Since Paris is known as the “City of Love”,

I could not resist a throwback in February to share my travels there with you! But let me back up a little bit because my decision to travel to France was preceded by a trip I took to Singapore.

 

 

Back in 2012, near the end of the year, my friend Patrick decided to attend a prestigious business school. This particular school has four campuses spread across the globe, and Patrick chose to split his attendance between two of those campuses. The two that he chose to attend were in Singapore and Fontainebleau, France. Patrick would not be moving to these cities alone; he would also bring his wife Jodie and their young son. His studies started in early 2013. I was able to visit them twice, in both countries (on opposite sides of the world). I first visited Patrick and Jodie while they were living in Singapore, in May of 2013. I added that stop to the end of one of my visits to China, while I was already on that side of the world.

 

Shortly after I had arrived in Singapore, I visited an outdoor market with Jodie and her son. As we wandered among the vendors and walked past restaurants, I observed something interesting. I noticed that crab was a popular dish on many of their menus. When I inquired about it, I learned that Singapore has two major national dishes: Black Pepper Crab and Chilli Crab. I was told that the locals mostly prefer the former dish, and the latter was usually a favourite of tourists. My curiosity was definitely piqued, because I like to experience things that locals would eat or do! Plus, I like the flavour that black pepper imparts to a dish, so I decided that I wanted to try the Black Pepper Crab before I left.
This is actually part of the foundation of how I travel (and write my blog), where I “like to ‘get the sand between my toes’ when I travel.” To learn what I mean, you can read more about that in this post.
I had a limited amount of time in Singapore, as I only spent five nights there. Unaware that some restaurants only served the Black Pepper Crab dish on the weekends, I went out on a weeknight to try to find it. I was unable to read the Singaporean on some of the restaurant’s menus, so I only paid attention to the menus with English on them. I was disappointed to discover that my timing was off, so I would likely not get to eat that dish.
It seemed that the older generation mostly only spoke Singaporean, while the younger generations spoke Singaporean and English. So thankfully, it was not often that I had issues communicating while visiting Singapore.

 

 

I had accepted my fate and was walking back to Patrick and Jodie’s place. But then, as I was walking through a market, I found three seniors sitting at one of the tables. Two of them were playing Chinese chess, which I had never seen before. So I stopped to watch them play, and ended up striking up a conversation with them. One of them was Steve, and they were all friends. After watching their game for a little while, I asked if I could take their picture, to which they kindly obliged. As we talked, I told them that I was looking for Black Pepper Crab for supper, but couldn’t find any. Steve said he knew of a place that served it, and they were a very good restaurant. But he told me that my only issue would be that the proprietors did not speak English, so he generously offered to come with me to help me order. After helping me order, Steve left to go meet a couple of his friends, and before my food was ready he brought them back. The three of them were planning to have supper there too. I asked if I could join them at their table, and they happily agreed!

 

 

 

The crab that the restaurant served was Dungeness crab, and it was messy but very delicious! Within my first couple of bites, I quickly discovered that I heartily savoured the Singaporean Black Pepper Crab dish. As our meal progressed, we also shared good conversation and laughter, which had me feeling very warmly welcomed by these locals. When it was time to pay for my meal, before I could even reach for my wallet, one of Steve’s friends Robert paid for my meal. I offered to pay him back, but he said “No, no, no, welcome to Singapore!” That was an unexpected blessing, on top of how they had already treated me so cordially!

 

 

 

The next day while Patrick was at school,

Jodie and I went to Sentosa with their son. Sentosa is an island, that is one of Singapore’s major tourist destinations; it has dozens of attractions, including resorts, aquariums, a Universal Studios theme park, golf courses, beaches, and much more! This island also has some interesting history from WWII. To learn about its history and for more information, check out this Wikipedia article.

 

 

 

 

While there, we walked past Universal Studios, then we visited two aquariums. First, we visited the Southeast Asia Aquarium, called the S.E.A. Aquarium. Later in the day, we visited Underwater World Singapore, which has since closed (it closed in 2016, after being open for 25 years).
At the S.E.A. Aquarium, there were two things we saw that were most memorable for me. The first, and most impressive, was the Open Ocean Habitat. This is S.E.A. Aquarium’s crown jewel. According to their website, this habitat contains more than 18 million litres of water (equivalent to 7 Olympic-sized swimming pools) and is home to 120 species of animals. The viewing panel measures a staggering 36 meters (118.1 feet) wide, 8.3 meters (27.2 feet) tall, 70 centimetres (27.5 inches or 2.3 feet) thick, and weighs more than 250,000 kilograms (551,000 pounds)! And here’s a fun fact: The Open Ocean Habitat is actually certified as a full open water dive site because of its total size, volume, and water movement.
Then we walked through two different underwater tunnels, one of which was in their Shipwreck Habitat. The other was in the Shark Seas, where more than 70 sharks from 12 species were swimming around. Because they sometimes swam over the tunnel, we could see the shark’s undersides. This is something you would rarely see in the wild, as many species of sharks like to swim on the bottom (if that option is available). I like sharks, so I enjoyed seeing them in this unique way.
For more info on all their attractions, check out S.E.A. Aquarium’s website.

