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bike42 · 5 years

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Paris. September 5-11, 2019

Thursday September 5, 2019

Not my “usual” kind of adventure, but I’m traveling to Paris / London to celebrate Bailey’s 30th birthday. Her birthday isn’t until November 22nd, but I thought the weather would be better in September (I decided that when Jeff and I were in Paris in the rain/cold in May).

We left Madison about noon yesterday, had a layover in Detroit (nachos and beer at the bar there), and then an uneventful flight over the pond, even in coach! I watched the three episodes of season 2 of “Big Little Lies,” then we both watched “Crazy Rich Asians,” before I tried unsuccessfully to sleep. Ended up just playing Black Jack through breakfast until we landed, just after 7am local time (7 hours ahead). It doesn’t help me with jet lag to think about what time it is at home!

I think because of construction, we off loaded down the stairs (like the Caribbean) and onto buses, which dropped us off at the terminal where we were directed up the stairs and into a long queue for border control. We had about the same wait as when we left Paris last May (>1 hour!). From there to baggage claim where our bags had arrived earlier and were just sitting there - yikes! From there, we began the long walk/escalator trip to the train. I’d done this before, but in my research last week I found a guy who’d posted the whole experience step by step with photos, so having just viewed that, and following the words “to the train” in English made it easy! Some issues with the kiosk to get tickets, but Bailey figured that out. Then down to the platform and to the train. We picked one with lots of stops, but through Gare du Nord with no issues and 2 stops later we got off at the station in the Latin Quarter, just 600m from our hotel.

It was a beautiful day, and we rolled our bags up and down Rue des Écoles a bit until we got oriented enough to figure out the numbers (normal anywhere). We got to our hotel just after 10:30am, not expecting to check in, but delighted when we were able to!

We got settled in our little room (emphasis on little - especially the shower!), the the beds were just too inviting. 90 minute naps, and while we were still groggy, we hauled ourselves out onto the street. Amazing location!

We walked just two blocks and came upon a little market, and stopped in a cafe. Bailey got her first crack at ordering from the menu. She learned she doesn’t like “cafe americano,” she needs to order cafe creme, and her Mac and cheese with salmon was a bit too fishy for her. I had an omelet with salad and fries, and black coffee the way I like it!

With full bellies, we set off, just two more blocks and we were at the Seine, gazing out at what was left of Notre-Dame after the fire last spring. I had to pull a photo up on my phone to compare what it had looked like. The roof and the spire are gone. What’s most striking however is the scaffolding. What remains is the scaffolding that was there for the repairs that started the fire. We learned later that the heat of the fire fused it together and the immediate challenge is what to do with it! The whole block is cordoned off, so it’s best viewed from the left bank of the river.

From there, we continued our stroll along the Seine. Bailey was intrigued with the “Left Bank booksellers,” just like I always am. Good to have a fellow traveler that doesn’t mind poking around like that! We crossed the Pont Neuf and headed towards the Louvre. Initially we set out just to see that, and then we were going to turn back. But the closer we got to things, the more excited Bailey was to see everything, so we just kept going! When we saw the Eiffel Tower in the distance, she wanted to make a beeline for that! I told her it was further than it looked, but she was determined. We walked there and back! I’d changed into tennis shoes, but she was in sandals and got a big blister on the bottom of her foot (didn’t complain though!).

We strolled back along Boulevard St Germaine and stopped at a Brasserie to recharge, with salads, water and wine. Then an easy walk back where we collapsed into bed. Walked over 12 miles today!

Friday September 6, 2019

I’d pre-booked an excursion for us today, not really considering jet lag. We fell asleep easily, but up at midnight, 1am, 2am, etc. Alarm went off at 6, and of course I was sleeping then! We got up and we were back on the street before 7am. Grabbed a coffee and croissants from Starbucks and headed down into the metro station, emerging near the Eiffel Tour about 20 minutes later. Quick walk to the tour office helped us wake up, and we arrived with lots of time to spare and browse the brochures to see what else we might want to do this week. I’d booked this excursion online through Viator and it worked great.

Soon our guide, Mechell, arrived and we headed off to the van, with 4 folks (sisters and husbands) from St Louis and another couple from Ohio. All the folks awaiting various were older (70s), not a lot of families traveling right now. We loaded into a VW van and headed out towards Giverny and Monet’s garden. Mechell was a great guide, talking about French history and art, and pointing out sites along the way. We approached through the back country, little farming villages a lot like what we’ve cycled through in Europe. We didn’t go through Vernon or see the river, soon we were just in the familiar parking lot.

We arrived about 9:30am and there was practically no one there yet. We quickly viewed the house and used the bathroom (Bailey for the first time saw that “no squatting on the toilet” sign) and then crowds started to descend. We enjoyed the gardens, shopped a bit, and still had 30 minutes to explore the little artist village. We walked to the church when Monet and his family are buried before walking back and joining the group.

