Chapter 16

Hawker to Haute Cuisine

Our arrival in Paris in the early morning had us scrambling for a woolly!  The constant warm weather we left behind was far different to the 5 deg we encountered waiting for a cab at Charles De Gaulle airport.  It was a beautiful, clear and sunny 5 deg though.
Our tiny apartment was fine. Not as good as some we had stayed in before in
Paris, but fine. Location excellent.  

View from apartment

We did book this quite recently, so not as many on the list to choose from!  We were in the Marais (meaning marsh) district, adjacent to Place de Vosges.  Henri IV began building Place Royale (today's Place de Vosges) in 1605, and it is a true square, 140m x 140m, and the oldest square in Paris.  The floorboards in the apt were testament to the age of the building. Up, down and creaking!
Art galleries, boutiques, restaurants, the hub of Paris's gay community and the nucleus of Jewish life makes up today's Le Marais.  How colourful!
Once we had dragged our 4 suitcases up 2 flights of uneven, timbered stairs, we thought we would go for a long walk to get rid of flight cobwebs and adjust to the new time zone, and ended up walking about 6kms. 
Our first repast consisted of une tasse du thé, and une baguette avec jambon et emmental.  So nice! Walking past the food shops had us oohing and ahhing repeatedly. Watch out waistline!

Continuing our walk beside the river, we encountered an old lady, who just so happened to "find" a gold ring on the footpath as our paths crossed. She was happy to hand this over to us, as she did not need it.  A cyclist riding by, seeing what was going on told us of the real reason for her generosity, and told her to go away. Not used to con artists. Told brain to switch on "rascal radar".
We crossed the Pont des Arts and found it fascinating with the ornate iron work covered in all different types of padlocks with names of couples engraved or written on them. The locks are called cadenas d'amour, and there are over 2000 now. Apparently, after the lovers lock the padlock, the key is tossed into the river Seine as a sign of eternal love. Only the French could do something so romantic!  Sites mimicking this have now popped up all over the world.

Time for lunch..........Charcuterie platter and soup d'oignons in a tiny cafe,  where all the chairs face the street so you can "people watch"!  And we did!

We ended up using the Metro to return to the apt as our legs were getting weary.  At the ticket office Philip asked for what he thought was 2 carnet (2 packs of 10 tickets), but asked for 2 canard, which translates to 2 ducks! He realised his faux pas, and corrected himself.  The young ticket femme did not think it was funny at all.  We laughed all the way home. Told brain to switch on "French channel".
We decided on dinner in the apt, as we did not know what time we would "drop" so we bought some wine (still so cheap), poulet roti avec salade et pommes de terre roti. Perfect. We calculated that we had been awake for 44 hours with a 4 hour sleep on the plane. 

Batman Boppin' (or droppin') enjoying part of his 4 hours

Parisian markets are well renowned.  This little piggy went to market at L'Hotel de Ville on the wrong day...

People also had their shopping lists.  For those that didn't there were constant reminders to bring one...

Fontainebleau was on our "to do" last last time we were in France, but wet weather stopped us from visiting.  This time a sunny spring day greeted us, so we headed 55 kms from Paris, on a train from Gare de Lyon. 
Philip the Fair was born there in 1268, and Philip the Bald visited in 2013.  How royal.  The chateau sits in a parkland of 80 hectares, with lakes, fountains, manicured gardens and a 1200m man-made canal full of fish. The chateau itself consists of 1500 rooms, (who counted) and was continuously inhabited for seven centuries!   Each inhabitant added wings and rooms, so a bit of a maze inside. We had the best apricot tart here waiting for the bus when we left!

We have visited Paris about a dozen times, but never had we ventured up the Eiffel Tower or been to Notre Dame. This time we did both.  Another two ticks on the bucket list!

View from Eiffel Tower

Saint Germaine was an eclectic area we had not really explored before. We walked the 2 km from the apt for our pain aux raisin and coffee then explored.   We walked through the Luxembourg gardens on our way back, and came across the Pantheon, another treasure we had not seen before. Saint Genevieve, the patron saint of Paris was buried at this site in 512AD.  In 1744, Louis XV attributed his recovery from a serious illness to prayers made to her, and pledged to dedicate a church to her name. It was absolutely beautiful. Victor Hugo is interred here; as is Voltaire and many others.

