Just got back from a lovely shopping trip with Sophie and we each came back with new outfits for new years! I actually got 2 dresses because, as Sophie said, "When will you be back in London again?" With my student discounts, total damages were only 63 pounds (about 100 dollars) for 2 party dresses, so it could have been a lot worse. Plus I'll always remember this trip by the 3 dresses I have now bought under the guidance of Sophia and her other friends from fashion school - a much better souvenir of my journey than a mug with big ben on it.
Tonight the big house party kicks off so we've got some cleaning to do around the house before we slip into our new outfits and ring in the new year!
Happy new year everyone!
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Monday, December 28, 2009
London Take 2
As of last night, I'm back in London with Sophie! She just turned 21, so in celebration we ordered in some great indian food, went shopping, and saw Sherlock Holmes. It was awesome! Tomorrow we're shopping in Camden and grabbing drinks with Quincy later in the evening. Then Wednesday we've got plans to go to a bar called 'Cheapskates' with Bonnie for their student night. Then of course Thursday is New Years and the girls are planning a house party. Thank God we'll have a weekend to recover and finish up all the schoolwork we still need to do!
I'm very busy but I'll try to keep the updates coming. It's almost a new year!
I'm very busy but I'll try to keep the updates coming. It's almost a new year!
Friday, December 25, 2009
Woke up to a great Naruto chapter that fullfilled hopes I had been holding onto for quite some time now! One of my favorite characters that was bound to never return to the page has just come back -- the best christmas gift ever! Sarah is still asleep so I'm off to explore a bit on my own. Then we're going to have a large christmas meal and come back to the hotel to skype with the family!
Merry American Christmas everyone!
Merry American Christmas everyone!
Thursday, December 24, 2009
fröhliche Weihnachten!
fröhliche Weihnachten from Germany! I've been having a wonderful white christmas with Quincz and can't wait to tell you about all the fun we've been having and the beautiful things we've seen. There are also quite a few hilarious stories involving things like liverwurst and misunderstandings through the language barrier, but I really am having a great time.
Today is christmas in Germany (they celebrate on the 24th) so Quincy and I picked up some groceries earlier and are planning a quiet night in with some MTV (the only English language channel in our hotel). I wish you all a very merry christmas! Sending lots of love your way!
Today is christmas in Germany (they celebrate on the 24th) so Quincy and I picked up some groceries earlier and are planning a quiet night in with some MTV (the only English language channel in our hotel). I wish you all a very merry christmas! Sending lots of love your way!
Monday, December 21, 2009
Munich day 1
I am right now in Burger King, the land of free internet in Munich, enjoying my 1 EUR coke zero and free internet which is allowing me to write a brief blog entry about my first day in Munich.
After 3 hours of delays in Paris, we finally took off and landed in Munich. The 3 hour wait was really not that terrible. The first hour of delays was in the gate, so I got to take advantage of the playstation system set up in the terminal. Then, once we got on the plane, there was a problem with a group of Japanese tourists, and even though every flight attendant was fluent in at least 5 languages, none of them spoke a word of Japanese. So I stepped up and decided to help sort them out. Apparently they had gotten confused about how the seating worked, and luckily I hadn't forgotten so much Japanese that I lost comand of my numbers, so I organized the tourists successfully.
On the flight, I got a free German beer, sat back, and napped until we landed in a white Munich! I knew I was in the right place because when I exited the airport to find myself already in the middle of a huge christmas market. Wurst, beer, craft booths, ice skating, everything! I walked through the market on my way to the S-Bahn which took me into the city center and to my hotel.
The hotel is gorgeous -- and to top it off, while I was checking in, the receptionist put out a plate of cookies and told me to "help yourself anytime!" Seriously?!?! I don't know if this is a Christmas tradition or if they do this year round, but I love it!
I settled into my hotel before I got a visit from Al, my australian friend that I met in brussels, who invited me out to tour the city and have some good german food and beer at the haufbrahaus. I wanted to go to this beer hall and figured it would be a good place to kick off my trip. After a quick tour of the city, we toured the Haufbrahaus which deserves a good 15 minute walk around itself. There are 3 levels, a beer garden, lots of good german bands, and women carrying huge glasses of beer in beermaid outfits! When the music gets good, the men start banging their steins on the table and singing along. Amazing!
We ended up finding two seats on a long bench on the first level, which is the most casual/ least formal part of the building. I grabed a liter (the smallest they sell it!) of the Haufbrahaus original (you got to start somewhere) and a plate of german sausages. The beer was so good, but with the huge glass stein, it was so heavy! How do these women cary 8 of these in one hand!?
We enjoyed ourselves thoroughly talking about our travels, what we've been up to since Brussels, and quoting 'Bloodsport' back and forth more and more as the steins got less and less full. When we finally left, we found ourselves in the middle of a huge pile of snow. It was snowing! After a significant amount of snowball fights, we went to grab some more drinks at the local "Australian bar" where I learned that no Australian in his right mind would ever drink fosters. We then headed next door to the Irish bar where karaoke was in full force. Yes folks, I found an Irish pub with Karaoke. It was the mecca of all irish pubs.
After some time there, we went in search of a bar near my hotel, called "the Gap" but we found it closed. So we decided we would go to sleep and see eachother at another time.
I woke up this morning at around 11am and still love munich -- everything is covered in snow! Can't wait for Quincy's arrival!
After 3 hours of delays in Paris, we finally took off and landed in Munich. The 3 hour wait was really not that terrible. The first hour of delays was in the gate, so I got to take advantage of the playstation system set up in the terminal. Then, once we got on the plane, there was a problem with a group of Japanese tourists, and even though every flight attendant was fluent in at least 5 languages, none of them spoke a word of Japanese. So I stepped up and decided to help sort them out. Apparently they had gotten confused about how the seating worked, and luckily I hadn't forgotten so much Japanese that I lost comand of my numbers, so I organized the tourists successfully.
On the flight, I got a free German beer, sat back, and napped until we landed in a white Munich! I knew I was in the right place because when I exited the airport to find myself already in the middle of a huge christmas market. Wurst, beer, craft booths, ice skating, everything! I walked through the market on my way to the S-Bahn which took me into the city center and to my hotel.
The hotel is gorgeous -- and to top it off, while I was checking in, the receptionist put out a plate of cookies and told me to "help yourself anytime!" Seriously?!?! I don't know if this is a Christmas tradition or if they do this year round, but I love it!
I settled into my hotel before I got a visit from Al, my australian friend that I met in brussels, who invited me out to tour the city and have some good german food and beer at the haufbrahaus. I wanted to go to this beer hall and figured it would be a good place to kick off my trip. After a quick tour of the city, we toured the Haufbrahaus which deserves a good 15 minute walk around itself. There are 3 levels, a beer garden, lots of good german bands, and women carrying huge glasses of beer in beermaid outfits! When the music gets good, the men start banging their steins on the table and singing along. Amazing!
We ended up finding two seats on a long bench on the first level, which is the most casual/ least formal part of the building. I grabed a liter (the smallest they sell it!) of the Haufbrahaus original (you got to start somewhere) and a plate of german sausages. The beer was so good, but with the huge glass stein, it was so heavy! How do these women cary 8 of these in one hand!?
We enjoyed ourselves thoroughly talking about our travels, what we've been up to since Brussels, and quoting 'Bloodsport' back and forth more and more as the steins got less and less full. When we finally left, we found ourselves in the middle of a huge pile of snow. It was snowing! After a significant amount of snowball fights, we went to grab some more drinks at the local "Australian bar" where I learned that no Australian in his right mind would ever drink fosters. We then headed next door to the Irish bar where karaoke was in full force. Yes folks, I found an Irish pub with Karaoke. It was the mecca of all irish pubs.
After some time there, we went in search of a bar near my hotel, called "the Gap" but we found it closed. So we decided we would go to sleep and see eachother at another time.
I woke up this morning at around 11am and still love munich -- everything is covered in snow! Can't wait for Quincy's arrival!
Saturday, December 19, 2009
** Oh it's magic, you know **
Tonight was my last in Paris for two weeks, but it was also one of my favorites.
It started out with a Christmas concert featuring an organ, a children's choir, and lots of great christmas music. Then we went to a café where I had a vin chaud and warmed up before getting in line to check out ice skates. The hotel de ville has a free ice skating rink, and you can rent a pair of skates for 5 EUR if you don't happen to have your own. Not too bad! We hung out and skated for a while until the frostbite started to set in, at which point we decided to walk over to Au Pied du Cochon for a bowl of the naughty stuff: the BEST french onion soup in Paris. It tates like butter and the cheese baked on top could be a meal in and of itself.
We quickly sat ourselves down, ordered a pair of bowls and gorged. Feeling warm and full, we went for a walk through the snow-covered louvre, down the seine, into the latin quarter, past the Fontaine St. Michel, and Notre Dame before heading home to a warm apt and a cold glass of beer.
What a perfect night.
Germany tomorrow!
It started out with a Christmas concert featuring an organ, a children's choir, and lots of great christmas music. Then we went to a café where I had a vin chaud and warmed up before getting in line to check out ice skates. The hotel de ville has a free ice skating rink, and you can rent a pair of skates for 5 EUR if you don't happen to have your own. Not too bad! We hung out and skated for a while until the frostbite started to set in, at which point we decided to walk over to Au Pied du Cochon for a bowl of the naughty stuff: the BEST french onion soup in Paris. It tates like butter and the cheese baked on top could be a meal in and of itself.
We quickly sat ourselves down, ordered a pair of bowls and gorged. Feeling warm and full, we went for a walk through the snow-covered louvre, down the seine, into the latin quarter, past the Fontaine St. Michel, and Notre Dame before heading home to a warm apt and a cold glass of beer.
What a perfect night.
Germany tomorrow!
Friday, December 18, 2009
Travel Plans
It's hard to believe it, but it's been snowing in Paris. Everything is covered in a light powder and the Christmas markets are out. There's an ice skating rink at the Hotel de Ville that I'm planning to go to tomorrow, and a whole bunch of arcades are set up all along Bastille (so I can get my button mashing fix).
It's also been snowing in Germany, where I will be this Sunday! I arrive around noon, take the 45 minute train to the hotel, check in, and then plan to meet up with one of the guys I met on my trip to Brussels. Although he's Australian, he's been in Europe for a long time now and knows Munich pretty well. He's going to be there Sunday as well and offered to show me around the city. Exciting!
Then Sarah is set to arrive on Monday and the two of us are bound to have fun making snow balls, snow men, and snow angels like the little kids we really are. I haven't planned out much more than that for Munich, but I know whatever we do it will be fun, so I'm just keeping myself open.
Then on the 26th, it's a flight back to Paris where I'll get to meet up with my friend Bailey, who will be visiting from London. Bailey always seems to be doing something fun, so I'm sure whatever we do will be awesome. After a nice visit, I have a day to do my laundry and pack for london. Sophie turned 21 while I've been in Paris, so I can't wait to see her and celebrate her birthday as well as New Years with some champagne, fois gras, and delicious French cheese that I'll be putting into one giant suitcase.
And then, I'm going to Dijon on Jan 8th. Just a little cherry on top. Sure to be an exciting few weeks, I'll try to keep you updated.
It's also been snowing in Germany, where I will be this Sunday! I arrive around noon, take the 45 minute train to the hotel, check in, and then plan to meet up with one of the guys I met on my trip to Brussels. Although he's Australian, he's been in Europe for a long time now and knows Munich pretty well. He's going to be there Sunday as well and offered to show me around the city. Exciting!
Then Sarah is set to arrive on Monday and the two of us are bound to have fun making snow balls, snow men, and snow angels like the little kids we really are. I haven't planned out much more than that for Munich, but I know whatever we do it will be fun, so I'm just keeping myself open.
Then on the 26th, it's a flight back to Paris where I'll get to meet up with my friend Bailey, who will be visiting from London. Bailey always seems to be doing something fun, so I'm sure whatever we do will be awesome. After a nice visit, I have a day to do my laundry and pack for london. Sophie turned 21 while I've been in Paris, so I can't wait to see her and celebrate her birthday as well as New Years with some champagne, fois gras, and delicious French cheese that I'll be putting into one giant suitcase.
And then, I'm going to Dijon on Jan 8th. Just a little cherry on top. Sure to be an exciting few weeks, I'll try to keep you updated.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Queen
This week is Taylor, my roommate's, last week in Paris. To make sure she gives the city it's proper goodbye, tonight we're heading over to ladies night at Queen, a popular bar/ dance club on the Champs Elysées. Queen really does ladies night right: free entry, a makeover, and 5 cosmos for anyone without a Y chromosome. Lucky us!
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Learning to drive
Today I learned what driving is really like. I could have watched as much anime as I wanted, read as many theoretical books, talked to as many professionals as were out there, and I still wouldn't have learned what I learned today.
Today I learned to see the road differently. I learned to see the road as something that I don't need to follow, but something that I can use. Instead of looking at where I am, I look at where I'm going to be, where I want to be, and how to get there by using the road but not necessarily by following it.
I learned how to pick my own path out of the track that's been given me, to manipulate the road to my own needs. It was a whole new way of seeing things. I saw my own eyes change.
I learned how to push the engines to their limits, stop my foot from hovering over the break, how to keep pushing harder and faster against all possible logic, how to not let the speed get in the way of my path, how to use that speed to make my path better.
I learned that the worst thing that can happen is that you spin out, recover, and start again. It's not that bad. And you learn from it.
I learned what it feels like to have a guy pass you and how to take that frustration and turn it into something valuable. I learned to copy his lines, to drive behind him and figure out his secret.
I learned what it feels like to pass someone and know that you took the right path. Know that you didn't get caught up in the moment and follow the mistakes they made. Know that you don't conform so easily, that you're not that malleable.
Just hours earlier, I had seen a baby cow that was born that morning, I had seen the eyes of a little boy open wide with curiosity as I showed him my house in Santa Monica on GoogleMaps, I had screamed out my lungs across la Loire and heard my echo call me back, but nothing compared to this experience that changed how I now see driving and changed how I see the world.
Today I learned to see the road differently. I learned to see the road as something that I don't need to follow, but something that I can use. Instead of looking at where I am, I look at where I'm going to be, where I want to be, and how to get there by using the road but not necessarily by following it.
I learned how to pick my own path out of the track that's been given me, to manipulate the road to my own needs. It was a whole new way of seeing things. I saw my own eyes change.
I learned how to push the engines to their limits, stop my foot from hovering over the break, how to keep pushing harder and faster against all possible logic, how to not let the speed get in the way of my path, how to use that speed to make my path better.
I learned that the worst thing that can happen is that you spin out, recover, and start again. It's not that bad. And you learn from it.
I learned what it feels like to have a guy pass you and how to take that frustration and turn it into something valuable. I learned to copy his lines, to drive behind him and figure out his secret.
I learned what it feels like to pass someone and know that you took the right path. Know that you didn't get caught up in the moment and follow the mistakes they made. Know that you don't conform so easily, that you're not that malleable.
Just hours earlier, I had seen a baby cow that was born that morning, I had seen the eyes of a little boy open wide with curiosity as I showed him my house in Santa Monica on GoogleMaps, I had screamed out my lungs across la Loire and heard my echo call me back, but nothing compared to this experience that changed how I now see driving and changed how I see the world.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Greetings from Bourgogne
I have eaten more in the past 24 hours than I have eaten in the past 2 weeks in Paris, I think. It's so relaxing, but I do worry about fitting into my clothes by the end of the weekend!
Tonight we ate fois gras and are planning to set up a Christmas tree. It also snowed for about 1 minute! Apparently snow will be arriving on Sunday with the Christmas market. YAY!
Tonight we ate fois gras and are planning to set up a Christmas tree. It also snowed for about 1 minute! Apparently snow will be arriving on Sunday with the Christmas market. YAY!