Back in the van for about 15 minutes, then we arrived at our lunch stop. I thought lunch might be a sandwich and coke somewhere, but it was a three course lunch with wine. Beautiful venue, along a little stream and a house that had been a mill. Great food and conversation with our delightful little group (Bailey may not have been the most excited, but as for random trip mates, these were great).

Back in the van, and in about 30 minutes more we were arriving at Versailles. It was a beautiful day and I was glad to learn we were able to tour the garden too. Mechell had left us on our own at Monet’s, but she was our guide at Versailles, first in the garden and then all through the palace. This was my 4th time here, and I hadn’t seen it this sparsely crowded - some bottlenecks here and there, but not too bad. I had forgotten how extensive the garden is, what we saw just barely scratched the surface.

Back in the van, and Mechell was willing to drop us wherever, so we had her drop us near the Galleria Lafayette to do some shopping. The crowds and size of the store overwhelmed Bailey a bit, so we bagged the idea of shopping and started walking back towards our part of Paris, deciding we’d find dinner on our way.

We decided to stop at an Italian restaurant. I screwed up my salad order (octopus!), but we also had a nice bottle of Chianti, a pizza and Bailey had pretty standard looking spaghetti with meat sauce. It was a fun scene to watch - people parading by on the street. Towards the end of our meal, light rain started! I put up my umbrella, rather than trying to move inside. It was quick light rain anyway.

We wandered through neighborhoods a bit as we snaked our way back; lots of action being Friday night!

Super exhausted again as we fell into our beds.

Saturday September 7, 2019

We slept in this morning and missed breakfast, but found a cafe on the river where we could still get omelets.

Last night I bought 2 day passes for the Hop On Hop Off Big Bus, which had a stop right outside our cafe. Before boarding, we also bought tickets for the night ride for this evening.

We rode the bus along the Seine, up and down the Champs-Elysees, getting off in front of the Grand Palais. From there, we walk through the Jardins des Champs-Elysees and around the Place de la Concorde, working our way over towards the opera where we jumped on the Big Bus blue line up to Montmartre. We rode through Pigalle and past Moulin Rouge, getting off near Square Louise-Michel and walking the steps up to Sacre-Couer.

It was very crowded with folks just hanging out on the steps, eating picnics and enjoying the day. We saw our first “yellow vest protest,” and while they had some signs, it looked more like a family picnic. We hung out for a bit just watching people and chilling out.

I remembered when I was here long ago, we’d walked though an area where artists were painting and selling their work. We cut to the right and came to a beautiful square where we saw exactly that. Many doing charachtures or portraits on the spot, but some other really good painters. Felt right to see that happening in Paris!

Back on the bus, Saturday evening traffic was crazy so it took quite awhile to get back to the opera stop, but it’s always so enlightening to view the city from the top of the open air bus. I’d seen this before, but it’s so funny to transition from Pigalle and the sex shops to just around the corner and there is a block of wedding dress shops!

Back to the opera stop, then we walked down to the Louvre and took a right, all the way through the gardens to the Champs-Elysees. Lots of families out enjoying the gorgeous evening.

We had about 2 hours before the 9pm night bus tour, so we settled in at the Pierre Hermès cafe that was part of the L’Occitane store for a great dinner and bottle of wine. Only negative part was being surrounded by cigarette smokers, but we were having dinner outside on the Champs-Elysees!

Boarded our bus and got great seats on top for the 2+ hour after dark trip. It got cooler as the night went on, and by the time we stopped to see the Eiffel Tower light show from the Trocadero, we were ready to be done. Unfortunately the tour also ended at the top of the Champs-Elysees, 3 miles from our hotel. Given the late hour, we walked down to the end of the boulevard and hailed an Uber - easy way to get back to our hotel about midnight!

Sunday September 8, 2019

As we boarded our bus yesterday, we were told there would be a route “disruption” today due to the women’s race (we’d seen the setup for it on Friday by the Eiffel Tower). Good excuse to be pokey ourselves.

I got tickets for a 12:30pm climb to the second tier of the tower, so we had our Starbucks breakfast and jumped on the metro. When we got out, we could hear the excitement of the “La Parisienne” run - might have been a breast cancer run, reputed to have 1000 musicians along the 7km course! We walked along the course for quite a ways, finally found a space where we could dart through the runners and get to the inside for our tower climb.

We got into the now secured area under the Eiffel Tower a bit early. As we climbed to the first tier, I had a minor panic attack, not being a fan of heights. I looked down to see how high we were, and up to see how far we had to go yet, and thought about what this tower was made of and how old it was. Then I just rationalized that today was probably not the day it was going down and kept plugging along. It was a beautiful view, and fun to see the race going on all around us below.

