paris part deux

I'm not a big traveler... but I guess I can't really say that anymore, now that I'm halfway across the globe from where I started! I planned a repeat weekend in Paris only because Mark was supposed to be in Houston for the week. He got very ill and wasn't able to take his flight, but agreed he wasn't sick enough for me to skip the cooking class I'd signed up for - THANKS Mark! It's safe to say 16 hours on a train in one week was plenty for me and I'll be content here for a while.

 

We were told to meet our chef at a specific metro stop, by the newspaper stand. She'd be rolling a green grocery bag (this is normal here - I think it's because everyone walks to get groceries and they are heavy) and do NOT be late!

 

Chef Constance took us to the...

 

fromagerie (cheese shop)

 she taught us the history of all cheeses and gave some suggestions on what to buy

that big block - BUTTER! she told us it would change our life, and it did!

the secret is it's made with raw milk - delicious!

 

boucherie (butcher)

the hanging rings are chorizo - also delicious!

I spared you photos of the meat  - they leave the heads, feet, eyes, EVERYTHING on so it's a bit frightening the first time you see it! I have yet to visit the butcher here - it's so intimidating.

 

poissonerie (fish market) - She told us it's a good idea to form a relationship with the market people so they give you the freshest things. She asked the man at the poissonerie to go to the back to get fresher salmon!

 

boulangerie (bakery)

 

fruit et legume (market for fruits and vegetables)

After we got all the goods, we headed to the kitchen to start cook'n with class!

My friend Amy and I sat closest to the oven/stove and chef (teacher's pets) so we got to be involved in a lot! It was a very hands on class with 6 students total.

 

On the menu:

entree (starter): salmon graviax

plat (American entree): chicken basquaise served on roasted peppers and chorizo with sauce

fromage (cheese) with bread

dessert: chocolate ganache tart

...and of course wine!



 

A few final product photos...

my entree - we all prepared our own

we had to bone some of the chicken - it's surprising no one lost a finger!

 

With very full stomachs, we decided to walk to Sacre Coeur because we were in the area. The map showed a lot of grey colored roads and we figured out this is what that meant...

 so many stairs! so many!

it looks like that guy wants to find an elevator

 

But as always, it was worth the trip up...

 

 It was such a clear day - we really wanted to go to the top of the tower for the 360 views of the city, but the tower was CLOSED. I'll have to go back again sometime.

 



 

set sail

A few shots from yesterday - it was a beautiful, windy afternoon!

spoiled rotten

feast your eyes on, most likely, the only peanut butter in Brittany...

awesome surprise - THANKS MOM - you're the best!

 

Yes - that's right everyone... the French have something against peanut butter and you can't buy it. Just one of the many things unavailable - I will save that list for another day.

 

Happy Valentine's Day early! I'm spoiling myself and heading back to Paris tomorrow morning for a cooking class on Friday - you can call me Julia Child when I return!

paris in winter

On Friday afternoon, we hopped on a train to Paris. The trip was mostly due to Mark being invited to a rugby match on Saturday night, but we decided to make a weekend of it - do some site seeing, visit some familiar Houstonian faces, and speak English in full sentences to someone other than ourselves!

We made it to the Arc de Triomphe right before dark

 and decided to climb all 284 stairs to the top...

 

 

you can just barely see Sacre Coeur (at the top of the hill) in the photo on the left

and back down.

 

It was pretty cold at the top of the Arc, but we decided to walk to the Eiffel Tower despite not being able to feel our fingers and toes. It seems in France if you just glance at the sky the wrong way, it starts raining. And it did. And we forgot our umbrellas at the hotel. We spotted a bar, Sir Winston's, with a sign for apertifs (before dinner drinks) and darted inside! After a Manhattan (for her) and some whiskey (for him), we were feeling a little warmer and continued on our trek!

 

 

We stumbled upon the BEST French food restaurant since we've arrived in France and even better - they had an ENGLISH menu!!! It was small, with only 9 tables and it seemed like everyone knew each other. The menus were written on large chalk boards - one side French, the other English - and the waiter would move them strategically around the restaurant near the ordering table so you could read it. After filling ourselves with escargot, wine, and dessert, everyone was up mingling, yelling "sante" (cheers) and sipping their digestifs (after dinner drinks) - including the owner! He was very interested to know where we were from, taught us a little French, and even gave us an digestif on the house! We will definitely be returning!

 

On Saturday, we visited the Cathedrale Notre Dame...

 the detail was beautiful!

 

 The cathedral bells are being replaced and a few were displayed inside.

This one weighed over 13,000lbs!

 

We also had time to see La Sainte-Chapelle, built in the 13th century. It's a shame not many people know about this - it's difficult to find, but one of the most breathtaking things I've ever seen. After climbing through a tight spiral staircase (hello claustrophobia), you turn the corner and WOW! - that's literally what came out of my mouth!

 

Stained glass fills every wall illustrating the Bible

 

 

Some of the windows are being restored so it was impossible to get a full picture of the inside.

 

Other highlights of the visit:

- Mark witnessed his first rugby match and the crowd chanted Allez les Bleus (Go Blue!) just like Michigan

- I got to enjoy a CHEESEBURGER! I didn't realize how much I was missing some American grub!

- We walked to the Louvre on Sunday

- It SNOWED!!!

 

As we were leaving, we both agreed that Paris is very different from where we live! Because of the tourism, there is a lot of English and more American-ized things. Don't get me wrong, it is France so moving there would still be a huge transition! There was also a little jealousy when our friends were talking about the ex-pat American groups they've joined and the friends they've made. We are pretty sure we are it for Americans in our city so we know there isn't much of a chance to make friends unless we become fluent in French! But it's also exciting to know that we are experiencing the real French lifestyle! It's nice that Paris is an easy weekend trip and I'm really looking forward to visiting again and seeing more sites when it gets warmer! I think the temperature is part of the reason this is called off-season!









hoarders - filming in our apartment

Our apartment currently looks like an episode of Hoarders. And that is NOT an exaggeration!

Santa's reindeer were on vacation... so he came via truck!

Yesterday at 9:00 on the dot this beauty rolled up in front of our apartment and you'd think there were circus animals inside by the amount of people stoppping to watch! They must not be used to this sort of moving technique.

It was quite the interesting process - since everything was packed up in Houston, the writing on the box was in English - the movers spoke "no English" or so they told me - so I had to play traffic conductor and point to where each box belonged. I learned a little French and the guys learned a little English along the way!

 

After unloading, before unpacking, they asked for cafe (coffee) and were not pleased when I didn't have any sucre (sugar) for them to use! American coffee and French cafe is very different!

The kitchen filled up quickly! It was my go-to place when I didn't know what was in the box... oops!

Let the unpacking begin!

How long does it take two Frenchmen and one American man to put together a tv stand?

This is where the hoarders reference comes in... every inch of counter is covered!

Good thing Mark worked in a cafeteria - he's got a lot of dishwashing to do!

Safe and sound - Mark's treasure, Brent Musburger made it...

and will soon find a home on a shelf amongst crystal bowls and other valuables.

In case you were worried, the Kirby Puckett bobble head also arrived - undamaged and bobbling.

 

All but one box is unpacked. This means there are bikes in the bedroom and a set of golf clubs in the bathroom! So far, we've only found one major scratch and been surprised with two wall hangings that were marked STORAGE in Houston! I guess they will be making a new home under a bed until the next move.

If getting all our stuff wasn't great, we also got some mail yesterday to top it off! Thanks to those who have sent some - I love getting mail! Now for that box from my mom... still waiting.

super bowl mondaaayyy

What's more American than BBQ ribs, potato skins, Oreos and Bud while watching the biggest NFL game of the year and judging the newest commercials? Not much when it's Super Bowl MONDAY in France! We decided to record the game and watch it last night to avoid waking up at 1:30am for kickoff - Mark tried waking up the night (or morning) before at 3:00am to tune into the Michigan v. Indiana game, but that ended in a recording too. It's pretty easy to avoid the outcome of the game when you live where football = soccer, but with the electricity fail in the Superdome, we were worried we'd have to Google the outcome anyway!

 

How was the food? Tasted pretty American! I even had to ask for travers de porc from the butcher. I said it ALL wrong, but through some repetition and sign language, I got what I needed. I guess the trick is to NOT say any ends of words, as it is pronounced trav-air de po-rh! It's counted as a point for me in my book!

 

It took a lot of power for my I'm from the midwest; I've hardly ever seen seashells; Oh my gosh, look at all these shells!!! self to not pick up all of these! I do believe I will be coming home with quite the collection though!

 

A few things that happened this weekend worth telling:

 

a) We ordered Chinese food in French... I'm not sure either of us thought we'd ever do that.

 

b) We bought our first car! It's pretty funny that neither of us had ever bought a car - we were just too loyal to our Nance and Civic. It wasn't as difficult as we thought it could have been. The salesman spoke little English, but he did explain that he had a friend who spoke English. So where was the friend? After leaving, doing a little more shopping, and returning, they let us test drive the car we were interested in... without anyone from the dealership! All they needed was my Texas driver's license and the keys were ours! We probably could have driven away except that we were test driving on fumes. After we got back, the salesman asked, "You talk to my friend in English?" We replied, "Oui" and he responded, "Ok, come." So we got in the car and he drove us to a local carwash where his friend was working - and he knew English. We asked the normal questions about the car and learned they don't bargain much in France and supposedly cars are completely scrapped when they get in an accident. After being offered a few cigarettes and kindly refusing, we got back in the car and told him we would buy it. We pick it up on Monday! Now for the insurance...

 

c) We stopped by a local movie theater hoping one of the shows would be in English - no luck! I guess we will stick to buying or renting off iTunes.

 

d) We enjoyed a fantastic Sunday dinner at Mickey D's. Neither of us would ever eat there if we were home, but I think we were both craving some "normalcy" and it hit the spot!

 

Only one more night on borrowed beds! I should just be thankful we got one - but tomorrow morning can't come soon enough!

 

I'm waiting for a box from my mom to be delivered from le poste - the truck keeps driving by slowwwlllyy... if only I knew how to get their attention. Maybe if I run after the van they will stop?!

pop some bubbly

and multiply this by... a LOT!

 

OUR STUFF HAS ARRIVED IN FRANCE and will be HERE ON WEDNESDAY!

WAHOO!

Thank goodness because we are both getting a little batty in this empy apartment!