Friday, June 29, 2012
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Le Samedi Gratuit.
There's nothing better to start the day off in France with a free wine tasting, so that we did.
I have absolutely no idea how people know or find out about these things (I'm assuming it's some sort of elusive society once you've been here a certain time or are simply 'Parisian chic' enough, of which I clearly don't qualify for either) but a friend had heard about it so we headed along. It took place at an upmarket wine store on Boulevard Haussmann and despite my taunts and suspicions, it wasn't filled entirely with homeless people (clearly they're not in this haut society either...)
We arrived to a marquee over the footpath with about 10 barrels each corresponding to a wine seller. On each barrel was about 7 different kinds of wine that you simply walked up to and asked to try. Often they would explain a little bit behind the wine, including how that specific wine was made. Because it was June, all the wines for this tasting (it happens once a month at this specific place) were from the Loire Valley. The fact that it was about 11am on a Saturday morning seemed completely redundant to everyone there and I certainly wasn't about to rain on the parade.
I have no idea how many wines I ended up tasting but I do know that they definitely got better as the morning wore on. I also vastly extended my 'vocab de vin', and learnt that the more abstract the phrase the more pleased the wine makers seemed to be. (I told one intriguing bearded man that his wine tasted "comme les sapins d'Inde", meaning 'christmas trees from india'. I've never seen a French man smile quite so brightly. I also didn't tell him that it was actually the the wine talking by this stage.) We were slowly joined by more throngs of wine revelers and decided to leave before it was too obvious that we had out-stayed our welcome and became very un-French by showing signs of our alcohol consumption.
Walking along the Grands Magasins like Galaries Lafayette, we decided to pay a visit to Printemps and check out their flash merchandise and stifling number of unnecessary staff. We somehow ended up distracting ourselves on the elevators and before we knew it we were nine stories high at the roof top cafe overlooking the whole of Paris with one of, if not the, most impressive, spectacular and FREE views of Paris. Once again, the beauty of Paris took my breath away and I delighted in the ability to see Sacre Coeur, Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower and Tour Montparnasse all in one swift move of the head. The Paris skyline has to be one of the most beautiful in the world. And that's NOT the wine talking.
We rode down nine floors again and as we were reaching the bottom we saw signs for a 'beach party model show' which happened to be in just a couple of minutes. We grabbed a spot near the action and were joined by quite a crowd before it started with models in bikinis walking up and down the stairs in the shops main entrance. It was then followed by cocktails, wine, macaroons and other delicious Parisian patisseries. All FREE. Needless to say, we didn't resist. I have no idea what was in my cocktail but it was absolutely delicious and entirely appropriate for 2pm after a morning of wine tasting. I managed to try almost all of their macaroon selection and delighted in passionfruit, pistachio and raspberry. Bizarrely, people didn't even seem that excited at this prospect of free food, there was no pushing and shoving and the people serving the food ended having to try and give it away! Luckily, I was there to help.
Full from our free food fix, we walked the small distance to the beautiful Opera building and sat on the steps talking and watching the many tour groups pass, trying to decide if it was worse to be made to wear matching backpacks or hats, and whether being hit in the head by one of the many low flying pigeons would kill you. (Decision: inconclusive.)
There's something about having nothing planned for a day in overcast Paris that makes it all the more interesting.
I have absolutely no idea how people know or find out about these things (I'm assuming it's some sort of elusive society once you've been here a certain time or are simply 'Parisian chic' enough, of which I clearly don't qualify for either) but a friend had heard about it so we headed along. It took place at an upmarket wine store on Boulevard Haussmann and despite my taunts and suspicions, it wasn't filled entirely with homeless people (clearly they're not in this haut society either...)
We arrived to a marquee over the footpath with about 10 barrels each corresponding to a wine seller. On each barrel was about 7 different kinds of wine that you simply walked up to and asked to try. Often they would explain a little bit behind the wine, including how that specific wine was made. Because it was June, all the wines for this tasting (it happens once a month at this specific place) were from the Loire Valley. The fact that it was about 11am on a Saturday morning seemed completely redundant to everyone there and I certainly wasn't about to rain on the parade.
I have no idea how many wines I ended up tasting but I do know that they definitely got better as the morning wore on. I also vastly extended my 'vocab de vin', and learnt that the more abstract the phrase the more pleased the wine makers seemed to be. (I told one intriguing bearded man that his wine tasted "comme les sapins d'Inde", meaning 'christmas trees from india'. I've never seen a French man smile quite so brightly. I also didn't tell him that it was actually the the wine talking by this stage.) We were slowly joined by more throngs of wine revelers and decided to leave before it was too obvious that we had out-stayed our welcome and became very un-French by showing signs of our alcohol consumption.
Walking along the Grands Magasins like Galaries Lafayette, we decided to pay a visit to Printemps and check out their flash merchandise and stifling number of unnecessary staff. We somehow ended up distracting ourselves on the elevators and before we knew it we were nine stories high at the roof top cafe overlooking the whole of Paris with one of, if not the, most impressive, spectacular and FREE views of Paris. Once again, the beauty of Paris took my breath away and I delighted in the ability to see Sacre Coeur, Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower and Tour Montparnasse all in one swift move of the head. The Paris skyline has to be one of the most beautiful in the world. And that's NOT the wine talking.
