Paris in May!

Paris, France 

Day 1 

This is my third time to Paris and I have wanted to explore out of Paris but the weather was really bad. I decided not to take the risk of falling sick and stay in the capital instead. There is nothing much in this capital so I revisited the same attractions again.

[caption id="attachment_2139" align="alignnone" width="584"] Duck Confit[/caption]

I had duck confit for lunch. It is a french dish and many restaurants in Paris serve this dish. This duck confit I had was disappointing cos the skin was soggy. The skin should be well-browned and crisp, meat is slowly cooked till meltingly tender with the right amount of fats.



[caption id="attachment_2145" align="alignnone" width="584"] Notre-Dame[/caption]

This is my third time seeing the Notre-Dame and I finally have the chance to enter the cathedral.





I was lucky to witness the service in Notre-Dame and listening to the Great Organ playing in the cathedral was an absolutely amazing experience.



You can watch the short clip of the service in this video.





I love ice cream! The best thing about this shop is you can choose as many different flavors to fit into the cup. I chose pistachio, chocolate chips, tiramisu and nutella. If only the ice cream in Singapore is this good!

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Day 2

[caption id="attachment_2150" align="alignnone" width="584"] The Louvre[/caption]

I wanted to see the Mona Lisa painting but the museum is closed on every Tuesday.

[caption id="attachment_2151" align="alignnone" width="584"] Grand Palais[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2152" align="alignnone" width="584"] Petit Palais[/caption]



The admission into Petit Palais is free and you find a collection of paintings and drawings here.



I decided to have my dinner at Bofinger which was highly recommended by a Parisian. I was really excited to be able to eat at one of the oldest Brasserie in Paris.





The restaurant is beautifully decorated and cozy.



This is one the nicest sweet white wine I had ever tried!

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="584"] Foie Gras[/caption]

I chose foie gras as my starter. Nice! Next time I will try their famous fresh oyster!

[caption id="attachment_2158" align="alignnone" width="584"] Pan fried salmon steak[/caption]

Nicely cooked salmon steak! Nice sear on the outside and the inside is still tender and moist.

[caption id="attachment_2159" align="alignnone" width="584"] Warm chocolate cake[/caption]

The warm chocolate cake is not really as good to my expectations. However, it is still and enjoyable dining experience from the start to finish. Fabulous food and excellent service at a reasonable price. I will definitely be back again!

Till then..I am going to Paris for my 4th time end of this month! Je t'aime Paris!

Paris in March!

Paris, France



Blue-White-Red. Does this remind you that national flag of France? :)



This was my second time to Paris and I revisited some of the attractions I had been to in December.



We had our lunch at Leon de Bruxelles, a mussel specialty restaurant.



I like to eat mussels but it is hard to find fresh and real good mussels. This restaurant serves really good mussels at a reasonable price.

[caption id="attachment_2119" align="alignnone" width="584"] Notre-Dame[/caption]



We took the Seine River cruise.





[caption id="attachment_2123" align="alignnone" width="584"] Eiffel Tower[/caption]



[caption id="attachment_2126" align="alignnone" width="584"] Love Bridge[/caption]

I am so gonna buy many many love pad locks and lock it all around the world!

[caption id="attachment_2127" align="alignnone" width="584"] Louis Vuitton flagship store in Champs-Elysées[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2128" align="alignnone" width="584"] Arc de Triomphe[/caption]

I just came back from my 3rd trip to Paris and I am going to Paris for the 4th time again end of this month. Wooohoooo...!

Italy: Lake Como and Milan (Day 2)

Day 2 

Lake Como



I decided to venture Lake Como alone while the rest of the girls went to Venice. I had been to Venice on my first trip to Italy last september. I love Venice but I only want to go back there again with my boy. It is easy to travel from Milan to Lake Como with the cheap train ticket and approximately one hour traveling time.

[caption id="attachment_2087" align="alignnone" width="584"] Lake Como[/caption]

I did not do much research prior to this trip and I really have no ideas how to navigate my way. The locals can only speak a little english and they are not helpful at all.





I have a very strong desire to explore Lake Como but my spirits were dampened by the heavy rain.



Found shelter at the restaurant and I ordered seafood spaghetti but seafood pizza was served instead. Sad! It was still raining heavily after an hour so I decided to head back to Milan.



One of the must-do's in Milan is to visit the Duomo! I have heard many said that Duomo di Milano is arguably one of the most beautiful church in the world and it is true!



I like this snapshot of father and daughter lighting the candle. :)











I must say Duomo di Milano is really huge and impressive!



Milan is the heaven for branded goods lover and you can go to Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, right next to the Duomo for shopping!



And of cos, I succumbed to the temptations again in Milan....

Italy: Verona (Day 1)

Day 1 

Verona, Italy 



This is my second time to Italy and it is also is one of my favorite countries. I like italian architecture and of cos the italian cuisine. We took an one and half hour train ride from Milan to Verona. Verona is famous as the setting for Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.

[caption id="attachment_2059" align="alignnone" width="584"] Verona Arena[/caption]

Our first stop was The Arena.



This got to be one of the most interesting street performances I had seen so far.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="584"] Juliet's Balcony[/caption]

Our second stop was Juliet's House (Casa di Giulietta), a popular romantic shrine to visit in Verona. If you can remember the scenes from the movie "Letters to Juliet", this is the Juliet's Balcony.



There is an unbelievable amount of chewing gum on the walls and I almost touched it unknowingly. Yucks!



I bought a love padlock from the souvenir store to lock it on the gate of Juliet's House. I have always wanted to do it at the love bridges in Paris and Frankfurt but I couldn't find any shops that sell padlocks.

[caption id="attachment_2066" align="alignnone" width="584"] Locking our love forever[/caption]

Yeah! I finally locked a love padlock somewhere in this world.



I certainly hope I can still find my love padlock the next time I am here with my boy.



I also wrote our names on the wall. :)



[caption id="attachment_2072" align="alignnone" width="584"] Basilica di S. Anastasia[/caption]





We had lunch at an Italian bistro.

[caption id="attachment_2075" align="alignnone" width="584"] Aperol Spritz[/caption]

Aperol Spritz, a pretty popular cocktail in Italy to start a meal as it whets the appetite. Light and refreshing but I find it a little bitter. It is really easy to make and you can follow the recipe in this link if you want to try.



I ordered spaghetti with ham and I had pistachio gelato for dessert. The pistachio gelato was so nice! The italians make really good ice cream I must say!

- End of Day 1 -