A Singapore Sojourn

We arrived in Singapore early yesterday morning after an uneventful flight (they are the best kind) and headed straight to our hotel.  The Elizabeth Hotel is a mid-range, totally adequate place to stay when in transit.  It is a five minute walk from Orchard Road or as some refer to it "the Shoppers' Dream Mile."  Anything you want, you can get.  For example, I bought some trousers at Marks and Spencer when we were in London.  Guess what? within a few minutes walk of our hotel, in the Paragon Shopping Centre there was a Marks and Spencer - so I bought another pair!

The Paragon Shopping Complex

The Paragon is just one of the dozens of massive shopping complexes found in Singapore.  Clean and shiny, they are huge temples to the Gods of shopping.  All of the major European stores are found here along with a multitude of restaurants.  If Singapore worships shopping, it adores eating. Whatever the cuisine you can find it here.

In the evening we went to Clark Quay where we had dinner.  We shared a large plate of crab and prawn fried rice.  That and a cold Tiger beer is one of the delights of this area which has become a Mecca of food and drink establishments.

Outdoor Dining Establishments at Clarke Quay

Today, Monday, we made our usual pilgrimage to Raffles hotel where we like the buffet in the Billiard Room.  Unfortunately it is closed on Monday so we made do with a Singapore Sling in the Long Bar.

The Long Bar

Singapore Sling

It used to be that the Singapore Sling was shaken by hand in quite an elaborate feat of showmanship.  Unfortunately progress has finally overtaken this feature and we noticed that they are" shaken" in an electric mixer.  On the other hand, there are big boxes of peanuts at every table and the shells are still deposited on the floor.

Peanuts Before                                  Peanuts After

followed by lunch in the Empire Café.  Then it was back to the hotel for a quiet afternoon and preparation for tomorrows departure.

Our last tango in Paris, 25 May 2012

After a lengthy holiday such as this ones emotions are always split between wanting to remain and wanting to be back at home. After just a few days in Europe it is hard to believe we have another life in Australia.  Conversely when we are in Australia we hardly believe we have a life in Europe. That is until we start packing and have to contemplate the rigours of the journey back to Hobart.

Because today was our last day in Paris, we walked through some of the areas we always enjoy the most.  A stroll down rue Caulaincourt and then to Abbesses brought us to the park where we sat and enjoyed it ambience.

At Abbesses

As we walked on, we passed a beautiful old racing car.

Parisian Elegance

Then on to the funicular where like typical Parisians we decided that everyone was waiting to buy tickets and since we already had ours we jumped to the head of the queue.  At the top of the Butte there was a promotional market for the Perigord region.  Lovely food, wine, fruit and lots of tastings.

Le Perigord Market

Selling Perigord Tourism

Drumming up Business

Lunch saw us at Chez Plumeau again where Virginia's favourite lamb dish was not on the menu.  Baaa. So we made do with something else.  When we left there we wandered back through the Place du Tertre where there are always artists of every sort.  Among the most interesting (and most talented) are the "living statues."  Here is one that blew us away.

A Living Statue

Then home to finish packing, clean the apartment and prepare ourselves for the trauma of leaving.

Au revoir Paris.  A bientot.

Paris. Of food and buildings, 24 May 2012

The reality that we are soon to leave this lovely flat was brought home today when we booked into our flights and had the boarding passes printed out. A question, then.  If one wants information, where does one go?  Well, if you are a woman your starting point might well be your hairdresser and this was certainly the case with Virginia. Since he is just around the corner, he is well aware of the scaffolding going on and this was the topic of conversation. 

Scaffolding on building across the road

Virginia learned from him and other clients in the salon that the law requires that the exteriors of all buildings in Paris are cleaned every ten years.  Apparently one receives notice from the Prefecture that the cleaning should take place and then ensues a lengthy process of negotiation, getting quotations, putting off tactics, etc. which can stretch over several years.  Remember the buildings consist of individual apartments, the owner of which all have specific needs.  However it is the law that this work is carried out.  The cost varies depending upon the facing of the building.  For a traditional Paris stone building such as the one in which we stay and the one opposite us the cost, according to the hairdresser, is approximately 20,000 Euro. One with a brick facing would be substantially less. 

Brick Faced Building

Traditional Stone Faced Building

The work can take from six to ten months and is very disruptive to everyone in the neighbourhood -- not just the residents of the building.  It is noisy and dirty and while the building is being cleaned the outside of the scaffolding is encased in plastic.  Not conducive to comfort in a hot, sticky Paris summer! For anyone buying an apartment in Paris, one of the first questions they would ask is "when is the exterior due to be cleaned?"

