Women of the Great Blue

For centuries, legends have focused on mermaids but had shed a dime light on the real sea women of Japan.

Ama, or sea women, are pearl divers that have been doing this profession for a living since the 8th-century.  Considered more fit than men to do this job, because of their higher fat content and endurance in the near-freezing temperatures of seawater which they dive in, women are trained to become amas at the age of 12. With the mentoring of an old family member, amas develop the necessary skill and exercise the profession until their death.

The demand for amas increased when Kōkichi Mikimoto a Japanese pearl farmer, and businessman developed the commercial production of cultured pearls in 1893.

Dressed in Mikimoto amas would  free-dive to depths of 30 feet, holding their breath for few minutes.

Like real mermaids, they would emit an “ocean whistle” once they re-surface in order to help regulate their breathing after a long dive.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

 Today these sea women are not extinct but rare to find. They became more of a touristic attraction or entertainers, you can catch them perform diving operations in places such as Mikimoto Pearl Island.

The Perfect Easter Destination

What better place to celebrate Easter other than Edinburgh, Scotland. With its renowned chocolate shops and its amazing gardens, Edinburgh is an Easter fantasy came true.

You can start your Easter adventure in the Royal Botanic Gardens. You can join Botanics Bunny and his friends on a spring quest through the Garden and see if you can find the hidden treasures. The winners who manage to complete the trail, receive a yummy Easter treat from Mackie’s of Scotland, a renowned Scottish ice cream and confectionery manufacturer.

 The adventure doesn’t end there, at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, you can partake in a wide range of fun activities such as searching for the hidden Fabergé inspired eggs or even make your very own Fabergé egg in the Palace Family Room to take home with you.

You can delve into the deep exciting ocean-themed activities at Dynamic Earth. From exploring the sea bed with robots to joining the fight against ocean plastic pollution, there is truly something for the whole family to enjoy!

This city caters your cravings for culture, food and the beautiful outdoors. Some fun facts about this place are:  Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the phone was a native. Also, Edinburgh was the first city in the world to have its own fire service.

Edinburgh is a city steeped in history, a perfect destination to experience the sights, sounds and tastes of a diverse and vibrant city. The hilly capital, blends the old with the new, with its medieval Old Town and elegant Georgian New Town. But the most fascinating remains, the perched Castle Rock (Edinburgh Castle,) home to Scotland’s crown jewels and the Stone of Destiny, a testament of Scotland’s monarchy, used in kings’ coronations.

Emmanuel Macron The Overachiever

Emmanuel Jean-Michel Frédéric Macron, President of the French Republic has been the center of many controversies and stipulations. But one can’t deny the allure of this over-achiever with fascination.

Hereby are some interesting facts to know about the French President:

1. Emmanuel Macron’s parents, Jean-Michel Macron, a professor of neurology and Françoise, a physician, were not religious. At age 12, he was baptized at his own request. He has two siblings Laurent and Estelle.
2. Macron studied at the Jesuit Lycée la Providence in Amiens where he met his current wife Brigitte. He was sent-off to Paris to finish his last year of school at the elite Lycée Henri-IV when his parents found-out about his infatuation with Brigitte Auzière, a married teacher with three children. Macron married, 24 years his senior, Brigitte Trogneux in 2007, after she divorced her husband in 2016.   Macron planned to give his wife an official role within the government, but didn’t following an online petition of nearly 290,000 signatures on change.org.
3. He studied philosophy at the University of Paris-Ouest Nanterre La Défense, and obtained his DEA degree with a thesis on Machiavelli and Hegel.
4. In 2008, he became a highly-paid investment banker at Rothschild & Cie Banque. After two years, he became a member of the Attali Commission.
5. Macron was the youngest Minister of Economy, since the period of Valéry Giscard d’Estaing in 1962. In 2014, he assumed that role but later on resigned to devote himself to his political party En Marche!.
6. In 2016, he founded a progressive movement, called En Marche!, a centrist, liberal and social-liberal political party in France, which has the same initials as “Emmanuel Macron.”
7. In the history of French Presidential Election, Macron is the youngest president.
8. He was nominated as one of the “Hottest Heads of State Through History: French Presidents” in 2017.
9. Macron is a talented pianist, he studied piano for 10 years.  He is an avid fan of football and attended the 2018 World Cup semi-final and final.
10. In 2016, he published a best-seller titled “Revolution”. His alleged unpublished novel is an epistolary love story about a pianist that plays with time.
11. Brigitte and Macron own a black Labrador Retriever-Griffon dog, Nemo, who lives with them in the Elysée Palace.

One might not agree with Macron’s ways of dealing with things or his political choices, however one has to give credit where credit is due. It takes a hell of a character to achieve greatness at such a young age. Only a great soul would defy the world for love. He has the looks, the money, the power, the status, and the youth to have any woman he desires. With gorgeous women throwing themselves at him on a daily basis, he could have easily replaced his 24 years senior wife with a trophy-wife that would bear his children, however he didn’t. He opted instead to endure the ridicule of peers and brave the world, never taking the easy-way out. Who would have thought that a dedicated ambitious man would be so romantically fearless?! One has to confess that this is something rare, noble and admirable.