Walking around Paris

Yesterday started off dark and cloudy but I set off with my camera anyway. I started my adventures with a Metro ride to the north and wandered all the way south, well beyond la Tour Eiffel. The camera started to feel heavy towards the end of the day but Paris really isn't a very large city - perfectly enjoyable to explore on foot. The sun came out and I truly had a wonderful time. Here are a few shots -

Sacré Cœur

Not really sure what this is...street art?

Porte Saint Martin, I think.

Pit stop - falafel sandwich at the famous L'As du Fallafel.

No photos of my sandwich; I needed both hands to wolf it down.

Notre Dame

Writing on one of the ponts crossing the Seine.

I stopped by Pierre Hermé for my first macarons, which were overwhelming to pick because there was a queue, and I couldn't see the different kinds available. Anyway, I picked a couple of the Infiniment Chocolat and a couple of the Infiniment Caramel, knowing that I couldn't go wrong. They were perfect! They made it back safely to the apartment but again, no photos, since we ate them too quickly after dinner. Maybe next time.

Steve Alan knock off

One of the last sewing projects I finished before we left India was a skirt. I wanted to make a cute, high-waisted skirt, and Steven Alan's ikat Ella Skirt proved to be good inspiration. I used my usual pattern drafting sources, and came up with a very basic pattern - waist band for the back and front, plus a couple of carefully measured rectangles for the skirt body.

The pockets turned out to be the most challenging part! I didn't know how to make kangaroo pockets, so I had to wing it three times with an old curtain before I was satisfied.

The fabric is a 100-percent hand loom cotton ikat, similar in colour as the Ella Skirt.

I painstakingly finished the raw edges with bias tape that I made, and hand hemmed the fully lined skirt. It took a while to finish but it made for a very neatly finished skirt.

I finally got to wear it a weekend ago, when the sun was shining, and all of Paris came out to enjoy the fine weather. I like the gathers between the pockets, the pockets work, and it is very comfortable to wear. All in all, a success!

Mixing it up

It isn't very surprising that my carbohydrate intake has gone up significantly in the last two weeks. Good thing I'm not counting. We are in Paris after all, and as cliché as it might sound, I have been stopping by a boulangerie every single day since we got here.

My lack of a sizable French vocabulary, and the pressure of people queuing up behind me waiting to order, had me a little stuck. Stuck ordering baguette traditionnelle, pain au chocolat, and croissant. Not that I haven't been enjoying these; I just didn't know how to ask for anything else.

So last week when a friend suggested that I try a new bread each week, I set off to a new-to-me boulangerie with a definite goal. From my carfeul homework, I knew that Poilâne didn't sell baguettes, so it was a good place to start since I couldn't chicken out, and I had to order something new.

I came away with a few slices of their famous levain, feeling rather pleased with my little victory, and for venturing out of my comfort zone and mixing it up.

I might have picked up a familiar treat as well!

The bread was delicious, smeared with butter and a sprinkle of sel de mer. I'm not sure what I'm going to try to order at the boulangerie this week, but I'm looking forward it.

Five things

1. We've moved to Paris temporarily and I hope to continue blogging from here.
2. I brought my sewing machine and knitting needles across the ocean, so there should be some crafting chez moi.
3. I brought every garment I owned that was black and I still don't have enough black clothes.
4. I need to clean my camera's lens filter.
5. I am in Paris! Did I mention that already?

Stay tuned.