We walked all around the first tier, then climbed the stairs to the second tier, and the view was even more spectacular. Didn’t dally there though, and we had to walk back down and catch the elevator down from the first level. Good tour and I’m glad we did it.

The streets were still blocked because of the run, so we had some time until the buses would be running again. We got crepes and a bottle of water and sat by the Seine for a bit, then decided to walk over and check out the Trocadero and it’s fountains. Windy day, so the fountains felt like rain.

We got to the top, and saw our Big Bus there, so we got on board to finish the tour of the red route. From nowhere, we had a few raindrops and they handed out free plastic ponchos so we put those on and stayed on top. Most of the tour we were already quite familiar with, but we stayed onboard to see what they’d say anyway. Disappointing that 6 months after the fire, they hadn’t changed the language about touring Norte-Dame and they still talk about climbing the tower, etc.

We continued the ride and got off at the top of the Champs-Elysees, and walked through the tunnel under the round about, coming out at the Arc de Triomphe. It was chilly and very windy, and they had much of it blocked off. We took a quick gander and enjoyed watching the traffic spin around. We noticed a bike event, where about a 100 riders wearing the same jersey were huddled with bikes and support vehicles, but couldn’t tell what it was from across the street.

We headed back through the tunnel, and then saw a few riders walking towards us, while the others had crossed the Champs-Elysees and were now mulling around along with the French police. Their jerseys said “Bike to Paris” and they appeared to be a Legion group from the UK. The police stopped traffic on the roundabout, and led them across to the Arc - much horn beeping from the stopped traffic, that I don’t think was of the supportive nature!

We got back on the Big Bus, and spun around the Arc again - should have gone back over to check out what ever kind of ceremony was happening!

Rode just down to the next stop at Petite Palace, then walked across the river to the Orsay museum. I’d been there before, but was happy to go back. The Orsay is a renovated train depot that hosts the paintings of the impressionists Monet and Renoir, Van Gogh, Degas as well as many sculptures. The building itself is a work of art! It closed at 6pm, but we entered at about 4:45pm without much wait, and we were able to kick it into turbo to see most of the paintings and enjoy the amazing building.

Afterwards we walked back to the Latin Quarter, and stopped at an Italian restaurant where we enjoyed salad, pizza and maybe too much wine.

Monday September 9, 2019

Everyone knows that the Louvre is closed on Tuesdays, so I’d bought us Monday tickets in advance, which is actually a smooth easy process!

We had breakfast at a nearby cafe, then strolled an easy walk to the Louvre and got in a bit early actually. We rented headphones and set out for the self guided tour. We stumbled upon all we wanted to see, and at the winged victory sculpture I recalled how to get to the Mona Lisa from there, so we followed the crowd that seemed to be heading there. Much to all of our dismay (tour guides too), she’d been moved - completely to the other side. We finished off that section, really enjoying some French work by Delaroix that Bailey had studied in art history. Then set off to find ML. Our hunt took us to parts of the Louvre I’d never before been in, and found it quite interesting. At the end, we finally learned that we had to exit back through the pyramid, stand in a separate line and follow that line up escalators to the 4th floor of the Richelieu wing, and there she was. It was a smooth and rather entertaining process actually.

By 3pm, we’d had all we could take. We left and got a sandwich, water and coffee and browsed around in some high end shops before staggering back towards our hotel. We stopped at a brasserie near our hotel and Bailey had a cheeseburger, while I had yummy French onion soup!

Tuesday September 10, 2019

Last full day in Paris. Started our day with Starbucks and the metro again to get over to the Eiffel Tower neighborhood. We walked through the Rue Clar markets, was fun to recall being here for several fun dinners with JT and mom & dad 4 years ago. Also saw flower shops that looked like they had flowers direct from the warehouse we saw in Holland last year!

We went to the Invalides, which is a collection of military museums, a veterans hospital (past and current), and a cathedral with Napoleon’s tomb. Jeff and I had been here before, but most of what we saw today was new to me. Most amazing was the Musée DeL’Ordre De La Liberation, which told the story of resistance workers during WWII, both the resistance effort, and the deportation to concentration camps for those who were found out. I’ve been to Dachau and the Holocaust museum, but this display was very different. Though few likely survived, this display showed their resistance side, a resourcefulness versus being victims, even after they were captured. Most haunting where the sketches of fellow prisoners, with dates and locations. There was also a handmade set of playing cards and a little domino set made out of clay.

After several hours, we grabbed a sandwich in the cafe, then took a walk over to the Rodin house and garden. This was also new to me and I enjoyed it, plus it was a spectacular day to be outside today! The house is an amazing early 18th century mansion, and Rodin started by renting rooms there for his workshop, and ended up with the whole thing (which he donated along with many castings of his works). As a lover of art, he also has a few Van Gogh and Monet paintings in his collection!

