It’s maple syrup season in Canada, and sugar shacks across the country are boiling down sap into that sweet, gooey goodness. Families flock to maple festivals to partake in this unique tradition. For centuries, maple syrup farms, also known as sugar bushes, have been crafting this quintessential Canadian product using traditional techniques, which many farmers still employ today.  When my son was a child, we used to visit local farms to experience the syrup-making process firsthand, wandering through maple forests and indulging in pancakes drenched in golden syrup. During my recen ..read more

After the clerk checks your ticket and opens a massive door for you to enter, enchantment unfolds. You know you are in a special, breathtakingly beautiful place. And you are not alone. Your gasp of astonishment harmonizes with the collective one of all who traverses the threshold. The next moment, an expansive “library room,” stretching nearly 80 meters, rises 20 meters above your head, slowly unveiling its grandeur. Soft, dignified light embraces colossal, ornate wooden bookcases guarded by giant mobile ladders. Marble columns topped with gilded artistry hold this baroque jewel that is cro ..read more

"Autumn suits you perfectly," a friend of mine wrote to me the other day when she saw photos from my everyday walks into the woods. Since the beginning of the season, I can't get enough of the simple beauty that surrounds me wherever I go – from the gorgeous golden colours of the leaves to the perfectly shaped squashes in the garden, raised from seeds, ready to be picked. The seasons change so effortlessly, without prompting that if I am not paying close attention, I might overlook all the wisdom the earth is offering to me each and every moment.  I believe no other season teaches us so m ..read more

Rome is L O V E.Not just because of the fact that if you spell the Italian word for Rome, "Roma" backwards, you will find "Amor" – meaning Love, but rather because of the fact that Rome is sure to cast a spell on you the minute you take your first steps on the city's winding cobblestone alleys. Gathering energy from ruins and relics of its past, from the splendor of its art, churches, and culture along with the glory of its cuisine and coffee, Rome possesses this powerful force in the Universe to make you look at it with the glistening eyes of a lover, eventually winning your love forever.   I ..read more