We love Spring!

With less than a year to go in our French sojourn,  I am anxious to get out and see and experience as much as we can.  Every second is precious, every sight must be burned in my mind (and our camera memory card), every non-working day must be packed with activities.  But winter blues and spring showers have been real deterrents thus far, and so let's hope that today's sunny Sunday heralds the start of  wild hedonistic days ahead.  We are people on a mission here!  

To start the day, a nice Sunday brunch at La Gare, an old railway station that has been converted into a restaurant.  But French-style buffet brunches simply cannot compare to the decadent ones we have in Asia.  Firstly, bread, bread and cheese do not constitute a buffet.  

He is a cheap date - just bread and boiled eggs will do, Madame.

It's always a good sign when the kids are tickled and enjoying themselves 

Feeling like guilty gluttons after that, we opted for a walk in the La Petite Ceinture (the little belt), a dis-used railway track that circles the perimeter of Paris.  It was abandoned in the 20's or 30's when the underground metro service really began to take off.  Today, it is  preserved as a natural habitat for flora and small animals.  It is interesting because we are right in the middle of the city, and yet we are in the middle of the woods.  

YL had introduced The Village People to Ju (don't question his parenting style or judge his choice of music, please), so here we are doing the YMCA. 

Sunny faces on a sunny day

Lovers and strollers came out to enjoy the rare sunshine at the park

The sun always bring out the Parisians to the bistros everywhere in the city

Ou dois-je voter? --> "Where do I vote?"

On the way home, we came across the bulletin board informing people where their voting stations are.  The French are holding their elections this month, and the final round of voting will take place next weekend.  The French are very passionate about politics, and I enjoy listening to the different ideologies and different stands that my colleagues have.  It makes for a vibrant democracy, something wanting in Malaysia.  Let's face it, politics is always going to be dirty, but at least give us our voice.  Spring brings hope; so let's hope for the best.  

Negaraku

We are far, but our hearts have never left, 

The land which nurtured our bodies, our minds, and our souls,

This is why she is still...negaraku* 

Our hearts bleed for her greatness that is not fulfilled,

Our hearts weep for the chasm dividing her people,

Our hearts mourn for the injustice percolating in the streets. 

But we have hope, we have passion, we have courage.

This is why we came out today for....negaraku*.

* my country

Easter Weekend in London

I forgot to mention in the previous post that we also spend some weekends travelling.  For the Easter long weekend, we headed across the Channel to London to meet up with some old friends and Yiyi, but it was actually a veiled excuse to gorge ourselves with decent Chinese food.  

We took the Eurostar from Paris to London, a convenient 2.5-hour journey, taking us from one city centre to another.  

Here's how you entertain kids on a 3-hour train ride.  Toys, books and a lot of patience.

See us stuffing ourselves with real, fresh Cantonese dim sum?  Paris may be a gastronomy heaven, but it is pitifully far behind London in terms of Cantonese food.  We dare anyone to challenge us on this.

We dragged Yiyi, Yi Cheong and TTT on our whirlwind "tour" of London, mostly for Sophie's benefit.  

Tower Bridge

She specifically asked to see Big Ben

She wasn't keen on this sight, but it was our home for 2 years, so I wasn't going to let anyone leave London without a short look-see, even on a cold, drizzling Saturday.

Same place, 5 years ago

We had a really good day out at the Kew Gardens on Easter Sunday, despite the cold wind and light drizzle.  It was great to catch up with all our old kaki (companions).  Kew Gardens is a 300-acre UNESCO World Heritage Site, listed because of its contribution to the understanding of botanical and environmental science.  

Picnic by the lake, while fending off the ducks  

Yummy nasi lemak, courtesy of Uncle Jimmy.  Here we have the nasi lemak production line.  

Flowers were in bloom in Kew Gardens.  The cherry blossoms were spectacular.  I have no idea what these are, though.

Unfortunately, we didn't have too much time (or energy) to visit the greenhouses which made the Gardens so famous.  I wanted to see the rubber tree from Brazil which gave Malaysia its start in her rubber industry back in the early part of the 20th century, but I guess I will have to do it another time (if I'm lucky).   

And finally, at Popo's request, here are some shots of the kids...

The boys

Everyone together now!

Weekends in Paris - Part III

A few acquaintances asked me recently what we do on weekends, and I was stumped for an answer.  "Oh, we do lots of things!  Let's see, erme, well,...we do....LOTS of things".  My mind blanks out except for the fact that we are often occupied on weekends, and they go by as quickly as those runners in the Paris Marathon whom we glimpsed along the Seine this morning.


So, this post is about shedding some light to friends and family, as much as a jolt for my failing grey matter.  

• Sometimes we go to the park near our place...

It's that tower again

• Sometimes we go to other parks further from our place,...

Place des Voges.  On a sunny early spring day, signs like these are pointless.

• Sometimes I go round taking pictures of everything like a typical blur tourist, delighting  pickpockets everywhere,...

The bird and pet market and garden centre in Ile de Cite

• Sometimes we stay home and babysit the kids and their playmates,...

• Sometimes we explore interesting neighbourhoods,...

The Marais, a hip neighbourhood and a gay mecca inhabited by artists and performers 

Sculptures near the modern art museum, Pompidou Centre, also in Marais

The Marais is also a Jewish enclave, and, perhaps consequently, one of the few places in Paris with shopping on Sunday.  

• Speaking of interesting neighbourhoods, this one here is also worth exploring: 

Montmartre: Another happening area of artists and unique shops flanked by the red light district, and topped off by sugary-white Sacre Coeur basilica (Sacred Heart).  And oh yes, we finally caught the Moulin Rouge cabaret show with a couple of curious friends from Singapore :)  

• Sometimes we go in search of typically "French" experiences, e.g. the morning roving markets,... 

The Raspail organic market, just outside the Rennes metro stop (do not be fooled and attempt to get off at Raspail as we did)

• Sometimes we just observe the kids savouring their little piece of France,... 

Chewing on a baguette in a bistro while people-watching

"Eeeww! I will NEVER eat snails but I love dipping my baguette in the sauce..."

• Sometimes we go in search of good French cuisine in a reputable establishment that welcomes children and don't talk down to us as if we are idiots,... 

We found one! La Rotonde just in front of the Vavin metro stop in the 6th

Posh interior, warm service, good food...GO THERE!

• And of course, sometimes we just laze at home and I get fed with good home-cooked, home flavours... :)