Enchanted by the Eiffel Tower

I never get tired of seeing the Eiffle tower. never! La Grand Dame is truly iconic. A symbol of Paris and of France, she is one of the best known monuments in the world and the one whose silhouette has been most depicted... so let me just add my shots to that list.

La Tour Eiffel is truly an architectural eye-candy and who knows it might just be the chocolaty colour piercing the sky at 324 meters that causes my addiction?

A spectacular view from the restaurant at Musée de l'Homme

Paris in the springtime is pure romance 

Unfortunately, one cannot wander underneath the structure anymore 

without a ticket due to security reasons.

Fashion photographers' favourite spot

The silver lining of the city of lights

 But then again... it often looks like this!

A glimpse from the Wall of Peace

Every time I whizz around the Place de Trocadero, I salute her!

La Grande Dame by night

 Spotting her even through the rooftops of Paris

It's not all about tea and keeping calm!

After a weekend in Switzerland visiting universities with Expat boy, it was time this weekend to hop over the channel to celebrate my Godmother's 80th Birthday and celebrate Mothering Sunday with my Mum who flew down from Scotland. What can I say, we are a jet-setting family!

Arriving at the smashing St Pancras International railway station just in the for a romantic dinner.

For years I have been admiring photos on Pinterest of this pink restaurant. 

Sketch is an experience from start to finish. 

A quirky, 18th-century townhouse with funky artwork 

which will keep your eyes wandering the whole meal.

The food ranges from strange dishes to classics to re-inventions with a cheeky addition of something you would never add but sort of works.

I tried to find a name for its style but haven't succeeded! 

The individual cubicles shaped like eggs at the top of the staircase are space pod toilets.

The Royal Arcade, built in 1879, is an elegant, Victorian space housing retail outlets selling fine silverware, art, bespoke shoes and high-end chocolate. 

So, who came up with the idea of covered galleries first, London or Paris? 

During my window shopping, I fell in love with D&G's ice cream dresses.

Yet another delicious dinner with friends at Yoshino. 

Down a quiet alleyway off Piccadilly, a neon sign announces ‘sushi’ 

but it is soo much more than it seems.

A shopping spree at Harvey Nichols, the British department store founded in 1831 provided great inspiration.

A London icon: London Underground's history dates back to 1863 when the world's first underground railway, the Metropolitan Railway, opened between Paddington and Farringdon serving six intermediate stations. Since then the Underground network, affectionately nicknamed the Tube by generations of Londoners, has grown to 270 stations and 11 lines stretching deep into the Capital's suburbs, and beyond.

A lovely lunch celebration at the Royal Automobile Club. Founded in 1897 with the aim of encouraging the development of motoring in Britain, today the Royal Automobile Club is one of London’s finest private members'​ clubs, combining over 100 years of luxury and tradition with exceptional facilities and outstanding service.

A beautiful art-deco bar serving signature cocktails such as Fig and Almond Martini (Havana, 7-year old rhum shaken with Mozart black chocolate liqueur. Amaretto, apricot liqueur, lemon bitters and figue purée) .   

It's Mothering Sunday, so let's celebrate!

Weekend escapade to Geneva

Known both as the "smallest of big cities", or the "city of peace", Geneva, lies at the southern tip of expansive Lac Léman. Surrounded by the Alps and Jura mountains, the city has views of dramatic Mont Blanc. Headquarters of Europe’s United Nations and the Red Cross, it’s a global hub for diplomacy and banking.

To me it was home for nearly a decade. It is where I started my career, where I realised for the first time that there were many other Swiss TCK just like me, it is where I met the love of my life and where we got married!

It is nice to return once in a while to see some things never change.

Good ol' Jet d'Eau with the Taxi boat crossing the lake

Bains de Paquis were many a weekend's suntanning session was spent.

I won't mention the quantities of Dole Blanche consumed!

The expansive Lake of Geneva

Spot the Swiss touch. A clock is never far away. 

