{Eat, Drink, Do Paris Part II}

Anticipating the end of my final year exams (and therefore the beginning of the rest of my life!) my friend Helen & I decided to take advantage of cheap flights and run off to Paris to celebrate in style. We were both desperately missing French life, having lived in the heat of the South of France last year. Back in the hustle & bustle of a French city, with rude waiters and charming strangers alike; it was as if we had never left. Of course, I faithfully visited old favourites that I've already detailed here, but we also made time for some new haunts.

Eat: Café Des Deux Moulins, 15 Rue Lepic

When we booked into our hostel in Montmartre, little did we know we'd be a stone's throw from our favourite French film's prime filming location. If you haven't already seen Amélie, I'll only forgive you if you rush off and watch it now. It's the most charming and typically French film starring the eternal beauty that is Audrey Tautou. One of the best parts about it is the soundtrack, written by Yann Tiersen - who I saw create magic with a violin in Brighton years ago.

Of course, we had to stop for a demi-pêche (half-beer, half-peach juice) in the restaurant where this quirky French character works. A very French waiter presented us with never-ending bowls of popcorn to keep us going until supper. A man after my own heart! So satisfied were we with our apéritif experience that we decided to eat there on our last night.

I won't spoil the film for anyone who hasn't seen it, but sitting inside the (hardly changed) café, so many little details of the film came rushing back. It isn't gaudy about its fame though; only this poster in the corner hinted at its iconic status. We ordered huge & delicious salads for our main course, but the real excitement (as it usually is) was to come with dessert. I did contain myself long enough to devour my goat's cheese salad with lardons & grilled French bread, though.

The slightly retro interior

In the film's introduction, there is a famous moment where the narrator divulges some of Amélie's favourite things. Among these is the sensation of cracking the top of creme brûlée with a metal spoon. I completely agree with Amélie that this is one of the most satisfying feelings, perhaps even better than the actual dessert itself. So, since it was our last night, we ordered two creme brûlées and two glasses of champagne - and got to cracking. 

Drink: Le Long Island, 24 Rue Pierre-Fontaine

Paris is notoriously expensive. I mean, pricier-than-London expensive. For two students from Leeds, where you can get 2 cocktails for a fiver, this presented something of a challenge. We anticipated long evenings of sophisticated drinks around Montmartre  but not the hefty bill at the end of the night. And so, the recommendation of Le Long Island was a godsend. I'd visited the bar a year before, and my hazy memories of an evening spent drinking & laughing a lot meant I was insistent that we returned this year. We were not disappointed when we hastily scrabbled our way in before Happy Hour ended at 10pm. 2 for 1 cocktails (which pack a punch, French barmen sure aren't mean with their vodka) were delivered with marshmallows laid on top. Sometimes, as they had last year, you can get a whole bowl of marshmallows to munch on - this year we happily made do with a large supply of peanuts.

A quirky indoors, a heated outdoors, and a young and vibrant clientele mean you're always guaranteed a good time at Le Long Island. Just make sure you sneak in before 10pm, and steer clear of Le Long Island Iced Tea if you want to remain hungover free! Failing that, stuff as many marshmallows in your mouth as possible to soak it all up. Sorted.



Do: Père-Lachaise Cemetery 

The most sober (in both senses of the word) part of our whirlwind tour was a visit to the most notable cemetery in Paris. Therein lies such as Jim Morrison, Oscar Wilde & Edith Piaf. While at first I was doubtful about the nature of such a daytime activity, it was actually a very peaceful & thought-provoking visit. The cemetery itself is sprawling & quite charming in a strange way, and we took a couple hours to stroll around & take it all in.

We tracked down Oscar Wilde, whose grave has been so covered in lipstick kisses that it's had to be protected for fear of erosion. Unfortunately, try as we might we could not find Edith Piaf's tombstone, and so I was left with her famous song going round & round in my head - and a desire to re-watch Marion Cotillard in the epic La Vie en Rose. Still, Je Ne Regrette Rien....!!

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{Eat, Drink, Do, Zanzibar}

Eat: Forodhani Night Market, Stone Town

As the sun went down on a day of sightseeing & exploring little side streets in Stone Town, and we enjoyed a sundowner from the balcony of  The Africa House Hotel, we noticed a buzz emanating from the waterfront Forodhani gardens. Stall after stall filled with skewers of the day's catch, and other tasty items, were being set up by chefs in white uniforms & hats. We knew we had to check it out & headed down.

