Summer Reading List

I love to read.  Biographies, thrillers, slightly serious fiction, non-fiction, silly romcoms (I am pretty sure that genre translates to books), travel books, even a little literature now and again, I just love books.  I was one of those kids that was excited to get her summer reading list, and still love to spend an hour (or more) wandering around a bookstore, generally buying too many books that, lately, have been getting stacked higher and higher on my bedside table. Not this summer!

Between the planes, trains, metros, picnics in parks and afternoons in cafes, I have been a fairly voracious consumer of books, thanks in large part to the traveling reader's best companion: an ebook and some sort of e-reader device.  Don't get me wrong, I love and prefer (and have many bookcases overflowing with) physical books.  I am a sucker for a good hardback with nice deckled paper, or a paperback just the right size to tuck into my purse.  Cover design, typeset, paper quality, I am a total dork for the physical book.  But when you are traveling for six months with three suitcases, e-books are where it's at.  I have indulged in a few paperback purchases, but have mostly kept a running list on my phone of books to download after my wanders through the bookstores...

And since I am always on the hunt for a good book recommendation, I thought I ought to make a few of my own, and highlight a few of my favorite reads from this trip.

After Visiting Friends: A Son's Story, by Michael Hainey

NW, by Zadie Smith

The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls, by Anton DiSclafani

Rules of Civility, by Amor Towles

Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald, by Therese Anne Fowler (full confession, I read this after seeing it in a bookstore and my interest was based entirely on the fact that I loved the character of Zelda Fitzgerald in Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris.  I really enjoyed this one!).

I also picked up and couldn't put down Gone Girl (like seemingly everyone else this past year) - it was intense.

While in Paris I enjoyed Dreaming in French: The Paris Years of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, Susan Sontag and Angela Davis, by Alice Kaplan (three VERY different women in Paris at three very different times in the city's recent past) and just finished The President's Hat, by Antoine Laurain (which I promptly gave to two lovely sisters, who promised they would share it, after I overheard them commenting on it from the next table over during lunch today, we had a lovely chat about our travels and swapped restaurant recommendations -- a conversation that probably would not have happened without my cute looking book!).  I picked up both books at the lovely and addicting Daunt Books in Marylebone (along with my Paris guide and French phrase books), a place I look forward to visiting when I return to London next week.

It is hard to believe my time in Paris is nearly up.  Not particularly wanting to leave, I think my next read will be a book set in Paris, I have had The Elegance of the Hedgehog on my iPad for over a year now (the digital equivalent to stacked up on my bedside table), and it seems like as good a time as any to dive in (despite mixed reviews from friends).

If any of you have any good books you recommend, please pass them along!  I am trying out GoodReads, if you are also using it, look me up (Capital Citizenne) and share your reading list!

Rooftops of Paris

Mine was the twilight and the morning. Mine was a world of rooftops and love songs. -Roman Payne

On my first night in Paris, I went to a Meet Up for photographers, and just having a bar full of people to talk to (mercifully, in english), made for a warm welcome to a new city.  So it was fitting that on one of my last nights in this beautiful city, I attended another Meet Up with the same group.  This time, instead of chatting over wine, we took our cameras up to the top of Printemps department store to photograph Paris from an entirely new (at least for me) angle.

At one point, just as the lights on the Eiffel Tower were starting to warm up, I smiled a huge smile as I soaked in the moment, something I find myself doing with great frequency lately.  This month in Paris has been incredible and one I will always remember.

All text and images copyright © 2013, Capital Citizenne.  All Rights Reserved.

A Visit to Monet's Garden

A short train ride from Paris, a visit to Claude Monet's home and gardens in Giverny was a lovely way to spend one of my last days of this Paris trip.

There is no photography allowed inside the house, but it was lovely and filled with amazing paintings as well as simple furnishings.  I especially loved the kitchen with its vast collection of gleaming copper pots and pans hung on the wall and the beautiful blue Rouen tiles.

The view of the Clos Normand - the flower garden adjacent to the house - from Monet's bedroom.  Monet designed both this garden and the Water Garden, which is located just beyond the trees in the background.

 

After strolling in the beautiful flower gardens, it was time to make my way to the water gardens that served as the subject of  Monet's famous Water Lilies paintings.

