7 Things We'll Miss in France

At the front of our apartments...

NOW in Singapore...

THEN in France

At the back of our apartments...

NOW in Singapore...

THEN in France...

7 Things that we'll miss in France:

1) The Tranquility
Singapore is just too busy, so much that I've not heard chirping birds and the hustling of the tree leaves ever since we touched down in Changi.

2) The Weather
The amount that I sweat per week in Singapore, is equivalent to the amount I do in France for a year, combined with a weekly sweat after a 45 degrees up slope jog.

3) The Colors
Singapore is filled with greens, but I'll still miss the variety of colors through the seasons in France.

4) The Language
French is a romantic language that is definitely more pleasant to the ear than singlish, especially when combined with dialects (although I must say that I love singlish for its efficiency).

5) The Landscape
There is so much to see in France, architecture from the medieval ages to renaissance, varied natural landscapes from Brittany to Midi to Provence and to the Alps.

6) The Food
Though I have an endless list of food cravings from Singapore due to her diversity, I'll definitely miss the freshness of the produce from France and a million variety of cheeses and wines to pick from.

7) Being Contented
The French place more focus on things that money cannot buy, and are contented with what they have...need I say more with how affluent Singaporeans spend and waste things? And then complain how the government is not helping them to earn more money...

With this post, I end our chapter in France...although I'll still be a perpetual student's wife in the next chapter with our little one...

Romancing Paris the Last Time

Having stayed here for a year, we've taken Paris for granted. Whenever I suggested going to Paris for the weekend, the Student will find some excuses somehow and suggest other towns in the area to explore. Now that we are leaving the city, I felt that we should bid the city goodbye...Happy Easter Holidays Paris!

This is a landscape that we've been taking for granted too, Le Guichet is the station where we take the train to Paris city...the houses on the slope are always a delight especially during fair weather.

The train station nearest to Supélec.

I was surprised to see the open air skating rink still in service in March!

Open-air skating rink in front of Hotel de Ville

Reminisced buckwheat crepes with a flavour from Bretagne. France in general has a very high quality of butter, which rolls down to excellent pastries and anything butter related. But butter from Bretagne is heavenly! Especially Bordier butter, which Briezh Cafe in Paris also carries. 

I prefer the traditional sweet crepes over the savoury buckwheat types.

Banana caramel with Chantilly crème on the side. Paired with Marco Polo tea from Mariage Freres.

We stopped by Puyricard, hand made artisan chocolates from Provence. The brand usually makes their chocolates every Thursday, without preservatives. And here they are, all prepared for Easter holidays. These are considered average sized, there is another egg by the window that is half my height (pity we couldn't get a good shot due to the reflections of the window).

We've tried their traditional macaroons, which are delicious! These are nothing like those from the pastry shops, when there are 2 macaroon cookies sandwiching some garnishes. These from Puyricard are just the cookie, but are made from almond powder from Provence. Very fragrant and soft in the inside.

Mariage Freres is a tea house that specialises in a humongous variety of tea blends, they even have a tea museum at their basement for visitors. But their display of pastries weren't that appealing...If only there is a tea salon that serves pastries from Lenotre, macaroons from Pierre Hermé, hot chocolate from Angelina and tea from Mariage Freres.

Price for the tea is indicated/person, so we had to get one pot each....a little too much for our bladder to take though.

Last stop for the day - L'orangerie, the museum that is showcasing the last works of Claude Monet, the panoramic view of his lotus pond. 

Last Shots Of Gif-sur-Yvette

Winter was bidding it's last goodbye last week with a sudden blizzard when the flowers are already budding. And so are we...seems like we will miss the spring bloom this year. Anyhow, we took the last chance to get some snow shots of our friendly neighbourhood.

Le Canape - Restaurant and tea salon with live jazz music on alternate Wednesday nights and Sunday afternoons  Additional fee at 10 euros.

Our favourite short-cut to the main street from the parking space, we could always smell Mdm Pineau's fresh bread from here (her shop is about 4 shops away after this staircase)

Main street of Gif.

A Date With Macaroons

This is a 3-hour intensive macaroon class at La Cuisine Paris, where they teach both the French and Italian techniques in making the macaroon cookie. In short, the Italian technique is preferred as it results in a more stable texture. But get ready for some arm wrestling with the batter though. We've got 4 different garnishes here: Dark chocolate, coffee flavoured butter crème, traditional pastry crème and pear (can be replaced with any seasonal fruits).

I was really flattered when the Student cleared my box when he hardly touched those from Ladurée...:)

Tips: Macaroons taste better 1 day after baking. Put them in the fridge and let the cookie adsorb some of the garnish's moisture.

The pear garnish is my favourite, all natural and blends really well with the sweetness of the cookies.