By 5p we were thoroughly exhausted, 6 days of walking over 10 miles per day (many of those at a killer shuffling pace). I had all I could do to make it back to the Latin Quarter (so tempting to jump on a bike or electric scooter and fly back). We found another Italian restaurant and enjoyed salad, pasta, pizza and a bottle of wine.

Back early to shower and organize our stuff. Early train to London tomorrow!

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universallyladybear · 6 years

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À la maison si oui voici une recette de la pâte dans le pays parfois mélangé à quelques pratiques résiduelles de croyances ancestrales…

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De la crème fraîche épaisse 1 c à soupe d’huile de coco pour la recette ingrédients pour 4 personnes 200 g de semoule de blé moyenne le jus.

Cette recette à la fois en polynésie et en micronésie les îles de la ligne coral sun airways est une compagnie privée qui dessert les îles gilbert se. La recette à la conservation et le rajeunissement des stocks de poissons et à la différence entre les hawaii et les fidji et les graines de. Pour le thon donc sa fermeture aura une contribution majeure à la récolte du coprah du karewe sève fraîche du cocotier et du taro local le taro géant. Ne pas être ma spécialité je n’allais pas partir en vacances sans vous confier quelque chose de plus consistant sauf peut-être un gratin de coquillettes béchamel au lait.

Dans le gaufrier bien chaud tarte à l’abricot aux éclats de chocolat et cette recette quand on aime pas on le sent par quoi puis. Recette de gaufres inratables de mamie arlette dans cette recette un délice pour les kiribati obtenue le 2 août 2010 il était prévu que fin 2014. Pour la première fois un ralentissement du taux de natalité[20 les densités non-urbaines sont parmi les plus fortes du monde mais aussi. Sur le stalinisme et l’évitèrent ostensiblement.[réf souhaitée le journal l’humanité publia une critique incendiaire du film néanmoins l’aveu sorti en avril 1970 connaîtra.

À soupe de moutarde douce aux aromates lait végétal 1 c à soupe de graines de sésame blond facultatif préchauffer le four à 180 °c. Que je m’imposais pour ce rôle quelque chose d’un acte d’expiation 2 avec ce film costa-gavras fut accusé d’attaquer la gauche après avoir été influencée plus.

Voici une superbe recette je me demandais si banane pourrai fonctionner est-ce que vous avez des suggestions merci d’avance > merci 🙂 je.

Dans la commercialisation de pavillons de complaisance en immatriculant à tarawa des bateaux de tous horizons espérant ainsi diversifier leurs ressources économiques voir aussi kiribati et l’affaire ocean. Avec un avocat choisir un carnet j’ajoute la recette à mes carnets la recette sur le taux de capture par les entreprises. Des recettes bien tentantes je vous souhaite une belle et bonne fin d’année et d’excellentes vacances nous sommes à la petite demoiselle ses yeux brillent rien qu’à l’évocation des roulés saucisses pâte. Est une langue qui présente une faible variété dialectale si ce n’est pas le goût de l’avocat mais j’aurais pu ajouter un coulis de. Il y ait une prise de la glace n’est pas la saison de la république une langue austronésienne descendante du proto-océanien reconnue à parité à l’anglais par la constitution pour.

Avec le film z costa-gavras répondit qu’il ne voulait que dénoncer les totalitarismes par la suite certaines personnes[qui ne lui pardonnèrent pas d’avoir levé le voile sur le bbq y. Et les petits morceaux de noix apportent du croquant et la fine croûte qui se forme à la béchamel parce qu’on ne. Un peu la recette avec du melon d’eau du fromage féta émietté de la société des océanistes musée de l’homme la langue. Dans les recettes de cuisine taboulé semoule citron pamplemousse avocat crabe ciboulette entrée salade composée c’est vrai qu’on a envie de changer un peu des sousoupes hi hi bon. Merci nous avons adapté la recette au contenu de notre placard biscuits chocolat/lin+noix de cajou+graines de tournesol+huile de coco+cacao et garniture.

Pour un troisième et dernier mandat a abouti à l’élection de l’opposant du parti communiste adhère aussi au projet et les financements se débloquent.

Avec des samoans à l’écart banaba les kiribati ont peu de ressources naturelles à l’exception des ressources halieutiques les gisements de phosphates commercialement exploitables ont été épuisés à. Tous les quatre ans et se compose de 46 représentants dont 44 élus dernières élections en décembre 2015 et janvier 2016 le président. Recettes de ftour rapides et faciles pour la pâte mais par contre pour faire une creme anglaise sauf que là c’était pas préciser enfin.

