A Pinay in Europe

Hello from a lovely blue-skied south of France!
Yes, we are back home, to stay till the new year!
And as soon as we saw the blue mediterranean sea, the yachts moored at Villefrance-sur-mer, the cypress trees, the orange trees, villas perched up the hill..we instantly got into the holiday mood! But it’s not all holiday, it’s the final move of the century.  I mean, moving our heavy caravan through muddy soil (autumn/winter have been wet), out of the property, as the new owners are not even interested to turn it into an extra playroom for their child!

Interested in a caravan, anyone? it’s free for the taking!

Anyway, we are strapping up all our energy as we need it when that pushing, moving, towing moment comes - which is in two days’ time!

View of Monaco from our train

Our mountain village, Christmas 2008

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Our apartment, built in the 1960s has its walls covered with fabric wallcover. It’s supposedly a bourgeois-thing. Here is another room with its flowery-themed wallcover. Guess where it is?

…it’s the upper half of our toilet!

This is the road fronting our apartment that is covered in thick frost as I type.

View from the terrace

On a cloudy day..with La Defense in the background

On a fine evening, with La Defense on zoom

n a misty morning like today…and La Defense is nowhere to be found…

La Defense is Paris’ financial district

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Last night (Sunday), the entire length of the Champs-Élysées was like a scene after the “14th of July” celebration! Hoards of humanity on pavements on both sides of the avenue, even spilling over the busy thoroughfare with the same objective in mind, that of photographing the Arc du Triomphe on one side, or the ferris wheel on the other. Passing motorists are either annoyed or joining in the fun ( cameras or videocams sticking out of cars shooting the hullaballoo).

After buying 5 grams of marshmallow chocolate (at 5euros.. that’s highway robbery!…but it was oh sooo tasty nevertheless!) from one of the Christmas market kiosks, we exited to a quieter street - the “most expensive street in Paris - the Avenue Montaigne!

 Walking along the avenue at daytime with its ultra-chic window displays intimidates me, what with the number of bouncers-in-black-costumes guarding their shops like they are fortresses! But last night, with H in tow, in the cover of darkness, I just kept clicking to my heart’s content!

Here are my “stolen” shots:

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A regular Friday event, this 30-minute show is free.  All you have to do is email them for a reservation of x number of seats. They will email you back for confirmation, have this printed and present it at the door.   Yesterday,  there were loads of Japanese (as usual) who came to watch. The Americans came in big numbers - 9 in one group!

Yes, that is a (black) wedding dress!

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A very Parisian way to wrap up a Parisian Sojourn!
10 September 2007

My very first time to watch a Fashion Show was in Galeries Lafayette years ago, only, they used to hold it in one corner of one of the floors. So when I saw it advertised in the Paris Guide, I knew I must see it again! It was to be held on the same day of our flight back home but luckily, I could still make it!

Outside the venue door, they were checking the booking reference of each one coming in. Oh no! they won’t let me in!! When my turn came, luckily, they just asked me (and few others) to wait until all those who have made reservations were seated. Indeed, there were still a lot of free seats left. Later on, I really felt doubly lucky when the seat I was in allowed me an uninterrupted view of the models walking on the aisle…I was actually just a couple of feet away from them!

Watching fashion shows is like watching a classical concert! I mean, the same rapture I feel while listening to beautiful music is exactly the same as when I am watching beautiful people in their beautiful clothes with their equally beautiful looks and coiffure!! Huh! from now on, I’ll make sure to include a Friday in every Paris trips I’ll make!

This Free Fashion Show is held in the Salon Opéra, 7th Floor of Galeries Lafayette Haussman (behind the Opéra) every Friday at 3 pm. Reservation is a must! Either phone +33 (01) 42 82 30 25 or email broesch@galerieslafayette.com

It was the Winter Collection 2007 - 2008 of the houses of Diesel, Ralph Lauren, Guess, Kenzo among others…

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My two favorite places to windowshop. Purveyors of classic Parisian chicness. Both are tourist attractions. Their animated window displays at Christmastime are legendary.

Printemps

 Galeries Lafayette

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Saw this window display on the side street of LV building in the Champs-Elysees. I thought it’s cute but honestly, they don’t make sense to me. I wish they put some description so my unimaginative brain could understand what the artist is trying to convey. But for sure, the message is: we use far too much non-degradable packaging that only pollutes the planet we live in. For those of you who haven’t watched Wall-E, the robot movie, I suggest you should as it shows there how the earth would look like if we don’t control the use of imperishable packaging.

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Galeries Lafayette

Yesterday I went for a quick tour of one of Paris’ luxury shopping centers to look at their Christmas decoration (inside and out).
This year’s theme is based on the children’s book, Alice in Wonderland.

