Nyanko's Adventures!

So now I'm a certified macaroon-making pastry chef!!

Haha, nah, it's not that easy. All I did was to sign myself up for a 3 hours workshop (The Secrets of Macaroons) at Le Cordon Bleu Paris and I walked home with a certificate, chef cap, apron and tea towel. And well, most importantly, i got to take away 25 macaroons!!! That's surely going to last us a few months?

On the day of the workshop, I woke up to a really cloudy and rainy Paris. The workshop started at 09:00 but we were already there by 08:30. Thankfully, the institute was opened and we didn't have to wait out in the cold. The staff ushered us in and offered us freshly baked bread and coffee! Nobody would have expected a free breakfast from a morning pastry course!

Croissant and the most delicious Pain au Chocolat I've eaten!

Now with a full and warm tummy, I'm all ready to begin!

Starting off on a VERY clean slate.

Depending on the course date, you will get to learn 2 different flavors of macaroons. For me, it was Intense Vanilla and Salted Butter Caramel. Typically I prefer trying more exotic flavors of macaroons but i guess it's good to learn these common flavors so you can really try to taste if there's any difference with the big names'!

The list of ingredients are printed on the notepad given so you would only have to jot down the steps. There were 16 people in the class so every one could stand somewhere near and watch the demonstration. Chef Ollivier Christien shared that it's very difficult to make small quantities of macaroons due to the mixing process and so we worked in teams of 2. We were told to work with enough ingredients to make 150 macaroons!

There are 3 main procedures in making a macaroon: (1) making the meringue (2) transforming the meringue into macaroon shells (3) making the macaroon fillings. While I can't say that the pace is slow, there were 2 assistants patrolling the kitchen to help and ensure that every one keeps up to the pace.

Adding the color and flavor to the macaroon shells

Even though I have done some simple baking at home before, I find the squeezing of piping to make the macaroon shells difficult. If you over beat and made the mixture too watery, the piping will definitely be a nightmare.

The chef does it with such ease and each single one of the macaroons are a perfect circle

Just look at how mine turned out -.-

The tricky part doesn't end here; the real challenge (in my opinion) lies in making the macaroon fillings. The liquid fillings actually need time to cool down and take shape overnight in those fridges we have at home. Naturally, here being Le Cordon Bleu, they have specialized cooling equipment (I'm not even sure it should be called a fridge anymore) that can do the same in 10 minuets.

After hardening, the caramel filling requires some beating. Just look at the photo, the caramel on the beater and the caramel in the tray are the exact same thing: only that one of it was beaten and the other one was not. See how violence changes not just people but food permanently.

The beaten caramel actually feels less sweet to me.

 Later, the Chef showed us how easy it is to do the fillings and press the macaroons together:

Perfect as usual.

One great thing about the course is that the chef and assistants (and translator) are so helpful to clarify any doubts or answer any questions. Throughout the course, they were patient and unreserved in sharing any knowledge. The name of the workshop, "The Secrets of Macaroons" is truly aptly named.

Making macaroons and answering questions at the same time is no easy feat!

Look how gorgeous the chef's macaroons look

The course, being only 3 hours long, is of course too short for any one to be a professional in making macaroons. To be honest, i'm not even certain if i can make macaroons on my own fit for self-consumption. The good thing is that I did walk away with greater appreciations and some interesting facts about the macaroons. In any case, it was definitely enjoyable in itself and I did still have 25 "home-made" fresh macaroons to boast to my friends and family! :D I would most definitely recommend it to any one interested in baking. After all, it takes only 3 hours off your schedule!

European Heritage Days @ Galeries Lafayette

"Once a year, citizens in 50 countries celebrate Europe's cultural heritage"-- quoted from Council of Europe, European Union. It was first organized by the French Ministry of Culture and Communication in 1984 to engage the citizens to rediscover the various monuments and sights for free or at a reduced price. Since 1999, the European Heritage Days (EHD) have a permanent slogan: "Europe, a common heritage".

This year, the EHD is held in France on 17 and 18 Sep 2016. Since I happened to be in Paris on 17 Sep 2016 for my Le Cordon Bleu macaroons making short course, I decided to take the opportunity to visit one of these sites: the Galeries Lafayette.