Inside the Pantheon

We decided on another day trip and, after some research, headed to Rouen. This city, like Paris, sits on the river Seine and is one and a half hours from the capital by train.  It too has its own Notre Dame Cathedral, (painted many times by Monet) and is the place where the French Grand Prix started. The most famous name associated with Rouen, is Joan of Arc.  It is here she ended up on a pyre, in 1431 aged 19!  It was a beautiful sunny day and the cherry blossoms planted around the city were bursting with blooms. It is also renowned for its half timbered houses, that defy gravity sometimes with the odd angles at which they now sit.  Coquilles St Jacques for lunch in a cute restaurant called Le P'tit Zinc sitting in the sun, in the square, overlooking the memorial to Joan.

Could you live upstairs?

Astronomical clock in Rouen dating back to the 16th century

We came to Paris to just relax, and enjoy the food and culture.  Not be mad tourists out all day. A couple of day trips, yes, but we mostly walked around leisurely absorbing the sights, sounds and people. Made easy by the temperate weather. A coffee and pastry here, and a Salade Nicoise or charcuterie platter there, etc.  Well we achieved this. 

Last days were just as relaxing.  Lunch and people watching...

... and a walk through the Tuileries en route to the Musée de l'Orangerie...

Of course, there's a different kind of tourist in Paris to that of Singapore.  You can't help but hear some of their loud comments, such as the one we heard whilst waiting to go up the Eiffel Tower..."why do those elevators go up on an angle like that" (errr... check out the shape of the tower, lady).

We move onto the UK now to find employment and get ourselves settled for the next chapter. Wherever that is.
We are about to board the Eurostar for London with our 80kgs of luggage!

Till the next blog
Love Annie (and Pip)
Xxxx

Chapter 15

Farewell Singapore......

During our final week here we tried to soak up all we could of this wonderful place. We have grown to love everything about Singapore  (as have all our guests over our stay). A surprise package. Clean, safe and forward thinking in everything they do.
Years ago, whilst on a stopover here, we both said  "we could live in Singapore", not even dreaming that it would/could happen. We are so glad it did.
Philips shoulders have lifted visibly, now that he has handed over the control of this extremely challenging project. If he knew he was the fifth Project Manager here in as many months, on this particular job,  he may have not come.  (His position has now been divided into three roles!)  But he has put it down to another chapter in his book of life, and some wonderful emails from work colleagues speaking glowingly about his direction, pulling the job together, his calming nature, that they are sorry to see him leave, have been warming.  There was a generous offer to stay, but in the end his work visa expires two days after we go. So not an option. The company invited us out for a "last supper" which for me was good, as the names I have heard for 6 months now I could put a face to. 

Our apartment at Regency House in Penang Rd was like a home away from home, and everything we needed was at our doorstep. The staff  were just wonderful and would  do anything for you.  Doors opened by Seve, smiles from Ginley and Joyce at reception, as well as Alice in the breakfast room. It is a nice small place, so a feeling of family envelopes you.

View of Regency House from Orchard Road

I have had my last art class and I will share with you one piece.
It is an ink drawing, and I feared it would look like Richard Gere, but I am happy it resembles the subject. Do you think it looks like Philip?  
Just kidding!

Philip and I have had some amazing meals here, but have also managed to lose a couple of kilos as well!   Mind you, you still feel huge compared to the fine slim people that live here.
We are now ready for France and the UK, and their culinary offerings!
Mmmmmmm, what are we craving ?  I can see those kilos will be back on in no time at all. 
We have consumed copious quantities of rice, as you can imagine in this part of the globe, but maybe not as much as this person does. Saw this at the supermarket. Trolley packed full on its way to the checkout.

We did manage to drink a Singapore Sling here at Raffles, for old times' sake. Our first sling was 26 years ago and the 2013 version was just as  delicious!
I am sure a lot of you have tried it as well!  

Our last evening in Singapore was one that had to be memorable so we headed to a restaurant called Flutes at the Fort. Strangely, the entrance is through a car park, but once you start climbing the steps up through the lush garden, (and there were many) you are confronted with a black and white bungalow built in 1908 clinging to a hill.  It is the old fire chief's house situated in Fort Canning park. It is a lovely natural, unspoilt spot, and our table on the verandah was perfect. Our meal was wonderful as well, as was the wine from the Yarra Valley!

My walk in the mornings in our next location,  will be hugely different from Singapore I am sure, and I will miss all my senses being tested. No Hindi temples, free range chickens scratching in the grass or people eating curry for breakfast on the street at the local eateries.

