Scallop brochettes

Scallop brochettes

Little queen scallops wrapped in prosciutto, served over wilted spinach. Skewers seasoned with lemon pepper, some Sicilian salt and lemon juice on the spinach. Total calories 155.

World Police and Fire Games 2013 Opening Ceremony

Who could fail to have been inspired by the colourful spectacle of Danny Boyle’s opening ceremony for the London 2012 Olympics? When the announcement that the 3rd largest sporting event in the World was coming to Belfast, and would have its own fabulous opening ceremony, I was intrigued. More than that, I wanted to be involved. And so I volunteered as a dance performer for the opening of the World Police and Fire Games 2013.

1st meeting : Space is Big

There were very few people at the first meeting/ rehearsal which was held at T13, across the road from the iconic Titanic Belfast building. I hadn’t been to this venue before, but it is a great space full of BMX, roller bladders, scooters etc. And break dancers. I’d been a bit worried that the performance might be a gaggle of skinny 15 year olds twirling ribbons, but the dozen or so who were there were a variety of ages, shapes and sizes. Artistic Director Mags Byrne set out the theme for the parade and showed pictures of some of the costumes, played some of the music etc. She described one of the costumes as being like a big blue bird with wings, and suggested that it might have the most choreographical element – the other costumes and flag bearers weren’t doing much more than smiling and walking in formation. The smiling part was important, though, that was emphasised!

It’ll be outdoors, in daylight, so everything has to be really big, OTT, exaggerated. Subtlety won’t work.

Back home, I asked my dance-student daughter if she’d come across Mags before, and sure enough, she had, as part of her performance with the Cultural Olympiad last year.

2nd meeting : Be the Sea

There were lots more people around for this one! The various groups were shown their props and the moves they’d have to do – roly-poly arms for the propeller blades, dramatic avian moves for the black sinister birds, twirling white umbrellas for snow, and up-and-down black umbrellas for rain. There was not a lot to do for the big blue wings (now referred to as waves) but Mags did point out that your arms would get sore holding out those wings for a full 15 minutes. While smiling. But in my head I’d already volunteered to be in that group. Everyone picked their own section based on what appealed most – the propeller group was favoured by the blokes in the room.

a group of propeller costumes
I joined my fellow wing/ wave dancers and we went outside to practise some moves, in the shadow of the famous Belfast Harland and Wolff cranes. After a few minutes my arms were aching and I wondered if it was too late to change my mind about my chosen group. But the costumes were lovely – glittery sequin-strewn capes with poles to extend the arms, and fluttering in the breeze to represent the sea. Ah the sea! I grew up beside it and it has always been an important part of my life, so I reckoned I could “be the sea”.

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Yes Mags remembered my daughter fondly, when I asked her, and was very complimentary about her as a dancer.

Our homework was to practise smiling for 15 minutes. There would be at least six TV cameras filming the event, to be shown in 70 countries around the world, so no doing anything that might be embarrassing, and keep expressions big and energetic. Oh dear, I bet my blue cape blows over my head and that’s the clip that’ll go viral….

Ceremony Day : Smile and Wave, boys

the front of Kings Hall Belfast with welcome poster
I was really excited in the run up to performance day , full of adrenalin and positive nervous energy. I’d opted for public transport to the Kings Hall, and it was free for competitions and performers. Which was nice. I found my way to the allotted meeting point in Alexander Hall – the last time I’d been there it had been full of goats waiting to be judged at the Royal Ulster Agricultural Show! At 10 am, the hall really started to fill up: there was a group of young children who were to be a school of fish, the costume lady was dishing out the various jackets and headgears to be worn, and other performers were arriving and finding themselves a corner to claim. It transpired that there were different categories of participant – those with red passes were “volunteers”, and entitled to a £4 lunch voucher to be used at the various vendors on the site. They could choose from paella, pulled pork sandwich, or a gourmet hot dog. My meagre lilac pass marked me as a “performer” and consequently only entitled me to the sandwiches which were brought in in large boxes. I avoid bread, but I’d anticipated this problem and was well stocked with my own refreshments, including a rather tasty butternut squash and red onion tartlet that I’d made the night before.