The stalls are dimly lit by lanterns, giving the whole market a mysterious, romantic feel. Also, you can never be quite sure what you are eating! We threw caution to the wind, and grabbed a few skewers of delicious meat & fish, rounding them off nicely with a Zanzibar pizza: rolled crepes filled with Nutella & bananas. The market is refreshingly cheap and not too touristy (there aren't so many tourists on Zanzibar).

We sat on the grass in the middle of shouting chefs pitching their delicacies to the locals who frequent the market every evening. It was a great start to a memorable night - afterwards we visited Freddie Mercury's bar where we danced to the beat of the drums & a cockroach crawled onto me while I blissfully sipped on my cocktail!

Drink: Coral Rock, Jambiani

In 2009, I was a volunteer in the village of Jambiani for five perfect weeks. The village is a 3-mile stretch of houses, schools & other little buildings, with a dirt track on one side & a beautiful white beach on the other. We lived somewhere in the middle, & every morning we would hop on our bikes and trek down to the schools at the furthest end of the village. After a long, sweaty day of teaching kids & painting the schools, we were always ready for a swim & a beer to cool off.

  This was our back garden, and we would run straight from our huts into the crystal clear sea; the absolute best way to cool off. We'd swim out to the dhows (wooden sailing boats) anchored near the shore and hang off them, chatting and just unwinding. After cold (no hot water here!) showers and delicious, simple suppers prepared by a local chef, a short walk down the beach was all that lay between us and ice-cold beer. When I first arrived on the island we lived closer to the school but further from this hotel/bar, fortunately we made a crucial move down the beach - minimising accidents on the midnight stumbles back to our house.

This is Coral Rock; our little sanctuary during the tropical evenings. Technically a hotel, the owners were friendly to us since we were volunteers, and we were always allowed in for a dip in the infinity pool or a plate of their delicious masala chips. The rasta barmen became our friends over the weeks that we were there, and I swear no London barman could recreate the passionfruit & pineapple cocktails they rustled up for us at Coral Rock - they possess a special Zanzibari magic. Fresh fruit & the perfect blend of vodka, these were one of the things I missed the most upon my return to rainy England.

Do: Swim with Dolphins, Kizimkazi 

On my last weekend in Zanzibar, overcome with a sense of premature nostalgia, I decided to have one last memorable experience. Myself & a fellow volunteer woke at a nonsensical hour in the morning, and drove to Kizimkazi beach - a postcard paradise. A couple guides took us out on the red boat above, allowing us a specatular view of the island as it got smaller and smaller. Once out on the cystral clear blue sea (not an exaggeration), we had a mission: dolphin spotting. There was silence as the guides expertly scanned the horizon, while we sat and listened to the waves gently lap at our dhow. Suddenly, they spied one! Or a whole pod of dolphins, to be specific.

 We moved towards the creatures as silently as possible, threw on our masks & snorkels and slipped into the chilled water. It certainly blew off the cobwebs from our night at Coral Rock! Before I had time to gasp from the cold, I glanced down - only to see the wild dolphins moving underneath me, so close I could almost touch them.

It was my first encounter with dolphins out in the wild, and I'd say it beats an (albeit fun) day at Seaworld by a mile. I was able to see the graceful creatures in their element, and felt humbled by such a display of beauty. To this day they are my favourite animal. The same probably can't be said for my Danish boatmate, who decided she was actually scared of water & sat the rest of the experience out. Each to their own!

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{Modern Gentleman}

I thought all the excited chatter surrounding our Summer ball would be confined to the ladies of the house. Not so, most of 2013 has been taken up with the men boys trying to find a suitable suit. Tux or suit&tie? Tie or bow-tie? With a little JT on as inspiration, I have happily wiled away the hours searching for the perfect suit & trimmings.. I think I may have missed my calling as a man.

All images from my Pinterest Board: Modern Gentleman

Once the suit is sorted, it's all in the little details that transform a man into a gentleman..

All images from my Pinterest Board: Modern Gentleman

During one of many searches, we stumbled upon a great website called Indochino. For under £300, they customise & tailor a suit to your size & style, and ship it over from Canada in under 4 weeks. A certain someone in my house has fallen in love with this bad boy (the suit, not the man - I hope).. 

Here are some other treasures I found on my internet travels:

L-R Top to Bottom: Superdry Shirt, Zara pocket square, French Connection foulard, Zara suit, Zara shirt, Jack&Jones bow-tie, Zara bow-tie, Zara shirt, Zara suit

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