We rode down nine floors again and as we were reaching the bottom we saw signs for a 'beach party model show' which happened to be in just a couple of minutes. We grabbed a spot near the action and were joined by quite a crowd before it started with models in bikinis walking up and down the stairs in the shops main entrance. It was then followed by cocktails, wine, macaroons and other delicious Parisian patisseries. All FREE. Needless to say, we didn't resist. I have no idea what was in my cocktail but it was absolutely delicious and entirely appropriate for 2pm after a morning of wine tasting. I managed to try almost all of their macaroon selection and delighted in passionfruit, pistachio and raspberry. Bizarrely, people didn't even seem that excited at this prospect of free food, there was no pushing and shoving and the people serving the food ended having to try and give it away! Luckily, I was there to help.
Full from our free food fix, we walked the small distance to the beautiful Opera building and sat on the steps talking and watching the many tour groups pass, trying to decide if it was worse to be made to wear matching backpacks or hats, and whether being hit in the head by one of the many low flying pigeons would kill you. (Decision: inconclusive.)
There's something about having nothing planned for a day in overcast Paris that makes it all the more interesting.
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Norvège vient à Paris.
The weekend before last, Paris was graced with the presence of my Norwegian friend and so I spent the weekend with her as a pretend tourist, clogging the pathways, talking loudly, moving slowly and generally doing everything that causes an exasperated sigh and an annoyed eye roll from the Parisians. It was wonderful.
With the sun shining bright (and strong, my glaringly lobster red body reminds me), we began the day with a picnic on the Seine, complete with all the must-haves: baguette, cheese and wine. With our feet dangling over the edge of the bank and watching the boats flow past nonchalantly, making delicate ripples in the remarkably dirty Seine water, we talked non stop, only breaking to take sips of wine and bites of a fine Boulangerie baguette. When we discovered our legs were almost numb from sitting still for so long, we got up and strolled along the Seine to Pont de l'Alma to catch a Bateaux Mouches, one of the touristy boats that go up and down the river constantly, packed with the camera toting, awestruck visitors.
It was my third time going on these boats, the first being my whirlwind trip as a 17 year old schoolgirl, the second as a fresh Paris étudiant still with open eyed wonder and the third time, a certified local, regalling my visitor with annoying tales of my personal experiences towards Paris' most famous tourist attractions, ("Wow, there's the Notre Dame. I walked past that after every late night class at Sciences Po, even during the frigid winter temperatures when the courtyard in front of it was decked out with a gigantic Christmas tree and you could sometimes hear the soft lull of the organ and the echo of the carol singers" to which I would want to tell myself to shut up.)
But there is something different about doing these things with a new perspective of the city and made me appreciate a little more the beautiful place in which I live. Even got another obligatory snap with the Eiffel Tower. After the cruise finished we checked out the statue at the Pont de l'Alma, the bridge which took Princess Diana's life and the statue at the place she died without quite referencing that it was for her (I don't think you would want to make a big deal of the fact you were the city that took the life of one of Britain's favourite Royal's either...)
We cooked up a wonderful feast for dinner and all my colocs happened to be in the kitchen at the same time, an amazing first! With 5 colocs and two of us with an extra friend staying, a kitchen of 7 in a Parisian appartement was a comical sight. It was an enlightening mixture of languages and accents that gave me vivid flashbacks to 'L'Auberge Espagnol' and made me suddenly realise that this is similar to the melting pot my life has become.
We polished off our dinner, bid 'bonne soirée' to my colocs (two of whom were heading to a Brit themed party and had swiftly encouraged my new British coloc to be their obligatory British 'item') and off we headed to the Irish bar where one of my friends works. We were able to skip the line (and the entrance fee) thanks to her and the security guard she described as 'a big, cuddly bear' who was about 6 foot, 200 pounds and with a neck the size of jumbo jet. Hours (and many free or half price drinks) later when we were ready to leave, we were confronted with a torrential downpour but decided not to wait it out, instead strolling past all the sensible people holed up under verandah roofs, stopping only to grab a sucre et cannelle crepe which was A-mazing. Definitely won't be my last time at that creperie. By the time we had walked home, my belly was content and we were soaking. Drenched. C'est la vie, hein?
The next day we metro-ed all the way out of Paris to La Défense, Paris' business district and home to the gigantic statue that represents the shadow of a 4D cube (confusing much?) which was cool to see again in all its ginormity. Its big. B.I.G. You can see the Arc de Triomphe directly ahead which makes for a cool photo, granted the weather obliges. La Défense is also home to Paris' biggest mall, Les Quatre Temps, and we ignored our weary eyes to check the latest finds. By the time we were starving we headed back into Paris and went to our favourite sushi restaurant, with its compelling menu message "eat as much as you can". And we did. The poor Asian lady that served us failed to hide her shock when she kept on returning to take our orders and we kept on ordering. We tried to keep count of how many plates we ordered but lost count after 21. We followed it up by lying on the edge of the Seine and eating fine 'chocolat aux noisettes'.
