Betty & Me In Paris

Today's post is totally French-inspired. And no, I'm not in Paris at the moment (I wish I was, though!) - but I did feel a bit like a Parisian after my visit to Paul today. I always wonder if Paul truly is a Maison de Qualité Fondée en 1889 or if it's just a huge Czech patisserie chain & a clever marketing ploy. Seriously, does anyone else have Paul in their country? OK, I guess it doesn't matter because their stuff is pretty good (apart from the macaroons... I guess one really needs to go to Paris to get the real thing). Today I treated myself to a raisin snail and it was trop bien (today is also National Cheesy Post Day, didn't you know?). I'm such a sugarholic. Like I need something sweet after every meal. :(
Anyway! I thought I could combine my French-pastry-eating endeavours with a lovely French-themed video (which also features food!). I came across 'Betty in Paris' last week and immediately fell in love. If you love Paris, Amélie, macaroons and/or are a bit of a dreamer, you'll adore this video. It reminded me of my own visit to Paris in 2011 - as cliché as it may sound, it really was one of the best holidays ever. It's actually funny that I'm saying this because I was always one of those 'hmm, Paris... it's a bit overrated, isn't it?' people. Turns out I had to visit it twice in order to fall in love. And yeah, when I was in Paris 2 years ago, I really did feel like Betty (National CPD all over again...). 
'Betty in Paris' is part of the Olive Us series - the latter is made by Ben and Gabrielle Blair and features their six(!!!) kids. The Blair family is American and they've been living in Normandy for over a year. You can check out Gabrielle's blog, Design Mom, here. 

Betty In Paris from Olive Us on Vimeo.
Video via Prêt à Voyager

Christmas Feeling

Holla! I'm beginning to get that Christmas feeling... Not really when I'm out and about though, a lot of the Christmas decorations in the centre of Prague are (sadly) quite tacky. Plus everyone is going CRAZY with all the shopping. These days I really don't like going to big shopping centres or supermarkets (and let me tell you, I usually don't mind indulging in a bit of shopping) because of the huge crowds. But in general, I really love Christmas. For me, it's all about the 'cozy' feeling (there's a perfect Dutch word which describes this: gezelligheid). Cheesy, but true.

This is why I'm feeling the Christmas spirit these days:

On Monday I received a parcel from Canada and this is what was inside it! My friend Jason sent over all of these things - what a cool dude! :) I really wasn't expecting any of this, it made me super happy. I mean, books, chocolates AND Spongebob.. what could be better? PLUS check out that wrapping technique! Thank you so much, Jason (& my friend Anja who helped pick out the chocolates)! I guess this is my first Christmas present. :)

Christmas goodies! OK, the 'kruidnoten' aren't technically associated with Christmas - they're eaten at Sinterklaas, a Dutch holiday which takes place in the beginning of December. I got them from my friend Joke who clearly knows just how much I miss the Netherlands. She brought over a Dutch goodie bag when she was here in Prague a few weeks ago - maybe I should do a post on all the cool stuff as well. ;)

Plus it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas (bad pun, I know :) in our apartment.

Are you already feeling the Christmas spirit? Or are you still in denial (like I was up until a few days ago)? x

I'm still here!

Sorry for being off the radar this week! My friend Joke is visiting Prague so I've been hanging out with her, eating lots of yummy food, going to really cool exhibitions and going crazy over Skyfall & Daniel Craig videos on Youtube... just having a really good time! It's really nice having her here. :) The funny thing is, Joke (at times) seems to know Prague better than me... Ha :D So much for being the local who should know everything about their own city! 

The pics above showcase our fabulous Prague adventures:

1. Me in Choco Café aka the 'Death by Chocolate' place. I think this is the first picture of me on the blog, so.. hi! Nice to meet you! :)

2. More Choco Café goodness! Joke went for the 72% white hot chocolate with banana and strawberries. I was more of a sissy and decided to get the cocoa. It was still really rich though!

3. The famous John Lennon wall.

4. Love locks.

5. Joke and I near the National Theatre. We both got our hair done that day - hence the smiles!

6. Breakfast at Café Louvre today. Salmon croissant, fruit salad and fresh mint tea. Not too shabby!

7. Really cool exhibition in the Rudolfinum Gallery (remember I mentioned that I wanted to go see it in my very first post?) which showcases contemporary British painting. Some of the details on the paintings were really crazy!

(All the photos were taken by Joke, except the last one. I haven't been taking that many pictures, I always seem to forget about the fact that I have my camera with me these days!).

I guess I won't really be posting till Sunday, but I promise that I will make it up to everyone next week. I already have some posts lined up. :)  Have a nice weekend (almost there!). 

Sunday Breakfast

What's your favourite (Sunday) breakfast? I love banana and nutella toast paired with a nice big mug of English breakfast tea (with milk!). Maybe not the healthiest option, but certainly the tastiest. :) Do you have any breakfast preferences or recommendations?

P.S.: I'm still in awe of the film Laurence Anyways, which I saw yesterday. The director, Xavier Dolan, is only 23(!!) and has already directed three amazing films. I suggest watching all three! It seems that lately I've been on an 'amazing film' streak...

Laundry Cafe

Today I met up with a friend in a really cool cafe - it's called Prádelna Café, 'prádelna' meaning laundry. You can see the laundry theme in the last photo. :) This place is fast becoming one of my favourite spots in Prague - it's non-smoking (I really, really hope the Czech Republic will adopt the non-smoking policy ASAP), has a cozy interior (obviously the pics don't do it justice), and serves delicious and healthy food that won't break the bank. Plus it's located in a really nice neighbourhood, Vinohrady. If you're ever in Prague, I highly recommend you check it out.