[Honeymoon]- Day 5 Paris

I don’t know why but I keep thinking today’s Monday. Oh, I recommenced my jogging routine after a long break (last week in Dec to late Jan). It’s tough, ya know, after having it easy for a period of time. Anyhow, I hope I stick to it. And now, on to Paris:

I forgot to mention that we checked out a huge flea market, Les Puces de Saint-Ouen at Porte de Clignancourt! T knew how crazy I am about real, authentic flea markets (unlike those we have here). This one is actually a combination of flea markets and made up of 2500 to 3000 stalls! I’m not sure if it’s because it’s winter season, but a number of stalls were closed but we had fun anyway. We didn’t stay that long (did I mention that it was cold?!) I kept pointing to old pieces of furniture and saying I wanted to take them home! I was in chair-loving mode that day.

Needless to say, we couldn’t take bulky stuff. We still had Besancon and Barcelona to visit. I did grab some vintage photographs though! I am so fascinated with these. But I rationalized that I wasn’t sure about having pics of some long-dead lady whom I’m clueless about lying in my house so I opted for more scenic shots instead.

We were leaving Paris for Besancon on the fifth day so we had till about just after noon before dashing to the train station. Perfect excuse to enjoy a hearty lunch! We didn’t want to venture too far so picked a restaurant we walked by countless times as it was near our hotel. It had warm lightings and pleasant décor. We thought initially it might be touristy being so near to places of interest. But oh well, as long as food’s good, right?

We weren’t disappointed! I had the best onion soup, banana chocolate pie I ever tasted! Don’t even get me started on the banana pie. Let’s just say it was happiness and warmth served on a plate.

We usually never have our coffee with cream but the waiter told us it’s a must try. He didn’t lie! Perhaps it was fresh cream, in any case, it was indescribably yummy! So, we bade farewell to Paris with very satisfied stomachs.

[Honeymoon] - Day 4 Paris

I’ve got lots of photos for you today so let’s begin, shall we?

We had a wonderful breakfast the fourth morning at this place called Angelina. Admiring the beautiful French décor, I soaked it all in as the chatter of the people around me, the clinking of glasses, cups, plates and utensils filled my ears. I loved this morning symphony! This was coupled with mouth-watering crossiants, pastries and the thickest chocolate drink I ever had (perfect to dip in)! Heavenly….

Took a walk near the Seine river.

This may sound silly but I think it’s totally lovely to buy cheese from shops like this.

Every corner had a little shop that got my heart beating.

I’m terrible at ice-skaing (seriously, I’m worse than a baby) but doesn’t this look beautiful?

It’s not my first time there but I just couldn’t help it.

As usual, you can click on the images to enlarge. I hope you’re liking it so far :).

[Honeymoon] - Day 2 & 3 Paris

Happy February! I have a biased-liking for this month. On top of this, Valentine’s day and the Lunar New Year both fall on the 14th of this month. Sounds like more opportunities to have fun :). Ok, ok, don't hurry me, I know we are to continue where we left off in the previous post:

Probably one of T and my few laments was that daylight time was really short. It’s really not so fun doing stuff when it’s dark and cold. On the other hand, it tied in with our plan to have a free and easy schedule ie. we wake up at whatever time we wished, a morsel of touristy sight-seeing activity, just do whatever we love.

Our morning ritual was to draw the curtains and check the sky. It was a pretty fine day when we set out for Monmarte where the Sacré-Cœur Basilica sits. Oh, it’s the highest point of the city. This meant a walk upslope and also the flights of stairs. I justified it with my hearty breakfast and erm, a nutella crepe upon my walk down.

This meant I was recharged and we made our way to Moulin Rouge. The tickets were too expensive (we knew but had to check anyway) so like the rest of the folks there that afternoon, we snapped pictures.

In between shopping/window-shopping for cute, unique stuff and popping into Naf Naf, we of course found time to eat. Lots. The cold was always a great excuse. We had the best Macaron we ever tasted! No it wasn’t cheap but so worth it (the calories too)! Decided to go for a slightly different flavour—passionfruit and chocolate. It was heavenly! I took a bite and it was a delicious surprise of sour and sweet, very full-flavoured. It totally delighted my tastebuds! The texture surprised me—just a thin layer of crisp outside and it was so substantial on the inside (not at all airy). Mmmm... very intense and fulfilling experience.

I realised that the carousel is a big thing in Europe. The one opposite our hotel sat in solidarity against a backdrop of the snow-littered park. With its warm blinking lights it was so post-card perfect!

I didn’t know where we were initially but T got me into this crowded mall one evening (so unlike him). As we stood in the middle of the ground level, he said “look up”. “Wow”! A stunning dome roof. Galeries Lafayette certainly had me swooning with its gorgeous dome as well as Art Nouveau staircases. If Singapore wants to have malls, we should at least have malls like these.

As you can tell by now, we usually end our day with a drink.

Thanks to all of you who came by to welcome me back and to say hello! So sweet of you!

[Honeymoon] - Day 1 cont'd

(cont’d from previous post)

With a better idea of our cold thresholds and having checked into our cozy “French-y” room, T and I made sure we were well-prepared before we next stepped into the open. Yes, excitement and enthusiasm alone weren’t enough to shield us from the cold. Out came the heat packs for my icy toes and fingers (I never saw these being sold in the shops over there!).

