" Sugar , ah honey, honey ....."

Picture this ... A chilly winter morning in November ,sun's rays hitting the ground at a shallow angle, cold winds swooping away the left over heat with them,earth furiously fighting against the wind and holding tight to its scanty warmth,blades of grass struggling to quench their thirst for sunlight,banks of Seine overflowing due to driving rain the night before , air still holding its morning mist,people curled up in scarfs and coats,children placing their fists to their mouths and puffing out into the cold air,a group of girls holding cups of hot chocolate , giggling and clicking pictures over the pedestrian bridge ,couples walking side by side holding hands whispering to each other,souvenir men rambling around with a bunch of Eiffel tower key chains dangling from the inside of their worn out overcoats ,trying to make a sale.Now add faint sounds of birds chirping in the background ,and a constant droning of words in incomprehensible languages that just sound gibberish.Amidst all the hustle bustle, I hovered around the base of Gustav Eiffel's mighty creation for a bit and then made up my mind to leave.

I was strolling along the river with lingering feelings of my newly found romance ,inhaling fumes of cocoa from a distance,humming with every step I took,turning my head from time to time to get a final few glimpses of my lover,smiling to myself at the thought of our tryst,marveling at the moving clouds carefully pasted on the blue sky.They made her appear as though she was walking with me clutching my arm, not wanting me to leave her.The smell of hot chocolate grew intense and my hunger pangs even more with it.I raised my head and adjusted my eyes to focus on a man positioned behind a stand.I walked towards him.

" Tip skillet from side to side until batter covers bottom. Cook until the bottom is golden brown.Splatter a thin layer of chocolate hazelnut nutella spread and place banana slices right in the center... Tadaaaa !!!Presenting a lusciously sweet nutella-banane crepe :) Light, tasty , simply delicious ! "


With my first bite I knew that this truly amazing classic would be my staple for whole of next week :) A crepe ,right after my 669 stepped tango rendezvous with Miss Eiffel , was just the perfect closing treat I could have asked for.I dabbed the chocolate from the corners of my mouth and made way to the metro station.Next stop , Champs-Elysées .

Hôtel National des Invalides , which contains Napoleon's tomb is an unmissable monument when you get off Champs Elysees Clemenca metro station .I walked in its direction ,soaking in the winter sun and got fascinated by a French man roasting some sort of nuts at the corner of the crossing.I went up to him to get directions to Arc De Triomphe and also asked him if he would let me try one of those thingy-bobs.He agreed to it and showed me how to eat them.

So there I was holding coal roasted chestnuts ( Marron Chauds ),in a funneled newspaper , my fingertips blackened from peeling their skin, anticipating my first bite into the charred nugget.To be honest I didn't quite get the taste and to that I said hmmm, " Interesting..." and moved on to my long awaited walk across the 'Avenues of Avenues ! Champs-Elysées !  :).

Champs-Elysées ! How do I put this one ? Hmmm, how about 'NYC's 5th avenue on Steroids' ? :P Btw, only if one is a Parisian or speaks French can one pronounce 'Champs-Elysées' appropriately or maybe it's just me not having my way with phonetics.I got it right after 4 days of persistent attempt.Well, now you know who is at fault :P Okay so, back to the story of Champs-Elysées. Laced with the world's top brand show rooms as well as hub stores on both sides , Champs-Elysées is undoubtedly the grand daddy of the capitalist world but does it scream glory and grandeur ? Hmmm ,maybe , maybe not or let's say I had a different image of it in my mind.I got my ornate architecture , manicured trees , impeccably clean walkways and all that covered but my eyes were looking for something more.Something more aristocratic, something more distinguished , something more noble.I guess my vision was colored by the movie 'Gigi' set in turn-of-the-20th century Paris.I yearned to see pear-shaped women in summer pastel gowns and fancy,floral hats with an umbrella in their hands and gentlemen wearing silk top hats and tuxedos with a flower pinned to it.Though all of this seemed slightly over the top , but I still expected Champs-Elysées to sprinkle a bit of its Parisian charm on me.Instead it was packed with tourists,cafes , restaurants, snazzy theaters (Yep! you guessed it right 'Lido' ( cabaret! wink wink! ) and 'to-be-found-every-where' stores.It was very commercial but then there was one thing , just that one thing that did it for me.That was when I saw Ladurée ! :D

