"Ekkan", Cheesy/Eggy Spinach and More Desserts

Shah and i are very sad. Very, so very sad, as Caca/Mama, Macha/Anne and Jahir are leaving soon. No more free food (we're terrible people aren't we?). But seriously, it's sadder because there won't be family in Paris anymore.

I now wish i had taken a photo of every single dish they had given to us. Because never in our life again will we experience the same thing, that's for sure.

One day, Mama called us and asked if we would come, because he cooked fish head curry. I mean, kari kepala ikan? YUM, yeh? But unfortunately we couldn't make it that night. Usually they either give the extra food to their friends (Shah said they only started doing this after the first night i met them, when i stared in horror when a plate of leftover cheesepuffs went inside the bin) or throw them away. But Mama had insisted on us eating his fish curry, so he saved some for us to take the next night, so yay!

Comel giler Mama eja 'ikan' kan? Pretty good eh, for someone who doesn't come from or live in Malaysia. I was surprised when he said "ikan" in the first place. Or "ekkan", i guess that was what he said.

Doesn't that look YUM?

Mama never gave us just one type of rice. It's always two. Sometimes it's hard for Shah and i to decide, so we always put both on our plate.

I know this is spinach, but, i can't tell if that's cheese or egg. I was so convinced it was cheese, but Shah was like nooo way. Then we both tasted it and we just kind of looked at each other. Because we didn't know who won.

Whatever it was, it's delicious!

And they were a bunch of other lauks, but sadly i didn't bother to take photos. However i do have pics of desserts. =D

The white icing is really more like...susu pekat, i guess? Or susu pekat yang cair, which means it's susu cair lah kot. But it sticks. I think this might have been a strawberry cake, but not entirely it, either. Maybe half fig cake...? I mean, there are figs on top... I did find the icing makes the cake too sweet, so i swiped the macarons at the side more than the cake itself.

This little dessert was one we didn't take home. Coffee lover would like this thing. I found the crust to taste weird, and wayyy too sweet, but the coffee mousse-like thing on the inside was OK. But isn't that an adorable-looking dessert?

Alright, that's the food stuff.

See you in next one!

xxoo

Day 19: St. Queen Flea Market to the Antiques

I read that the St. Queen flea market is another must-go place in Paris. Known as Les Puces de Saint Queen ('the Fleas of Saint Queen'), you can reach this place by going on Metro line 4 to the Porte de Clignancourt station. For us, we had to hop on Metro line 1 from La Defense to Chatelet, then hop on to Metro line 4 from there, so it took us maybe one hour to get there, or almost. 

Once you reach Porte de Clignancourt station, there won't be any clear indication on how exactly to get to the flea market. If there is, well, we didn't find it. We had to rely on someone's tip that we found online, which goes something like this: "Follow the crowd".

Only we looked to the right and there was a crowd of people pulling their market trolleys going straight ahead, and on our left, same thing was happening. But then Shah said, "We should follow these three girls from our train. I'm sure they're going to the flea market." The girls happen to be joining the crowd on the left, so that was what we did. All the while i was going, "Shaaaaaaahhh, we don't know where they're going! Kalau salah cemanaaa."

But OK. As it turned out, Shah's instincts were spot on.

I wish we remember exactly what road we were on, but we don't. We didn't bother, since Shah couldn't even find a map online that could lead us to the market. So we just "followed the crowd". If it helps, i do remember passing by stores that sell seemingly fake shoes on my left side. And before we pass by those stores, we saw a closed Subway on our left too (first Subway i saw here!).

The most important thing is, if you see a grey concrete flyover type of thing, head towards that direction. You'll definitely reach the flea market that way.

The thing is, i wasn't impressed by what i first saw. I was instantly reminded of Uptown in Malaysia, except it's dingier here in St. Queen, and the things sold aren't as cool as in Uptown. But the thing is, St. Queen flea market is supposed to the biggest antique flea market in the world, so i knew we haven't reached the place where all the fantastic finds are at.

Obviously we didn't know our way, so we simply walked. There were stalls left and right, but we didn't really stop, as there was nothing interesting enough.

