Christmas in 2 steps at Hotel L'Intercontinental: an ode to dance 🩰

 

NUT CRACKER BALLET

For the Christmas season, 

L’Intercontinental Hotel, 2 rue Scribe across from Opera Garnier.

Le trompe-l’œil, Musée Marmottan Monet

 

Yesterday I went to see the new Trompe l’Oeil 👁️(fool the eye) exhibit

At musée Marmottan in the 16th arrondissement (Metro 9).

Ballet Core Map

 

Ballet 🩰 fashion has always been IN

But now anyone can deck themselves out in bits of balletomania 🩰 Pinterest says.

Grand Plans in Paris

Macaron tree,watercolor on Etsy, 5.5" x 7.5"

Has anyone noticed that the watercolors have taken on a grander demeanor...

With fancier trappings surrounding the macarons etc..

We're gearing ourselves up (the birds and I) to visit some real palaces, not just palaces of patisserie! We hope to visit Versailles at least two times. Always after 1:30, when the masses have departed, so we can actually get up close to Marie-Antoinette's boudoir with perhaps a quick bounce on her bed?

A special jaunt to the chateau de Chantilly is on order to see the newly renovated Grand Singerie.

Cliquez ici pour consulter l'interview

A visit to the Opera Garnier would be rather grand.

Location: Place de l'Opéra, 75009 Paris. Métro: Opéra. RER: Auber.Phone: 01-40-01-23-34 or 01-47-42-53-71 or 01-40-01-22-63.Unguided tours: daily 10 am-5:00 pm Admission: Adults - € 8, students & under 19 - € 4.Box Office Hours: 10 am-5:30 p.m. daily.Web site: http://www.opera-de-paris.fr/

A visit to Josephine's chateau de Malmaison is on the list.

 Chateau de Fontainebleau?

What shall I wear to all these grand visits? A macaron T-shirt bien sur. Another must-do in Paris - divine musee Nissim de Camondo. A stop at the Musee des Arts Decoratif. is a must.

A palace of a different sort - La Salon du ChocolatYUM YUM

Bon Voyage!

Last Night Paris

Tuesday morning I had a "private" visit to Pierre Herme on 185, rue Vaugirard to take as many pictures as I wanted from both sides of the counter. YAY!

Later I decided on a late run to my photo shop in the 6th - camera problems. It was dusk in the Marais. Irresistable for marching around on foot.
I passed a Starbucks on rue des Archives and peeked in. Starbucks is hugely popular in Paris with the French to my surprise! They love the big loungie chairs and relaxed atmosphere.
The banks of Velib bikes everywhere is a delight! These stations were empty during the strike/ greve last week. Next time I'll get a Navigo card so I can use one. I'll bone up on my biking skills too before I come...ahem
I passed the glorious Hotel de Ville enroute to the left bank -always spectacular at night.
Cross the Petit Pont...
To the other side where Notre Dame awaits...
Awaits every tourist in Paris. Sometimes it's nice to be a tourist...
A small art galerie on rue de Petit Pont with large, mysterious Medieval style paintings...

A shop window nearby with tiny, adorable Limoge snuff boxes...

At St.Michel I popped into the Metro and came out at stop Vavin facing my favorite bistro - Le Select. You can't go wrong here for tons of old Parisian ambience. The food is irrelevant.

Another night I took this shot of the L'Opera Garnier.

No flash required.
Walking around Paris at night is a delight.

The streets are not so crowded and perfect for leche-vitrine / window shopping with no chance of maxing out your credit card.

Late shoppers still max out their credit cards. Lines, lines, lines plus you feel the tension and anticipation - will there be any macarons left? Here winners of a box of macarons at nearby Cafe Le Deux Magots...

A pretty "boutique" hotel I spotted walking around another night in the Marais...

I hope you enjoyed all my Paris "bla bla bla"
Please don't ask me where you can buy this product.

Or if I can buy one for you and your mother in size 8.

I shoot and run.

I forget ALL names and addresses instantly.

I am neither a personal shopper nor a tourist guide.
I'm an artist who loves to look at everything.

I couldn't leave you without some Paris macarons could I?

Please take a bite from my collection...

I'll be on AirFrance 0008 tonight coming back to you.

A bientot!

L'Opera Cake Geometry

The famous l'opera gateau is not exactly unrelated to my Paris trip. I keep staring at my rectangular suitcase

and thinking about pastry geometrie instead of packing.
 

I tried opera cake at Sadaharu Aoki's patisserie

on 35, rue de Vaugirard, 75006
Sadly, I cannot report how it tasted.

I was too busy admiring it's perfect architecture and lovely dimensions.

The cake was first created by Louis Clichy in 1903.
But Dalloyau renamed it after the grand Paris Opera
and is reknown for their version. I stole a shot at Galerie Lafayette Gourmet.

Every French patisserie makes a version of this popular multi-layered chocolate decadence.
L'Epicerie has their monster versions...I would love to figure out why a squared cake in the US connotes an
office party birthday or a banana cake?
Where is the panache?
Where's the ganache? Humm.

Pierre Herme makes what looks like an opera cake but he changes the equation.
Called the Carrement Chocolat, it is not layered.
Inside is:
(biscuit "molleux chocolat", creme onctueuse au chocolat, mousse au chocolat, fine feuilles de chocolat craquant)
Well I see the word feuille / leaves, so maybe it is layered?
Help me out here.

I brought the petit four version home to paint.

There's nothing like the challenge of painting a square
on a rectangular piece of paper.But I think I forgot to taste it...
Uh ohThese (20!) step-by-step demo pictures are from

the Meilleur du Chef.dom..
Here's what's inside the cake:
Giaconda biscuit
Coffee syrup
Coffee buttercream
Chocolate ganache
Chocolate glaze
Not exactly "a piece of cake" to make!
I think I better focus on the 20+ layers going inside my little suitcase...ahem