Forest gems

This summer, we have a better weather compared to last year's. Despite that, we stayed back in our region most of the season as we are only taking our long holiday at the beginning of autumn (as it's less crowded and less expensive to make holidays when everyone returns to work).

We are fortunate to live near one of the preserved forests in our region. On some lazy weekend afternoons, to avoid direct heat and stuffiness in the city, we like to take some fresh air in the forest. As it is protected, its natural habitants live freely and safely. We even managed to spot a rarity in the forest - wild stawberries.

Wild strawberries found in the forest near Port Royal. It's very small compared to our usual strawberries. However, it is very fragrant and sweet.

Colourful butterfly

Blackberries

MUSEE DU QUAY BRANLY

We like to go to the museum from time to time and we are very lucky to live near Paris, as it offers plenty of choices.
Lately, we went to one of the biggest museums, recently-opened in Paris, Musée du Quai Branly, located near the Eiffel Tower, by the river Seine.
The museum was inaugurated 2 years ago, and it’s dedicated to the ancient civilization.

The first interesting thing with this museum is its architecture.
When you first arrived, you will notice a cultivated wall (where plants literally grew from the wall) at the corner of the building.
You will then enter into a rather savage garden (where the access is free-of-charge) to find some bench to rest and a café with a terrace, and by crossing here you will reach the museum entrance.

It also offers a gastronomic restaurant, “les ombres”, on the top floor, with an open-air area and a great view over the river and the tower. We took the opportunity to spend a day at the museum to have a good lunch there. The place is nice, the service is friendly, the food is quite original and the price is reasonable if you choose the set menu.

The museum has a very important and interesting permanent collection, classified by Continent. The visit is like a world tour. You start normally by Oceania, continued by Asia, from South-East to Middle-East, then arriving in Africa, from North to South, and finishing by the Americas, from South to North.
You have also access to the temporary exhibitions. When we were there, we had a chance to check out these exhibitions: “Batak of Sumatra”, “Ivories in Africa” and “Elena Izcue”, a Peruvian artist.

We spent the entire day at the museum and, even though we were quite tired by the time we get home, we were very pleased as it was interesting and diversified.
It’s a very nice place and we strongly recommend it.

Foire de Paris

It's something that the Parisians do it, either every year or not at all. After my first encounter yesterday, I understand why. This yearly exposition is very popular actually because of the variety. It caters for almost everybody, from the young to the old and to any culture. At the "foire", you"ll find furnitures, multimedias, ethnic food, rare jewelleries, jacuzzi pool, etc. The most interesting part I find is the World Culture section, where you can find things that you don't normally get in France. For example, Indian saris, pre-Colombian jewelleries, traditional Chinese furnitures, spices from the far east, Afrikan masks and many more.

I also understand why some Parisians have never been to the exposition. The CROWD! You need to queue to get the tickets to go in and the car parks are usually full by the late morning. It's always crowded during the weekends and public holidays.

Big City Life

One of our favourite channels these days is the Voyage channel. We stumbled upon a programme called "Big City Life" yesterday and we found it very interesting. I think it is a weekly programme on the channel and each episode presents the life of 3 habitants of a city. Yesterday's episode was on the life in Stockholm. An interesting part, I found is that, at the end of the presentation by each "citadine", he/she is asked by the producer to recommend an address (of a restaurant, bar, shop, etc) to be discovered in the neighbourhood in which he/she lives in.

I find that question interesting and I started thinking on applying that question in the cities that I have lived in.

I know some places of charm and rather undiscovered.

In Singapore:

• Axis Lounge at The Oriental Hotel - where you get a great view of the Esplanade, Fullerton Hotel and the Central Business District, quiet, lounge music



• Azhang Restaurant at Mohammad Sultan Road - where you'll be warmly welcomed by the restaurant owners



• Chez La Mamie (it used to be at Ann Siang Hill but they have moved) - where you can get authentic French food

In Kuala Lumpur:

• Citron Café - its premise is a converted colonial bungalow, with an enormous private garden. food is good and original. quiet place but you'll be surprised to find yourself in the heart of the city. view of the twin towers from the terrace.



• The Curve - where it makes shopping with husband and children a manageable thing to do. spacious, mid-range brands for you, comfy cafés for husbands and a pet supermarketfor the children.



• Sky Bar at the Traders' Hotel - fantastic view of the twin towers at night

In Paris:

• Too many to list.... to start with, most of the cafés, shops and roads that I find most charming are in the 6th and 7th arrondissement.

RESTAURANT - MONTPELLIER AND AREA

During our Easter week-end, we discovered some nice restaurant in Montpellier and around that we want to share with you.
As it’s more helpful for our friends in France, I will write the review in French (anyway, Meng Sun said that this kind of review is my job on this blog!).

