A Wonder? Of course it is!

Do we really need the New7Wonders organisation to tell us how wonderful our mountain is? Not! But it's great that they've noticed.
Two weeks ago  Table Mountain made it onto the list of seven of the provisional results to the New Seven Wonders of Nature list; not a mean feat to be selected from  a draw of 440 locations, 220 countries and 28 candidates. This came right off the back of a french class in which one of my classmates was speaking with pride about the wonders of her country; Venezuela. I never actually ever do that, unless asked - and I do find it interesting that she can wax lyrical unprovoked just like that. This was also in the same week I met some South Africans who were not particularly proudly South African. That I can never understand, but that's for another post entirely. All this was in the week in which a few not-so-friendly-French-encounters led to a not-very-happy-South African-expat. I was feeling extremely homesick ; then the seventh Wonder announcement and a morning spent poring over South African websites - cyber therapy if you will. Felt better after, and now calling all positive South Africans (and non-South Africans) to share something positive about South Africa today, on blogs, email, whatever. Let's spread the wonder!

Maori at Musée du Quai Branly

If you have seen the All Blacks performing the haka before a game, you will understand my fascination with the Maori culture. I must confess, I am not a rugby fan - my enthusiasm for the sport only ever emerges if the Boks are playing in some international final- and even then it's the camaraderie around the matches that enthuses, not the actual game itself. I am discovering that it is a definite followed sport in France though. That aside, I will go through all the pre-game rituals; drinks? check! snacks? check! remote? check - just to see the haka in any game, Boks playing or not. 
Then came the movie Whale Rider and and that just fed my interest further. Today I made it a point to get to Musée du Quai Branly early to take in the current Maori exhibition. I was not disappointed.

Brand watching

The strange phenomenon that is branding. Walked past Louis Vuitton on the Champs Elysees on saturday and the masses had gathered, yet again to see, buy, touch the apparel, handbags that are LV. Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall - it is alway the same. A perfectly executed and managed brand LV, screams of luxury and conspicuous consumption, suggestive of celebrity and exclusivity. Or is it?

Gastronomy: Le Sud, Paris

My children were mopping up the remains off their plates and declaring it the best food ever. Hunger will do that to you...it had been a long day and we'd gone to Le Sud for a light-ish meal. Ended up being a delicious lamb stew, with pasta and rich gravy. A taste of Provence, which was just what we needed that day. I was particularly impressed with the restaurant's lack of a kiddies menu. I have written before about the fact that I am not a fan of greasy, fried chicken, meat, mystery meat in any form served up as food for children. Le Sud has half portions from the main menu as the children's menu and they loved it!

Marché de Noël on Ave. de Champs Elysées

We started out early - well, past midday and the weather was beautiful. There were already throngs of people at the marché, simply strolling along, sampling the hot wine - of which there were many stalls, having their snacks on the sidewalk food courts. It had a strangely commercial feel to it though- it is after all the Champs Elysées though-  for authenticity I have been told that there is no other than the Strasbourg Market .

Robbed of Matisse, Cézanne & Picasso

Armed with my ticket from yesterday, I set out early for the Matisse, Cézanne, Picasso: The Steins Collect  at the Grand Palais - only to be rudely told to come back at 13h30. What!? Turns out the jumele ticket I bought restricts one's visits to certain hours only. Now, if only that kind gentleman at the ticket counter had explained this time restriction...best I get that french up to speed sooner than later, to avoid such vital communication being lost in translation. Irony is I missed the exhibit because I had a french class.

'Tis the season

It is grey outside. Gone are the long, balmy evenings; a far memory the Indian summer that drew itself out to the end of October. It is now grey. Even the crowds outside the famed Louis Vuitton store on Avenue Champs Elysées are no more - Ladurée looked stark and empty, I guess nothing was drawing the crowds out into the cold for their delightful macarons. Abercrombie & Fitch; I have yet to fully understand what it is this store sells that draws the crowds so much- but from what I've read and seen, great marketing and branding can take a product a long way. Even this store did not have its usual, winding queues. The models were still there though - decked out in their winter gear, ready to welcome would-be shoppers.

