No stay in Paris is complete without a day trip to the beautifully peaceful Monet Gardens (if it weren't for all the tourists that is!)...
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Simple good food with great attention to detail is always a win in my book. Nanashi does just that: simple, healthy, fat-free Japanese Bento and great fresh juices. They have a lot of Vegetarian options too, which are difficult to find in Paris in general. You can get your bento box with fish, meat or vegetables, with spring rolls before or after and a carrot ginger juice on the side and you'll leave feeling much refreshed and ready for your next, high calorie high carbs Parisian meal or pastry.
Find them in Le Marais and stop by the Broken Arm around the corner for a coffee and a slice cheesecake afterwards.
About a year ago I had read The Londoner's post on the Musée Nissim de Camondo in Paris, which is the mansion of a Parisian banker, Moise de Camondo. Last week I decided to check it out by myself and spent a rainy afternoon wandering around the museum and the nearby Park Monceau.
On one of my first nights in Paris my friend Helena (who knows the ways of the town because she grew up here) took Aya and me to one of the tiniest Italian places in the 6th. Tucked away in a side street near the Bon Marche is Cherche Midi, aptly named after the street it's located on.
Day 2 Into the Countryside
GRASSE
We rented a white BMW and off we were to Grasse, the heart of the perfume industry. Patrick Süskind's novel "Perfume" was set here.
The Fragonard store is a wonderful place to learn a bit about perfume making, to buy scented candles, purchase a new fragrance for yourself or some gifts for friends. I find giving perfume away an art, so I am always a bit hesitant when I do.
MOUGINS
Our restaurant for lunch Le Mas Candille in Mougins promises not only amazing scenery, but this beautiful food!
The food is elegant, subtle and feminine, as chef Serge Gouloumès himself described it, while we had coffee with him and he signed his beautifully photographed book for us.
Our lunch was mouth watering, don't you agree? (click on one of the images to get a larger slide show of our meal)
Afterwards we strolled around Mougins and visited a tiny museum for photography where I shot that great pose of Picasso.
In Nice
Christian, a friend and a talented jeweler, who is half Lebanese, visits his mother in Nice every other month. He recommended to have dinner at Ya Habibi, a Lebanese restaurant in Nice. I only wish we could have eaten more, because the food was truly amazing! We even had Lebanese red wine with our meal.
When I came home I had to try to make Baba Ganoush, a Lebanese eggplant dip.
It's best served with flat bread, Pita or tortilla bread, but it can be eaten with lamb as well. Check back tomorrow for my version of the recipe!
Day 1
Two weeks ago I went on a trip with my husband for our 20th wedding anniversary. My daughter chose our hotel for us, and I couldn't have been more amazed by its beauty.
The gates swing open and our car drives down the windy road to the hotel, which is situated in beautiful gardens overlooking the Mediterranean Sea facing south. I was immediately drawn towards the large windows that open to the terrace, the view of the coastline and the infinity pool while the evening sun colors everything in gold.
"Amour de Deutz" champagne was the most beautiful way to start celebrating our anniversary. This champagne is made to impress. Imagine that the capsule can be worn as a necklace and shows the god Amor with a tiny Swarovsky crystal. That night we ate at the restaurant in the hotel named after the one star Michelin chef Patrick Raingard. After the meal we played some billiard - clearly not my best talent.