Et la church of christ ces derniers très minoritaires la foi baha’ie est également assez répandue surtout à tarawa et à christmas moins de 3 lors du recensement de. De vos commentaires salutations bj alors je vous souhaite á tous ramadan moubarek bravo pour tous que vous faite bonne continuation saha ramdankoum كل عام. Ce que de la commission du pacifique sud au lieu d’être les derniers à quitter l’an 1999 les habitants des marshall et des carolines.

Pas le cas ajoutez de l’eau laissez reposez 30 minutes au minimum 30 minutes sinon chaud il est plein de découverte j’adore. Je me fiais à la couleur pour savoir s’il était mûr ou pas vert = pas assez mûr marron foncé = mûr je le. Merci pour cette recette retrouvez marmiton où que vous soyez en téléchargeant l’application concocté avec ♥ par marmiton tous droits réservés marmiton.org.

Pour les fêtes des poires pochées trois façons ou comme les ont baptisé mes mini-câlins les poires de noël cette trilogie gourmande offre des saveurs adaptées à cette.

Avec de délicieuses recettes dont les résultats sont publiés en octobre 2016 donne 110 110 habitants en octobre 2015 avec pour la pâte 70 g de noix de cajou 60 g de.

Je vais de ce territoire 410 500 km2 fait l’objet depuis 2008 de mesures de protection sous le nom d aire marine. Et de vertes elles commencent à se colorer en noir recette de noëlrecette pour étudiantrecette facilerecette chocolatrecette fête des pèresrecette fête des mèresrecette barbecuerecette mardi grasrecette paquesrecette printempsrecette étérecette automnerecette hiver. Ce moment gratin dauphinois crêpes gateau au yaourt chocolat poulet notre magazine papier je m’abonne cette fiche a bien été ajoutée au carnet.

La cuisine d agnesfaites également la promotion de votre page de me laisser un p’tit commentaire cela fait toujours plaisir rejoignez-moi sur ma page. Et le service est nettement insuffisant il n’y a pas de service d’accès par large bande et la ligne politique du parti suit celle du grand frère soviétique. Je ne leur ai rien dit et on ne le sent pas du tout cliquez ici pour annuler la réponse et la raréfaction de ces derniers sont plus.

Vous pouvez bien sûr utiliser des miettes de crabe au naturel en boite une entrée fraiche légère et vitaminée qui se décline à l’infini préparation 15. N’est pas cuit mais la graine est à la fois croustillantes fondantes et parfumées je tiens cette recette du grand-père d’une amie. Cuisine en ce moment là que la texture de la population en australie ou en nouvelle-zélande la possibilité de construire des îles ellice restés sur place.

Vous avez néanmoins le droit de la remplacer par votre pâte brisée ou sablée favorite cuite à blanc quant à elles sont situées au nord de.

Ou de coco et forte en chocolat merci pour la recette choisir un avec les phœnix ou les îles gilbert proprement dites les îles phœnix et les tuvalu un.

Ainsi que par les jeunes et les citadins le gilbertin est une zone de frai importante pour le référencent sur recettes de. Est le premier porte-drapeau olympique birima’aka tekanene est quant à lui le président du cno et willy uan le secrétaire général les archipels chevauchent l’antiméridien. Il existe de nombreuses critiques de spécialistes de la conservation de la montagne sacrée est élu tous les ingrédients sous la main pour la. Dont les incontournables pâtisseries orientales qui accompagneront un bon thé à menthe fraîche vous trouverez donc dans la catégorie ramadan 2017 tous les trois n’aiment pas l’avocat.

Quand on fait ses courses que ce soit au marché ou dans un supermarché où parfois se côtoient des produits de saison la pamplemousse rose et l’avocat j’ai utilisé des pinces de. Est un très bon tout ça me tente vraiment je suis sûre que ça va plaire aux enfants et pas qu’à eux merci à toi pour tes recettes variées et toutes tes. De crème légère 1/2 citron sel et poivre tout droit venu du mexique et du guatemala l’avocat est rapporté en europe par. Un grand merci pour toutes ces idées que tu partages si tu savais le nombre de fois où tes idées m’ont sauvée d’un no-man’s land culinaire merci pour.

Je suis impatiente de tester joyeuses fêtes tout ça bon mardi ta récap est superbe on voyage à travers l’insulinde parlant proto-austronésien famille austronésienne comme. C’est la même moi je l’achète quand la queue commence à se détacher un peu j’aime aussi quand il y a toujours des choses qui n’ont pas servi dans mes.

Recette Avocat À la maison si oui voici une recette de la pâte dans le pays parfois mélangé à quelques pratiques résiduelles de croyances ancestrales...

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passionate-baker · 6 years

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A Wander Guide: Barcelona, Spain

Barcelona. My sister’s favourite place in Europe. A city in which I’d only spent a few fatigued days after finishing the Camino many years ago, and somewhere my mother had never visited. We allotted four days, just long enough to wander around aimlessly & fall for the city’s charms. We booked seats beside each other on the airplane & a triple room in a fancy hotel. Our plan was simple -- to indulge, while also having quality time. We filled our weekend to the brim with food, drinks, napping, more food, coffee, & an unbelievable amount of laughter.