Galeries Lafayette offered guided tours at its department store. Our guide, an Italian working for Galeries Lafayette under its corporate foundation wing, was keen to offer us insights into how one of the largest department stores in Paris was in its preceding years.

(1) Founded in 1893 by two cousins, Theophile Bader and Alphonse Kahn, the store is the youngest among the other existing giants: Le Bon Marche (the pioneer), Printemps, and the Bazar de l'Hotel de Ville (BHV).

(2) It celebrated its 122 years anniversary this year and had grown more than a thousand times from 70sqm when it first opened to 70,000sqm today. It now operates in 3 separate buildings in Paris and has a large number of stores in other parts of France and overseas.

The main building

(3) Accordingly, Galeries Lafayette is still run by the descendants of the founders, making it one of the most successful family enterprises in Paris.

(4) The origins of the name stemmed from the fact that the individual shops inside the Galleries Lafayette were lined up in a straight line like a gallery ("Galeries"). The very first store was at 1 rue Lafayette, which was where the "Lafayette" came from. As Galeries Lafayette grew, it purchased additional land space for its expansion and eventually landed a few streets away at its present location: boulevard Haussmann. Over the years, with the changes in the architectural styles, the design of the new extension buildings varies as well. Hence, one could see from the exterior the older building following the Art Nouveau style adjoining the newer building with the Art Deco style.

(5) Nevertheless, the most iconic symbol of the huge department store has to be its majestic glass dome. It was constructed in 1912 using the same technique as that of building the Eiffel Tower and took but 5 months to complete!

The construction stages of the dome.

(6) Since it's construction, it has withstood the passage of time and no major restoration works has been carried out as of today. This is possible only with the detailed planning and care for the dome: for example, an external layer protects the fragile dome from the direct elements and temperature changes. Each single glass panel is supported by metal so that even if it breaks, the glass will not shatter on the patrons below. In addition, firemen are engaged to check on the dome every single day for safety reasons.

(7) The dome is lighted up all day, giving it the beautiful glimmer from underneath even at night. They say it's one of the little tricks to visitors enjoy the entire shopping/ relaxing experience and lose track of time.

It truly is mesmerizing

(8) There are several coats of arms decorating the pillars of the dome. These coats of arms belong to the cities which allowed the department store to grow and blossom by producing fine merchandise such as silk, cotton etc which were could then be sold in Galeries Lafayette.

Coats of Arms at the dome.

Seasonal decoration is hung from the dome using a pulley system built at the same time of dome.

(9) There were 20 elevators in the older days and each of them is labelled numerically. Two of these original lifts (no. 15 and 16) remain in operation today. The lifts were designed entirely of glass so that patrons could look out, perhaps see some items that will catch their eyes, and alight immediately. Galeries Lafayette also included non-commerical spaces within the buildings (e.g. the rooftop terrace) which helped to shift people's perception that shopping is not just a commercial activity but a leisure past time as well. (People in those days didn't go out shopping; they merely went to specialised shops to buy what they needed and go home!)

Number 17 and 18 are the preserved but non-functional ones.

(10) Talking about the rooftop terrace, the cousins once dangled a 20,000 french franc carrot to anyone who could land a plane on the terrace.  Well, on 19 Jan 1919, an aviator Jules Vedrines accomplished the amazing feat! As it was just after the World War I, the government forbid any low flying aircrafts and Jules's was no except. While they knew of his attempt, they did not stop him but wait at the terrace for him to land. They then proceeded to issue him a symbolic fine of 18 french franc. Unfortunately, being a risk-taker, he did not enjoy his fame nor money for very long-- he died just 4 months later and to commemorate him, a plague was installed at the rooftop terrace.

(C) Tangopaso The section was under refurbishment at the time of my visit.

Brilliant free views of metropolitan Paris.

The Opera House is right in front.

Our dedicated guide sharing information wherever we go. The picture is an image of Jules's plane landing on the terrace.