 

 

Then we went to Underwater World Singapore, where they also had an aquarium with sharks and an underwater tunnel. It was here that other tourists and I had booked a “dive” with the sharks. It was not really a dive, because we just walked on the bottom, and did not swim around. We were all outfitted just with small air tanks and we were intentionally over-weighted. Following that, the instructor along with the rest of us went for a walk in the water. Meanwhile, Jodie and her son watched and waved at me from in the tunnel.

 

 

It felt like I was moonwalking, or at least how I imagine it would feel to walk on the moon! Something else that was unique about this experience is that I was actually encouraged to touch the different species of sharks, if I desired to. This is something that the instructor had discussed with me before we got in the water. When I expressed interest, he instructed me to only touch them on the back half of their bodies (far away from their toothy mouths), then I would be able to feel them whilst remaining safe. It was hard to get close enough to the sharks to touch them. Therefore, on a couple of occasions, my instructor pushed me towards a shark I was trying to get close to. Feeling the power of their muscles, just under their sandpapery skin was very interesting! The different species of sharks had skin that felt different, some were like fine-grit sandpaper, and one that I only touched briefly was like medium-grit sandpaper, which surprised me.
This is a stark difference from diving in the wild, where we are rarely allowed to touch anything. So it was a treat as well as an educational experience to be able to feel different sharks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On my last evening in Singapore, I spent some time exploring the Bayfront. There are some prototypical buildings and structures located there, and I wanted to see them up close before I left. At night, when everything is all lit up, it’s even more beautiful.
To me, one of the most unique buildings there was the Marina Bay Sands Hotel. It is a huge building that, when viewed from the correct perspectives, looks like a standing split deck of cards, with a boat hull way up on the top. As only the paying guests are allowed up on the top floors, their room key must be swiped in the elevator just to gain access. I decided to take a chance and see how far up I could ride in the elevator. When a guest stepped on behind me, then used his card to get us to the top, I was pleasantly surprised. What a view! There is an infinity pool with a couple of levels there, and I wished there was a way for me to swim in them. But I was grateful just to be able to enjoy the view. I stayed until the sun had gone down, so I could see all the lights below.

The next morning, after a delicious breakfast of pancakes with kaya, I started my long journey home.
Kaya jam, also known as Coconut jam, is a sweet spread made from a base of coconut milk, eggs, and sugar. It is popular throughout Southeast Asia and comes in a variety of colours. I mostly ate the light green one, and I liked it! For more detailed information, please check out this Wikipedia article (which is also my source for this paragraph). Kaya has a very rich, deep flavour; to read one review of coconut jam, and see what it tastes like, check out this link.
Due to the timezone difference on my last layover, I ended up missing the final leg of my flights home and had to rebook that last flight. To read more about that and my other missed connections, check out this post.

 

 

Upon my return home,

I got back to my normal routine of working and saving for my next as-of-yet unplanned trip (wherever that might be). As the year progressed, I learned that as planned, Patrick and Jodie had moved to France. It was there that he would complete his studies. I was a little disappointed that I would be unable to visit them there too, and I had also wanted to see Patrick graduate.
But then as I talked to Jodie about it, I realized that it would be possible for me to surprise Patrick by coming for a visit in November of 2013. However, because his grad week would be very busy, she suggested that I should come the week before so that he would have a little time to spend with me. By then, I had enough Air Miles saved up for the flights, and I had sufficient vacation time at work, so I booked my ticket! There was just one caveat. Due to his tight school schedule, Patrick was limited to what days he could meet me at the Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris. I wanted to stay a couple of days longer, so I asked if I could be given directions to get myself from the airport to their place.
Patrick speaks French, so he had no difficulty getting around and understanding all the signage. Because we needed his input on the directions for me, this is when we chose to surprise Patrick with the news that I would be coming for a visit. The directions that Patrick gave me were excellent, plus I further prepared in the best way I knew how. I thought about the phrases I would be most likely to use while taking trains and busses in my travels from the airport to their place. Then I printed out a sheet with those phrases in French and English. And on that journey, I did need to use my translation sheet. Additionally, I met one or two people along the way who spoke English, and they helped me tremendously.
Looking back, that was a big step for me! I was in a place where I did not understand the spoken and written language, and going through that experience caused personal growth. Additionally, I learned some lessons that prepared me for future travelling.

