2015 European trip - days 16 to 21
Day 16
We got up relatively early this morning because it was a tour-free day and I wanted to visit a few places. After a bout of breakfast, the four of us took the Metro and went to Champs-Elysees. The idea was that I wanted to buy a wallet I found online ages ago that was only sold in Paris but on the way, we decided to go up the Arc De Triomphe. I was so glad that we went, it was a really great spot to visit, despite the 283 steps we had to climb! I would recommend anyone visiting Paris to go there - I reckon the views there were even better than that on the Eiffel Tower as recommended by my Blogger mate, Tom.
After our detour, we went to the shop I had ear-marked to buy my wallet, only to be told by the shop assistant that they didn't stock any of the wallets there. No matter. At least I had another mulled wine at the Christmas market before we got to the shop where I was told I couldn't get my wallet.
It was around lunch time by then, so the four of us had lunch at this place called Le President, where I had my second confit de canard (confit duck) here in Paris. The food here was really great. We all had very satisfying and tasty meals.
We split up with the boys after lunch so that Sam and I could go to Mont Blanc to see if we could find the wallet I wanted to buy there. No, they didn't have it either, so we wandered down the Champs-Elysees. We even popped into the 'mother ship', aka, Louis Vuitton, for a look and bought some coffee at Nespresso.
Despite the blatant consumerism on this famous Parisian stretch, armed guards were visible everywhere. Even shops had their own security guards that conducted security searches before one could visit the shop, which was curious to me - what would they do if they, say, discover a bomb? These were just security guards one may find in shopping centres. It was certainly weird to see them checking patrons' bags and scanning them for metal before shoppers were allowed to go into the shop.
We then walked all the way down to Place De La Concorde and took some photos there. It was an experience to see the exact spot where Louise XVI and Marie Antoinette were beheaded during the French Revolution. Being a bit of a history hobbyist, it meant a lot to me to have seen these places with my own eyes.
On the way back, Sam and I walked through the Christmas market and Sam bought me an aluminium Eiffel Tower ornament - I can't wait to put it up at home when we get back.
We took the Metro and dropped into a supermarket on the way home to get a few grocery items. The photo on the right attempted to capture the neighbourhood in which our apartment was located. It was a really lovely spot. I think we picked really well when we booked it.
When we got back to the apartment, I made us dinner and we are now all vegging out at various spots around the apartment. We have a half day tour at the Musee de Lourvre tomorrow. I can't wait!!!
Day 17
The day was glorious. We got up, got ready, and went to the Musee du Louvre for our tour. Okay, Sam wasn't feeling crash hot, probably because he couldn't sleep all night (the pillow in the room didn't agree with him) and he had caught Andy's cold. Even so, I was looking forward to this trip all week, so I was very enthused to get there. To put things in context, we went to the Lourvre three years ago but we only had limited time there (we were with a tour group then) and I had always wanted to go back. We bought a 3-hour audio guided tour and after that, we could get back in at any time for the rest of the day.
As expected, I was enthralled by the collections there. I can't put my sense of awe into words, other than to show you photos, which don't do justice to the place by any means:
In particular, the La Victoire de Samothrace still touched me when I saw it again with my own eyes. I literally had chills running down my spine looking at it from different angles, admiring the sense of freedom and liberation it exuded. Naturally, I went nuts taking photos of it from every angle I could manage:
About two hours later, the four of us were getting hungry, so we went to the museum cafe for lunch, which wasn't bad at all. My French worked with the wait staff and I got everything I asked for, which surprised me.
Andy left us at about 3 pm so he could return all the audio guide equipment to our tour guide while Dale, Sam, and I stayed behind and explored the museum some more. The place was so huge that even though we totally exhausted ourselves, walking up, down, left, right, and centre, we suspected that there were still lots we hadn't seen. Coupled with the fact that Sam wasn't feeling too well, we decided to say goodbye to this wonderful place and came back to the apartment.
We did pick up a few grocery items on the way and I must admit I wanted to hang out longer but I didn't want Sam to get worse either, so we all got back here and called it a day. God knows when I would have the opportunity to visit the Louvre again but I did have my fair share today.
Day 18
Today was our last free day in Paris. We had to wake up very early tomorrow morning to go on our last scheduled tour before we had to head back to London for the last leg of our holiday.
