Ahhh it’s been too long! But that means really good things have happened and I’ve been too busy to write.
I recently had another two weeks of my seven weeks of vacation (isn’t that a beautiful few words – seven weeks vacation… how will I return to two weeks in the USA). I spent a few days visiting the Côte Sauvage (literally: wild coast), which is the coast of Brittany. It was beautiful and calm and perfect, as you would imagine the western coast of France, with tiny towns and rocky cliffs, harbors and lovely bright blue waters.
After that I went on to Dijon, with my old roommate from Dijon and another friend who also studied with us there in 2008. It was a relaxing, do nothing sort of vacation, just enjoying a few afternoons of sun – finally sun! I did get a haircut though! I know, why is this exciting? I see haircuts as one of those milestones in fluency, if I can explain myself well enough to let you take scissors to my hair, success! I asked for, and got, a perfect dark purple stripe just for fun. Trusting someone with hairdye, extra success!
Then it was a few days in Paris. I love Paris more and more each time I go. The summer months of overcrowded tourists influenced my opinions before but now going in winter and spring, having time to relax and stroll around, I’ve been able to experience the Paris that we all sort of dream of. Now as I’m writing this, I realize that in fact this visit to Paris was about everything non-French, but the beauty of that is you can find it all in Paris. Immediately upon arriving, Starbucks… oh sweet delicious caramel macchiato, how I have missed you! I mean, did it cost me approximately $7.00, yes but was it absolutely worth it to sit on the second floor off rue Saint-Michel watching people stroll and enjoying a taste of home, more than yes! We also went back the next day, shame!
Next my Australian friend researched best Chinese dumpling restaurants because it is DIFFICULT to find good, anything-outside-of-French-cusine here. So we ended up a tiny resto that served all you could eat dumplings for 9.00 euros!! Plus wine for 9.00 euros!! It was actually like a little heaven.
We also went to the Catacombs (read this National Geographic/NPR super fantastic article for more info: http://www.npr.org/2011/01/30/133308592/parisunderground), which is basically the underground tunnels holding the bones of 6 million Parisians. The bones are artistically arranged; there is a church and inscribed messages listing where all the bones came from (various cemeteries around Paris). So cool and so weird to see skulls and femurs galore. Certainly worth the trip if you go anytime soon!
Plus a beautiful moment, one of the moments where life is actually too perfect. We took our bottle of wine to Eiffel Tower, forgot our corkscrew, used a pen to push in the cork, classy, and enjoyed our bottle watching the sparkly lights of the Eiffel Tower while tour groups snapped pictures, people nagged us to buy tiny Eiffel tower key chains, and several people as romantically as possible making out in front of us. And to think, I considered not taking this job!
Lastly, a beautiful afternoon enjoying practically hot weather on the tip of the Ile-de-la-Cité, the island in the Seine where Notre Dame is. Everyone just kind of lies out and suns, which I admittedly have always wanted to do and finally got the chance. Back home to Angers, exhausted but lovely France more than ever.
And then the BEST THING EVER! Ben came to visit me!!! Wow I realize how much I miss my family after seeing him. We enjoyed delicious French tartiflette with my friends and a picnic by the Maine River with fresh cheese, sausage, basil tapenade, and baklava from the market. Plus we ate raclette (raclette is a type of cheese in which you traditionally scrape a layer from the actual wheel of cheese, these days its pre-sliced and you melt it in a little thingy you buy at the equivalent of Bed Bath and Beyond). Ben and I enjoyed the real deal at a great resto that actual heats the wheel of cheese and you continue to scrape off layers. You eat it with various meats such as sliced ham, prosciotto, salami, etc… plus potatoes and pickles. TRUST ME, its freaking fabulous. Ben and I ate what we could and tried not to slip into a food coma, while my French friend put us to shame and just kept at it. It's like cheese is in their vains! Ben even came to my classes with me, which was fantastic. They loved him and wanted to practice their self-presentations with him. My oldest kids where asking him questions but I made them do it in English so it came out more like, “you is favorite footballer?” (aka who is your favorite football player) but hey they realize -- subject, verb, noun! Success! We had a nice St. Pat’s party at my apartment, complete with friends and Trivial Pursuit (one of the questions was: Who is famous for saying this phrase “Go west, young man”? – I almost passed out from Greeley excitement!!). It was a quick week but so enjoyable.
Recent recipes to try out if you have time: Cured pork and lentils! I found this English version of the recipe. Delicious!
http://chocolateandzucchini.com/archives/2007/03/cured_pork_shoulder_with_green_lentils.php
Bisous bisous (kiss kiss) for all!
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