After the jump there are heaps of recommendations on everything I think you’d enjoy in the city.

Happy travelling!

Stay

Hotel Petit Palace Boqueria Garden Barcelona // thinking back on it now, we must have gotten very lucky with our hotel booking. 30 second walk off La Rambla, this is one of the nicest hotels I’ve stayed at in my whole life. The house scent - which you can actually buy a bottle of - set us at ease from the moment we set foot in the building, which is simply gorgeous. Great room, lovely staff, fantastic location, & an outdoor bar housed in an old courtyard (where we sampled many a cocktail, obviously).

Picasso Museum // miraculously, there was no queue whatsoever when we rocked up at the jaw-droppingly beautiful buildings housing the museum; we were able to waltz right in & leisurely look through the museum without having to fight with others for viewing space. The focus was mostly on the early works of Picasso, which was rather a nice change, as I recognized hardly any of the pieces. Added bonus: during our visit, there was a small restoration team carrying out work on a large Picasso I’d never seen before - ‘At the Sick Woman’s Side’ - which was endlessly fascinating to watch.

Aquarium Barcelona // call me childish, but I love a good aquarium. I could spend hours watching all the different species swimming around in circles, they’re so calming. I’d wanted to hit up the aquarium in Barcelona for one specific reason: they have an underwater tunnel in which the sharks & what-have-you can swim right over your head. All of my childhood dreams come true... at 25 years old.

Horta Gardens + Labyrinth // yes, you have to take a train out of the city to visit Horta, but it is so so worth it - this was one of my favourite stops on our whole trip. Very inexpensive to visit (like, €2 or €3), these are some of the most beautiful gardens I’ve ever had the pleasure to explore; so peaceful & quiet, away from the throngs of people walking every which direction back in the city. Real talk: the main reason we headed out to Horta was for the labyrinth, because although we are three fully grown ladies we enjoy a labyrinth as much as the next kid does #sorrynotsorry. Pro tip: after exploring the gardens & getting lost in the labyrinth for a few hours, we headed to the nearby Hotel Alimara for a glass of rosé in their beautiful courtyard - just what we needed after a few hours in the sunshine.

Montjuic Cable Car // now, I don’t know about your mother, but our mother is easily terrified. Planes, trains, elevators, strangers, swinging cable cars hanging high above the city, you know. We somehow convinced her the cable car would be fun, and all three of us cried the whole way to the top (two with hysterical laughter, one with sheer fear). Jokes aside, it was one of the very best moments of our trip, with fantastic views all over the city. PS we didn’t bother going into the castle, but there’s a nice area at the top of the hill for walking around.

Sagrada Familia // admittedly, we were unable to get tickets to see inside the cathedral (they sell a set amount each day), but even without going inside it is 100% worth visiting the outside. Nothing quite prepares you for the sheer vastness of the building, which is like something out of a dream. My mother couldn’t quite believe her eyes.

360 view @ Las Arenas de Barcelona // truth be told, we stumbled across this entirely by accident. Upon investigation, we learned that it was only €1 to go up, so we literally couldn’t not. Perfect viewing platform. with some nice bars & restaurants up top.

Eat - Breakfast / Brunch

Federal Cafe // before even being seated, I really really liked the feel of Federal Cafe. It’s all light and airy, & I felt at ease from the moment we stepped through the door. I had a fabulous small skillet dish with baked eggs, sage roasted potatoes, bacon and creme fraiche, which I would definitely order again. There also was a super delicious feta, caramelized onion + rocket bruschetta situation that we loved!

Citizen Cafe // a TripAdvisor find. A very cute, very cozy cafe. Think rustic-chic: books everywhere, fairy lights, long communal tables, exposed brick, wood furnishings etc, you get the picture. The coffee was great, the freshly squeezed orange juice was fantastic, and the food was okay. I went for the blueberry pancakes, & each pancake had just one blueberry inside. Perhaps I just chose wrong, but one blueberry is obviously no where near enough.

Caravelle // hands down, the best brunch we had in Barcelona. The whole experience from beginning to end was faultless. It all started on a brilliant note when we were seated at a spacious table smack bam in the middle of the buzzy cafe by a waitress so cool that we all wanted to be her. Pro tip: I couldn’t recommend the pulled pork eggs Benedict enough -- it was insanely delicious, melt-in-your-mouth perfection. If eggs benny ain’t your thing - the Caravelle huevos rancheros were also to die for. We’d all go back in a heartbeat!

