French people must stop thinking about holidays, says new minister

by Iva Skoch on

I don’t think the new minister will be popular in France. And that’s even if she doesn’t marry a former supermodel.

Christine Lagarde, France’s first female minister for finance and economy, said that it is time for French people to “roll up their sleeves and stop thinking about holidays.” Five weeks of vacation guaranteed by the state, to be exact.

“Instead of thinking about their work, people were thinking about their weekend… organizing, planning and engineering time off,” she told BBC.

BBC also reports that the former international lawyer, impressed by the work ethic during her time in the US, is intent on instilling the same spirit in her countrymen and women. (The spirit of not taking time off?)

Didn’t President Sarkozy try doing the same thing before his popularity went down the drain?
The lesson? Don’t mess with the French and their vacation time.

No Wrong Turns: Easter in Mexico….No Mini Eggs Here

by Kelsey Mulyk on

You won’t find any pastel colored eggs, chocolates or fuzzy white rabbits in Mexico during Easter. In fact, there isn’t a speck of the materialistic, Cadbury-bunny-laced Easter we have come to know and love at home. And, believe me, I looked for those addictive Mini Eggs everywhere.

Mexicans are predominantly Catholic and Holy Week, or “Semana Santa” as it is known here, is the most important religious holiday of the year. Kids get the week before and after Easter Sunday off and it is a time for family and church. These two weeks off are equivalent to our Spring Break so travelers can expect beaches and hotels to be crowded…make your reservations early.

Tom and I caught a little bit of the celebration on Good Friday (Viernes Santo). The devout congregate in groups all over the city, each outfitted with a large cross. These groups walk throughout the neighborhoods towards the church, stopping at homes to perform prayers and blessings. Eventually all the groups meet at the church for the service. In other parts of the country, the crucifixion is reenacted and passion plays are performed. One of the biggest celebrations is held in Iztapalapa, just south of Mexico City.

“Sabado de Gloria”, Holy Saturday, tells the story of the betrayal of Jesus by Judas. Papier mache Judases are created and then burned or destroyed as part of the ceremony. The service we attended was not so inclined and instead included readings by from both the Mexican and English community. People just kept piling in and eventually all the seats were taken leaving latecomers standing in the aisles. Women were hanging onto restless children, statues of the Virgen de Guadalupe were clutched tightly in hand, thousands of candles were lit and re-lit, bottles of water were raised for blessing and children, trussed up in their best clothes, were baptized and welcomed as members to the Catholic church. The evening ended with a shower of bright fireworks that could be seen from all over town.

Two words of advice on attending a church service:

Many Mexicans turn up casually dressed, but it is wise to be respectful and dress appropriately. Women should have their shoulders covered and men should wear a nice shirt and pants.

It is worth bringing your own candle so you can participate in the service. A ton of candles are lit during this event…it is like one big bonfire waiting to happen, so make sure you know where the closest exit is or sit near someone with a big bottle of water.

On Easter Sunday, Domingo de Pascua, Mexicans attend Mass and then spend the rest of the day enjoying the company of family and friends, sadly for me, it is not filled with bunny trails or chocolates either, sigh.
Anyone want to send some Mini Eggs my way?

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“No Wrong Turns” chronicles Kelsey and her husband’s road trip — in real time — from Canada to the southern tip of South America in their trusty red VW Golf named Marlin.

Happy Day of Kings!

by Abha Malpani on

In most Hispanic countries, the day the Three Wise Men visited Jesus (Epiphany) holds more significance than Christmas Day. On the night of January 5, children write to their favorite king (rather than to Santa) for what they want and leave their shoes outside, filled with straw for the Wise Men’s camels to eat; today is when they open their gifts.

Yesterday evening, the streets of Madrid’s center were packed with people waiting excitedly from 2pm to see the Parade of the Kings that began around 6pm. Today as families spend time together, there is a tradition of eating “Roscon of the Kings” which is a large loaf of bread in the shape of a king’s crown, coated with nuts and dried-fruit and filled with cream or chocolate. A gold coin is hidden inside, and it is believed that the person who gets it will have good luck throughout the year.

To reassert the importance of this day over December 25, recently in Madrid there was an anti-Santa campaign to spotlight the existing capitalism around the concept of Father Christmas. It highlighted his unacceptable behavior that included: doping his reindeer, racism, exploiting his elves, relations with the Romanian mafia and general susceptibility to commercialization. There was a demonstration outside the Finnish Embassy demanding the closure of Santa’s toy factory — a cause of contamination in the Scandinavian country.

Based in Madrid, a website has been created for the cause that includes an anti-Santa pro-Kings rap by campaigners dressed as the Three Kings which you can see here; it ends with a stage killing of Santa Claus.

Holiday cheer from New York City

by Iva Skoch on

I had a New York moment last night when coming back home.

I was in the West Village, waiting for a subway train on the platform. I sat down. A guy in his thirties sits down next to me. Within about ten seconds, he starts vomiting uncontrollably. Literally, his “performance” lasted about 3 minutes. I ran as far from him as possible with the sound of projectile vomiting echoing around me. Bizarre.

Honestly, I have had a lot of people throwing up in my presence lately. I don’t take it personally although it is not exactly the kind of “strong reaction” one hopes for. Holidays parties will do that to people, I guess.

I just kept thinking about the people who clean New York subways every day. That’s not a job to envy, that’s for sure. Happy holidays to you, subway maintenance folks!

Give a gift! Adopt a polar bear, orangutan or octopus

by Iva Skoch on

If you already exhausted all your travel-related gift ideas this year and personalized photo albums no longer do the trick, consider a non-material, yet meaningful gift. The World Wildlife Fund’s Gift Center provides some interesting opportunities to give a gift and make an impact in some of the most endangered areas of the world.

By donating $50 or $100 you can symbolically adopt an animal, in the name of your friends or family members. They will issue you a certificate with a photograph of the animal. A lot of really weird animals are available to be picked. Hello, three-toed sloth!