The water garden was like walking into a painting and I felt a million miles away from anything, which is especially impressive considering it is now adjacent to a roadway (a nice pedestrian tunnel takes visitors from the flower garden to the water garden).

All text and images copyright © 2013, Capital Citizenne.  All Rights Reserved.

Les Puces - not your average flea market

Yesterday, on the recommendation of my Epernay tour guide Gui, I hopped on the metro to Porte de Clignancourt to check out Les Puces, or the famed Parisian flea markets.  After passing the swap meet style market and saying "non, merci" dozens of times to the men hawking faux designer goods (there seemed to be a constant low whispering of "Louis Vuitton" along the entire street), I arrived at Rue des Rosiers, home of the most amazing antiques markets I could ever imagine. Some of the stalls are piled high with vintage fur coats and handbags.  Others with sets and sets and sets of beautiful china.  If I thought I could have managed to get them home, and found a place to put them, I would have gladly brought these home!

After winding through the different little streets full of stalls, I discovered the reason so many people come from all over the world: the antiques.  If you've been to the flea market at Eastern Market and seen the furniture dealers, you would be as shocked as I was to discover booths made up to look like elegant apartments, selling beautiful pieces worth thousands and thousands of euros.

I did not make it half way through the markets before they started to get overcrowded, but I truly enjoyed my morning wandering about and, admittedly gawking, at some of the goods for sale, including an entire booth of pristine, antique monogrammed Louis Vuitton steamer trunks, where I was shooed away for trying to take a picture and immediately felt like a small child about to be sent to the kitchen by some distant relative for attempting to touch the silver tea set...

        

A Day Trip to Epernay

One of the things I most wanted to do in France was spend some time learning more about french wine.  Over the years, I have familiarized myself with California & Oregon wines enough to know my way around a domestic wine list (in other words, I know what I like, what I don't like, and what I can afford!).  But when faced with a continental wine list, I'm often in over my head.  So, upon the recommendation of some friends who had recently done a rather extensive tour of France, I signed up for a wine and cheese lunch at O Chateau, a wine bar in Paris that specializes in english-speaking tastings, geared towards people who enjoy wine and want to know a bit more (like me!). Our first tasting was a champagne, and upon learning I was in Paris for the rest of the month, our sommelier insisted that I must go on their day trip to Epernay.  Well, after one sip of the blanc de blanc champagne he poured us, I was eager to sign up!

About a week later, I was up at dawn boarding a minivan to spend the day learning about, and of course tasting, the bubbly from the only place in the world that makes Champagne.  The tour is intentionally kept to a small size - eight people - and is lead by a sommelier.  Our guide - Guillaume, a self-professed wine geek - was terrific, giving us just enough information but also allowing us to just enjoy the day.  I was the only non-Australian on the tour, but by the end of the first visit was declared an honorary Aussie for the day.

After making great time getting out of Paris, we stopped for croissants and cafe at a picturesque spot overlooking the countryside.

Our first stop was Moet Chandon, one of the largest champagne producers (and one of the few to fully embrace wine tourism).  The tour was very informative, taking us down into the caves where they store the champagne, turning the bottles and preparing them for distribution.

Their caves are massive, and their team zips around in little motorized carts, tending to different sections, all marked with road signs.  The different batches of bottles were all marked with a "secret" code, known only to the head wine maker.

Next up, we went to the home of a small, independent grand crux champagne producer: Penet-Chardonnet.  And when I say home, I mean literally, we were treated to lunch in their family home.

 It was an incredible experience, not to mention delicious (and one of the many reasons they keep the tours so small!).  We visited their vines, and then went down into their caves where we were treated to a tasting of unlabeled champagne with absolutely no sugar added.  It was wonderful.  The champagnes we enjoyed with our tasty meal were also fabulous and I wound up buying a bottle.

Our final stop of the day was another small, though not quite as small, producer: Monmarthe.  Here we got to again see the caves, and hang out amongst their reserve bottles that are purposefully sitting gathering dust (light is bad for champagne), as well as see part of their bottling process (it was labeling and packaging day when we visited).

We were treated to the last bottle of one of their 2004 reserves, as well as a wonderful blanc de blanc, out in their vineyards.

