Tag Archives: architecture

Warming up for FIAC

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After my meeting in the 16th arrondissement this afternoon, I started walking toward Grand Palais, which equals FIAC this week. However, on my way, there was Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, one of my favorite museums in Paris. So, I walked in. It has been several months that I have not have my Delaunay, Dufy and Modigliani dose! Dufy, The Electricity FairyThe permanent collection of this museum is free, and the building is full of light. I describe this museum “cheerful”. It rarely is a top priority for a tourist visiting Paris, but in my opinion it makes an excellent introduction to the turn-of-the-century artists. I find Dufy’s La Fée Electricité (The Electricity Fairy) fascinating.

After an hour or so, I walked out. But there was another “obstacle” between me and FIAC. Palais Tokyo was a few steps away, so I decided to check out its new restaurant Monsieur Bleu. I loved the interior design and thought that the green, which dominated the restaurant, was a particularly beautiful shade of green. There was also a dark grey fireplace made of marble, almost identical to the one we have at home. The lamps were massive but discreet. Indeed, I give full ten points to Monsieur Bleu’s looks!  Monsieur Bleu

By the time I closed the heavy metal door of Monsieur Bleu, my feet stopped cooperating. No FIAC today, they told me.

Mea culpa –a new try tomorrow or Saturday!

Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris: http://www.mam.paris.fr/

The Electricity Fairy (by Dufy): http://www.mam.paris.fr/en/node/359

Monsieur Bleu: http://monsieurbleu.com/

PS why not to follow Pearlspotting on Facebook, too?

Autumn leaves

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Isn’t that red on the wall an outstandingly deep color? This is the view from our balcony and I cannot get enough of it. Since I got back from holidays, I have been watching those leaves turn red. Not just yellow and orange, but red, as if the leaves were burning. autumn leaves ParisPS I took a similar photo last May and it is here: https://pearlspotting.wordpress.com/2013/05/05/good-morning-the-rooftops-of-paris/

Which one do you prefer? Spring or autumn colors?

FIAC is back!

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One of my favorite art events in Paris starts this Thursday!

FIAC is an annual art fair where galleries from all over the world present their collections. It is a fascinating meeting point, and a melting pot, of contemporary art. I have attended FIAC several times and have always found it very enriching.

This year the main event takes place at Grand Palais, which is one damn piece of art (and architecture)! Other outdoor art installations can be found at Jardin des Tuileries, Jardin des Plantes and Place Vendôme.FIAC Jardin des Plantes

The event of the year not to be missed! Practical information below:

Grand Palais: From Thursday October 24 to Sunday October 27 from midday to 20h. Nocturne on Friday October 25 until 21h. 35€ for adults, free for children under 12 years old.

For “Hors les Murs” events (free):

Jardin des Tuileries: every day until November from 7h30 to 19h30

Jardin des Plantes: every day until November from 10h to 17h

Place Vendôme: every day until November

Berges de Seine: every day until November

Le Train Bleu: exquisite and elegant

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When my brother told me that he would like to take his girlfriend to a romantic, old-fashioned Parisian restaurant during their visit chez nous, I shortlisted a few options for him. But as soon as he saw the photos of Le Train Bleu, he responded without hesitation “this is it, please make a reservation for us, and I would like you and your husband to join us”. Le Train Bleu from outsideIt was a beautiful summer evening. We had some Canard-Duchêne champagne at home before walking to the restaurant. All this was a surprise gift for the girlfriend, so by the time we arrived at the Gare de Lyon railway station, she was very puzzled. “Are you taking me to the Côte d’Azur”, she asked. We smiled, walked into the railway station (where the tracks are) and took the main stairs to the restaurant, following a sign Le Train Bleu. Once inside, all of us stopped breathing for a few seconds. The beauty of the paintings and the interior design was stunning.  Extraordinary. Le Train Bleu We had a table next to the train tracks (I had specifically asked for this). Our waiter came and was extremely friendly, offering a leaflet of the restaurant’s history (available in English). We learned that we were now maybe, just maybe, using the same table as so many famous people who have been regulars to Le Train Bleu: Coco Chanel, Brigitte Bardot, Jean Cocteau, Salvador Dali, etc. IMG_6075We ordered the Menu Réjane, which for the price of 56€ per person includes a half a bottle of wine. Since we were four, we ordered one bottle of white Gaillac Château Adélaïde and one bottle of red Côtes de Bourg Laroche Joubert. Bravo for both wines! ceiling at Le Train BleuFor the starters we had Gazpacho-chilled cod with lime, ovencrisp Poilâne bread and Hand-chopped beefheart tomatoes, Welsh onions and Leccino olives, Burrata and jellied basil.

