I have no idea what was going on here, but at least I was not the only person who was busy snapping away while the crew worked at the entrance to one of the residence halls of Cité U. Puppets controlled by some guys sitting behind them, sign for World Poker Tour – what’s the link? And since we were supposed to be silent, I didn’t try to ask someone about the going-ons either.

Interestingly, reading the website of CIUP recently (I was researching options for dance and language classes) it seems like the campus is used regularly for filming purposes. However, since I don’t have a tv, bar some really famous French stars that have gone Hollywood or something, I doubt I’m going to recognise anyone. Is there a website for French equivalent of E! or something like that to improve my “celeb recognition skill”?

Parisian housing architecture is one of the most distinct in the world. When Napoleon III commissioned Haussmann to whip up some magic to reform the city, this civil planner not only redesign the layout of the city but replaced the buildings which today are still seen all over the city. (Yes, they are *that* uniform).

Haussmann also incorporated various (small) gardens to his city plan, along with widened boulevards, specific building requirements, and quite importantly, winning everyone over with his genius in turning the old and rather unimpressive Paris into characters that many would still talk for years to come.

I’d imagine though, for anyone with an apartment to the narrow side of the building, how did one start to furnish the apartment? Standard furniture won’t fit into the nooks and corners properly, so unless you’re rich like Creosus and them custom made. Must be annoying.

Sunday in general is not a great day for shopping in Paris. Most shops are closed (as it should – Sunday is family day) unless you head out to the Marais or Champs Elysées. Alternatively, there are some lovely markets around and I certainly took the opportunity to stock up on some fresh groceries and produce.

As I left the campus for the market this morning, I spotted this poster of the cover of Time magazine, showing the gagging of Julien Assange by American government. I can only suppose this is a poster of protestation of some sort? Or could this be a form of street art instead? Sure, the message is political and touches on one’s right to free speech, but arts and politics today are not mutually exclusive either.

So, what say you? Is this spreading the words or sharing the arts? Or both?

Mission: apartment furnishing
Location: household stores
Partner in crime: “Seurann”

I’m devoting my first weekend to a spot of shopping. More precisely, household stuff. Little things to make me feel more at home. First stop of the day was Lafayette Maison, where everything was out of my budget but so pretty to look at. Perhaps another shop then.

As we approached rue St Lazare, across the road, there it was, Église de la Sainte-Trinité. Nestled in the 9th arrondissement, the bright golden clocks on all side of its bell tower are eye-catching and certainly not a sight commonly seen as part of church exterior. I’ll have to add this to the list of churches I’d like to visit. It’s certainly growing fairly rapidly in this city!

The beauty of obtaining a researcher’s studio apartment in Cité U lies in the fact that not only I have a roof over my head, I also do not have to deal with utility companies and waiting for internet connection. Moreover, the apartment is furnished (unlike most of Parisian rentals that tend to come unfurnished), buying me some time to select additional household items to help make me feel more at home.

It is with envy that I looked at these lovely copper pots outside a restaurant at Place St André des Arts. I currently have a meagre one pot to use, and am shopping around for my own set pots and pans. Not copper ones though – they’re a bit out of my budget. Tefal, however, I could still splurge out for.

Ps1: I am doing something right! A man was staring at me on the RER today and when he caught my eyes, he gave me a smile and thumbs up for my purchase from Patrick Roger. I guess we know good chocolate when we taste one. ;)

Ps2: I am really thankful to Anne and Sandrine who threw a lovely “Bienvenue à Paris” party this evening. I also get to see other friends of theirs whom I spent a weekend with in La Baule a couple of years ago. Fun reunion :D

Cité U is my new home in Paris. A campus with numerous buildings to house students and researchers alike, I guess you can say I am now experiencing a delayed “student life”. I’ve been fortunate I’ve always live in houses, sharing with cousins and/or friends, regardless when I was either an undergrad or a postgrad. Funny now that I have a job, I find myself in a campus environment instead. While the laundrette may be communal, I do have my own studio apartment equipped with kitchen and en suite bathroom. Little mercies of life ;)

The campus is vast, and I dropped by Maison Internationale (i.e. the main reception building) earlier today for a bank appointment (yes, in France, you need an appointment to see someone to open a bank account). Looking out the glass door to the back, I spotted the Church of Sacré-Cœur, which is not to be confused with the famous Basilica of Sacré-Cœur on the hill of Montmartre. Quite a pretty little thing, don’t you agree? I must trek over to have a visit sometimes.

