Tag Archives: Paris

The Ganesh Festival in Paris

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The area around La Chapelle metro, bordering the 10th and the 18th arrondissements, is a home to Paris’s Little India. Many of the restaurant and shop owners are technically Sri Lankan tamils, but if you miss South India in general (food, spices, smells, colors, etc.), this area will cure homesickness until your next trip. Little India of ParisLast Sunday the feeling of South India/Sri Lanka intensified, as the neighborhood hosted the annual Hindu festival: the Ganesh Festival. It was our second time participating in the procession and even though we felt that the festival was maybe a little bit less spectacular this year, it still made our day. Ganesh festival Paris The temple’s website has excellent information about the Ganesh festival, available here: http://www.templeganesh.fr/fetegan.htm.

This year, the website mentioned that religious ceremonies begin at the temple at 9am. Around 11am the parade leaves the temple and circles around until 15h, before returning to the temple.Ganesh festival Paris We arrived in the neighborhood around 14h and still managed to get a good glimpse of the festival. Upon arrival at the temple, we asked the policemen where the parade is, and followed their directions.Ganesh festival in ParisIn the beginning part of the parade there was a van carrying a small Ganesh statue, followed by a much bigger Ganesh. Then came the flowers, colorful dresses, fires, dancers and players. Ganesh festival Paris If you print the itinerary in advance from the temple’s website, you can easily locate the parade and just stay fifteen minutes if you like.Ganesh festival ParisThis festival will definitely introduce you to a very different Paris, while providing you with fantastic photo-shooting opportunities. I love the Ganesh festival and will return next year for sure.

PS In addition to printing out the map, do not forget three things:

1) Do your lentils and spices groceries at one of the multiple shops near La Chapelle metro station.

2) Visit the temple (http://www.templeganesh.fr/). Remove your shoes before entering and visit the temple clockwise.

3) Eat DELICIOUS South Indian thali at Saravanaa Bhavan (My love affair with Saravanaa Bhavan)

Namaste!

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….)!

Religious procession at Notre-Dame de Paris

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If you are in Paris on August 14, the eve of the Virgin Mary’s Assumption into heaven, you may want to head toward Notre-Dame de Paris. An interesting procession takes place near this world-famous cathedral, and even if you are not Catholic (I am not), I strongly recommend participating in it. Notre-Dame de ParisI am not sure if the schedule is same every year, but this year the procession begun around 7.30 pm (there was a mass before). We arrived some ten minutes late, and the procession had begun. This meant that there were huge crowds of people. We begun running (hint: do not wear heels) toward the Left Bank, the southern side of the river, and turned toward Quai de la Tournelle.Assumption procession ParisI only had my pocket camera with me, and having thousands of people around me did not help to improve the photo quality. We tried to stay in front of the procession, and if your plan is to take photos, I recommend doing the same. Procession Notre DameIMG_4572Procession Notre DameProcession Notre DameThe evening was beautiful and the more we advanced, the more the sun light became colorful.Assumption of the Virgin Mary in ParisEventually, maybe after one hour, we reached Pont de Sully (Sully Bridge). A few steps later, there was a boat waiting for the procession (at Quai Saint-Bernard). Procession fluvialeProcession fluvialeAssumption of the Virgin MaryThe Virgin Mary statue was carried into the boat and the fluvial part of the procession was about to begun. This is when we left and repositioned ourselves on the Sully Bridge. It took quite a long time for the boat to embark. According to information we gathered from organizers and read on internet, the boat was going to go around the islands of Île Saint-Louis and Île de la Cité. Virgin Mary statueThese last photos were taken after the sun set but I think they provide you with a feeling of the fluvial procession. fluviale processionfluvial procession, ParisI was happy to observe this procession, and should you want to do the same in future, check these websites for information:

Notre-Dame: http://www.notredamedeparis.fr/ (the Cathedral also has a Facebook page)

Catholic church in Paris: http://www.paris.catholique.fr/fete-de-l-assomption-a-notre-dame.html

PS If you are on Facebook, do not forget to check out and like Pearlspotting ‘s fairly new page!

