Croissant Count

Croissant Count (as of July 28): 21

Croissant #21 - Le Marché Bio - Raspail. Pain aux raisins.

Croissant #20 - Boulangerie Kayser. There are such things as "croissant fairies". I slept in this morning and missed breakfast. But when I opened my bedroom door to head to the shower, I found a Boulangerie Kayser bag tied to my door with a flaky, tender croissant au beurre inside. Thank you Kayla!

Croissant #19 - Some Bio Café near the Canal St. Martin. Again, I missed breakfast...so after we met up with Terri at the Metro near Canal St. Martin, we found a café that advertised organic breads and wifi. The croissant was uninspiring but the fresh-squeezed orange juice was yummy. Plus Val was thrilled to get iced tea with ice and a straw to boot!

Croissants #17 and 18 - Pain aux raisins and pain aux amandes. A café near the dorm. Since their breakfast special was two pastries and a drink, I was obliged to get two. (Twist my arm.) The pain aux amandes had chocolate in it! That's a first on this trip.

Croissants #15 and 16 - Boulangerie Kayser. I was aimlessley exploring and decided to hop on a bus (line 86, I think). My fingers instinctively pressed the Arrêt button when I saw the familiar "Ke " symbol on a storefront (Ke for Eric Kayser). After the requisite "Bonjour madame", I was scrambling to decide what I wanted. The shopkeepers in Paris are as eager as they are impatient to serve you. I said "un croissant" to stall her and give me that five extra seconds to decide on what I really wanted. In the end, I chose a brioche sucre. She asked "alors, c'est tout?" and headed for the register. I took that to mean I should not be too much of a piggy. "Oui, c'est tout." 87, rue d'Assas, 75006.

Croissant #14 - Boulangerie Kayser. Kayla's mom is in town so she's been making multiple trips a day to Mº: Odéon, where her mom is staying. (She's even figured out which part of the platform to stand on at Mº: Odéon to board so that when she arrives at our stop, it puts her exactly at the exit. Hilarious. One morning, she brought us all croissants for breakfast from the Boulangerie Kayser near the Odéon. Yum! 10, rue de l'Ancienne Comédie, 75006.

Croissant #13 - La Grande Epicerie - Bon Marché. Pain au chocolat. It was good, not great. I think, these days, I much prefer plain croissants to filled ones. The chocolate was overpowering and a little sweet. The pastry was light and airy though. 38, rue de Sèvres, 75007.

Croissant #12 - L'Institut Catholique. Chausson aux pommes. My first one this trip. A little too sweet for my taste, but very very convenient.

Croissant #11 - Some bakery in Rouen. Pain aux raisins. Huge, warm, and yummy. Again, had to dispose of some of it because it was too much of a good thing. I've since come to the conclusion that if you don't finish a pastry, then the calories of the consumed portion don't count. C'est une bonee idée, non?

Croissant #10 - L'Institut Catholique. Pain aux raisins. Woke up late and missed breakfast at the foyer so I had to grab something fast at the school cafeteria. What a deal! Only €0.80 for a huge pastry the size of a face. I had to throw away half. Sacrilegious!

Croissants # 8 and 9 - L'hotel de Chateaubriand in St. Malo. At this point of the trip, I was feeling a little done with the croissants. However, these were at our place settings each morning at breakfast. How can one leave a croissant untouched? Pas mal.

Croissant #7 - Paul. Croissant aux amandes. It was pretty gross. After we bought our croissants, we were told by the profs that Paul has their croissants made at a factory and flown in frozen. This one was soggy and resembled a danish. Of course we ate them anyway.

Croissant #6 - Poujauran. More doughy than the other croissants I've had. But still nice and flaky. Best price so far. 20, rue Jean-Nicot, 75007.

Croissant #5 - LeNôtre. Yummy. Nice, flaky, buttery, and airy. This bakery is air-conditioned and that in and of itself is a great treat these days. 15, boulevard de Courcelles, 75008.

