So birthday celelbrations complete! -- Well they were complete about 10 days ago but I’ve been slow to update.
We started Friday evening with apéritifs, of course. My friend was nice enough to make Cointreapolitans (the Cointreau liquor is made locally in Angers – the drink is Cointreau, cranberry juice, and lemon). We were only 20 minutes late to our reservations (that is in the acceptable in France, I guess). Basically, the best meal ever. EVER. Ok maybe it tied with the soufflé I earlier discussed. It was blue cheese and walnut fondue, plus a lovely Apremont wine (recommended by the owner and our server, to compliment the cheeses of our choice… nice!) And of course, chocolate fondue.
Saturday I had a lovely cappuccino and macaroon date with my friends. The woman was so nice and enjoyed (respected) my birthday crown (rainbow with sparkles) and gave me FREE macaroons – macaroons are about $2.00 a piece, it’s a pretty penny and definitely a rare treat. How nice of her! It was just very French and lovely. In the afternoon we baked a fantastic boite de bijoux (jewelry box) cake complete with candy necklaces and pink frosting. That evening we had a very child inspired party including pizza, cake, fairy bread (which is this Australian treat of white bread, plus butter and sprinkles… apparently it’s a must have a birthday parties). Plus, there were red SOLO cups! The French and Australians were extra excited because these are not sold in France – it’s a very “I thought those only existed on TV!” sort of thing. We then had American music and lots of dancing.
The next day included kebabs and preparing for the Superbowl, which started at 12:30am – Monday morning. But finally, I got to be the expert! Explaining football in French, there are easier things in the world. We had hamburgers with cheddar cheese slices (recently new to French grocery stores) and pigs in the blanket (which actually the French eat kind of a lot but fancier), plus ohhh Dr. Pepper (sold in the foreign foods section!). We made it through the halftime show, which was impressive considering there were no commercials! No commercials!!! Can you imagine the Super Bowl without commercials? We streamed them. Obviously.
It was an exhausting but fantastic weekend, my second time celebrating a birthday in France. I much enjoy it and shall try my best to keep up the tradition. Luckily my friends made it wonderful so I didn’t miss home nearly as much. Now it’s almost school vacation (SO EXCITED) so more adventures coming soon. Oh and I almost forgot, my friends and I have started an English newsletter to integrate Anglo and Franco culture in Angers. It’s a new venture with only one issue but another coming out in the next week. You can read a copy and our blog at http://pickmeupangers.wordpress.com/.
For now, a bientot!
We started Friday evening with apéritifs, of course. My friend was nice enough to make Cointreapolitans (the Cointreau liquor is made locally in Angers – the drink is Cointreau, cranberry juice, and lemon). We were only 20 minutes late to our reservations (that is in the acceptable in France, I guess). Basically, the best meal ever. EVER. Ok maybe it tied with the soufflé I earlier discussed. It was blue cheese and walnut fondue, plus a lovely Apremont wine (recommended by the owner and our server, to compliment the cheeses of our choice… nice!) And of course, chocolate fondue.
Saturday I had a lovely cappuccino and macaroon date with my friends. The woman was so nice and enjoyed (respected) my birthday crown (rainbow with sparkles) and gave me FREE macaroons – macaroons are about $2.00 a piece, it’s a pretty penny and definitely a rare treat. How nice of her! It was just very French and lovely. In the afternoon we baked a fantastic boite de bijoux (jewelry box) cake complete with candy necklaces and pink frosting. That evening we had a very child inspired party including pizza, cake, fairy bread (which is this Australian treat of white bread, plus butter and sprinkles… apparently it’s a must have a birthday parties). Plus, there were red SOLO cups! The French and Australians were extra excited because these are not sold in France – it’s a very “I thought those only existed on TV!” sort of thing. We then had American music and lots of dancing.
The next day included kebabs and preparing for the Superbowl, which started at 12:30am – Monday morning. But finally, I got to be the expert! Explaining football in French, there are easier things in the world. We had hamburgers with cheddar cheese slices (recently new to French grocery stores) and pigs in the blanket (which actually the French eat kind of a lot but fancier), plus ohhh Dr. Pepper (sold in the foreign foods section!). We made it through the halftime show, which was impressive considering there were no commercials! No commercials!!! Can you imagine the Super Bowl without commercials? We streamed them. Obviously.
It was an exhausting but fantastic weekend, my second time celebrating a birthday in France. I much enjoy it and shall try my best to keep up the tradition. Luckily my friends made it wonderful so I didn’t miss home nearly as much. Now it’s almost school vacation (SO EXCITED) so more adventures coming soon. Oh and I almost forgot, my friends and I have started an English newsletter to integrate Anglo and Franco culture in Angers. It’s a new venture with only one issue but another coming out in the next week. You can read a copy and our blog at http://pickmeupangers.wordpress.com/.
For now, a bientot!
