4. The most-read post about Finland: Ice swimming in Finland. One of my favorite posts, too! Have a look if you haven’t already but do not believe everything I say.

5. The most educational post: Eating oysters in months without “r”. Oysters, this ancient delicacy! A lot of people wonder when it is safe to eat them. Read my post and tell me, “r” or not to “r”!

6. The most read recipe: Côte de Bœuf (ultimate French meat dish). A classic French dish; so simple but delicious! Now you know where to get your iron boost.

7. My first-ever post!! Thursday night in Paris

8. The most family-oriented post: Franco-Finnish Christmas meal. Christmas in Paris with my parents, husband and French delicacies.

9. The best design object portrayed: Alvar Aalto bell lamps from 1937 find a new home in Paris

10. The post about friendship: Making friends over the Indian Ocean. A story about friendship that developed over the Indian Ocean and developed in Tanzania.

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Romanian Scenes at Espace Culturel Louis Vuitton

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As someone who professionally observes economic and political developments in different fast-developing emerging markets, I find it particularly interesting what Espace Culturel Louis Vuitton is doing. Since 2006 they have organized three contemporary art exhibitions per year, gathering artists from all over the world (but mainly from emerging markets) to show their work around different themes such as travel, heritage, art and fashion. These themes are then presented in the light of globalization, localisation, conflicting identities and nostalgia that compete to win the future in so many countries today, and as one could image, the result of intriguing!

I have followed Espace Culturel Louis Vuitton exhibitions since the beginning and some of my personal highlights are the very first exhibition called Métamorphoses (presenting the South Korean artist Sookyung Yee, who was also portrayed at FIAC 2013) and Somewhere Else (another great presentation of today’s globalized world and identity struggles seen through the eyes of artists).

Last Sunday I went to see the latest production of Espace Culturel Louis Vuitton: Romanian Scenes. The exhibition combines works from artists that come from two different eras and two different artistically-important locations. Era-wise, there are those from the Communist/Soviet/Cold War period and those who emerged after the collapse of the great Soviet power. Geographically, Bucharest is presented as the more traditional home and the artistic capital of the country, whereas Cluj-Napoca in Transylvania is portrayed as “today’s creative epicenter”.

The exhibition provides an intriguing opportunity to time travel in the past and the future of Romania as well as to learn more about this grand European nation. Indeed, a highly recommended exhibition, but hurry up: Romanian Scenes ends January 12!

Lastly, the million-dollar view of Paris and Parisian architecture you get from Espace Culturel Louis Vuitton is another good reason to head toward avenue des Champs Elysées… Just don’t be afraid of the dark (you will see why)!

Espace Culturel Louis Vuitton (http://www.louisvuitton-espaceculturel.com)

Main entrance: 60, rue de Bassano, 75008 Paris
Entrance by the Louis Vuitton shop: 101, avenue des Champs Elysées, 75008 Paris
Opening hours: Mon to Sat 12am to 7pm; Sun 11am to 7pm (no entrance fee and open on French holidays)

PS The copyright of the image goes to Espace Culturel Louis Vuitton, whose press service I thank for kind cooperation with Pearlspotting.

King Cake traditions

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Yesterday we were invited to eat Galette des Rois and cheer the new year with Canard-Duchêne roséchampagne at my husband’s family. The hosts had ordered this huge cake from a famous bakery and it came with kings’ and queens’ crowns. It had lots of marzipan, so I was a very happy guest!

Following the tradition, the youngest child of the family placed herself under the table and informed the person in charge of cutting the cake who gets which slice. This is particularly important because there is a trinket, la fève, inside the cake that everyone wants to have (but as our cake was so big, there were several trinkets inside). The tradition also says that whoever get the trinket will become the king or the queen, hence crowned.

In a religious sense, the cake is said to “draw the kings” to the Epiphany. Remember, those kings; wise men who visited Jesus in Bethlehem on the 12th day of Christmas? Today, there are slight variations of the King Cake tradition across the world and even the trinket is not always baked inside the cake for the safety reasons. But if you are traveling in the Catholic world around this time of the year, check out the local bakery to see if they offer the King Cake!

Merry Christmas!!

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With this photo taken at the midnight mass at Notre Dame de Paris, I wish my dear family, friends and followers a merry Christmas!!

Happy Diwali!

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Diwali, the festival of lights, symbolizes the awareness of the inner light and the victory of good over evil. It also marks the beginning of the Hindu new year.

With this photo of Taj Mahal waking up to the morning sun rays, I wish all of my Hindu followers a Happy Diwali! Let your inner light shine like Taj Mahal and keep searching for your ātman, the soul.

PS This photo was taken in March 2008 during my first visit to India. It was when I fell in love with India, and where I have returned twice since 2008. Looking at my old photos always makes me very happy, so I will try to post more about India. Meanwhile, have you been to India and what is your feeling toward this astonishing continent?