Both starters impressed us by the stylish presentation, and we found that the ingredients married very well. My husband loves beefheart tomatoes, so it was his paradise! Gazpacho-chilled cod with lime, ovencrisp Poilâne bread

Hand-chopped beef-heart tomatoes, Welsh onions and L eccino olives, Burrata and jellied basil For the main course, my brother had Baked Scottish salmon, spinach shoots, coconut emulsion and red curry, and appreciated very much the curry-salmon mixture. Baked Scottish salmon, spinach shoots, coconut emulsion and red curry The rest of us had Farmhouse chicken Tournedos Rossini, vin jauce sauce, artichoke purée, and we were delighted to find out that our dish contained a large chunk of foie gras… delicious!Farmhouse chicken Tournedos Rossini, vin jauce sauce, artichoke purée For the dessert, my brother’s girlfriend had a “red-berry” tiramisu,red-berry tiramisuI chose a mixed cheese plate, and my brother and my husband chose the famous Traditional rum baba. Now, I am going to be a bit mysterious, because all I can say is that Rum Baba at Le Train Bleu is not only a dessert, but also an experience…. This is the only dish that I am not going to show you, but when you go to Le Train Bleu, you will realize why! (but if you are really curious, contact me by Pearlspotting’s Facebook page and I will tell you)

Our night was fantastic, the service impeccable, food delicious, and I sincerely recommend Le Train Bleu for any occasion you may have in life. Truly.

LE TRAIN BLEU: Gare de Lyon, 75012 PARIS. Tel. +33-(0)1-43 43 09 06 (http://www.le-train-bleu.com)

Sunbathing by the Seine

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Today was again a lovely sunny day, and the weather forecast predicts around 30C for the next three days. Hurrah! This summer has been one of the best ones since many years and it is not even over yet. sunbathing by the SeineSpending summer in Paris is wonderful but there is one downside to it. Unless you want to go to a swimming pool or one of the parks, or you have a private balcony, it is difficult to sunbathe in Paris. To be precise, I mean to sunbathe AND to be left alone. I recently tried one spot by the Seine and quite liked it. People were discreet, they seemed to know each other, and they had this Parisian thing going on… (what do I mean by this? no one waved at the tourist boats that went by!). Seine ParisIf you are interested by this spot, turn on the google map and zoom to the eastern tip of Île Saint-Louis. Once you arrive sur place and on Boulevard Henri IV (the part of the boulevard which is on the island!), you see a tiny park called le square Barye. Enter the park and find the steps that take you down to the Seine. Find your spot according to the sun and which bank you want to watch. Toward the Left Bank you have a lot of architecture to admire: the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Institut du monde arabe etc.Le square Barye in the eastern tip of Ile St LouisIf you want to be a true Parisian, bring a local newspaper or a book and some picnic food like fruits and charcuterie from the nearby market (Bastille in this case) with you. If you want to wave at the tourists you may be the only sunbather doing so, but hey, who cares. The tourists will give you a cheerful response!

Lastly, do not forget to find a pigeon-free zone (do not stay under the trees like I did….)!

Balcony inspiration

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There has been so much to do inside of the apartment, that we have entirely neglected our spacious, beautiful balcony. But this changed last weekend. We rented a car and bough different items, and this is how far we got in decoration:

balcony in Paris

Basil, lavander and ivies. An olive tree and bamboos are still to be purchased.

Naturally, a barbeque grill is missing too, and I cannot wait to have our first BBQ meal outside, served with rosé wine. I hope the summer is going to be long and hot in Paris!

PS Those tam tam stools come from Habitat (Montparnasse). The store has excellent liquidation sales going on for one more week, so if you are in Paris, go and check them out!