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Bad day turned good
Today started off pretty shitty but ended amazingly well!
I overslept, and in a hurry to get to school on time, I accidentally left my sandwich on the metro! I was really bummed because it was in one of my cute tupperware containers and I really wanted to take it home as a souvenir. However, I got a kick out of thinking of the Parisian police finding this sandwich and stopping the entire ligne 4 because of a "paquet suspet."
But my day got much better when I found out my French test was postponed until Monday. After class I had coffee with a French friend and got to catch up on our lives (we hadn't seen each other for a year and a half!). It was really great to see this friend, and I even got invited to spend a weekend in Burgundy! I really can't say no -- he has a car and is willing to drive me down on thursday night, after my photo exhibition -- how do you say no to that?
To top it all off, when I came home, I found my sandwich waiting for me! I guess I had never taken it out of the apt at all!
Maybe it's the coffee, maybe it's the sandwich, maybe it's burgundy, I don't know -- but things feel pretty damn awesome right now despite the hellish amounts of work I have to do for school!
Onward and outward!
I overslept, and in a hurry to get to school on time, I accidentally left my sandwich on the metro! I was really bummed because it was in one of my cute tupperware containers and I really wanted to take it home as a souvenir. However, I got a kick out of thinking of the Parisian police finding this sandwich and stopping the entire ligne 4 because of a "paquet suspet."
But my day got much better when I found out my French test was postponed until Monday. After class I had coffee with a French friend and got to catch up on our lives (we hadn't seen each other for a year and a half!). It was really great to see this friend, and I even got invited to spend a weekend in Burgundy! I really can't say no -- he has a car and is willing to drive me down on thursday night, after my photo exhibition -- how do you say no to that?
To top it all off, when I came home, I found my sandwich waiting for me! I guess I had never taken it out of the apt at all!
Maybe it's the coffee, maybe it's the sandwich, maybe it's burgundy, I don't know -- but things feel pretty damn awesome right now despite the hellish amounts of work I have to do for school!
Onward and outward!
Monday, December 7, 2009
Back in Paris (again!)
Got in this morning and I'm already back at school! Such is the life of a student abroad.
This weekend was amazing -- I got to hang out with old friends, make new friends, dye my hair, drink amazingly delicious beer, and go shopping (there was a LOT of good shopping in Camden, as my Aunt Vickie had properly forewarned me). I absolutely love my friend, Sophia's, flatmates: Bonnie and Dani. The four of us really bonded and had some great times together. Staying with Sophie meant we could cook for ourselves a lot, and we took advantage of her amazing kitchen to do things we haven't done since high school: make brownies!
But aside from chilling in the flat, we got to go out quite a bit and show off the new outfits we had gotten shopping at vintage markets in Camden and at London's famous Topshop, where both Bonnie and Dani work. Hanging out in London's pub scene, I met some great people and had a lot of laughs. The nightlife is quite fun. :) I'll post pictures soon.
I'm thinking of going back for New Years, and possibly forever. But until then, I have to finish up some schoolwork and go to Munich. I know, it's a rough life.
This weekend was amazing -- I got to hang out with old friends, make new friends, dye my hair, drink amazingly delicious beer, and go shopping (there was a LOT of good shopping in Camden, as my Aunt Vickie had properly forewarned me). I absolutely love my friend, Sophia's, flatmates: Bonnie and Dani. The four of us really bonded and had some great times together. Staying with Sophie meant we could cook for ourselves a lot, and we took advantage of her amazing kitchen to do things we haven't done since high school: make brownies!
But aside from chilling in the flat, we got to go out quite a bit and show off the new outfits we had gotten shopping at vintage markets in Camden and at London's famous Topshop, where both Bonnie and Dani work. Hanging out in London's pub scene, I met some great people and had a lot of laughs. The nightlife is quite fun. :) I'll post pictures soon.
I'm thinking of going back for New Years, and possibly forever. But until then, I have to finish up some schoolwork and go to Munich. I know, it's a rough life.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Joyeuese Noel
The hotel de ville has more sparkles than a drag queen's eyelids.
It is December first, 6pm, and the city is already in Christmas frenzy.
How do I know this? Well since I'm traveling so much this month, I've decided to forgo the usual unlimited monthly metro pass for the "carnet" (a pack of 10 tickets). That means I have to use the metro less than 50 times this month in order for me to save money. So I've been walking a lot. And tonight, on my walk home, I saw this city become one giant disco ball.
Only 2 more days until London!!!
Christmas in Paris does bring better food, though. Vin chaud anyone? It's pretty much the best alternative to apple cider I've found anywhere.
It is December first, 6pm, and the city is already in Christmas frenzy.
How do I know this? Well since I'm traveling so much this month, I've decided to forgo the usual unlimited monthly metro pass for the "carnet" (a pack of 10 tickets). That means I have to use the metro less than 50 times this month in order for me to save money. So I've been walking a lot. And tonight, on my walk home, I saw this city become one giant disco ball.
Only 2 more days until London!!!
Christmas in Paris does bring better food, though. Vin chaud anyone? It's pretty much the best alternative to apple cider I've found anywhere.
Monday, November 30, 2009
back in paris
I'm back in Paris and feeling exhausted but also pretty karaoké deprived. Although I want to do some singing tonight, I can tell I'm probably going to watch a movie, drink some tea, and crash. Singing along should be enough of an apératif for the karaoké to follow in the next couple of days.
In Brussels, I got my friend Sarah a pack of belgian chocolates, so now the new project is figuring out how to ship these to her. My instinct says "bubble wrap" but I somehow doubt that would be successful. According to the Aussi boys, I think "like a bloke" and I do "bloke-y things." I have a sneaking suspicion this bubble wrap idea is another one of those times... Only one way to find out, though!
Now the only thing left to do is make sure I don't contract a deadly illness before this weekend's london trip to see Sophia and Sarah. Both seem to have awesome things planned for me, but I haven't even really thought about it that much. I'm just excited to get there and check everything out.
In Brussels, I got my friend Sarah a pack of belgian chocolates, so now the new project is figuring out how to ship these to her. My instinct says "bubble wrap" but I somehow doubt that would be successful. According to the Aussi boys, I think "like a bloke" and I do "bloke-y things." I have a sneaking suspicion this bubble wrap idea is another one of those times... Only one way to find out, though!
Now the only thing left to do is make sure I don't contract a deadly illness before this weekend's london trip to see Sophia and Sarah. Both seem to have awesome things planned for me, but I haven't even really thought about it that much. I'm just excited to get there and check everything out.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Despite having somehow lost 3 articles of clothing somewhere in this city, I'm so sad to leave. I've met such great people, had such a fun time, and I am dreading the return back to Paris. There've been late nights of snowball fights, bar brawls, dancing on stages, battling for kababs, and of course lots of drinking and loads of other things I couldn't even remember if I tried. There've been great days christmas markets, yummy waffels, chocolate factories, and grabbing what the Aussi boys call "a greaser."
Tonight I said goodbye to this city with a waffle, some fries, and a series of trappist beers. I didn't even know how good beer could be until I came here.
Tonight I did a tasting of 4 trappists: Westmalle (dubbel), Orval, Trappistes Rochefort 10, Chimay. I'll try to report my findings to you once I have more time.
Goodbye Brussels, hello again Paris.
Can't wait for London.
Tonight I said goodbye to this city with a waffle, some fries, and a series of trappist beers. I didn't even know how good beer could be until I came here.
Tonight I did a tasting of 4 trappists: Westmalle (dubbel), Orval, Trappistes Rochefort 10, Chimay. I'll try to report my findings to you once I have more time.
Goodbye Brussels, hello again Paris.
Can't wait for London.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Brussels day 2
Don't have much time to write, but wanted to check in.
Having a great time in Brussels meeting a lot of great people from around the world and going to lots of interesting bars. Right now I'm hanging out 3 Australian guys who work in design, two Canadians, and a girl from Jersey. We're going out tonight and then the plan is to make breakfast together in the morning (there's a kitchen in the hostel).
Interesting things about Brussels:
The numbers here are different than in Paris. Instead of "soixante-dix" they say "septante." It's kind of annoying because I swear I couldn't understand how much my dress cost the other day until I looked at the little screen. (The dress is a cute grey little thing that I got at HandM. I got a belt, too. And a necklace. Hey -- it was you guys who told me to shop a little!).
The appropriate response to "Merci" is "s'il vous plaît" and not "je vous en pris" like it is in Paris. This really throws me off guard everytime I say "thank you" and someone says something that I thought meant, "please."
Having a great time in Brussels meeting a lot of great people from around the world and going to lots of interesting bars. Right now I'm hanging out 3 Australian guys who work in design, two Canadians, and a girl from Jersey. We're going out tonight and then the plan is to make breakfast together in the morning (there's a kitchen in the hostel).
Interesting things about Brussels:
The numbers here are different than in Paris. Instead of "soixante-dix" they say "septante." It's kind of annoying because I swear I couldn't understand how much my dress cost the other day until I looked at the little screen. (The dress is a cute grey little thing that I got at HandM. I got a belt, too. And a necklace. Hey -- it was you guys who told me to shop a little!).
The appropriate response to "Merci" is "s'il vous plaît" and not "je vous en pris" like it is in Paris. This really throws me off guard everytime I say "thank you" and someone says something that I thought meant, "please."
Friday, November 27, 2009
Brussels!
Arrived in Brussels.
It's beautiful, everything is decorated for Christmas and people prefer speaking English than French. Every other store is a bar or a chocolate shop. The streets are wide, clean, and manageable. Not overcrowed to the point where I take an elbow or a briefcase to the stomach every 3 seconds like I do in Paris. To top this off, there's an actual breakfast menu at McDonalds. That's right. Hot hashbrowns. Not just croissants, not just muffins. Actual breakfast. Pancakes. Egg McMuffins. Everything. I love it, though it does make me miss Ray's quite a bit.
Why didn't I study abroad here? Can I switch now? Or at least spend every weekend here?
I've been equipped with a map, but it seems almost unnecessary since there's no way to get lost here -- everything leads to the center.
Right now I'm staring a beautiful building called, "Bourse" and about to head into some reading and relaxation. I really don't want to spend a lot of time on my computer here, so this may be my last update for a couple days.
It's beautiful, everything is decorated for Christmas and people prefer speaking English than French. Every other store is a bar or a chocolate shop. The streets are wide, clean, and manageable. Not overcrowed to the point where I take an elbow or a briefcase to the stomach every 3 seconds like I do in Paris. To top this off, there's an actual breakfast menu at McDonalds. That's right. Hot hashbrowns. Not just croissants, not just muffins. Actual breakfast. Pancakes. Egg McMuffins. Everything. I love it, though it does make me miss Ray's quite a bit.
Why didn't I study abroad here? Can I switch now? Or at least spend every weekend here?
I've been equipped with a map, but it seems almost unnecessary since there's no way to get lost here -- everything leads to the center.
Right now I'm staring a beautiful building called, "Bourse" and about to head into some reading and relaxation. I really don't want to spend a lot of time on my computer here, so this may be my last update for a couple days.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Ménilmontant
Had a marvelous day walking around the 11th with Philippe and Nathan. We were later joined by others, some new friends, some old friends, and some complete strangers. I really like this neighborhood. Everyone was so nice to me. The guys working construction by the metro even stopped their crane in mid-lift for me just so I could get a perfect shot. In this way, even the construction didn't bother me. In some ways, it reminded me of home, and seemed to go all too well with the soundtrack on my ipod.
It's amazing how music can change your mood. I may struggle to get out of bed for half an hour, but the moment "It's my life" comes on, I'm literally twirling and skipping down to the metro. Everything is amazing. My mind clears of any extraneous thoughts, and I get to live. And living is pretty awesome. Bon Jovi was --shocker-- absolutely right. It is my life, after all.
Some highlights of the afternoon included getting crowned a princess, crowned a pompier (fire fighter), and sliding down a steep hill on a bright red chair in front of a sign that said, "le bon plaisir." It couldn't have been more appropriate.
After drinking a nice cold beer at lunch, I finished printing a lot of photos for my expo coming up. I felt very accomplished to see them all formally framed and nice looking.
Finally, I met up with Sam for a night of Thanksgiving (0r as the French say, "Sanksgeeveen"). We chowed down on all the traditional favorites: mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn bread, stuffing, turkey, and cranberry sauce. Of course, the real star of the evening was the pumpkin pie. Mhmm pumkin.
Now I'm packing up my bag for what is sure to be an awesome weekend in Bruxelles. Before I leave, I just wanted to wish a Happy Thanksgiving to everyone out there. I have a lot for which to be thankful and a lot of people in my life who deserve my biggest thanks. So thank you. :)
It's amazing how music can change your mood. I may struggle to get out of bed for half an hour, but the moment "It's my life" comes on, I'm literally twirling and skipping down to the metro. Everything is amazing. My mind clears of any extraneous thoughts, and I get to live. And living is pretty awesome. Bon Jovi was --shocker-- absolutely right. It is my life, after all.
Some highlights of the afternoon included getting crowned a princess, crowned a pompier (fire fighter), and sliding down a steep hill on a bright red chair in front of a sign that said, "le bon plaisir." It couldn't have been more appropriate.
After drinking a nice cold beer at lunch, I finished printing a lot of photos for my expo coming up. I felt very accomplished to see them all formally framed and nice looking.
Finally, I met up with Sam for a night of Thanksgiving (0r as the French say, "Sanksgeeveen"). We chowed down on all the traditional favorites: mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn bread, stuffing, turkey, and cranberry sauce. Of course, the real star of the evening was the pumpkin pie. Mhmm pumkin.
Now I'm packing up my bag for what is sure to be an awesome weekend in Bruxelles. Before I leave, I just wanted to wish a Happy Thanksgiving to everyone out there. I have a lot for which to be thankful and a lot of people in my life who deserve my biggest thanks. So thank you. :)
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Café Delmas!
Went to a café with some new French friends after class -- we grabbed coffee at a very chic café on rue mouffetard. Loved the ambiance there, great vibe. Everyone is kind, and for the first time the waiters smiled real smiles. One even winked ;) Got to love a good French clin d'oeil.
I almost wish life could have a soundtrack -- like speakers could follow me everywhere so I could dance around to "Pour some sugar on me" without having to hold on to my ipod while everyone around me stares and wonders what crazy american song I'm listening to. I've considered bringing speakers on the metro at times -- I mean, the performers do it and then ask for money -- what if I put on even better music for free? Could you really say no to blasting "Rocket" on the ligne 4?
Now I'm prepping for what is sure to be a crazy night of karaoké. Then it's photo class tomorrow, Thanksgiving dinner with Sam, and a good night's sleep before the crazy awesome time that is sure to be my weekend in Bruxelles! Bring on the moules, frites, and bière!
I almost wish life could have a soundtrack -- like speakers could follow me everywhere so I could dance around to "Pour some sugar on me" without having to hold on to my ipod while everyone around me stares and wonders what crazy american song I'm listening to. I've considered bringing speakers on the metro at times -- I mean, the performers do it and then ask for money -- what if I put on even better music for free? Could you really say no to blasting "Rocket" on the ligne 4?
Now I'm prepping for what is sure to be a crazy night of karaoké. Then it's photo class tomorrow, Thanksgiving dinner with Sam, and a good night's sleep before the crazy awesome time that is sure to be my weekend in Bruxelles! Bring on the moules, frites, and bière!
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
A very Amélie-style walk followed by some retail therapy
After doing my homework, I realized that I needed to buy 2 more books before the end of the semester. Considering that this weekend I'll be in Bruxelles, and next weekend I'll be in Londres, I decided to bite the bullet and buy them now. Luckily these are my last two books for the semester, so I wont have to worry about shelling out any more cash -- or worse, filling up my bags on the way home with books.