We walked quite abit and I couldn’t pull myself away from the many quirky-looking shops that lined the narrow lanes (when are we gonna have such shopping in Singapore? Enough of big swanky malls carrying the same labels!). You look down a lane, not sure if you should venture on as it looks pretty quiet. You do anyway because you are an enthusiastic tourist and lo and behold, you spot an interesting shop! Ahh, the exhilaration and joy… Often, I found that it was alright not to purchase anything. Simply browsing and ogling at the décor of these shops were enough to feed my deprived soul.

I had wanted to make a list of interesting Parisian shops that I knew of and visit them this time round but all the wedding prep and scrambling around thereafter left me no time. This particular day, we walked past this shop and I took a step backwards because the items displayed caught my eye. And then I found the things familiar looking. Stepping into it confirmed my suspicion. I had blogged about this treasure trove! Remember Les Touristes? It was so delightful actually visiting a shop that I had only ogled at from the screen. I exchanged a few words with the friendly ladies inside. I totally loved the cheerful floral prints and would have taken home a few cushions and quilt covers. Bearing in mind that this was only the first day of my visit, I had to restrain myself.

I did get something from there though. No, it wasn’t floral but I fell in love with the bright orange and quirky jellyfish print. Something about its shape attracted me too. So, here’s my tote at home now!

One thing I love about many European countries is the architecture. Why do all the buildings look gorgeous? Even the lampposts are beautiful!

While walking around and shopping was a pleasure with the absence of the summer crowd, it also meant that the daylight time was much shorter. T and I kept lamenting that 5pm over there felt like 7pm to us. With the sun setting, it also got colder. That was our signal to pop into a bar for drinks. Hey, we couldn’t help it. It kept us warm, you know? Somewhat. Time to read and plan for the next day too.

Ah, I'm missing Paris already. The weekend's here again, so we'll continue our ride next week, ya? See you soon!

[Honeymoon] - Day 1 Paris

Hello there! I know you’ll be back for the photos and stories :). I was thinking how I should go about doing this and organizing the posts. I like doing it chronologically because it allows me to relive the memory in sequence and I think it will best give you an idea of my journey too. Let’s do that, ya? Erm, I’m afraid I won’t be able to put up the wedding day photos yet because they aren’t quite ready (Yes, I’m already hounding my photographer). So, let’s start with the honeymoon, shall we?

T and I were to fly off a couple of days after our big day. So, even though the dust hadn’t really settled, things we lugged to and back from the hotel still unpacked, we scrambled around packing for the honeymoon. Even on the plane, we were just telling each other that the memory of the wedding day was still so fresh, the vivid images kept surfing in our minds and the sounds kept filling our ears.

It’s January and obviously it was going to be cold in Europe. But that wasn’t enough, it had to be one of the coldest winters in Europe! So there we were, turning to look at each other with eyes wide opened when the captain of the plane welcomed us to Paris and reported that the temperature was -5 degree Celsius. The very short wait for cab outside the airport gave us a hint of what we were in for. It was just 5 minutes and our ears hurt from the cold!

We couldn’t check into our hotel yet so we dropped our bags and set out for a walk. We’re in Paris!! And Jardin des Tuileries was just across a little road! It was about 9am but being winter, the sky was not what I would call bright. There were only a few people on the streets. But that wasn’t about to stop us!

Little birdies resting on top of the frozen water fountain. Perhaps it was too early for them even. For a moment, I thought they were statues. Serious!

After awhile, we had to accept the fact that we needed to seek some warmth (we’ve already got our thermals on) or my toes and fingers might fall off any moment. Not quite acquainted with the expensive touristy cafes yet, imagine our delight when we spotted the familiar golden arches! You know you’re safe whenever you see Mac Donald’s. It can’t get too wrong.

So, our first meal in Paris? Mac Donald’s. Yes, we’re too Americanized! :p

After seeing the sky brightened a little and with our tummies now filled, we headed back to check in.

I love our little Parisian balcony which offered us an excellent view!

I noted that the birdies were now mobile! Lazy birdies.

Okey dokey, I hope you've enjoyed it so far. It was awfully cold so every time I wanted to take a photo, I had to take my fingers out of my gloves reluctantly! More details tomorrow!

(click on images to enlarge)

Back home

Hello there! Did you miss me?! I sure did miss all of you! How's it been while I'm gone? THANK YOU for all your well-wishes! We packed them, took them with us on our honeymoon and now that we're back home and settling down, we're keeping them stored in our hearts.

I'll be lying if I say it's easy peasy getting back into the swing of things. As much as I enjoy blogging and connecting with you out there, it took abit of self coaxing for me to get back online! It's been a wonderful break and I had decided to disconnect myself from the cyberworld after some consideration. There had been concerns, of course-- I'll be leaving the blog pretty much stagnant for about a month etc. But in the end, I decided that there is a time for everything. A honeymoon is once in a lifetime. Readers who love Cookie Cutter will stay and those who don't simply won't regardless. And I'm glad I took this break. It's definitely for the better.

So, I'm back! Luggage still not totally unpacked and there's still some settling down to do, but I can't wait to share the photos and bits of self-indulgent stories with you! Come back tomorrow, ya? I'll take you through it :)

[images: Vintage Rose, We Heart it]