Walking through Le Marais yesterday, my guide pointed out 2 restaurants in the old Jewish quartiere. They are located across the street from each other and both specialize in fallafel. Each restaurant tries to outshine it’s main competitor, and, judging from the crowd size, I’d say that L’As du Fallafel is winning, at least it was yesterday!
The competition is this place, Mi-va-mi. I love the fact that they are completely upfront in their quest: goutez et comparez (taste and compare).
The apex of the gorgeous avenue of the Champs-Élysées in Paris is the Arc de Triomphe. I was there recently and here are my pictures. It was a gorgeous winter afternoon.
Just your average, turn-of-the-century, pastry shop in Paris:
Where they sell devilishly delightful confections. I was waiting in line to buy their signature loaf of whole wheat bread, and wound up with a few of these temptations as well. Well, who can blame me?! I mean: look at them!!
Actually, this is no average Parisian pâtisserie! It is the winner of one of the prestigious awards for an annual contest for who bakes the best traditional baguette (baguette de tradition) in all of Paris.
Here’s the name/address of the bakery:
The Jardin des Tuileries, aka, the Tuileries Garden is a great civic garden located between the Louvre and the Place de la Concorde in the 1st arrondissement of Paris. Created by Catherine de’ Medici as the garden of the Tuileries Palace in 1564, it was eventually opened to the public in 1667 and became a public park after the French Revolution. From the 19th century moving forward, the Tuileries is a place where Parisians celebrate, meet, stroll and relax. I spent the afternoon there recently.
Paradis, ‘La Ballade de Jim’
A great one to play when you’re winding things down, and yet another popular track by Paradis. This cover of the ’80s hit by Alain Souchon revisits the tender storytelling lyrics.
What a fun afternoon! I was enjoying a guided tour through a private garden in the center of old Paris and, all of a sudden, I noticed a fashion model and photographer. There were working hard and took lots of photos. The model was beautiful, as you would expect!
And oh, p.s., I saw the same model in the New York Times today, modeling for Valentino.
Oh, and I might add, it was cold today! About 20 degrees Fahrenheit. The model was not dressed in warm clothes, but rather a top and mini skirt, tights and boots and a pretty, but not warm, coat.
You can well imagine how beautiful the architecture of this small square is! Obviously its a perfect backdrop for selling fashion!
Oh la la! Do you like layers of a lighter-than-air sponge cake soaked in coffee syrup; chocolate mousse that tastes like what angels must eat in heaven; and a thin layer of chocolate ganache mirror glaze with just a touch of edible gold leaf?!
The you would love this Opera cake or Gâteau Opéra in French.
Nobody can say with certainty when or where (although it is well-known as a French invention) opera cake was first made, but it is composed of layers of sponge cake (known as joconde in French) soaked in coffee syrup, layered with mousse or buttercream and covered with ganache.
The cake was popularized by the French pâtisserie house Dalloyau, but its origin is unclear. One creator-claimant, at la maison Dalloyau in 1955, is Cyriaque Gavillon. He was grandfather to Christelle Bernardé, the current manager of the prestigious French company Dalloyau Bastille, and named by his wife Andrée Gavillon after the Parisian Opéra House Garnier.
Gaston Lenôtre (1920 – 2009) also claimed the honor of inventing the dessert in 1960. However, complicating the mystery is the fact that an advertisement in Le Gaulois in 1899 offered a “gâteau opéra.”
I can tell you this much: when you have tasted this confection, you won’t care who/what/when/where or why this cake was invented. You’ll just be glad you got to try it!
Salut C’est Cool, ‘Des Fleurs’
Time to jump up and down with Salut C’est Cool‘s sense of humour, as this dance anthem demands equality for all flowers in the bunch.
Paris. Do I really need to say anything more?
My feet were not on the ground today; I spent part of the afternoon walking at rooftop level, admiring the view. It was almost sunny, very cold, and pretty near perfect.
And then, there it is; the iconic tower. That tower simply cannot take a bad picture!
I think the traces of jet airplanes makes the sky more interesting. I must admit, I can’t help comparing France with Italy. In Italy, the blue skies are usually filled with the most interesting cumulus clouds. I never tire of that sky. France is different. The clouds are more diffused.
It becomes an addiction, trying to capture the tower in a photograph:
So, finally, I must turn away. Other parts of the Parisian skyline are beautiful too:
And, even looking down, from the fancy perch I was on, is also interesting:
The perch itself is gorgeous!
Far away is the mighty Sacré-Cœur; the misty atmosphere hiding its outlines.
And the Paris Opera house is nearby. So interesting to see it from on high and not ground level. A temple (to the arts) in the sky.
But then, like a magnet, my vision is drawn back to it:
I look away:
But go back:
You’re just too good to be true, can’t take my eyes off of you.
get back, lauretta! 
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