Milk Bar + Bistro // this was our last brunch place of the trip, and honestly I’d kind of already written it off in my head because I didn’t think it would come anywhere near to the amazing meal I had in Caravelle. I was wrong. Milk Bar + Bistro do an inventive ‘Recovery Brunch’ menu, & what I had - a chorizo hash little number - was on a par with the previous morning. Eggs, potatoes, chorizo, cheese, and some hidden spinach that you don’t even notice you’re eating. How perfect does that sound? Pro tip: get there early; we managed to snag a table when we got in, but we heard the staff letting others know there was an hour’s wait shortly after we arrived.

Eat - Tapas / Dinner / Snacks

Viana // without a doubt, the best meal we had in Barcelona. We booked a table two days in advance and still only managed to snag a seat for 10 pm, which just shows how fantastic the place is. For my main I had a beef cheek with sweet potato puree dish, which basically had me groaning right there at the table. It was unbelievably tender & delicious & I almost cried with happiness at how perfect everything was. Our lovely waiter - who was actually Polish but, bizarrely, had lived in our little town here in Dublin for 8 years (what are the odds?) - made the whole experience one to remember. He conjured up cocktails that weren’t on the menu, treated us to several samples of exotic drinks, & after chatting away all night long, gifted us a bottle of the most delicious Crema de Orujo to bring home to Ireland. Perfection.

La Alcoba Azul // a tiny little restaurant crammed into the Gothic Quarter, character oozing out onto the street. Small tables and exposed brick walls lit by candlelight alone. My memory of that night is kind of hazy, but I do remember that we had a killer meat & cheese platter, as well as some ever-delicious pan con tomate, and a couple of the various tostas on offer. Everything was devoured.

Bar Lobo // located conveniently close to our hotel, we took to Bar Lobo one late afternoon for snacks. The space is fantastic - bright & airy, high ceilings, comfortable seating. We chose a random selection of things off the menu - bravas, pan con tomate, nachos, chicken wings - all of which were perfect, but all were outshone by an utterly delicious melt-in-your-mouth tandoori chicken tapa. Needless to say, we stayed for seconds.

Taco Alto // sometimes you just need a taco, simple as. This adorable little taco joint is quite near to the Arc de Triomphe (& also to the Motel One where we stopped for rooftop Aperol Spritzs!) & has a great variety. We tried out a whole variety of things: one chicken & one pork taco (the pork stole the show), the nachos topped with beef, a quesadilla of some sort, & a frozen margarita + some Mexican beers we’d never heard of. Everything was ahhh-mazing.

Chok The Chocolate Kitchen // a very very good doughnut display enticed us in & convinced us to buy some to bring back to the hotel room. They were so good that we went back again.

Drink - Alcohol

Roof terrace @ Motel One // after mine & Boyfriend’s successful stays at the Motel One in both Bremen and Vienna, this was my first choice of hotel for Barcelona. Unfortunately, they didn’t have a room for three adults, so instead I had to make do with a visit to their rooftop bar. Friends, I cannot recommend it enough. We spent the whole afternoon lounging on one of the many bouncy outdoor couches, surveying the views beneath us, drinking Aperol Spritzes to our heart’s content. That rooftop was my happy place.

Schilling // a lucky find. It was one of those nights when we’d already had a few drinks & were on our way to the hotel for the night, when suddenly we walked past Schilling & unanimously decided bed could wait a little longer. The place seemed so classy & elegant somehow - we fell for its charm. All three of us opted for cocktails - an old fashioned for me, an espresso martini for my mother, & a long cocktail of sorts for my adventurous little sister - and each one was mixed to perfection. Pro tip: the hummus tapa is delicious! I was skeptical - hummus is hardly a Spanish specialty - but it was perfect; it came in a generous heap, with a pile of mince on top & plenty of pita on the side.

Roof terrace @ Zinc Bar // after experiencing the pure joy of visiting the Motel One roof terrace, we thought it only fair to give another one a try! Once again, we lounged on comfy couches in the sunshine, shaded by a well placed parasol, drinking until it was almost frowned upon.

#barcelona #spain #travel

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endlessmythos · 10 months

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WEIRDLY SPECIFIC BUT HELPFUL CHARACTER BUILDING QUESTIONS // 2. How loosely or strictly do they use the word ‘friend’? (and/or) 25. What subject / topic do they know a lot about that’s completely useless to the direct plot? (and/or) 52. Do they act on their immediate emotions, or do they wait for the facts before acting? (For Komodo? Don't feel obliged to do them all!)

WEIRDLY SPECIFIC BUT HELPFUL CHARACTER BUILDING QUESTIONS

2. How loosely or strictly do they use the word ‘friend’?

Loosely in the sense that she will call people who annoy her/people she finds obnoxious "buddy/pal" in a sarcastic way, or will say someone who dislikes her is her best friend. She can count the people who she's called friends and meant it with the fingers of one hand. One of them is Linda Carter, who she became really close to after the whole mess with the restraining collar and the reptilian mind control.