Fondant au Chocolate & Choux Chantilly Chocolate

This is another buy "2 get 1 free class", since the choux pastry has the same technique as making eclairs.

After going through this lesson, I'll never order another chocolate lava cake...because it only take less than 30 mins to make. The trick is getting it out of the mould without wreaking it.

Higuma Paris

Image from Tripadvisor

I got misled by Tripadvisor several times on restaurants in Paris, and this is no exception. I was craving for Japanese ramen after watching a Japanese series, and decided to check out the recommendations online. The choice was clear after going through the profile of the reviewers, but we just wanted to see the standard of "really good Japanese ramen" in Paris, so we went ahead instead.

Having grown up in Singapore, I was pampered by an international array of cuisine, and has always admired how the Japanese can whip out quality food with pride. Every time we try a new Japanese outlet in Singapore, we'll be nick-picking on the authenticity of what was served. 

But Higuma in Paris...this is a legendary "Japanese Ramen Restaurant" that have won so many hearts, but is nothing like Japanese. There is no chance for us to nick-pick, since it is already off-tracked. If the long queue outside the store is because they serve tasty dishes, so be it...but they are serving Chinese noodles that don't even pass the mark even if I labelled them correctly as Chinese Noodles!

And there are the gyozas, which are definitely bought ready made from the supermarket, boiled and pan-fried before hand, then microwaved before serving. With such ridiculous cooking methods, the chefs still have the cheek to show the public how it is done, and clueless customers still think that this is the right way to prepare ramen and gyozas.

It angers me seeing the queue, because I can't believe that people here can get cheated so easily, believing that this is the real deal! Higuma is serving neither Japanese, Korean or Chinese ramen, they are serving yellow noodles which is a totally different type of noodles from ramen, with soup that tastes like instant noodles mix with too much water.

Many shout on its value, but seriously, 5 Euros for 7 gyozas which are supermarket made, 7 Euros for a packet of instant noodles, and a queue to fight for...I think it is too expensive. And if this is the "King of Ramen" in Paris, then I would suggest skipping ramen all together, and stick to Vietnamese noodles for the Asian deal.

Café Gourmand

Café gourmand is a popular after meal order in France, especially for the women folks, since you'll have a little variety of 2 to 3 petite desserts complete with black coffee. Clockwise: Chocolate crème brulee, french meringue topped with cocoa beans, mini mont blanc, caramel filled financier.

A Love Hate Relationship with Snow

When I was in sunny Singapore, I've always loved winter destinations thanks to those dreamy Korean dramas. The snow is always a romantic setting, with the actors twirling around in happiness under the falling snow. Indeed, the snow scape is a beautiful sight, especially the morning after a snowy night. The white snow   meets the blue sky at the horizon, and seamlessly fuse into a shade of pink with the sunrise. And with the sun up high, the ground sparkles like heaven just spilled a bucketful of diamonds onto earth!

But when it continues for more than 2 days & nights, it starts to get on my nerves and guts. The Student have to leave for Austin this morning for a week's conference, and found to his horror last night that his flight got cancelled due to bad weather. Nonetheless, we decided to get him to the airport early in the morning to hop on any other flight to other US states instead, since the call lines are all not working on Sunday.

Driving at 7:00 AM on Sunday with a snow blizzard is no fun, all I can do is to follow the faint tyre prints on the ground, and I might very well be driving in the middle of 2 lanes (French roads usually have no barricades to indicate 2 ways, no street lamps on small roads, no barricades to the drain). 20 mins later on a return trip home, there are almost no tyre prints to follow, the snow was fast enough to cover the tracks until the curb sides. Standing under the falling snow, it wasn't romantic at all...

A Magical Christmas & New Year of New Heights

Christmas destination in France? The choice is obvious for us...Alsatian it has to be! Alsace has been famed for their magical Christmas decorations and the father of Christmas' traditions. In fact, the original Christmas Tree originated from Selestat, a town in Alsace. In deed, our journey through the wine route brought us through loads of pastel coloured half-timbered houses that looked like they have been sugar coated. Felt like we were walking on a Christmas log cake!

The little Venice in Colmar, since the houses were only accessible via the waterways in ancient times.

See what I mean? Colmar is filled with pastel coloured half timbered houses that really look sugar-coated!

We based ourselves in Colmar, and visited Turckheim, Selestat and Strasbourg. Personally, I prefer the atmosphere in Colmar. It seems more traditional, and the town is much more charming than Strasbourg, which I think is no different from other cities. Although Strasbourg is the capital of Christmas, but Colmar had a more magical feel perhaps due to the architecture in the old town. Check out their Christmas markets, and you'll find loads of handmade crafts by the local craftsmen.

