Just Outside of Paris: The Village of Samois

Sometime in the month of May, last year, I had the chance to join a group that was visiting a writer in the village of Samois, outside of Paris, and very near Fontainebleau. As a bonus, we had the chance to observe and take part in the town's celebration of Victory Europe.



In the town square, celebrations for VE Day were scheduled at 11:30...



while in the village, the biggest French garage sale was going on, where some treasures were purchased by my friends.



Soon, we joined the local festivities...those who had perished, fighting during the last World War, were being honored.



Our walking tour of the village commenced as we walked through the narrow, village streets, just enjoying the ambiance of ivy-clad houses, heading towards Laura Lam's house. Laura is a writer - best known for Late Blossom - who has dedicated her life towards helping the village children in Viet Nam.

"Late Blossom is a moving book about how ordinary people cope with extraordinary circumstances, and how a few, in spite of unimaginable horror and constant fear, somehow manage to reach deep within themselves and survive the despair and dark of night to embrace the hope and light of day. In these pages we are taken into a world where personal insecurity, sudden ruin and the real possibility of torture and violent death are as perfunctorily taken for granted as tomorrow's sunrise. We are introduced to a cast of real-life characters caught up in and struggling against the sweeping tides of history. And through the eyes of a most remarkable woman, we come to better understand a most remarkable people and their long fight for freedom. Late Blossom is, quite simply, a beautifully told story of life, loss and love in a war-torn Viet Nam." Amazon.com review.



We passed by this once, public washing area...



where women brought their load of Laundry. What a tedious task that must have been!



This is the ceiling detail.



This house with the wooden beams, reminded us of the oldest Parisian house in the Marais.



Farther down, we read this plaque that was posted on the wall about one of the most famous jazz musicians, Django Reinhardt - whose innovative guitar-playing style has been copied all over the world - who had lived here for 10 years, until his death in 1953.



Our walking tour led us to the Seine River...



where we got a glimpse of these beautiful swans...



and on the other side, the variety of plants and flowers along the different homes we passed.



Farther up, we noticed an emergency vehicle...just right before we entered Laura's house, where she had Vietnamese food waiting for us, before she gave a talk about the Viet Nam Village Children Fund, the charity project she started in 2008.

Laura Lam, an overseas Vietnamese, was born in Luong Tam (Truong An) village. The charity's primary purpose is to provide educational opportunities for the children in rural villages of Hau Giang Province. Through the fund-raising efforts of Laura, the first kindergarten and five bridges were built in Luong Tam in 2009. In 2010 its operations were expanded to assist young victims of Agent Orange. The volunteers at the Viet Nam Village Children Fund are united and dedicated in "serving the needs of young people disadvantaged by poverty, and in many cases by the after-effects of war."



To raise funds, she displayed some of the handmade, quilt works exquisitely made by the village women in Luong Tam.



Mostly, bedspreads were spread out for us to see and admire...



the varied quilted products showcased various quilting techniques such as applique, and trapunto...in different patterns.



After our visit with Laura, we headed back to our bus via another route, an inland pathway. What a quaint little town this turned out to be as the blooms captured our attention, along the way.



wild flowers...



a beautiful gated house and garden...





lilac blooms...



a blooming fruit tree...and a plant with clusters of tiny flowers...



a country house with a well-kept garden...





wisteria vines with light purple flowers...



pom-pom like white flowers...



the village church...



a restaurant...



more adorable, lovely, snow-white cascade of small flowers...



We reached just about the end of our walk! I hope you had a lovely time - I did!

If you would like more information on the Viet Nam Children Fund or would like to support it, please visit http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.vvcf.co.uk/village_children_fund/res/bio/laura.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.vvcf.co.uk/village_children_fund/organization_en.php&h=379&w=246&sz=126&tbnid=9KmpLU5MPdsvEM:&tbnh=123&tbnw=80&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dlaura%2Blam&usg=__XRxlWU2qgGxwQDO7CVarBFQLA48=&sa=X&ei=D7dCTPG5K4OB8gaD_amUCQ&ved=0CCkQ9QEwAw

Walking Tour: Central Park, NY

From the Apple Store, the view of Central Park is so inviting. An urban park, Central Park is in the heart of Manhattan, in New York City. It was opened in 1859, but only completed in 1873. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1963.

This is the main entrance to Central Park on 59th Street and Columbus Ave.

The population in the city started to quadruple in the 1800s and people were in search of open spaces, to get away from the city life. Taking the cue from the Bois de Boulogne in Paris and Hyde Park in London, the influential locals - the poet and editor of the Evening Post (now the New York Post), William Cullen Bryant, and the first American landscape architect, Andrew Jackson Downing - both these men made noise about the city's need for a public park in 1844.

In 1853 the New Yorkers got their wish when the New York legislature designated a piece of land - a 700-acre (280 ha) area from 59th to 106th Streets - for the creation of the park, at a cost of more than US $5 million.

