The brie that I bought some of
The cheeses we got to taste
Beaucoup de fromage!
Our Fromagerie tour guide
View from the abbey
The abbey
One of the Chambers
Passage leading up to the abbey
View from the road
mercredi 17 février 2010
Les photographies de Mont St. Michel et notre fromagerie
The brie that I bought some of
The cheeses we got to taste
Beaucoup de fromage!
Our Fromagerie tour guide
View from the abbey
The abbey
One of the Chambers
Passage leading up to the abbey
mardi 16 février 2010
Le week-end de St. Valentine
Bonjour tout le monde!
This weekend was a whirlwind-exhausting, emotional, exciting, and full of chocolate. To start, I had my first experience at a french dance club on Thursday night. It was great to just move to music with no sense of time, but the club seemed to be creeper central. My friends and I could hardly move without some guy zeroing in and trying to section one of us off to dance. I now see how European men like to do things. However, my friend Mair adopted the handy method of literally shoving them off-kind of like ping pong. At about 4 am we decided our feet and nerves had had enough and we stumbled, homeward bound, into cabs.
Friday Katherine ( my friend from school), Ariana, and I went to a chocolatier in the 9th that was first opened in 1761; thus they obviously know a thing or two about creating amazing chocolate. The St. Valentine's displays were all gorgeous and delectable looking, however they were all pretty expensive. The store had a huge display case of all different types of chocolates and it was so overwhelming to try and select a few. I finally settled on all dark chocolates (my favorite). I tried a florentine, a light, delicate cup of dark chocolate filled with caramelized, slivered almonds covered again in chocolate. I also got a variety of different chocolate covered almonds and some truffles. It was my first gourmet chocolate purchase in Paris and it will definitely not be my last.
Onward to Saturday: my school visit to Mont St. Michel. Mont St. Michel is a compact, rocky island located in Normandy. The entire island was constructed around a single abbey, which is ominously perched atop the boulders and overlooks out onto the ocean and surrounding countryside. I do not remember much of the 4 hour bus ride-as I had to get up at 5:40 am to get to school and passed out as soon as I got on the bus-but the brief flashes of French countryside I did catch were picturesque. As much as I adore Paris, the French countryside was a refreshing respite from condensed city life. Rolling hills, tiny stone cottages, and quaint farms dot the expansive fields alongside the highway. As we pulled into the area around Mont St. Michel, I could not help but be captivated by the sweet villages and their lulling quality. It was as if life moved more slowly, more languidly-pulled awake only by the commerce of the local businesses and restaurants. Pulling up to Mont. St. Michel was very overwhelming. It looms over you like a dark castle, with the tiny shops-embedded in rock-winding to its entrance. We started our trip with a free lunch, hosted at a plain little restaurant located at the bottom of the mountain. The food was hearty and rustic; there was definitely no lack of butter. After lunch we proceeded up the tiny passageway up to the entrance of the abbey.
The abbey was breathtaking. Massive, haunting and cold, we wound through the different, starkly decorated chambers listening to an audio guided history about the monks who created it. The abbey took 60 years to build due to the changing tides and challenging process of getting the rocks up the mountain. After our visit we meandered around the touristy shops for a bit and finally headed back to the bus to take another 4 hour bus ride back to the city (which I also slept through).
And then there was St. Valentine's Day. I did not have many expectations for this holiday-just to fill up on chocolate and good food. However, in the late morning there was a knock on my door and there on the doorstep, much to my surprise, was a chocolatier's bag filled with a sunflower, truffles, a chocolate biscuit, and some chocolates. Jimmy. Thus, I headed out to find an open chocolate shop and bakery to return the favor. That night, me and my girlfriends went out to dinner at an amazing local pizza place and each got our own pizza. We ended the night with homemade chocolate strawberries (Ari and I made them earlier that day) and terrible white wine. I am still working on my chocolate :).
On Tuesday my French class took a field trip to a local fromagerie to learn about one of France's essentials-cheese. The shop was closed especially for us and we got a private explanation of how cheese is made and its different stages of fermentation. I learned that there are 400 different types of cheese in France and they are made from three different types of milk: goat, cow and brebis (a female sheep). Most cheeses are made in the mountain areas because the cold climate helps preserve the cheese during its aging process. We then got to try 5 different types of cheeses and some jam. Of course I could not help but buy some after that, so I settled on one of my favorites, Brie. I also got a small container of blackberry jam, one of my comfort foods. It was a really fun excursion and I now know that cheese is not a joking matter in France. It is part of the daily triangle of existence in France: wine, cheese, bread.
