We decided to go to Centre Pompidou for some contemporary art last Free Sunday. The museum opens at 11am, so we went by Notre Dame for some decent photos with lesser people in the morning. Turned out we were still too late to beat the crowd, the queue to climb the tower was snaking to "where we can't figure where". Nonetheless, I would want to climb the tower again...it was a climb I did that I have never regretted and would want to do it again with the Student. From what I remember, the climb requires some physical tolerance through narrow spiral stairs to the room of the hunchback and the bell tower (similar to the staircases at Vatican). Since the Cathedral is the middle of Paris, it has a really good view of Paris city, and shows a clear progression on the history of Paris, through its architecture.
Pompidou is a place where I realised that ANYTHING can be art. From daily objects, to graffiti...it is amazing on how artists can portray a subject through the various medium, be it film, photography, sculptures, canvas, kinetic art, and the list just goes on...There was a particular exhibit that was very disturbing...The artist donned his birthday suit, and had himself leashed like a dog, pouncing on people on the streets, while his companions filmed the entire process of him terrorising the public. The title is: MAD DOG...and indeed he is...To avoid any inappropriate content, I chose not to post any pictures on this exhibit, but some of the more interesting contents are below for viewing pleasure.
1) The sorbet is even smoother than that from Berthillion. I started with a really lousy experience with sorbet in Singapore, where I equate it to flavoured ice. Until Berthillion taught me that sorbet can be smooth and refreshing at the same time. In my opinion, there is a subtle superiority in terms of smoothness for Amorino.
2) You can choose as many flavours you like in Amorino, as long as the cup/cone size is able to fit. We just need to tell the server how many flavours we intend to order, so that they can plan on how to layer the container.
3) The presentation is so delightful, that it makes my day.
4) Amorino seems to be everywhere, so if there is a queue, we can be certain that there will be another outlet along the way somewhere.
Since we are in the 4th arr, we planned to go for some Fallafel (Israelis snack) as it is just round the corner at Rue de Rosiers. Lately, I've been depending on David Lebotviz's recommendation for dining in Paris...and he wrote that Fallafel at L'as du Fallafel is a must eat in Paris. The shop along Rue de Rosiers is unmistakable with the meandering queue. The queue for eating in was shorter than that for take aways (2 Euros extra for eating in), so the choice is obvious. Furthermore, this is such a messy meal that I think it is better to eat sitting down. Our verdict: It is nice, but not suited to my taste-buds. A little too greasy for my digestive system.
The Student needed to buy some macaroons for his professor, and we took the chance to walk down to Laduree at Rue Bonaparte nearby. By foot, the walk from the Marais (the quarter where we had Fallafel) to Rue Bonaparte normally takes about 15mins, but we took about an hour today, with so much to see on the way. Paris in summer is really vibrant I would say.
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| It's summer time, and there are tonnes of music everywhere and anywhere in Paris. |
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| We wanted to do this cheesy thing too...but I forgot my lock (again!) |
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| These guys were having a blast on the boat with a private event, and the music infected everyone on the Seine River to boogie with them!!!...Humph *Green with envy* |
We ended the day with tea at Ladurée. Verdict: I will not step in for tea again. Simply because, they are not the only ones who can make pastries that good, for the price I'm paying and the service that I was receiving, this is totally not worth it. But then again, for some reason or another, I'm more of a supporter of Pierre Hermé for macaroons.
