In 1309 Avignon became the residence of the Popes during a period of chaos in Rome.  Located in southern France this historical palace is one of the largest and most important medieval Gothic buildings in Europe.

Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Popes returned to Rome in 1377 yet the palace stayed under Papal control until the French revolution.

The palace is physically impressive but what struck me most was the organization created to build and run the palace. This was a full-fledged company with cooks, security, controllers, doctors, and a CEO at the top to make decisions.

Even though the girls had already visited the palace, it was still a nice cultural excursion.

And an opportunity for all of us to take a few photos.

Enjoy!

Leslie

I didn’t post on the 4th of July.

But this recent visit to Washington D.C. seems to make up for it.

I had a little time to walk the mall, discover new monuments and take a few shots.

I would have liked to rent a bike from the city’s public bike program but I couldn’t find a station with a working bike.

This one was taken from a terrace, not a bad view.

Enjoy!

Leslie

Last week Milano celebrated carnivale.

Maschere (Masks), costumes and festival sweets, chiacchierare and tortelli, were everywhere.

What I didn’t expect was the silly string spray fights and a piazza covered in confetti.

An unexpected site in front of Milano’s imposing Duomo…

And this was just the beginning of the party.

Two hours later this piazza was a battle field of silly spray, that unfortunately forced me to keep my camera in it’s case.

But hopefully these photos convey some of the day’s atmosphere.

Leslie

As the holiday season is nearing its shopping peak I felt this post was worth sharing again.

This Thanksgiving I finished reading Three Cups of Tea. The book has been on the New York Times best seller list for 199 weeks, topping Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love by 1 week.

The book is the life journey of mountaineer Greg Mortenson who attempted to summit K2, the world’s second highest mountain, to honor his sisters memory.  He never summited but found himself in a small village where he made a promise to build a school.

Since that promise, Mortenson’s life has been dedicated to promoting education, especially for girls, in remote regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan.  His story as both a mountaineer and humanitarian is awe-inspiring.

The book moved me to help and although I can’t write the type of check I would like to I’m able to help by recommending this book to you.

I hope you will read Three Cups of Tea or offer it to friends, family or colleagues this holiday season.  The book is truly a gift of building awareness on the importance and impact education can have on a community and life’s possibilities.

“Terror doesn’t happen because some group of people somewhere like Pakistan or Afghanistan simply decide to hate us. It happens because children aren’t being offered a bright enough future that they have a reason to choose life over death.” Greg Mortenson

To learn more about Greg Mortenson please click the link to visit his website or to buy the book click the book cover under the title “Now Reading” on my homepage.

“If you teach a boy, you educate an individual; but if you teach a girl, you educate a community.” Greg Mortenson

Thank you for sharing this email with friends and family to recommend this book as a gift this holiday season.  I would love it to reach as many people as possible.

Inshallah

Leslie

This Thanksgiving I finished reading Three Cups of Tea.

The book has been on the New York Times best seller list for 199 weeks, topping Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love by 1 week.

The book is the life journey of mountaineer Greg Mortenson who attempted to summit K2, the world’s second highest mountain, to honor his sisters memory.  He never summited but found himself in a small village where he made a promise to build a school.

Since that promise, Mortenson’s life has been dedicated to promoting education, especially for girls, in remote regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan.  His story as both a mountaineer and humanitarian is awe-inspiring.

The book moved me to help and although I can’t write the type of check I would like to I’m able to help by recommending this book to you.

I hope you will read Three Cups of Tea or offer it to friends, family or colleagues this holiday season.  The book is truly a gift of building awareness on the importance and impact education can have on a community and life’s possibilities.

“Terror doesn’t happen because some group of people somewhere like Pakistan or Afghanistan simply decide to hate us. It happens because children aren’t being offered a bright enough future that they have a reason to choose life over death.” Greg Mortenson

To learn more about Greg Mortenson please click the link to visit his website or to buy the book click the book cover under the title “Now Reading” on my homepage.

“If you teach a boy, you educate an individual; but if you teach a girl, you educate a community.” Greg Mortenson

Thank you for sharing this email with friends and family to recommend this book as a gift this holiday season.  I would love it to reach as many people as possible.

Inshallah

Leslie