This weekend was a whirlwind-exhausting, emotional, exciting, and full of chocolate. To start, I had my first experience at a french dance club on Thursday night. It was great to just move to music with no sense of time, but the club seemed to be creeper central. My friends and I could hardly move without some guy zeroing in and trying to section one of us off to dance. I now see how European men like to do things. However, my friend Mair adopted the handy method of literally shoving them off-kind of like ping pong. At about 4 am we decided our feet and nerves had had enough and we stumbled, homeward bound, into cabs.
Friday Katherine ( my friend from school), Ariana, and I went to a chocolatier in the 9th that was first opened in 1761; thus they obviously know a thing or two about creating amazing chocolate. The St. Valentine's displays were all gorgeous and delectable looking, however they were all pretty expensive. The store had a huge display case of all different types of chocolates and it was so overwhelming to try and select a few. I finally settled on all dark chocolates (my favorite). I tried a florentine, a light, delicate cup of dark chocolate filled with caramelized, slivered almonds covered again in chocolate. I also got a variety of different chocolate covered almonds and some truffles. It was my first gourmet chocolate purchase in Paris and it will definitely not be my last.
Onward to Saturday: my school visit to Mont St. Michel. Mont St. Michel is a compact, rocky island located in Normandy. The entire island was constructed around a single abbey, which is ominously perched atop the boulders and overlooks out onto the ocean and surrounding countryside. I do not remember much of the 4 hour bus ride-as I had to get up at 5:40 am to get to school and passed out as soon as I got on the bus-but the brief flashes of French countryside I did catch were picturesque. As much as I adore Paris, the French countryside was a refreshing respite from condensed city life. Rolling hills, tiny stone cottages, and quaint farms dot the expansive fields alongside the highway. As we pulled into the area around Mont St. Michel, I could not help but be captivated by the sweet villages and their lulling quality. It was as if life moved more slowly, more languidly-pulled awake only by the commerce of the local businesses and restaurants. Pulling up to Mont. St. Michel was very overwhelming. It looms over you like a dark castle, with the tiny shops-embedded in rock-winding to its entrance. We started our trip with a free lunch, hosted at a plain little restaurant located at the bottom of the mountain. The food was hearty and rustic; there was definitely no lack of butter. After lunch we proceeded up the tiny passageway up to the entrance of the abbey.
The abbey was breathtaking. Massive, haunting and cold, we wound through the different, starkly decorated chambers listening to an audio guided history about the monks who created it. The abbey took 60 years to build due to the changing tides and challenging process of getting the rocks up the mountain. After our visit we meandered around the touristy shops for a bit and finally headed back to the bus to take another 4 hour bus ride back to the city (which I also slept through).
And then there was St. Valentine's Day. I did not have many expectations for this holiday-just to fill up on chocolate and good food. However, in the late morning there was a knock on my door and there on the doorstep, much to my surprise, was a chocolatier's bag filled with a sunflower, truffles, a chocolate biscuit, and some chocolates. Jimmy. Thus, I headed out to find an open chocolate shop and bakery to return the favor. That night, me and my girlfriends went out to dinner at an amazing local pizza place and each got our own pizza. We ended the night with homemade chocolate strawberries (Ari and I made them earlier that day) and terrible white wine. I am still working on my chocolate :).