Walking along the walkway of the Park, while crossing 59th Avenue, brings many picturesque vistas.

This reminds me of the pond in Monet's garden in Giverny, France. Monet used many garden scenes in his own backyard as the subject of his paintings. You can imagine how many artists come here with their sketch pads and canvasses to render their own artistic impressions of the beauty of this place.

In the last few weeks, the Central Park's Conservancy crew has been dealing with stately elm trees, suffering from the Dutch elm disease - a highly contagious fungus that surfaces in the summer. 

To date, nine elm trees have been lost and 4 more identified trees will be removed from the park this summer. The symptoms are the wilting and yellowing of leaves on one or more of its branches. 

As the infection progresses, the leaves and branches die and, ultimately, the entire tree dies a slow death. There is no cure for Dutch elm disease. Early detection helps prevent the spread of this disease.

With the nice summer weather, people are now coming to the park for their lunch breaks, to jog, to have a pic-nic, or to simply sit, relax and pass the time.

Along 5th Avenue, one can stroll to find stalls selling a variety of things - from books to souvenirs - quite like the scene along the Seine River by the Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral.

Strikingly attractive is this colorful sculpture - an installation-art form - where people and children can touch, go around or just stand and look to admire it. What a great way to expose children to art.

I also love visiting Central Park in the winter, when the the lake freezes...

and ice skating becomes the activity enjoyed by both the young and old.

The roads are cleared up for the pedestrians...

and for visitors to be able to take and have a carriage-ride experience, around the park.

If you happen to live in one of the apartments on a street around the park's perimeter, this could be your view on a spring day. In just a couple of minutes, you can be in the park grounds, 

to walk around and to enjoy this open space.

And if perchance you notice some diseased elm trees, you might think of doing something to help. You can donate to help fight Dutch elm disease or become a member. Your generous contribution will help the Conservancy keep the park's greenery healthy for generations to come.

I look forward to visiting Central Park again someday, maybe in the fall. This would be another season for me to capture with my little camera.

Walking Tour: The Apple Store on 5th Avenue, NY

After stopping by to admire the Bloomberg Building on 59th Street, I continued to walk towards 5Th Avenue. And there, I was captivated by another sculpture - a see-through cube in a plaza, reminiscent of the glass pyramid in the grounds of the Louvre - the Apple store on 767 Fifth Avenue, New York City, NY 10153, made from structural glass. It sits right in front of the General Motors skyscraper.

This most innovatively-designed Apple store location was officially opened on May 19, 2006, and has since become one of the most photographed buildings in New York City. 

This design was conceived by New York Architect Bohlin Cywinski Jackson and 

the structural glass was engineered by Eckersly O'Callahan.

The 32-foot glass cube serves as the entrance, where one has a choice to descend to the underground store by a glass, cylindrical elevator or by a glass, winding staircase.

At the base of the cylindrical elevator is a circular concrete which serves as a "bench" for the visitors to sit, rest, wait for someone checking out the products or talking to a sales associate, or simply to get caught up with their phone, text or email messages.

This store is constantly visited by tourists and some serious Apple clients who go there to check out on the latest Apple products, make a purchase and happily walkout with a new Mac, an iPod, etc.

It is a paradise for programs or accessories for the iPod and Mac. There are nearly 200 iPods on display, and they have the largest assortment of accessories for the iPod and Mac.

The store has a combined 45-foot Genius Bar, iPod Bar, where customers can get support, 

free advice and work on creative projects, and even check Facebook!

The store is manned by close to 300 highly-trained Mac specialists and Mac geniuses, and they are ready to answer your questions, point you to the right product, or recommend the right step to take with your present units 24/7. That's right, the store does not close!

If you decide to come at night or in the wee hours of the morning, 

the cube structure is quite a sight to behold.

The human traffic continues in and out of the store.

Next to it, you may decide to sit for a cup of coffee, have dinner, 

or shop at FAO Schwarz or Begdorf and Goodman.

Across from the store is Central Park, diagonally across. If you wish to continue the walking tour, 

join me next time to Central Park.

Breakfast at A'Canela Restaurant, Amagansett, East Hampton

Before going back home after a long weekend at the Hamptons, we thought that it would be a good idea to start the day with a good, solid breakfast. We headed to A’Canela Restaurant, in Amagansett, East Hampton.

A’Canela is known for their fine Latin cuisine.

This restaurant is highly recommended for its good value...the breakfast menu is served all day. A good-size serving of a delicious breakfast meal is priced at $10.00, max! We indulged ourselves and ordered one each of the breakfast specials, and shared everything. We were not disappointed.

Fritata: made of eggs and cream on a thin crust, with corn, bell pepper, onion, spinach, tomatoes and topped with Monterey Jack cheese; and served with tortilla chips, coated with an enchilada sauce.

