A Photographer in Paris

This is probably what I miss the most when I am traveling: a good hot strong creamy coffee…

The first café I see when I arrive in Paris after a trip is Café de la Paix by the Opera House (Palais Garnier). I always take the Roissy bus from Airport to center of town and that’s pretty  much where bus drops me off.

Sometimes there are surprises on the street like this old bus that I had not seen in a few years. Today it is used for special functions and events.

When visiting Udaipur in Rajasthan, make sure you see the Maharajah’s collection of antique cars. They are all in excellent condition and quite a sight. Especially when you remember that all cars were imported in an area that had no roads or no other cars.

Today in Rajasthan you still see few private cars and if the road system has improved, it is far from ideal.

All together there are 20 cars to be seen at this location, called ”the vintage and classic car collection of the Palace - Udaipur”.

It has been a busy Fall for me with trips to India, Nepal and Morocco. I will post later about my trips.

While flying from country to country and city to city (Boston-Paris-Delhi-Kathmandu-Pokhara-Delhi-Brussels-Casablanca-Paris-Boston-Paris…), I often thought about food.  Airplane food is a good trigger for that.

I flew Air France from Paris to Delhi and was however served this delicious appetizer made of goat cheese, sundried tomatoes and other vegetables.  Needless to say, I had a business class upgrade for that trip and the best seat I ever had on an airplane. Seat was by the window and nobody sat next to me in that strange space (only one row of seats).

Food in India is mostly vegetarian and full of flavors. Lots of spices are used.

This is a tray we used at one of the cooking classes I took.

A delicious vegetarian lunch with garlic naan and all kinds of vegetables and pickles. Dish in sauce was a variety of kefta made with grain, herbs and spices. Delicious!

Parathas for breakfast are an acquired taste. “Bread” is stuffed with potatoes and of course herbs and spices and served with curd (yogurt), vegetables and pickles. With that,  you drink black tea or chai that I became very fond of. I  now make my own with fresh ginger, cardamon pods and cinnamon.

Morocco is also very much a vegetarian country (the meat I see at market does not tempt me that much mostly because of the way it is “refrigerated”).

Below is a sample of Moroccan salads. They are often served before your main course and very good with a rainbow of different flavors.

After several weeks of those however delicious vegetarian dishes I was starting to dream of food at home, baguette, crepes, cheese, and most of all expresso. So guess what I did after landing in Paris ?