Artisan wood craft

Hand painted glass candle holders

Hand painted metal mugs/jugs

Iconic half-timbered houses for Christmas decorations

Santa Claus Candies!

This is Strasbourg's scene, honestly we didn't quite enjoy the capital of Christmas. The Christmas market seems less traditional, and most of the goods look like they were imported. The Georgian village was also a disappointment, definitely over-rated!

We felt a little handicapped without our car in this trip, public transport in rural France is a total joke, especially on public holidays. But we didn't want to miss the famed wine routes of Alsace, so we skipped the  more visited villages and settled with Turckheim which can be reached by the train. We were pleased with our find, it is after all still a grand crus estate.

Check out the Stork nest on top of the tower! Somehow, Alsace has a soft spot for storks since it is the region's emblem.

The French name their roads according to what you find there, so at Rue Des Cigognes, what do you find? Cigognes of course (ie. Stork bird)

Alsace is particularly good for sweet wines; muscat, moelleux, Riesling and Gewurztraminer. Through the wine routes, you can also savour the magnificent landscape craved by the Vosages in France and the Black Forest in Germany.

From the town of Selestat, also reachable by train, you can access the Chateau Haut Koenigsbourg via a shuttle service. The schedule is rather erratic, so check the net to play safe. Word of caution, the tourist offices in Colmar and Strasbourg cannot be trusted with regards to the schedule, so it is best to call the shuttle direct for any confirmation.

The interior of the castle isn't much, but the view is something to shout about.

Panoramic view from the castle

Selestat is also the town where the Christmas Tree originates from. Traditionally, people used their harvests such as nuts and fruits as decorations, but there was a poor harvest on a particular year, and people started making glass globes to replace the decorations instead.

An exhibition on the history of Christmas Tree decorations since the 15th century. It started from just apples and hosts.

And so...we proceeded to Switzerland for New Year celebrations.

Birds, ducks and swans have somewhat become part of the tourists' attractions at Lake Luzerne

Can't miss the cruise on Lake Luzerne for a taste of white capped mountains and rustic villages

On the way up to Mt. Rigi Klum - feels like heaven here

What better way to enjoy winter in a outdoor spa?

Continuing our trip with the Wilhelm Tell Express route to Bellinzona - the Italian speaking part of Switzerland. Stark difference in architecture and industrial activities.

We broke our trip by spending a night in Zernez (St. Moritz is too expensive for a night stop), and enjoyed an ice-hockey match. There are endless sledge runs in this region as well!

Last stop at Zermatt, base of Matterhorn. Beautiful village with loads of winter activities. We opted for a hike to the mid slope villages. Essentials for winter hikes: slopes can get slippery especially at a gradient, so try to get detachable spikes from the sports shop. There are the ankle type, which I got as a New Year's Day present from a kind soul in Zermatt, and also the elastic disc type which I think is more effective and versatile for different shoe types. The Student survived with track shoes and thermal socks, so there is no particular need for snow boots, although I find it very comfortable to walk in thick layers of snow.

Ancient barns used for storage and keeping animals

Pit stop for a cuppa cocoa by the mountains

Hike trails are marked very clearly here, no need for a map actually. But trails are not lit, and night falls early in winter, so plan well.

Love the night scape of Zermatt

The Après-ski scene here is really vibrant, this Eskimo bar looks really chic, but I think they need to be hotel guests.

We based ourselves in Taesch, the last village that allow cars before Zermatt. On New Year's Eve, we wanted to experience fireworks with the snow-capped mountains at the background, and was worried that Taesch may not have a celebration like Zermatt. But surprise! There were also fireworks in Taesch...I believe it was beautiful, because we only saw the reflections of the colours through our chalet windows, and fell right asleep when they went BOOM the fifth round....:) 2013 is set to a great start!

Indeed it is...I was 8 weeks pregnant when we went on this trip...

Flip side for pregnant ladies having even the slightest morning sickness: 

1) Since this is winter, we can only have our meals inside the restaurants, however, the odour in the restaurants can really make a pregnant woman VERY uncomfortable.

2) Going on the boat ride with altitude sickness = a queasy stomach that will throw out all your breakfast.

3) Cheese fondue makes me sick, although I used to love it. Plus, I can't have alcohol, so I can't enjoy the meal as much.

4) Going up and down the mountains plus altitude sickness in the trains/buses will also make your vertigo worse.

5) There were a humongous amount of people smoking anywhere any time, which means more passive smoke.

6) You can't go beyond 2,000 ft, so this cancels out a lot of sightseeing.

I went ahead with the trip as I thought that my morning sickness is not very serious to start with, but turns out, the altitude and smoke did make it worse. So if you are in the same situation as me, please think twice about going to Switzerland in your 1st trim.