Was it a fabulous day?  Yes!  Did I learn anything?  Yes!  I may not know my way around a full french wine list, but I can certainly pick out a little bubbly when there is an occasion that calls for it (you know, like lunch...)  Cheers!

A Rainy Autumn Morning at Pere Lachaise

The hot temperatures and non-stop sun that greeted me in Paris have given way for a more traditional Parisian Autumn: cool, often grey and rainy, days.  Not one to let a little rain stand in the way of my exploring, I took off with my umbrella and camera for Pere Lachaise, a very old and very beautiful cemetery that is the final resting place to a number of Paris' most famous residents. It might seem a bit odd, but it was a truly lovely morning spent strolling around appreciating the beautiful stone work, landscaping and general peace of the place.

  

All text and images copyright © 2013, Capital Citizenne.  All Rights Reserved.

Sunrise in Paris

There's a saying that there's nothing more cliche in photography than a sunrise or sunset.  While that may be true, a sunrise photo session earlier this week made for an efficient use of an increasingly rare (hooray) bout of insomnia. The first half of this year, insomnia and I were well acquainted.  Far too well acquainted for my taste (one of the may reasons for this grand adventure).    Earlier this week though, I found myself wide awake at about half past four.  After a brief period of studying the inside of my eyelids and begging for sleep to return, I decided that I actually felt fairly refreshed and should make the most of the morning.

I quickly scanned the internet to learn I had an hour before sunrise, threw on some running clothes,  grabbed my camera and headed for the Seine.  

While it is usually an activity I reserve for when I travel west (due to the time difference), I absolutely love getting up early in a new place and watching the city wake up and come to life.

Maybe it is because I'm really a morning person at heart, but I think there is something kind of magical about seeing a city's street lights turn off, having done their work for another day.

On the walk back, the once-empty sidewalks were full of people making their way to work, shops were opening, and cafes were serving their first customers.  I made my way back to my neighborhood and grabbed a croissant and a coffee and sat on a bench by the Canal St. Martin, enjoying a  bit more of early morning Paris...before retreating to my apartment for a quick nap!

All text and images copyright © 2013, Capital Citizenne.  All Rights Reserved.

Bonne Nuit, Paris

After another lovely, sun filled day in Paris, I took myself to dinner at Fish la Boissonnerie, a well recommended spot near St Germain that is open on Sunday evenings.  I enjoyed a wonderful meal starting with green bean, fig and feta salad, followed by line caught sea bass with black rice, and a little something sweet and salty for dessert, as well as lovely conversation with the bartender and fellow patrons (who happened to be from Naples, Fl and Alexandria, Va of all places).  Fish did not disappoint, and neither did the after dinner stroll along the Pont Neuf.

Bonjour, Paris!

I'm strictly tourist, but I couldn't care less, when they parlez-vous me then I gotta confess, that's for me: Bonjour, Paris! 

Instead of practicing my francais in the weeks leading up to my departure, I prepared for my month in Paris by watching movies set in Paris, like Midnight in Paris and Funny Face.  While it might not have been helpful in the practical sense, it did help calm some nerves I had about moving to a new city (again) for a month.  Though I must admit, my attempt to channel my inner Audrey Hepburn failed miserably on my first evening, when I tried to ride a bike.  Thankfully, my ego was the only thing bruised.

Lack of french language (and cycling) skills aside, I am in Paris!  And it is shaping up to be everything I imagined a month in Paris would be: full of delicious food, lovely wine, and lots and lots of trial and error.

I have been here for five days, and not one has passed in which I have not gotten turned around on the streets or the metro, or completely butchered what little french I can remember.  I have tried to see exhibits that are not yet open, go to a museum that has been and will continue to be closed for renovations for a year, and - perhaps the most serious error as of yet - visited a major tourist attraction on a Saturday (Sacre Coeur - the pick pockets/scam artists were in full force).  **If you are planning a visit to Paris in the very near future, a word of warning, from what I can tell, the gypsies / vandals are much more prevalent -- or at least more aggressive -- than my last visit, even Parisians have told me to be extra vigilant.

