Around Paris

Place De Vogues

Lunch with great friends at Ma Bourgogne.

Yummy poached leeks with a light mustard herb sauce and grilled goat cheese.

Steak Tartare is a specialty at Ma Bourgogne. Served with fries, it was perfect.

Loud shirts seem to be the current fashion.

Scents never seem to have gone out of fashion.

Chilling out at our B&B in the Marais. Small but beautifully decorated, and spotless.

A night out with "bad boys".

A day in the Louvre

The Louvre hasn't changed much over the years. Yes a pyramid was added years ago and the old palace has been cleaned and restored over the years but pretty much the same inside.
However, the crowds are massive. Best to go early or late. Mid-day swells to unpleasant proportions.

So we trek through on an abbreviated five hour visit.

Alan's favorite Vermeers.

Your guess is a good as mine.

All in all, a pleasant visit to the Louvre. Especially since it was damp and cold outside most of the day.

Monjul in Paris' Marais

Our friends Ben and Ken arrived today, and of course they want to go out and eat.
On the recommendation of our hosts at Hotel du Haut Marais we went out to Monjul.

"Mr. Rabbit" Rabbit terrine gears scone with sage, shypon of mustard, quince confit.

"Cylindrical Paella" chicken stuffed with paella flavors of ice juice of chicken parmesan risotto, shellfish emulsion, saffron tile.

 

...and for dessert - Black Forest in a glass and Mon Cheri: whipped cream to popcorn, chocolate kirsch cherries way Mon Cheri.

You read it right. Popcorn flavored whipped cream.

A chilly day of qualifying at the French

We were last at the French Open in 2001. It was warm and sunny then.
So we return in 2013 and a couple of days before the tournament begins we take in a couple of rounds of qualifying. It's usually fun watching the qualifying players up close and it's quite evident why some players need to play qualifying rounds.

On this particular day, we were occasionally pelted with corn-sized hail and freezing rain showers.
Luckily they were quick to pass.

We didn't make it into the main rounds this year but it was great to be back at Roland Garros.

Paris, It's still here (as we knew it would be), and yes, it's pretty much the same.

It's been a decade since we've been to Europe and what better time for a re-visit, a week after the passing of marriage equality in France.

The flight(s) over were a bit of a headache with a delay on the first leg and probably the worst meal on an international flight we've ever had.

We're staying in the 3rd arrondissement for the first time since all of our favorites in the 5th and 6th are now well over $400.00 a night. The Hotel Du Haut Marais is a great find on the northern border of the Marais. We were well taken care of by Didier and Marc in their renovated B&B. Keep it in mind on your next trip to Paris.

It's cool and a bit damp in Paris. Unusual for this time of year but it's not stopping us from doing what we need to do here.

World Clown Association in Kuching

Hesitated a little before deciding to do this post on the World Clown Association's annual meeting in Kuching, Sarawak, on the Malaysian part of the Island of Borneo. 

Received some comments from a Facebook post that made me aware some people have a phobia involving clowns. Not sure where this "fear" comes from.

In any case, we happened onto the Association's weeklong meeting in town and attended their final public "show" at a local shopping mall in town. 

Not sure what goes on at a clown convention but I'm sure there were classes and seminars on things such as face painting, making balloon animals, 

150 or so clowns showed up and entertained the large crowd on hand.

There was a "Paradeability" competition and other "on stage" performances.

Clowns are entertainers and they never seem to tire of getting their pictures taken.

There was a large contingent of Clowns from Asia, but probably from the fact that traveling to Kuching for the annual meeting was less of a challenge for them. I believe the organization's roots are in the United States, and there were plenty of clowns representing the U.S., but there were clowns from Puerto Rico, New Zealand, and other countries as well.

Kuching Sarawak on Borneo

Kuching is the Capital City of Sarawak, on the western portion of the Malaysian part of the Island of Borneo. 

It's also known as the Cat city (Kuching) and statues of cats are scattered around the main business district. There's also an extensive cat museum here.

Kuching is a good city base to venture out in search of Orangutans, or Hornbills. A trip to the Orangutan Rehabilitation Center will give you a good chance of seeing Orangutans. 

Eating on the streets of Kuching.
Eating small meals, as in many parts of Southeast Asia, is a way of life here. Covered, open air "hawker"type eating areas are all over the city.
Several vendors selling a variety of items will share a common seating area, similar to food courts we have back home.

Alan in front of City Hall, Kuching.

Kuching, like many of the large cities in Malaysia, have large Chinese communities.
Chinese Temples are scattered throughout the city.

One of the gateways leading into the main "Chinatown" area.

The Sarawak River winds through the city.

Alan in front of the Sarawak Assembly Hall.