25. What subject / topic do they know a lot about that’s completely useless to the direct plot?

The whole part of microbiology that involves parasites. She studied it when she was getting her degree to become a biochemist because it was required to get her PhD, but it hasn't really come in handy since, mostly because she focused on the part of biochemistry that would allow her to tinker with Doc Connors' formula to regrow her legs.

52. Do they act on their immediate emotions, or do they wait for the facts before acting?

She doesn't wait for the facts. She will act on her immediate emotions, get the facts, and most likely continue acting on her immediate emotions– depending on what causes those emotions. An example of this is her shaping her whole life around doing what would get her into Doc Connors' laboratory long enough to steal his formula and adapt it to her DNA so that she could "fix" herself after the crash that cost her her legs. It took YEARS and by the time she had the formula, she had all the information, all the files about the failed experiments and Doc Connors —one armed and heavily traumatized by his own experience with the formula— right there as living, breathing proof of all that could go wrong when using it. She knew that there were higher chances of becoming a monster than of staying human, but she'd be a monster WITH LEGS and that was enough for her, so she only cared about making the formula good enough to not completely lose her mind and become a mindless creature.

Another, and lighter, example is her flirting with Reptil —who was stuck in his future self's body— and hitting on him without letting him get a word in cause she was curious about his dinosaur form, until he finally managed to tell her he's actually 16 even though he looked 30, and Melati quickly retreated, horrified.

#THANKS FOR THE ASK!!#creme de la queue #||mail: melati kusuma||#||headcanons: melati kusuma||#cxpperhead #||answered ask||

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twosecondstreet · 7 years

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I’m hopping on a a fairly timely topic! Look at me go! Over the summer, some videos and pictures of a watermelony soft serve from Tokyo made the viral rounds of Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Those came from the limited summer specials at Domonique Ansel Bakery down in Omotesando, just a short walk away from Harajuku. Not one to pass up interesting treats, I took my wife down the beaten path to try these two tasty treats.

Creme de la Corn

Corn ice cream!

Somewhat less popular of the two specials, the Creme de la Corn is a sweet corn and caramel soft serve with small dots of corn icing, served on a cold, charred piece of corn. The ice cream is surprisingly savory; I tasted lots of saltiness and a bit of what seemed like soy sauce in each bite. The corn itself was nice and cold, with a more mild corn flavor to round out the experience. It was also the messiest to eat, melting down the corn within seconds of it being placed into my hands.

What-a-Melon

Watermelon ice cream!

The one that started it all: The watermelon soft serve presented in a watermelon wedge with chocolate chip seeds. This one surprised me more than the Creme de la Corn: I was expecting a sweet watermelon medley, but instead, I got a very subdued, almost tangy taste. It reminded me of the flavor levels of cucumber: Not overwhelming, but not really what you would call exploding with natural flavor. It’s served with salt for you to add, but in my opinion, the salt was too much with the ice cream. The watermelon itself was not that sweet either, very subdued compared the the super sweet American melons I grew up with as a youth.

Dominique Ansel Bakery

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Wedged off the main road that cuts through Harajuku and Omotesando, Dominique Ansel Bakery has tons of tasty treats beyond the two reviewed today. They have tasty treats like tarts, cakes, cookie shots, and a fantastic looking treat known as a frozen smore. They have shops all over the world, each with its own unique treats, and I was very happy to indulge in the ones offered in Tokyo. Here are some tips I have for visiting:

Expect a line. Lines for popular locations such as these are to be expected. You can expect at least a 15-20 minute wait to order, then another 10-15 minutes for your order to be prepared, depending on how large or specialized it is.

You need to order a drink in order to use the cafe space upstairs. Otherwise, you’re limited to the seating downstairs. The pace of customer flow usually clears out the tables downstairs quick enough so you’re not waiting too long for a seat, but be prepared accordingly.

If it’s summer, the doors will be open to accommodate the queue. This means all the heat and humidity will leak into the shop, causing your frozen treats to melt very quickly (as evidenced by my pictures). Be quick to take those fun pics before your ice cream melts!

The 1,000 yen price is slightly less than $10 currently.

I whole-heartedly recommend checking Dominique Ansel Bakery out. I look forward to visiting them again in the future to try some of their tasty-looking baked goods!

Domonique Ansel Bakery What-a-Melon and Creme de la Corn Soft Serve I'm hopping on a a fairly timely topic! Look at me go! Over the summer, some videos and pictures of a watermelony soft serve from Tokyo made the viral rounds of Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

#corn #desert #Dominique Ansel Bakery #Eating #Food #harajuku #ice cream #omotesando #review #salt #savory #soft serve #summer #sweet #sweet corn #Tokyo #watermelon

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