But it certainly has not been all errors!  I have strolled through the Marais, crisscrossed the Seine on its lovely bridges, tucked in to more macaroons than I care to admit, and taken a cooking class (more on that in another post).

The last (and first time) I was in Paris, we had about 5 days total and we filled them with tours and shopping and eating, making a fairly detailed and full itinerary for each day.  Having a month in Paris is a bit overwhelming. I don't want to cram each day full of museums and shopping and burn out too quickly, but I also don't want to wast too much time (after all, when am I going to get another month in Paris?).

So, I have made a list of exhibitions I want to see, things I want to do, and day/weekend trips I want to take, and every day I try to tick at least one experience off the list.

So far I have seen the delightful Little Black Dress exhibit at the Mona Bismarck center (the exhibition is sponsored by the Savannah College of Art and Design and curated by Andre Leon Talley),and the wonderful Roy Lichtenstein expo at the Centre Pompidou.

 I have enjoyed macaroons from Pierre Herme, scarfed down crepes avec fromage et jambon for lunch,lingered over un cafe and un glace Berthillon on the isle-de-cite, and tracked down a recommended fromagerie in Montmarte, where I successfully ordered and enjoyed some delicious cheeses.

On my last visit to Paris, we stayed in the 7th Arr, on the Blvd. St Germain.  It was incredibly convenient to everything we wanted to do and see in Paris and we did not stray too far off the beaten path.  This time, I am living in a lovely little apartment (courtesy of my new friend Nathalie) in the 10th Arrondissement, very near the Canal St. Martin.

While it is not as central, this is a very fashionable and "hip" neighborhood, filled with cute cafes, bistros and one of the best boulangerie's in all of Paris (it is literally around the corner, I have not decided whether this is a good thing or a very, very bad thing...).  The four flights of stairs up to my apartment should help mitigate the proximity to world class croissants...right?

It is also a very typical Parisian neighborhood, without the touristy trappings you might find elsewhere, meaning I am getting a very nice view of life in Paris. I am also getting very familiar with their very convenient metro system!

All in all, it has been a great start to my time in Paris, and I look forward to what the rest of le vie parisienne has in store!

Leaving London (for now!)

In less than 24 hours, I will be saying good-bye to my little flat on Finborough Road and boarding a EuroStar train bound for the CIty of Light to begin my month in France.  It is almost impossible to believe the first "leg" of my adventure is coming to a close.  I have been living in London for nearly three months, and while some times those first few days getting settled feel lightyears away, other times it feels like I just got here!

With the exception of being a British germ magnet, and a few pangs of homesickness generally brought on by seeing Cavalier Kings Charles Spaniels,  I have loved being back in London.  So much has changed since I was last here, for both London and me, and I have really enjoyed getting to know each other again.  Especially exploring new-to-me neighborhoods like Borough, Angel/Islington, Maida Vale, Battersea and Marylebone.

The hardest part about being in London this time around, is that while it did come with some wonderful friends already in place, and I have made some new ones as well, I am on my own a lot of the time.  This is a complete 180 from when I was here as a student, sharing a two bedroom flat with seven other girls and having half of my college friends roaming around the city.  There was always someone to play with.  Back then, escaping to a museum, taking a long walk in Hyde Park or seeing a matinee in the West End was half for the experience of being alone (not that I didn't love you girls)!  Now, I crave those times when my friends are available to join me in my adventures.  But this is what happens when you move to a new city and don't have a job (especially in a city that works as hard as this one!): you have a lot of time to yourself, which is not such a bad thing when you are tasked with tackling some of the big picture questions.  Thankfully, I rather enjoy spending time with myself,  and since it is pretty much impossible to be bored in London, I certainly have not been moping about!

If anyone had told me this time last year that I would have gone to Wimbledon, the British Open, seen the Rolling Stones in Hyde Park, and spent days wandering through some of the most amazing art galleries in the world, I would have thought they were crazy (but I'd also probably have asked to have whatever they were having, because I like the way they think!).

As much fun as I have had wandering about this city, going on mini travels around the country and just soaking up this experience, by far the best thing that has happened during this time was falling back in love with my camera.  Photography has been something that I have loved for a long time, but something that I never gave enough time.  Now, I rarely leave my flat without my camera and find myself looking at the world in new ways.  I bought my current camera just before my first trip to Paris in 2012, and I am excited to take it back with a bit more know-how.