Croissant #4 - Boulangerie Kayser. Very nice and flaky. Would have been even better if it were hot from the oven. Maybe tomorrow... 8, rue Monge, 75005.

Croissant #3 - Paul. Er, not so good. I probably wouldn't have been able to tell it was not so good had I not had Gerard Mulot. Not as flaky nor as buttery. 33, rue de Tronchet, 75008.

Croissant #2 - Gerard Mulot. OMG, I've died and gone to heaven. It was so good! Patisserie Gerard Mulot. 76, rue de Seine, 75006.

Croissant #1 - American Airlines breakfast. After 6 hours on the plain, it didn't taste so bad. Afterall, it was piping hot. But you had to eat it fast so it didn't get TOO rubbery.

Canal St. Martin

According to our guidebooks, the area around the Canal St. Martin in the 10th is quite hip and very up-and-coming. You can stand at any of the many foot bridges to watch the locks in action when barges come through. And if you're Amélie Poulain, you come here to skip stones when you're feeling down.






The northern part of the canal.




Brightly painted Antoine and Lili shops


A chic and popular cafe in the neighborhood.


Aha! This must be where cabbage patch kids come from. Look at these humongous heads of cabbage.

Croissant Count

Croissant Count (as of July 18): 13

Croissant #13 - La Grande Epicerie - Bon Marché. Pain au Chocolat. It was good, not great. I think, these days, I much prefer plain croissants to filled ones. The chocolate was overpowering and a little sweet. The pastry was light and airy though. 38, rue de Sèvres, 75007.

Croissant #12 - L'Institut Catholique. Chausson aux pommes. My first one this trip. A little too sweet for my taste, but very very convenient.

Croissant #11 - Some bakery in Rouen. Pain aux raisins. Huge, warm, and yummy. Again, had to dispose of some of it because it was too much of a good thing. I've since come to the conclusion that if you don't finish a pastry, then the calories of the consumed portion don't count. C'est une bonee idée, non?

Croissant #10 - L'Institut Catholique. Pain aux raisins. Woke up late and missed breakfast at the foyer so I had to grab something fast at the school cafeteria. What a deal! Only €0.80 for a huge pastry the size of a face. I had to throw away half. Sacrilegious!

Croissants # 8 and 9 - L'hotel de Chateaubriand in St. Malo. At this point of the trip, I was feeling a little done with the croissants. However, these were at our place settings each morning at breakfast. How can one leave a croissant untouched? Pas mal.

Croissant #7 - Paul. Croissant aux Amandes. It was pretty gross. After we bought our croissants, we were told by the profs that Paul has their croissants made at a factory and flown in frozen. This one was soggy and resembled a danish. Of course we ate them anyway.

Croissant #6 - Poujauran. More doughy than the other croissants I've had. But still nice and flaky. Best price so far. 20, rue Jean-Nicot, 75007.

Croissant #5 - LeNôtre. Yummy. Nice, flaky, buttery, and airy. This bakery is air-conditioned and that, in and of itself, is a great treat these days. 15, boulevard de Courcelles, 75008.

Croissant #4 - Boulangerie Kayser. Very nice and flaky. Would have been even better if it were hot from the oven. Maybe tomorrow... 8, rue Monge, 75005.

Croissant #3 - Paul. Er, not so good. I probably wouldn't have been able to tell it was not so good had I not had Gerard Mulot. Not as flaky nor as buttery. 33, rue de Tronchet, 75008.

Croissant #2 - Gerard Mulot. OMG, I've died and gone to heaven. It was so good! Patisserie Gerard Mulot. 76, rue de Seine, 75006.

Croissant #1 - American Airlines breakfast. After 6 hours on the plane, it didn't taste so bad. After all, it was piping hot. But you had to eat it fast so it didn't get TOO rubbery.

The Straw That Broke the Camel's Back

One evening, we were at the grocery store buying some fruit, water, yogurt, and other staples. We were tempted by the fresh pineapples but decided against them because (1) they would be troublesome to peel and cut, and (2) the menu for dinner that night included ananas - pineapple - as an appetizer.