Link to the stools: http://www.habitat.fr/p/962956/tabouret-tam-tam

 

 

 

La Régalade Conservatoire: consistent “régalade style”

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After Mandarin Oriental: when customer service goes that extra mile I took my husband to a fairly new restaurant called La Régalade Conservatoire. Out of four Régalades (three in Paris and one in St Tropez) I have been to two of them, so it was about the time to test this newest Parisian addition.

The menu is extremely reasonably priced: 35€ for a three-course meal. I reckon it is one of the best deals in Paris for sophisticated gourmet cuisine. pork terrine and cornichonsAccording to the “régalade style”, you always start with country-style terrine (pork, though) and cornichons. The waiter leaves the pots in front of you, and you go on snacking as long as you desire, or as long as the starter arrives… sympa.

For the starters we had creamy squid and prawn risotto, and asparagus bouillon with foie gras (both starters come with pork (lardon) but it is possible to have them without). Delicious, light, easy to digest, tasty, interesting mixes… this says it all!Risotto crémeux à l’encre de seiche, gambas rôties ail/piment d’Espelette, émulsion de vache qui rit Bouillon crémeux d’asperges, dés de foie gras, lard croustillantFor the wine we had short-listed a few options (the wine list is VERY impressive!) and following the restaurant’s recommendation chose a bottle of Graves (AOC), Château Haut-Peyrous “Retour de Palombière” (2009), a fabulous merlot & cabernet melange for 30€. Once again, an excellent price-quality ratio I say!Graves Château Haut - Peyrous "Retour de Palombière 2009For the main course, we ordered tuna and roasted lamb. Since the starters had been soooo delicious, maybe I expected even more from the main courses. They were very good, but that “little bit of something extra” was maybe missing, especially in my lamb. Or was it that I considered the lamb dish to be too winter-like to be eaten in summer? Maybe vegetables instead of potatoes would have ameliorated my dish? tuna steaklamb We shared a mixed cheese platter and a Grand Marnier soufflé in the end. I loved the cheese, but by the time the soufflé came, I unfortunately had very little room left in the stomach…mixed cheese platterGrand Marnier souffleThere is something else that also cut my appetite a tiny bit. When I made the reservation on telephone, I had specifically asked if the restaurant has a habit of doing something for birthday guests. The person on telephone hesitated, so I quickly continued that a candle on my husband’s cake would be a lovely gesture. Apparently she noted it, but when the soufflé arrived, it had nothing on it… Well, this is just a minor detail but could be a more important detail to someone else I am sure.
and the bill comes...We got the bill (just over 100€) and returned to rainy streets of Paris. The dinner was pleasant and my husband happy about this surprise discovery, but something gave us a feeling that the next time we will just return to one of the other Régalades, La Régalade Saint-Honoré.

PS The restaurant is located inside a five-star L’Hôtel de NELL, which was designed by a famous architect and designer Jean-Michel Wilmotte.

La Régalade Conservatoire: 7 rue du Conservatoire, Paris 75009. Tel. +33 1 44 83 83 60

Le Fooding review: http://www.lefooding.com/restaurant/restaurant-la-regalade-conservatoire-paris.html

Wine: http://www.discovervin.com.au/shop/item/chteau-haut-peyrous-retour-de-palombires-aoc-graves-rouge-2008/graves  (we had a bottle of 2009 but this website has 2008 for sale)

Hotel: http://www.hoteldenell.com

Short stay in Helsinki (my personal highlights)

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After the summer house we spent only two full days in Helsinki. It was a brief visit, and it rained very often, so we did not get to visit as much as we had planned. But this short stay was very pleasant and I made a mental note of returning to Helsinki again this autumn (each year I say this, and then by the time the cold weather begins in Paris, we prefer to travel to warmer places. Let’s see about this autumn). The Senate Square, Helsinki

Some highlights of our Helsinki visit were (not in any particular order):