Buildings wrapped in plastic

On our afternoon outing we passed a local primary school.  Those interested in how the French raise their children might find a primary school lunch menu interesting.  Here is one posted outside the school. No Vegemite sandwiches, pies, pasties or sausage rolls on offer here.  Notice the meals are also using this as a teaching tool for the upcoming London Olympics. Eating lunch together is compulsory for primary school children and the meal is free.  The interaction of children at mealtime is considered an extremely important part of the socialisation process.

Click on Menu to enlarge

Paris, 23 May 2012

This morning we went down to Place Colette near the Louvre to see how the work is progressing on the Comedie-Francaise and the Palais Royal.  Of course we had to stop for a coffee at the very elegant Le Nemour where the beautiful people (and others like us) have their morning boost.  Unfortunately they had run out of Pain au chocolat, but the coffee was excellent as always.

Café Le Nemour

We strolled through the Palis Royal which is an interesting mixture of the avant-gard and the traditional.  This is true both of the building and the courtyards on the one hand and of the shops on the other. At the moment there is a great deal of work going on, in fact it doesn't look that much different from the picture below of it in the late 18th century.

Comedie-Francais late 18th Century

 While the theatre itself is unavailable, they have constructed an ephemeral theatre in the Palais Royal.  It is a great example of "the show must go on."

The Temporary Theatre

 After wandering through the formal gardens and the lovely arcades, we went to a street market directly across from the  Louvre.  It was all very Spanish and while there were some very nice things there, our baggage allowance restricts what we can buy.

Formal Gardens in the Palais Royal

Old Shop in the Arcade of the Palais Royal

Fountain in the gardens of the Palis Royal

Arcade in the Palais Royal

Then it was back on the bus along the rue de Rivoli and a final visit to W. H. Smith and Sons.  By now it was well past our usual lunchtime and the temperature was around 27 degrees.  We make our way back to Montmartre where we had planned to have lunch at our favourite restaurant, Chez Plumeau.  Strangely, it was closed today so we tried Au Clare de la lune, where we had a very pleasant three course lunch for 18 Euro 50 each or about 24-25 dollars.

Pictures from the Restaurant
 

The remainder of the day was spent quietly as the temperature rose.  Summer seems to have arrived in Paris.

Paris, 22 May 2012

Today was another "walking" day.  We set out by bus to Pont de l'Alma (under which Princess Diana died).  This is a massive intersection which takes in both sides of the Seine.  After wandering around we finally found our next bus which we picked up opposite the entrance to the sewers of Paris (which one can visit). 

Entrance to the Sewers of Paris

The ride along the left bank of the river  eventually took us into Boulevard St Germain where one can find some of the nicest (and priciest) shopping areas in Paris. 

We alighted opposite Les Deux Magots from where, after waiting a considerable time for service, we relocated at Café de Flore where the service was excellent and the prices equally expensive.  You are after all having coffee in the cafés embellished by such great names as Jean Paul Sartre and Simone de Bouvoir. Here one is inclined to sit and consider the status of man alone in an alien universe and whether life is really an unpleasant interruption in an otherwise blissful non-existence.

Les Deux Magots

Café de Flore

A Coffee at the Café de Flore

We had never been here before.  One of the delights for us is that no matter how many times we come to Paris there is always something new to discover. 

After an ample sufficiency of coffee and talk, we admired the square and the church of St Germaine des pres where Rene Descartes is buried. Founded in the sixth century, the porch tower dates from the 11th century and its bell tower is one of the oldest in France.

The church of St Germaine des pres

 We resumed our walk which took us to Cluny and the Museum of the Middle Ages.  Unfortunately, it being Tuesday, it was closed so we were unable to use the toilets.  We beat a hasty retreat home for a late lunch and later in the afternoon made our way to the Butte for coffee and a crepe au chocolat (Virginia abstained - Bruce did not).  Then down the stair to our quarter for shopping and chores.

PS: Scaffolding is now nearly complete!

Paris on a very wet 21 May 2012

A very wet day, rain pelting down.  The men working on the scaffolding came and just as quickly went.  When the rain eased a bit we went out to do some shopping and on the way stopped for a coffee at another one of the many cafés on our shopping strip, rue Poteau.

Another café on rue Poteau

This one is a bit more down-market, but the coffee is good and the prices lower than at many of the others.  We sat at the window and watched the rain run in streams down the glass.  When it had eased a bit we walked to Monoprix to do our little bit of shopping.

Because of the rain we decided it made more sense to take the little electric Montmartrebus which passes quite close to our flat.  On the way to where we catch it, we passed the boulangerie which has recently been refurbished and stopped to look at the interesting breads and pastries available, always a treat.

