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I Love Google Maps I just discovered that I can see my place in France on Google Maps, I love!  Labels: La Dolce Vita, Travel $1 in my moola box | link | email this post Send Yourself to Paris When I miss Paris, I indulge in some of my favorite things that transform me (in my imagination? lol) to Paris    1) Surround yourself with little Parisian things: a t-shirt, a small cosmetic pouch, ladurée, & many post cards of Parisian café chairs and tables   Photos courtesy of Daemonds foods & Bobbette and Belle 2) Bake Macaroons: I have attempted making macaroons once before (mine turned out like cauliflowers gone bad) You might have better luck with a better recipe on Desperately Seeking Macaroons - i'll try this recipe soon, je promise  3) Give yourself a break on a Louis XVI chair and.. philosophize about your life, ..dream beautiful. 4) Listen to Peter Sarstedt: I simply looooove this song  5) Get a fluffy poodle: and adorn it with a rhinestone collar, ..and if you wish not to have a real one, go to the nearest Accessorize shop and buy a cell phone charm version ;p 6) Take a virtual tour through Saint-Germain: ..walk by Les Deux Magots, the Dior boutique, and the seafood restaurant tucked on the left sidestreet, ..mmMMmmm View Larger Map   6) Send your Pet to Paris to window-shop: Carol Gillot from Paris Breakfasts paints gorgeous water colors of your pet windowshopping in Paris. I'm soooo sending my horse and Tantra there =D & I say horse because I haven't made up my mind whether I'd want her to paint a portrait of IB or Sultan yet >_<  7) Have a cup of chocolate: preferable in a glass cup, with a biscuit in the beautiful outdoors (a la Paris)  8) Hang it on your front door: A typical door knocker in France is one made with brass, a hand holding a pomegranate -- buy it here     9) It's all in the wallet: keep photos of Paris' shop fronts and cafe chairs -stacked & otherwise- in your wallet, take them out while waiting for your appointment at the clinic, or while getting electrified in your painful laser session - guaranteed to make the pain subside. 10) You are the one for me, for me, formidable: ..and finally, sing along Charles Aznevoure You are the one for me, for me, for me, formidable Labels: Books, La Dolce Vita, Music, Travel $3 in my moola box | link | email this post Paris Dressed in White     Paris, January 2010 Labels: Travel $3 in my moola box | link | email this post How I Found my Louis XVI Chairs & The Inspiration for my Bedroom Decor If you know me personally, then I've probably have driven you deaf with my broken record of "I want Louis XVI chairs for my place in France" -- but I've been looking, quite extensively, and our market here either don't have them, or has poor garish replicas stained with striking gold leafing -not my liking. There's also the other issue of size. What I've seen around here are what I like to call 'plus-size' chairs - they carry the Louis XV designs, but are substantially larger, where as chairs from that era were known to be much smaller and some refer to them as 'Doll Chairs'  I arrived to Paris on a weekend, and there's no better place to be on a weekend than Marché aux Puces, I bundled myself up in countless layers of cashmere until I've resembled an avalanche-after-effect of a snow ball rolling down a mountain, and stepped out for an exciting day of antique-ing It must have been my lucky day, because I found the trés French bed-frame I've been looking for (for soooo ages) almost instantly upon my arrival -- that unique design of a slightly curved foot-board on the sides, & in my favorite size for a bed: queen size, 160x200cm (Did I mention before that I sleep better in queen size beds? I must have, ..somewhere on Twitter) Immediately, I knew that bed would be mind. I didn't think of the inconvenience of transportation, nor the fact that I had no means nor plan of getting it to my château, I just believed that some things are meant to be, and that bed? It was meant to be mine. Negotiating the price was pretty easy and straight forward (one more sign that it was meant to be mine) -- once that part was over, I broke the news that I'd like it to be transported to a location 40 minutes outside of Paris, with the biggest puppy-eyes smile ever. The look of shock on the expressive French face is priceless, it's always followed by Oh zuuuuut!, or in less polite settings, ..Ah merrrrrrd!  Dominique & Ali, my antique market 'heros' After much discussion, anticipation, and puppy-eyeing, Ali & Dominique came to the rescue, and in the back of my head I could see the sky opens its door.. singing Hallelujaaaah. They sourced someone to deliver my bed, and all was well. . . . . One Week Later I went back to the same market in search for new decadent treasures, it took longer to find my treasure this time, but I spotted 4 Louix XVI chairs with one of the dealers, and despite the slight wear-&-tear effect of their red-velvet fabric, they were in great condition, the seats were upholstered with horse hair stuffing (the original & ancient method of upholstery) and the gold paint on the carvings dimmed by age, which was exactly to my liking =)    Without hesitation, I approached the dealer for their price -a nice gentleman who made my negotiations a whole lot easier by speaking in English- & we agreed the sale price, ..but then there was the delivery part. I could not possibly take the 4 chairs with me back to Abu Dhabi, and in the twinkling of an eye I saw Dominique from across the walkway (truly my antique hero) & called him for a rescue, again. Dominique was reluctant this time, as his truck had no space to take the 4 chairs without damage. But being the helpful person he is, ..he offered to reach out to one of the dealers, spoke to him, and the gentleman accepted to hold-on to those chairs until it was time for delivery. DRAMA, I know. But, whoever said that the French are rude and are not helpful? $2 in my moola box | link | email this post Early Birds go to The Market         A true chef's paradise is found at dusk on a Saturday morning in the small streets lining large avenues -- the liveliness, the color, and animation that impregnates them never fails to amuse me, every time. One of my favorite things to do on a Saturday morning (only preceded by antique-ing at Port