The panorama of the lake and the surrounding mountains is breathtaking. I would have loved to see the same scenery in spring time.

If you have the chance, go to Annecy, take gorgeous pics and have a crêpe savoyarde.

More photos on Flickr.

I’ve been listening to Tania Saleh “Wehde” album for over a year now and I never get tired of it. She is really brilliant and strongly underestimated.

I particularly like this video:

Disney Dreams! is a nighttime spectacular at Disneyland Park in Disneyland Paris. It was designed specially for the 20th anniversary of the park. Conceived by World of Color creator Steve Davison, the show features fireworks, water fountains, fire, music, lasers, lights, mist screens, pixel accurate projection mapping and other special effects. (wikipedia)

Here’s a sneak peek to what you are going to witness.

Watch the full show here.

I had shared some food and dessert recommendations last year but this time, it just got better with:

La Jacobine

Located in a charming hidden street, this restaurant is a must-go. It has a continuous service (that is always a good thing in Paris), good food and delicious desserts.

Make sure to reserve a “Macaronade aux Framboises” the minute you are seated.

59-61 Rue St André des Arts
75006 Paris
Metro: Saint-Michel/Odéon

L’éclair de génie

Open the website and drool. This place has the best éclair I ever tasted. Ever. And it is worth every euro (the average price is 5 euros per piece).

14 Rue Pavée
75004 Paris
Metro: Saint-Paul

Dominique Saibron

I was lucky enough to be located next to this bakery & pastry shop. I had the most delicious pain au chocolat, macarons and “Charlotte au chocolat blanc” there.

Photo credit: bulledethe.com

77 Avenue du Général Leclerc
75014 Paris
Metro: Alésia, Exit 6

Source: Neila Rey
Original artwork by Catrina Dulay.

Check the complete collection here. Funny stuff.

Let’s start a series for “In a Perfect Lebanon”. Anyone feeling inspired?

They write about Lebanon, the world, funny thoughts, cultural events, weird situations, and every day’s life. Their mission is to break the routine and make you smile, think, laugh, cry or all of the mentioned together garnished with Toom Extra!

I was very happy to be part of this project and participated in the book under this post:

Marée noire

Y a des jours comme ça où je me lève et j’en ai marre de ce pays.

 

y en a marre des guerres auxquelles je ne comprends absolument rien, 

y en a marre d’entendre les voisins discuter et s’engueuler sur la “situation délicate et passagère” dans laquelle nous sommes depuis au moins 50 ans, 

y en a marre de stresser mes parents tous les soirs quand je sors car la sécurité manque dans ce pays, 

y en a marre d’entendre des raisonnements politiques à 2 balles,

y en a marre de voir des barbus dans les journaux,

y en a marre de passer 2h dans les embouteillages pour arriver au boulot,

y en marre de voir que pendant ce temps le problème majeur de l’Ukraine est de trancher si Bob l’éponge est homosexuel ou pas, 

y en a marre de devoir constater tous les jours que tous les fonctionnaires de ce pays sont corrompus,

y en a marre qu’en 2012 nous n’avons toujours pas d’électricité, d’eau, de transports publiques, d’infrastructure routière ou d’égouts qui méritent leurs noms,

y en a marre qu’une soirée dans un roof top à la con puisse coûter un bras,

y en a marre que les salaires ne permettent pas aux jeunes d’avoir leur propre appartement et d’être indépendants,

y en a marre de cette frustration sexuelle, sommum de l’hypocrisie,

y en a marre de m’apercevoir tous les jours que les noms des politiciens n’ont pas changé depuis notre indépendance,

y en a marre de voir que l’esclavage existe encore dans notre société,

y en a marre que ce pays soit uniquement fait pour les VIP, dont les parents ont volé l’argent et les efforts du peuple pendant des générations,

y en a marre de voir que tout le monde s’en fou sans jamais réellement s’en fouttre,

y en a marre que rien ne change,

y en a marre que je ne puisse rien changer,

y en a marre des discours à la con qui prétendent que je peux changer, sans jamais proposer des actions concrètes avec un plan d’actions sur au moins 5 ans.

 

VOILA!

Y EN A MARRE DE CE PUTAIN DE PAYS DE CANARDS.

 

Get the book here.

Quick tips:

• Try to get a hotel within a short walking distance from Taksim Square or Istiqlal street.
• Do some research before traveling since you’ll hardly find signs in English there.
• Avoid taxis, use the subway.
• Make sure to check the closing days of each monument since most of them close at least 1 day a week.
• If you are a group, buy a card for the metro and fill it as you need in order to avoid waiting in line each time you want to take the subway. The card can be used several times at the subway entrance.
• If you are planning to take a Bosphorus cruise, check the departure times ahead.
• Do not miss:

Taksim Square & Istiqlal street

Agia Sophia from outside

Agia Sophia from inside

Blue Mosque more impressive outside than inside

Basilica Cistern

The road leading to Topkapı Palace

Topkapi Palace, including The Harem section which has a different entrance

The scenery from Topkapi palace

Grand Bazaar

Galata tower

The view on Bosphorus bridge from Galata tower

View on Agia Sophia and Blue Mosque from the ferry of the Bosphorus cruise

Seagulls fly all around the ferry. They are so much fun to watch and feed

Princes’ Islands

• Also, and most importantly, Dolmabahce Palace that I didn’t have the time to visit.
  

  Dolmabahçe Palace located on the European coastline of the Bosphorus strait

• If you like museums, the Archaeological Museum.
• You can check this website for all touristic sites information.
• As for food, do not miss eating:
  • Steak at The House Café in Istiklal Street
  • Ice cream, Sahleb but also all food & pastries at Mado, a chain found at many addresses in Istanbul
  • Simits, Corn on the cob, Sahleb and Kastane from the street vendors, omnipresent in Istanbul
    

    Simits (a bread ring covered with sesame seeds)

  • Kumpir:

Kumpir, a baked potato with various fillings, a popular fast food in Turkey

More photos on Flickr.

The 2 music videos I recently watched were Elissa’s and Maya Diab’s and gosh what a waste of money.

Judge for yourself.

They started it among their group of friends and thanks to Facebook, the campaign reached friends of friends and so on. As they said, “Many Lebanese families and arab refugees are living in poverty, starving and shivering in Beirut. Women and kids living in a room or should we say closet, having no or limited income, waiting for any humanitarian help.

Regardless the political point of view of each one of us, we are human beings above all this, sisters and brothers in humanity. Watching this misery and doing nothing is unacceptable.”

And so they created a facebook group to provide some help (blankets, old clothes, heaters, food, job opportunities) for any family in need and succeeded in helping 36 persons in a week by distributing 120 pieces of clothes; a bag full of kids-wear; scarves and hats for kids; a bag full of shoes; 10 blankets; 2 quilts; 2 large pillows; a gas heater; food and medicines.

I am really happy to see that there are still many people who feel concerned by the misfortune of their fellow citizens and that they have the drive to do something and make a difference in other people’s lives.

Hats off to Diane and Manal and to everyone who is participating in this initiative.

If you would like to donate you can get in contact with them here:

manal.youssef[@]hotmail[.]com
diane.antonios[@]gmail[.]com

I loved the idea of Meshkal after watching this video shared by Blog Baladi:

I totally agree with Dania and really sympathized with her project. You can check out more information on the short film here and contribute here.

** If you are a Lebanese cardholder and would like to contribute to Meshkal, follow this link.

You can also check the movie’s Facebook page.