(11) Galeries Lafayette has always been pushing for something new. According to our guide, on one of the anniversaries of Galeries Lafayette, some tens of thousands of balloons printed with the store's name were released. At that time, letters and post often take up at least 10 days to arrive. When the currents blew and one of the balloons ended somewhere in Spain, the locals didn't know what had happened and thought that the French had came to invade them!

(12) In more recent years, to keep that vibe alive, Galeries Lafayette hosts regular events/activities at its department stores. In 2015, they introduced vertical gardening at its rooftop terrace and even produced even strawberries to make and sell strawberry jams at their store! I would really like to try those jams some day!

(13) Another important piece of history happened in 1974 when Galeries Lafaette decided to remove its grand staircase below the dome. By 1970s, the grand staircase was taking up too much space and not adding any value to the shop itself. That period of time was also the height of french protests, and protesters will often chain themselves to the handrails of staircases during the strike. Back then, the call for nostalgia and preservation were not as strong as today and hence, the staircase was dismantled.

(C) Galeries Lafayette official website

No traces of the staircase at all today.

Showcasing a part of the history.

If you are planning to visit Paris during the European Heritage Days and have about an hour to spare, it's worthwhile to join the tour. Tours in English require prior registration while those in French are free to join. On other days, free ad hoc guided tours can be arranged for groups of 10 to 20 people.

A little info booklet as a memento.

Our Annual Passports!

So on our very first weekend living in France, we decided to drive to Disneyland!

Hi Ho!

Disneyland Paris is about a 40 mins drive or train ride to the east of Paris. The direct train departs regularly from Paris Gare de Lyon and the park just seems too accessible compared to the airports (ironically). The opening hours vary by day but the parks are typically open at 10:00.

Sleeping Beauty Castle holds the fort here at Paris Disneyland

We took some time settling our tickets/ annual passes (check out my next post on why we decided to get the annual pass!) and even so, the crowd wasn't all too bad. We walked towards Discoveryland, and yahoo! the first ride we saw is one of the man's favourite: Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast.

Mr Buzz giving instructions on what to do!

This is a very family-friendly ride where you use the toy laser guns to shoot the baddies. Depending on the number and type of targets shot, you accumulate points. At the end of the ride, you can check your score and will be ranked accordingly. For the competitive young ones out there, this is a ride not to be missed!

As you can see, i'm not a very good shooter :(

Since we are in the area, the next ride up is Autopia.

Vrrrrrrmmmm!

This is definitely one of the best similar genre rides i've taken. For one, the cars can go at reasonably fast speeds, and there are several daytona-like turns and slopes that actually give you a bit of the thrill without any compromises on safety. There is a similar ride in Tokyo Disneyland, but it is a lot milder there. The plus side is that the Japanese crew are so adorable and came up with their own hand gestures and loud cheers to flag you off you feel like really part of a race. And yes they did it for each and every car that i'm rather concerned about their throats *ahem*...

When we were there there are still working on upgrading the Star Tours ride. Having been to upgraded one in Tokyo Disney Resort (TDR), we kind of expect them to do the same modifications. It's another very fun 3D motion ride and we would most definitely like to take it again when it reopens here. I'll let you know again if they are any different!

C3PO giving the commands at TDR.

In the same zone, there is the Discoveryland Theatre hosting the Disney & Pixar Short Film Festival. They edited the short films and made them into 4D (i.e. 3D with the glasses and the 4th dimension being some seat movements/jets of air/sprinkles of water). In the theatre, 3 short films are played and we watched Get a Horse, For the Birds, and La Luna. I've watched the earlier two before, and while i love the animation, i wouldn't say that the 4th dimension effect was any where near amazing. There are much better 4D rides out there, and if you've been or are going to Universal Studios Singapore (USS), their Shrek 4D Adventure is so much better (even though personally i do not like Shrek). Anyways, i'm glad i ticked a "new" ride off the list!

Next, we had lunch at Cafe Hyperion. Coincidentally, they had a live show of the Jedi Training Academy at that time and we caught the performance while having lunch! There is a separate seating area for those who are eating (and hence entered through the restaurant) and for those who are just catching the show (and entered through Videopolis).

Our lunch. A half attempt at making something "disney". That's a "Yoda Cupcake" by the way.

The Jedi Training Academy.