We just walked straight on to a different part of the flea market. We passed shop selling fake handbags and shoes and stuff still. Then somehow, somehowww, we ended up in this - i don't know any other word to describe this area - ghetto-like area.

Rap and hip hop music blaring from speakers, loads of rough and dodgy-looking men in big sweats and jackets walking around carrying humongous shopping plastic bags. Definitely not Uptown anymore. It's like a whole different realm. I actually got nervous and walked closer to Shah. Of course, i was just being incredibly babyish, as i'm sure these men are perfectly safe, and they just like to appear intimidating. At one point, i asked Shah, "Should we turn around?", but he said it's OK, let's just keep on walking and maybe we'll get to the other side of some other part.

Again, Shah's instincts were kicking ass that day. Usually mine are better, but i think they went into hiding the moment we stepped out of Porte de Clignancourt station. Because we found this big door that were partly opened that led into a quieter and less hectic space. And there it was. The hidden gem of St. Queen Flea Market.

Vintage furnitures, brilliant antiques just lying around waiting for someone to take them home. This was what i came here for!

I wanted that small white chair with the red stripes for my house in PJ. And the little wooden boxes on top too. And about a gazillion other things in this above photo

Vintage jewelleries are there too. How Paris is that?

 Then there were these shops that sell furnitures and accessories that Shah and i could never afford, i'm sure.

OK, so here Louis Vuitton trunks are just casually showcased in the window. I remembered that time The Gardens had an exhibition of LV trunks and they had securitites all around. I laughed out loud just thinking about that.

And LV travel bags and loads of other trunks in this particular store.

I want one. Or maybe three of those. If only.

More expensive-looking furnitures.

I have no idea what that thing on the tripod is, but how cool would look in my living room, right?

There's a small courtyard in the middle and stairs all around for you to go to the second floor.

If you're an (extremely) old-school music lover, this place would be haven for you. They have vinyl records there. I've never seen those in real-life, so i was totally jakun.

And you can find shops that sell old movie posters and old comic strips. I guess they're vintage comics then. How cute is that?

The view from the second floor.

OK, so, i don't know how this happened. But i have a theory. This place sells vintage clothings and accessories. Quite a number of this kind of shops, but neither Shah nor i has a single photo of these shops. So my theory is, i got so excited at seeing this shop that i rushed to them and perused through their things that i forgot to take photos. And Shah was alarmed at that, so he quickly ran away to the other side so he won't have me asking for him to buy me things. And by the way, i found some cute clothes that i would never wear (thus did not buy) and some incredible vintage silver rings that Shah said are too expensive. At 50 EUR apiece, OK, i had to agree with him. I tried on the sweetest silver ring that was made in 1900 or something. Lusttt.

And yes, i chose to believe the saleslady's words. If she said it was made in a whole different century, so, OK, it was.

OK, at least you can see one shop downstairs selling old clothes. That's one photo i guess!

Vintage cameras and accessories

Perfect for comic lovers, i think

We didn't know, but i guess Marche Dauphine is the name of the place?

But we emerged on the other side - thankfully a perfectly non-dodgy entrance, the other side - and we saw this next door.

So you can see 'Dauphine' and 'Malassis' side by side here. And Shah looking gorgeous in a cream sweater given by Bapak

By then we had to rush home for prayers. All in all, very interesting day! And yes, we didn't walk away with anything. Too bad eh.

I think it's also good to note that most French who works here can speak English, so not to worry if you speak abysmal French!

Until next xxoo

Day 16: Up in Eiffel Tower, finallyyy!

One fine night, Shah and i finally got the opportunity to go to Eiffel Tower, and to actually go allllll the way up.

For adults, you can choose to either pay 14 EUR to go to the very top and have access to the other floors, or 8.50 EUR to only reach the first and second floor.

About to line up for the ticket

Might as well go all the way!

We had planned to go on a weekend, but Mama told us that the ticket line can take up two hours of our time. We shuddered and that and changed our plans to a weeknight. The crowd is bigger than when we first visited Eiffel, but we were in the line for about 20 minutes, so it wasn't too bad at all.

In the lift we went!

