Bon Appétit!

Escargot eating competition for family night!!!

Four was my limit. Slimy, chewy, garlicy...gulp.

The shell of my first snail in Paris.

I saw a snail walking to the train station. Ok, I was the one walking to the train station, but I saw a snail on my way there. I couldn't bear to look at it for long. Did I seriously eat FOUR of these?!

Wandering Through the Louvre

Yesterday I opted for an afternoon in the Louvre. I didn't take a map or have any specific piece of art I wanted to search out. I simply went in and started wandering, going whichever way my feet took me. Sometimes that is the best way to discover new things in a massive museum like the Louvre. I stumbled upon some pretty amazing things...see for yourself.

Treasures

I have two treasures to share with you!

First treausre- I was at the grocery store yesterday when I happened upon this box of what appeared to be some form of cream cheese. It is a scary thing to buy cheese in France because of the rule "the stinkier the cheese, the happier the French." I am not well tutored in the art of purchasing cheese, so this was an enormous risk that may well have turned out to be a catastrophe.



Still looked rather harmless once I got it out of the box. . . then I opened it...




and a waft of garlic and spices emerged! I'm a fan of garlic, this was a hopeful sign. I tore off a piece of my lovely baguette (see below) and cautiously dipped it in the cheese and took a nibble. TREASURE. This is lunch for the next two months.



This is the lovely baguette I picked up on the way home, which is a treasure in and of itself by the way, that I planned on testing the cheese with. This baguette is not a small stick of bread. It is over two feet long! And only 90 euro cents. Love it.


So I am happy to say my first French cheese purchasing did not end in catastrophe, and that I now have a newly found favorite!

Treasure number two!

Today I braved the crowds and went to the largest flea market in the world. Saint Ouens is an antique market that covers over seventeen acres of ground and hosts 200,000 visitors every weekend! Everything was lavish, grand, gold, and shiny! Our guide book says that some of the museums in Paris would love to get their hands on some of the treasures in this flee market. As I was wandering around my favorite area, the antique books of course, I happened upon the second treasure.





I have been planning on buying a French copy of Les Miserables even before I came to Paris. I have seen it in a few books stores, but the copies I saw were plastic and cheap. I was hoping for something a bit nicer, but I was beginning to think I wouldn't find what I was looking for at a reasonable price. I saw this set on the table and I was very afraid to look at the price, but I did, and it was surprisingly low! I even used my terrible French bargaining skills and the seller knocked a few euros off the price!






These copies were published in 1942. So not only did I get what I wanted, but I got an older, beautiful version of what I wanted!



On the metro ride home I was looking through one of the volumes and this postcard fell out! It really must be my lucky day!

So there are my two treasure for the day! Happy Happy Happy!!!

Vacation From a Vacation

I just spent a wonderful weekend in London! It was a blast! It was so nice to be in an English speaking country for a few days! I didn't realize how much I missed English until I popped out of the chunnel and could understand all of the signs along the railroad, as well as all of the people once we got to the train station! And this wasn't any old English! I'm talking wonderfully charming British English. It was a lot easier for me to pick up on the language of this country than it has been in France! For some reason the accent just came naturally, that is, after the French wore off. I still tried to say pardon moi and excuse moi as I was getting off the eurostar. It was a wonderful moment when I realized I could speak English to people other than those in my group and they would understand me! It was a very stress free weekend! A much needed vacation from a vacation!




Our eurostar was actually five hours delayed, so by the time we got to London we had to make a mad dash for the theater! We had been planning on seeing Les Miserables (we just can't shake the French theme) and thankfully we were able to get last minute tickets! I am so happy we did! The musical was so wonderfully amazing! I, of course, cried through half of it and had chills from the music the other half. I loved loved loved it!




The next morning we decided to buy tickets for a double decker bus tour of London. Since we aren't as familiar with London as we now are with Paris it seemed wise to not waste time trying to figure out how to get where we wanted to be! We were able to get on and off the bus as we pleased, and we took great advantage of the inside tour while it was raining! Welcome to London, right? This was my first sighting of Big Ben. It somehow seemed fitting that it should be between two double decker buses!



We hopped off the bus here and explored the area. I loved this view of Big Ben, the eye, and another red bus!


My favorite stop on the tour was the Tower of London. It was the closest I could come to one of the amazing castles of England. I loved exploring the towers and the green grounds. There is a wonderful feeling that is hard to describe when you are in places like these. Those of you who have been to England know what I am talking about!

Tower Bridge!

The second night in London we went to an Opera, Mozart's Cosi Fan Tutte. This was my first real all out opera experience. I can't say I loved loved loved it like I did Les Miserables, but it was very impressive! The music was beautiful, and the plot was entertaining! It was quite a cultural experience! The opera house, as you can see, was gorgeous! I felt so posh being there! I sat next to two older British women who made the entire production even better. They giggled through the whole opera and made the funniest comments. I was called Love and Deary about one hundred times before the night was over. I also think I was unconsciously speaking with a British accent by the end. It was a hoot!




In the morning a few of us went on a river cruise along the Thames! The views were spectacular! I was so giddy the entire time. I couldn't stop smiling!

I had such a fun time in London. I was thinking on the ride home about the distinct differences between London and Paris. I think as far the actual physical city goes, I like Paris more. London is very proud of being modern, and France is exctly the opposite. In London you see brand new modern glass and metal buildings shoved up against the old beautiful cathedrals and castle ruins. In Paris, if they happen to build new buildings, it is required by law to make it look like it fits in with its surroundings. Hence, everything looks old and beautiful. There is a part of Paris that is extremely modern with high rise buildings, but it is separated from the Old Paris and it feels like it is an entirely different city. What I loved about London, though, was the people and the friendly happy atmosphere. The French are so set in their ways and hardly ever go out of their way to talk to strangers. In London everyone talks to everyone and there is lots of laughter and loud talking. A fine young gentlemen even offered to buy me a drink at a little pub where I had my fish n' chips! Don't worry, I refused. It was such an interesting experience to be in another European city and see all of the cultural differences! I was only a two and half hour train ride from Paris, but it felt like I was in a whole other world! I may have the opportunity to go back to England while I am here, and I want to see if I can spend some time out in the country side in the little villages. That is the England I know I will fall in love with, even more than London! For now, I am back home in Croissy ready to jump into another week of my French speaking, pastry eating life!