Burrito: filled with eggs, bacon, cheese, and potatoes; and wrapped in a flour tortilla, 

and served with potato wedges

Pancakes: with berries, banana, and green apples

If I were to prepare these things at home for a Sunday brunch or a brunch party, I will be substituting and eliminating some things to make them a little bit more healthy.

Fritata: Omit the crust and serve chips with salsa

My Recipe for salsa:
In a bowl add –
I clove of garlic finely chopped
1 quarter of an onion, diced
6-8 sprigs of Chopped cilantro, coarsely chopped
Salt and pepper to season
Squeeze a quarter of a lemon, mix
Seed and dice 2 tomatoes (preferably the Roma variety)

Drizzle with olive oil and mix. This is now ready to serve.


Burrito: Use whole-wheat tortilla instead of white-flour tortilla; serve with mango salsa.


My recipe for mango salsa:–
In a bowl add –
I clove of garlic finely chopped
1 quarter of an onion, diced
6-8 sprigs of Chopped cilantro, coarsely chopped
Seed and dice 2 tomatoes (preferably the Roma variety)
Salt and pepper to season
Squeeze a quarter of a lemon, mix
Add one mango – score the mango meat with the blunt edge of a table knife or use the rounded end of a spoon handle. Then scoop mango meat into the bowl.

Drizzle with olive oil and mix. This is now ready to serve.

For the Pancakes, I will turn it into a complete meal by pairing it with Spanish Tortilla. I will prepare the pancakes, made with a blend of white flour and whole wheat flour, and cook smaller-pancake portions; and use agave syrup instead of maple or pancake syrup.

Are you in the kitchen, yet? Have fun creating your own versions of a Mexican breakfast or brunch!

Fine Dining: Beacon, Sag Harbor, East Hamptons

A weekend at the Hamptons for the Memorial Weekend celebration with some good friends turned out to be a most palatable experience. After driving around Montauk, Amagansett, and Sag Harbor in East Hamptons, we decided to have dinner at a restaurant by the Sag Harbor



Newly opened for the season last May 12, 2010, Beacon was highly recommended to us for a fine-dining experience with Executive Chef Sam McCleland's epicurean creations.



We joined a line of people to be seated...and went to the bar, first, for a round of mojitos.



The surrounding view was spectacular, especially, as the sun was about to set.



After a twenty-minute wait, we were assigned our table and we settled down to what became a three-hour dinner. Perusing the menu made us salivate for some Mediterranean and Asian inspired items. We started with Steamed Mussels "Beacon Style" with garlic, white wine, lemon-thyme, creme and tomatoes...and some Braised Pork Belly, wrapped in soft tortilla, with pickles and spicy hoisin sauce.



We finally ordered our main courses, which were among the specials of the day: A whole Seabass, garnished with a quinoa-based salad...



and Bouillabaisse.

I was pleasantly surprised to see how the Bouillabaisse was plated. I am familiar with this dish as a fish soup. Here, the presentation was all together, in one serving platter, topped with the crispy slice of bread with rouille mayonnaise.

A quick check on Wikipedia gave me additional information that this is a traditional Provençal fish stew, that had it's origins in the port city of Marseille. The word Boullabaisse comes from two verbs bolhir (to boil) and abaissar (to reduce heat, i.e., simmer.

It is a fish soup made from a long list of ingredients, consisting of a variety of cooked fish and shellfish and vegetables, herbs and spices such as garlic, orange peel, basil, bay leaf, fennel and saffron. There are at least three kinds of fish in a traditional bouillabaisse, typically scorpionfish; sea robin; and European conger; and it can also include gilt-head bream; turbot; monkfish; mullet; or silver hake. It also usually includes shellfish and other seafood such as sea urchins , mussels ; small crabs; spider crab or octopus. More expensive versions may add langoustine. Vegetables such as leeks, onions, tomatoes, celery and potatoes are simmered together with the broth and served with the fish.

Bouillabaisse is uniquely different from other fish soups in the way it is served. Traditionally, the broth is served first in a bowl containing the bread and rouille, and the seafood and vegetables are served separately in another bowl or on a platter. The broth is usually served with bread and rouille, a mayonnaise made of olive oil, garlic, saffron and cayenne pepper on grilled slices of bread.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bouillabaisse

For more on the history of bouillabaisse, check the following link. There is a recipe included if you are inspired to create your own.
http://www.cliffordawright.com/caw/food/entries/display.php/id/70/

The bonus to dining in Beacon is to watch the sunset.









While we waited for our main courses to come, which we ordered family style, we also had time to make friends and chat with people around us. As it turned out, there were three sets of customer changes on both sides from us, as we dined a la French style, sipping our wine, taking our sweet time to savor each others' company and the different flavors of the gourmet food. We sweetly capped the night with Maple Crème Brûlée with Fresh Berries and Lemon-Pudding cake with a Berry Compote.

What a lovely way it was to spend an evening. The whole experience was sensually delightful!