Exploring the Sfakia region

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One morning in Hora Sfakion: one of a kind, a few drops of rain fell. We decided to postpone the day trip to Loutro by one day, and reached to our map to see what we could visit by car. Since we had arrived from Chania (in the north), and since we were planning to head toward Frangokastello (in the east) after Hora Sfakion, there was only one choice left: go west! The curvy, steep road from Hora Sfakion to the west takes the curious traveller to the heart of the Sfakia region, home to three villages: Anapoli, Aradena and Agios Ioannis. Very few people still reside in this region, and there are definitely more sheep than human inhabitants. The first stop 12km away from Hora Sfakion is Anapoli, a former capital of the Sfakia region, and an important resistance center. There is a restaurant and a bakery, but nothing much else. After Anapoli, there is another 3km to reach Aradena. This is where the famous Vardinogiannis Bridge, used also for bungee jumping, is located. The gorge is 138 meters deep at this point. Most people make a u-turn at this point, but we wanted to see what is in the end of the road. After all, we were only 5km away from the last stop, Agios Ioannis. This is where they road gets very interesting. It almost seemed that we entered a micro-climate zone and a different world. The trees looked different, the clouds were all over us, and the weather suddenly got very cool (bring a sweater!). At several points we thought of turning back, because the clouds were so thick and we would have not seen a sheep should it have stood in front of our car! But we did reach Agios Ionnis in the end. According to the map there are four orthodox churches but we could only find one. We stopped to take some photos but did not stay long: I was convinced that if there are ghost in this world, they would appear to me here. That is how spooky the place is (at least under the weather conditions we had).On our way back, we decided to turn right toward Livaniana. We did a good twenty minutes by car toward this seaside village, but the road suddenly turned really bad and we did not want to risk getting a flat tire, so we turned around. Before returning to Hora Sfakion, there was one more place for us to visit: Sweetwater Beach. It is located a few kilometers before Hora Sfakion, and as you are approaching Hora Sfakion by car, you will see a small sign to it. We did like the others and parked the car by the roadside. After a medium-difficult (bring your running shoes and water!) walk of 25 minutes, we reached this secluded beach, which can only be visited by foot or boat. We arrived toward the end of the afternoon, and saw some nudists and some other people putting together a tent. We swam for a while, before climbing back to our car by the same path. I would not recommend the path to you if you are traveling with children or elderly people. Althought I like exercising and think it is important always “to walk instead take a lift”, I do think the path can be quite dangerous. If you hesitate, visit Sweetwater by one of the taxi boats! This last photo gives you an idea of the path…

The Ganesh Festival in Paris

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The area around La Chapelle metro, bordering the 10th and the 18th arrondissements, is a home to Paris’s Little India. Many of the restaurant and shop owners are technically Sri Lankan tamils, but if you miss South India in general (food, spices, smells, colors, etc.), this area will cure homesickness until your next trip. Last Sunday the feeling of South India/Sri Lanka intensified, as the neighborhood hosted the annual Hindu festival: the Ganesh Festival. It was our second time participating in the procession and even though we felt that the festival was maybe a little bit less spectacular this year, it still made our day. The temple’s website has excellent information about the Ganesh festival, available here: http://www.templeganesh.fr/fetegan.htm.

This year, the website mentioned that religious ceremonies begin at the temple at 9am. Around 11am the parade leaves the temple and circles around until 15h, before returning to the temple. We arrived in the neighborhood around 14h and still managed to get a good glimpse of the festival. Upon arrival at the temple, we asked the policemen where the parade is, and followed their directions.In the beginning part of the parade there was a van carrying a small Ganesh statue, followed by a much bigger Ganesh. Then came the flowers, colorful dresses, fires, dancers and players. If you print the itinerary in advance from the temple’s website, you can easily locate the parade and just stay fifteen minutes if you like.This festival will definitely introduce you to a very different Paris, while providing you with fantastic photo-shooting opportunities. I love the Ganesh festival and will return next year for sure.

PS In addition to printing out the map, do not forget three things:

1) Do your lentils and spices groceries at one of the multiple shops near La Chapelle metro station.

2) Visit the temple (http://www.templeganesh.fr/). Remove your shoes before entering and visit the temple clockwise.

3) Eat DELICIOUS South Indian thali at Saravanaa Bhavan (My love affair with Saravanaa Bhavan)

Namaste!

Religious procession at Notre-Dame de Paris

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If you are in Paris on August 14, the eve of the Virgin Mary’s Assumption into heaven, you may want to head toward Notre-Dame de Paris. An interesting procession takes place near this world-famous cathedral, and even if you are not Catholic (I am not), I strongly recommend participating in it. I am not sure if the schedule is same every year, but this year the procession begun around 7.30 pm (there was a mass before). We arrived some ten minutes late, and the procession had begun. This meant that there were huge crowds of people. We begun running (hint: do not wear heels) toward the Left Bank, the southern side of the river, and turned toward Quai de la Tournelle.I only had my pocket camera with me, and having thousands of people around me did not help to improve the photo quality. We tried to stay in front of the procession, and if your plan is to take photos, I recommend doing the same. The evening was beautiful and the more we advanced, the more the sun light became colorful.Eventually, maybe after one hour, we reached Pont de Sully (Sully Bridge). A few steps later, there was a boat waiting for the procession (at Quai Saint-Bernard). The Virgin Mary statue was carried into the boat and the fluvial part of the procession was about to begun. This is when we left and repositioned ourselves on the Sully Bridge. It took quite a long time for the boat to embark. According to information we gathered from organizers and read on internet, the boat was going to go around the islands of Île Saint-Louis and Île de la Cité. These last photos were taken after the sun set but I think they provide you with a feeling of the fluvial procession. I was happy to observe this procession, and should you want to do the same in future, check these websites for information: