Warning: This post is not for those of you who have resolved to simplify your lives and buy less in 2012. It’s a pretty materialistic post filled with items that I’ve recently bought.

Now that you’ve been warned, let’s get started. I find that I miss Lar even more now that I’ve gone to visit her in her new home. How do I overcome my sadness? The healthy way. I buy things!

Well, this first item is actually one thing I didn’t buy: red embroidered tea container from a tea shop in Marais. We met up with my friend Celine who lives in Paris and who I haven’t seen in 7 years. It was so wonderful to see her and on top of that, she took us to her favorite tea shop and bought me this beautiful tea container.

Here’s what the tea container looks like open – so elegant! I bought some delicious loose-leaf, rooibos tea for it, which also happens to be something I can drink on my cleanse because it’s decaffeinated.

What are those lit-up white paper bags, you ask? Luminaries from Paris! They’re from a store called Merci to be exact.  I will tell you all about that great store in another post  – or maybe Lar will, she has all the photos on her camera

But I digress. Back to the luminaries. I wish I could take credit for discovering them, but it was really Mark, the super-sweet owner of the apartment in Paris we rented, who should get the credit. He had them lit on the dining table the first day we arrived and they seemed so magical. So when I saw them at Merci, I snatched them up.

One of my favorite purchases from Paris is this copy of Northanger Abbey I got at Shakespeare and Co. It’s not one of my favorite Austen novels, but look how it opens!

It’s a Flipback Book! I wish they sold these in the states. My whole library would be nothing but Flipbacks. The size is perfect for carrying around in my purse and reading on the metro.

Two of my favorite nail polishes right now: TopShop nail polish in Sketch (gift from Lar) and Essie’s Limo-Scene, yep, that’s its name.

Last, but not least, my zebra scarf from Swish in Edinburgh. It reminds of this wallpaper.

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Dear Lar,

Just got my copy of Crazy Sexy Diet in the mail today. I don’t think I’ll ever completely give up meat and dairy, but it’s already inspired me to be healthier.

I took Toby to his first obedience class and he was great! He did such an amazing job paying attention. I can’t wait to call you on Skype and show you what we learned.

Miss you like crazy!

love, cath

Hello Ladies and Gents!

I thought I would follow up Cath’s post with a little more about our visit to Shakespeare and Co. We meant to go last time we were in Paris about eight years ago and were so crestfallen when we didn’t make it. This time around we had a bit of a bother finding it, even though it’s almost visible from Notre Dame – we seemed to prefer a circuitous route when “finding” things in Paris. We made up for our grumpiness of stumbling around the same block for an hour by spending a good 2-3 hours in this wonderful place of books, beds, and old furniture.

A Brief History:
American George Whitman went to Paris to study at the Sorbonne on the GI Bill after WWII. While studying, he grew a large collection of English books and he used his apartment as an informal book store and library. In 1951 he opened Shakespeare and Co. in Paris’ Latin Quarter, just on the banks of the Seine. It became and still is, in my mind, the ultimate bohemian book store. Frequented by the Beat poets/writers and the likes of Henry Miller, Anais Nin, and Richard Wright. George passed away this December, but the store is now run by his daughter.

The shop window, with flowers left by George Whitman’s mourners.

But this place isn’t just a twee little book shop, snuggled next to cafes. If you are a working writer and wish to stay (for free!) to do a bit a writing, there are a number of beds tucked next to the packed shelves (I didn’t take any photos because cameras were prohibited in the upstairs rooms). There’s also a little writing nook with a typewriter on a desk, replete with fairy lights and notes stuck all around from fellow travelers and writers. Mr. Whitman strongly believed and followed Yeats verses, “Be not inhospitable to strangers / Lest they be angels in disguise.”

One of the many hand-drawn signs in the store.

Cath caught mid-browsing.

I thought I would throw in this outfit pic below because it’s what I wore when we went to Shakespeare and Co. Troy and I acted as the camera crew on most of our outings in Paris, so I don’t have a ton of photos of myself on our adventures. This was taken in our flat before we sent off:

Outfit details: thrifted shirt and necklace from Armstrongs, Edinburgh • Belt and jeans from Madewell • CK leg warmers • Hunter Boots wedge lace-up wellies (the laces are in the back)

Lar and I are both trying to do a January cleanse. Don’t worry, it doesn’t involve apple cider vinegar or cayenne pepper. But the bad news is that it doesn’t involve meats, dairy or sugar either. So that means a lot of fruits, veggies and even more cravings.

I splurged a little bit the other day by eating “beef” with broccoli at Chinese Buddha in Midtown. They offer the real meat version too, but since I was trying to kind of stick to my cleanse (all the salt and sugar in the sauce is not on the diet), I got the tofu beef instead. What would you call it? Beefu? Tofeef?

Here I am with the happy Buddha, which I’m now realizing I totally forgot to rub his belly for good luck. That’s a thing, right? Or maybe it’s just something my mom would tell me when I was little.

Outfit details: Primark knitted scarf thing, New York and Co sweater, Madewell jeggings (I know, jeggings, but it was the weekend and I wanted an elastic waistband), socks c/o Falke, Jeffrey Campbell boots and tote from Shakespeare and Co.

Love this ring that Lar got me for Christmas. It makes me feel fancy even when I’m wearing jeggings.

The fuzziness of these Falke socks make me feel like I’m wearing cashmere on my feet.

Guess where I got my Shakespeare and Co. bag? That’s right! At Shakespeare and Co. in Paris. I’ve been wanting to go there for years and didn’t make it on my first trip seven years ago. It’s as magical as I imagined – books stacked all the way to the ceilings, little reading nooks and rickety old beds on the second floor for traveling writers. I think Lar was able to sneak in some photos even though you’re not suppose to take pictures inside. Maybe you’ll see those in a future post. . .

_________

Dearest Lar,

Do you realize we spent 2 hours today video skyping? It barely makes up for the fact that we can’t really chat too much during the week since you’re in bed by the time I get off of work. It does help that we’re doing this cleanse together. I actually look forward to drinking my kale/lettuce/celery/cucumber/pear green juice every morning. Do you? I think it’s pretty fantastic that we can encourage each other to get healthy even though we’re an ocean apart. Maybe by the time you move back to the states we’ll both be complete health nuts – although that’s hard to imagine considering that I’m still craving some Chick-Fil-A. Nom, nom, nom. At least that’s not something that can tempt you in Scotland.

Sweet dreams,

Cath

Ahhhh Versailles! The ultimate 1%-er house (and we see how well that turned out, huh?). And not really a house, more like a luxurious village all stuck together and daubed with gold leaf.

Hi Cath!

See what I mean about the gold leaf?

Look at this behemoth! It stretches for miles. In fact, it is so large that back in the days of Marie-Antoinette random people just took up residence in the numerous hallways:

Cath and I had to take a photo together in this hallway because we had both used this Marie-Antoinette screen-saver (below) for months when Sofia Copola’s “Marie Antoinette” came out:

Speaking of Marie Antoinette, here is her beautiful bedroom:

I’ve had a bit of a soft spot for Marie A since reading Antonia Fraser’s biography on her (highly recommended read, btw). History has condemned her a bit too harshly. I mean, sure, she was extraordinarily rich and turned a blind eye while people in Paris starved, but really, that’s no more or less than any royal in any country had done and was doing at the time.

For instance, her grandfather-in-law Louis XIV was much more bombastically monied than she. He called himself the Sun King, pranced around in extravagant costumes (see below), and built Versailles to be the largest palace ever seen. This rich megalomaniac got to keep his head.

Right place and right time eh, Louis? You certainly couldn’t wear this now (Louis’ sun king costume… really):

photo credit

Marie Antoinette was wrongly accused of saying “Let them eat cake” indirectly by Monsieur Rousseau in his autobiography. He says, “Finally I recalled the stopgap solution of a great princess who was told that the peasants had no bread, and who responded: “Let them eat brioche.” At the time of his bio, Marie was just a mere nine years of age, living in Austria, and not even princess yet:

Lady Fraser attributes the dismissive saying to Maria Theresa of Austria (daughter of Phillip IV of Spain and married to Louis XIV), but there seems to be some doubt about that as well. (I’m getting all my “scholarly” information from this wiki article):

photo credit

Marie A definitely deserved being stripped of some of her wealth, but not being brutally beheaded. A bit harsh, don’t you think?

photo credit

I think going to a beautiful, gorgeous place like Versailles just makes me a bit thoughtful about how something so awe-inspiring came to be: the good and the bad of it.

Anywhoddle, enough of my history lesson mumblings… if you’ve made it this far, thanks for reading, lovelies! And thanks for tagging along on some more of our Paris adventures. There’s a few more installments to come!

——

Dear Kitcath,

Hahaha! I loved your outdoor outfits for Edi and Paris and always wished I could feel as warm (that Primark coat is more like a jacket).

I can not wait for the summer! Even if it’s still only 55 degrees, at least we’ll be together again!

xoxoxo,

Larbar

Ah, my winter trip to Europe. I had hopes that I’d be prancing around Paris and Edinburgh looking like Carrie Bradshaw in high heels and cute winter coats. Well, in reality, my outfits were more Michelin-man meets wannabe hipster:

I spent more time outside walking along the city streets, so this was pretty much my uniform: Eddie Bauer puffer, skinny jeans, boots and some sort of head covering. The puffer was a bit warm for Paris, but it was perfect for my day trip to the highlands.

These were my two hat options that I packed: a knitted Eugenia Kim turban and my faux-fur H&M hat that makes me look like I belong in the Russian army.

I’d like to give you a whole spiel about how great it was to pack so efficiently (I fit everything into a carry-on-sized suitcase and small backpack!), and it was to some extent, but next time I’m bringing a bigger suitcase, packing more than two pairs of shoes and switching my puffer out for a nice wool coat. Or maybe I’ll just take a page out of Lar’s book and pack a handful of great pieces – she looked so chic (see photo below) and only packed a backpack for Paris.