 

 

 

 

The day after I had arrived,

Patrick and I went to Paris for the day. The morning was overcast, but by the time we got to the Eiffel Tower in the afternoon, the skies were blue and sunny, which was perfect! We started our day at the Louvre, but we did not actually go inside. We stayed where it was free to look at the pyramid, which was good enough for me on this trip.
While travelling internationally, I have visited a few Apple stores, and this one in the Louvre was another one to check off my list. Interestingly, after being in that location for nine years, this store was closed in 2018. The same year, Apple opened a new store on Champs-Élysées (source).
After taking some obligatory tourist photos, we checked out the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, which is just West of the Louvre. Here is a Wikipedia article on it, if you want more info.

Did you know that there are four Arcs de Triomphe in Paris? Of course, the most famous is the Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile, but there are three more. While in Paris on this day, Patrick and I saw two of them. Here are all four, with pictures (this website is in French, so you will likely need to use translation, Google Chrome does it natively).

Then we slowly walked down the Avenue des Champs-Élysées, mostly just window shopping and taking it all in. At one of the many cafés we walked past, we each got a cup of mulled red wine with cinnamon, and it was quite tasty! It also warmed us up on what was a cool day. The entire avenue is 1.91 kilometres long, and many companies have their flagship stores located there. It is commonly regarded as the “most beautiful avenue in the world.” Here is my source, along with more information about Champs-Élysées and its history.

 

 

 

 

 

Eventually, we walked up to, and under, the Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile. It is surrounded by a large roundabout where six avenues intersect, thus creating twelve spokes that radiate outward from it. The roundabout itself is called Place Charles de Gaulle, historically known as the Place de l’Étoile (source).
The traffic flows counter-clockwise and curiously, there are no road markings, so it is not like a normal roundabout. The road is as wide as a freeway, and seeing ten cars abreast, plus scooters, is quite common (source). While researching this, I found a video of somebody driving a scooter on the Étoile. If you wonder what it is like to drive around the Arc de Triomphe, check that video out here. Because the traffic on the roundabout is so heavy, there are two underground pedestrian underpasses that are recommended for accessing the Arc de Triomphe. Crossing the unmarked surface amongst the traffic is considered very dangerous!

 

 

Next, we started walking towards the Eiffel Tower.

I want to share a story with you about keeping your head on a swivel and trusting your gut, especially when you are somewhere unfamiliar; and when travelling we are often in unfamiliar places. I am not saying that you shouldn’t travel; on the contrary, get out there and see the world! There are just a few things you need to remember. Keep yourself informed about the places you are going, including familiarizing yourself with local laws that might apply to you. Don’t take any risks that you wouldn’t take at home, then do your best to stay safe and have fun! Lastly, pay attention when your sixth sense brings something to your attention.

As we were walking past a parked car on a not-too-busy side street, the guy inside got out and approached us. He proceeded to try to sell us some “genuine” textile goods out of his trunk. He had stacks of name-brand clothes and shoes, and told us some story about how he ended up with them after a night of gambling.
Here is where I want to share one of the local laws that I learned about. This law was made abundantly clear to me as I walked through the Paris Airport a couple of days ago. Multiple prominently displayed posters warned of the heavy penalty for being caught with counterfeit items. I personally could have received a €300,000 fine or been sentenced to up to three years in jail!
I later learned that these measures were put in place in 2012 due to the rising problems with counterfeiting activity.
“In France, fashion remains the sector the most affected by counterfeiting activity. Further, its capital city Paris is known all around the world as the capital of fashion. Therefore, French law is quite protective and enforces the intellectual property rights of the fashion industry” (source).
“Counterfeit sales cost France 6 billion euros, or $7.5 billion at the current exchange rate (in 2012), in lost revenue every year” (source).

As soon as that guy tried to sell us those textiles out of his trunk, my sixth sense was on high alert. To add to the complexity of the situation, he did not speak English, so Patrick had to translate for me. Patrick and I briefly questioned him about the items he had to sell. I mentioned the French anti-counterfeiting laws, and he promised us it was all legit. This I won’t soon forget, I told him that if it was legit, then I had built the Eiffel Tower all by myself just last night! I asked Patrick to translate that, then we walked away. It had quickly become apparent that this was a situation that I wanted no part of; as I had absolutely no desire to be stuck in a French prison because of some shirts or shoes I didn’t really want anyway.
I have written about another time while travelling when my sixth sense was on alert, you can read about it here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

