Joie de Vivre - A mini guide - Day 2 - all the Ms, Montmatre, Marais and 1st ever escargots!

A little know fact is that in 2005 I studied in Melbourne as part of my University media course. Living with new people from many different countries, Australia, France, America, Sweden, Sri Lanka, Colombia. The lucky thing for me is that lots of the people I've met, I'm still friends with 8 years later!

Including my beautiful French friend and her hubby who runs Cantine California (www.cantinecalifornia.com)  who live in old gay Paris and who I now get to see every 6 months! More on this later!

With time off on a Friday evening, I braved the crazy Parisian snow in a taxi to head to the North of Paris, to Montmatre, near the Sacre Couer (must see for a tourist). After abandoning the taxi at the bottom of rue de Trois Freres, I met my friends in La Famille. A super cool restaurant/come bar with a crazy mojito menu! I had the Framboise Menthe Poivre - or in English, Raspberry, mint & chilli. Sounds strange but it was lush! Its in the detail at La Famille, the drinks were served with dry ice and a mint flavoured sweety teddy. I also tried the Peche, Gingerembre - Peach and Ginger beer which came avec flying saucers! I could not choose between the two.

Happy New Year!

It's 2013! Crazy stuff, I feel like the past year has passed me by in the blink of an eye and yet, when I've been choosing my "Year of instagrams" I was spoilt for choice having crammed in a ridiculous amount of things.

So look back over 2012 then, firstly Happy New Year is in French because I started learning French again last year and went to Paris for the first time in January, hence January instragram, Tour de Eiffel! 

February - Birthday season, we hit Whitby in a cottage in the snow, had cocktails and meals. Then my sis and I went to Liverpool to see The Drums (02 academy - great venue).

A Fancy Pants Double Trip to Hakkasan, London

My now London lovelies were the instigators for my first trip to Hakkasan this weekend as I headed on down to Landan Town for a girly catch up and festive time with friends I used to work with.

I read a bit about it prior to our trip at the weekend and knew it was a bit of a celebrity haunt too, so I was intrigued as to what was in store.

We booked the "modern Chinese" Mayfair restaurant as a pre Christmas treat  for five of us and met in the bar. Three of our friends had already arrived and were sampling the cocktail menu. I had the Kumquatcha, a Kumquat based drink with rum and fizz, whilst my friends had various lovely drinks, a Strawberry and Ginger Bellini and Black Forest Martini to name a few.

Kumquatcha - Hakkasan

Buenos Aires, where even the dogs are attractive!

Well I have nicked the name of this post from the title of my Facebook album as it's so true!

Buenos Aires is a very very cool city. After visiting in July to meet my Aussie friends for two weeks, it's quickly become one of my favourite cities. Its very creative, with a massive cafe culture, restaurants a plenty, busy bars and clubs that you don't leave until 8am!

With two of my best friends headed off in that direction I decided to pull together some recommendations in a primarily picture based post of the crazy city of BA, Argentina.


The winter view from our apartment in Palermo, Soho