  • Walking around Kauppatori (The Market Square) and Senaatintori (The Senate Square): watch the luxury cruise ships leave for Tallinn and Stockholm, admire the architecture dating back to the first part of the 19th century (the Russian rule), contemplating at the market by the sea whether to buy a reindeer skin or one kilo of strawberries!
  • Visiting Artek, the world famous Finnish design and furniture shop (http://www.artek.fi/index.html). A must! Artek
  • “Grillata“: prepare and eat Finnish barbeque (which includes salmon of course). For cooking ideas, see What does Finnish barbeque look like?
  • Kappeli (http://www.kappeli.fi/): this restaurant/bar/cafe opened in 1867. It is a Helsinki institution and located in a beautiful, wooden building right by the Market Square. We had just coffee.
  • Putte’s Bar (http://www.puttes.fi/): I ate a very good Funghi pizza that came with chanterelle mushrooms. I loved the pizza but I have two remarks about the place: I had made a reservation and we were seated downstairs, in the darkest corner. Also the wine is super expensive (like almost everywhere in Finland).
  • Liberty or Death (http://libertyordeath.fi/): we drunk cocktails with famous ice hockey players. Could it get more Finnish?
  • Alppitori (http://www.ravintolatori.fi/alppila/): they have excellent hamburgers. My chicken burger came with avocados. My husband’s burger came with crispy bacon. And the best part is that they have French rosé wine for 25€ per bottle.
  • Siltanen (http://www.siltanen.org/): we had drinks at this club/bar/restaurant that I like very much. It is trendy and hip, and has that industrial feeling. They have DJs and groups playing almost every night.

Time went by very fast and sooner than I realized, I was sitting in an airplane looking at those thousands of tiny islands scattered around Helsinki and its coastline. Helsinki archipelago

How to survive 36C in Paris?

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I left Finland for Paris yesterday. Weather in Finland was not the greatest during my holidays, but it is not ideal in Paris either:  today the mercury may climb to 36C and the entire week is supposed to be hot.

Since there is no beach to go to in here, how does one survive in Paris during a heat wave (une canicule)?

1. Before you go to sleep, take a towel or a tissue, and sink it in cold water. Then place it on your body (head, legs, stomach, whatever). Amazing! It really helps. And stays fresh and cool for a long time.

2. Close the shutters. It keeps the sun light and the heat outside. I usually hate shutters (even curtains), but this is a must. Think about Provence: there is a reason why all houses have shutters and why they are closed even during the day time. Parisian shutters3. Drinking: Drink water but also fruit juices. I learned this in the Sudanese dessert: fruit juices are excellent for hydrating the body, considered better than water by the Sudanese nomads. I am not following this rule very carefully, as I am half way through my second big cup of coffee, and coffee and sodas should be avoided…

4. Eating: Eat fruits. Make salads. Serve tapas. For example, I often make a salad which is a mixture of different types of melon, cucumber, feta cheese and boiled potatoes. As simple as that, and delicious. Or prepare tomato & mozzarella. Make tabouleh. Enjoy gravlax (smoked salmon) and smoked fish (served cold, and rich in vitamins).

5. Go to movies! Cinemas have a cooling system that most apartments in Paris don’t. But before you purchase a ticket, make sure the AC works…

Now that I have shared with you my personal survival tricks, please tell me what yours are!

 

 

Two sides of a Parisian apartment

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For those who have been asking me to share some photos of our apartment, here you go with some view photos. Selected interior photos will follow, sooner than later….

The view toward the court yard is quite interesting because the court yard has an original triangle form. I watch the pigeons and other birds while cooking (and sometimes wonder when the building on the right-hand side will decide to do some maintenance…). I particularly like the chimneys in a row. Tonight the clouds moved very fast and the rain did not fall in our arrondissement.court yard view

The view on the other side is toward the Eiffel Tower. If our living room floor was just two meters higher, we would see it. Oh well. We had the view from our old apartment, and cannot have it all in life! This time we are luck because there are very few neighbors close by, and the nearest buildings are for offices and lower than ours (and inch’allah will stay that way). It is quiet in this part of Paris and intimate in the evening. Like in a village. I particularly like the palm tree that you can see in the photo on the left and I have noticed that the pigeons like to fly between our balcony and this palm tree.

Lastly, it may not be very visible in the photo, but there is an airplane. For a really long time we did not have curtains in the bedroom and we would watch the planes flying in the sky. Sometimes it was almost visible to see which airline it is. And they make good stories for dreams! Planes traveling to all those exotic places in the world, from India to Africa, from Iceland to Australia. A small but big world. street view