Beautiful breads

By the time we got back to the flat, it was lunchtime so some soup and baguette and we read for a while until the rain abated a bit. Ensconced under our umbrellas we once again caught the Monmartrebus, only this time to go up to the Place du Tertre.  In good weather, and particularly on weekends, this is filled with "wall to wall" people.  Today it was practically empty, which provided an opportunity for some more interesting pictures.

A rainy day on the Butte

 

After shooting some photos we walked back down the 186 steps to rue Francoeur and from there just down the street to rue Cyrano de Bergerac and home.

So, basically, ended a somewhat soggy day.

Paris, 20 May 2012

Leon of Brussels is a chain of restaurants with outlets in Belgium, France and England.  Their speciality is mussels which are available in approximately a dozen different variations - all of them delicious.  Having eaten moules earlier this week at another restaurant and spent a sleepless night as a result, I felt the need to "get back on the bicycle."  And what better place than Leon.

What makes Leon de Bruxelles exceptional is that every order is prepared on demand.  When the mussels arrive at the table they are in a cocotte which is too hot to touch and when the lid comes off you are enveloped in a cloud of fragrant steam.  My own preference is for moules mariniere, a dish consisting of the moules, white wine, onion and parsley.  So simple - so delicious.

For anyone wishing to try these at home, here is a recipe.

Ingredients

    1kg/2.2lbs fresh mussels
    115g/4oz unsalted butter
    1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped
    2 shallots, peeled and finely chopped 200ml/7fl oz dry white wine
    1 bay leaf
    large handful fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped

Preparation method

•  Prepare the mussels: Pull away the hair-like strands (beard) around the shell and scrub with a stiff brush under cold running water.

•  Heat 50g/2oz of the unsalted butter in a large saucepan. When hot and foaming add the garlic, shallots, wine and bay leaf. Cook over a medium heat until the shallots are soft and translucent.

• Bring the shallots and wine mixture to the boil. Add the mussels, cover the saucepan, gently shake the pan and cook over a high heat for 2-3 minutes, until the mussels open. Discard any mussels that remain closed after cooking or are shrivelled.

• Strain the mussels over a large saucepan using a colander and set aside. Place the mussels into a large bowl. Retain the mussel liquor in the pan and return to the heat. Add the parsley and remaining butter and bring to the boil.

• Pour the mixture over the mussels and serve immediately with plenty of fresh crusty bread.

Leon de Bruxelles

Leon is not a posh restaurant and has a very unimposing entrance.  Nonetheless it appears to be well known as it was crowded this Sunday lunchtime.  The wine list is limited and the  dishes other than seafood are unimpressive.  Nearly everybody was having moules in some form and if this is what you are after, Leon de Bruxelles is definitely the place to go.

Moules Mariniere

It has been pleasant to have two days of peace without the scaffolding going up but we expect that to end tomorrow morning when they will be here for an early start.  C'est la vie!

Paris, 19 May 2012

Today started off with us heading to the catacombs.  The Catacombs of Paris or Catacombes de Paris are an underground ossuary located at  Place Denfert-Rochereau. It holds the remains of about 6 million people in what were once Paris' stone mines.  On our arrival, however, there seemed to be more people waiting to enter than were actually buried in the Catacombs.  Since only 200 people at a time are admitted, we estimated the wait would be between three and four hours so somewhat disappointed we trundled back to Montmartre.

To relieve our spirits, we went to one of the local cafés for a morning coffee.  As we sat there we noticed that a gentleman in a walking frame was crossing the street.  Several of the street beggars immediately helped him across and installed him in a table at the café. There is, in France, a general culture of helpfulness although it is sometimes honoured more in the breach than in the observance.  We have already mentioned people giving up their seats to us.  While we appreciate the gesture, we prefer to think of ourselves as generally still young enough to stand on the bus or the metro.  While we sat at the café, a woman came up on a bicycle and parked it behind a truck in the street.  People at the tables kept an eye on it and when the truck moved away and another truck tried to take its place, several of those in the café carefully moved the bike out of the way and then placed it behind the newcomer.

A good way to get your bicycle flattened

After our coffee we continued on to do our shopping and then went home for lunch.  In the afternoon we went to the English bookstore, W. H. Smith, in the rue de Rivoli. Getting there by Metro took us to the Concorde metro station.

Exit from Metro at Concorde

Signpost at Concorde

 As we entered the Tuilleries, we stopped at the lovely gardening bookstore which seems to have everything one could possibly want on that topic.

Librairie des Jardins

We continued to walk in the gardens admiring the wonderful view of the buildings along the rue de Rivoli.

A View of the rue de Rivoli

 The gardens have many areas which are clearly for children and the young at heart.  The sculpture of the flowers is lovely and fun, and there are many playgrounds.