I have been progressively falling in love with Paris. There is something about the pace and the rhythm of this city that agree with me. I love wandering around the many 'rues' and backstreets but despite these maze-like laneways, it is extremely easy to navigate around the city. The Metro is very easy to use as well. You virtually can't get lost in this city.
Anyway, Sam wasn't feeling well this morning at all, so after making ourselves some breakfast, I went off by myself because I had an agenda I set for myself for the day. My first stop was Patrick Roger's chocolatier near the Odeon Metro station. I had never been there before (I didn't join the boys on their chocolate tour when we first got here) but it didn't take much for me to find it. After getting some really beautiful chocolate there (these are seriously one of the best chocolates I have ever tasted!!!), I walked over to the Notre Dame and took some pictures there.
I didn't go into the cathedral because you weren't allowed to take photos inside anyway, so I made my way back to to Pompidou Centre. However, I saw a queue outside the entrance, which turned me off trying to go in. Also, it was a bit of a nuisance carrying the bag of chocolate with me, so I decided to head back to our apartment. I ran into Dale and Andy on the way and they were heading for Pompidou Centre. I told them about the queue, so they went to Notre Dame instead.
After dropping off the chocolate and making sure that Sam was okay, I went back to Pompidou Centre to meet up with Andy and Dale. We went through the art gallery and found some interesting pieces there. There were also the usual pieces that made you think, "That's not art, my three year old cousin could have drawn that!". It was a great experience to walk through the gallery anyway but we were pining for coffee after going through two floors of art.
We found a restaurant nearby and I had a capaccino and a dozen of escargots for lunch just to get into the spirit of things, given that we were in France and all. After lunch, I said goodbye to the boys and wandered around the area for a while, progressively making my way back to the apartment. When I got tired, I dropped into the apartment to see how Sam was doing before I went back out one last time by myself to soak up the atmosphere of our neighbourhood, being acutely aware that this would the last time I would be wandering casually around the area. I am so going to miss this neighbourhood and Paris.
When I finally got back to the apartment, the boys were back by then. One thing I have learned from travelling with other people so far and living in close quarters with them is that everyone seems to kill time looking at YouTube videos of animals and funny things. I used to think it was only a 'Sam thing' at home and, to me, it was such an inane and time-wasting activity. In contrast, I am always watching a documentary or non-fiction TV shows because I always feel the need to be learning something. I had always assumed that everyone did the same thing as me in their leisure time but I now realise that I am in the minority.
Anyway, as agreed by all of us, we left the apartment at about 6 pm for dinner. We found a restaurant and was served by a very cute and lovely waiter. His fellow waiter was just as lovely and I couldn't really figure out if he was just being friendly or flirting with us. LOL. We had a great last dinner in Paris together. On the way back, Sam wanted to visit some chocolatiers. Given that I had walked around the area a number of times now, I knew exactly where they were and escorted the four of us to a few of them. Not surprisingly, Sam bought a whole bunch of chocolate.
So that was it - our last full day in Paris. I am really going to miss this place. For some reason, it has been an easy place for me to just be. I felt comfortable everywhere I went and despite the little amount of French I knew, I had no problems getting around and getting what I needed. There is something natural about this place for me. I feel free and the culture just seems to gel with me. I wouldn't be surprised, if there is such a thing as a past life, that I have lived here before in another life - and I will come back one day.
Day 19
Today was a sad day. Before the sun even came out, we got up, took our showers, and packed up our suitcases. At 7:30 am, our host came and let us put our suitcases in the storeroom outside our apartment so that we could go on our underground catacomb tour, which was expected to end after the normal check-out time.
We then proceeded to walk to a local Metro station and arrived at the station where we were meeting our private tour guide. We were too early, so we had coffee at a nearby cafe before making our way to the meeting point. We waited for about 40 minutes but our tour guide didn't turn up. We were just about to give up and were planning to do the tour ourselves when our tour guide finally showed up. Apparently, he only just found out he had to lead the tour (with just the four of us) at 8 am while he had to meet us at 9 am. He knew he was very late but he got a bit flustered and a bit too defensive. We all felt a bit put off by him.
However, once the tour started, he redeemed himself. He came across as a bitchy gay guy who was actually quite sarcastically funny. He was friendly and was very entertaining. We warmed to him quickly and I found myself liking him. He reminded us of sassy characters like Karen Walker in Will and Grace and managed to turn a ghoulish subject like the skulls and bones of 6.8 million dead Parisian underground to an amusing topic. We all enjoyed the tour very much.
