Paris: Le Café de Flore (Saint Germain)

  

Azi am avut o întâlnire de lucru în buricul târgului, la una dintre cele mai șic cafenele din Paris, Café de Flore, cu o tânără doamnă corporatistă, căreia am să îi spun Mitzi din motive obiective - pentru că aproape așa o cheamă.

Paris: Fête des Vendanges de Montmartre

În Montmartre, scot capul de la metrou, ca o turelă, la stația Anvers. Iar plouă în orașul ăsta. Asta e, îmi zic și-mi desfac umbrela, apoi o luăm pieptiș pe Rue de Steinkerque, către Sacre Coeur. 

  

Paris Bits: Montmartre in the Rain

 

Yeah, yeah, shabby, overrated Montmartre is one of my favorite places in Paris; even if it's packed with pickpockets, although you have to pay to use the restroom of the cafe where you spent your last dime on 2 milliliters of coffee or your wage per hour for a small bottle of beer, I can't help loving it. Why? Here is my top 5:

What Did Katie Eat?

I very often wonder what Katie ate and how many wonderful pictures she took meanwhile. Because if there is a photographer that makes me crave all sorts of things I wouldn't normally crave (such as sweets for example), then that photographer is the one and only Katie Quinn Davies, mother of What Katie Ate blog and cookbook - Recipes and Other Bits and Bobs.

  

(c) Katie Quinn Davies, 2012.

Food Mood: Couscous, Berber Deli

There is nothing simpler than this food. Or tastier. Or versatile. Buy a pack of couscous - fine or medium grain, it doesn't really matter. Put 250 g in a large bowl.

Paris Bits: Pont des Arts

   

It seems I've been growing fond of bridges lately. Especially pedestrian ones. After Charles Bridge in Prague, now it's Pont des Arts in Paris, crossing the Seine River and linking Institut de France and Palais du Louvre square.

Prague in 6 Hours (Part 2) - Charles Bridge on Vltava

8:30 a.m. -  10:00 a.m. - After we saw the Opera House in Part 1, we headed for the banks of Vltava River. The longest river in the Czech Republic crosses the capital from north to south, offering stunning views to those who take a stroll along its banks.

Paris Bits: Les Galeries Lafayette on A Rainy Day

 
If you happen in the 8th or 9th arrondissement in Paris on a rainy day, Les Galeries Lafayette are the best place to go to. Even if you're overwhelmed by the prices or you're not a fashion enthusiast, there's still something for you to do...

Food Mood: Crepes with Cheese and Herbs

To me crepes are the most versatile kind of food. They are easy to make, easy to fill, easy to please your guests with. Or your husband. When you don't feel like having meat or something sweet, and all you have in the fridge is cheese and vegetables, you can try your hand at this dish.

Montreuil - Marché Croix de Chavaux

 
Yeahhh! One of my favorite places in Paris. The market in Montreuil: Croix de Chavaux. One of the most colorful, positive, cheap, crazy, awesome places ever. Enjoy! (or Yalla!)

Paris Bits: Arc de Triomphe et les Champs-Élysées

Our adventure in France starts at Place de l'Étoile, with stunning views of Arc de Triomphe. Quite triumphant, I would say. We circled the square and took pictures of this huge monument from all possible angles. On a sunny, warm day like this one, Paris looks absolutely stunning.

Paris Bits: Serious Wine Needs Serious Stuff

 

I mean serious corkscrews. It smells like it was made 200 years ago and works like magic on the wine bottles. No bottle can mess up with it. And God forbid you drop it on one of your toes.

Prague in 6 Hours (Part 1)

Me on Charles Bridge, one of the highlights of the day.

Hello from Prague, my friends! We had 10 hours to kill on our way to Paris, so we strolled around  this amazing city for 6. I didn't think it was possible to see a lot in such a short time, but the friendly layout of the place helped us a lot. So, what did we do in Prague?
 

Food Mood: Crème Brûlée

       

Crème Brûlée is a custard-based dessert with a caramel topping. The base is usually vanilla-flavored, but it can also be fruity. This 400-year dessert is also known as burnt cream (referring to its caramelized finish), crema catalana (after its Catalan counterpart), or crème caramel. 

Venice Beach (Los Angeles)

Venice is a beachfront neighborhood in West Los Angeles, California, whose layout imitates the canals in Venice. The place is known for its rich population, canals, huge beach, 2-mile long pedestrian walkway.

Food Mood: Cheese Fondue

  
Melted cheese dip - a great way to bring friends and family together around the same pot. A wonderful reason for a communal table with lots of red wine and golden toast. Yumminess.

Pippa Middleton on Vélib'

 

So it's not only me who wants to tell her Paris story walking or by bike. Pippa Middleton used Vélib', the bicycle sharing system in Paris. Good for her and for Vélib' - a nice publicity win. 

Food Mood: French Onion Soup

Onion soup is a staple of the French cuisine. It is comfort food, very filling and tasty, packed with carbs and fat, but who cares? Just have a look at what it looks like and you'll see what I mean. 

Vietnam Saga: Street Food, Rewarding Experience

To me and to many people I met in South-East Asia, Vietnamese cuisine is the best. It is, really. Not only is it super tasty, but also varied and spectacular. They cook almost everything on Earth and everything in their hands becomes delicious. Probably even rats, but I was not that curious.

  

Nha Trang Beach, Vietnam - Ladies selling grilled seafood.

New York #1: Battery Park City

 

Battery Park City (http://www.batteryparkcity.org/) is a waterfront area at the southernmost tip of the island of Manhattan and one of the most convenient starting points for discovering Manhattan either on food, or by public transportation. The region is called The Battery because of its common usage throughout history as an artillery location for the batteries that would protect or at least attempt to protect the island from foreign invasion. It is also the former Greek quarter. Coming from Brooklin, the most convenient stop is South Ferry, with the M4 train. The Battery Park City Ferry Terminal is at the foot of Vesey Street opposite the New York Mercantile Exchange and provides ferry transportation to various points in New Jersey.