It has been awhile since I last written! We spend 3 gorgeous weeks in France and Madrid in April. I'll write about the Madrid trip in a separate entry. Much time was spent with our family members, catching up and enjoying the spring weather. This was our 2nd trip to France, away from the hustle and bustle of city life, which I very much prefer. The sight of endless canola fields and smells from the lush forests were refreshing and captivating.
To our delight, we were able to celebrate our nephew's 5th birthday this year! He had a pirate-themed party and my sister-in-law (sil) painstakingly planned every aspect of it for the children and the young-at-heart :D
 |
| Pirate crew bananas |
 |
| Pirate hats for the guests (so creative!) |
 |
| Eclair cake |
 |
| Comte with tomatoes |
 |
| The birthday cake |
I could not be happier sharing the lives of my extended
family. Visiting the kids' school, going through their weekly routine,
visiting the playground they frequent, buying fresh produce from the local markets, preparing meals in the cosy
kitchen, walking the dog, feeding ducks, have dinners and late night chats with family...these
are sweet memories that I'll always cherish and remember. If I ever
become a mom, I hope that I will be a hands-on mom like my sil.
 |
| Rambouillet |
 |
| Baked apple tarte with my sil with the trusty Thermomix helper |
 |
| The donkey and horse which my nephews fed spontaneously during a playground visit! |
 |
| Forest walk |
 |
| Oysters at a local market |
 |
| Local market |
 |
| The family's Vizsla :) |
During our stay in the village, one of my favorite places to visit was the local bakery (boulangerie). The rustic smell of freshly baked bread, golden pastries and sweet delights was inviting and lovely. T was very fond of the macarons, which my mother-in-law (mil) raves about from time to time.
 |
| The wide and delicious array speaks for itself |
 |
| Chocolate macaron |
 |
| My favourites!!!!! Superb! |
In Paris
Needless to say, we did spend 1-2 days in Paris to satisfy our innate shopaholics, with the excuse of buying souvenirs for friends and family. The experience was indeed unforgettable. Literally. While walking towards the metro at Opera, a group of gypsies attempted to pickpocket my husband. Thankfully the attempt was unsuccessful and we got away without losing anything. Back home that night, my sil told us that Asian tourists are frequent targets of petty crimes.
 |
| Galeries Lafayette |
 |
| Roof top of Galeries Lafayette |
 |
| Longchamp |
 |
| Pierre Hermé |
 |
| Pierre Hermé Easter specials |
 |
| Pierre Hermé macarons (Passionfruit milk chocolate and rose) |
 |
| Pierre Hermé macaron |
 |
| Pierre Hermé |
Versailles
With my sil's good planning, we managed to include a visit to Palace of Versailles in our itinerary! I was very excited about visiting the legendary Versailles because we did not get to go the last time and springtime is an added bonus for it! Nothing beats visiting historical places for a history buff like me. To get there, we took a RER train to Versailles-Rive Gauche station. From the station, it takes about 10 minutes to walk to the entrance of Versailles.
To beat the long ticketing queue, we purchased a ticket from the tourism office outside of Versailles. It is €2 more than the standard ticket, but I strongly recommend this if you are visiting during peak seasons. A one day pass (with audio guide) which entitles you to visit the palace, musical gardens and Marie-Antoinette's estate cost €27. The estate is massive! You could spend a full day in Versailles. (We arrived at 10am, left at 4pm) We toured the gardens first because of the long queue to the palace. (Even then, we took 1.5 hours to queue to get into the palace.) It is essential to wear a pair of good walking shoes. T packed sandwiches and snacks for the visit and I was very glad he did! Sitting on the park benches and taking in the view of the gardens was cheesy and romantic.
 t |
| The ticket office where we purchased the tickets (beside Pullman hotel) |
Château Chambord and Château de Chenonceau
Knowing my love for castles and all things medieval, my sil also planned a trip to 2 castles in Loire valley -
Chambord and
Chenonceau. I love both chateaus. The building style and history were immensely different and fascinating.
 |
| Château Chambord |
 |
| Château Chambord |
 |
| Château Chambord |
 |
| Château Chambord |
 |
| Château Chenonceau |
Jardin de Giverny (Claude Monet's garden)
Back in school, one of the projects that I had to do, was to pick an artist and give a presentation about his/her works and painting style. I picked Claude Monet because I like his paintings and we share the same birth date! So imagine my delight when we visited Jardin de Giverny! Priceless! Monet created the magnificent gardens he wanted to paint... This guy is a visionary! Seeing his garden made me appreciate his paintings more than ever!
Honfleur, Normandy
We spent one weekend in Honfleur - a picturesque port town located in the North-West of France. You could read about its history
here. The French founder of Quebec Canada, Samuel de Champlain was from Honfleur. This region is also famed for its local produce of seafood, cider and calvados. There is a particular
recipe that celebrity chef, Rachel Khoo created which features cider and mussels from the region.
I had a fantastic time in France during this trip. We look forward to visiting again...hopefully in the near future.
