We’ve been on a lot of trains in the past month but the First Great Western train to Oxford didn’t have door handles. Here’s how you open the door: and the car parks are different here:
We did a double decker bus tour today on a cold grey summer’s day. It’s a great way to see the city: But we soon got hungry. We went to Goodman – a steak house in Mayfair. Nick and I met the head chef John Cadieux in Jun 2010. The place was great then and […]
We ate at Roka for lunch. After no Japanese food for a month, this was a taste sensation. Roka’s a great experience for traditional and new-style Japanese food: The standout dish was the rice hot pot with king crab and wasabi tobiko – Kani No Kamameshi. It’s served from an iron pot, mixed together at […]
Now that we’re in a new country it’s time to do the choose a mobile carrier shuffle again. And the lucky winner for 4 new prepaid customers is… GiffGaff. 3 UK’s All in one plans came very close but we’re going to give this MVNO that operates on the O2 network a go for a […]
It was fitting that our last meal in France was in Lyon, the gastronomic HQ of France according to many. And one of our best. We ate at Le Splendid, a Georges Blanc restaurant. I had the chicken from Bresse with a morel sauce. We’ve had this dish several times in France but this was […]
Our trip to France is winding up. We went to the town of Goudargues on Wednesday to check out the weekly market. Goudargues has a canal through the town and is called the Venice of Provence. Well, not quite: The stalls had the usual stuff, but this van caught my eye: After battling through the […]
A few photos from meals at small rural restaurants around Issirac. The first one is from Mas Rodières, about 50 minutes from our house: and then a place recommended by the wine shop in Chateauneuf du Pape, Gerard Alonso in Sorgues, a few miles from Avignon:
Finally got down here after battling Saturday traffic on the A7 out of Lyon. First problem was that the Avis web site has the wrong names for the two train stations so our car that was booked for Lyon Part Dieu wasn’t there when we arrived. After getting that sorted we dropped into Les Halles […]
Here’s a view of the apartment we’ve been living in for the past 5 days in Abbesses, Montmartre – it’s on the 5th floor, with the terrace and 3 windows at No. 11: It’s really close to the metro stop – right out the front door: The streets around Montmartre: And a bit of French […]
A new day and a new area. Today, it’s Montparnasse where the artistic giants of France spent hours drinking absinthe: and the Luxembourg Gardens: and back to Da Rosa for lunch:
This street has a long history so we went for a stroll down here in the morning to pick up some supplies for lunch back at the apartment: This place has been killing snails for 179 years! and this place has been selling little pigs:
Took lots of pics, but here’s one of my favourites:
Day one of our stay in the North of Paris in the Montmartre area. We have an amazing view from our apartment: Our local Metro stop is Abbesses: We went to check out some markets and “passages” – covered lanes: Then a spot of lunch at the Palais Royal: and some shopping at Galeries Lafayette […]
We arrived back in Paris, this time staying in Montmartre. We had to get some basics for the apartment, bread, milk, eggs. I know there’s an award winning bakery on the same street and luckily, we went there and got some items as they’re off on August holidays as of tonight for 2 weeks. So, […]
The girls left for their second French course in Vichy today: and I had scrambled eggs at Passionément Truffe to compare it to Chez Bruno from a couple of weeks ago. Verdict? Chez Bruno wins for value, ambience and cooking. But, if Lyon is easier to get to! Dinner was at one of the four […]
A week goes fast. So today, we packed our bags and left Paris for Lyon for the weekend. We had almost two hours to kill at Gare du Lyon so it was lucky there is a beautiful bar/restaurant there called Le Train Bleu. It’s a lovely example of architecture from the Belle Epoch and a […]
A trip to Paris isn’t complete without some photos of, and from, the Eiffel Tower. The view from the top platform is spectacular:
On our last family day in Paris we are celebrating Mia’s birthday at an Alain Ducasse restaurant in the Eifflel Tower. Le Jules Verne is on the highest platform before the summit with its own private elevator going up 123 metres! The 3 course menu was delicious. Here is the Petit Pois starter, followed by […]
Off to Parfum Caron, the famous perfume house that was in the movie Scent of a Woman, to let Mia check out a French perfume house. Then caught up with Ryu for lunch at a Vietnamese restaurant – Le Bambou. I had beef Pho – similar to what we get in Melbourne but a much […]
A relatively early start to meet up with Hal and Sally-Anne. Firstly to Laduree for breaky: Then a stroll through to the Louvre where there’s always interesting street activity: Through the gardens of the Palais Royal for some shopping at Galeries Layfaette: and then a late lunch of some fantastic Spanish, Italian and Portuguese hams […]
Headed over to Saint-German-des-Prés today: And had excellent coffee made by Thomas and “eggs” type dishes at Egg & Co:
So many things to do in Paris. First task on a Monday is to get a Metro pass for the week. The locals get a Navigo Semaine pass which is good for all travel in zone 1 and 2 for a week. Armed with the pass the first stop is to Fauchon for a spot […]
What a view from our apartment:
Steak and french fries! At the Relais de l’Entrecôte chain of restaurants. with a red:
