Latest Posts

La Parisienne – A Taste of Paris

Published by Sula H.

Most important to us – before our day in Paris was over – was to have a dinner à la French cuisine. By the time we were done sightseeing, however, it was getting kind of late, and we thought it best to return to that part of the city where we had left our car, and set out from there to find ourselves a petit little restaurant. Well, we were lucky, because when we left the metro station, we realized that we had parked our car right next to just that – a petit little restaurant! So, we sat down, and with lots of ado (ordering from a French menu when none of us really speak French) and the help of some very obliging waiters, we managed to get ourselves something delicious to eat. Only to realize that we hadn’t just found ourselves a petit little restaurant, but that – in fact – it was a petit little restaurant with very delicious food, aaand … a grande view!

Quite right: as we were sitting at our table and watching the sun set over the city, some of us discovered that straight down the alley no less than the Eiffel Tower came into view. And of all the tables in our petit little restaurant, we had picked the only one from which you could see the grand display. So, in the end, we got – voilà: far more of a Parisian dinner than we’d ever hoped for!

Vive la France!

La Parisienne – Pastry and Other Matters

Published by Sula H.

To find myself a piece of pastry in Paris I had set out. And getting myself a piece of pastry was exactly what I did when the first opportunity presented itself! There’s nothing better than French pastry melting in your mouth. Oh boy, the French do know how to put together some pretty yummy stuff. The only problem you could have with the pastry is when it comes to ordering it. Especially when all you know about the French language is what you remember from school, some nearly twenty years ago – and what you learned then had nothing to do with pastry, really. In such trying times, pointing with the finger might help, and in the end I managed to get what I wanted, which made me a pretty happy girl in Paris!

Château de Versailles

Published by Sula H.

[Show as slideshow]

$There\'s always room for more parking$

[Show as slideshow]

[Show as slideshow]

La Parisienne – That French Fromage

Published by Sula H.

One of the first things we set out to do after getting up, was finding ourselves a French breakfast. Unfortunately, we were a little late already. (Going to bed at around 4 am isn’t the best way to make sure everyone’s ready to wake up in a timely manner the next morning – me included.) And since we didn’t know the area, we had no clue where to find a café serving breakfast. But a nice breakfast it had to be, or else why would you want to come to France at all, really. No? So, we went into a little town in the suburbs of Paris and found ourselves a bakery selling fresh croissants. But again, what’s a French breakfast without fromage? (Fromage = stinky stuff also called “cheese.”)

Luckily, a cheese shop is never far away in France, and so, within the hour, we were all happily munching our fresh fromage and croissant breakfast.

Unluckily, we forgot the cheese in the car when we parked it by the subway station to take the metro into the center of Paris. So all throughout the heat of the day, that cheese was able to unfold its full splendor, and upon return to the car later that evening, we had a rather smelly surprise: cheese was in the air and all around!

But then, what did I say earlier? You can’t just go to France without having a taste of it, right? And we simply made sure not to just have a taste, but the full immersion, too!

Best of June 2012

Published by Sula H.

[Show as slideshow]

La Parisienne – Adventures in Paris

Published by Sula H.

Have you ever been to Paris? If not, you should definitely put it on your must-go list, because it might just be worth that little trip. For us, my colleagues/ friends/ classmates/ car-mates/ travel buddies and me, Paris was pretty much at the top of our must-go list while in Europe. After all, you can’t just live right next to the French border for a couple of weeks and not go there. So, we packed our car, and after class, we went on a long road trip, halfway across France to pay Paris a visit. A short one, for sure. But definitely one that will be unforgettable.

Of course, I won’t forget the masses of people that crowd all places of significance in Paris. If you’re trying to have a nice little quiet peaceful secluded get-away weekend, forget Paris. But if you’re up to facing the masses, there’s nothing that can dampen your spirits, or at least our spirits, really. Because we had a lot of fun …

… riding the boat along the Seine,
… seeing the Eiffel Tower,
… exploring Notre Dame,
… admiring the Louvre,
… and, of course, getting our appetites whetted with some real French cuisine.

Now, if you’re not convinced that touring through Paris is a lot of fun, then I can’t help you!