After the tour, we grabbed some lunch at a nearby cafe before going back to the apartment to pick up our luggage. Then we went to the Gare Du Naud, waited to board the Eurostar, and finally arrived back in London this evening at about 5:30 pm.
After settling into our new AirBNB apartment, we went to a Thai restaurant downstairs to have dinner, which was very delicious. The lady running the joint had a lot of character and was very personable and the food was great. After dinner, we picked up a few things from a couple of shops and are now at the apartment to chill out and get ready for bed.
I can't believe we are now on the last leg of our holiday already.
Day 20
We had a good night's sleep. Sam hadn't been sleeping well since the earlier days of the trip but he slept well last night, which made things a bit easier.
We got up at about 7:30 am and I cooked breakfast for us. After that, we tried to fix the shower because it was only lukewarm last night, which drove us both crazy. This was probably the worst and last of the four AirBNB places we booked. While Sam thinks this place sucks balls, I still think it is not a bad place, considering it is half the cost of a single hotel room and is very central (it is right on Oxford Street). Sam does get a bit dramatic with these things and lacks flexibility in rolling with the punches when we are travelling. I think it is good that he has to learn to be more flexible despite not having the usual luxuries at home.
Dale was now feeling a bit under the weather (fingers crossed, I am the only person who has not been sick since we started the trip), so he didn't go to the Camden Market with Andy, Sam, and me. The place was amazing - there was so much to see but there were so many people!!! There were stalls and stalls of merchandise, even though we couldn't really buy anything because it would not have been practical to drag some of those things home. We then got some lunch together, including a very yummy and piping hot mulled wine!
By the time we were done with the market, a lot more people turned up, which made simple walking forward impossible! So we ducked into the Tube to go to Harrods for some shopping. Truth be told, I was wanting to buy a wallet but we didn't really intend to do any serious shopping there. We just wanted to be able to say that we had been there. LOL. Not surprisingly, Andy got a bit bored not long after we got there, so he and Sam went back to the apartment while I wandered around for a while longer. Then I got bored as well and came back to the apartment, only to find that Andy and Sam had gone off to do some more shopping on Oxford Street.
I am now going to chill out until dinner with our friend B who lives here tonight.
The dinner went well, even though B and his boyfriend took us to exactly the same places he took us to last time we were here three years ago. We went to Belgo for dinner and then to Kahve Dunyas for dessert.
Just when we thought we had a great night, we were met with a challenge - by the time Sam had his shower, which started becoming lukewarm, Dale lost hot water 5 minutes into his shower. By the time I got in, there was no hot water! Dale and I spent the next 15 minutes trying to work out the water heating system here. As it turned out from one of the reviews of this place on AirBNB, one person mentioned that only two people could get short hot showers at a time! This is unbelievable as they advertise that the place could accommodate up to 6 people! Anyway, I bit the bullet and took a lukewarm (at least it wasn't ice cold since it was 5 degrees outside) shower, which wasn't too bad.
We are going to have to think twice about rating this place.
Day 21
The day started off a bit negative. Sam and I got into a bit of a fight after the boys had left. We tried to put our differences aside and went to Notting Hill for some sight-seeing. The antique shops and a few higher end shops along Portobella Street were interesting but by the time we reached the Portobello Market, it was pretty ordinary.
After a bout of lunch at a local restaurant, the food from which was also quite ordinary, we went back to the apartment, had a pit stop, and went back out to Soho for more shopping. I couldn't find anything I wanted to buy there, so we went to Espresso Bar Mozzino to for coffee, before we went to Liberty for Sam to buy yet more chocolate. I then bought a beautiful coat from Ted Baker on Regent Street.
In the evening, Dale, Sam, and I met up with my friend, Donald, for dinner. We went to Chinatown and picked a random restaurant, only that he couldn't eat much there because he had a recent operation and couldn't eat anything with any hint of spiciness. After dinner, we went to Said for hot chocolate and some really yummy gourmet chocolate.
We are now back in the apartment, waiting for the water system to reheat so that Sam could have his shower (I had mine just before we went to dinner and Dale had his just after we got back). So this is what it feels like living in the third world!
We got up relatively early this morning because it was a tour-free day and I wanted to visit a few places. After a bout of breakfast, the four of us took the Metro and went to Champs-Elysees. The idea was that I wanted to buy a wallet I found online ages ago that was only sold in Paris but on the way, we decided to go up the Arc De Triomphe. I was so glad that we went, it was a really great spot to visit, despite the 283 steps we had to climb! I would recommend anyone visiting Paris to go there - I reckon the views there were even better than that on the Eiffel Tower as recommended by my Blogger mate, Tom.
After our detour, we went to the shop I had ear-marked to buy my wallet, only to be told by the shop assistant that they didn't stock any of the wallets there. No matter. At least I had another mulled wine at the Christmas market before we got to the shop where I was told I couldn't get my wallet.
It was around lunch time by then, so the four of us had lunch at this place called Le President, where I had my second confit de canard (confit duck) here in Paris. The food here was really great. We all had very satisfying and tasty meals.
We split up with the boys after lunch so that Sam and I could go to Mont Blanc to see if we could find the wallet I wanted to buy there. No, they didn't have it either, so we wandered down the Champs-Elysees. We even popped into the 'mother ship', aka, Louis Vuitton, for a look and bought some coffee at Nespresso.
Despite the blatant consumerism on this famous Parisian stretch, armed guards were visible everywhere. Even shops had their own security guards that conducted security searches before one could visit the shop, which was curious to me - what would they do if they, say, discover a bomb? These were just security guards one may find in shopping centres. It was certainly weird to see them checking patrons' bags and scanning them for metal before shoppers were allowed to go into the shop.We then walked all the way down to Place De La Concorde and took some photos there. It was an experience to see the exact spot where Louise XVI and Marie Antoinette were beheaded during the French Revolution. Being a bit of a history hobbyist, it meant a lot to me to have seen these places with my own eyes.
On the way back, Sam and I walked through the Christmas market and Sam bought me an aluminium Eiffel Tower ornament - I can't wait to put it up at home when we get back.
We took the Metro and dropped into a supermarket on the way home to get a few grocery items. The photo on the right attempted to capture the neighbourhood in which our apartment was located. It was a really lovely spot. I think we picked really well when we booked it. When we got back to the apartment, I made us dinner and we are now all vegging out at various spots around the apartment. We have a half day tour at the Musee de Lourvre tomorrow. I can't wait!!!
Day 17
The day was glorious. We got up, got ready, and went to the Musee du Louvre for our tour. Okay, Sam wasn't feeling crash hot, probably because he couldn't sleep all night (the pillow in the room didn't agree with him) and he had caught Andy's cold. Even so, I was looking forward to this trip all week, so I was very enthused to get there. To put things in context, we went to the Lourvre three years ago but we only had limited time there (we were with a tour group then) and I had always wanted to go back. We bought a 3-hour audio guided tour and after that, we could get back in at any time for the rest of the day.
As expected, I was enthralled by the collections there. I can't put my sense of awe into words, other than to show you photos, which don't do justice to the place by any means:
In particular, the La Victoire de Samothrace still touched me when I saw it again with my own eyes. I literally had chills running down my spine looking at it from different angles, admiring the sense of freedom and liberation it exuded. Naturally, I went nuts taking photos of it from every angle I could manage:
About two hours later, the four of us were getting hungry, so we went to the museum cafe for lunch, which wasn't bad at all. My French worked with the wait staff and I got everything I asked for, which surprised me.
Andy left us at about 3 pm so he could return all the audio guide equipment to our tour guide while Dale, Sam, and I stayed behind and explored the museum some more. The place was so huge that even though we totally exhausted ourselves, walking up, down, left, right, and centre, we suspected that there were still lots we hadn't seen. Coupled with the fact that Sam wasn't feeling too well, we decided to say goodbye to this wonderful place and came back to the apartment.We did pick up a few grocery items on the way and I must admit I wanted to hang out longer but I didn't want Sam to get worse either, so we all got back here and called it a day. God knows when I would have the opportunity to visit the Louvre again but I did have my fair share today.
Day 18
Today was our last free day in Paris. We had to wake up very early tomorrow morning to go on our last scheduled tour before we had to head back to London for the last leg of our holiday.