Outside, the rain had started. The forecast had not been promising, and there’d even been talk of tornados! I dreaded to think what my blue cape would do if caught by a strong wind. At 11 we donned some of our costumes and lined up outside in order, ready for the only practice run we’d have. The theme was “exploration”, and the opening music was the cue for some fur clad and ice-encrusted adventurers to appear from the small stage in the centre of the arena, and start looking round in an exploratory fashion. As the music rose in pace and tempo, they joined the head of the parade with a succession of floats. First came a small fishing boat. This was followed by a shipwreck, and, bizarrely, a piano. Then came a huge whale, complete with noisy spout, and in its wake chattered the school of fish. That was followed by a man with a spyglass in a bath tub, perched high on a scaffold. Then came my group of waves. The parade director decided that some of us waves should go in front of the bathtub, so that it looked more like it was surrounded. I was one of the four to go in this first group, which meant being circled and teased and deafened by the school kids who couldn’t resist playing hide-and-seek under our cloaks.

We started our parade, smiling for all we were worth, twirling our capes as best we could in the drizzle and wind. Then, the music stopped. The whale was having difficulties in negotiating one of the corners, so we all had to go back and start again. The end product may all look very glamorous and be over in 10 minutes, but there are hours of hanging around in the rain for shows like this.

a carnival whale float
Take 2, and we are more on top of what we had to do. As the parade proceeds, local singing star Peter Corry takes to the stage and sings about a little stream winding its way down to the sea. At this point the school of fish go off and do a swimming dance up the centre aisle, before joining the main parade again. The music returns to an up-tempo beat, and various BMX bikes appear and do some stunts around the centre stage. Peter comes back on stage to sing “Go the Distance”, which is our cue to leave by the nearest exit. Without cheering or whooping as we depart, so that audience is still focussed on the stage.

Back in Alexander Hall, fine adjustments are made to costumes. Under our blue cloaks we wear rather fabulous green gowns, and mine needs to be shortened using a staple gun, so that I don’t risk tripping over it. It’s now lunchtime, and we have a few hours free to explore the site and stretch out legs. The rain has stopped and the sun is making an attempt to shine. While purchasing a coffee, I notice local DJ Alan Simpson sitting at a table, getting ready for his show to be broadcast from the venue later on. I introduce myself and thank him for his part in getting Jedward to sing Happy Birthday to my stepson last year. During his show, he chats with Olympic golden girl Dame Mary Peters, a wonderful ambassador for sport and for Northern Ireland, and the pair of them dance to a samba band who were wearing stilts – quite an achievement!

Dame Mary Peters with DJ Alan Simpson  and a samba band
The doors open to the public at 3, and soon there are long queues for the loos, the burger vans, the bar….

The atmosphere is one of palpable excitement, and many of the competitors are sporting interesting outfits – the Norwegians show off their horned Viking helmets, the Dutch team are very visible in bright orange, and the Canadian Mounties are being photographed by all and sundry. By 6, most spectators are in their seats, ready for the athletes’ parade at 6.30. We don our costumes and have our faces painted in a suitably oceanic theme. We commence lining up at 7.15, and the sun finally makes an appearance! The opening speeches duly delivered, the opening strains of our music start up, and we were off! Smiling, twirling, avoiding TV cameras, being dazzled by the flashes of the cameras of the thousands of athletes and spectators now filling the arena, smiling some more. The energy and atmosphere is just electric – the athletes are smiling, the First Minister is smiling, Dame Mary Peters is smiling, and we all smile and smile for all we are worth. It’s all I can do to stop tears of joy spilling down my painted cheeks as Peter Corry launches into the stirring opening lines of his final song, and my heart sings with him as he belts out :

I know every mile

Will be worth my while

When I go the distance

I’ll be right where I belong

Tempting though it was to stay and watch the rest of the show, I really hate the rush of crowds at the end of events, so I made my way to the train station for the journey home, still in my blue face paint! This greatly amused some Sri Lankan cricketers who asked me to take their picture, especially when I discovered that I was on the wrong train! But I did make it safely home in time to watch the highlights on the evening news.

Someone wearing blue face paint, but not a Smurf
It was a truly unforgettable experience. I am in awe of all those enthusiastic and highly trained athletes who will be here for the next 10 days pitting their skills in such events such as climbing-the-stairs-while-in-full-firefighter-kit. I am inspired by creative talents such as Mags and Anne Marie the costume guru who can work miracles with a staple-gun. And I love being part of a team of volunteers who are funny, warm, generous of spirit, and – as they say in these parts – great craic.

5:2 Thai noodles and aubergine slices

I’m just about at the stage of enjoying fast days now – I look forward to them the day before, I have fun planning interesting menus, and I know enough strategies to help me cope with the hunger pangs.  These are rare now – the odd rumbly tum, but it soon passes.

I’m having a “clear out the cupboards” kind of month, and some of the items I found lurking at the back of the freezer and fridge were a tin of light coconut milk, and half a bag of frozen scallops.  I also had some scallions, some zero/ miracle noodles, asparagus, mushrooms, and a jar of tom-yum paste.

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Rinse the noodles well.
Dry fry them in a frying pan. Move them to one side of the pan and add 3 sliced mushrooms, a few asparagus spears chopped into pieces, and 2 spring onions, sliced on the diagonal. (50 cals for the veg) Squeeze half a lime over them and cook for a few minutes until the veg are soft. Add half a pack of defrosted scallops (80 cals)to another part of the pan, and sear them on all sides for a couple of minutes.

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Bring everything together and add 100 ml (about 1/4 can) of light coconut milk (70 cals), and a good blob of tom-yum paste (50 cals). Stir well until everything is coated in the sauce, and serve in bowls with a sprinkle of sesame seeds (15 cals)

Should be around 280 cals for one very generous portion, done quickly in one pan.  I’d definitely try this again – I forgot I had some lemongrass in a jar, which would have gone really well with those Thai inspired flavours.

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On Thursday, my husband was cooking, and he made the little vegetable rissotto kieves from Sainsburys.  I experimented with baking aubergine slices without any oil.  I sliced them into thick rounds, and laid them on a piece of kitchen roll.  I rubbed some smoked paprika and some sea salt into each slice, and then arranged them on a baking sheet, lined with tinfoil.  I cooked them at 200 degrees for 15-20 minutes, turning the slices half way through cooking.

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Aubergine is 26 calories for 100g, and a whole aubergine is around 300g.  So say 75 cals for 7 or 8 good slices, which would do 2 as an accompaniement, or one hungry person on a Fast Day!

I’ll be experimenting with these further too, very simple, the spongy flesh absorbs the spices, so it’ll be fun trying different flavour combinations.

5:2 Golden Girls

I only did one fast day last week, but as I’m so close to my target that’s OK. This was because on my usual fasting day of Thursday, I was instead taking part in the Opening Ceremony for the World Police and Fire Games! It was a fantastic day, and I’ll blog about it separately.

One of the highlights was meeting Norn Irn’s Golden Girl, 1972 Olympic gold medal winner Dame Mary Peters.  It’s hard to believe that this sprightly, smiling woman dancing to a samba band on stilits is in her 70s!  She’s truly a testament to a healthy lifestyle – and to a positive mental attitude.

Dame Mary Peters and DJ Alan Simpson with a samba band

This week I had 2 reasonably good fasts.  I’d ended up witha  glut of courgettes in the fridge at the weekend, so I turned them into a simple stew with a head of little gem lettuce, some spring onions, also nearing the end of their useful lives, and some good quality herb stock.  The resulting stew is ridiculously low in calories – about 20-30 for a cupful – and so when I returned from my zumba class and my husband had some leftover prawn ravioli and tomato sauce, I was able to add those to my courgettes and still come in under calorie budget.

Wednesday’s fast was difficult – I felt really hungry to the point of nausea mid-morning, and had to eat a mini babybel and a packet of mini ryvitas to keep me sane.  For dinner I had a whole tin of Baxter’s carrot and coriander soup for 150 cals – really tasty with a gingery kick to it.  My other saviours that day were my caramel flavoured coffee, and some Morrocan spiced mint tea.

moroccan tea, flavoured coffe, a tin of soup

Who’s your Golden Girl?

5 and 2: Stuff my husband cooks

Up till now, I’ve usually picked 2 days in the week that my husband and I are doing different things, so that we’re not necessarily eating together. But lately he’s expressed more of an interest in preparing meals that we can share, or that he can cook for me. Now, that tends to be based around ready meals, but there’s certainly plenty of good choices out there!  We even found that the chicken with mozzarella, accompanied by roast Mediterranean veg, part of the Marks and Spencer dine in for a tenner deal, would meet the criteria.

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Our first trials were the new Love Veg range from Sainsburys.  He had the green risotto kievs ready for me after zumba one night – I had them with some salad leaves, tomato and cucumber, while he had the more calorific accompaniments of coleslaw and pasta salad.  They were absolutely delicious – I’d planned to have only 2 (they come in packs of 6 and are 116 calories apiece), but couldn’t resist having one more half.

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The other item from the range we tried was the spicy bean veggie burger.  It was OK – I wouldn’t be rushing out to try it again, but it was a pretty tasty 250 cals.

Pasta and sauce is a super-quick standby, but I often rule pasta off limits on fast days.  These little individual sized packs of cappelletti come in at 350 cals for the single serve, and when accompanied by a spinach and ricotta sauce at 100 cls for half the carton, can just about be squeezed into a fast day.

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Not really “stuff my DH cooks”, but he is terrible at buying bananas – cant bring himself to buy them singly, and so we often end up with over-ripe fruit, which I keep in the freezer for future use.  Banana ice cream is ridiculously easy to make, and I find it a lovely post-run treat.  I also had some strawberries about to be too ripe to eat, so I mixed about 15 of them with 2 frozen bananas, blitzed the lot with a blender, adding a dash of Malibu and a drop of almond essence.  Delicious served with a sprinkling of flaked almonds and a drizzle of balsamic glaze.

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What meals do you enjoy sharing with your family?

5 and 2: zumba and trout

I was delighted this week to get in touch again with my zumba class – thanks to the magic power of Facebook. Since finishing the half-marathon last month I’ve been running less, so I’ve been looking for different ways to keep active.  I love anything even vaguely dance-related, and it’s hard to do zumba without a smile on your face.

My Monday fast this week went well, and I’d found a tub of Tom-Yum soup in the freezer which I used for my evening meal.

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I still have to battle my sweet tooth, but I’ve found these cereal bars are nicely chewy for only 75 calories and a few grams of sugar.  The Tesco caramel one is my favourite.

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Wednesday was a non-fast day, and the supermarket were selling 2 trout fillets for £4.  I had one wrapped in foil with a few sliced mushrooms and some Greek basil.  And the other for my Thursday fast meal – I cooked it in a bowl with a plate over the top in the microwave – I added a few slices of lemon and a splash of white wine.  I served it with some asparagus spears, also done in the microwave, and a sort of tartare sauce made with fromage frais, capers and finely chopped pickled onions.  It was absolutely delicious!  I’m glad I’ve been reminded about trout – half the calories of salmon, much less fat, and the same amount of protein.

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All in all, a good week!

5and2: summer meals

Like many others on this way of eating, the warm summer weather has been great for encouraging the eating of salads. and getting out in the fresh air for some exercise. Having had some disruption due to holidays and the like, I got back into the swing of 2 fast days this week – and couldn’t quite believe how easy they felt!

I’ve got into the habit now of pushing through the fast morning on just black coffees, Bovril and flavoured teas.  On Tuesday I had a miso soup for lunch – I really enjoy these, just the right level of savoury saltiness, and quite satisfying.  For dinner, I made a microwave omelette with one egg, 2 egg whites, some sliced mushrooms and leftover roast chicken pieces.  I served it on a bed of salad leaves and a dollop of hot sauce.  Actually, the hot sauce wasn’t necessary…

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On Thursday I had an unavoidable lunch date with a friend (she was lending me a costume for a fancy dress party on Friday night).  We met at IKEA, where I chose the gravad lax, but didn’t eat the dressing, and added some simple side salad items – tomatoes, peppers, cucumber, pickles.  It’s nice not to feel restricted, and be able to find SOMETHING to eat while being a lady-who-lunches.  Dinner was a simple salad plate – pastrami, mushrooms and cucumber, with some roast red peppers from a jar.  I followed this with a couple of tablespoons of cottage cheese mixed with 10 raspberries – very tasty indeed!

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I made myself a cooling drink of water infused with cucumber, Greek basil and lime, and swanned around in a maxi dress pretending I looked sophisticated 😉

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I had no headaches, no insurmountable hunger pangs – I do still feel quite tired on fast day evenings, but I sleep really well, which is a blessing in this heat.

Running gadgets

One of my best buds when I was training for the half-marathon was my iPod shuffle. Tiny little silver matchbox, with a huge capacity for storing music, able to skip, pause, and control volume from the control on the lead. I’d had it for years – only replaced the headphones for the first time about 4 weeks ago.  And they no longer make this model – the newer shuffle is a small square shape which has all its controls actually on eh device, not the leads.

I would carry it with me in a little black velvet bag.  I usually took it when travelling, or even on daily commutes if going by train.  So I took it with me to Paris last month.  And now I can’t find it.  It may well turn up in some forgotten corner of a suitcase, but meanwhile I’m using the music on my iPhone.  To do this more comfortably, I bought some new bits and bobs.

Flexible Arm-holder/ reflective armband

glossyboxjuly 012Unless you want to run carrying your phone in your hand, some sort of holder is essential.  I was previously using a pocket that clipped around my waist, but it was awkward to get the phone in and out, and consequently not great for making any adjustment en route.  I chose the black stretchy version as it would be easier to keep clean than the white leather one.  It was £7.99 in TKMaxx.  It’s hard to get the fit just right – my arm muscles aren’t very bulky, and the holder is inclined to slide down the arm and under my triceps after a while.  I also had to make an additional hole for the headphone socket on my iPhone 4.   But it’s pretty simple to operate through the plastic screen, which will speed up the time it takes me to get my music running, find MapMyRun and press Start, which usually costs me a few seconds at the start of Park Runs. And feeding the wires out the side of my top rather than down my front seems to prevent some tugging and pulling.   It also has a reflective strip, which isn’t so important in this sunshine, but will be a bonus on gloomy winter mornings.  I’d give it 3/5 for looks, and the same for performance.

Sharper Image Ear-clip Headphones

I loved the look of these, with the very sleek green/gold and black.  I was seduced by the word “sport” on the packaging, and intrigued by the shape, promising a better fit in my darned odd-shaped ears. At £5.99 from TKMaxx, they were worth a trial.

glossyboxjuly 010 I found it surprisingly easy to get these to fit snugly into my ears, and I admired them in the mirror before setting out on a run.  Sadly, about 2 miles in, they were slipping out of place, and I spent the rest of my run fiddling and adjusting them.  So, 5/5 for looks, but only 2/5 for performance.

Gummy Plus headphones, in white

As my husband pointed out, these were the only items on the rail in the shop with security tags, and indication that they must be attractive to shoplifters.  I’d also seen them recommended on MyFitnessPal and other running forums.  At £9.99 they weren’t the cheapest headphones by any means, but I liked the fact that they came with different sizes of ear-bud covers.  On a hot morning run, they stayed in place brilliantly with the smallest covers on, and they have the same pause/ next track functionality that I find essential. 3/5 for looks – boring white headphones – but 4.5/5 for performance.

Wristband

Running in warm weather, this is one  bit of kit I wont leave home without.  It’s very easy to wipe sweaty brows and upper lips while moving, and it also has a handy hidden inner for keys/poo bags/ emergency jelly beans.


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Coconut Water

This claims to be a great rehydrator, as well as containing essential electrolytes.  It’s quite pricey, but tastes good, not too sweet, and only 25 calories for a 330 ml carton.  I would buy this again, especially if the hot weather looks set to continue.

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Sun-block

Sadly, I managed to get badly sunburned at the weekend sitting in a friend’s garden.  I HAD put sun cream on the back of my neck, but obviously couldn’t reach down far enough (obvious now….).  So I now take no chances, and make sure I have  factor 50 slathered over my bare shoulders.

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What are your best tips for running in the heat?  And what are your favourite gadgets?

Glossybox July 2013

I was starting to get a bit concerned that my July box had gone astray, but apparently it’s always the middle of the month before they’re despatched. And an email confirming despatch is sent, which I like.

This month’s box is a bright turquoise, decorated with coral and starfish, and promised to contain some holiday must-haves.

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What was inside:

  • Alterna Haircare Bamboo Style Boho Waves Mist
  • Essie nails
  • Pout Paint lip gloss
  • Coola organic SPF 20 moisturiser.
  • Anatomicals Spray Misty For Me facial spritz.

So what did I think?

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The hair mist smells rather lovely, and gives a gentle tousled appearance without being too sticky or stiff.  I’m rather glad this was in my box, as I’ve mislaid the John Freida one I liked from the June box, and this is a handy handbag size.

Coola tinted moisturiser.  Always handy to have a face cream with an SPF, especially in the lovely sunshine we’ve been having lately! This smells a little like fake tanning lotion, but the coverage is good, and it is absorbed well into my skin.

Essie nails – not sure I’d ever use these, might be passed to daughter straight away.  My nails are very short and tend to split easily, and my fingers are rather short and stubby, so I try not to attract attention to them.

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Pout Paint in Peachy Keen and Minx.  I’m a lip balm queen.  I have countless tins and tubes on my desk at work, at home, in my handbag, in my travel bag, beside my bed.  So I was looking forward to trying these fun bright colours.  A little goes a very long way – seriously a pin-head sized blob is sufficient.  The colours were very odd – extremely bright, almost cartoon-ish.  Which is handy as I’m going to a fancy dress party as Daphne from Scooby Doo – the Minx shade is a lilac colour which will match the outfit.  The Peachy Keen was VERY orange, and made my teeth look yellow.  The texture was really sticky and unpleasant, and when on the lips, it took on a chalky dull appearance.  Disappointing.

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Facial spritz.  Possibly my favourite item in this month’s box, for the corny name if nothing else!  The blurb in the leaflet suggests that it would be good on flights: I dare say it would but I’m not sure how you’d get a liquid into your hand luggage!

So a bit of a wacky selection, but a couple have made their way into my handbag already.

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DLP – non park days

Tickets for Disneyland Paris (DLP) are expensive, and it’s possible you may have one or two days when you want something else to do. If you’re lucky, your hotel might have a pool, but if you fancy going a bit further afield, the 2 best options are a trip into Paris itself, and a visit to the Val d’Europe shopping centre.

A Day in Paris

Travelling into the capital is fairly easy – the train station beside the park is on the RER A4 (red)  line which goes straight there.  Queues for the manned ticket desks can be quite long, but the automatic ticket machines are pretty straightforward and can be used in English.  You’ll need an RER ticket (about 9 euros each way), and it can be worth getting a carnet of 10 metro tickets to use when you’re in town (13.30 for 10).

64QXlNhTlD2HyfwmNQtqs4Ai8oft6DvsgFa66rOjC6M,xaFx7USxzhlGr-HEnypugAzTWU84QqhDBNN1G3-ltag,zq9P1neIF8UuYI3o8stBPXCzmqfNbxm-Y8j8KTPB3ss,bp3fqyPrWgKaYOMjs_dtDr1wIxcjLSicfAlXcimHHUk  Prepare yourself as you would for any big city notorious for pickpockets – keep your bags and valuables close to you, and watch out for strangers approaching you. Get off at Charles de Gaulle l’Etoile, and follow the brown signs to surface right in front of the Arc de Triomphe.

nPdTKfT7ZwQ3X4bofJSobmPt_5GzQ5ZEes5iSosi12M,Xz2e6BIqaQGvB0Rabn6_qsFvHemvrc6t_NeJaGh7wA4,aHygXRfJLiwfwNmC-JrNDbpHZclrFx2AGGpkuP_47MI,RkZlOT9L8a1GIeVbm7qyjrkUzXDFTJmqbjncsq-g0HQMarvel at the traffic whizzing about the world’s most famous roundabout, with some animal-like herding instincts telling them when to stop and go.  From there, take the metro line 6 down to Bir-Hakeim, for a great view of the Eiffel Tower as you cross the river.  Find a street side table for an al fresco  sit down over a beer or coffee, and admire the passing Parisians.

PRwEB-v39xBNnAPiTaky6KDYyXCl_naD01wJvJroBic,PG-GkF9PXvZErwvIvLKcrw4R1L8E9yZea4w_ODndgjc  Stroll along the river bank, unless you want to actually go up the tower.  I normally like hop-on-hop-off buses in new cities, but they’re very expensive in Paris (31 for one day).  A nicer alternative is the http://www.batobus.com, which for 15 euros allows you to hop on and off at 8 of the most popular stopping points, while giving you the classic views from the Seine. (Insert in-seine joke here).  Lm1YwaY9dxHmXo_17D8OIYJXW2BP51kCDddl1vUVaTU,_lmTTejFfO36GigAa_gX47y_50oxFv91p8E99HRbE0k

Get off at Notre-Dame, and walk around the detailed gothic magnificence.  At the back of the cathedral, cross the bridge to the Ile St Louis, and seek out Berthillon, one of the finest ice cream vendors on the planet.  Enjoy your glace while strolling the quieter streets in this district.QXXeNjsgCRf5GtW0bzRGdxN54x4H7nRr39OysO0cI3Y

crez6_3jc1DyVw5LmjZXusv4XU1woi5LPpfesGlLgr8,8OZPAmNUmHw35fzZNprAEz5qmYx6n9BG9pgWjEh1Ams  Free toilets are available beside the Hotel de Ville.  Warning: the Metro isn’t great for people with mobility issues, and the train doors don’t give you much time to get on and off.

Val d’Europe

This enormous shopping centre http://www.valdeurope.fr/ was constructed at the same time as DLP, in order to cater for the people who’d be working in and around the parks and hotels.  It is HUGE.  Nicely done out with glass coverings and a spacious feel to it.  There are all the usual shops you’d expect, including a massive Auchan supermarket, and Apple store, Sephora, and Gap.VztaIb_E75bNRjJ-Len5Y5_JplNba8O_1WGxn1P7gzQ,CHwLx0WB6pfE6TNLtVHAAYsKdGDXlR8Vne9rh_O7Pfs

There is also a designer village next door, with many high end shops like Jimmy Choo and Armani.  Your hotel might give you a discount card for 10% off, as will a Disney Shareholder card, but the shops might not accept these if the goods are already reduced.  But on our trip we managed to get a free coffee and bun from Starbucks.  My favourite shop here was the Parisian fragrance experts Annick Goutal, which has some intriguing and unusual scents , many of which are gender-neutral.

dlp wardrobe 001A bottle costs about 60.  The shopping centre also has a terasse of eateries, ranging from McDonalds (with an automatic computer ordering system), to a Lebanese place.  The Pasta Pizza restaurant does a good Menu Presto for 10 euro, comprising a plate of pasta and a drink.  They’ll also serve olives and bread at no extra charge.  And on top of all that, or rather underneath, there’s an aquarium in below the ground.

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Most hotels offer a shuttle service to the centre (5 euros return each), or you could go by train (one stop from the DLP station).