As we continued walking in the direction of the Eiffel Tower, we stopped to take pictures from a few different vantage points. The nearer to the Eiffel Tower we got, the more excited I became. Especially because this was my second time in France, and the last time I was here I was unable to come to Paris. Check out this post to read about my trip to Western Europe. (Link to come in the future, after it’s posted).
The Eiffel Tower is a very iconic structure, one that is recognized the world over. As such, I was certainly looking forward to being a tourist there and taking it all in!
It was pretty amazing to stand right under the Eiffel Tower and look up at the latticework that makes up its structure. It reminded me a little bit of the Meccano I had played with as a child, but of course on a massive scale.
Meccano is a children’s toy that allows them to construct models and mechanical devices. My source, along with some history and an example of a build.
At the time of this trip, I was single. So I decided that I would save paying to go up to the observation deck until I could hopefully return when I was in a relationship. Now that I am married, I do hope that my wife and I get to go back to Paris in the future!
Patrick and I both had a great day in the beautiful city of Paris! I am grateful that he took an entire day out of his busy school schedule to spend with me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Over the next few days,

I stayed a lot closer to “home”, as there was lots to explore and discover in and around the town of Fontainebleau. The most impressive and biggest tourist draw was the Château de Fontainebleau. I visited almost daily because there was no price of admission for me to wander the grounds outside the palace. Tickets were only required for a tour of the inside, which I did once. It should come as no surprise that the grounds were quite large and immaculately manicured, as they were surrounding a palace. It actually started out as a castle in medieval times, then became a palace. For more information, check out this article.

 

 

 

 

It was fun exploring inside the walls and in the forest outside the walls. Furthermore, I greatly enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere, I think that is a big reason that I kept coming back day after day. Some days, I made sure to spend time eating baguettes and sharing part of my bread with the swans and ducks. At first, when I saw others feeding the birds, I wondered why it was so popular. Initially, I thought they were just wasting good bread. But then I tried it for myself. I found it hard to put my feelings into words, but let me try. I found it to be relaxing and it felt good to share with the birds. As for if it was wasting the bread, well I didn’t like the hardest crusty parts of the loaves. But the birds used the water to soften the crusts when they needed, a win-win. Jodie and her son fed the birds one time with me too, the little guy seemed to enjoy that a lot. (I have since become aware that it is not healthy to feed bread to birds, but at the time there were no signs prohibiting it.)
One day, I saw a horse & carriage tour of the exterior of the palace. That interested me, but I did not know where the pickup point was. So the next day I went looking for information on the tour. In doing so, I ended up at an active military installation, that I did not even know was there. The first thing they seemed to notice about me was my camera hanging on my neck. They got excited about that, but didn’t know much English. They did, however, know and kept repeating “No pictures! No pictures!” Because I didn’t know French, I tried to find a way to communicate with them. I kept the cap on my lens, so they could clearly see that I was not shooting, then I found a picture that I had taken of the horse & carriage tour. As soon as I showed them my picture, they understood and enthusiastically gave me directions! When I finally got to the correct place, I found out it only ran on Saturdays & Sundays. That meant I would miss it, but oh well, I still had a little adventure and excitement in my day while finding it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There was plenty to explore

in the town of Fontainebleau as well. Living in that French town for almost a week gave me the opportunity to explore a little bakery or two, then I became a regular customer until I left! I noticed a cultural difference that immediately became apparent. Like how back home, we would buy a whole loaf of bread that is often pre-sliced, then store it in the fridge until we had consumed it all; that was my normal. However, in France, I learned that I only needed to buy what we needed for the meal we were having next. And the bakeries did not sell pre-sliced bread. That way, we always ate the freshest bread. Some mornings, I went out and picked up freshly baked croissants that we ate for breakfast. And before supper, Jodie sent me to the bakery with some money and a request for me to bring the type of bread she wanted to serve.
I learned that every region, even sometimes each town, makes its own unique cheese. So I made it my mission to find some Fontainebleau cheese in a shop. One afternoon before supper, after asking at a few shops, I finally found one that had some left. See, I was told that they made it fresh every morning; but by the end of the day, they were usually sold out. Fontainebleau cheese is a really light cheese, with the texture of whipped cream. This cheese was so delicate that it was sold in cups. Additionally, it came with a mesh that held the cheese that was piled higher than the edge of the cup. The flavour was very light, actually quite subtle. That evening, we had it spread on baguette slices with our supper.
I will end this post on a sweet note; as I would be remiss if I forgot to mention the delicious pastries and other sweet treats that we had for some of our desserts.

It was wonderful to be able to see my friends twice that year! I also relished the opportunity to visit and explore two places that I had not yet vacationed in. I view every time I travel as a continuation of my education and personal growth, hence I enjoy travelling to and discovering new places.

 

Next month, please join me as I recount the amazing trip that my wife and I took to India, for a wedding we were invited to there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Till next time, keep dreaming big!
» Jamie

 

“Never let your memories be greater than your dreams” – Douglas Ivester”