travel zen on friday: notre dame and the river seine

An iconic spot: the Notre Dame Cathedral (and a tiny view of the Eiffel Tower in the distance) along the River Seine.

travel zen on friday: jardin du luxumbourg

One of my favorite spots in Paris is the Jardin du Luxumbourg. Located in the left bank near the Sorbonne, it's a great place to stroll and get away from it all.

how to fan girl at restaurant l'arpege in paris

L'Arpege.

Chef Alain Passard is one of the most famous people in the culinary world. His restaurant, L'Arpege, consistently gets three Michelin stars and is a fixture on the World's 50 Best Restaurants List. He focuses on vegetarian cuisine although he does offer meat and fish as well.

I first heard of Chef Passard when a friend served me an "Arpege egg" one time at a dinner party. My friend's version was creamy scrambled egg topped with caviar served in an egg shell. Since then, I've been wanting to try the real thing.

When Mr. Sazy Rock and I recently visited Paris, he wanted to go back to Arpege to get himself up to date on the city's dining scene. I was more than happy to tag along. I was very excited to finally eat the famous Arpege egg.

The Scene

The diners were both food tourists and French people alike. We arrived fairly early and the place was mostly empty. But, by 9 pm, when most people ate, the place was full and buzzy. Men wore jackets and women dressed smart. I should note, however, that I saw a French speaking couple wear jeans.

The Service

What excited me was Chef Passard working the room and greeting every single diner. In fact, when he first started greeting diners, I thought he knew them personally. He was that friendly. Instead, those folks were just regular diners like me and Mr. SR. When he finally came by our table, he joked with us and noted how much Mr. SR seemed to enjoy eating their bread. After saying hi, he went back to the kitchen.

video: what is a bouchon?

Join me and Mr. Sazy Rock as we dine in a real bouchon in Lyon, France at Comptoir Chabert. I hope you enjoy our short video.

travel zen on friday: lyon

A view of Lyon and the River Saone.

video: dining at paul bocuse's l'auberge du pont de collonges in lyon, france

If you've ever wondered what it is like to dine at Paul Bocuse's temple of gastronomy - L'Auberge du Pont de Collonges - in Lyon, France, I've shot a short video below. Enjoy!

le chantecler restaurant in nice, france

(Nice, France).  As part of our friends' 40th birthday celebrations in France, we enjoyed a lovely dinner at Le Chantecler - a gorgeous Michelin-starred restaurant located in the storied Hotel Negresco along Les Promenade des Anglais.   It is a very posh place so we definitely dressed for the occasion.  (Tip - Before dining here, check the dress code on their website.)

The lobby was beautiful but quiet and empty like a museum...

We enjoyed some drinks at the hotel bar before dinner which is highly recommended simply for location and people watching.  Then we entered into the grand hotel lobby into the formal dining room of the restaurant (which had surprisingly pink table cloths). 

Very very pink table cloth... but check out the gorgeous dishware!

The moment we sat down we were embraced with a cloak of finely orchestrated service.  Course after course arrived - each more beautiful than the next, as you can see below...

 

By the end we were bursting at the seams, yet not so full that we weren't able to end the night with another nightcap at the hotel bar.

The entire experience was extraordinary and highly recommended.  The elegant, posh surroundings, impeccable service and beautiful plating made the entire meal from beginning to end magical and nearly theatrical.  But while I enjoyed my meal immensely, I can't go as far as to say that it was the best meal I had in Nice.  That honor would go to Restaurant JAN (reviewed here).  The bill at Le Chantecler was also about double the cost of JAN.  I think the choice  really boils down to whether you care more about the actual food versus the entire dining experience.

le voilier plage: beach club in nice

(Nice, France).  The beach in Nice - like the beaches along the Amalfi Coast in Italy - is quite rocky and lined with private beach clubs.   There are free, public areas along the beach interspersed between the clubs.  Either option enjoys the same view and water - but with the club, you get a lounge chair, shade and full food/drink service.  In the U.S., I would probably not consider paying for this type of "luxury", but I was on vacation so why not?

restaurant review: le bistro gourmand

(Nice, France).  As a lactose intolerant person, French cuisine tends to be too rich and creamy for me.  But there are some homestyle French bistro food I enjoy with the aid of lactaid pills.  In my search for good bistro cuisine in Nice, I came across this helpful blog - www.bestofniceblog.com - which has wonderful tips and recommendations for Nice.  