The last time I travelled through Beauvais-Tillé was back in November 2010, and like all the other times I used the airport, it was teeming with passengers, trying to make their morning flights to Milan-Bergamo, Barcelona, Rome Ciampino, Stockholm, Fez and Dublin but to name a few. (I know, it’s a bit scary that I know what flights there are purely by the frequency of my trip via this airport.)

This morning, however, was all calm and the panic queues through security were missing. Sometimes in the 3 months, a new Terminal 2 has been opened and now many European flights have been distributed to the new terminal, reducing the passenger load of Terminal 1. I must admit this is a much more pleasant travel experience.

Looking back, this airport has changed so much over the years. The first time I used it must be about 10 years ago, where the building was partition into two, one for arrival and one for departure. There was nothing else bar a small cafe, so forget about duty free shopping even. Since then, the building was extended, shops and cafes added, duty free bonus, and now a shiny new terminal. Impressive.

It’s the eve of Chinese New Year. Traditionally, family reunions/dinners are held today and downstairs, I think there’s a party somewhere, with cheesy Alan Tam music on. A number of Chinese residents (and friends) have been going in and out of the corridor where the music is blasting out loudly. I debated gate-crashing it, but as a newbie, it’s probably frowned upon to be quite that forward. Never mind, I’ll be getting my New Year dinner fix tomorrow with my friends back in Dublin.

There are 3 Chinatown areas in Paris. The largest of them is in the 13th arrondissement, mostly concentrated in around Avenue de Choisy, Avenue d’Ivry and their environs. These streets are currently lined on both sides with large greeting banners and lanterns in red, with the Chinese community flocking the major Asian supermarkets to complete their shoppings for the festivities, from food such as roast pig – yup, the entire animal – and nian gao to decorative items including New Year picture and plum blossom. There will also be a Chinese New year parade this weekend, which alas, I won’t be here to enjoy. Quel dommage.

The second Chinatown is in Belleville and it is actually a lot more diverse and multi-cultural here with a relatively high number of African ethnic groups also living here. A third and much smaller Chinatown can be found in the 3rd arrondissement, near Rue des Gravilliers. They each will also have their own parades to welcome the Year of the Rabbit.

For a complete programme to CNY celebration in Paris, check out this link (it’s in English) from the Mairie de Paris. Happy Chinese New Year!

I flew in to Paris this morning for a short 48 hours trip. As a thick layer of cloud shrouded the sky (the view during the flight was very impressive) over north of France, it was inevitably a grey and coooold day in Paris. Nonetheless, I find myself on a stroll around the Latin Quarter for a couple of hours in the evening before heading to Anne’s for dinner.

I’ve barely crossed the road from Place St Michel towards rue St André-des-Arts when this trompe-l’œil materialised before my eyes. The hues matched so beautifully, yet the painted reflection of the window revealed a season that is definitely not winter. Afterall, the trees outside are currently pretty bare. I should revisit in a few months for a follow up photo.

There’s macaron, and there’s macaroon. One looks like a mini sweet burger with creamy ganache as the filling, sandwiched between two smooth-shell almond-flour meringue biscuits. The other is spiky and brown from the baking of shredded coconut.

A great macaron bursts with flavour and melts in your mouth. It is also delicate, requires gentle handling and probably put a major dent in your wallet.

Yeah, the last part is quite the trade-off for a good quality macaron. Some of the best come from the Parisian pastry houses of Pierre Hermé and Ladurée. The macarons they sell come between €1.50 to €2.00 a piece, which is steep for ganache-sandwiched meringues of the size of a small cookie. However, as a treat goes, it’s worth every single cent paid for these babies.

I’m no macaron expert, but my friends and I have previously conducted a rather unscientific tasting after purchasing macarons from several pâtissier in Paris. Between Pierre Hermé, Gérard Mulot, Arnaud Larher, Christophe Roussel and Art Macaron of Mathieu Mandard, we had quite a macaron overload but we also came to a conclusion that the majority prefer Pierre Hermé. I do wonder though, how will it fare had we bought some from Ladurée as well that day for the taste-off?

My favourite flavour from PH’s collection is undoubtedly that of Infiniment Caramel (caramel au beurre salé), followed by Rose and Infiniment Vanille (vanilla). The most unusual flavour that I have tasted from them was that of white truffles (the fungus variety, not chocolate). I see that they have new flavour of Fragola (strawberry and balsamic vinegar), which I’m aching to try.

There are cheaper generic macarons available, but in my experience, they don’t measure up to the works of the masters. They may be equally colourful, but the flavour tends to be weak and one piece tastes the same as the next. It’s such a shame.

Ps: on a creative note, here’s a recipe that makes a combination of macaron and macaroon.