I was initially going to take the metro, but I had put on what I thought was a very cute outfit, the weather was nice for the first time in days, and I really didn't want to make that hellish transfer at Châtelet, so I walked. It's been a while since I've gotten to go on these long walks with no time schedule. It reminded me of when I was in high school and I would walk home every day. It was on those walks that I wrote my best essays, my best poems, my best prose. I worked out everything in my head and was simultaneously inspired by the world around me. I can't say I wrote an essay or a poem on this walk, but it was a similar feeling. I put in my écouteurs (earphones), put on some Whitesnake, and zoned out.
I felt so Amélie-like. Usually when I walk around, I have a direction, I walk quickly and swerve in and out of people like boxer dodging attacks. Today I meandered. When I saw a homeless man, I stopped and gave him one of my twixes. When I saw tourists, I didn't roll my eyes and act all upset that they were clogging up the streets -- instead, I smiled at all of them, and offered to take a picture of each and every one who was struggling to get both themselves and Notre Dame into the tiny little frame of their point-and-shoot held at an armslength away. I'd like to think that I helped make these people's trips more memorable and enjoyable. If not that, at least their photos came out better.
What inspired me to go on a quest of good-doing instead of sulking? I don't know. I think the christmas air has something to do with it. Everyone's setting up -- all the big displays are finally up. The Champs Elysée is ridiculous (it's like disneyland but with hot cider and hot wine) and the giant christmas tree was getting installed in front of Notre Dame as I walked by today. Even the hotel de ville is getting decorated as if it were a suburban house in California -- christmas lights and all.
But christmas didn't just inspire me to lighten up and be kind to people, it also inspired me to do what christmas is intended to inspire all women to do: shop. As soon as I peeked into the store, i realized it was a bad idea. As great as retail therapy feels, I realized that my be-kind-to-others therapy was a lot more cost effective. I did get a pair of over-the-knee boots that I enjoy, but 35 EUR is a lot to spend. I suppose I could have done worse and accidentally stepped into the Louis Vitton store, but nonetheless, I will not be going into another store any time soon!
Anyway, the boots are very cute and I'll try to post photos soon.
Now I'm back at home, sinking into some reading with a glass of wine.
I was initially going to take the metro, but I had put on what I thought was a very cute outfit, the weather was nice for the first time in days, and I really didn't want to make that hellish transfer at Châtelet, so I walked. It's been a while since I've gotten to go on these long walks with no time schedule. It reminded me of when I was in high school and I would walk home every day. It was on those walks that I wrote my best essays, my best poems, my best prose. I worked out everything in my head and was simultaneously inspired by the world around me. I can't say I wrote an essay or a poem on this walk, but it was a similar feeling. I put in my écouteurs (earphones), put on some Whitesnake, and zoned out.
I felt so Amélie-like. Usually when I walk around, I have a direction, I walk quickly and swerve in and out of people like boxer dodging attacks. Today I meandered. When I saw a homeless man, I stopped and gave him one of my twixes. When I saw tourists, I didn't roll my eyes and act all upset that they were clogging up the streets -- instead, I smiled at all of them, and offered to take a picture of each and every one who was struggling to get both themselves and Notre Dame into the tiny little frame of their point-and-shoot held at an armslength away. I'd like to think that I helped make these people's trips more memorable and enjoyable. If not that, at least their photos came out better.
What inspired me to go on a quest of good-doing instead of sulking? I don't know. I think the christmas air has something to do with it. Everyone's setting up -- all the big displays are finally up. The Champs Elysée is ridiculous (it's like disneyland but with hot cider and hot wine) and the giant christmas tree was getting installed in front of Notre Dame as I walked by today. Even the hotel de ville is getting decorated as if it were a suburban house in California -- christmas lights and all.
But christmas didn't just inspire me to lighten up and be kind to people, it also inspired me to do what christmas is intended to inspire all women to do: shop. As soon as I peeked into the store, i realized it was a bad idea. As great as retail therapy feels, I realized that my be-kind-to-others therapy was a lot more cost effective. I did get a pair of over-the-knee boots that I enjoy, but 35 EUR is a lot to spend. I suppose I could have done worse and accidentally stepped into the Louis Vitton store, but nonetheless, I will not be going into another store any time soon!
Anyway, the boots are very cute and I'll try to post photos soon.
Now I'm back at home, sinking into some reading with a glass of wine.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Karaoké take 2
So I thought I would try another karaoké place tonight, but I ended up not being able to find it. So instead I went back to Rive Droite and was pleasantly surprised to find a very small audience. Phew I thought, I can try some of the harder songs with out pressure. It was great. The DJ remembered me, my name, made me feel right at home. When I signed up for the song I sang last night, he told me he was glad I was going to sing it again.
Somewhere in between Brenda Lee and Patsy Cline, a group of men came in and sat down at a long table. They asked me if I was alone and suggested I come join them. I figured my French could use the practice (they were talking really quickly and really casually). The boys were from Nice, except one who's been living in NY and another who is 1/2 Italian. They were all really nice to me about my singing, even the girls who eventually came about 30 minutes later. I got along really well with one of the girls. We kind of had a heart-to-heart, "girl talk" if you will, in French and it was really nice to hear what she had to say.
All of the people, except and handful, were REALLY good singers. At one point, the DJ put on hallelujah, tried singing the first verse, gave up, and handed it to some random kid wearing clothes that would have him stereotyped as a "thug" in the US. I did not expect to hear the beautiful voice that came out of this man. It was so inspiring.
Popular hits of the night included, "I'm Yours" and "Mercy" as well as "I can show you the world" in French.
I know I'm still not a great singer, and that I butcher many a note, but this is way too fun, and everyone is so nice. Hopefully I'll get better and then it won't only be fun for me :) Though the DJ told me to stop apologizing before I sing... maybe that means I'm getting better?
Somewhere in between Brenda Lee and Patsy Cline, a group of men came in and sat down at a long table. They asked me if I was alone and suggested I come join them. I figured my French could use the practice (they were talking really quickly and really casually). The boys were from Nice, except one who's been living in NY and another who is 1/2 Italian. They were all really nice to me about my singing, even the girls who eventually came about 30 minutes later. I got along really well with one of the girls. We kind of had a heart-to-heart, "girl talk" if you will, in French and it was really nice to hear what she had to say.
All of the people, except and handful, were REALLY good singers. At one point, the DJ put on hallelujah, tried singing the first verse, gave up, and handed it to some random kid wearing clothes that would have him stereotyped as a "thug" in the US. I did not expect to hear the beautiful voice that came out of this man. It was so inspiring.
Popular hits of the night included, "I'm Yours" and "Mercy" as well as "I can show you the world" in French.
I know I'm still not a great singer, and that I butcher many a note, but this is way too fun, and everyone is so nice. Hopefully I'll get better and then it won't only be fun for me :) Though the DJ told me to stop apologizing before I sing... maybe that means I'm getting better?
Brussels
I kind of need to get out of Paris, so I decided to spontaneously buy tickets to Brussels this weekend. I'll be going from Friday the 27th until Monday (morning) the 30thThe train tickets ended up being too cheap to say no to: 87 EUR round trip? At the last minute? It was kind of a no brainer. And it was all made possible by my loving family and their generous birthday presents! Thanks, guys!
I plan on eating lots of chocolate and waffles, moules frites (mussels and fries), and drinking some beer that was brewed by monks. This seems to be a big trend in Belguim, every beer seems to be the product of on abbayé or another.
After that weekend, I'll be here during the week doing some school work and then leaving on the 3rd (at night) to go to London to see my friends Sophie and Sarah. All in all, these next two weeks seem to be full of fun trips. I'll be sure to take tons of photos.
I plan on eating lots of chocolate and waffles, moules frites (mussels and fries), and drinking some beer that was brewed by monks. This seems to be a big trend in Belguim, every beer seems to be the product of on abbayé or another.
After that weekend, I'll be here during the week doing some school work and then leaving on the 3rd (at night) to go to London to see my friends Sophie and Sarah. All in all, these next two weeks seem to be full of fun trips. I'll be sure to take tons of photos.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Crazy
Dear friends and family,
I am sorry to have concerned you with my last post. My rupture with this city was in no way supposed to make you worry that I was going to launch myself off of the seine. I am simply no longer in love with Paris.
On the contrary, I've found a new love: singing. I went to karaoké (the french spelling) tonight and sang in public for the first time in my life. As someone who only lip-synchs even to happy birthday, this was a big deal. I sang a Pasty Cline song, written by the great Willie Nelson:
Crazy, crazy for feelin' so lonely
Yes I'm crazy, crazy for feelin' so blue.
I knew, you'd love me as long as you wanted.
And then someday,
You'd leave me for somebody new.
Worry, why do I let myself worry,
Wonderin', what in the world did I do?
Crazy, for thinkin'
That my love could hold you.
I'm crazy for tryin,
And crazy for cryin',
And I'm crazy for lovin you.
Crazy, for thinkin'
That my love could hold you.
I'm crazy for tryin'
And crazy for cryin'
And I'm crazy for lov-ovin you.
I was terrified, but as I let my fears and butterflies go, I got to sing my heart. As a dancer, I usually experience this feeling in a different way. This was very refreshing.
I'll be looking for other places to sing in Paris. Edith Piaf did ok for herself and I don't think she liked this place much either.
In other news, I miss pancakes. With maple syrup.
I am sorry to have concerned you with my last post. My rupture with this city was in no way supposed to make you worry that I was going to launch myself off of the seine. I am simply no longer in love with Paris.
On the contrary, I've found a new love: singing. I went to karaoké (the french spelling) tonight and sang in public for the first time in my life. As someone who only lip-synchs even to happy birthday, this was a big deal. I sang a Pasty Cline song, written by the great Willie Nelson:
Crazy, crazy for feelin' so lonely
Yes I'm crazy, crazy for feelin' so blue.
I knew, you'd love me as long as you wanted.
And then someday,
You'd leave me for somebody new.
Worry, why do I let myself worry,
Wonderin', what in the world did I do?
Crazy, for thinkin'
That my love could hold you.
I'm crazy for tryin,
And crazy for cryin',
And I'm crazy for lovin you.
Crazy, for thinkin'
That my love could hold you.
I'm crazy for tryin'
And crazy for cryin'
And I'm crazy for lov-ovin you.
I was terrified, but as I let my fears and butterflies go, I got to sing my heart. As a dancer, I usually experience this feeling in a different way. This was very refreshing.
I'll be looking for other places to sing in Paris. Edith Piaf did ok for herself and I don't think she liked this place much either.
In other news, I miss pancakes. With maple syrup.
Love note
Dear Paris,
I realize we started off with such great promise. I was romanced by you, and felt all of the great hope that most lovers have when the first begin a relationship.
But now I realize how cruel you are, and your streets no longer make me sigh. Instead I feel like throwing up.
I'm sorry but it's over. I hate you. You can now go ruin someone else's life.
Sincerely,
Emily
I realize we started off with such great promise. I was romanced by you, and felt all of the great hope that most lovers have when the first begin a relationship.
But now I realize how cruel you are, and your streets no longer make me sigh. Instead I feel like throwing up.
I'm sorry but it's over. I hate you. You can now go ruin someone else's life.
Sincerely,
Emily
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Tuileries and the mediathéque at the Musée d'art et d'histoire du judaisme
Photo class started at the jardin de tuileries, the giant gardens right behind the louvre. We continued our assignment on "statues" and were assigned a new homework assignment: create a story.
During the lunch break, Philippe took some students to Paris Photo, one of the premier photo exhibitions in the world. The student price is still expensive at 7 EUR, so I decided not to try and cram my visit into the 2 hour period before photolab. Instead I went to the mediathéque (media libaray) at the Musée d'art et d'histoire de judaisme to gather some more material for my multicultural France class.
After spending some time with some DVDs, I went to photolab where I worked on my self portraits. Then I got to interview Nancy Vermes as part of my interview project for my Multicultural France class.
After school, I caught up with Jay who just finished visiting with Richard, who just got back from his trip to the US. He was really jetlagged, so we just said hi before he took off to catch up on much needed Zzzs.
Jay and I got some delicious greek sandwiches and fries and finished the night with a simpson's episode.
Tomorrow: Paris photo!
Total Damages today:
1 baguette: 90 centimes
1 sandwich and fries: 4,50
2 bottles of wine: 4,30
During the lunch break, Philippe took some students to Paris Photo, one of the premier photo exhibitions in the world. The student price is still expensive at 7 EUR, so I decided not to try and cram my visit into the 2 hour period before photolab. Instead I went to the mediathéque (media libaray) at the Musée d'art et d'histoire de judaisme to gather some more material for my multicultural France class.
After spending some time with some DVDs, I went to photolab where I worked on my self portraits. Then I got to interview Nancy Vermes as part of my interview project for my Multicultural France class.
After school, I caught up with Jay who just finished visiting with Richard, who just got back from his trip to the US. He was really jetlagged, so we just said hi before he took off to catch up on much needed Zzzs.
Jay and I got some delicious greek sandwiches and fries and finished the night with a simpson's episode.
Tomorrow: Paris photo!
Total Damages today:
1 baguette: 90 centimes
1 sandwich and fries: 4,50
2 bottles of wine: 4,30
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Louvre
Went to class.
Then went to the Louvre with Jay.
Chili with crème fraiche for dinner.
Life in Paris is just that awesome.
Total Damages today:
1 baguette: 90 centimes
1 drink and 8 cookies: 75 centimes
1 bottle of champagne (Algeria just beat Egypt!): 1,38
Then went to the Louvre with Jay.
Chili with crème fraiche for dinner.
Life in Paris is just that awesome.
Total Damages today:
1 baguette: 90 centimes
1 drink and 8 cookies: 75 centimes
1 bottle of champagne (Algeria just beat Egypt!): 1,38
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
"Day Off"
Ah morning. I wake up and walk down to Biatrix with Taylor, stopping by Franprix on the way home to pick up some tomatoes at an unbeatable price, 2 potatoes, and a bottle of orange juice. Baguette in hand, I am ready to start what was supposed to be my day off.
First, I went into school where I had a chat with the director of study abroad from CMC, one of my school's sister colleges. It made me realize how much I would love her job. In the past three weeks, this woman has been everywhere, trailing her poor husband behind her. God I'm jealous. I asked her what her background was, and she told me that after studying abroad in Paris, she joined the Peace Corps and taught English in Africa. I'm starting to think I should listen to my mother and at least look at the Peace Corps application...
After thinking about my dream job, I picked up a snack and headed to Philippe's photo studio to shoot my self portrait. It was a large and arduous struggle with the flash, the lighting, my make-up, the props, and the tripod, but I think I ended up with some decent photos. Floriane, my photoshop teacher and fashion guru, told me that she liked some of the shots -- that made me feel pretty acomplished.
After photo, I ran back to school where I had a meeting with my professor. After that, I ran upstairs to finish some reading before taking an RER to the cité universitaire where Natalie, our activities director, was cooking up some maccaroni. This dinner was a little like the first dinner I had at the cité -- it's supposed to be part socializing with French students, part language exchange (the French students are studying English, we study French). I was really lucky because the people I met and got along with last time were there again, and we got to talk a bit more. They are absolutely hilarious. One of the girls was talking about men who were hitting on her and said something that roughly translates to, "I think he only wanted two very specific parts of our bodies to be come friends that night." Another girl looks at her and sarcastically responds, "your hands?" I swear I rarely laugh so hard.
By the end of the night, we all caught the RER home together, exchanged emails, and exchanged the traditional kisses on the cheek ("on a fait la bise"). It's nice to know that there are some French students who I get along well with, and who feel comfortable enough with me to let me into their circle. Hopefully I'll get to know them a little better as time goes on.
Now I'm exhausted (what a "day off") and need to sleep, but alas there is more Balzac to attend to!