de Vanves & Marché aux Puces) is to walk through imperfectly lined stalls of all things fresh: fresh fruits, exotic mushrooms, shellfish & St-Jacques, freshly packed snails with herbs and beurre -- all of that surrounded by cheerful fishermen swiping the asphalt floor to get the ice off, & dig through their crop of the morning. It makes me wish I had a large kitchen made to my liking here in Paris, in order to experience the whole "buy fresh foods, cook delicious meals" thing the way I like; mais, alas, I sighed out my wish and took a walk to Arc de Triomphe (I love the detail of its architecture under the morning light) -- unfortunately, my looks of appreciation couldn't last long, my nose froze & tummy started growling, I had to run down Avenue de Wagram for my favorite Parisian baguette at Eric Kayser - I love it! It's the small little nooks of Paris that give me the foremost degree of pleasure. Of course, my temple of worship still remains 24 Rue du Fabourge St.Honoré, but, how does one say no to a crisp & crunchy freshly baked baguette sprinkled with flour & bagged in a piece of paper with a smiling face wishing you a bonne journée? Labels: Cookingfessional, Travel $1 in my moola box | link | email this post At My French Table: Food, Family, & Joie de Vivre in a Corner of Normandy  "..This time Michel gave us a little of it's history. The Napoleonic style Château de Bosgouet is considered young by European standards. It was built in 1853 on the foundations of a sixteenth-century château that had burnt to the ground some thirty years before. The five-storey château sits within a 50-acre park and has many outbuildings, some of which were used as servants' quarters. The château was occupied by the Germans during the second world war and two rather unremarkable outbuildings were built on the grounds to accommodate the troops. One was used as sleeping quarters and the other built as a mess hall. Only those with rank and seniority could have ever expected to see the inside of Château de Bosgouet." Its been a long time since I picked up a book that I related to at many different levels, en fait, the last book of that effect on me was Sacred Contracts  -- in many ways, this book had the same effect on me, just in a very different context.'At My French Table' is where Jane Webster tells her story of selling her house in Melbourne and moving her four kids to Normandy to open a cooking school. She speaks about the beautiful countrysides, the decadent charms, her impressions, her recipes, and the complicated French system (the latter I know too well)  Buy at Amazon Or, go to the château on your own, or through an organized culinary trip - I know I can't wait to take mine =) + Mariek's Art of Living: A Culinary Vacation Beyond Expectations + At My French Table: Visiting Chefs & 8-Day Itinerary More on the subject, & I also like: + A Table in the Tarn: Living, Eating and Cooking in Rural France  + French General: Handmade Soirees: Simple Projects for Special Occasions  Okay, I'm off to start my day -- Did I mention I did a very crazy thing yesterday that I'm -still- trying to comprehend? No, I didn't but now you know, so I'm off to spend my comprehension Have a lovely weekend x Labels: Books, Cookingfessional, Domestic Goddess, La Dolce Vita, Travel $2 in my moola box | link | email this post Comme un Fairytale, Comme L'histoire Magique      A few months ago I I wrote about loss, and wondered what my window would bring. I was too busy anticipating rays of light, but what I didn't see coming is a Château of my own in France. Of course, the château didn't fit through the window, and despite the fact that I walked through it and around it.. walked its' multiple hectares of land on my feet and in borrowed wellies, stood under the massive wood beams of it's stables and barns, and ate apples, plums, and hazelnuts from its trees still isn't enough. It seems entirely wonderful to me, like a fairytale, only this one is not in a story book. I sat in a room with four lawyers telling me about my new possession, initialed hundreds of pages and signed a handful et voila -- My mind detached from the present personas of that room and flew back to the hallways and chambres of my little château, in my imagination changing colors and furniture, re-arranging objects and photos and soon enough, my mind crowded with visuals and smells and halted for a stop. Too soon, too soon.I would have to live in it, introduce myself to it slowly so it would introduce itself to me too and just trust the inspiration of the moment.. and for the time being just dwell on all the love I have for both my parents ♥      What I didn't know is that this little castle is located in the same region (& not too far away from) two of my favorite things: 1) The shooting location of my faaaaaaavorite movie of all time, Danse Avec Lui  , and.. 2) Château Royallieu, which was owned by Étienne Balsan, Coco Chanel's lover who bred the best horses in France ..and I only realized the this after the signature of ownership; it came to me as an amazing surprise that makes my heart tickle everytime I think of how often will I be visiting the Manoir where the movie was made.My first visit was a few days ago when I met the horse master Bernard Sachsé who trained the horses of the movie and was in complete awe (that is the understatement of the century, by the way) because seeing a disabled man mount al horse in all determination and ride it better than most people I've met is en fait the epitomy of horsemanship. Standing there before the manoir I had seen so many times watching the movie and going to sleep at night (for the past 5 years? lol) felt like I was in a dream, literally! We spent three hours on that property and his generous nature showed me just about every side of it: the arenas, the round pen, and even the photos from the making of the movie -all of it! And meeting the horse, Qalitative, the star of the movie - can you imagine how that felt? I had a near faint experience every 5 seconds lol -- & to extend the experience, I took lotsssss of pictures for you, and you can view them here I dream. I think. I do.. ..because I know dreams come true Lots of ♥ coming your way x Labels: Life Events, Pony Tales, Travel $16 in my moola box | link | email this post |
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