On Tuesday my French class took a field trip to a local fromagerie to learn about one of France's essentials-cheese. The shop was closed especially for us and we got a private explanation of how cheese is made and its different stages of fermentation. I learned that there are 400 different types of cheese in France and they are made from three different types of milk: goat, cow and brebis (a female sheep). Most cheeses are made in the mountain areas because the cold climate helps preserve the cheese during its aging process. We then got to try 5 different types of cheeses and some jam. Of course I could not help but buy some after that, so I settled on one of my favorites, Brie. I also got a small container of blackberry jam, one of my comfort foods. It was a really fun excursion and I now know that cheese is not a joking matter in France. It is part of the daily triangle of existence in France: wine, cheese, bread.
mardi 9 février 2010
First week in February
With February comes the rain and snow and fog. Especially the fog. It coats this city like nothing i have ever seen before and every day is the same color. And what better way to remedy gray dreariness than to spend a day inside a museum. Last Sunday my friend Lisa and I took advantage of free museum day (the first Sunday of every month most of the museums in Paris are free), and went to Musee D'Orsay. Built out of an old train station, D'Orsay is one of the most elegant and open museums I have ever been to. Granted I have not yet been to the Louvre, so I am sure that will change. However, at the moment, this is my favorite museum. The ceiling is one of the mos magnificent parts; painted a pale sea foam green and decorated with antiqued ivory flowers with wide, arching sky lights. Also, at the front of the museum there is this immense golden clock that seems to be an original part of the station, which I could not get enough of of. Okay on to the art.
I was so delighted to visit this museum because of its impressive collections-it basically had all of my favorite artists under one roof-Monet (big favorite), Degas, Pissaro, Cassatt, Manet, Renoir, Sisley, Cezanne, etc. I was most excited to see the Monets and Degas', as I have been obsessed with those artists since I was younger and their works are frequently the back ground on my computer. Seeing them in real life was mind blowing. I wanted so much to reach out and physically touch them, feel the actual brush strokes, bumpy paint and canvas. When something so famous, old and beautiful is right in front of your nose its hard to not make contact. Needless to say, I was elated just to be in the same room with Monet's sailboats and Degas' dancers for the first time in my life, it was pretty awesome.
I was also captivated by the sculptures posed throughout the museum. It has always fascinated me that one man can take a hunk of stone and morph and whittle it down to something so lifelike. From the grooves on the knuckles and in the skin, to the facial expressions and poses, each sculpture was like a photograph in a way. I took a picture of the back of one sculpture because I could not get over how beautiful the hand gracing the skin was (im posting it down below). After the museum, Lisa and I decided to walk around to find lunch. Instead, we ended up just walking back to my area (45 minute walk), just because it was actually bearable outside and we were enjoying discovering the little ally ways and unique neighborhoods.
Since Valentines Day is this weekend, all the chocolate shops are arranging their displays and each one looks delectable. My room mate, Ariana, and I have decided that we are going to buy ourselves very expensive chocolate and wine, and hell-even a baguette and brie cheese-and eat and drink ALL DAY. I have not bought chocolate here yet (probably a good thing) because it is so so expensive, but I have been waiting for the opportune moment to indulge.
On a healthier note, I had my first yoga class last week and loved it. I am really trying to get into yoga because my legs are constantly tight from running. For a school program, the teacher was actually great. It was one of the hardest yoga classes Ive taken (it was the first class) and I was so sore the following days. I am really looking forward to getting flexible and strong in that way. It is also a relief to feel sore since I have not been in a gym in over a month-all i can do here is run.
While on my runs I always past this one boulangerie named Kayser. The name seemed so familiar and I knew I had heard of it somewhere. Ironically, my french teacher informed me that that line is one of the most famous boulangeries in Paris, specifically for the baguettes. So of course I had to go. I bought my first baguette in Paris (sad that I had been there a month and had not bought one myself) at Kayser and walked home with it crooked under my arm. Oh so french. Usually I am not a huge bread person, and all the baguettes here have tasted relatively the same to me. But this one was definitely unique. It had a sourdough look and texture to it and when i pressed down it was a tad squishy and doughy in the middle. I had it with brie cheese and jelly-my favorite combination-and for the first time, truly savored what amazing bread is like. I definitely want to make that venture a weekly tradition.
Thats all I have for now, but I will be posting another blog this week. It will most likely be about my favorite lunch crepe that I have every Monday and Thursdays so I will make sure to include every detail of that savory crepe.
Check out the pics from d'Orsay!
Love Bri
I was so delighted to visit this museum because of its impressive collections-it basically had all of my favorite artists under one roof-Monet (big favorite), Degas, Pissaro, Cassatt, Manet, Renoir, Sisley, Cezanne, etc. I was most excited to see the Monets and Degas', as I have been obsessed with those artists since I was younger and their works are frequently the back ground on my computer. Seeing them in real life was mind blowing. I wanted so much to reach out and physically touch them, feel the actual brush strokes, bumpy paint and canvas. When something so famous, old and beautiful is right in front of your nose its hard to not make contact. Needless to say, I was elated just to be in the same room with Monet's sailboats and Degas' dancers for the first time in my life, it was pretty awesome.