Our group took up one of the dining rooms which was quite light and airy.

 Based on the review there, my friends and I decided to dine at Le Bistro Gourmand, and it was a lovely surprise.  

restaurant review: restaurant jan (one michelin star restaurant in nice, france)

(Nice, France).  In Nice, we were joining a group of friends for their birthday celebrations so it was a rare situation when I did not plan or organize any of the meals.  Fortunately the food planner was also an avid food and wine lover so he planned all of our group meals beautifully.  For our first large group dinner he chose Restaurant JAN - an incredibly well-reviewed restaurant with one Michelin star.

Here is a sample menu - they offer several choices of prix fixe.  I think we went to the chef's choice which had more than 6 courses.  While each course is deceptively small, all of us were pretty full as we neared the end of the meal.  So how was the food?

hotel review: le meridien nice

(Nice, France).  For our stay in Nice, we chose to stay at Le Meridien Nice - mainly because we got the entire duration of our stay on Starwood points.  Nothing really beats free.  

However, I have to admit that when our uber driver pulled up to the hotel I was a bit disappointed, especially after seeing the other grand hotels during the drive.  The outside of the hotel left quite a lot to be desired - sort of outdated and adjacent to a large McDonalds.  Don't get me wrong - I enjoy McDonalds occasionally but I don't usually want it attached to my hotel.  But was I too quick to judge?

travel zen on friday: view of the beach in nice from castle hill

If you are in Nice, you should definitely walk up to Castle Hill and enjoy the gorgeous views of Nice.  It's healthy and free - what more could you ask for?

my experence using uber in nice, france (summer 2016)

(Nice, France).  On my recent travels, it has become a habit for me to research whether my destinations have uber.  It's advisable to check right before you arrive since uber is still relatively new in many areas where the laws may be unclear and/or where uber is subject to attack by local taxi organizations (literally or figuratively).  For example, last year when I went to Paris, uber cars were physically being attacked so I refrained from using uber while I was there and opted to pay for the overpriced taxis.  This year, however, I read several articles and blogs which confirmed that uber was widely used in Nice and was preferred by the locals - being cheaper than taxis.

When we landed in the airport, I checked my app and lo and behold, there were uber cars available.  I recall reading that there's a "Kiss and Fly" zone where the uber cars pick riders up.  So my husband and I simply found the zone, requested a car, and then we were off to our hotel!  So easy!

Since my French is basically non-existent despite years of high school French courses, it was helpful to be able to type in the destination point, instead of trying to tell the driver where to go - especially since many of the drivers we encountered did not really speak English.  

We used uber several times in the city successfully so I would definitely recommend it.  Nice is pretty walkable for tourists so you may not have to rely on cars for much - but it was definitely useful for going to and from the airport.

But again - remember to check before you go since the situation may change.  When we went to Budapest after Nice, we found out that uber had just been outlawed there, which was quite disappointing.

african safari- luxury itinerary on an economical budget

In Spring of 2012, I took my dream vacation to Africa- Victoria Falls, Chobe National Park, Okavango Delta, and Cape Town- with an added bonus trip to Paris.  Here was my itinerary:

Day 1- Travel day

• 12 hr flight from LAX (LA) to LHR (Heathrow)

Day 2- Travel day

• 8 hour layover at LHR; check-in at Yotel in T4
• 12 hr flight from LHR to Johannesburg, SA (JNB)

how to score a deal on louis vuitton purse in paris

Louis Vuitton strictly controls price. You are never going to find it on sale at Neiman Marcus or their own stores. And an item will never go down in price once it has gone up. So how do you score a deal? Shop in PARIS! What better excuse is there to go?

Here’s my How-To guide on snagging a deal on an authentic Louis Vuitton purse:

Step one: Pre-shop online at louisvuitton.com. Choose the handbag or wallet of your desire. If you are geographically close to a store that carries Louis Vuitton, go check it out in person; nothing beats seeing, feeling and weighing the goods in three dimension. Let’s use my well used and beloved Neverfull GM as example. Note: when I purchased this a few years ago, it did not come with the pochette and was cheaper.