My favourite teatime treats

A romantic lakeside dinner

 Even some funky pink night scene can be found nowadays! 

Swiss hospitality at its best

This weekend brought us back to Switzerland... yet again... for Expat boy needs to make his first grown-up life-changing decision. Where to go after the International Baccalaureate?

To be perfectly honest he is his father's son, total strategic focus albeit sometimes absent-mined when not interested. His two passions: football and hospitality.

For years he has known that his goal was to study Hotel Management in Switzerland, I figured it might be a good idea if he actually visited the campus and surveyed the groundbreaking training in action.

Arriving in Lausanne on a spectacular sunny day with blue skies and gorgeous views across the Lake Leman, we were blown away by the atmosphere, professionalism, efficiency, cleanliness, organization, beauty and of course hospitality of Swiss Higher Education.

The visits to two different institutes provided an opportunity to personally discover the professionalism and excellence the Swiss hospitality training is world-renowned for. Admissions officers, teaching staff and student ambassadors did an outstanding job in demonstrating what Swiss education stands for and how it successfully prepares students for a wide variety of hospitality management careers across the globe.

So much so, that my husband has now decided he wants to go back to study!

Expat with Kids in Paris' Social Media

Stuck at home with a thigh muscle strain - needless to say the weather is gorgeous and a run would seem like a great idea - I have reverted to streamlining all my social media feeds... et voilà le résultat! 

Enjoy Parisian moments on Instagram 

Follow my Vie en Rose on Pinterest

Sign up with Facebook 

Listen to my Twitter

Follow my blog with Bloglovin 

Networked blogs at your service 

May I have a glass of Champagne so I can take a selfie?

After having read an article in the New York Times that someone had been eavesdropping on Parisian shoppers and had actually published a book on fashion chatter... how could I resist? I rushed down to the most Parisian of all department stores to take a look for myself.

Loïc Prigent, journalist and fashion documentary filmmaker, started tweeting the weird and wonderful conversations he'd overheard hanging out at Le Bon Marché for a couple of hours a week during months, culminating obviously at Christmas season.

Now, I do wonder how he EVER came about this idea but it did make me giggle. Le Bon Marché is the epitome of Parisian lifestyle and a must on a Saturday afternoon if you wish to study the Parisiens et especially les Parisiennes.

According to Loïc the best place to eavesdrop at Le Bon Marché is the bookstore. Did you know there are people who come there every day to read? They dog-ear the pages and then are put out when the book they’re reading has been sold.

The best of what he overheard during his visits to the store have been emblazoned on a range of items some more peculiar than others: tote bags, erasers, baseball caps, necessaires, postcards, snow globes, aprons, mugs, pens, etc.

One phrase he picked up that I can just see crossing a fashionista's lips is: "J’adore la mode mais c’est tout ce que je déteste." ("I love fashion, but it’s everything I despise") but a truly unique one would be "I want something sublime. Not neo-sublime, not post-sublime, just sublime. I’m not fussy."

Gotta love those Parisiennes!

#overheardatthebonmarché

The most classic comment would be:

"I’m Left Bank! Only!"

"No, I can't try it, I'm on the phone bidding."

"I'm searching for something more geisha but less candy."

Gotta love that one!

My favourite:

"I’m looking for a mechanic’s jumpsuit, but for cocktail hour." 

It's sooo Parisian!

"May I have a glass of Champagne so I can take a selfie?"

Simply brilliant!

A woman telling her husband:

"Calm down, chéri. It’s just a suit. You’re not buying a building."

"Ah mais non! I’ve always been a size 38!"

"I'll take it anyway, I'll go on a diet to fit into it." 

"Are you open?"

"Which colour red do you have?"

"Does it shrink with champagne, eh, sorry, water?"

"Don't be sad, be sexy and mysterious."

"I’m allergic to beige, except if it’s a hysterical beige."

"May I pay you in cash? It would lighten my handbag."