We arrived at dinner to find:



Last night, three of us had decided we'd had enough dorm food. So we ventured out to the 7th, to Les Fables de la Fontaine, a restaurant recommended by Miss Pim of Chez Pim fame. We could not be happier with our meal. At this point, anything that is fresh and not overcooked is a treat. The restaurant has a small menu entirely of fresh seafood. You can see from the pictures that foam is requisite on almost every dish. Funny. A few days before, we were just discussing how foam is de rigueur at restaurants these days. The dishes were all delicious and we were very happy with ourselves that night.


Carpacchio of tuna


Steamed langoustines served with homemade aioli


Brochettes of prawns in a foamy butter sauce


Cod with white beans (and foam)


A fish called "Lieu" with yummy potatoes (and foam)


Sea Bream with a fennel salad (and foam!)

La Dame Aux Camélias

Last week, we went to the Opéra Garnier to watch John Neumeier’s La Dame Aux Camélias, based on the book by Alexandre Dumas, fils. Truth be told, I was not really looking forward to it. It had been really hot every night and I had been feeling constantly tired from not sleeping well. Also, two nights prior, we had gone to the Opéra Bastille for a performance of L’Elisir d’Amore, which was almost unbearable because of the stuffiness of the theater. I was afraid of a reprise of that night. And when I read the program and saw that the ballet was 3 acts with 2 intermissions, I wanted to cry.

But I was pleasantly surprised.

First of all, the Opéra Garnier is spectacularly beautiful. Check out a juxtaposition of both opera houses. We were all installed in separate boxes on the first and second balconies. The feeling of being shown to your private box was very old world grandiose. (Of course, I immediately thought of Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman – the scene with the opera glasses. “These are broken. Mine are broken.” Ghetto ghetto me.) The paintings on the ceiling by Chagall were luminescent and whimsical. I thought the ceiling both contrasted and complemented the lavishness of the theater. I really dug the decor although I don’t usually like ornate and fussy things. And to add to my surprise and delight, each box had its own air conditioning vent. It was simply too much!

I’ve been to a few ballets in my lifetime but I can’t say that I have loved any of them. So, I was tickled that I really enjoyed this one. This is despite the fact that I couldn’t see the right side of the stage. (Our seats were nice, but not that nice. After all, budget is the theme of the program.) But I figured, no worries, anything vastly important would happen center stage. And for the obstructed scenes, I shamelessly leaned out of my balcony and craned my neck. Ce n’est pas mal.

It was a tragic love story so there was not much sleuthing needed. The costumes, by Jürgen Rose, were very beautiful and ethereal. My favorites were what looked like woolen winter dresses that became wispy silky nothingness when the ballerinas danced and leapt. It was magical. The choreography was very sensual, very carnal. There was a lot of touching and kissing and fondling. I mean, a lot of it. Which is usually pas de problème, except…

…did I mention that I was seated next to a nun? (We had an extra ticket and invited her to come with us.) I noticed that she was clapping with approval in the earlier scenes of the ballet. Then as the story got hotter and heavier, she just sat there while the rest of the audience was clapping with delight. I felt guilty clapping. Should I not clap either? Is it sinful to clap? Especially because during the intermissions, she and I would talk about the costumes, and the décor, and other innocent and neutral things like dolphins, cute sea creatures and the like, I felt like I was betraying her. (I thought it was really cute that she asked me if there are dolphins in the San Francisco bay.)

Then, there was the scene where a male ballerina was completely naked. Granted, we only saw him from behind, but I was wondering the entire time, what she must’ve been thinking. Not to mention the scene where the two lovers were frolicking in the country and ended up in the throes of ecstasy. I wanted to crawl into a hole. Note to self: if you have to sit next to a nun, make sure the ballet is The Nutcracker or something similarly innocent.

Croissant Count

Croissant Count (as of July 17): 12

Croissant #12 - L'Institut Catholique. Chausson aux pommes. My first one this trip. A little too sweet for my taste, but very very convenient.