I am really looking forward to my time in Paris, but it's easier to leave London knowing that I will be back in October (this time, living in Notting Hill!).

A Grand Time in Brighton

Hello dear readers, I am sorry for the gap in posts.  I have been busy soaking up my last days (for now) in London before I head to Paris next week.  I hope to do a few posts to share what all I have been up to, but for now, I'll share my recent get-a-way to Brighton. Despite being a short (just under an hour) train ride from London, I failed to make it to Brighton the last time I was here.  This time around, I feel like everywhere I turned, I was hearing or reading about Brighton!  Perhaps this was because we were enjoying such a marvelous summer and everyone had sunshine and beaches on the brain, or possibly Brighton is just enjoying a moment, I don't know, but I decided I needed to see what all the fuss was about.

Seeing that the area was expecting lovely, sunny weather and armed with some recommendations from friends and Conde Nast Traveller, I hastily made a one night reservation at The Grand Brighton yesterday morning, grabbed my extra camera battery and hopped on a train at Victoria Station bound for the English Channel.

After a quick 15 minute walk from the train station, I arrived at The Grand.  For those fellow Disney World enthusiasts (we can't be the only family that enjoyed the Disney treatment!), the Grand is what I imagine they had in mind when they built the Beach Club and the Boardwalk resorts.  Very elegant but at the same time, beachy and casual.  It is also the same hotel that was bombed during the Conservative Party conference in Brighton in the 1980s.

I lucked into a sea view room, with a balcony no less!  And though I was (again) tempted to just laze about my room, I quickly got settled, got my camera ready and headed out to see what this seaside city had to offer.

My friend Scott insisted I check out the Royal Pavilion, and I am so glad he did!  It is quite possibly the most bizarre place I have seen in this country.  Built as a seaside retreat for then-George, Prince of Wales  (later King George the IV),  the building looks like it would be more at home in India or even Dubai than Brighton, and features extremely extravagant chinoiserie interiors.   Sadly, they do not allow photography inside, but there was a massive chandelier that appeared to be held up by an equally massive dragon (as it turns out, they retrofitted the existing brick structure with steel so as to support this chandelier and other additions!), hand painted silk wall coverings, ornate furnishings and lots of bamboo (or faux-bamboo) accents throughout.  A nice end to the tour, I enjoyed a pot of earl gray and a scone on the patio of the Pavilion's tea room, overlooking the gardens and grounds.

I attempted to stroll back towards the hotel through The Lanes - a cute shopping district - but got flustered by the crowds and quickly made my way back to the boardwalk.  I may have to take a day trip back to Brighton to explore the many galleries as well as the prolific public and street art when it is not quite so busy!

The sea front was bustling with beachgoers* enjoying the late summer weather (*I say beach, but there is no sand.  It is all rocks.  Thus, the cute beach chairs!) as well as the many entertaining diversions along the beach: the Pier, artist's stalls, cafes and bars and a cheerful carousel.

The rocks are not easy on the feet (especially when said feet are in less than practical footwear), so I headed back to the hotel to give their highly recommended restaurant, GB1, a try at an early dinner.  I had a seat at the bar where I could see both the water, and the chef working away.  Always nice to get a show with dinner!  The meal was wonderful, I started with a few oysters, followed by a clam and scallop linguine and polished off with a molten chocolate brownie served with a scoop of peanut butter ice cream and bananas!  When I expressed my delight at the bananas to my waiter - who had strongly urged me to try this dessert...as though I needed much arm twisting -- he remarked that yes, isn't it an unusual combination.  He was blown away when I replied, well not really, my mom made me peanut butter and banana sandwiches as a kid (ok, as an adult too) and I in turn was blown away when he said that peanut butter and jelly sandwiches aren't really a thing here.  Yes, I was eating at what Conde Nast Traveller labeled a "swish new eatery" and discussing, of all things, peanut butter and jelly.

I returned to the beach in time for the sunset to take some additional photos and soak in one of my favorite times to be on the water, as the sun fades and the water, and everything in it, appears to calm down.  People were making the most of the last moments of sunlight, playing beach volleyball as well as basketball, riding bikes and looking sun spent and happy.

