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THE FUNFAIR MUSEUM

I’ve always loved carnivals and amusement parks. The old fashioned ones always sparked a little bit of excitement in me…I loved admiring the colors and shapes and fonts of the signs and attractions. I loved the simple round lights that flashed with fluorescent colors. I lived for summer nights at Lakeside outside of Denver, and was so excitde to stroll the pier at Coney Island. The atmosphere makes me happy, and I’m not sure I can explain why.

During the recent long weekend, I had the opportunity to discover a magical place with my fabulous friend to discover just that: Le Musée des Arts Forains.

What is this magical place, you ask? It’s a museum that consists of a private collection of funfair objects that date from 1850 to 1950. Yup, vintage amusement park goodness, right behind the Bercy Pavilions in the 12th district of Paris. The museum is set up in several parts, with a variation of rides, games and decor filling up the spaces. The lights are perfectly set on the attractions with feathers and colors of the rainbox, and the music that plays while they are switched on will make you feel like you’re in an old movie and a carnival with the other nobles of the town. The tour guide not only explained the origins, context and secrets of the different attractions, but also let us ride some them.

Feathers, organs and elephants with hot air balloons galore,  this museum offers whimsical adventure through the world of the carnival.

You can visit the museum by signing up in advanced for a guided tour. There are a few private tours a week, and annually the museum hosts an open house where anyone can come and discover Jean-Paul Favand’s carnival collection. The space is also rentable for private events… how dreamy is that?

This museum is a staple in my Paris Guide.


Musée des Arts Forains
53 Avenue des Terroirs de France, 75012
Tél:
Métro: Cour Saint Emillion (14)

QUINOA FRESH x PUXAN BC

I met Puxan one of my first weeks in Paris, when I arrived for university when I was 18. This guy is a creative soul. I always saw him with his camera around and the videos he’d put together, like this one, never ceased to amaze me.

Not only have I run into him at my favorite restaurant in Paris, Chettinadu, our hobbies and friendship circles have allowed us to cross paths more than just a few times. He likes good beer and food in general, so we are like peas in a pod. And boy, is he a whizz with a camera.

I was so excited to do this little collaboration, making this deliciously summery vegetable-filled quinoa salad that my best friend Liz shared with me once upon a time, on this hot summer day. It’s the perfect recipe for summer, and you can add and take out ingredients to your desire. You can’t go wrong throwing in all of your favorite things. It’s also wonderful because it makes for great lunches to bring to work, as it’s still yummy when it’s cold.

To give you the 411, Puxan is a photographer/videographer specializing in food and travel. He’s currently working on a cookbook (how cool is that?) before taking off for a food tour of South East Asia in October. Some of his past work includes and food video recipes like this or this.
I, for one, will be drooling over the pictures he posts online during his far away travels, discovering and documenting different recipes and new tastes.

RECIPE

Ingredients:
1 red onion diced, 1 sweet potato cubed, 1 zucchini, chopped & cut in half moons, 1 green pepper diced, tomatoes in bize sized pieces, 1 avocado cubed, 1 cup of radishes, halved, shallots minced to taste, garlic to taste, seasonings (I used salt, pepper, cumin and chipotle ground pepper).

Dressing:
2 tbsp olive oil, 1-2 lemons squeezed, minched shallot, 1 tbsp cumin, salt + pepper.

Preparation:
1. Heat oil in large skillet on medium heat. Add diced onions to pan, cook until brown, about ten minutes.
2. Add sweet potatoes, peppers, zucchini & garlic/shallots to pan. Cover to ensure things are cooked through, ten-fifteen minutes. Make sure to season! I suggest cumin, s&p, ground chipotle pepper and dried peppers.
3. While things are cooking, make the dressing. Add all the ingredients into a small bowl, give it a whisk, put aside.
4. In a large bowl, add half the dressing, give a good toss, taste for seasoning.
5. Throw in tomatoes, avocado & radishes and remainder of dressing.

Follow Puxan BC:
Website / Vimeo / / 

Happy Sunday. I hope your weekend has been relaxing and full of sun rays.

I’ve got more Denver things to share up my sleeve.

Is this not the coolest place to have a photography extravaganza?

Sometimes I need a cheat sheet for cooking veggies.

A list of some fantastic Irish blogs.

Currently listening to .

How to roll a burrito, via 5280.

I tried chia pudding for the first time a little while ago. Damn it is delicious.

Instagrams and photos made into polaroids? Why not!

Drooling over this bottle opener necklace.

Save the date! Did you hear about the

Do you follow my blog on Bloglovin?

A SUMMER WEDDING IN BRITTANY

Once upon a time in a land not so far from Pars, in a small town in Bretagne, two lovers said their vows.

I just love weddings.

Andrea and Christophe’s franco-american wedding was in a small town in Brittany this summer. It was a precious weekend full of sunshine and a good old fashioned fun time. The civil wedding was in the little Mairie of Jugon-les-Lacs. As the bride stepped out of the car, everyone peeked out the window of the first floor, where the wedding was taking place, to get a glimpse. From above the detail of her vintage lace dress was not yet visible, but we could all see her red lipstick, and could see the anticipation in Christophe’s eyes. It was magic.

The reception was held in the most beautiful stone home about a 5 minute drive from the town center. The signs marked the distances to Paris and to Indiana, ’twas precious. The flowers all around were colorful and in bloom. The lights were not yet lit, but the tent covered the most precious decorations and triangle banners draped from side to site. The cocktails were ready, and the feasting began.

We danced the night away. Congratulations, Andrea and Christophe.

 

COLORADO SUMMER

I’ve been going through my Colorado pictures from my vacation in June, and am so excited to continue to share them with you all. So many beautiful landscapes and delicious brews and things to do.

It’s always a hoot going home.

I realize how much I love the state of Colorado, and the lifestyle there. It’s active and full of stunning backdrops. Colorado’s food culture is constantly evolving, with new cafés and restaurants opening left and right in old garages alongside breweries and storefronts. Denver neighborhoods are expanding and showcasing new places and spaces in untouched corners of the city. I crave this city sometimes. The grid that it sits on, parts diagonally, and the summertime sunsets that glow on the Rockies.

On a sidenote, I’ve recently realized how many Coloradans I know here in Paris, and it made my heart lift up a bit. I just adore Denver and its surroundings, and feel like such a lucky girl to have been raised there.



 

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