I must sat thank you to my Mum who diligently calls Laura every weekend to see how she is going. I know Laura really appreciates it, as it has been a big change for her. Thanks Mum!

We fly out tonight for a weeks R and R in Paris (in the Marais district), then off to London.

Till then
Much love
Annie
Xxxxxx

Chapter 14

Final guests, final weeks in Singapore.....

Alan and Wendy arrived to join us for a week's experience of Singapore.
We did some serious retrospective research to get a good mix of activities and eateries to choose from while they were here.  Given that we had a pool of six months activities to dip into, it was relatively easy. Sort of a lucky dip with no bad picks!
We raised our glasses on the first night at the Lantern bar, on Marina Bay. Well not on it, beside it, to take in the view and watch day turn to twinkling night. 

View from Lantern Bar

Off then to a hawker place around the corner for an introduction to Singapore street food, literally. At 7pm every night, they close off a street in the business district and set up many satay cooking stands, chairs and tables. Locally called "Satay Street", (of course) it has a wonderful vibe. The boys organised and paid for 30 mixed satays.  As we ploughed through these, we started looking at our piles of sticks and realised that we had actually had 62 satay sticks delivered.  Embarrassingly for him, Philip's tally was 26 sticks.  Well done Philip - but who's counting (actually we all did)! 

Our Saturday plans were compromised as the heavens decided to open, all day. Because of this we spent most of the day 'indoors'. That is, shopping centres, the Singapore Flyer, Art Science Museum, lunch at  Marche, more shops.
Headed to the Arab quarter when the skies cleared, for a look around, then dinner at a restaurant called Ataturk. Dips, salad, Turkish pizza, and a grilled meat platter. Very tasty.

The first Sunday of the month is the Changing of the Guard ceremony at the gates of Istana,  (President's residence), a short stroll from the apartment.  It is based on the Buckingham Palace format and involves 36 guards and 2 commanders. To add extra " pomp", two Military bands  provide the music and marching beat.  The guards are specially selected and trained for their turnout, bearing and drill. Included in the ceremony is a Precision Rifle Drill performance by the military police, which was flawless in its execution. Fantastic!

I squeezed in a couple of extra art classes with Dipa, my teacher. A great mix of theory and practical exercises has meant I have a good solid base to move forward with. I am hoping I can experiment and create, with all that she has taught me. I will miss Dipa, as well as Sandhy and Harminder, my friends there, and the cute studio tucked away in the lush garden. 

 

A local restaurant called Nuoc was a favourite with the four of us. This Saigon style eatery is nestled in a tranquil garden setting on the rooftop of Orchard Central shopping complex in Orchard Rd, a five minute walk from the apt.  Views, a slight breeze, a table on the verandah surrounded by fishponds and wonderful food. Memorable.

The Pandas Kai Kai and Jia Jia have left the building (and gone to their new $8m home in the newly opened River Safari Park next door to the zoo) but we did see some wonderful animals on our visit to the Singapore Zoo - sans Philip. Known locally as Mandai Zoo it is located next to the Seletar Reservoir in a heavily forested area and is 69 acres in size. It opened 40 years ago this year. There were some challenging odours with this heat, but we managed!  Zoo poo, ah!  
Wendy and I loved the Orang Utans, whose habitat at the zoo is a free range environment.  We quickly agreed that there was some people we both knew who closely resembled them! Scary!

We had previously been to the Singapore Cricket Club, but Alan is also a member of MCC and so the 4 of us headed back there.  Unlike the last time we went, when 2 of us ate outdoors at the bistro on the verandah, the 4 of us dined upstairs at the more up-market Padang restaurant.  All was going well until we tried to enter and the maitre d' noticed that Philip was wearing dress jeans which were on their forbidden list.  First reaction was to send him home and change, but the maitre d' sized Philip up and found an old pair of black dress pants which almost fitted.

Fashion with attitude

It was fabulous food and wine and we appreciated A&W's generosity for making this a memorable night.

A pleasant pre-dinner drink atop Marina Bay Sands hotel with our G and T's and french rose wine on Alan and Wendy's last evening in Singapore, turned into an unplanned thunderstorm and lightning show.  We were quickly whisked from the outdoor area to indoors for safety reasons. I have never seen horizontal lightning before! It was a spectacle for sure! 

Thanks for coming to visit us!

Getting close to the end of Singas now...
Until the next blog.
Love Annie 
XX