MONTPELLIER

- L’acolyte: 1, rue des trésoriers de France - 04 67 66 03 43
Ce petit restaurant de charme, à deux pas de la Place de la Comédie, présente une carte originale, à base de produits frais, pour un prix raisonnable. Bonne carte des vins, que l’on peut commander au verre. Ambiance romantique, particulièrement dans la salle du haut. Accueil très chaleureux. Une très bonne adresse (ma préférée !). http://www.acolyte-restaurant.com/

- Roule ma poule : 20, Rue Candolle – 04 67 60 36 15
Petit resto sympa, un peu à l’écart sur une jolie petite place avec terrasse. Clientèle jeune et étudiante, carte intéressante, vins au verre, service sympathique. Un bon moment.

- Le vieux four : 59, Rue de l'Aiguillerie - 08 26 10 10 86
Ouvert uniquement le soir, un petit resto de caractère, l’un des plus vieux de Montpellier,
à la déco originale, très fréquenté. Il est donc conseillé de réserver, surtout le week-end. La carte est variée et assez originale la aussi. Les vins peuvent se commander au verre la aussi. Un endroit très agréable. http://www.levieuxfour.fr/

- Le Thé des Muses : 14 rue collège - 04 67 63 10 22‎
Petit salon de thé bien agréable pour reprendre ses forces autour d’une bonne pâtisserie maison, d’inspiration autrichienne, suisse ou allemande et d’un des nombreux thés disponibles. Les décors sont délicieusement « kitsch » et le patron très amical.


NIMES

- Dolce Italia : 1, Rue Corneille - 04 66 21 03 03
Restau italien assez « trendy » sur une petite place proche de la Maison Carrée. Carte assez large et inventive, décor sympa, un lieu agréable pour déjeuner.

An Easter weekend in the south

We were in the south during the coldest part of winter this year. The snow and rain storm that hit France was a surprise and we managed to escape it by chance as the trip was planned.



Montpellier, Nimes, Camargues, Aigues Mortes and so on....the medieval towns, Roman structures and natural landscapes are just magnificent.

Place de la Comedie, Montpellier

Les Arenes de Nimes

Le Pont du Gard

Agde

Palavas

La Camargue

Les Saintes Maries de la mer

Bons plans pour les vacances

In three weeks' time, we would be in the south of France soaking the sun, I hope. We are seeing the first signs of spring, yes, even in Paris. Days are longer, buds are appearing on trees and our neighbours' cats are taking more walks outdoors.

We are heading to Provence! It may be too early to dive into the vast lavender beds but we're going back to Provence in September for a real holiday.

To be exact, we'll be stationed at the Montpellier city during the long Easter weekend. We found a reasonable package of flight + hotel + rented car through Voyage SNCF, which is a good substitute for a train package deal as the flight is not costing much more than the train from Paris to Montpellier.

As I did some research on vacations in the south, I stumbled upon gîte lodgings that are let by the week. The good thing about staying in a gîte is that you have the option of making your own meals as it comes with full kitchen facilities. In anywhere in the world except Asia, eating out is usually more expensive than preparing your own meal. With this possibility, you have more room to manouevre your holiday costs within your budget. This is perhaps more important to those who are determined to spend within their budget and yet still able to enjoy their holiday.

We didn't hesitate to book a gîte right away for our holiday in September when we saw Mas de Grasset. The gîte is an individual house with a private garden in the heart of Provence, between Saint Rémy and les Baux de Provence. The prices are reasonable and the owners are friendly. This is perfect as we love the countryside and it is not far from the historical Avignon.

Half of the vacation is planned for visiting monuments and natural sites, and we will spend the rest of the time enjoying the local produce such as discovering, tasting and buying aromatic herbs, olive oil, lavender soap, wine and pottery and textile directly from the farms or producers.

What a view, what a joy!

It's not good to leave the blog silent for too long. It is just like leaving your house empty for too long. The air becomes stale and dust shows up at every square centimeter of its surface.

Even a short post is good. So I just put up a picture of what happened during the one-month long silence.

In the picture : Here I was sitting by the infinity pool overlooking a river and a jungle in its background, gulping down iced water with a hint of fresh lime while absorbing heat from the 30 degrees tropical climate. Thinking about how jealous our comrades in France got.

Cité Jardin

A few weeks ago, Bernard took an unusual route to go to the 13th arrondissement in Paris. It is apparently a shorter route to the south east of Paris. At the roundabout, he took one exit before our usual one which takes us to Clamart.

Along the main road that cuts through Le Plessis-Robinson, we saw many old-fashioned but newly-constructed apartments and some were remodeled after the Hausmann apartments. Antiquated in outlook and yet new in substance. I have been having a crush on ancient apartments and this is ideal as I have been hoping to find an old-in-new apartment for purchase in a couple of years' time.

It is also known as a cité jardin not soley because of its award-winning floral town but also being a self-contained community surrounded by greenbelts and consisting balanced areas of residences and industry.

We have to go back there to take a walk, hopefully in a better weather, or perhaps in spring to enjoy the flowers in bloom and the environment in its entirety.