Total Damages today:
groceries (4 tomatoes, 2 large potatoes, 1 bottle orange juice): 1,72
1 baguette: 85 centimes
madeleines: 1,15
First, I went into school where I had a chat with the director of study abroad from CMC, one of my school's sister colleges. It made me realize how much I would love her job. In the past three weeks, this woman has been everywhere, trailing her poor husband behind her. God I'm jealous. I asked her what her background was, and she told me that after studying abroad in Paris, she joined the Peace Corps and taught English in Africa. I'm starting to think I should listen to my mother and at least look at the Peace Corps application...
After thinking about my dream job, I picked up a snack and headed to Philippe's photo studio to shoot my self portrait. It was a large and arduous struggle with the flash, the lighting, my make-up, the props, and the tripod, but I think I ended up with some decent photos. Floriane, my photoshop teacher and fashion guru, told me that she liked some of the shots -- that made me feel pretty acomplished.
After photo, I ran back to school where I had a meeting with my professor. After that, I ran upstairs to finish some reading before taking an RER to the cité universitaire where Natalie, our activities director, was cooking up some maccaroni. This dinner was a little like the first dinner I had at the cité -- it's supposed to be part socializing with French students, part language exchange (the French students are studying English, we study French). I was really lucky because the people I met and got along with last time were there again, and we got to talk a bit more. They are absolutely hilarious. One of the girls was talking about men who were hitting on her and said something that roughly translates to, "I think he only wanted two very specific parts of our bodies to be come friends that night." Another girl looks at her and sarcastically responds, "your hands?" I swear I rarely laugh so hard.
By the end of the night, we all caught the RER home together, exchanged emails, and exchanged the traditional kisses on the cheek ("on a fait la bise"). It's nice to know that there are some French students who I get along well with, and who feel comfortable enough with me to let me into their circle. Hopefully I'll get to know them a little better as time goes on.
Now I'm exhausted (what a "day off") and need to sleep, but alas there is more Balzac to attend to!
Total Damages today:
groceries (4 tomatoes, 2 large potatoes, 1 bottle orange juice): 1,72
1 baguette: 85 centimes
madeleines: 1,15
Monday, November 16, 2009
Why is it STUDY abroad, again?
Ah yes, the lovely Monday. Oh Monday, I really missed the amount of schoolwork you brought into my life last week. I really enjoy waking up at 8am to buy books and then read them before my 4.5 hour chunk of class time between 1:30 and 6pm. Oh wait. I don't.
Still, there is something to enjoy about Monday in Paris. Since most everything shuts down on Sunday (except certain parts of the Marais), Monday mornings are like the awaking of a city that was on temporary hibernation. It's a rebirth of sorts, where the city comes alive again. The boulangeries bustle at 7am, the metros run every 2 minutes, and I don't feel unusual stationing myself for 3 hours on a park bench with a copy of Césaire's "discours sur le colonialism" and a chocolate pastry.
At 10 am today, I waited outside Gibert Joseph to pick up this little sliver of a book (at the ridiculous price of 5 euros) and an "occasion" copy of 3 short story's by my favorite French author: Gustave Flaubert.
I've been in love with Flaubert ever since I picked up an ancient copy of Madame Bovary. I remember my Aunt Bibi thumbing through the pages before stopping upon her favorite passage in the book, which has now become my own favorite passage. Even in English, the man wrote to my heart. Every word I uncovered from the yellowed and dirty pages of my book seemed like a pearl that ready to pop out of an oyster. I drenched myself in his writing and delved into the life of this woman, Emma Bovary, who I felt I already knew.
Needless to say, this novel is the reason I decided to take a literature class in Paris. Up until this point, I've just been gritting my teeth and bearing the Balzac until I could finally put my hands around my very own French copy of Madame Bovary. Just holding this book makes me want to go to a café and sip something warm while I sink into a wicker chair. Schoolwork has never made me this excited.
Of course, it's not just about Bovary. My teacher wants us to read other short stories by Flaubert -- hence the trip to GJ this morning. I hope I enjoy them as much as Madame Bovary, but to tell the truth, I'm not exactly ready to gobble them up. Nonetheless, I got the 3 stories for 1,3o -- less than my cost of food for the day -- so if they nourish my soul half as much as Madame Bovary has, I'll be very happy.
Class was, well class. But I got some good errands done, too. I reserved Jay and my spots at "Susan's place" for Thanksgiving. Susan's Place is a traditional American restaurant that does a big Thanksgiving dinner. We're both going to miss the holiday and our families, so we decided we might as well not miss out on the food as well! We're expecting much turkey, stuffing, and pies!
I also got sort of raked into coming into school again tomorrow to meet the head of study abroad programs from CMC. I didn't want to go (it's my day off from school and I already had scheduled 2 meetings with professors), but they made it sound like such a big deal that I couldn't say no. Hopefully it will be a simple meeting accompanied by coffee and cake. :) Afterwards, as I mentioned, I have to go into the photo lab to do a self portrait (I'll post pics later) and then meet with my French teacher in the afternoon. Yikes! Some "day off" this is!
All in all, I had a nice day. Now I'm going to do some work like a good student!
Total damages today:
2 books: 6,40 EUR
1 baguette, 1 chocolate pastry: 2,10
Still, there is something to enjoy about Monday in Paris. Since most everything shuts down on Sunday (except certain parts of the Marais), Monday mornings are like the awaking of a city that was on temporary hibernation. It's a rebirth of sorts, where the city comes alive again. The boulangeries bustle at 7am, the metros run every 2 minutes, and I don't feel unusual stationing myself for 3 hours on a park bench with a copy of Césaire's "discours sur le colonialism" and a chocolate pastry.
At 10 am today, I waited outside Gibert Joseph to pick up this little sliver of a book (at the ridiculous price of 5 euros) and an "occasion" copy of 3 short story's by my favorite French author: Gustave Flaubert.
I've been in love with Flaubert ever since I picked up an ancient copy of Madame Bovary. I remember my Aunt Bibi thumbing through the pages before stopping upon her favorite passage in the book, which has now become my own favorite passage. Even in English, the man wrote to my heart. Every word I uncovered from the yellowed and dirty pages of my book seemed like a pearl that ready to pop out of an oyster. I drenched myself in his writing and delved into the life of this woman, Emma Bovary, who I felt I already knew.
Needless to say, this novel is the reason I decided to take a literature class in Paris. Up until this point, I've just been gritting my teeth and bearing the Balzac until I could finally put my hands around my very own French copy of Madame Bovary. Just holding this book makes me want to go to a café and sip something warm while I sink into a wicker chair. Schoolwork has never made me this excited.
Of course, it's not just about Bovary. My teacher wants us to read other short stories by Flaubert -- hence the trip to GJ this morning. I hope I enjoy them as much as Madame Bovary, but to tell the truth, I'm not exactly ready to gobble them up. Nonetheless, I got the 3 stories for 1,3o -- less than my cost of food for the day -- so if they nourish my soul half as much as Madame Bovary has, I'll be very happy.
Class was, well class. But I got some good errands done, too. I reserved Jay and my spots at "Susan's place" for Thanksgiving. Susan's Place is a traditional American restaurant that does a big Thanksgiving dinner. We're both going to miss the holiday and our families, so we decided we might as well not miss out on the food as well! We're expecting much turkey, stuffing, and pies!
I also got sort of raked into coming into school again tomorrow to meet the head of study abroad programs from CMC. I didn't want to go (it's my day off from school and I already had scheduled 2 meetings with professors), but they made it sound like such a big deal that I couldn't say no. Hopefully it will be a simple meeting accompanied by coffee and cake. :) Afterwards, as I mentioned, I have to go into the photo lab to do a self portrait (I'll post pics later) and then meet with my French teacher in the afternoon. Yikes! Some "day off" this is!
All in all, I had a nice day. Now I'm going to do some work like a good student!
Total damages today:
2 books: 6,40 EUR
1 baguette, 1 chocolate pastry: 2,10
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Saturday, November 14, 2009
The missing blogs
Paper: turned in.
So, aside from schoolwork, here's what I've been up to for the past few days:
Sarah arrived on Monday morning. I met her at the train station with a baguette and the customary "Bienvenue à Paris!" She looked very European in a green trench coat and black suede boots, a fact that made me realize that I, too, looked pretty European. Sarah called my outfit, "French," though I think I looked more like a flight attendant. I wore long black boots, a leather mini, black sweater with a silk bow tied around my neck, my new grey blazer, and the new hat, pinned into my hair. This is something I'd never wear in LA, but something that felt very natural here.
After dropping off her stuff and eating some baguette and cheese, I took Sarah to Notre Dame de Paris where I dropped her off before running to class. That night in front of Notre Dame, I ran into my roommate, Taylor, and the two of us waited to meet Sarah before returning home. Sarah was starved for something hot and delicious, so I took her to my local pita shop for some pita and frites. Yum! We got to talk a lot about our abroad experiences -- it was really nice to hear about England.
We returned home to plan out our trip to Versailles. I don't have class on Tuesdays, so we thought it would be the perfect time to go. As round trip tickets are about 6 EUR, you really want to make a day out of your trip to Versailles. As we later figured out, we could have even brought lunch with us (they have a complementary bag check, if you want to bring food).
After getting off to somewhat of a late start, we arrived in Versailles at 10am. After some negotiating with the ticket guys, Sarah and I got in for free and trotted along to the entry to the chateau with our Rick Steeves guidebook in hand. We noticed we were not the only tourists accompanied by mr. steeves.
On our way into the building, we noticed there was some random modern art on display amoung the golden gates and cobblestone courtyards. We were not superfans, especially in this setting.
We began our tour with the aid of Rick Steeves, but ended up just following the pack of tourists with audio guides and took in the sites ourselves. Points of interest in the castle: the hall of mirrors, the room of war and room of peace on either end, the king and queen's chambers, the gambling room. There's also quite a large gallery of wall-sized paintings of battles which chronicle Napolian's rise from Emperor to General, as well as some interesting things from Louis-Phillipe's era, but Sarah and I were mostly interested in the extravagance that was Louis and Marie Antoinette.
Sarah and I spent a lot of time redecorating our dream houses -- the decorating at Versailles was incredible. I loved the wallpaper and the draperies. Not to mention the chandeliers and chairs.
We were lucky and didn't get any rain, so we followed up our chateau tour with a jaunt about the gardens. Lets just say we got a workout -- these gardens are HUGE! We decided to head over to the domaine de Marie Antoinette for a tour of her little playhouse and gardens (we got in for free yet again). I was surprised to find that I prefered this part of our visit to the Chateau. The cottage was gorgeous -- pretty luxerious for a cottage -- and all of the great artifacts were on full display. My favorite room was (surprise surprise) the kitchen, which still had all the brass cookware on display.
After a visit to the cottage, we explored the gardens. We began at the "temple of love," cracked a few jokes, and headed on to the Queen's hamlet. It was pretty clear why Marie Antoinette had spent so much money making this fully functional imitation farm village and why her subjects became so enraged with her because of it. The place was clearly a playland. The best words Sarah and I could come up with were: "mini golf." It was that fake, that quaint, and that adorable.
We enjoyed walking around amoung the swans, the overwhelming adorableness, and the beautiful scenery.
At around 3, we got pretty hungry and barely made it back to the metro without a snack from the nearby mc donalds. We snagged baguettes and chowed down before hitting up the musée carnavalet before closing. The museum is free and packed full of incredible art and artifacts from the middle ages, to the revolution, to modern art. We enjoyed not only the art, but the building itself, which is an old hotel particulier.
After the musée, we hit up the best french onion soup place in Paris: Au Pied du Chochon. A pot of the good cheesy mess costs about 7 EUR, but is more than I could ever eat. I will definitely be going back here. The restaurant is also 24 hours, so you can go whenever you want -- this is a big deal as the Mc Donalds here aren't even 24 hours!
During our trip to the latin quarter, I took Sarah to a place I was sure she would remember: the latin corner. I had orignially heard about this place from Sam, but I was still unprepared for the experience. Sarah and I arrived at 8:30 for happy hour and the bar seemed normal enough, except that bras were hanging from the ceiling and every waiter was wearing a shirt that said, "fuck me?" on the back.
We ordered our drinks and expected to meet up with Sarah's friends later, so we took our time. At 9:30, however, something changed. We were handed sparklers, the euro-beat started blasting, and the waiters started taking off their clothes! Sarah and I couldn't help but laugh as they were wearing Calvin Klein underpants -- only in Europe! We witnessed was was surely the batchelorette of the night recieve a very creative drink (and lap dance) from one of the bar tenders and then decided we'd had enough man-butt for one night.
Wednesday began with a quick walk around the Luxembourg gardens, some croissants for breakfast, and a tour of the quartier montparnasse. I then left Sarah while I went to school for a couple hours and met up with her again just in time to hit the louvre. Being a holiday (armastice day) we only had enough time to catch the Venus de Milo and the Jacconde, though I encouraged Sarah to return on Thursday morning since our tickets were free. Post-louvre, we went to Montmartre and hit up the moulin rouge, the café deux moulins (from Amélie), Sacre Coeur, and a crêpe stand.
Thursday morning meant photo class, so I took Sarah to the Louvre and headed off to a critique. I met Sarah later for lunch where we had falafels at the best falafel place: l'as du falafel on rue des rosiers. YUM. I then sent her off to the Eiffel tower where she was to meet Jay who was just coming back from Brussels. I love the my friends and my boyfriend get along so well -- I'm sure they had a good time touring the tour together.
Friday was move-in day for Jay, and while I was touring Saint Denis for my sociology class, Jay made himself right at home in a cute little apt. in the 11th. :D
Today we've been relaxing together while I finished up some work.
Total Damages Saturday:
1 banana nutella crêpe: 3,50
1 baguette: ,90
3 frozen pizzas: 1,50
Photos are up at http://s818.photobucket.com/albums/zz101/E_Grossman/
I'll post to blog soon.
So, aside from schoolwork, here's what I've been up to for the past few days:
Sarah arrived on Monday morning. I met her at the train station with a baguette and the customary "Bienvenue à Paris!" She looked very European in a green trench coat and black suede boots, a fact that made me realize that I, too, looked pretty European. Sarah called my outfit, "French," though I think I looked more like a flight attendant. I wore long black boots, a leather mini, black sweater with a silk bow tied around my neck, my new grey blazer, and the new hat, pinned into my hair. This is something I'd never wear in LA, but something that felt very natural here.
After dropping off her stuff and eating some baguette and cheese, I took Sarah to Notre Dame de Paris where I dropped her off before running to class. That night in front of Notre Dame, I ran into my roommate, Taylor, and the two of us waited to meet Sarah before returning home. Sarah was starved for something hot and delicious, so I took her to my local pita shop for some pita and frites. Yum! We got to talk a lot about our abroad experiences -- it was really nice to hear about England.
We returned home to plan out our trip to Versailles. I don't have class on Tuesdays, so we thought it would be the perfect time to go. As round trip tickets are about 6 EUR, you really want to make a day out of your trip to Versailles. As we later figured out, we could have even brought lunch with us (they have a complementary bag check, if you want to bring food).
After getting off to somewhat of a late start, we arrived in Versailles at 10am. After some negotiating with the ticket guys, Sarah and I got in for free and trotted along to the entry to the chateau with our Rick Steeves guidebook in hand. We noticed we were not the only tourists accompanied by mr. steeves.
On our way into the building, we noticed there was some random modern art on display amoung the golden gates and cobblestone courtyards. We were not superfans, especially in this setting.
We began our tour with the aid of Rick Steeves, but ended up just following the pack of tourists with audio guides and took in the sites ourselves. Points of interest in the castle: the hall of mirrors, the room of war and room of peace on either end, the king and queen's chambers, the gambling room. There's also quite a large gallery of wall-sized paintings of battles which chronicle Napolian's rise from Emperor to General, as well as some interesting things from Louis-Phillipe's era, but Sarah and I were mostly interested in the extravagance that was Louis and Marie Antoinette.