Books: LYRICS ALLEY by Leila Aboulela

Title: Lyrics Alley
Author: Leila Aboulela
Published: 2011
Genre: Fiction

I am going to come across sounding unimaginative I know, but Lyrics Alley is lyrical. A slow-paced introduction to the extended dynastic Abuzeid family leads one to identifying with the characters almost immediately. Slow-paced as the introduction is, the turn of events as the plot gives way is anything but. Lyrics Alley reads both like historical fiction - which it is not, and a dramatic work of fiction you want to sink your teeth into.
The plot centres around Mahmoud Abuzeid, a Sudanese whose life is a mélange of cultures, traditional Sudanese and modern Egyptian. Torn between the two worlds, he remains unavoidably and staunchly tied to his origins and his family in Sudan yet socially ambitious and yearning for acceptance in his new world. It is a story of families, love and heartbreak.

Steve Jobs - VISIONARY.

Tributes extolling the genius  of  Steve Jobs have been and will continue to be written following his death yesterday, and every one of them will not be enough. But one recent one put it more aptly than most..."he was the closest friend you've never met".  I couldn't agree more.
Genius knows no bounds and this was illustrated by the man who dared to inspire the imagination of not only the pre-schoolers, but generations after in  equal measure. My son was almost in tears this morning when he overheard our discussion. He who, only last week, was overheard telling his friend that..."Steve Jobs is Apple!".
My daughter was a tad more eloquent: "Steve Jobs rocks Mommy!"
Without a doubt, he did.

Nuit Blanche

It's called Sleepless Night and is meant to be an all-nighter; from 7pm to 7am. We tried last night. We went- we saw- and we were back home by midnight. Considering the company, aged 5 and 11 - we did not do too badly.
Nuit Blanche is in its 10th year and is an all-night art exhibition and festival in the Hôtel de Ville, Montmartre, Pigalle and the St. Georges areas. Contemporary art installations, sculptures, exhibits can be viewed all night. The Pompidou Centre opened to the crowds free of charge from 9pm until 1am. Stands were set up where we picked up maps and followed our own course. The metro, lines 11 and 12 were open for the entire night between certain stops. Next year, we are going without the kids- it was fun but a bit crazy for them, and for us equally as we were too worried we might lose them in the crowds. Saw a Jazz band play, drummers and dancers in the streets, grafitti artists and numerous installations.

Prepare yourself for the unexpected

This is what I woke up to today. From last week, the building across our apartment has been undergoing renovations, so my view has been scaffolding, safety nets and builders going about their business.
Then this morning, this.
Of all the buildings, in all the cities, in all the world... I love it .  A reminder of home just outside my window. South African tourism taking advantage of the expansive Paris apartment faces. Well done! Check the website for the possibilities.

The new scenic view from my living room...

Gastronomy: Lounging at Les Sabias

Lounge music, I guess I am just a sucker for lounge music. Evokes images of chilled out cocktails on friday nights, lazy saturday afternoon barbecues and  late sunday lunches. The association is always culinary. Sundays have become either late morning brunches, or late lunches, when not actually making making lunch from the sunday market bounty (a whole other post yet to be written there). For now, we are still fairly new in our city so on a voyage of discovery on the restaurant front.
Les Sabias, in Neuilly did not disappoint. It was the lounge music playing in the background that got me.

Chinese Artists in Paris

Writers, artists, designers, foodies and your average francophile are drawn to Paris by one thing-  Inspiration. There is something about the city that is deemed a mecca of inspiration for the creatives, and it has always been the case. In some cases , destination Paris was a result of political and social circumstances forcing people to seek out refuge in a democratic, liberal country that not only allowed but encouraged their creativity. Chinese artists made their way to Paris in the early 1900s, with the formation of the Franco-Chinese Education Society in 1915 and establishment of the Franco-Chinese Institute in Lyon in 1921, encouraging further influx. The current exhibit at Musée Cernuschi was refreshing in that it revealed artists that not only drew inspiration from the city, but worked that inspiration around the art forms that were familiar to them, lithographs, ink on paper and silk as canvas.

