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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