Sarah and I spent a lot of time redecorating our dream houses -- the decorating at Versailles was incredible. I loved the wallpaper and the draperies. Not to mention the chandeliers and chairs.
We were lucky and didn't get any rain, so we followed up our chateau tour with a jaunt about the gardens. Lets just say we got a workout -- these gardens are HUGE! We decided to head over to the domaine de Marie Antoinette for a tour of her little playhouse and gardens (we got in for free yet again). I was surprised to find that I prefered this part of our visit to the Chateau. The cottage was gorgeous -- pretty luxerious for a cottage -- and all of the great artifacts were on full display. My favorite room was (surprise surprise) the kitchen, which still had all the brass cookware on display.
After a visit to the cottage, we explored the gardens. We began at the "temple of love," cracked a few jokes, and headed on to the Queen's hamlet. It was pretty clear why Marie Antoinette had spent so much money making this fully functional imitation farm village and why her subjects became so enraged with her because of it. The place was clearly a playland. The best words Sarah and I could come up with were: "mini golf." It was that fake, that quaint, and that adorable.
We enjoyed walking around amoung the swans, the overwhelming adorableness, and the beautiful scenery.
At around 3, we got pretty hungry and barely made it back to the metro without a snack from the nearby mc donalds. We snagged baguettes and chowed down before hitting up the musée carnavalet before closing. The museum is free and packed full of incredible art and artifacts from the middle ages, to the revolution, to modern art. We enjoyed not only the art, but the building itself, which is an old hotel particulier.
After the musée, we hit up the best french onion soup place in Paris: Au Pied du Chochon. A pot of the good cheesy mess costs about 7 EUR, but is more than I could ever eat. I will definitely be going back here. The restaurant is also 24 hours, so you can go whenever you want -- this is a big deal as the Mc Donalds here aren't even 24 hours!
During our trip to the latin quarter, I took Sarah to a place I was sure she would remember: the latin corner. I had orignially heard about this place from Sam, but I was still unprepared for the experience. Sarah and I arrived at 8:30 for happy hour and the bar seemed normal enough, except that bras were hanging from the ceiling and every waiter was wearing a shirt that said, "fuck me?" on the back.
We ordered our drinks and expected to meet up with Sarah's friends later, so we took our time. At 9:30, however, something changed. We were handed sparklers, the euro-beat started blasting, and the waiters started taking off their clothes! Sarah and I couldn't help but laugh as they were wearing Calvin Klein underpants -- only in Europe! We witnessed was was surely the batchelorette of the night recieve a very creative drink (and lap dance) from one of the bar tenders and then decided we'd had enough man-butt for one night.
Wednesday began with a quick walk around the Luxembourg gardens, some croissants for breakfast, and a tour of the quartier montparnasse. I then left Sarah while I went to school for a couple hours and met up with her again just in time to hit the louvre. Being a holiday (armastice day) we only had enough time to catch the Venus de Milo and the Jacconde, though I encouraged Sarah to return on Thursday morning since our tickets were free. Post-louvre, we went to Montmartre and hit up the moulin rouge, the café deux moulins (from Amélie), Sacre Coeur, and a crêpe stand.
Thursday morning meant photo class, so I took Sarah to the Louvre and headed off to a critique. I met Sarah later for lunch where we had falafels at the best falafel place: l'as du falafel on rue des rosiers. YUM. I then sent her off to the Eiffel tower where she was to meet Jay who was just coming back from Brussels. I love the my friends and my boyfriend get along so well -- I'm sure they had a good time touring the tour together.
Friday was move-in day for Jay, and while I was touring Saint Denis for my sociology class, Jay made himself right at home in a cute little apt. in the 11th. :D
Today we've been relaxing together while I finished up some work.
Total Damages Saturday:
1 banana nutella crêpe: 3,50
1 baguette: ,90
3 frozen pizzas: 1,50
Photos are up at http://s818.photobucket.com/albums/zz101/E_Grossman/
I'll post to blog soon.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Papers and Sarah and Tourism eat up my life!
I've been very busy with school and my friend Sarah, who recently visited me in Paris. Together we visited Versailles, the Louvre, le musée carnavalet, and had a lot of great laughs. I'll certainly update with pictures when I finish this last paper.
Here are my expenses for the past couple of days:
baguette: 85 centimes
sandwich and fries: 5
best french onion soup in Paris: 7
1 pint of beer at latin corner: 4
1 round trip metro to Versailles: 6
1 baguette: 85 centimes
1 chocolate bar and 1 espresso: 1,30
2 bottles of wine: 2,70
1 palmier: 80
1 nutella banana crepe in montmartre: 4,50
1 falafel: 5
1 baguette: 85 centimes
1 orange juice and 1 apple: 75 centimes
Here are my expenses for the past couple of days:
baguette: 85 centimes
sandwich and fries: 5
best french onion soup in Paris: 7
1 pint of beer at latin corner: 4
1 round trip metro to Versailles: 6
1 baguette: 85 centimes
1 chocolate bar and 1 espresso: 1,30
2 bottles of wine: 2,70
1 palmier: 80
1 nutella banana crepe in montmartre: 4,50
1 falafel: 5
1 baguette: 85 centimes
1 orange juice and 1 apple: 75 centimes
Monday, November 9, 2009
London here I come
Just bought roundtrip train tickets to london for 87 euros! Being under 26 really has its advantages.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Birthday Night and back to the grind
Saturday was a great birthday!
Jay and I began our day slowly, cleaning up after the birthday festivities from the night before. We had some leftover "birthday cake" (an AMAZINGly delicious fruit tart that Jay bought me from a bakery) and headed out. Stop one: printing out Jay's train and hostel information for his trip to Brussels this week. Stop 2: the greek sandwich shop. Stop 3: the mall.
That's right, ladies. I am not only lucky enough to have a boyfriend who buys me cute clothes for my birthday, but one who is willing to tag along with me as I ooh and ahh and try on every other item I see. It was such a great present -- a day inside and away from the rain, looking at all the christmas displays and coming home with some great new clothes. I got a blazer (I've been wanting one of these for so long and this one is PERFECT -- it fits perfectly, it's warm, and stylish!) and a hat (another thing that is as much useful as it is pretty). Here are some pics of me wearing my new clothes:
Wearing the blazer and hat
Blazer buttoned up with the scarf my mom sent --
a much more equestrian look that goes great with my boots.
After our shopping excursion, we came back home where I got a great phone call from my dad and mom, wishing me a happy birthday. It was so nice to hear their voices.
Jay and I then took off to celebrate with dinner at Léon de Bruxelles, a chain restaurant that functions like the Olive Garden or Chilis, but specialises in mussels and belgian beer. The TVA (the group that controls the tax on restaurants in France) just lowered the taxes, which means all of the restaurants are lowering their prices (tax is included in pretty much everything in Paris). For our dining purposes, this meant we could have a bucket of mussels each, unlimited french fries, and 2 pints of beer for under 15 EUR per person. We were won over by the deal, but were even more impressed with the quality of the food and service we recieved. The mussels were amazing and I really enjoyed the beer (the first of many of the night). The servers were attentive and kind. We'd definitely go back again! They also do unlimited mussels on Sunday nights!
We returned home for a bottle of wine before heading out to the latin quarter to celebrate at a couple of bars. We found a great bar called, 'the madmaker' and got prime seats at the bar where bartenders juggled and flipped drinks like circus performers. The inside of the bar looked like a pirate ship and they had quite a variety of beers on tap. Jay and I samped as many as we could, but still decided that Guinness could not be beat. The bar was offering car bombs at 5 EUR, so we took the plunge before going to another local bar where I got myself a birthday pint.
A perfect end to a perfect day.
In the morning, I said goodbye to Jay as he got aboard his train to Brussels. As sad as I was to see him go, he'll only be gone for 5 days and I consoled myself thinking about how romantic it was to blow kisses through the window of a train. Something so vintage about it.
Today I've been trying to catch up on homework before Sarah comes this week. I have a lot of work to do, but c'est la vie! For dinner, Taylor and I made indian food: curried chicken breasts with veggies, chickpeas, and basmatti rice for 4,50 a person. This could easily feed 4 people, though. We have leftovers -- it was delicious!
I've been thinking about how to spend my birthday money, and I think I might want to buy a ticket to london to see Sophie sometime in December. If I plan it right, I can stay for 4 nights and pay only 85 eur for a round trip ticket. Waiting on some dates from Soph and Jay before I buy anything.
Total Damages Saturday:
1 greek sandwich: 5 EUR
1 dinner at Léon (pint of beer included): 15 EUR
2 demi-pints, 1 car bomb, 1 pint: 22 EUR
Total Damages Sunday:
1 baguette: 85 centimes
food for dinner (2 chicken breasts, 2 jars curry, 1 jar mixed veggies, 1 jar chickpeas, 1 packet basmatti rice / 2 people): 4,50
Check out the lastest pictures here: http://s818.photobucket.com/albums/zz101/E_Grossman/
Jay and I began our day slowly, cleaning up after the birthday festivities from the night before. We had some leftover "birthday cake" (an AMAZINGly delicious fruit tart that Jay bought me from a bakery) and headed out. Stop one: printing out Jay's train and hostel information for his trip to Brussels this week. Stop 2: the greek sandwich shop. Stop 3: the mall.
That's right, ladies. I am not only lucky enough to have a boyfriend who buys me cute clothes for my birthday, but one who is willing to tag along with me as I ooh and ahh and try on every other item I see. It was such a great present -- a day inside and away from the rain, looking at all the christmas displays and coming home with some great new clothes. I got a blazer (I've been wanting one of these for so long and this one is PERFECT -- it fits perfectly, it's warm, and stylish!) and a hat (another thing that is as much useful as it is pretty). Here are some pics of me wearing my new clothes:
Wearing the blazer and hatBlazer buttoned up with the scarf my mom sent --a much more equestrian look that goes great with my boots.
Jay and I then took off to celebrate with dinner at Léon de Bruxelles, a chain restaurant that functions like the Olive Garden or Chilis, but specialises in mussels and belgian beer. The TVA (the group that controls the tax on restaurants in France) just lowered the taxes, which means all of the restaurants are lowering their prices (tax is included in pretty much everything in Paris). For our dining purposes, this meant we could have a bucket of mussels each, unlimited french fries, and 2 pints of beer for under 15 EUR per person. We were won over by the deal, but were even more impressed with the quality of the food and service we recieved. The mussels were amazing and I really enjoyed the beer (the first of many of the night). The servers were attentive and kind. We'd definitely go back again! They also do unlimited mussels on Sunday nights!We returned home for a bottle of wine before heading out to the latin quarter to celebrate at a couple of bars. We found a great bar called, 'the madmaker' and got prime seats at the bar where bartenders juggled and flipped drinks like circus performers. The inside of the bar looked like a pirate ship and they had quite a variety of beers on tap. Jay and I samped as many as we could, but still decided that Guinness could not be beat. The bar was offering car bombs at 5 EUR, so we took the plunge before going to another local bar where I got myself a birthday pint.
A perfect end to a perfect day.
In the morning, I said goodbye to Jay as he got aboard his train to Brussels. As sad as I was to see him go, he'll only be gone for 5 days and I consoled myself thinking about how romantic it was to blow kisses through the window of a train. Something so vintage about it.
Today I've been trying to catch up on homework before Sarah comes this week. I have a lot of work to do, but c'est la vie! For dinner, Taylor and I made indian food: curried chicken breasts with veggies, chickpeas, and basmatti rice for 4,50 a person. This could easily feed 4 people, though. We have leftovers -- it was delicious!
I've been thinking about how to spend my birthday money, and I think I might want to buy a ticket to london to see Sophie sometime in December. If I plan it right, I can stay for 4 nights and pay only 85 eur for a round trip ticket. Waiting on some dates from Soph and Jay before I buy anything.
Total Damages Saturday:
1 greek sandwich: 5 EUR
1 dinner at Léon (pint of beer included): 15 EUR
2 demi-pints, 1 car bomb, 1 pint: 22 EUR
Total Damages Sunday:
1 baguette: 85 centimes
food for dinner (2 chicken breasts, 2 jars curry, 1 jar mixed veggies, 1 jar chickpeas, 1 packet basmatti rice / 2 people): 4,50
Check out the lastest pictures here: http://s818.photobucket.com/albums/zz101/E_Grossman/
Friday, November 6, 2009
Birthday Tomorrow
With my birthday approaching, I've gotten a lot of mail from my family back home. It's really nice to hear from you guys and I'm glad you've been enjoying the blog. Sorry I've not been keeping up with the daily updates and photo uploads as I should be, but with midterms next week, time is slowly slipping away.
That being said, I'd like to update you guys a bit:
Today Jay and I went down to the arc de triomphe and the champs elysees. I must say, I like the window shopping a lot more when I have my boyfriend on my arm. It's much more relaxing and I didn't even mind the tourists as much as I did when I went that first time by myself.
The arc was amazing -- we walked under the street and under the arc in order to see the tomb of the unknown french soldier as well as the amazing arc itself. It's part war memorial, part declaration of power, part artistic beauty -- these three seemingly incompatible elements came together perfectly in this giant chunk of rock which sits firmly at the center of some of the biggest parisian avenues.
I shelpped Jay along to see some of the shopping along our walk back home -- he enjoyed the car dealerships while I stared into Cartier's sparkling windows. We passed by the Ritz, Chanel, and Dolce, before we headed to the Opera Garnier, and finaly back home.
Tonight is my birthday celebration with some of my friends from school, so I've got get ready. I'll upload some photos when I get a chance!
Total damages yesterday and today:
2 baguettes at biatrix: 1,70
3 baguettes at biatrix for birthday celebration: 2,55
2 wheels of cheese, 2 bottles of wine for birthday celebration: 7,50
2 bags of crackers for birthday celebration: 2 EUR
1 bottle of champagne for birthday celebration: 1,33 EUR
That being said, I'd like to update you guys a bit:
Today Jay and I went down to the arc de triomphe and the champs elysees. I must say, I like the window shopping a lot more when I have my boyfriend on my arm. It's much more relaxing and I didn't even mind the tourists as much as I did when I went that first time by myself.
The arc was amazing -- we walked under the street and under the arc in order to see the tomb of the unknown french soldier as well as the amazing arc itself. It's part war memorial, part declaration of power, part artistic beauty -- these three seemingly incompatible elements came together perfectly in this giant chunk of rock which sits firmly at the center of some of the biggest parisian avenues.
I shelpped Jay along to see some of the shopping along our walk back home -- he enjoyed the car dealerships while I stared into Cartier's sparkling windows. We passed by the Ritz, Chanel, and Dolce, before we headed to the Opera Garnier, and finaly back home.
Tonight is my birthday celebration with some of my friends from school, so I've got get ready. I'll upload some photos when I get a chance!
Total damages yesterday and today:
2 baguettes at biatrix: 1,70
3 baguettes at biatrix for birthday celebration: 2,55
2 wheels of cheese, 2 bottles of wine for birthday celebration: 7,50
2 bags of crackers for birthday celebration: 2 EUR
1 bottle of champagne for birthday celebration: 1,33 EUR
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Chinese food on rue de la mairie
My day was mostly full of boring food stuff until I returned home to a hungry boyfriend craving chinese food. I'd been longing to eat at one of the local Chinese places for a while now, so we decided to go and have a early dinner.
We scouted out many restaurants and ultimately just chose one that looked good and had a decent price menu (3 courses for 7,50). We sat down, began figuring out our menu, and began.