I have been progressively falling in love with Paris. There is something about the pace and the rhythm of this city that agree with me. I love wandering around the many 'rues' and backstreets but despite these maze-like laneways, it is extremely easy to navigate around the city. The Metro is very easy to use as well. You virtually can't get lost in this city.Anyway, Sam wasn't feeling well this morning at all, so after making ourselves some breakfast, I went off by myself because I had an agenda I set for myself for the day. My first stop was Patrick Roger's chocolatier near the Odeon Metro station. I had never been there before (I didn't join the boys on their chocolate tour when we first got here) but it didn't take much for me to find it. After getting some really beautiful chocolate there (these are seriously one of the best chocolates I have ever tasted!!!), I walked over to the Notre Dame and took some pictures there.
I didn't go into the cathedral because you weren't allowed to take photos inside anyway, so I made my way back to to Pompidou Centre. However, I saw a queue outside the entrance, which turned me off trying to go in. Also, it was a bit of a nuisance carrying the bag of chocolate with me, so I decided to head back to our apartment. I ran into Dale and Andy on the way and they were heading for Pompidou Centre. I told them about the queue, so they went to Notre Dame instead.
After dropping off the chocolate and making sure that Sam was okay, I went back to Pompidou Centre to meet up with Andy and Dale. We went through the art gallery and found some interesting pieces there. There were also the usual pieces that made you think, "That's not art, my three year old cousin could have drawn that!". It was a great experience to walk through the gallery anyway but we were pining for coffee after going through two floors of art.
We found a restaurant nearby and I had a capaccino and a dozen of escargots for lunch just to get into the spirit of things, given that we were in France and all. After lunch, I said goodbye to the boys and wandered around the area for a while, progressively making my way back to the apartment. When I got tired, I dropped into the apartment to see how Sam was doing before I went back out one last time by myself to soak up the atmosphere of our neighbourhood, being acutely aware that this would the last time I would be wandering casually around the area. I am so going to miss this neighbourhood and Paris.
When I finally got back to the apartment, the boys were back by then. One thing I have learned from travelling with other people so far and living in close quarters with them is that everyone seems to kill time looking at YouTube videos of animals and funny things. I used to think it was only a 'Sam thing' at home and, to me, it was such an inane and time-wasting activity. In contrast, I am always watching a documentary or non-fiction TV shows because I always feel the need to be learning something. I had always assumed that everyone did the same thing as me in their leisure time but I now realise that I am in the minority.
Anyway, as agreed by all of us, we left the apartment at about 6 pm for dinner. We found a restaurant and was served by a very cute and lovely waiter. His fellow waiter was just as lovely and I couldn't really figure out if he was just being friendly or flirting with us. LOL. We had a great last dinner in Paris together. On the way back, Sam wanted to visit some chocolatiers. Given that I had walked around the area a number of times now, I knew exactly where they were and escorted the four of us to a few of them. Not surprisingly, Sam bought a whole bunch of chocolate.
So that was it - our last full day in Paris. I am really going to miss this place. For some reason, it has been an easy place for me to just be. I felt comfortable everywhere I went and despite the little amount of French I knew, I had no problems getting around and getting what I needed. There is something natural about this place for me. I feel free and the culture just seems to gel with me. I wouldn't be surprised, if there is such a thing as a past life, that I have lived here before in another life - and I will come back one day.
Day 19
Today was a sad day. Before the sun even came out, we got up, took our showers, and packed up our suitcases. At 7:30 am, our host came and let us put our suitcases in the storeroom outside our apartment so that we could go on our underground catacomb tour, which was expected to end after the normal check-out time.
We then proceeded to walk to a local Metro station and arrived at the station where we were meeting our private tour guide. We were too early, so we had coffee at a nearby cafe before making our way to the meeting point. We waited for about 40 minutes but our tour guide didn't turn up. We were just about to give up and were planning to do the tour ourselves when our tour guide finally showed up. Apparently, he only just found out he had to lead the tour (with just the four of us) at 8 am while he had to meet us at 9 am. He knew he was very late but he got a bit flustered and a bit too defensive. We all felt a bit put off by him.
However, once the tour started, he redeemed himself. He came across as a bitchy gay guy who was actually quite sarcastically funny. He was friendly and was very entertaining. We warmed to him quickly and I found myself liking him. He reminded us of sassy characters like Karen Walker in Will and Grace and managed to turn a ghoulish subject like the skulls and bones of 6.8 million dead Parisian underground to an amusing topic. We all enjoyed the tour very much.