The animated window display illustrates the fantasy adventures of Alice when she fell into a rabbit-hole.
Here shown the Mad Christmas Dinner (instead of the Mad Tea party in the storybook) invaded by rabbits and ducks.

The mushroom garden where Alice met the crazy caterpillar

Outside the store

The giant Christmas tree

Printemps

The theme of Printemps Department Store is Cosmic Christmas.

top left: teddy bears floating at the bottom of the ocean
top right: aliens exploring the universe
bottom right: girl aliens getting blown by the wind, so they struggle to hold on together….
bottom left: or hold on to their umbrella so they don’t get blown away

Interspersed with the cosmic window displays are ultra-chic table settings

…and fashion

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Salon de la Photo is my most-awaited event every November because this is where I get the chance to practice being a fashion photographer.  There’s an entrace fee but you can get there free if you know the secret: printing your free inviation from their website.  Here are my shots:

The great thing about attending exhibitions in Paris is, they intensely inspire the senses!  Lots of ideas brewing up, like, I think I want to take up Maquillage (Make-Up).  I could always get into a career on makeup, Parisian style!

There are also conferences in the Salon de la Photo where  “Masters” of Photography get to be interviewed. Never a boring moment as there are lots of to learn!

Take for example, Gerard Vandystadt’s stunning sports photography:

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For the 3rd year running, around December, with the cooperation of the City Hall and some business establishments, up to a hundred streets, squares and buildings in Paris are lit up to celebrate Christmas and the New Year:

The Eiffel Tower..or La Tour Eiffel (in French)

To those who are visiting Paris this month, you must see the Tower twice…one at daylight and the other, at night, when the EU colour
reverberates on the tower. The blue lighting with yellow stars imitates the flag of the European Union and France presides over
the EU for the second half of 2008.

Eighty giant projectors on the ground and 100 more on the tower have been installed to achieve the blue effect. And for 10 minutes
every hour, from nightfall to 2 a.m., it twinkles like a Christmas tree!

The opulent 5-star Hotel de Crillon in Place de la Concorde, the same hotel where Marie Antoinette used to entertain her friends.

One of the most beautiful avenues in the world - the Champs-Elysées

One of the most beautiful avenues in the world - the Champs-Elysées

Place Vendome

Place Vendome: As well as the Ritz Hotel, this is where France’s most expensive products hold shop.

Metro Franklin Roosevelt, off the Champs-Elysées

The garlanded trees along Avenue Montaigne, the street of French Fashion

Avenue Montaigne - here situated is the jewelry shop which was held up last week by a gang of 4, stripped off their entire jewellery
display worth 84million euros. The hold-up lasted for 15 minutes!

The now-you-see-it-now-you-don’t Ferris Wheel of Paris.
This wheel was built for the millenium celebrations, stayed on its place for 2 years, then dismantled, was re-erected in Birmingham, England, then Manchester, then Amsterdam, re-assembled in Bangkok, and now back to where it originated! Until when? I wish I know the answer!

Another awesome sight! - the Arc du Triomphe

Tourists don’t mind the danger of getting hit by raging cars, as long as they get the perfect pic of the Arc.  (But I am as guilty as them….I’m also in the middle taking this shot!)

They’re real ice!

The Tourist Office of Alsace building.
Just a flavor of Christmas from the Alsace region. Alsace has the most enchanting Christmas markets - 35 in all - in France!

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Yesterday, H and me drove all the way down to Lyon (6 hours from Paris) to attend the French-Filipino Friendship & Christmas Party organized by the Filipino Association of the Rhone-Alps where a close friend of mine is an officer. It was attended by the Philippine Honorary Consul, Mr. Jean-Jacques Rinck who, inspite of his very busy schedule (he was actually doing his paperwork where he was seated) stayed till midnight because he obviously - and tremendously - enjoyed the presentation!
More than a hundred people attended and more than half were French, most likely, relatives and colleagues of the French husbands and their Filipina wives. It was very fascinating looking at the half-French half-Pinoy children and the well “French-isized” Filipina ladies who looked very elegant that night. And what would usually be a traditional buffet table was served French-style, that is, served as a 6- (or could it be 7- ?? ) course meal.  And all these gastronomical fill was spread over 5 hours, in between speeches of the officers and the Consul, singing, cultural dance, fashion show, exchange gifts and more dancing.

 After the fashion show of Philippine costumes, the “models” sang Filipino Christmas carols, a capella

Dancing the Tinikling
The finale which was overwhelmingly applauded!

Congratulations to the officers and members of the Filipino association for a job well done!

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