For Bookworms and Brunch Lovers

One of my favourite cafés in my neighbourhood is Merci's Book Café (one of the three places you can eat in at this gorgeous retail concept).  They serve good organic things for brunch (like oeufs à la coque) and the place is packed floor to ceiling with second-hand books available for purchase.  Like everything at Merci, a percentage of all proceeds go to charity, financing education and development projects in Madagascar.

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Merci's Book Café
111 Boulevard Beaumarchais
73003 Paris, France
Tél : +33 (0) 1 42 77 00 33

Télescope Café: The Best Cheesecake in Paris

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to go to the lovely Télescope Café, located in the 1er arrondissement, with the ethereally beautiful harpist, Lauren, whom I had previously met at one of my Diners des 3 Découvertes.  I had heard that Télescope Café served the best cheesecake in Paris - and I can tell you that out of all the places I've had cheesecake at in Paris, this one took the gold medal for me!

Another favourite of mine?  All the gorgeous little owls sitting in the café - signs of good luck carved in wood, melded in metal, and sculpted in stone.  Owls and cheesecake - it can't get cosier than that.  :)

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Télescope Café
5 Rue Villedo 

75001 Paris
Tél : +33 (0) 1 42 61 33 14

Eiffel Tower Tuesday no. 56: Finding Me, Myself and I

Image by Kelly

I've alluded several times to the feeling that the first few months of winter in Paris this year were especially tough on me (here, here, and here) but I have always been slightly enigmatic about it.  I share a bit more about the journey I've taken during the colder season of 2013 (literally and figuratively) in my first article for HiP Paris.

A Daytrip to Ajaccio, Corsica

At the end of our tram ride across the lovely island of Corsica, the Mediterranean capital of Ajaccio welcomed a few girls from Paris.  The day started off a little grey and cloudy, but a quick visit to the town's main market quickly livened up our mood.  From fresh cuts of meats to delicious olives to as many spices as you could possibly imagine - all of the island's delicious produce, both local and imported, were there for us to see and eat.

Travelling by Tram Through Corsica

During one of the days in Corsica, a few of the girls and I took the lovely tram from Bastia, the main town in the north, to Ajaccio, the island's capital city in the south.  The tram (referred to as such given that there are only two cars) takes you through the entire landscape of the island, including through, over, and above the grandiose mountains for which Corsica is famous.  A one-way trip lasts 3 hours, but in return for your time, you get some of the most magnificent views.  The tram is also modern and equipped with AC, so it is quite a comfortable way to travel through the island.  For now, I leave you with some shots taken through the tram's glass windows.

Beach Love in Corsica

Here are a few shots from our sunniest day in Corsica, spent beachside at La Marana, ten minutes south of Bastia.  Being back at the office in cold and rainy Paris (and pulling the late nights that I've been doing lately) makes me miss all the warmth and sunshine that I had just a few days earlier.  

After all, I'm a Mediterranean child / tropical island girl.  I'm a beachside baby through and through!

Eiffel Tower Tuesday no. 55: Sparkle for Savannah

This snapshot of the sparkling Eiffel Tower was taken last night near midnight and sent to me by one of my best friends who lives on that side of town.  It was nice to get a little sparkle after a very, very long day in the office: I was just getting out when I received this shot.  Alas, it looks like a difficult week back at work, but little sparkles like this make my day!

To pay it forward this morning, I am sending a little sparkle to Savannah Martin, whose heartfelt and insightful response won her April's Giveaway!  Savannah, FYAM and I will send you an email shortly with the good news.  :)

Weekender: Bastia, Corsica, a Magical Slice of the Mediterranean

A trip to the magical Mediterranean island of Corsica definitely deserves more than a long weekend, but for those of you living in Paris or nearby, it is certainly doable!  I myself recently had the chance to spend several days in this gorgeous paradise with a great group of girlfriends and even a week would not have been enough to explore it.

For those of you unfamiliar with this island, let me just say one thing: Corsica is e-n-o-r-m-o-u-s.  Located west of Italy and southeast of the French mainland, it is 183km long at its longest and 83km at its widest, has a thousand kilometres of coastline, boasts more than 200 beaches, and (having formed through volcanic explosions) is the most mountainous island in the Mediterranean Sea.  To put it in terms of time: it takes 3 hours alone to take a train ride from the northern-most main town (Bastia) to the southern-most main town (Ajaccio).  That amount of time would easily get you from Paris to Provence. 

 

Given the length and width (and height!) of Corsica, I am dedicating this weekender to Bastia, the lesser lauded city on the island.  Much larger Ajaccio may have Napoleon's cradle, but Bastia, as Corsica's principal commercial town, boasts a beautiful port, is well-known for its wines, and has a unique character and charm that come from its diverse immigrant population (10% of Bastians are non-French).  Aside from the spell of the city itself, it is also just a car, bus, or train ride to other parts of Corsica, both near and far - making it an ideal island destination for a weekender! 

1 :: Where to Stay

One of the best things about Bastia, unlike Ajaccio, is its genuine lack of tourists.  It truly retains its local, untouched feel, despite being the principal port of Corsica.  The flip side of that, however, is that the hotel industry is far from fully developed.  That said, the type of people who come to Bastia are easy-going, adventurous, and drawn by what's outside in the streets rather than what's inside the buildings.  My main recommendation is that you stay close to the centre, for which there are numerous 3-star accommodations.  A good basic choice is Hôtel des Voyageurs, located on one of the main streets and close to the main plazas, the port, the tourist office, the tram station - not to mention the restaurants and cafés!  Its rooms can be a little cliché, but the service staff is lovely, the lounge is spacious and comfortable, and there's wifi!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all of the amazing women out there 

who inspire, teach, challenge and love their children every day!

This bouquet of roses is for my mother of the same name.

She is far away, but it doesn't mean I can't treat her to flowers.  :)

Love you, Mama.

 ♥

Eiffel Tower Tuesday no. 54: Dreaming of Far-Away Places

Early this morning, as I took the taxi across the city, I looked up and saw the most gorgeous wispy clouds blanketing the sky above me at Place de la Concorde.  They were the kinds of clouds that inspired dreams of far-away places, of feeling safe and stable enough to go on amazing new adventures, of explorations of both the world inside and outside ourselves.

These days, I am dreaming of (in no particular order):

 Hiking across the Outer Hebrides (Scotland)

Exploring the art, beaches & culture of Bali (Indonesia) 

A foodie weekend in Marseilles (France)

Relaxing in a water villa in the Maldives

 A cross-country trip across Canada

Visiting the whirling dervishes and travelling through Cappadocia in Turkey

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What far-away places and amazing new adventures are you dreaming of?