Île Saint-Louis

To all Christian readers, Happy Easter! To those who aren't Christians but celebrate Easter anyways as an excuse to stuff self with chocolate eggs and bunnies, Happy Easter to you too! Sorry I have been ignoring the blog for so long, it has been so beautiful in Paris lately that I find myself outdoors more often then in front of my laptop. To those planning your Paris trips, good job, it seems like its the best time to be here. Temperatures range from 10-16 degrees Celcius in the morning and nighttime, and up to 27 degrees Celcius in the daytime. We will be getting bouts of rain next week, but its still going to be beautiful.

That said, J and I decided to take a touristy stroll on Saturday. Neighborhood targeted: Ile Saint Louis, The Place To Live if you really want to feel that you are in the Utopian type of Paris. Also the place to live if you have €20,000 per square meter to spend on an apartment. Yes I checked, since I wouldn't mind spending a year or two in this neighborhood. But one look from J said that it wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

Anyways, Ile Saint Louis is one of the two natural islands situated in the heart of the city. It is mostly residential, the most prized apartments surely has a view of the Seine (and throngs of tourists on days like last Saturday). It has no metro stops and two bus stops, a bunch of restaurants and cafés, some interesting novelty stores, art galleries, a luxury second hand store, and what interests tourists the most, it is home to the luxury French ice cream and sorbet maker, Berthillon.

I counted four Berthillon stores within 2 blocks on this island. I ignored them all and headed straight to MyBerry who opened on the island only a few months ago. This is the real deal peeps, not the wannabe frozen ice creams that you find in KL. It is identical to Red Mango and Pinkberry in NYC, which says a LOT!

So I'm sure all guidebooks will take you here, its definitely worth a stroll on a weekday. Have a taste of Berthillon, and let me know if its worth it!

Photos by Me

Place des Vosges

Its official! Spring is here! What do Parisians do? Head over to any green space in the city to do nothing, and this is one of the hotspots. Place des Vosges is nestled in the Le Marais neighborhood between the 3rd and 4th arrondissements. It is a square surrounded by arched buildings that houses art galleries, restaurants and stores. It remains quite local, with few tourists stumbling across this popular hangout spot.

This square was built by Henri IV in 1605-1612 and was known as the Place Royale. Well known residents of Place des Vosges include Victor Hugo, Sully, Madame de Sevigné, and Marion Delorme*. Now, the apartments around the square are homes to trendy and edgy Parisians who spend money to look like they don't have any.

If you happen to be here, don't forget to stop by Eux dans l'Eau, located at 21, Place des Vosges. It is a cute little hat shop where you can get the most cliché of french berets for under 20€, and hats that are à la mode for 13€. I must say, J.L and I got ourselves each a hat and felt oh so cool walking around the hood!


* Wikipedia
Metro: Chemin Vert, St Paul
Photos By Me

La Cuisine Paris

So I have decided to learn to make goodies other than macarons, and finally decided on the french basic, the croissant. If my dream of opening a French cafe in Kuala Lumpur EVER come true, I would need to master this! This time around, due to fully booked courses at Le Cordon Bleu up until October, I decided to try another cooking school recommended by a friend. La Cuisine, situated in the heart of one of my favorite Parisian neighborhoods, provides short courses in English and French. For the traveling food and pastry lovers, what can be more perfect than learning how to bake and cook in the Paris?

The course that I took, "Le Croissant and Traditional French Breakfast Pastries" costs 90€ and lasted for 3 hours. As it was conducted in English, most of the 10 people in the class were tourists or on long holidays in Paris. It was fun, light, interactive, and useful. I have yet to reproduce what I learned in class at home, but I will as soon as I get back to my pre-vacation weight ;)

La Cuisine also provides courses in French cuisine, Organic cuisine, and Cuisines of the World. What I particularly enjoyed was the dégustation, or tasting session after the class. Over a cup of coffee, we had the chance to chit chat with each other and who knows, make a new friend or two.. The dining room overlooks the river Seine, and on a sunny day it provides a view fit for a postcard.

Checkout http://www.lacuisineparis.com

Metro: Hotel de Ville
Photos by Me

Glam April 2011

Hey everyone! I have returned to Paris from a week long holiday in Mauritius, and it feels good to be home. While chilling on the beach on my last day there, I found this! To Malaysian readers, checkout Glam's April 2011 issue.. Sayalah Personiliti Bulan Ini, hehehhe....

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Pilihan Personaliti: Gaya hidup ala Parisian Alia Ghani-Le Mahec

April 1, 2011 By Glam Leave a Comment

"Dari mata jatuh ke hati. Itu kisah percintaan antara Alia Ghani bersama suaminya yang berasal dari Perancis hingga membawanya menetap di sana. Berumah tangga sejak tahun tiga tahun bersama jejaka itu ketika bertemu di New York, ia lantas mengubah Alia kepada seorang wanita Parisian.

Tidak mahu terlepas daripada berkongsi keindahan kota Paris bersama mereka di luar sana, Alia mula memenuhi setiap ruangan di blognya dengan gambar yang diambil sendiri serta hasil penulisan peribadi. Selain itu, desakan suaminya agar Alia mengikuti kelas bahasa Perancis serta membuat kek dan pastri mengisi lagi masanya dengan penuh makna.

Menyentuh hal gaya, Alia dahulunya seorang gadis yang preppy ala New York, namun kini gayanya berubah ke seorang Parisian chic. Paling selesa, Alia gemar memakai blouse off shoulder, tights, sepatu balerina dan jaket kulit. Signature gaya? Tentunya skarf Alexander Mcqueen kerana Alia gemarkan motif tengkorak kerana dirasakan edgy untuk dipakai."

http://www.glam.com.my/2011/04/01/pilihan-personaliti-gaya-hidup-ala-parisian-alia-ghani-le-mahec/