L'As Du Fallafel

There are plenty of fancy restaurants in Paris, delightful cafés, and boulangeries where you can grab a lunchtime baguette the size of your arm. But sometimes you just want something a little different. The french may be renowned for their gastronomy, but there are two types of food that the Parisians do not handle so well - vegetarian food (or at least some form of it that does not involve cheese) and spicy food. After filling up my arteries with crêpe au fromage when I need a savoury hit on my touristy travels, I was aching for something with the crunch of vegetables. In addition to this, I was craving something with a bit of a kick.

So I headed to the historic Jewish district of Le Marais and joined the throngs of people queueing at L'As Du Fallafel.

T'aimes le flânerie?

The sun is shining over Paris today, for the second weekend in a row. That's it, I'm calling it. Spring is here, and it's the perfect time to learn a new french word.

flâneur

A flâneur is someone who strolls around, observing society and soaking up the atmosphere. Balzac described flânerie as "the gastronomy of the eye", and Baudelaire explained it thusly:

For the perfect flâneur, for the passionate spectator, it is an immense joy to set up house in the heart of the multitude, amid the ebb and flow of movement, in the midst of the fugitive and the infinite. To be away from home and yet to feel oneself everywhere at home; to see the world, to be at the centre of the world, and yet to remain hidden from the world...

— Charles Baudelaire, "The Painter of Modern Life" - Originally published in Le Figaro, in 1863. 

L' Éventail Bar-Restaurant

L' Éventail means two things in French. First of all it means a fan, the type you hold in your hand and use to stay cool. But it can also mean something else - the range, usually price range. So, cool and price range - something to consider when considering what may be one of my new favourite places to grab a bite to eat in Paris, L' Éventail Bar-Restaurant.

An Au Pair Out And About Special- Haute-Savoie Region & Chamonix Valley

Winter in Paris has been cold and dry. The skies are grey, the rain comes down hard, and even the chicest Parisian is running into the nearest shop to protect their cashmere scarf. As I have mentioned before, things have been quite stressful with the family for a few weeks, and I needed a break. Luckily I had pre-arranged with the family to have a week off while the kids spent the first week of their holidays with Mamie and Pappie in Biarritz.

Many people would no doubt choose somewhere hot & sunny for a break away. Good choice. However I have always been a fan of cold weather holidays and I needed some physical exercise (there's only so much cardio running around after the kids can give you). So I headed south-east, for the fresh air and exercise capital that is the French Alps. Specifically I headed for the Chamonix Valley - home to the first Winter Olympics.

Odyssey Salon de The and Crêperie

Take a walk under the gothic spires of Notre Dame, stroll along the banks of the Seine - how chic. How Parisian. But take a right, and head down Rue Dante, and suddenly everything changes. No more Gothic spires, no more chic designer shops - it's wall to wall nerd heaven. Bandes dessinées, les figurines, truc de cosplay - its all here. Since they released The Force Awakens, the world has gone Star Wars crazy and we have had about 3 months of Star Wars Mania. If you still haven't had enough Star Wars, Rue Dante is where you can go to get something to satisfy your hunger. Let's take a trip to a galaxy far, far away and Odyssey Salon de Thé & Crêperie

Champs Elysées Christmas Market

It's the most wonderful time of the year! Or if, like me, you loathe crowded spaces and shopping its time to get your game face on and reluctantly trudge around desperately trying to find something to take home for Christmas. This is made all the more difficult by the fact that your whole family wants something "from Paris", a city famed for luxury and chic, and your au pair wages just won't cover a Chanel coat for everyone.

The one upside to this time of year is that is more or less acceptable to consume hot alcoholic beverages in public at anytime after midday under the ruse of 'being festive". This helps to take the edge off the dreaded christmas shopping stress to the point where elbowing strangers in the stomach to get to the last box of macarons is almost bearable.

So in the spirit of christmas, and drunken public disorder, have you checked out the Christmas Market on Champs Elysées?

The Au Pair Weight Loss Plan

Do you want to look good next summer when you head down to the French Riviera? Or perhaps you were thinking of taking another au pair position next year, further from the city, and closer to the sea. If so then you will be wanting to get in shape and loose a few kilograms. Well with the new "Au Pair Weight Loss Plan" you can get ready for next summer. I used to go to the gym every day and saw slow results, but I have been following the diet for two months and have dropped two dress sizes. Read on to find out more

Yes, you really can eat pastry on the Au Pair Weight Loss Plan

Holiday Hell and the frustrations of being an Au Pair.

So by now most of you have been au pairs for at least 1 month. You dealt with La Rentrée and you've finally sussed out what the kids like and do not like to eat. You've got your Navigo, and you've finally mastered enough french to get what you need. You have perfected the Parisian street style (black trainers, dark jeans, trench coat, scarf) and can walk with enough speed and confidence for people to believe you're local, or at least not try to drag you into their restaurant. You think you have it sussed. But now you are halfway through the first set of holidays, you have been working a 60 hour week entertaining the children while the parents are at work, and you've definitely caught some kind of illness from one of the kids. You are ready to scream. What has happened? Get ready for the rant...

This week I am feeling a lot of sympathy with the horses on the carrousel at the Jardins d'Acclimitation - going round and round in circles. 

My first month as an au pair - What I have learnt.

So my first month with the family is up. It's been a mad month, and I have learned a lot. To recap what has happened, here is a list of the 30 things I have learned during my first 30 days as an au pair

Coffee is BAE