Au Revoir, Paris

My time in Paris has come to an end - I'm coming home today! I've decided that it's best for me to be in CA at this point in my life. I'm not saying that I wont be back to live in France at some point, but for now, it's not the place for me. In these last 5 months, I have learned a lot about myself and what I am seeking out in my life. I've spent a lot of time with my family and friends on this side of the Atlantic and it's meant a lot to me to be able to spend more quality time with them.

I hope that you all have enjoyed this glimpse of Paris (and beyond). I leave France with a heavy heart, but look forward to turning the page and starting a new chapter in my life.


Au revoir, ma "douce France, cher pays de mon enfance..." A bientôt!

Birthday Festivities in Condeau

What a 26th birthday! That is a magnum of champagne, my friends. It was a wonderful get-together with friends from Condeau and we laughed the night away.
Now, most of you know about my traditional birthday cake with the whipped cream and strawberries, but this one turned out a bit flat! It tasted fine, but cooking in a very unpredictable oven with no cream of tartar (can't find it here) makes for interesting baking. And whipping real cream from the farm next door is not the same as supermarket cream!

Thank you for all your birthday messages and warm thoughts. : )

12 Oysters a day, keeps the doctor away!

My mother and I went to Brittany for a few days and had a dozen or more oysters every day. The first night, we stayed in Pont-Aven, where Gaugin painted a whole heck of a lot. The next night we were in Pouldaniel at Anne's ex-husband's house. Him and his wife took us around the coast to tons of beautiful view points. We even went and bought oysters at the viverie (the place where they keep them alive - please see photo album) and they opened 4 dozen of them as well as some praires, at a picnic spot by the water. It was a bit chilly, but did not rain so we were thankful for that. These oysters really taste like the ocean and were super fresh.
Isn't this a lovely panoramic view point?? There's even the telescope to help you enjoy the view even more. But in this case, it would not have helped! We drove along what is known as the pink granite coast and saw nothing. We decided to just laugh at the irony. That's La Bretagne, for ya!
The sun! Yes, it finally came out on our last day. We went to Roscoff and stayed right on the water. Gorgeous. We also visited the Ile de Batz where we rode bikes around the tiny island that makes potatoes just for the organic food loving German. Yep - you can't even buy one on the island.
Please see my photo album by clicking HERE.

Veuve & Lacroix

Last night, my aunt invited me to join her (through her friends invitation as a patron) to an art showing at the Christian Lacroix store by St.Sulpice. The art was very unique and colorful, much like Lacroix's creations. I fell in love with a dress, but at 1800 euros I thought it best to resist the temptation (!). I also found a black purse, but found it quite special because it was square and had aquamarine colored lining inside it. At 590 euros, I resisted once again. They had a fantastic catering company that made wonderful little mouthfuls of flavors and with a little Veuve Clicquot, life felt quite grand! And to top it off, Christian Lacroix came in to his store to see the show! He breezed through, examining the art, and then disappeared. I stood within a meter of him! Crazy.
After a few coupes, we all went to the Deux Magots restaurant, located in front of Eglise St.Germain. There were all sorts of characters out and everyone you see at this place always appears to be quite an important person. Their demeanors and the way they speak to one another and the waiters is always fun to watch. Quite enjoyable indeed!

Brunch in Paris

Yes, you heard me - brunch in Paris! It exists here, as I discovered today. It's a Sunday and I decided to find a restaurant that's open. And I found one! La Toque Saint Germain, it is called. I sat down and they asked me if I would also like to see their brunch menu. Amazed, I said, "Yes!" Well, "oui!" Though other items on their menu were tempting I decided to have myself a Brunch menu, which I photographed for your enjoyment.
Now, this made me laugh, they give you the pancakes (with Canadien maple syrup) only after you've finished the "main course" since they look at it like a dessert, I suppose. They also offered coffee (filter coffee - American style) and tea with refills! And you could choose between sausages, bacon, or smoked salmon. Though they forgot my fresh fruit and the service was slow and disorderly, the atmosphere was quite pleasant and the food of good quality so I'd go back.
After brunch, I decided to take advantage of such a delightfully warm, gorgeous day in Paris and rented a Velib' (bikes you rent from stands all over Paris). I rode along the quais, which they close to car traffic to, to allow people to have their leisurely Sunday strolls in peace. I rode all the way from the Citroen gardens to the Pont Alexandre III by the water and then rode all the way back to the apartment.
See the Eiffel Tower in the distance?
One of my favorite view points of Paris on the Pont Alexandre III bridge with its unique lamp-posts and a view of the Eiffel Tower and the American Cathedral.
And a little Indiana Jones to polish off a very wonderful day.

Vines & Memories

Well Folks, I am back in Paris after a 10 day visit to the South of France. I went to the Universite du Vin, seen above - the Chateau La Suze - (http://www.universite-du-vin.com) for a 4 day course on Wine Tasting (Degustation). I learned an incredible amount about the complexities in creating a wine to taste a specific way and whether to make a wine to keep or to drink young and then all those choices can be pointless because Nature is more powerful than all the rest! There is a whole world of aromas in wine, well not all wines, and we spent our time diving into that world with our noses and our mouths...and our eyes, since you must analyze the color and the density as well.

I drove along a windy road along the hillsides of vines during one of my only sunny moments there.

This is my work space. The first day we were in the chateau and the rest of the time we were in the Medici Laboratories part of the university.

After the wine education, I drove East to Forcalquier, the town I lived in from birth till 7 years old, and visited every year for many years after. It's in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and wow was it gorgeous. It had been years since I had been in that region in the Springtime. I am used to everything being all dried out and hot and there it was all verdant and the poppies were out in full bloom! Seen below are Les Mourres - funny, geological remains of rock composites. This used to be all underwater and you almost feel like a fish swimming between the rocks.

And here is Forcalquier, perched on a hill with its citadelle on top. Please visit my photo album to see all the photos of my trip and especially the poppies!!

En Provence

Just a quick post to say that I am in Forcalquier, the town I grew up in, right now. I just spent 5 days in the Drome Provencal region of France at the University of Wine where I took a course of wine tasting - a very intense, serious course full of proffesionals in the business and people who really love wine. I will post photos and stories when I return to Paris on Tuesday, as this computer is a bit slow for uploading photos! I had a glorious time and learned a whole heck of a lot. The weather is stormy and totally unusual for this time of year. But, it doesn't stop me from seeing my old haunts and visiting with old family friends. More on Tuesday!!