Gastronomy: Le Bistro de Neuilly, Neuilly-sur-Seine

Discovering my neighbourhood has never been such a pleasure.
Le Bistro de Neuilly is on rue du Commandant Pilot in Neuilly-sur-Seine. A very quiet street. The restaurant is small, but has really friendly hosts, and it was apparent that the diners were mainly regulars and of course us, the newbies. Jazz music playing in the background, every so often there was laughter and dancing from the back to a popular song - it is that kind of place. Young families, older couples, young couples.
The food was great! I have yet to write up on a bad experience - actually, I will not, if the food's not good, I won't recommend a place.

Fête de la gastronomie

While I was busy walking around yesterday doing my best impression of 'tourist with camera' I had completely forgotten it was fête de la gastronomie. Launched in May this year, it is the inaugural event that looks to promote French cooking - not forgetting that we are talking of cuisine that this year won its status on UNESCO's World Heritage List. Yes, that is how seriously the French take their cuisine.

'Chasing Shadows' with Santu Mofokeng

I almost missed this, but it is still on for two more days. Santu Mofokeng, renowned South African photographer has an exhibit on until Sunday 25th Sept. at Jeu de Paume titled, 'Chasing Shadows'.
In my month here I have become used to all things French, then this afternoon I was transported back to SA through a series of Black & White photos in works spanning 30 years. He started his career capturing images pre- and post-apartheid in South Africa, but moved away to document religion and its practice by black urban people; practices that were a mélange of christian and pagan ceremonies, in cities, mountains and at times in caves, reserved solely for worship.
Must see, if for nothing else than his landscape images, yes, I know, landscapes.

The splendour of Palais Garnier

I went on a tour of the Opera house; Palais Garnier on Monday. This is home to one of France's most splendid historical artchitecture. Home of the Opera and Ballet and a name synonymous with French culture, it was founded by Louis XIV in 1669, who was not only an actor but also a talented ballet dancer. The Opéra Garnier is the thirteenth theatre to house the Opera, and was designed by Charles Garnier, who due to a bureaucratic error resulting in a missing invitation, on the eve of the opening of the building was the only person that had to pay for his ticket.

What makes a neighbourhood?

In Paris most neighbourhoods are defined by firstly, whether they are on the left or right bank, which determines whether there are leanings of conservative or liberal, bourgeois or bohemian, artsy, tourist hot-spots or not; and then by the usual determinants, of race - yes, dare I say it in the country that defines itself around its liberté, égalité, fraternité even race will always be there - and religious affiliation, although to a lesser extent. When you find yourself in certain neghbourhoods race does become a determinant, the 18th is populated by a predominantly African population; Chinatown in the 13th, and the Marais district is often referred to as the Jewish part of Paris. Even the banlieu's are known for the most part as home to immigrant (or not) North African populations.

Gastronomy: La Villa Corse, Paris

Here I was thinking that Wanderlust! would gradually move away from its food theme...Had a fantastic lunch at La Villa Corse in the 16th a couple of weeks ago. Quiet neighbourhood the 16th, fairly upmarket, in fact very upmarket and très bourgeois - but it has a wide offering of restaurants from the formal and expensive to the more casual and inexpensive. La Villa Corse is somewhere in the middle, not exactly brasserie dining but won't break the bank either. With a lounge bar, a library with books laden on dark wood shelves and a formal lounge- it speaks of long lingering dinners, but lunch worked just as well though.

C'est la rentrée!

Today my kids went back to school- after almost two and a half months off! Am I the only person who thinks that the summer school holidays are far too long?
They have been fortunate enough to enjoy their holidays in three different countries- Ghana, South Africa and France; and I have been quite the organizer of 'Things to do with kids between 6 and 11'...in fact that's what my next post should be about-there's been enough organization in these quarters. Despite all the activities across the three countries, by last week they just wanted to get back to school, or in their case, start their new school.
I experienced my first dose of 'the madness of the school supplies shopping'.