It was truly a feast -- the food just kept coming. For 60 cents you can get these ENORMOUS pork buns (I can't even describe to you how big they are) so of course we each had to try one. Then after that came our appetizers. Jay got a shrimp springroll which was garnished with beautiful mint. I went for the chicken egg rolls which were perfect. For entrées, Jay got a chicken and black mushrooms dish while I went for chicken in curry. By the time we finished that, we were already exploading and unbuttoning our jeans, but then came in the desert: chinese nugat. It was actually really good -- the consistancy was like a caramel chew with peanuts inside, but it had the nugat flavor. Very tasty.
Lessons learned: We could probably get 2 buns each and be full. or just go for a simple entrée. Still it's nice to know there's a place that will stuff us to the brim for under 8 EUR a piece.
Total damages today:
1 apple, 1 coissant, 1 apple pastry: 1,90 EUR
dinner: 8,20 EUR
We scouted out many restaurants and ultimately just chose one that looked good and had a decent price menu (3 courses for 7,50). We sat down, began figuring out our menu, and began.
It was truly a feast -- the food just kept coming. For 60 cents you can get these ENORMOUS pork buns (I can't even describe to you how big they are) so of course we each had to try one. Then after that came our appetizers. Jay got a shrimp springroll which was garnished with beautiful mint. I went for the chicken egg rolls which were perfect. For entrées, Jay got a chicken and black mushrooms dish while I went for chicken in curry. By the time we finished that, we were already exploading and unbuttoning our jeans, but then came in the desert: chinese nugat. It was actually really good -- the consistancy was like a caramel chew with peanuts inside, but it had the nugat flavor. Very tasty.
Lessons learned: We could probably get 2 buns each and be full. or just go for a simple entrée. Still it's nice to know there's a place that will stuff us to the brim for under 8 EUR a piece.
Total damages today:
1 apple, 1 coissant, 1 apple pastry: 1,90 EUR
dinner: 8,20 EUR
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
I love Paris in the winter when it drizzles
It's been rainy and my face hasn't come out of the book for much.
Today, Jay and I spent some good quality lazy time indoors and away from the rain. We stocked up on baguette to keep our bellies full but didn't leave again until I had to go to school for a meeting. After that, it was almost time for dinner, so we grabbed some ingredients to make a mean mac and cheese using french products that I've come to adore: butter, crème fraiche, and cheeeeese. We paired our beastly portions of mac and cheese with some salads in a balsamic mustard vinagrette because we've been getting kind of behind on the veggies.
Jay approves of our mac and cheese.
That's Glee we're watching in the background.
We also metro-ed down to the Eiffel Tower to see the light show, got caught in some downpours, and ended up dripping wet on our way back. The tower was beautiful, though, glowing in a blue with it's bi-hourly light show providing entertainment.
Total Damages today:
baguette: 85 centimes
mac and cheese making materials: 3,35 EUR
1 head of lettuce: 80 centimes
Today, Jay and I spent some good quality lazy time indoors and away from the rain. We stocked up on baguette to keep our bellies full but didn't leave again until I had to go to school for a meeting. After that, it was almost time for dinner, so we grabbed some ingredients to make a mean mac and cheese using french products that I've come to adore: butter, crème fraiche, and cheeeeese. We paired our beastly portions of mac and cheese with some salads in a balsamic mustard vinagrette because we've been getting kind of behind on the veggies.
Jay approves of our mac and cheese.That's Glee we're watching in the background.
We also metro-ed down to the Eiffel Tower to see the light show, got caught in some downpours, and ended up dripping wet on our way back. The tower was beautiful, though, glowing in a blue with it's bi-hourly light show providing entertainment.
Total Damages today:
baguette: 85 centimes
mac and cheese making materials: 3,35 EUR
1 head of lettuce: 80 centimes
Monday, November 2, 2009
Getting Back to the Grind
Mondays are usually not my favorite days and, with the additional "fun" of now paying both my rent and my monthy metro card on a Monday, I could do without this weekday whose greek or latin origins must have something to do with the "god of social responsibilities."
It's not just that Monday means you have to make sure you have all your work together, organized, and ready to go, it means you actually have to mentally prepare to see it all go. I pay my rent and pass navigo in cash (unfortunatly this is the easiest way to do it, but I always get receipts) and it almost physically hurts me to see the large wad of freshly pressed cash leave my fingers and pay for something that I can't eat or wear. Even though I've budgeted these espenses, it feels like SO much money.
Luckily, my boyfriend knows how to deal with "a case of the mondays" and had a baguette ready to go when I got home (best surprise ever!). We went to a supermarket and picked up some hachis parmentier (the French equivalent of shepard's pie) for dinner and curled up warmly by the glowing laptop.
Jay had a much more interesting day than I did, so I suggest you read his blog where he shows pictures from his walk down to notre dame:
http://championofithica.blogspot.com/
The christmas feeling is really setting in here -- I'll let you know when the big lights come out.
Total damages today:
1 chocolate bar at school: 80 centimes
1 hachis parmentier: 2,74 EUR
1 passe navigo (grrr, I hate that I need this now that it's cold): 56 EUR
It's not just that Monday means you have to make sure you have all your work together, organized, and ready to go, it means you actually have to mentally prepare to see it all go. I pay my rent and pass navigo in cash (unfortunatly this is the easiest way to do it, but I always get receipts) and it almost physically hurts me to see the large wad of freshly pressed cash leave my fingers and pay for something that I can't eat or wear. Even though I've budgeted these espenses, it feels like SO much money.
Luckily, my boyfriend knows how to deal with "a case of the mondays" and had a baguette ready to go when I got home (best surprise ever!). We went to a supermarket and picked up some hachis parmentier (the French equivalent of shepard's pie) for dinner and curled up warmly by the glowing laptop.
Jay had a much more interesting day than I did, so I suggest you read his blog where he shows pictures from his walk down to notre dame:
http://championofithica.blogspot.com/
The christmas feeling is really setting in here -- I'll let you know when the big lights come out.
Total damages today:
1 chocolate bar at school: 80 centimes
1 hachis parmentier: 2,74 EUR
1 passe navigo (grrr, I hate that I need this now that it's cold): 56 EUR
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Last Day in Venice and the return to Paris!
Thursday night continued:
After DoMac, I picked up a quicky slice of farcita at Arte della Pizza and returned back to our favorite little wine brewer where we snagged up a bottle of cold proseco (sparkling wine). Jay's back was hurting after the long day walking on the islands, so we just walked to the next-door bar for a pair of pints. I sampled Gunisses' "Harp" lager and was very pleasantly surprised.
We decided to make it an early night and hit up the rialto fish markets the next day.
Damages:
pizza: 2 EUR
1/2 liter of prosecco: 1,25
1 pint of harp: 4,50
After a great breakfast, we headed down to see some fishy action. Wow. Venice does not dissapoint on the seafood. They had everything -- some were even still alive. From squid ink to eel to tuna larger than our bed, we were visually treated to some of the most beautiful catches of the day.
We walked along home in search of some souvenirs to take back. At first I thought I wanted a mask, but when faced with a starting price of 15 EUR, I quickly reconsidered and thought a picture would do just fine. I'll spend my money on a great last dinner tonight, a sachet of italian spices to bring back to my famiglia, and a couple post cards to send back home.
Jay's been really captivated by the murano glass and he picked up a wine stopper for about 15 EUR at a glass place.
My "souvenir" tasted great tonight. At 16,50 I couldn't have done better -- a piece of lasagne I'll never forget, a couple of glasses of real italian wine, and a baked slice of breaded pork chop that couldn't have been more of a "comfort food" unless it was baked by paula dean herself.
Our night took us to an italian kareoke bar where a pair of mojitos wet my whistle as we listened to the italians' tribute to america's finest: christina agulera, britney spears, no doubt, and madonna. We also got to hear some italian tunes.
Damages:
1 hamburger and coke at DoMac: 1,40
three course meal and glasses of wine: 16,50
2 mojitos at the italian kareoke bar: 8,00
We woke up early and walked down to check out of our hotel when the unthinkable happened -- we were locked in the building and no one was to be found at the so-called 24 hour lobby. We looked like inmates, banging on the door for help from the outside. The woman who runs the neighbooring restaurant walked by and laughed at us, mumbling something in Italian. 15 minutes later, the lobby guys wandered back in and looked surprised that we were so anxious to leave (it's not like we had a flight to catch or anything...).
After that, all was well -- we got on our 2,50 EUR bus, went to our airport, waited in lines, flew to Zurich, and flew back to Paris where we caught our RER back to my poor lonely apt. We also got a lot done today: we went to the apt agency handling Jay's apt and got forms signed and squared away. He'll be living in the 11th district (right next to my district) if all continues as well as it has been with this landlord.
We finished the night with a walk around the gardens of luxembourg, down St. Michel to Notre Dame, and some supermarket pick-ups. I've been craving the chili so I picked up a good stock. Jay grabbed a baguette, some sodas, and some champagne.
Now there was something else I was supposed to do... oh right, homework.... about that...
I'll get back to you all when I un-glue my face from my book.
Total damages today:
1 bus ticket: 2,50 EUR
1 RER ticket: 8,50 EUR
4 potatoes and 2 mega cans of chili: 4,71 EUR
2 cans of corn and 1 jar of bolegnese sauce: 1,79
After DoMac, I picked up a quicky slice of farcita at Arte della Pizza and returned back to our favorite little wine brewer where we snagged up a bottle of cold proseco (sparkling wine). Jay's back was hurting after the long day walking on the islands, so we just walked to the next-door bar for a pair of pints. I sampled Gunisses' "Harp" lager and was very pleasantly surprised.
We decided to make it an early night and hit up the rialto fish markets the next day.
Damages:
pizza: 2 EUR
1/2 liter of prosecco: 1,25
1 pint of harp: 4,50
After a great breakfast, we headed down to see some fishy action. Wow. Venice does not dissapoint on the seafood. They had everything -- some were even still alive. From squid ink to eel to tuna larger than our bed, we were visually treated to some of the most beautiful catches of the day.
We walked along home in search of some souvenirs to take back. At first I thought I wanted a mask, but when faced with a starting price of 15 EUR, I quickly reconsidered and thought a picture would do just fine. I'll spend my money on a great last dinner tonight, a sachet of italian spices to bring back to my famiglia, and a couple post cards to send back home.
Jay's been really captivated by the murano glass and he picked up a wine stopper for about 15 EUR at a glass place.
My "souvenir" tasted great tonight. At 16,50 I couldn't have done better -- a piece of lasagne I'll never forget, a couple of glasses of real italian wine, and a baked slice of breaded pork chop that couldn't have been more of a "comfort food" unless it was baked by paula dean herself.
Our night took us to an italian kareoke bar where a pair of mojitos wet my whistle as we listened to the italians' tribute to america's finest: christina agulera, britney spears, no doubt, and madonna. We also got to hear some italian tunes.
Damages:
1 hamburger and coke at DoMac: 1,40
three course meal and glasses of wine: 16,50
2 mojitos at the italian kareoke bar: 8,00
We woke up early and walked down to check out of our hotel when the unthinkable happened -- we were locked in the building and no one was to be found at the so-called 24 hour lobby. We looked like inmates, banging on the door for help from the outside. The woman who runs the neighbooring restaurant walked by and laughed at us, mumbling something in Italian. 15 minutes later, the lobby guys wandered back in and looked surprised that we were so anxious to leave (it's not like we had a flight to catch or anything...).
After that, all was well -- we got on our 2,50 EUR bus, went to our airport, waited in lines, flew to Zurich, and flew back to Paris where we caught our RER back to my poor lonely apt. We also got a lot done today: we went to the apt agency handling Jay's apt and got forms signed and squared away. He'll be living in the 11th district (right next to my district) if all continues as well as it has been with this landlord.
We finished the night with a walk around the gardens of luxembourg, down St. Michel to Notre Dame, and some supermarket pick-ups. I've been craving the chili so I picked up a good stock. Jay grabbed a baguette, some sodas, and some champagne.
Now there was something else I was supposed to do... oh right, homework.... about that...
I'll get back to you all when I un-glue my face from my book.
Total damages today:
1 bus ticket: 2,50 EUR
1 RER ticket: 8,50 EUR
4 potatoes and 2 mega cans of chili: 4,71 EUR
2 cans of corn and 1 jar of bolegnese sauce: 1,79
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Murano, Burano, and Torcello
Wednesday Continued:
After MacDo, we went in search of the vaporettos that would be taking us to Murano, Burano, and Torcello Thursday. Jay took many pictures while I meandered in and out of local shops in search of some local flavors to bring back home.
Jay headed back to the room while I went in search of local wines to accompany our dinner for the evening. I came up shorthanded and settled on 2 pints of beer when suddenly, on my way back to the apt, I saw a place offering the impossible: wines by the liter?! at less than 3 EUR? some less than two?
I walked inside and asked the adorable man to explain how this worked. Basically, he brews a large variety of local wines (he had at least 12 spouts). He sells his wine by the liter and even provides you with a plastic bottle should you not have your own. Since cork screws are not carry-on standard on the airplanes these days, we have been unable to taste local wines outside of the bars until now. I excitedly grabbed a liter of cab sav at 1,80 and told the man that we would likely be back.
I came back to the room, woke jay up, and the two of us went out for pizza at -- you guessed it -- arte della pizza. We just haven't found a single better or cheaper place on the island, and this one is walking distance from us. We went for an automno pizza this time, something that the chefs suggested to us which I can only imagine means "autumn." It was fantastic. Fresh veggies all over and drenched in mozzarella cheese, topped with spicy salame. We could barely finish the pizza but left the room happy and looking for excitement. We noted a karaoke bar earlier in the day, so we headed down.
After getting lost, getting found, and finding the place, we ended up as happy campers with a pair of 4 EUR mojitos -- made strong with tons of fresh mint thanks to the friendly bar tender. This area was really lively for venice -- a couple bars in the area were really cooking with locals. We tried another where we got a pair of 1/2 pints of the italian beer, Nastros, for 2,20.
On our way back, we almost got lost yet again, but we ran into another lost and english speaking couple, so together we ended up finding our route. We talked for a while and had a few laughs before heading back home.
Cheers to a great night!
Total Damages wednesday (post MacDo):
2 cans of beer, 1 liter of wine: 90 centimes + 1,80 centimes
2 scoops gelato: 1,70
1 box fettuccine: 1,05
Thursday: To the Islands!
VENICE ON A BUDGET TIP:
A one way boat trip to any of the other islands (Murano, Burano, Torcello), costs 6,50 per person. One way. This means a round trip to one single island will cost you about 13 EUR. This is ridiculous. However, if you shell out only 3 EUR more, you can obtain an unlimited 12 hour pass which lets you ride the waves between all three islands and venice as much as you want. Jay and I devoted 12 hours of our thursday to doing just this.
We got off at Murono first, knowing that the glass blowing demos start early and end at about noon. After we stepped off the boat, we were immediately greeted by glass blowers who ushered us into their studio for a demonstration. It cost us 2 EUR, but it was absolutely worth it.
We watched the master hands of a man who's been blowing glass at murono for 45 years now as he turned chuncks of molten yellow goo into beautiful vases and elegant horses in mere seconds. Literally, seconds. It was like magic.
We spent the rest of our time in Murono touring the glass shops where gorgeous glass chandeliers and goblets cast colored shadows on the ground.
We took off from Murono to Burono, a lesser known island a little bit further from Venice. To characterize Burono for you: Murono has glass, Burono has lace. Lace is EVERYWHERE in Burono, and where it isn't being sold, it's being made, or covering tables, windows, etc... We got to tour a shop where we got to see a woman making lace in the tradition of Burono women. It's actually the most complicated thing ever. It takes them like 2 months to make a napkin.
Basically, there are 7 stitches in traditional lace, and each Burono woman specializes in one stitch. After receiving a design, each woman will contribute her piece and the hand it over to the next woman.
