There was a huge thunderstorm last night/early morning in Paris. We had a bit of leak in our ceiling (there are at least 3 storeys above us!) due to the severity. The day arrived rather cooler than yesterday, and I headed out to have an early morning wander and visit a boulangerie.

Having breakfasted on a lovely Parisian croissant and black coffee, I braved the nine to fivers by catching the metro to Madeleine. I had an enjoyable wander around the area visiting Fauchon to buy some macarons and have a quick look at their lovely displays of food, and I then headed to Mache aux Puces with friends.

We had a lovely time meandering the lanes of  the antique markets. Items I was interested in were out of my price range.( My idea was to recoup the initial cost of items by revamping and selling them back home.) I fancied some lovely 1940's light fittings but they were 50 euros too much.

We dined at restaurant Paul Bert, where the meals were more than substantial and we very much recommend this as a place to visit when visiting the Marche aux Puces. (images below.)

After taking quite a few photos, and being rather overwhelmed by all the gorgeous items available (with a few purchases) we then moved on to the Pompidou Centre to see a few paintings from the permanent exhibit 1905 to 1960 as well as visit the Studio of Brancusi.

From Pompidou we made our way over to the left bank and visited St Chapelle, which is an entirely desirable church to visit. The gendarmes flirted with the young american girls, as we went through the security check in the Palais de Justice, before entering La Chapelle. I now realise I am definitely over the hill, as no one flirted with me! C'est la vie! It happens to us all, except those of us who turn to (not to be mentioned) methods of altering the ageing process.

I am a converted Virgin! Sorry, I mean I am a Virgin convert, well, you know what I mean. I love travelling first class on the Virgin trains in the UK! And, if you book ahead, good prices on tickets are available - free wi-fi and a snack and drink are also included in the cost. What luxury! That would never happen if travelling between Sydney and Katoomba - which is a comparable travel time to the London to Birmingham trip.

I live in a Federation Arts & Craft house with my sister, and I was keen to visit a few Arts & Crafts houses whilst in the UK. After all, it is the country where the movement began! 

The Birmingham region has two significant Arts & Crafts style houses.  The first is the National Trust managed Wightwick Manor, a Victorian house where the influence of William Morris is strongly displayed in the interior design and fittings. The other A&C house is Winterbourne House, part of the University of Birmingham. Winterbourne showcases the skills of local craftsmen in the physical structure and interior design of the house, as well as the layout, design and planting of the garden.

Having now visited both of the houses, Winterbourne House wins hands down. Visitors are only able to view the ground floor and kitchen area of the house, but the gardens are beautifully laid out and retain their original design, along with containing over 6,000 plant varieties from all over the world.

Wightwick Manor on the other hand is rather a hotch-potch of architectural and interior design styles. The house, built in Victorian times, is Jacobean in design, all wooden beams, with well lit rooms leading off a heavy(think timber coming at you from all angles), unlit entry hall.  The house contains a large collection of William Morris textiles, carpets and furnishings as well as Pre-Raphaelite paintings & De Morgan tiles. But it is so crammed full of knick-knacks that it is rather like visiting an Arts & Crafts kleptomaniac's house. The original owner of the house, being part of the Temperance Movement, paid the manager of the pub - that had to remain on his land -  extra money for every non-alcoholic drink he sold! 

  

They say that Birmingham is one of the major culinary cities of Britain, and we did have some nice meals there. The Pub breakfasts weren't much to rave about, although I rather enjoyed having baked beans on toast for our last brekkie in Birmingham.

While in Edinburgh we dined at Restaurant Opus. They use as much sustainable product as they can purchase, and buy locally. They have a well priced set "market menu" as well as the usual a-la-carte option.

Prawn cocktail was my entree, lovely baby prawns wrapped in fresh mayo on a bed of shredded lettuce. My main was Shepherd's Pie/Cottage Pie. Got to love visiting the past!  The beef was tender, melting in the mouth, combined with a full flavoured demi-glaze sauce ensuring the beef married with the peas. On top of the pie was that fab 70's style piped mashed potato. A very drinkable & affordable Bordeaux Chateau Tour de Biot accompanied our meal. We luckily finished up just as a big, rowdy group came in, so good timing!

Sunday Breakfast with the generous hearted food critics, the Stylish Sicilian Sisters. We ate at Kitchen by Mike, located in a converted warehouse in Rosebery, which is becoming the rage here in Sydney. (Warehouse conversions that is.)

The bakery items were the favs, the croissants with strawberry jam getting a thumbs up.

Well, what can I say? I have been researching places to dine, places to visit and, of course when researching Paris, the best patisserie and chocolatier to buy from. Apart from my extensive research – on the internet of course – Le Figaro has recently published their review of which is the best chocolate macaron, and they agree with me! 

Le macaron gagnant  – the winning macaron - is from Jean-Paul Hévin, 231, rue Saint-Honoré, Ier.  Tél.: 01 55 35 35 96.
http://www.lefigaro.fr/sortir-paris/2012/04/27/03013-20120427ARTFIG00728-les-meilleurs-macarons-chocolat-de-paris.php

If you are a chocolate connoiseur, then make sure you visit the Jean-Paul Hévin shop on on Rue Saint-Honoré. Jean-Paul is a highly skilled craftsman, and this shop in particular showcases the ingredient he is reknown for  – chocolate.
http://www.jphevin.com/