_______

Dear Larbar,

It’s true, you looked so chic in Paris with your Primark coat and Hunter wedges. It totally inspired me to try to dress better.

This is my all time favorite photo that Troy took of you and Dexin:

I’ve already started saving up for my next trip to come visit you!

love, cath

I feel bashful sometimes sharing travel photos. It feels a bit like going “oooo look at me, I was in [name of gorgeous locale here] for the holidays, nanny-nanny-booboo!” So I promise not to inundate you guys with post after post of what we did in Paris and try to exclude images that you might be sick of: Marie-Antoinette inspired macaroons anyone?

So here are some un-postcard shots of what we saw:

We stayed a bit north of all the touristy sites, so most of our days included a lot of metro rides. This is the metro on an empty-ish day:

Lots of cute pups all around, most begging for a bit of croissant (can’t blame them):

Site-seeing (at Sacré Coeur):

This is what Cath site-saw:

Many breaks for espressos and hot chocolates:

An empty hall in the Louvre:

The same hallway peopled:

Sisters standing in front of sisters:

A fluffy pink Christmas tree in the Repetto store window:

Catching a glimpse of Mr. Karl Lagerfield, or rather Mr. Lagerfield as a doll multiplied, set in the window he designed for Printemps:

Another Printemps/Lagerfield window (see them all here):

Puppies invited in for dinner at our local restaurant:

Fluffy clouds of pink meringue:

Sitting with friends inside works of art at the Pompidou:

Another hot chocolate and croissant break:

The best part of all, getting to see Kitcath again!

—–

Dear Kitcath,

Doesn’t this all already feel like it happened ages ago? When I think back on Paris I mostly think of our flat there and riding on over-stuffed metro cars.

I really hope you can make it back across the pond this summer! I promise not to make the weather so cold and windy if you do!

Love,

Lar

Dear AsianCajuns Readers,

Thanks for sticking with us throughout all of our crazy changes this year!

What do you all have planned for tonight?

I’ll be ringing in the new year with black eyed peas (a southern tradition) and cava (er, my own tradition), and Lar will be celebrating Hogmanay in Edinburgh with a torchlight procession down the Royal Mile – I’m so jealous!

See you all in 2012!

XOXO,

Cath and Lar

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Dearest Lar,

I cried like a bumbling idiot in the taxi on the way to the Edinburgh airport. I’m determined to start saving up starting now so I can come back and see you in the summer. It’s just not natural to have twins be apart from each other for so long.

I’ll try to skype you at 7 p.m. my time (midnight your time) to wish you a happy new year!

love, cath

Cath and Troy just left Edinburgh yesterday and I am totally heartbroken. Two weeks with Cath just wasn’t nearly enough. It might be another year before we see each other again and the thought of that makes me just want to sob over my labtop keys. So enough of that! I’ll distract myself (and you!) with some photos of when we were together… in Pareeee!!!

On Cath: Maison Scotch sweater/jumper • Blank black cords • black boots from Nordstorm Rack

We stayed in a flat in the less fashionable and touristy, but oh so wonderful 19th arrondisement. You will see gobs about the flat in upcoming posts because we loved it so, but here’s just a preview. Above: Cath sitting outside, making our patio look warm (it wasn’t) and lovely (it was!).

On Lar: Cath’s cardi • Saint James top • Madewell skinnies • Calvin Klein leg warmers • Hunter Verbier lace-up wedged

This was my uniform in Paris. I only packed a carry-on for seven days, so I wore these wedge Hunters every single day: so comfortable and perfect for Parisian puddle jumping.

And a requisite shot of our AsianCajuns necklace on Cath:

We hope you guys have had a lovely holiday. Happy happy New Year!!!

I’ll be back with more snippets of our trip soon!

—–

Dear Kitcath,

I sobbed like a big fat baby when you and Troy pulled away in the cab. I don’t think we can go one whole year apart. The longest has been this three month stretch and that was too long.

Miss you sooooo much!

Love,

Lar

Helloooo Lovelies!!!

We are safely back from Pareeee and all snuggly wuggly in Edinburgh. We have loads of Paris pics to share with you — here is just one of Cath and I in Versailles — but we’ll wait until everyone has recovered from holiday-itis before we overwhelm you with pics (mainly food related).

We hope you have a most loverly, wonderful couple of days with family and friends and delicious food all ’round!

Love,

Cath and Lar

Bonjour, Lovely Readers!

We’ll be in Paris for the next six days! Our wifi situation will be touch-and-go, so we promise to take lots of pictures and share them with you when we get back.

After Paris everyone is flying to Edinburgh to spend Christmas here! Mince pies, Christmas puddings, turtle doves — and quality twin time!!! Edinburgh is close to Cath’s favorite place on Earth, so I can’t wait to run around the city with her again — and bring you guys along!

We’ll miss you this next week — but we’ll be thinking about you whilst we munch our pastries and take cheesy photos in front of the Louvre.

xoxoxo,

Lar (and Cath)