Burono is actually my favorite of the islands. It was just so beautiful -- the houses were painted such vibrant colors and the waters were so beautiful.
I picked up a little lace-embroidered napkin filled with lavender from a family of burono lace makers for a special someone back home.
Next we went on to Torcetto, where there were much less people and the atmosphere was much more "old world". It was a nice place to mellow out, walk around, and relax. We took our time with the boat rides home, too, taking the long way home on an open-air boat that let us take in all the sights, sounds, and smells. We wanted the most out of our 16 EUR after all!
Now we're putting in a quicky at MacDo to tell you all we made it back alive. Tonight it's back in Venice for some great fun before our last day tomorrow! Ciao!
Total damages so far Thursday:
Vaporetto tickets: 16 EUR
Glass demo: 2 EUR
1 burger at MacDo: 1 EUR
After MacDo, we went in search of the vaporettos that would be taking us to Murano, Burano, and Torcello Thursday. Jay took many pictures while I meandered in and out of local shops in search of some local flavors to bring back home.
Jay headed back to the room while I went in search of local wines to accompany our dinner for the evening. I came up shorthanded and settled on 2 pints of beer when suddenly, on my way back to the apt, I saw a place offering the impossible: wines by the liter?! at less than 3 EUR? some less than two?
I walked inside and asked the adorable man to explain how this worked. Basically, he brews a large variety of local wines (he had at least 12 spouts). He sells his wine by the liter and even provides you with a plastic bottle should you not have your own. Since cork screws are not carry-on standard on the airplanes these days, we have been unable to taste local wines outside of the bars until now. I excitedly grabbed a liter of cab sav at 1,80 and told the man that we would likely be back.
I came back to the room, woke jay up, and the two of us went out for pizza at -- you guessed it -- arte della pizza. We just haven't found a single better or cheaper place on the island, and this one is walking distance from us. We went for an automno pizza this time, something that the chefs suggested to us which I can only imagine means "autumn." It was fantastic. Fresh veggies all over and drenched in mozzarella cheese, topped with spicy salame. We could barely finish the pizza but left the room happy and looking for excitement. We noted a karaoke bar earlier in the day, so we headed down.
After getting lost, getting found, and finding the place, we ended up as happy campers with a pair of 4 EUR mojitos -- made strong with tons of fresh mint thanks to the friendly bar tender. This area was really lively for venice -- a couple bars in the area were really cooking with locals. We tried another where we got a pair of 1/2 pints of the italian beer, Nastros, for 2,20.
On our way back, we almost got lost yet again, but we ran into another lost and english speaking couple, so together we ended up finding our route. We talked for a while and had a few laughs before heading back home.
Cheers to a great night!
Total Damages wednesday (post MacDo):
2 cans of beer, 1 liter of wine: 90 centimes + 1,80 centimes
2 scoops gelato: 1,70
1 box fettuccine: 1,05
Thursday: To the Islands!
VENICE ON A BUDGET TIP:
A one way boat trip to any of the other islands (Murano, Burano, Torcello), costs 6,50 per person. One way. This means a round trip to one single island will cost you about 13 EUR. This is ridiculous. However, if you shell out only 3 EUR more, you can obtain an unlimited 12 hour pass which lets you ride the waves between all three islands and venice as much as you want. Jay and I devoted 12 hours of our thursday to doing just this.
We got off at Murono first, knowing that the glass blowing demos start early and end at about noon. After we stepped off the boat, we were immediately greeted by glass blowers who ushered us into their studio for a demonstration. It cost us 2 EUR, but it was absolutely worth it.
We watched the master hands of a man who's been blowing glass at murono for 45 years now as he turned chuncks of molten yellow goo into beautiful vases and elegant horses in mere seconds. Literally, seconds. It was like magic.
We spent the rest of our time in Murono touring the glass shops where gorgeous glass chandeliers and goblets cast colored shadows on the ground.
We took off from Murono to Burono, a lesser known island a little bit further from Venice. To characterize Burono for you: Murono has glass, Burono has lace. Lace is EVERYWHERE in Burono, and where it isn't being sold, it's being made, or covering tables, windows, etc... We got to tour a shop where we got to see a woman making lace in the tradition of Burono women. It's actually the most complicated thing ever. It takes them like 2 months to make a napkin.
Basically, there are 7 stitches in traditional lace, and each Burono woman specializes in one stitch. After receiving a design, each woman will contribute her piece and the hand it over to the next woman.
Burono is actually my favorite of the islands. It was just so beautiful -- the houses were painted such vibrant colors and the waters were so beautiful.
I picked up a little lace-embroidered napkin filled with lavender from a family of burono lace makers for a special someone back home.
Next we went on to Torcetto, where there were much less people and the atmosphere was much more "old world". It was a nice place to mellow out, walk around, and relax. We took our time with the boat rides home, too, taking the long way home on an open-air boat that let us take in all the sights, sounds, and smells. We wanted the most out of our 16 EUR after all!
Now we're putting in a quicky at MacDo to tell you all we made it back alive. Tonight it's back in Venice for some great fun before our last day tomorrow! Ciao!
Total damages so far Thursday:
Vaporetto tickets: 16 EUR
Glass demo: 2 EUR
1 burger at MacDo: 1 EUR
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
More Venice updates!
After yesterday's lunch at micky D's, Jay went back to the apt. to crash while I took the camera back out for some touring of the windy streets. I returned home with a massive canoli in hand to wake up my sleepy boyfriend just in time for dinner at Arte della Pizza.
This was another local spot suggested to us by the same guide that lead us to Da Lucca e Fred, and we were once again not disapointed. As we entered this little hole in the wall of a pizzaria, we were once again in a 'locals only' type atmosphere, where only one of the 3 staff members could speak to us in English. She helped us choose a pizza (a huge one for only 4,50 EUR!) and we took in all the gorgeous smells as we waited for them to cook it for us.
We took our pizza back to the hotel where we ate it with some wine we bought at the supermarket earlier and then finished the meal off with the enormous canoli. We then took to the streets. First a pub where I sampled the local italian beer, then a wine bar for 1 EUR house wine.
Total damages tuesday continued:
1 canoli: ,89 EUR
1/2 pizza, 1 beer, 1 cup of house wine: 7, 50
Today (after filling up on an epic breakfast of course) we took to the streets yet again, and walked around the canals aimlessly, doing some shopping and taking tons of pictures. We stopped at a local bakery for more canolis (only 90 centimes each! Take that, Bravo Pizzaria in Santa Monica!).
Now we're pausing breifly at DoMac for some internet and resting. More updates later!
Total damages Wed:
1 chocolate canoli of the gods: 90 centimes
You can check out some of the point-and-shoot photos we've been taking here:
http://s818.photobucket.com/albums/zz101/E_Grossman/
You'll have to wait until our return to Paris in order to view the DSLR photos since I'll want to develop them at the photo studio first :)
This was another local spot suggested to us by the same guide that lead us to Da Lucca e Fred, and we were once again not disapointed. As we entered this little hole in the wall of a pizzaria, we were once again in a 'locals only' type atmosphere, where only one of the 3 staff members could speak to us in English. She helped us choose a pizza (a huge one for only 4,50 EUR!) and we took in all the gorgeous smells as we waited for them to cook it for us.
We took our pizza back to the hotel where we ate it with some wine we bought at the supermarket earlier and then finished the meal off with the enormous canoli. We then took to the streets. First a pub where I sampled the local italian beer, then a wine bar for 1 EUR house wine.
Total damages tuesday continued:
1 canoli: ,89 EUR
1/2 pizza, 1 beer, 1 cup of house wine: 7, 50
Today (after filling up on an epic breakfast of course) we took to the streets yet again, and walked around the canals aimlessly, doing some shopping and taking tons of pictures. We stopped at a local bakery for more canolis (only 90 centimes each! Take that, Bravo Pizzaria in Santa Monica!).
Now we're pausing breifly at DoMac for some internet and resting. More updates later!
Total damages Wed:
1 chocolate canoli of the gods: 90 centimes
You can check out some of the point-and-shoot photos we've been taking here:
http://s818.photobucket.com/albums/zz101/E_Grossman/
You'll have to wait until our return to Paris in order to view the DSLR photos since I'll want to develop them at the photo studio first :)
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Greetings from Venice!
I've been away from the blog for a few days for 1 very important reason: we're in VENICE!!!
We don't have internet at the Hotel, but we decided to bite the bullet and spend an hour at Mc Donalds for the sake of informing everyone that we're alive and well!
We got into venice at around 7:30 on Sunday, and after consulting with the travel authorities, decided our best option would be to take the bus into Venice and then walk about 200 yards to our hotel. The bus, unlike the water transport, is very cheap (only 3 EUR) but only gets you so far onto the island. Lucky for us, our hotel was really close to the bus terminal and was located on a main road, so would have no trouble finding the place.
Driving into venice at night feels like flying into neverneverland. There's such a disneyland quality about the place: everything seems too beautiful to be real, too perfectly crafted to look like the magical place that it is. In a strange way, Venice seems to be it's own simulacre, an imitation of itself. Perhaps I feel this way because I've only seen places like this in movies or in theme parks where the beauty is, and can only be, a set. The art directors and themepark designers must have done a good job because (even now) I often find myself thinking that XYZ building looks like a repilica of the building that was actually replicating the one I just saw. Confusing, right?
I'll get back to telling you about our first night...
Upon arrival, we noticed that the city was pretty alive for a Sunday night. In Paris, most things are closed on Sundy, so we were pleased to find a pizzaria open right near by. We each grabbed a HUGE slice (I got mushrooms and proccuto for 2 EUR) and began to walk around. Venice is just gorgeous.
We finished the night with a cone of gelato each. Only 1 EUR/ scoop!? Wow. The gelato here is really cheap. Actually, all the food seemed really cheap, and yet -- it's not. It just shows you how espensive Paris is when food at 2/3 to 1/2 the price of Paris food is still pricey. I find myself lusting after every 1,50 - 2 EUR slice of pizza and gelato stands offering 3 scoops at 2,50 (the price of 1 scoop at the cheap places in Paris).
After a good walk, we took our exhausted and full-bellied selves back to our little hotel. It's actually quite perfect. It's perfectly located with many great shops and eateries around. They speak english at the front desk, serve breakfast starting at 8am, and even gave us a map (in english!) of things to do in venice. The room is also gorgeous -- easily bigger than my room in Paris with a gorgeous view. Sharing the bathroom and shower with the other 4 rooms on our floor seemed like it might become a bit bothersome, but it has been perfectly fine. I haven't even seen any of the other guests on our floor.
Total Damages Sunday:
RER to airport: 8,50 EUR
Bus to venice: 3 EUR
1 slice of pizza: 2 EUR
1 scoop of gelato: 1 EUR
We woke up early to the sounds of church bells and hurried down to the continental breakfast. Wow. What a spread! We wern't expecting much seeing as we had booked this place as a "budget" hotel (actually cheaper than the hostel!), but we were surprised to find our continental breakfast included: 2 slices of bread, full spread of meat and cheese, huge pot of whatever hot beverage you select, fresh juices, nutella, cereal, yogurt, jam, crackers, butter, and honey.
Our day began with a trip down to ponte rialto and the rialto fish markets where we got lost on purpose in the little windy streets.We made our way down tot he piazzale s. marco for a tour of the tourists, some live music, and a great view of the ocean. We then went down to the arsenal and the "military zone" before we found our way back to the hotel through a maze of winding streets.
We found our pizzara of choice closed on mondays and thus went back to the little place by our hotel to grab a slice and some gelato before taking a necessary afternoon nap. I grabbed a margarhita and 2 scoops of gelato (1,50 the slice, 1,90 the two scoops). YUM.
We woke up just in time to go to our "big spender" dinner. We wanted to go to a place where the locals go, and after consulting our guidebook, decided we would grab the set menu at Da Lucca e Fred where the local atmosphere was coupled with excellent seafood. It was important to us to try the local seafood, since the fish markets have taught us that everything is pretty damn fresh around here. We grabbed a set menu of salad, clam spaghetti, and fried calamari and shrimp (13,50 each). There were also some fried anchovies thrown in there; I still can't bring myself to eat a fish's head, so my plate ended up looking rather morbid, covered in little heads. We added on a liter of house wine for 6 EUR to split. I was more than full afterwards.
We went for a night walk, stopped back at da lucca for a glass of wine at the bar, and then wentto another local bar for a glass of white wine (1 EUR a glass!) and some guns and roses on the télé. A great night.
Total damages monday:
pizza margarita: 1,50
2 scoops of gelato: 1,90
dinner and wine: 16,50
1 glass of red 1,50
1 glass of white 1,50
Today we filled up on breakfast and went back town to the pl. s. marco, determined to actually wait in line and go inside the basillica today. Our plan worked -- we arrived just before it opened at 9:45 and made it inside. We did the free tour, enjoying the view, the architecture, the paintings, everything!
We walked along the water and through some streets before coming across another giant church. We went inside and cooled off underneath the giant dome (it's actually been quite hot here -- only down to 16 degrees C even at night!)
Now we're hanging out at mc donalds for an hour or so, resting our feet and checking up on the outside world. Our plans for tonight include pizza, wine, and venitian masks! See you all at our next mc donald's visit!
Total damages so far tuesday:
2 hamburgers at MacDo with a side of internet: 2 EUR
Starting to upload the point-and-shoot photos to the photobucket. The DSLR photos will have to wait until we get back to Paris where I can develop them in the photo lab with Floriane :)
http://s818.photobucket.com/albums/zz101/E_Grossman/
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Le Timbre
You know, just hangin' out with Christopher Wright,head (and only) chef at Le Timbre.
Just your average Saturday night. Oh wait...
Seriously though, how do I describe in words the fantastic experience of my sensations while eating Christopher Wright's delicious take on French cuisine? Quite the impossible task, and sadly, I do not have photos to illustrate the beauty of the food before I inhaled it. However, I will give a brief rundown of the experience and highly recommend that you dine at Le Timbre during your next trip to Paris. Student or not, this is one not to miss -- and at 30 EUR for 3 courses at dinner, you can't get a cheaper, and dare I say better, michelin rated restaurant.
Le Timbre is exactly what it's name suggests: a small postage stamp- sized dinning room with a kitchen big enough only for 2 people. Luckily, there are only 2 people in this kitchen that opens up into the dining hall: one of them is Christopher Wright himself, the head and only chef at le timbre, the other is the dishwasher. The third member of the Le Timbre crew is the hard working hostess/ waitress who manages 24 customers all at once.
You have to make reservations to even get seen at Le Timbre due to its size, and we made ours for Saturday night at 9:30 pm. Upon arrival, we scooted snuggly into the table selected for us. We were offered an appératif of champagne which we couldn't refuse. Sipping on our champagne, we got to sneak a peak at what the diners around us were having. I heard the woman next to me raving over something that looked and smelled delicious, and I was sold before I even saw the menu.
The menu came out and as we looked over the wide and tempting selections, the waitress translated it into English and announced the specials.
The menu at Le Timbre tonight.Jay's selections:
Effeuille de haddock aux endives
Magret de canard, choucroute de navets
Queielles de chocolat, crème au jasmin
My selections:
Croustillant de hure de chochon aux capres
Plat du jour: confit du canard aux lentiles
Millefeuille du timbre
Jay said his favorite dish was the haddock, and I have to say, it tasted (in the words of barbara streisand) "like buttah." I have a really hard time pinpointing my favorite dish, but I remember that the confit du canard slid right off the bones, tasted like heaven, and made me feel like I could eat nothing else for the rest of my life that tasted so good. Ok, so perhaps I did have a favorite. But the millefeuille and croustillant were also delicious.