Croissant #11 - Some bakery in Rouen. Pain aux raisins. Huge, warm, and yummy. Again, had to dispose of some of it because it was too much of a good thing. I've since come to the conclusion that if you don't finish a pastry, then the calories of the consumed portion don't count. C'est une bonee idée, non?

Croissant #10 - L'Institut Catholique. Pain aux raisins. Woke up late and missed breakfast at the foyer so I had to grab something fast at the school cafeteria. What a deal! Only €0.80 for a huge pastry the size of a face. I had to throw away half. Sacrilegious!

Croissants # 8 and 9 - L'hotel de Chateaubriand in St. Malo. At this point of the trip, I was feeling a little done with the croissants. However, these were at our place settings each morning at breakfast. How can one leave a croissant untouched? Pas mal.

Croissant #7 - Paul. Croissant aux Amandes. It was pretty gross. After we bought our croissants, we were told by the profs that Paul has their croissants made at a factory and flown in frozen. This one was soggy and resembled a danish. Of course we ate them anyway.

Croissant #6 - Poujauran. More doughy than the other croissants I've had. But still nice and flaky. Best price so far. 20, rue Jean-Nicot, 75007.

Croissant #5 - LeNôtre. Yummy. Nice, flaky, buttery, and airy. This bakery is air-conditioned and that in and of itself is a great treat these days. 15, boulevard de Courcelles, 75008.

Croissant #4 - Boulangerie Kayser. Very nice and flaky. Would have been even better if it were hot from the oven. Maybe tomorrow... 8, rue Monge, 75005.

Croissant #3 - Paul. Er, not so good. I probably wouldn't have been able to tell it was not so good had I not had Gerard Mulot. Not as flaky nor as buttery. 33, rue de Tronchet, 75008.

Croissant #2 - Gerard Mulot. OMG, I've died and gone to heaven. It was so good! Patisserie Gerard Mulot. 76, rue de Seine, 75006.

Croissant #1 - American Airlines breakfast. After 6 hours on the plain, it didn't taste so bad. Afterall, it was piping hot. But you had to eat it fast so it didn't get TOO rubbery.

Ode to Me

My store in the Marais!


My cereal at Monoprix :-)

Green Tea Eclair

Conveniently located on rue de Vaugirard, a block from my dorm.


A case of green tea-infused treats.


A green, oozy yumminess.

Sadaharu Aoki is a pastry chef trained in the French classical tradition who boldly pioneered the fusion of French and Asian ingredients in his pastries. Or so I've read. Basically, he adds matcha to some of his creations, thus rendering amazingly delicious treats. The matcha lends lightness to the traditional eclair and the matcha glaze is not cloying. I'm a fan. Although, at €4.00 an eclair, I'm a reserved fan.

La Fête Nationale

Like it or not... Happy Bastille Day!!


If you partly squint and mostly use your imagination, you can see the Eiffel tower in the background.

We saw the fireworks display from the Champs de Mars. It was amazing and went on for what seemed like forever. They don't kid around with their fireworks! Every time I see fireworks though, I think of the poor little Chinese kids in remote villages who've lost their digits so we can revel in our indulgence. Doesn't that put a damper on things? Someone, please tell me that's an urban legend...

A Conceptual Piece

(Placed) at a fixed point (Seized) from a fixed point

By the conceptual artist, Lawrence Weiner, who used language as his medium.

Which brings to mind David Sedaris' essay where he discovered crystal meth and conceptual art... "Either one of these things is dangerous, but in combination they have the potential to destroy entire civilizations. The moment I took my first burning snootful, I understood that this was the drug for me. Speed eliminates all doubt. Am I smart enough? Will people like me? Do I really look all right in this plastic jumpsuit? These are questions for insecure potheads. A speed enthusiast knows that everything he says and does is brilliant."

Shakespeare and Company

On our way home from the Marais, we stopped off at Shakespeare and Company. I was curious as to what the accommodations are like upstairs... here are some pics.




There is not a square inch without books.