Monday morning was spent buying French breakfast goodies (more baguettes, croissants et pain au chocolat) and eating them in Jardin de Luxembourg where we were happily, and bizarrely, accompanied by a full band at the central Band Rotunda. One last 'chocolat a l'ancienne' at a café and we 'au revoir'ed' our copaine de Norvège. But it's not goodbye, its see you soon...
With the sun shining bright (and strong, my glaringly lobster red body reminds me), we began the day with a picnic on the Seine, complete with all the must-haves: baguette, cheese and wine. With our feet dangling over the edge of the bank and watching the boats flow past nonchalantly, making delicate ripples in the remarkably dirty Seine water, we talked non stop, only breaking to take sips of wine and bites of a fine Boulangerie baguette. When we discovered our legs were almost numb from sitting still for so long, we got up and strolled along the Seine to Pont de l'Alma to catch a Bateaux Mouches, one of the touristy boats that go up and down the river constantly, packed with the camera toting, awestruck visitors.
It was my third time going on these boats, the first being my whirlwind trip as a 17 year old schoolgirl, the second as a fresh Paris étudiant still with open eyed wonder and the third time, a certified local, regalling my visitor with annoying tales of my personal experiences towards Paris' most famous tourist attractions, ("Wow, there's the Notre Dame. I walked past that after every late night class at Sciences Po, even during the frigid winter temperatures when the courtyard in front of it was decked out with a gigantic Christmas tree and you could sometimes hear the soft lull of the organ and the echo of the carol singers" to which I would want to tell myself to shut up.)
But there is something different about doing these things with a new perspective of the city and made me appreciate a little more the beautiful place in which I live. Even got another obligatory snap with the Eiffel Tower. After the cruise finished we checked out the statue at the Pont de l'Alma, the bridge which took Princess Diana's life and the statue at the place she died without quite referencing that it was for her (I don't think you would want to make a big deal of the fact you were the city that took the life of one of Britain's favourite Royal's either...)
We cooked up a wonderful feast for dinner and all my colocs happened to be in the kitchen at the same time, an amazing first! With 5 colocs and two of us with an extra friend staying, a kitchen of 7 in a Parisian appartement was a comical sight. It was an enlightening mixture of languages and accents that gave me vivid flashbacks to 'L'Auberge Espagnol' and made me suddenly realise that this is similar to the melting pot my life has become.
We polished off our dinner, bid 'bonne soirée' to my colocs (two of whom were heading to a Brit themed party and had swiftly encouraged my new British coloc to be their obligatory British 'item') and off we headed to the Irish bar where one of my friends works. We were able to skip the line (and the entrance fee) thanks to her and the security guard she described as 'a big, cuddly bear' who was about 6 foot, 200 pounds and with a neck the size of jumbo jet. Hours (and many free or half price drinks) later when we were ready to leave, we were confronted with a torrential downpour but decided not to wait it out, instead strolling past all the sensible people holed up under verandah roofs, stopping only to grab a sucre et cannelle crepe which was A-mazing. Definitely won't be my last time at that creperie. By the time we had walked home, my belly was content and we were soaking. Drenched. C'est la vie, hein?
The next day we metro-ed all the way out of Paris to La Défense, Paris' business district and home to the gigantic statue that represents the shadow of a 4D cube (confusing much?) which was cool to see again in all its ginormity. Its big. B.I.G. You can see the Arc de Triomphe directly ahead which makes for a cool photo, granted the weather obliges. La Défense is also home to Paris' biggest mall, Les Quatre Temps, and we ignored our weary eyes to check the latest finds. By the time we were starving we headed back into Paris and went to our favourite sushi restaurant, with its compelling menu message "eat as much as you can". And we did. The poor Asian lady that served us failed to hide her shock when she kept on returning to take our orders and we kept on ordering. We tried to keep count of how many plates we ordered but lost count after 21. We followed it up by lying on the edge of the Seine and eating fine 'chocolat aux noisettes'.
Monday morning was spent buying French breakfast goodies (more baguettes, croissants et pain au chocolat) and eating them in Jardin de Luxembourg where we were happily, and bizarrely, accompanied by a full band at the central Band Rotunda. One last 'chocolat a l'ancienne' at a café and we 'au revoir'ed' our copaine de Norvège. But it's not goodbye, its see you soon...
Friday, June 1, 2012
JB.
Jardin de Tuileries. Mere metres from the Biebs and I didn't even know!
My heart is still racing.
My heart is still racing.
Tales of a Nounou.
"'Anna, est-ce que tu as un bebe dans ton ventre?"
No, I am not pregnant, or have 'a baby in my stomach' but you have to love a 3 year olds uninhibited speech.
I felt like saying "no Dune, only a food baby thanks to your country's irresistible food."
No, I am not pregnant, or have 'a baby in my stomach' but you have to love a 3 year olds uninhibited speech.
I felt like saying "no Dune, only a food baby thanks to your country's irresistible food."
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