We each took a glass of wine that the hostess/ waitress recomended to us to accompany our dinner. 2 hours later, we were a pair of full and satisfied customers. I even told Jay that we should come back for lunch sometime, when the price goes down to an even more managable 20 EUR/ meal. We congratulated Mr. Wright for a meal well done and thanked him profusely for making our night. I'm sure he was exhausted, but he even let us take photos with him.
Jay with an exhausted Christopher Wright --the endurance on this guy is amazing!
Total damages today:
greek pita sandwich and french fries: 5 EUR
dinner at le timbre, 1 glass of champagne, 1 glass of wine: 45 EUR
Friday, October 23, 2009
JAY'S HERE!
Jay arrived today!
I surprised him with a huge spread of French delights: brie, chevre, cold cuts, 2 baguettes from biatrix, 4 croissants, nutella, bananas, jam, beer and champagne.
After chowing down and taking an epic nap, we went out for a night walk and returned to the apt to finish off the rest of my chili and potatoes. I introduced Jay, the biggest fan of sour cream, to the beauty that is crème fraiche, and I think he enjoyed it.
We're off to bed now, expecting an early morning tomorrow full of exploration and a wonderful dinner at le timbre. I'm about the happiest girl in the world right now. Updates of big smiles to follow!
Total Damages today:
4 croissants: 2,00 EUR
2 bananas: 40 centimes
2 baguettes from biatrix: 1,70
I surprised him with a huge spread of French delights: brie, chevre, cold cuts, 2 baguettes from biatrix, 4 croissants, nutella, bananas, jam, beer and champagne.
After chowing down and taking an epic nap, we went out for a night walk and returned to the apt to finish off the rest of my chili and potatoes. I introduced Jay, the biggest fan of sour cream, to the beauty that is crème fraiche, and I think he enjoyed it.
We're off to bed now, expecting an early morning tomorrow full of exploration and a wonderful dinner at le timbre. I'm about the happiest girl in the world right now. Updates of big smiles to follow!
Total Damages today:
4 croissants: 2,00 EUR
2 bananas: 40 centimes
2 baguettes from biatrix: 1,70
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Jay arrives tomorrow!
Morning at photo class. I read over the midterm and chompon a cookie while Philippe uses my camera to explain something.
Looking exhausted as Philippe explains depth of field.
Philippe took photos of me at the Hotel Sully in the Marais.Notice my giant fuzzy "statement scarf."
I'm getting so excited for Jay's visit -- he arrives tomorrow and I can't wait to do all the fun parisian things I've come to love with my very own love. Paris is such a romanic city -- couples even make the metro look like the bridal suite at a hotel. It's impossible not to miss your special someone when you're in this city alone, and I'm so happy he'll be here soon to share it with me. After two days of settling in and stuffing ourselves full of those last few baguettes, we'll be headed off to the 2nd most romantic city I can think of: Venice! I'm SO excited!
On a budget note, I've realized that my last grocery run was probably unnecessary (or at least too close to my departure for Venice) because I have so much left to eat! I'm going to get on this right away and chow down on some chili and potatoes with crème fresh -- my new favorite automne dish.
Total Damages today:
1 coissant: ,95 centimes
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
"Loosing my religion," Multiculutral Marais, and dinner aux Penguins
I've been a bad, bad blogger. Clearly I have been swallowed up by "mes études" lately and have neglected sharing the wonderful banalities of life in Paris. Here are some joyous tidbits of my life for those of you still crazy enough to follow along:
Tuesday:
After meeting with my professor for my class, la france multiculturelle, I created a series of questions to ask locals in le marais when I set out on my quest for interviewees. I decided to start my interviews with the chinese community.
Clearly, I did not realize how difficult my assignment was going to be. I thought the biggest problem would be my french, not theirs, but almost every local I spoke to didn't want to answer my questions because they did not feel they could speak to me in French. True or just a brilliant strategy to avoid talking to a silly american student, I was about ready to cry until a young woman offered to answer my questions by email. I haven't gotten a reply yet, but I have hope.
After such a lack of sucess with the chinese community, I decided to head to a place where I at least culturally identified with the group of people I was going to interview: the jewish community on rue des rosiers! This turned out much more successful, though it posed problems of it's own.
I stopped first oustide the famous l'as du falafel, where I saw 3 young men talking among themselves (it was only 10 am at this point, so the long lines had not yet formed). I introduced myself to the men, and asked if they could help. Much more warm and welcoming than the chinese community, they at least looked at my paper before giving me an excuse: they didn't want to talk about their lives, their childhoods in particular. Desperate for an interviewee at this point, I told them that they didn't need to answer every question, and I wouldn't even take notes, let alone record their voices. This satisfied the youngest of them, Chai, who agreed to have a conversation with me about his experiences in France.
A young Israeli from Tel Aviv, he learned to speak French working at the falafel stand: "avant d'arriver ici, je ne savais dire que 2 mots en français. Ils étaient falafel et shwarma." (Before ariving here, I only knew 2 words in french. They were falafel and shwarma.) Chai gave me a lot of good information about the young israeli community in the Marais and shocked me by saying that he preferred the falafels here at l'as du falafel over the falafels in Israel.
Feeling grateful for the excellent material (I even got a portrait of him with my camera), I bought myself a falafel and hung out with the staff.
Wednesday:
On the way to school today I listened to a French man butcher some American songs on the Metro. I was treated to "loosing my religion" and some other sounds that sounded less like English and more like moaning. I mean, the French have such great music, why did he feel the need to sing American songs? I wondered why this man was getting so much money from old women for singing words I know he himself did not understand. But then, I thought, perhaps he was wiser than me, knowing that French might prefer English songs in the comforting sounds of their own familiar accent. Still, I wanted to let him know that I really didn't believe anyone would call him "da spahs koh-boy" (the space cowboy) or "da gangs her off lahf" (the gangster of love).
The rest of my day was pretty academically spent until 6pm when I got the chance to go to dinner with some French students at a restaurant called "les penguins". The dinner was great -- quiche, steak, and apple pie -- all I ever wanted after an exhausting school day. I also really connected with about 4 of the girls, so we exchanged numbers and email addresses. One of the girls goes to high school in my neighborhood, so it would be very easy to meet up.
I'm now exhausted and contemplating crashing but have so much left to do before photoclass tomorrow!
Total Damages Tuesday and Wednesday:
falafel: 5 EUR
cookies: 1,01 EUR
2 chocolate bars with noisettes to share with my class for my "exposé" on chocolat: 1,50 EUR
Tuesday:
After meeting with my professor for my class, la france multiculturelle, I created a series of questions to ask locals in le marais when I set out on my quest for interviewees. I decided to start my interviews with the chinese community.
Clearly, I did not realize how difficult my assignment was going to be. I thought the biggest problem would be my french, not theirs, but almost every local I spoke to didn't want to answer my questions because they did not feel they could speak to me in French. True or just a brilliant strategy to avoid talking to a silly american student, I was about ready to cry until a young woman offered to answer my questions by email. I haven't gotten a reply yet, but I have hope.
After such a lack of sucess with the chinese community, I decided to head to a place where I at least culturally identified with the group of people I was going to interview: the jewish community on rue des rosiers! This turned out much more successful, though it posed problems of it's own.
I stopped first oustide the famous l'as du falafel, where I saw 3 young men talking among themselves (it was only 10 am at this point, so the long lines had not yet formed). I introduced myself to the men, and asked if they could help. Much more warm and welcoming than the chinese community, they at least looked at my paper before giving me an excuse: they didn't want to talk about their lives, their childhoods in particular. Desperate for an interviewee at this point, I told them that they didn't need to answer every question, and I wouldn't even take notes, let alone record their voices. This satisfied the youngest of them, Chai, who agreed to have a conversation with me about his experiences in France.
A young Israeli from Tel Aviv, he learned to speak French working at the falafel stand: "avant d'arriver ici, je ne savais dire que 2 mots en français. Ils étaient falafel et shwarma." (Before ariving here, I only knew 2 words in french. They were falafel and shwarma.) Chai gave me a lot of good information about the young israeli community in the Marais and shocked me by saying that he preferred the falafels here at l'as du falafel over the falafels in Israel.
Feeling grateful for the excellent material (I even got a portrait of him with my camera), I bought myself a falafel and hung out with the staff.
Wednesday:
On the way to school today I listened to a French man butcher some American songs on the Metro. I was treated to "loosing my religion" and some other sounds that sounded less like English and more like moaning. I mean, the French have such great music, why did he feel the need to sing American songs? I wondered why this man was getting so much money from old women for singing words I know he himself did not understand. But then, I thought, perhaps he was wiser than me, knowing that French might prefer English songs in the comforting sounds of their own familiar accent. Still, I wanted to let him know that I really didn't believe anyone would call him "da spahs koh-boy" (the space cowboy) or "da gangs her off lahf" (the gangster of love).
The rest of my day was pretty academically spent until 6pm when I got the chance to go to dinner with some French students at a restaurant called "les penguins". The dinner was great -- quiche, steak, and apple pie -- all I ever wanted after an exhausting school day. I also really connected with about 4 of the girls, so we exchanged numbers and email addresses. One of the girls goes to high school in my neighborhood, so it would be very easy to meet up.
I'm now exhausted and contemplating crashing but have so much left to do before photoclass tomorrow!
Total Damages Tuesday and Wednesday:
falafel: 5 EUR
cookies: 1,01 EUR
2 chocolate bars with noisettes to share with my class for my "exposé" on chocolat: 1,50 EUR
Monday, October 19, 2009
Nothing exciting has been happening... yet
These past two days have been full of boring school stuff that no one wants to read about. I have even been slacking on the cooking (I've cheated and made sandwiches and gone to the RESTO U).
On the bright side, I've been rather productive and even printed out some maps of Venice for the upcoming trip!
Jay arrives soon!!!
Total damages for the past two days:
1 baguette at Biatrix: 85 centimes
1 baguette at Biatrix: 85 centimes
1 dinner at Resto U: 2,90
On the bright side, I've been rather productive and even printed out some maps of Venice for the upcoming trip!
Jay arrives soon!!!
Total damages for the past two days:
1 baguette at Biatrix: 85 centimes
1 baguette at Biatrix: 85 centimes
1 dinner at Resto U: 2,90
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Paris gets cold/ I warm up
Fall has finally arrived in Paris which gives the Parisians an excuse to do 2 things:
1. Begin selling Christmas products in stores (really guys?! Is Christmas that big a deal in Paris that you need 2 months to prepare? Well, I guess you don't have the intermittent holidays of Halloween and Thanksgiving, so I'll cut you some slack...)
2. Go shopping for cold weather clothes.
Today I participated in the later. I went for an afternoon walk after finishing my homework, got caught in the rain, and ended up in the foule (crowd) walking in between Zara and H&M on the rue de rivoli.
I've been in the market for some winter items ever since I thought my fingers were going to freeze off last Thursday, when I went to Montmartre with my photo class and was unprepared for the sudden change into fall weather. I have a decent supply of gloves, 2 real scarves, and 1 hat, but the Parisians do the fall/winter style so well, I thought I could really update my look with some parisians must haves.
I am not that great with fashion, but for those of you that desperately want to know what a stylish Parisian is wearing this fall, I will give you a brief list of the "must haves."
1. the boyfriend blazer
2. the faux leather jacket (preferably zip-up) in brown or black
3. a good pair of boots
4. the skinny jean (they call it "slim" here)
5. the statement scarf (these range from plaid to woven, small to chunky, but no parisian leaves the apt without a scarf. if she's not wearing it, check her purse)
Rocking the boots, leather jacket, and the statement scarf.
The boyfriend blazer, skinny jeans, and boots
(and probably a scarf in the bag).
I got myself "the statement scarf." It's huge, comfy, and warmmm. It's so big that when I wear it, it not only covers my neck, but my ears and some of my chin, too. At three times the length of my couch, this thing means business. I didn't mind shelling out the 14,95 EUR (which is actually a bargin for this type of scarf) for something I knew I would use all semester. By the time I left the store, all the other scarves of the same style were grabbed off of the shelves by other deal-seaking parisians.
sticking to caps in blacks and browns.
Feeling that the scarf was enough for one day, I decided to warm myself up using other tactics. I went to ED and Franprix and bought some comfort food. You can get a huge can of chili con carne for around 2 EUR at pretty much any supermarket, but my favorite kind comes from Franprix, where they attach a little pouch of chili seasoning. It makes me feel more like I'm cooking. I like to add in some corn and canned beans, too, as the chili is a little to thick for me as it comes. I add a little crème fraiche and serve it next to a boiled potato -- perfection!
Total damages today:
ED groceries (1 bucket of crème fraiche, 1 bottle of cab sav, 1 kg of pasta): 3,99 EUR
Franprix groceries (1 packet of salami, 6 potatoes, 2 tomatoes, 1 can of red beans, 1 can of chili con carne): 5,32 EUR
1 scarf at Zara: 15 EUR
1. Begin selling Christmas products in stores (really guys?! Is Christmas that big a deal in Paris that you need 2 months to prepare? Well, I guess you don't have the intermittent holidays of Halloween and Thanksgiving, so I'll cut you some slack...)
2. Go shopping for cold weather clothes.
Today I participated in the later. I went for an afternoon walk after finishing my homework, got caught in the rain, and ended up in the foule (crowd) walking in between Zara and H&M on the rue de rivoli.
I've been in the market for some winter items ever since I thought my fingers were going to freeze off last Thursday, when I went to Montmartre with my photo class and was unprepared for the sudden change into fall weather. I have a decent supply of gloves, 2 real scarves, and 1 hat, but the Parisians do the fall/winter style so well, I thought I could really update my look with some parisians must haves.
I am not that great with fashion, but for those of you that desperately want to know what a stylish Parisian is wearing this fall, I will give you a brief list of the "must haves."
1. the boyfriend blazer
2. the faux leather jacket (preferably zip-up) in brown or black
3. a good pair of boots
4. the skinny jean (they call it "slim" here)
5. the statement scarf (these range from plaid to woven, small to chunky, but no parisian leaves the apt without a scarf. if she's not wearing it, check her purse)
Rocking the boots, leather jacket, and the statement scarf.The boyfriend blazer, skinny jeans, and boots(and probably a scarf in the bag).
I got myself "the statement scarf." It's huge, comfy, and warmmm. It's so big that when I wear it, it not only covers my neck, but my ears and some of my chin, too. At three times the length of my couch, this thing means business. I didn't mind shelling out the 14,95 EUR (which is actually a bargin for this type of scarf) for something I knew I would use all semester. By the time I left the store, all the other scarves of the same style were grabbed off of the shelves by other deal-seaking parisians.
Having already gotten the pair of slim jeans at a boutique in montmartre, I am now only in the market for the boyfriend blazer and a beret-style hat. No one wears the beret in Paris (except very classy old women and tourists), but there are more casual looking knit versions of the beret that look very chic. Many girls will wear them low on the head, with their hair tucked into the cap.
Here are some celebrities wearing the hat.
The Parisians tend to keep it a little more subtle than this,Here are some celebrities wearing the hat. sticking to caps in blacks and browns.
Feeling that the scarf was enough for one day, I decided to warm myself up using other tactics. I went to ED and Franprix and bought some comfort food. You can get a huge can of chili con carne for around 2 EUR at pretty much any supermarket, but my favorite kind comes from Franprix, where they attach a little pouch of chili seasoning. It makes me feel more like I'm cooking. I like to add in some corn and canned beans, too, as the chili is a little to thick for me as it comes. I add a little crème fraiche and serve it next to a boiled potato -- perfection!
Total damages today:
ED groceries (1 bucket of crème fraiche, 1 bottle of cab sav, 1 kg of pasta): 3,99 EUR
Franprix groceries (1 packet of salami, 6 potatoes, 2 tomatoes, 1 can of red beans, 1 can of chili con carne): 5,32 EUR
1 scarf at Zara: 15 EUR
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