The lift was full and more people were waiting to go on board. I can't imagine how it would be like on a weekend.

Going up, up, UP

 You can choose to get off at the second floor first, but we went for the showstopper straightaway.

The view from up there? 

Beautiful, of course. This is, after all, the City of Light.

Shah and i in the reflection

Eiffel has these two huge flashlights, emitted from the top of the tower. They're so strong, you can see these lights from far away. It was quite pretty, seeing it up close, and not at all blinding.

Eiffel Tower - also known as La Tour Eiffel, or La Dame De Fer (The Iron Lady) - got its name from Gustave Eiffel, the man whose company designed and built supposedly the most romantic monument on the face of the Earth. Gustave Eiffel, being the big boss and all, actually had an apartment up there. Cool eh?

Mr Eiffel's apartment in Eiffel Tower

 This famous iron tower stands at 324 meters.

There are measurements for the other tall buildings all around the world as well, all around on the inside on the top part of the wall.

Yay New Zealand!

 We took photos of the ones that are close to our hearts.

Malaysia Boleh!!!

Paris looks very neat from up there. Loads of straight lines.

Shah and i should totally go up Menara KL when we go back OKKK.

Eiffel Tower was opened in 1889. That was in a wholeee different century.

Shah was snapping away on his iPhone and me on my camera. It was really cold that night, my hands were freezing. But we were on EIFFEL TOWER. No time to put the camera away and stuff my hands inside my coat pockets.

So romanticcc

My Sheh looking superhandsome

I like this photo because it looks like it's not me but Mystique from X-Men

There is a tiny bar up here, which i guess is nice for others to have drinks to warm up their body in the cold.

There is a "ruler" up there; we were standing at 281 meters above ground!

No smoking pleaseee

More views:

This was one of the flashlights i mentioned. See how not blinding it is?

There are also these wire thingies sticking out all around the tower. To catch lightning, maybe?

This is how cute we look together.

Thomas Edison has been to Eiffel Tower OKKK. Dia geng dengan Gustave Eiffel.

Eiffel used to be red, i had NO idea! It would have been interesting to see it in red right?

Then it got a little too cold for me. Time to head back to the lower floors!

The top view from the second floor.

It's just as pretty from this floor actually. Loadssss of couples here, and we even saw a group of very young students with their teachers. Which made me questioned, how come my school never had night trips?

There's a river right beside the tower, and i have no clue what the name of the river is. This is where tourists can take that river cruise. My dad has been on it and he was all, "Bapak dah naik cruiseee. Shah bila nak naik?" dengan eksyennya on the phone the other day. Heeheehee.

Shah and the metals of the tower had sort of a love affair. Engineering thingy, nevermind

As you can see, being on the second floor isn't too bad, if you're an acrophobia. When i was at the top floor, my knees kept going cold whenever i looked down. So, yeh, i do not like supreme heights.

Muchhh better level for me!

Shah and i playing choo-choo train

Resting my legs for a bit

Since we malas to ask anyone to take our photo, so, yehhh

You can go to the first floor from the second floor by stairs, thankfully. I'm not a fan of the lifts either, to be honest. It's see-through, after all.

Then we were treated to yet another sparkly show!!! My FAVOURITE bit about Eiffel!

LOVES it!

As always, i was sad to see the sparkly show ended after 5 minutes. But Eiffel was still as beautiful as ever.

Shah and i cozying up to each other

Shah looking supermacho on his iPhone with Eiffel in the background

I found this on the floor. Then i thought, jom amik gambar dengan West East North South! So we did.

Time to say byebye to Eiffel, she was closing soon.

I do feel like Eiffel is a she. Is that weird?

Down we went!

By the way, going down in the lift seemed scarier. I'm not sure if it was because it really was scarier, or it's just because i had to go in it again.

My ticket stub!

Shah and i had loadsss of fun. We feel so blessed to have been up there.

If you're ever in Paris, give it a go if you have the time! It's a must! I think my parents and Hisham never got to go up there because of time constraint, and i wish they had. It was amazing for me, once in a while i would just go thinking, "Oh my - oh my GOD, i'm in EIFFEL freakin' TOWER".