You can see one of the bunks on which you can spend the night.


The little alcove with typewriter.


Another bunk.




Books, books, and more books!


View of Notre Dame from the vicinity of the bookstore.

Lookee here!!

A gigantic vending machine - need eggs? butter? diapers? batteries? Just head down to the super duper vending machine...

La Défense with Kim and Jeff

After lunch with Kim and Jeff at Cafe de Flore, we headed out to La Défense to see La Grande Arche. The white marble arch was built to commerorate the bicentenary of the Revolution. It is said that Mitterand wanted the steps at the bottom of the arch so that no tanks (especially German ones) would be able to drive through it.


You can see the cloud canopy at the bottom of the arch and the metal braces for the elevators that take you to the roof.


A close-up of the arch.


The cloud canopy and elevator braces.




View from the bottom of the arch. You can see the Arc du Triomphe in the distance.


Kim et moi on the roof of the arch. Thanks to Jeff, I have horns.


From the roof of the arch, you can see the Arc du Triomphe and Eiffel Tower.

Museé Carnavalet

I had a falafel especial at the famous L'As du Falaffel just before heading to the Museé Carnavalet. The falafel was ridiculously huge but very delicious and piping hot. However, it didn't sit too well with me, so I nursed myself on a bench in the courtyard of the museum. That's why you only get to see the outside of this museum.








My classmates waving at me from the inside.

In Search of the Best Museum Café

You know what's missing in churches? Cafés. Churches should have cafés. If they had cafés, people are likely to linger longer. On this trip, we've been to a fair share of churches and museums. On each church or museum visit, there is almost always a corresponding guided tour by one of our profs. Half an hour into the tour of a stuffy, non a/c'ed museum, A-D-D gets the better of us and we start our search for the museum's café. Pictired below, we are at the newly restored Petit Palais. That is, the café of the Petit Palais.

Dorm Rules

I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it but Paris has been sweltering since I arrived. It is a veritable sauna, especially in the metro. The French do not believe in, and consequently, do not like air conditioning. Therefore, not a lot of places are air-conditioned. And if by sheer luck, there is air-conditioning, it is nothing even close to what we would consider air-conditioning. According to my French teacher, there is really no need for air conditioning because Paris does not get that hot for that long. Er, how do you explain all those deaths during that heat wave just a few years ago? Anyway, she said in this heat, we all smell bad and that’s what perfumes are for. I am honestly not making this up!

The first week was traumatizing. We were lugging huge bottles of water everywhere we went. Every time I walked into a store, I anticipated a gush of cold air to rush at me. But that was never the case. I’ve since learned to curb that anticipation. I also learned that the coolest place in my neighborhood is the frozen section of Le Grand Epicerie at Bon Marche on rue de Sevres. I’ve since shared my secret haven to a few classmates who can’t thank me enough. We are even thinking we can help them inventory the frozen goods.

Because the window of my room is at an odd angle, I don’t get much of a breeze into my room. There is little circulation to speak of. On the first night, I tossed the bed covers and woolen blankets on top of the armoire. They have since remained there. I use only the threadbare top sheet. Some nights, I can’t even stand being under the top sheet. Most nights, I’ve had to resort to sleeping au naturel. Also, we have this inane rule of showers only between 7am and 11pm. We gripe about this rule most every night because we usually get back after 11pm, on the metro, which means that we desperately need showers. Last night, I snuck a shower at midnight and didn’t even bother to dry off. I resorted to sleeping wet from the shower because it keeps me cool for that extra five minutes as the water evaporates.

Things are getting desperate.

Au Revoir Les Bleus

La France a perdu. Viva Italia! The atmosphere last night was a stark contrast to the two nights when France beat teams to get to the finals. The streets were crowded with a lot of people but they were mostly silent. No honking of horns, no flags in your face.

These pictures are taken near Boulevard St. Michel right as the game started.







We couldn't find a bar to go to because every single one was packed. We mananged to find a sushi restaurant where they squeezed us at a table with other people. Sushi and World Cup - not too shabby.