Food shopping around the Aligre market

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This morning I visited some of my favorite food and wine spots in Paris.

The Aligre market in the 12th arrondissement is one of the most exciting and exotic markets of Paris. Street stalls sell very affordable fruits, vegetables, fish, cheese and flowers, and vendors’ shouting gives me a feeling of being in the Middle East or North Africa rather than in Paris. In addition to strolling along the street, I always stop by at Epicerie Sabah for salty, grilled almonds, spices, herbs, lentils and olives. This time I also stopped by Le Baron Rouge, which is a fantastic, charming wine bar, and one of the rare places in Paris where one can bring an empty bottle to be filled with one of the five wine choices stored in oak barrels (if you forgot your own bottle, they can rent you one for 50 cents). Following the recommendation, we bought red wine from Touraine.Le Marche d'Aligre products and Le Baron Rouge wineThe dinner is going to consist of different tapas: grilled paprika, olives, baba ghanoush (eggplant dip), chic pea, kale & cherry tomato salad, olives, charcuterie, melons, tomato & mozzarella, and the rest I have not decided yet! Bon appetit everyone!

Le Marche d’Aligre: Place Aligre, 75012 Paris (http://marchedaligre.free.fr/). Metro Ledru-Rollin

Epicerie Sabah: 30 Rue Aligre, 75012 Paris

Le Baron Rouge: 1 Rue Théophile Roussel, 75012 Paris

 

Wedding preparation part 2: dressing for the evening

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I bought this petrol blue Azzaro dress for my own civil wedding in the 7th arrondissement of Paris nearly three years ago and now I will wear it for my brother’s civil wedding in Copenhagen. I did some adjustments to the dress today and apart from ironing that I will do upon arrival, it is ready to go! This is quite symbolic, because I will wear Jimmy Choo shoes with the dress, and those shoes I wore when I met my husband one Saturday night in Paris…. It is pleasant to wear clothes that bring happy memories!

Do you have any comments or suggestions for my “wedding look”? If you did not see it already, click here for the town hall dress Wedding preparation part 1: dressing for a civil weddingAzzaro dress

Wedding preparation part 1: dressing for a civil wedding

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This weekend we will travel to Copenhagen for a wedding and it is time to dig into the wardrobe. I am thinking of wearing this outfit for the town hall. What do you reckon?

PS I know, the photo is not as good as it could be and the dress needs ironing… but apart from that, I like the look. And I love those Dior shoes (I bought them for my own wedding).Dior shoes

dressing for the civil wedding

Dress: Zara, Paris

Jacket: Theory, New York

Shoes: Dior, Paris

Abundance of Sicilian cherry tomatoes

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All these Sicilian cherry tomatoes for 2€ at the Bastille market this afternoon. Any suggestions what to do with them? Please share your most delicious and original recipe with me! Sicilian cherry tomatoes

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

 

 

 

Special caviar delivery from Kiev to Paris, facilitated by Czech Airlines

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Flights between Paris and Kiev became very familiar to me during the year I worked in Ukraine. I think I knew the timetables of Air France and Ukraine International Airlines by heart. Not only I accumulated a crazy amount of miles, but I also got involved in international trade. When I left Paris for Kiev, I brought French red wine with me (my colleague was a big fan of Crozes–Hermitage), and when I left Kiev for Paris, I carried Russian caviar in a hand bag.

So, when a friend from Kiev informed me last week that she will be flying to Paris and asked what she can bring to me, I knew the answer: икра! A Russian word for black caviar.osetrova caviar from RussiaYesterday evening I went to pick up my friend from the Air France bus station. She had asked an air hostess if it is ok to store the caviar in the airplane’s fridge, and they allowed her to do so. My precious cargo was cold upon arrival in Paris, which is why I hereby send special thanks to Czech Airlines for facilitating the good and safe delivery of 100g of osetrova caviar to me!

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