Yep ! Ladurée , the macaroon haven !From the 19th century-style interiors and service to the labyrinthine corridors that lead to the washrooms,this French tearoom had it all.Classic furniture ,dimmed out chandeliers, designed walls, marble flooring , granite pillars ,sweet temptations out for display waiting to be pointed out at and ordered.I think it was the whole set up that did the magic.The whole 'freakin'ly awesome' package.The macaroons and fusion tea held up to their reputation and Ladurée stole the show.Clean sweep !



Macaroons are small round meringue like cookies, stuffed with light cream.Not that I know anything about how they are made but after having one , I knew I was about to become a full blown macaroon addict and so I shamelessly did :). Champs-Elysées from going 'Boo! Nayyy !!' went to 'Oh baby ,definitely yeah !' :D

Here's to Ladurée ...

" Sugar, ah, honey, honey
  You are my candy girl
  And you got me wanting you
  Honey, ah, sugar, sugar
  You are my candy girl
  And you got me wanting you " !

XOXO
Janisha

A love affair ....

Some one rightly said either visit Paris with a lover or fall in love while in Paris.Since I was solo traveling , the latter was bound to happen.

I woke up to a wind chill that slipped through the open window crack.A battle in my head began - whether to get out of my warm cozy bed and close the damn thing which meant giving up on my morning sleep or huddle myself in a corner in child's pose and continue sleeping.5 minutes later I found my feet carefully touching the cold wooden floor reluctantly dragging me out and finding their way to the window.I didn't have much of a say in it anyway.I stood by the window for a minute and sensed dampness in the air.It felt good.I looked down and noticed wet streets and then figured that it had been drizzling.Cloudy skies with a probability of showers said my weather report.It was going to be a cold day.

Headed to the 4X4 bathroom to tactfully perform my morning chores.Got ready ,slipped my thick warm red jacket on , laced my shoe strings ,strapped my watch which read 7:30 am and was all set to step out.

On my way to the metro,I saw a local boulangerie .The bakery's window flaunted its simple yet warm and inviting presence,with shelves stacked with all kinds of loaves and a front counter heaving with plates of freshly baked cakes, croissants (both plain and almond), slices, danishes, biscuits and muffins.The waft of freshly baked bread filtered into the air as I approached it.I had a tickling in my nostrils.As I stood there staring at the mouth watering divinity ,I realized that holding off to this temptation was futile.I was bound to give in and so I did :) .I opened the door and stepped in.

I went around dazed and confused as to what to pick.Footsteps behind me followed by a local voice approached “Would you like some bread ma’am?” I turned around, somewhat startled as I didn’t wish to seem like a trespasser, to find the voice belonged to a young man.We exchanged a big broad smile and he helped me pick a danish and a croissant.I paid my way and on I plodded with my bag to the station.While leaving I heard him say ," Tomorrow , just follow the smell" :).

By the time I had reached the station, my rolls had been munched away , making the most of its immediate freshness ! Ah ! That indescribable feeling of satisfaction ! :D

I reached the ticket counter and asked the lady on the other side of the 'mouse bill' on how to get to Eiffel Tower. She handed off a pocket metro map to me and directed me to get off Ecole Miltare station.I followed her directions and reached out for my purse to pay for a 4 day pass.My hands were full.A wet umbrella in one , a brown paper bag hosting crumbs from my morning treat in the other, with a loaded hand bag swung around my arms. I tactfully placed my umbrella on stand right under the ticket window and freed one of my hands ,purchased the tickets and found my way through the station.

