Paris, oh so lovely!

I really did get lucky a few weeks ago -- Mr Husband was invited to attend a medical conference, and as I am also in the medical world albeit different area of specialty, I, too, was invited. After clearing it all up with my boss for a couple of days off, deciding sleep-over venues for the kids and last-minute packing, we eventually took off on a cold Thursday evening. I must confess that I was so extremely excited and looking forward to this trip -- not only this was Paris, but it was also a trip for just us sans the kids. Our last romantic trip together was way back in 2008 and it had indeed been a good while since we last had the chance to feel like a couple of newlyweds again. Excited that I was, there was definitely a great sense of guilt having to leave the kids behind but it was somehow relieved on the realization of them being super excited to go for a 3-nights sleep over. Phew!

We stayed at the Marriott Rive Gauche Hotel and the Saint Jacques Metro stop was just about 200m away from the hotel entrance. We spent the first night mingling with the other Irish delegates before retreating to that deep and much-needed slumber. The weather was beautiful on the very first morning we were there. After spending half of the day listening to a series of cardiovascular lectures, we went on a Paris walkabout and found ourselves at the foot of the iconic Le Tour Eiffel. Since both of us have been at the Eiffel top before and the length of the queue for the lift to go up, we decided to continue our journey towards the famous Champs Elysees Avenue. Along the way, we had sumptuous lunch at Lebanese eaterie called 'Noura' and plenty more of photo opportunities. I also managed to swing by a local pharmacie and grabbed myself Avene Thermal Water spray.

It was wet and raining on the morning of our second day but that wasn't so much a problem as we had decided to spend the first half of the day attending the conference and bumped into 3 young Malaysian medical students presenting their scientific posters. It was such a lovely coincidence and it was great to meet other Malaysians in a foreign country. I felt all patriotic all of a sudden! Mr Husband and I went for another quick Paris walkabout, did some shopping for the kids at Disney Store on Champs Elysees and enjoyed our nutella crepes with a cup of hot coffee. Later that night, the conference organizer had already arranged for a private dinner on board of a boat cruising along the River Seine attended by all the Irish delegates, in the backdrop of a sparkling Eiffel tower. It was indeed magical.

During my last 2 trips to Paris, I didn't quite get to enjoy the French artistic scene. Yes, I made it The Louvre during my first visit but all I cared was to take a peek at the infamous and mysterious 'Monalisa' and I must say that it was quite an anti-climax in itself. I have since developed some interest in Impressionistic arts and decided that I must finally make that trip to Musee D'Orsay where gorgeous Monets, Renoirs and Van Gogh's all displayed. Typical of any museums, any type of photography wasn't allowed but I managed to steal a photo of two -- mostly with my meager iPhone -- not without some strict and disapproving look from the curators.  I couldn't capture any of the beautiful pastels by Monet but any of you remember this Whistler's Mother painting which had made an appearance in one of the Mr Bean's films over the years?

My idea of a day in Paris was rather simple. As long as it involves a beautiful and cozy French cafe, gorgeous vanilla caramel tea, some sweet and delectable desserts, and of course plenty of people watching -- I am happy. Parisians are so stylish and definitely in a class of their own. I saw an elderly French lady with a gorgeous cape-like coat and a pair of above-the-ankle cullotes, accessorized with a pair over-sized sunnies. I swear, I could just sit anywhere in Paris and people-spotting while sipping away my warm concoction of exotic tea. We had a lovely time at a Laduree cafe on rue Royale. I love the service; the waiter was so accommodating and helpful -- all I needed to do was to describe what kind of tea I would like to have and, Voilà, it's done. We decided to try their chocolate cake which was embellished with tiny speckles of gold leaves but we were lost as to which macarons flavors we should try. In the end, the lovely waiter recommended a coffee, chocolate, cinnamon and berry ones. Sadly, I didn't get the opportunity to sample any of Pierre Herme macarons which are touted as the best French macarons ever.

As a self-confessed shopaholic, I must say that I have indeed surpassed my own existential expectation of myself. I managed to avoid going into Chanel much akin to running away from the plague, even my significant other was curious. He kept pointing at them rampant Chanel boutiques which were literally everywhere. Well, why should I put myself through mental torture knowing fully well that I won't be able to afford any of those gorgeous and supple quilted beauties. However, allow me to enter a caveat here. Avoiding unnecessary drooling over everything Chanel  surely doesn't have to mean avoiding window-shopping altogether, right? Except that I didn't manage to only do window. I had to grab a couple of French things or two of which I will tell you about on my next Paris chapter.

All in all, I love being in Paris. I love the language, I love how Parisians are oh-so soft-spoken, polite and cultured, I even love the crowded Metro and especially how efficient the system is. Never mind missing your Metro train, God forbid, there is another one coming in a mere 2 minutes. Yes, the food is probably a tiny bit bland for my typically oriental taste-buds but it is definitely compensated by their soft and fluffy pain au chocolate, my all time favourite. I also love how they have different kind of tea and not just your typical Earl Grey or peppermint. And they even have some romantic names for all them teas such as Thé Mélange Spécial Ladurée blend tea scented with orange, rose, vanilla, cinnamon which I get to sample in the gorgeous Laduree Cafe. 

More on my French excursion next. A little sneak peak into the world of Yves St. Laurent (no, no more bags -- just simple accessories) and my current olfactory obsession with Annick Goutal. Until then, I will be dreaming of that stylish city of Paris.


Missing Paris already,