I retreated back to my room to sleep off the day, with the windows open just enough to hear the waves.  Not too shabby!

I woke up to the sound of sea birds squawking their morning greetings, and enjoyed one of my all time favorite indulgences: breakfast delivered to the room!  It is an easy thing to do at The Grand, breakfast is included and they charge a very minimal 5 pound tray fee to have it brought up.  With the view I had, this was a no brainer!

After an early start, I headed to the Brighton Pier just as it was opening up and coming up to life.  It was a nice walk on a brisk morning, and I enjoyed taking it in without throngs of people.  The pier is delightfully kitschy, with a Zoltar machine greeting guests, loads of arcade games, a fish and chips place that claims to be the spiritual home of the dish (complete with a disco ball in the weather vane) and of course, a slew of carnival rides that made my stomach do flip flops just looking at them (even when they weren't operating!)

I returned to the hotel to check out, but I wasn't quite ready to leave my little slice of grandeur, so I curled up in a large wing back chair in their terrace room to enjoy the latest on my summer reading list, Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald (so far so good, but I'm not that far in!).

Having had such a lovely dinner - and having had an equally difficult time deciding what to order - at GB1, I decided to treat myself to lunch before leaving, ordering and devouring their Lobster Burger, which was every bit as good as it sounds (unless of course you think it sounds awful, then it was the opposite of that!).  I fully appreciate that it sort of sounds like all I did in Brighton was eat.  That's not really that far off the mark.  It's a good thing my walk/run on Monday turned into a seven miler instead of my planned three to four miles!

A quick train trip brought me back to London, and back to the reality that I need to get serious about laundry and packing because I am headed to Paris for a month in a matter of days!  How did this happen?!?

Titchwell Manor

Last Sunday, I took myself on a holiday to North Norfolk and stayed at the very lovely Titchwell Manor.  I learned about the hotel, and the area in general, after reading an article about Houghton Revisited, an  exhibit of the impressive art collection that once belonged to Sir Robert Walpole - the first Prime Minister of Great Britain - at his family home, Houghton Hall (the collection was subsequently sold to Catherine the Great, this exhibit is the first time it has returned to its original home.).  Interested in the exhibit and the Hall, I checked the Houghton Revisited website for more information, and listed among the recommended places to stay was Titchwell Manor.  After one glance at their website, I fell in love with it. After seeing that Houghton Revisited was sold out for the month, I decided to head to North Norfolk to see the coast and enjoy Titchwell Manor anyway, taking advantage of a special Sunday night "dinner, bed and breakfast" offer  (and the fact that I did not have class until 6:30 pm on Monday!).

After a slightly bumpy journey (Tube closures, cancelled trains, diverted trains, causing a late arrival and a missed bus) I finally arrived at Titchwell, where I was shown to a beautiful room (complete with a comfy king sized bed and a fabulous claw foot bath tub).

Tempted as I was to simply soak in the tub and take a long nap, I instead set out on a walk on the path through the marsh across the road from the hotel.  It was a brisk, breezy and sunny afternoon, perfect for a stroll.

I wish I could bottle up the light that soaked the marsh as afternoon began to turn to evening - the pictures do not do it justice.

Following my walk (and yes, a quick soak in the tub), it was time for dinner in the Conservatory - the fine dining restaurant on the property.  After ten days of toast and cereal (thanks to a lingering stomach bug), I was so looking forward to my meal, and it did not disappoint!

  

Mushroom ravioli to start, pork belly for my main, and a little sticky toffee pudding with vanilla ice cream to cap it off.  From start to finish, it was delicious.

The next morning, I boarded another bus to Holkham to see what I was told is one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.  I don't think that's much of an exaggeration.

If it looks at all familiar, it is the same beach used in the final scenes of Shakespeare in Love (in my mind, I looked just as peaceful and elegant as Gwyneth as I walked along the sand...).

All too soon I had to hop back on the coast hopper bus (a very convenient little bus network that gets us car-less folks to and fro along the Norfolk coast.) and hop on the train back to London.  It was not nearly long enough, but my quick escape to the coast was lovely and I look forward to returning with a bit more time.