Scandinavia, Sailing & Sweet Treats

After our very serious study of Pixar art (!) which I spoke about in this post, it was time to fill up on some comforting & warm finnish food at the Institut Finlandais. It's just round the corner from the Sorbonne, but I think that it's one of the Latin Quarter's best kept secrets. It looked like in-the-know students had brought laptops in for studying and the atmosphere was fresh and airy. 

Both myself & my sister got the soup of the day which was the perfect blend of smooth, wholesome &  sweet-smelling apples and parsnips - making my head happy with the knowledge that I was checking off 2 of my 5 a day, and my belly very happy, knowing it was in for such a warming treat. The soup was served with warm rye bread, not bad for €4.50.

To wash down our food, I chose a cappuccino and my sister got a filter coffee, which was wholly appropriate as apparently Finns are the biggest consumers of coffee in the world! The waitress told us that this type of finnish coffee is only served in two places in Paris, and its special way of roasting the beans gives it a sweet, honey-like taste. Happy smiles all round! 

We could have had a look at the Institute to brush up on our Finnish roots (yes, we do have some Scandi history in the family!) but instead decided to focus on the French sights & sounds to be discovered right under our noses. Off to the Luxembourg Gardens we went!

After larking about in the Jardins & learning that there was no sailing boat hire in the winter, our wanderings under the sparse trees led us to an Angelina, which proved to be a tasty surprise. We shared a hot chocolate to take away, but as if one sweet treat wasn't enough, I had promised to take my sister to a Pâtisserie de Reves after she saw a programme where Michel Roux Jr visited famous French bakeries on the television.

It was hustlin' and bustlin' for Christmas, so we didn't have long to ogle the cakes before someone took our order. We went for the bakery's best-seller, the Paris-Brest and a double chocolate delightfully decadent eclair, filled with ganache and wrapped in a crisp shell. Part of the delight is the packaging and the gift bag which made me feel a million dollars as we strolled home.

More adventures tomorrow!

À Bientôt !

x

Scandinavia, Sailing & Sweet Treats

After our very serious study of Pixar art (!) which I spoke about in this post, it was time to fill up on some comforting & warm finnish food at the Institut Finlandais. It's just round the corner from the Sorbonne, but I think that it's one of the Latin Quarter's best kept secrets. It looked like in-the-know students had brought laptops in for studying and the atmosphere was fresh and airy. 

Both myself & my sister got the soup of the day which was the perfect blend of smooth, wholesome &  sweet-smelling apples and parsnips - making my head happy with the knowledge that I was checking off 2 of my 5 a day, and my belly very happy, knowing it was in for such a warming treat. The soup was served with warm rye bread, not bad for €4.50.

To wash down our food, I chose a cappuccino and my sister got a filter coffee, which was wholly appropriate as apparently Finns are the biggest consumers of coffee in the world! The waitress told us that this type of finnish coffee is only served in two places in Paris, and its special way of roasting the beans gives it a sweet, honey-like taste. Happy smiles all round! 

We could have had a look at the Institute to brush up on our Finnish roots (yes, we do have some Scandi history in the family!) but instead decided to focus on the French sights & sounds to be discovered right under our noses. Off to the Luxembourg Gardens we went!

After larking about in the Jardins & learning that there was no sailing boat hire in the winter, our wanderings under the sparse trees led us to an Angelina, which proved to be a tasty surprise. We shared a hot chocolate to take away, but as if one sweet treat wasn't enough, I had promised to take my sister to a Pâtisserie de Reves after she saw a programme where Michel Roux Jr visited famous French bakeries on the television. 

It was hustlin' and bustlin' for Christmas, so we didn't have long to ogle the cakes before someone took our order. We went for the bakery's best-seller, the Paris-Brest and a double chocolate delightfully decadent eclair, filled with ganache and wrapped in a crisp shell. Part of the delight is the packaging and the gift bag which made me feel a million dollars as we strolled home.

More adventures tomorrow!

À Bientôt !

x

Flânerie

Flâneur (pronounced: [flɑnœʁ]), from the French noun flâneur, means "stroller", "lounger", "saunterer", or "loafer". Flânerie refers to the act of strolling, with all of its accompanying associations. The flâneur was, first of all, a literary type from 19th century France, essential to any picture of the streets of Paris. It carried a set of rich associations: the man of leisure, the idler, the urban explorer, the connoisseur of the street. Honore de Balzac described flânerie as "the gastronomy of the eye".[3] Anaïs Bazin wrote that "the only, the true sovereign of Paris is the flâneur."

Yesterday, I played the 'flâneur' and took a stroll around the Tuileries Gardens and backstreets behind the Louvre, up to Les Halles. I was meant to be seeing a Frida Kahlo / Diego Rivera exhibition in the Musee de l'Orangerie in the Tuileries, but of course many of Paris' big museums are closed on a Tuesday. On your Paris adventures, make sure you check ahead, (unlike me) to avoid last minute disappointment! 

Not a cloud in the sky- whilst "The Great Storm" 'rages' in Britain, Paris is experiencing an indian summer!

One of my favourite things to do in Paris is simply to walk around to the rhythms of this great city. I am so unbelievably lucky to have been given the chance to live here, and sometimes when I'm walking I get this feeling of desperation that I won't have enough time to appreciate every little thing. What if I miss out a street, or never go into a shop or round a certain corner and see a certain view?! When I've been so blessed, it seems wasteful not to step out and try to embrace and gather up every last sight, sound and memory. I take some of my favourite pictures whilst walking - it's free, it's healthy and I think it's good for the heart!

 

The day wasn't wasted, however, as instead we headed through the gardens and enjoyed a free impromptu al fresco exhibition, as, as if by magic, large sculptures had grown majestically out of the dirt paths of the jardins and settled themselves ostentatiously on the lawns. Quelle chance !

Can anyone solve the mystery of the glowing left hand in the picture above - I've been imbued with some kind of mystical power ( /the light is shining on my hand) !

In the afternoon, I met a friend for what was going to be my first sushi experience (she couldn't believe I'd never really tried it!) but the restaurant, again, was closed! Something tells me I need to do better planning in the future. Instead we wound up in a cute cafe-cum-restaurant called 'Le Loir dans La Theiere'.

     

I had an amazing goats cheese and onion tart and my friend was really happy with her paella. We both agreed we'd have to return for their amazing cakes, as, trying to keep down costs, we were only able to feast our eyes on them.

Today is a study day as I plough through 'Ruy Blas' by Victor Hugo & knuckle down to writing my first 'Commentaire', before my Mum arrives on Tuesday!

So excited!

À Bientôt !

x