After the tour, we grabbed some lunch at a nearby cafe before going back to the apartment to pick up our luggage. Then we went to the Gare Du Naud, waited to board the Eurostar, and finally arrived back in London this evening at about 5:30 pm.
After settling into our new AirBNB apartment, we went to a Thai restaurant downstairs to have dinner, which was very delicious. The lady running the joint had a lot of character and was very personable and the food was great. After dinner, we picked up a few things from a couple of shops and are now at the apartment to chill out and get ready for bed.I can't believe we are now on the last leg of our holiday already.
Day 20
We had a good night's sleep. Sam hadn't been sleeping well since the earlier days of the trip but he slept well last night, which made things a bit easier.
We got up at about 7:30 am and I cooked breakfast for us. After that, we tried to fix the shower because it was only lukewarm last night, which drove us both crazy. This was probably the worst and last of the four AirBNB places we booked. While Sam thinks this place sucks balls, I still think it is not a bad place, considering it is half the cost of a single hotel room and is very central (it is right on Oxford Street). Sam does get a bit dramatic with these things and lacks flexibility in rolling with the punches when we are travelling. I think it is good that he has to learn to be more flexible despite not having the usual luxuries at home.
Dale was now feeling a bit under the weather (fingers crossed, I am the only person who has not been sick since we started the trip), so he didn't go to the Camden Market with Andy, Sam, and me. The place was amazing - there was so much to see but there were so many people!!! There were stalls and stalls of merchandise, even though we couldn't really buy anything because it would not have been practical to drag some of those things home. We then got some lunch together, including a very yummy and piping hot mulled wine!
By the time we were done with the market, a lot more people turned up, which made simple walking forward impossible! So we ducked into the Tube to go to Harrods for some shopping. Truth be told, I was wanting to buy a wallet but we didn't really intend to do any serious shopping there. We just wanted to be able to say that we had been there. LOL. Not surprisingly, Andy got a bit bored not long after we got there, so he and Sam went back to the apartment while I wandered around for a while longer. Then I got bored as well and came back to the apartment, only to find that Andy and Sam had gone off to do some more shopping on Oxford Street.I am now going to chill out until dinner with our friend B who lives here tonight.
* * *
The dinner went well, even though B and his boyfriend took us to exactly the same places he took us to last time we were here three years ago. We went to Belgo for dinner and then to Kahve Dunyas for dessert.
Just when we thought we had a great night, we were met with a challenge - by the time Sam had his shower, which started becoming lukewarm, Dale lost hot water 5 minutes into his shower. By the time I got in, there was no hot water! Dale and I spent the next 15 minutes trying to work out the water heating system here. As it turned out from one of the reviews of this place on AirBNB, one person mentioned that only two people could get short hot showers at a time! This is unbelievable as they advertise that the place could accommodate up to 6 people! Anyway, I bit the bullet and took a lukewarm (at least it wasn't ice cold since it was 5 degrees outside) shower, which wasn't too bad.
We are going to have to think twice about rating this place.
Day 21
The day started off a bit negative. Sam and I got into a bit of a fight after the boys had left. We tried to put our differences aside and went to Notting Hill for some sight-seeing. The antique shops and a few higher end shops along Portobella Street were interesting but by the time we reached the Portobello Market, it was pretty ordinary.After a bout of lunch at a local restaurant, the food from which was also quite ordinary, we went back to the apartment, had a pit stop, and went back out to Soho for more shopping. I couldn't find anything I wanted to buy there, so we went to Espresso Bar Mozzino to for coffee, before we went to Liberty for Sam to buy yet more chocolate. I then bought a beautiful coat from Ted Baker on Regent Street.
In the evening, Dale, Sam, and I met up with my friend, Donald, for dinner. We went to Chinatown and picked a random restaurant, only that he couldn't eat much there because he had a recent operation and couldn't eat anything with any hint of spiciness. After dinner, we went to Said for hot chocolate and some really yummy gourmet chocolate.
We are now back in the apartment, waiting for the water system to reheat so that Sam could have his shower (I had mine just before we went to dinner and Dale had his just after we got back). So this is what it feels like living in the third world!
Comments
Post a Comment