Flower Sculpture

A playground for children

There are all sorts of delights for the young including the omnipresent carousels.  The French seem to have a love affair with these devices.  There are hundreds, probably thousands, in Paris ranging from quite basic one's to complex double-deckers.  After getting the books and magazines we wanted we returned home.

I have been reading some very enjoyable detective novels set in Paris in the later years of the nineteenth century.  These books, recommended to me by a dear friend, are written by Claude Izner.  This is the pseudonym of Liliane Korb (1940) and her sister Laurence Korb (1951) known as well as Laurence Lefèvre. The two women are booksellers on the banks of the Seine in Paris, who jointly write the popular "Victor Legris" series of crime novels. Legris is a bookseller in late 19th-century Paris who is also an amateur detective. The writers do their homework and have captured the atmosphere on Paris at the end of the century.  It is peopled with real characters from the era and events and individuals are often documented with footnotes.  For anyone who knows Paris, the settings are familiar which makes the stories all the more fascinating. If you are interested, start with "Murder on the Eiffel Tower."

Paris, 18 May 2012

The boys are back.  After yesterday's public holiday, work on the scaffolding today is progressing nicely.  It is now to the top of the building (six floors above ground level) and covers the two exposed sides.

"Going Up!"

Raising pieces with a pulley

As we watched them using a pulley to raise the various elements up to the roof level, we couldn't help but think of the following song.

Dear Sir I write this note to you to tell you of my plight
For at the time of writing I am not a pretty sight
My body is all black and blue, my face a deathly grey
And I write this note to say why Paddy's not at work today.

Whilst working on the fourteenth floor,some bricks I had to clear
To throw them down from such a height was not a good idea
The foreman wasn't very pleased, the bloody awkward sod
He said I had to cart them down the ladders in my hod.

Now clearing all these bricks by hand, it was so very slow
So I hoisted up a barrel and secured the rope below
But in my haste to do the job, I was too blind to see
That a barrel full of building bricks was heavier than me.

And so when I untied the rope, the barrel fell like lead
And clinging tightly to the rope I started up instead
I shot up like a rocket till to my dismay I found
That half way up I met the bloody barrel coming down.

Well the barrel broke my shoulder, as to the ground it sped
And when I reached the top I banged the pulley with my head
I clung on tightly, numb with shock, from this almighty blow
And the barrel spilled out half the bricks, fourteen floors below.

Now when these bricks had fallen from the barrel to the floor
I then outweighed the barrel and so started down once more
Still clinging tightly to the rope, my body racked with pain
When half way down, I met the bloody barrel once again.

The force of this collision, half way up the office block
Caused multiple abrasions and a nasty state of shock
Still clinging tightly to the rope I fell towards the ground
And I landed on the broken bricks the barrel scattered round.

I lay there groaning on the ground I thought I'd passed the worst
But the barrel hit the pulley wheel, and then the bottom burst
A shower of bricks rained down on me, I hadn't got a hope
As I lay there bleeding on the ground, I let go the bloody rope.

The barrel then being heavier then started down once more
And landed right across me as I lay upon the floor
It broke three ribs, and my left arm, and I can only say
That I hope you'll understand why Paddy's not at work today.

So far, thankfully, the men erecting the scaffolding seem to be extremely competent.  A few more days should see the job completed and then the cleaning of the buildings will begin.

You may recall that in an earlier blog we described Virginia's visit to the Albert-Kahn Musée et jardin. It sounded so interesting we went back so I could see it.  To get there was an experience in its own right. 

We caught the 72 bus on the rue de Rivoli and enjoyed glorious views through some of the most interesting parts of Paris and along the river.  The bus goes past the back of the Grand Palais, past the Eiffel Tour, Tracadero, Radio France and on to Parc St Cloud. Of course, we used our Navigo cards so there was no charge for the bus trip. The "hop on, hop off" tour buses charge a great deal for this ride, but with a Navigo, you can do your own hopping off and hopping on for a fraction of the price. 

Not only were the gardens amazing, the whole organisation was a real "class act."  In addition to the gardens, there was an exhibition of photographs taken in Mongolia in 1912 and 1913.  But the high point had to be the gardens.  We visited the Japanese village and grounds which were absolutely superb.  I have to say I think they were the nicest I have ever seen.

Pool, bridge and bonsai

Bonsai

Japanese Village

There are a number of other areas ranging from the formal French to the wild forest and all of them are magnificent.

We returned on the 72 bus stopping at the Louvre.

View into Courtyard of the Louvre

The lines to get in were very long especially when you can actually get your ticket in advance on the internet.  We visited one of the shops in the complex so that I could get a new Paris tie.  It will be unveiled at the U3A the next time I give a talk there.