Young Padawans, pick up your light sabers!

Aspiring young padawans aged 7 to 12 years old can register to join the training academy. A senior Jedi will train and guide them on the usage of the sabers and practise some moves. All because the big bad wolf will arrive shortly and duel with them one on one!

"Give yourself to the dark side!"

Even Duffy got into the dark side :(

Please tell me you are just cos-playing!!!

After we had enough of the dark side, it's time to return to the light at Fantasyland:

But it's still a small world after all!

Here in Paris Disneyland Park, there actually IS a queue for It's a Small World! o-O The ride was integrated perfectly with the railway and that made it look like a little toy town by itself!

How nice is that!

The sights in the ride varies slightly from the one in TDR. Now having been to several places in Europe, the sights reminded me of my earlier trips to several countries. They just look so much more meaningful when you've been there yourself!

Amsterdam (Netherlands)

London (England)

Venice and Rome (Italy)

The official Disneyland brochure indicate several rides/shows as "Not to be Missed" on the map. Right next to this ride are two of those "Not to be Missed": Le Pays des Contes de Fees and Casey Jr. - le Petit Train du Cirque. These two rides are not available in TDR. Since it's recommended, we need to check it out, right?

The circus train's from Casey Jr. and the boat's from Le Pays des Contes

Just like "It's a small world" and the railway train, Disneyland Paris has done a great job blending the two rides into one another. Le Pays des Contes de Fees is truly beautiful and memorable. You cruise down river into the miniature worlds of the fairy tales!

Hansel and Gretel

The little Mermaid

And my personal favourite:

Beauty and the Beast

I love it that they actually created the entire "poor provincial town" and Beast's castle in the far distance!! It is just amazingly beautiful...

The queue for Casey Jr. - le Petit Train du Cirque was slightly longer but now i fully understand why! You sit on board the circus train which Dumbo and his mom ride on as the cruise tours around. And of course, you get to enjoy the beautiful views from Le Pays while enjoying the mildly thrilling semi-coaster. It is now one of my favourite rides from Disneyland Park!

Cruising near to Beast's castle!

Next up is Alice's Curious Labyrinth. Right whack in the middle of the self-guided maze is the huge face of the Cheshire Cat which everyone clamors to take photographs with. But there are a lot more things to see such as the angry Queen of Hearts and her foot soldiers etc. Beware that some of the figurines are motion-sensitive so they may pop out and give you a nice surprise when you walk past!

See? I told you everyone just wants to take photo with Cheshire.

One of the Cards (opps i mean, Guards) who came after us!

Minus the Cards/Guards, it's a pretty nice view up the Queen's castle!

Then off we go to another strangely crowded ride: Peter Pan's Flight. By the word "strange", i don't mean to say that it's not worth the time, but that the queue here is 50 mins for the ride when really, it's one of the shortest queues in TDR with an average of 20 mins maximum? I've come to appreciate that the French and the Japanese have very varied preferences. Hmm...

Admiring Wendy's house to kill time...

And there we go! All ready to fly!

Since several rides were closed for renovation, the last rides we took for the day were Pirates of the Caribbean at Adventureland and Phantom Manor at Frontierland. The Pirates of the Carribbean has some splash action while Phantom Manor is a very mild ride that basically just taunts your mind with the "restless spirits". Both of them are also available at TDR.

The Phantom Manor. Not so scary with Mickey around right? :D

If you have some time to kill while waiting for a show (like us), you can also visit the Le Passage Enhante d'Aladdin at Advenureland or Les Mysteres du Nautilus at Discoveryland. Both of them are self-guided attractions where you walk around to take a look at the display.

As it started to drizzle after that, we took a coffee break while waiting for the La Magie Disney en Parade ! (Disney Magic on Parade) at 17:30. Since we have our annual passes and will most definitely be back again, we decided to catch the show from the window seat in the cafe. Lazy us!

I spy Geppetto!

The Lion King

Bad Boy Captain Hook

Best Friend Mickey

Boisterous Chip & Dale

And that ends our day at Disneyland Park. Don't worry, we'll be back!!!

See you soon!

To find out more about the Walt Disney Studios, read here!