Metro Map 

The subway corridors were inundated with creative billboard posters.Some flaunted ground breaking art exhibitions while others featured  glittery and glamorous cabaret performances.I loved some of the messages that stood out so starkly apart from the banality of typical billboards with commercial messages.Not that I could make sense out of them , just that I appreciated the curative eye of the designer.

Gripped in the advertizing maze , I was disturbed by an uneasy feeling of not carrying enough in my hands .I recollected throwing the trash away but couldn't understand why I still felt as though something was amiss.Ah ha ! It struck me ! I left my umbrella ! I darted through the passages ,reached my point of origin but couldn't cross the one way entrance besides the ticket counter. The conductor at the station held a confused look and I started playing charades and 'complete the sentence' game again.

"Umbrella ...blue green checks ...rain...umbrella.On the stand under the counter.."

My eyes went to the stand and I found no umbrella there .It had barely been 5 minutes since I crossed the ticket checking machine and I had lost my umbrella ! I was stumped :( My thoughts drifted to what I had read in the Lonely Planet guide .'Be aware of pick pocketers while in Paris'. What I read was apparently true ,though it didn't completely apply in my case , but I was darn convinced that it was true.I clasped the string of my pink sling tightly and dishearteningly walked to the platform.Boarding the train was pretty straightforward .Finding a seat wasn't an issue either .With my mind still upset over the umbrella episode, I reached Ecole Miltare.

Ecole Miltare ...Ah !!  The place screamed Eiffel Tower ! The air smelt Eiffel Tower ! and within seconds I recouped to my element .I stepped out of the metro and looked around to see if I could spot her from a distance.My eagerness paralleled that of a lover waiting to meet his beloved.Butterflies in the stomach, an astounding feeling of nervousness , an uncanny excitement .I had it all.I turned my head around and voila ! There she was .Amidst all the buildings ,I got a glimpse of her crown .That was it for me.Henceforth I didn't need directions. I didn't even bother looking for signs.My feet sprung from one street to the other.With every glance , I felt I was inching closer to her.There was this unspoken,incomprehensible magnetic pull.I couldn't rationalize what I was feeling and why I was doing what I was doing.I found my heart thumping and pounding very hard , my nervousness growing , my excitement about to shoot through the roof ! and then ...and then , a few mighty moments later ...We stood right in front of each other ... exchanging our very first glances.My eyes stayed fixated at her for quite sometime. There was this distance between us which I purposefully wanted to cover as slowly and carefully as possible .. She seemed so delicate , so beautiful , so pristine , so lady like that I wanted to soak it all in . With every blink , I was even more awestruck by her elegance . With every step that I took towards her, I became even fonder of her grace .With every breath I took , I grew even more foolishly eager to inhale her scent.

Eiffel Tower

Eiffel Tower from second floor, 281m high

But she , she just kept standing there ,tall and confident,toffee nosed,not budging from her stance, so aware of her worthiness and uppity .My eyes carefully shifted focus from her persona to her bronze evening gown draping off her shoulders ,casting a magical spell on everything that surrounded her, saw her or touched her.I felt like a prince dying to ask her out for a dance.My head started singing this song from the movie, 'My Fair Lady'.

" I could have danced all night!
I could have danced all night!
And still have begged for more.
I could have spread my wings
And done a thousand things I've never done before.
I'll never know What made it so exciting;
Why all at once My heart took flight. I only know when he
Began to dance with me I could have danced,
danced, danced all night!  "

I needed someone to pinch me , to tell me that this was reality , that this wasn't a dream , that I was really seeing what I was seeing.Her beauty became overwhelming.I just stood there royally smitten.I knew there was no way I could undo what I felt.I quietly approached her and figured it was me who had to take the lead .That I had to step up and politely ask the lady.To that I surrendered and walked up the stairs for our first dance...