I was also captivated by the sculptures posed throughout the museum. It has always fascinated me that one man can take a hunk of stone and morph and whittle it down to something so lifelike. From the grooves on the knuckles and in the skin, to the facial expressions and poses, each sculpture was like a photograph in a way. I took a picture of the back of one sculpture because I could not get over how beautiful the hand gracing the skin was (im posting it down below). After the museum, Lisa and I decided to walk around to find lunch. Instead, we ended up just walking back to my area (45 minute walk), just because it was actually bearable outside and we were enjoying discovering the little ally ways and unique neighborhoods.
Since Valentines Day is this weekend, all the chocolate shops are arranging their displays and each one looks delectable. My room mate, Ariana, and I have decided that we are going to buy ourselves very expensive chocolate and wine, and hell-even a baguette and brie cheese-and eat and drink ALL DAY. I have not bought chocolate here yet (probably a good thing) because it is so so expensive, but I have been waiting for the opportune moment to indulge.
On a healthier note, I had my first yoga class last week and loved it. I am really trying to get into yoga because my legs are constantly tight from running. For a school program, the teacher was actually great. It was one of the hardest yoga classes Ive taken (it was the first class) and I was so sore the following days. I am really looking forward to getting flexible and strong in that way. It is also a relief to feel sore since I have not been in a gym in over a month-all i can do here is run.
While on my runs I always past this one boulangerie named Kayser. The name seemed so familiar and I knew I had heard of it somewhere. Ironically, my french teacher informed me that that line is one of the most famous boulangeries in Paris, specifically for the baguettes. So of course I had to go. I bought my first baguette in Paris (sad that I had been there a month and had not bought one myself) at Kayser and walked home with it crooked under my arm. Oh so french. Usually I am not a huge bread person, and all the baguettes here have tasted relatively the same to me. But this one was definitely unique. It had a sourdough look and texture to it and when i pressed down it was a tad squishy and doughy in the middle. I had it with brie cheese and jelly-my favorite combination-and for the first time, truly savored what amazing bread is like. I definitely want to make that venture a weekly tradition.
Thats all I have for now, but I will be posting another blog this week. It will most likely be about my favorite lunch crepe that I have every Monday and Thursdays so I will make sure to include every detail of that savory crepe.
Check out the pics from d'Orsay!
Love Bri
mardi 2 février 2010
Another Week
Another week in Paris has slipped by. Since I have been here I have learned to appreciate a glass of wine at a meal, the taste and texture of carrying a hot baguette on my walk home, and that every metro stop smells like pee and shit at some point of the day. Paris is full of the little things. Last night (Monday) I went to a Poetry reading held at a sweet bookstore called Shakespeare and Co. Located on the edge of the Seine, right across from Notre Dame, Shakespeare and Co. is a hidden treasure that one has to seek out in order to fine. It reminded me of a bookstore in Harry Potter (nerd alert but whatever). Crammed ceiling to floor with books of all kinds; old, new, tattered, sexual, french, english, childrens, suspense, every piece of everything imaginable.
My poetry teacher was the poet picked to read for that week, so a few of my fellow classmates and I crammed ourselves into this tiny, spectacular venue and listened. It was my first poetry reading. After this experience it will not be my last. There is nothing like hearing a poet read his/her own work aloud in front of an audience. Each person quiet and in rapt attention, the words have a way of bouncing of the walls and then sinking into the crowd. After the reading, we made our way downstairs into the main area of the book store (which was packed full with people), where we were greeted with wine, champagne and appetizers (all for free, perfect for college students). We then mingled a bit, met some interesting people, particularly an older, rotund man from Houston, who gave me the lowdown on one of the best, and least known museums in Paris.
Being in Paris, and being in my poetry class, has provoked me to really study poetry and practice more than before. After that reading, I knew that one day, I wanted to have that experience for myself. Reading my work a loud is petrifying and daunting, and I cannot help but blush red every time I have to read a piece in class. But, I am learning.
