Montmartre by Night

After a fantastic dinner at the south west of Paris, with our palette satisfied and stomach full, it was just not feeling right to go back to hotel on a Friday evening. We were debating if we should head to the city center or heading to somewhere else. Since I never been to Montmartre at night, I suggested going there....

The oldest windmill in Montmartre

On the top of the hill is Sacr� Coure - The sacred heart church standing mightily at night.

It was very crowded and touristic with diners and tourists enjoying the rather warm night. The artists also working very hard at night trying to sketch for tourists

The view of Paris city from Sacr� Coure, as you can see people are everywhere in Paris, day and night.

For now bonsoir from Paris!

Jardin du Luxembourg

Day 2 in Paris, it is a bit deceiving because the color and the sunshine tell us it is a summer day as if summer has arrived in Paris.

As we approaching the Jardin du Luxembourg, I saw this rather lavish bushes with a statue, very spring and summery green accompanying the sculpture.

Looks like we are not alone here, everyone came here for the same reasons

While Johannes enjoying a bit of sun tanning cum relaxation reading

I closed my eyes and allow the sun to kiss my face and hey the sky is crystal blue, no cloud at all, occasional breeze reminds me that it is still spring as it feels like air conditioning is switched on... and of course the dust reminds me that I am still in Paris city

I also enjoying a bit of sun tanning, people watching and day dreaming at the park together with the locals and foreigners alike

And finally when we have enough of sun and dust, we left the park, on our way out of the park, we stopped by this very Romanesque fountain...

Gallieria - Paris Fashion Museum

Still about yesterday in Paris....

We took our time to soak in the atmosphere of Paris at the compound of Gallieria

also known as Mus�e De La Mode De La Ville De Paris

This giant poster speaks for itself

It was quite still when we were there, everyone either lying on the grass chatting quietly in the group or like us, sitting on the bank and resting escaping the noisy traffic on the main boulevards or avenues...

or making self photo shot like this :)

Salon de The Carette

Bonjour again

It was rather busy when we arrived, but we still manage to get the seats without waiting

I was stalking the waitress and the colorful macarons

Our afternoon tea, with silver tea and coffee pots and extra water for me to refill my tea.

Johannes' favorites, top with lavender, very delicate and delicious.

Mini macaron set of 5 - Purple (cassis), pink (rose), yellow (citroen), brown (caramel), red (strawberry). Each of them bring my taste bud to cloud 9, instead of butter cream, Carette uses the puree of the fruit which melt in my mouth like the fresh fruit and it was not sweet at all. The macarons drive my taste sensation almost crazy...

Delectable Plateau de Fruits de Mer

Restaurant La Coquille at �p�rnay, for seafood lovers, this is the right place to go...

My Kir Royale

Making his choice and decided on this...

Staring at the Plateau and thinking how to finish...

The cutlery we used (like the rustic colors)

The pile of shellfish...where to start emmmm....???

Take a close up look and decided to start with....

Oyster, what else? Fresh, soft, lightly salted sea water...yummy...

And then a clam

And then langoustines and then cockles and then shrimps...

Now let's tackle the big brown crab

Look at the crab egg, the crab meat is not great though, a bit too stiff

but it can be forgiven for the crab egg

Scrumptious crab egg, wash down with Kir Royale

After a l....o....n...g time of eating and we both were full..still a bit to tackle....

Ok...ok, I will try to finish off the oysters but still enough cockles and clams left untouched

And the empty shells... the waitress came round 3 times to empty it...

What else can I say.... no starter, no dessert but a rather high cholesterol but luscious, succulent meal that happen not too often...

Walked out totally filled and satisfied, and now walking towards Vincent Dallet's outlet...checking out the dessert

Het Zuid Experience

Instead of exploring the tourist spots of Antwerp, we opt for off the beaten track and head to area called 'Het Zuid'

. There are plenty of cafes, restaurants and also museums to soak in.

We first had our lunch at a bistro called Canal nearby the Modern Art Museum. The place already very crowded when we arrived, there is a terrace section but all occupied so we settled for a window seat inside.

I decided to start my day in style with bubbles. They actually poured my cava in Moet & Chandon glass as if I have ordered a glass of champagne.

Johannes decided to feast on Tuna steak which comes in a really huge portion with a bed of tomato under the tuna itself and the side dishes of potatoes and salad. What a feast for lunch.

I am absolutely happy with just a simple Chicken Ciabatta as I want to save some space for tea later.

In Search for Macaron

Yesterday 20^th March 2009 is Jour du Macaron in France. In search for macaron, I have gone that far to Antwerp today, just because I know a salon de thé that sells macarons in Antwerp and that is the closest to us.

These are pretty petit creatures that are hard to resist. Every bite that melts in my mouth is a complete indulgence, so crisps, so light and so pretty.

Eating macaron actually makes me feel sexy and no wonder thousands of French women fall in love with macaron.

Tell you more about the trip to Antwerp tomorrow. Good night!