It is now February. The month of rain and wind and fog. That is one thing I cannot/ will not ever get used to-no sun. You do not realize how much the sun influences your day, or maybe I am just spoiled from living in Southern California. But I have learned one key thing about myself, I need the sun. I realized the other day that I do not remember the last time it was sunny here. Its hard to make yourself be adventerous and explore when you walk out the door and are met with rain, wind and dark clouds. But good thing I live in Paris, so I am easily distracted from the gloom :).
On a sadder note, the sale season ended this past weekend-thus I am officially done shopping. For now. I made some essential Parisian purchases: tan leather booties, black leather booties, black military jacket and the quintessential striped shirt and sweater. Now I can try and be as stylin' as my fellow Parisian women, who seem to ALWAYS look good no matter what the circumstance.
Last weekend I also went into one of Paris' most famous candy stores (it is a well known fact that I have a terrible sweet tooth and candy is my biggest weakness). When you walk in, you are automatically greeted by walls of different sweets, such as, chocolate olives with nuts inside; different types of cookies; macaroons; sweet candies; fudge: chocolate fudge, vanilla fudge, fig fudge, coffee fudge; chocolates: dark chocolate, milk chocolate, orange chocolate, chocolate with almonds, rows and rows of chocolate; I almost died. Especially when I saw the prices. But of course, I could not help myself. I ended up getting a piece of fudge with figs in it-delectable and a few sweet sucky candies, and a chocolate olive. Lets just say I limited myself from the first candy adventure where I spent 8 euros (around 10 dollars) on a bag of candy from the candy store on Mouffetard by my house. Woops. The chocolate olive was very interesting and something I usually would not have tried, but I am glad I did. I loved it.
Moving on from candy to something even better, traveling. My friends and I have finally settled down on our Spring Break plans, which takes place from feb 26th- March 13th. WOO! So here is the itenarary
Feb 26th: Paris-->Casablanca.
Casablanca for a day or two, then onward to Marakesh for a few days.
Markaesh--> Barcelona.
Barcelona for two days, then hopefully Madrid or Sevilla-still to be determined.
Back to Barcelona to meet up with friends for a day and a half.
Barcelona--> Amsterdam.
Amsterdam for the weekend.
Amsterdam--> Paris, and voila. Two of the best weeks of my life, yet to come.
I am also going to visit one of my best friends, Sarah Paxton, in Scotland, February 18th, so I have a lot of traveling ahead of me.
So there is a little update of my life so far. More to come soon.
Love, Bri
My poetry teacher was the poet picked to read for that week, so a few of my fellow classmates and I crammed ourselves into this tiny, spectacular venue and listened. It was my first poetry reading. After this experience it will not be my last. There is nothing like hearing a poet read his/her own work aloud in front of an audience. Each person quiet and in rapt attention, the words have a way of bouncing of the walls and then sinking into the crowd. After the reading, we made our way downstairs into the main area of the book store (which was packed full with people), where we were greeted with wine, champagne and appetizers (all for free, perfect for college students). We then mingled a bit, met some interesting people, particularly an older, rotund man from Houston, who gave me the lowdown on one of the best, and least known museums in Paris.
Being in Paris, and being in my poetry class, has provoked me to really study poetry and practice more than before. After that reading, I knew that one day, I wanted to have that experience for myself. Reading my work a loud is petrifying and daunting, and I cannot help but blush red every time I have to read a piece in class. But, I am learning.
It is now February. The month of rain and wind and fog. That is one thing I cannot/ will not ever get used to-no sun. You do not realize how much the sun influences your day, or maybe I am just spoiled from living in Southern California. But I have learned one key thing about myself, I need the sun. I realized the other day that I do not remember the last time it was sunny here. Its hard to make yourself be adventerous and explore when you walk out the door and are met with rain, wind and dark clouds. But good thing I live in Paris, so I am easily distracted from the gloom :).
On a sadder note, the sale season ended this past weekend-thus I am officially done shopping. For now. I made some essential Parisian purchases: tan leather booties, black leather booties, black military jacket and the quintessential striped shirt and sweater. Now I can try and be as stylin' as my fellow Parisian women, who seem to ALWAYS look good no matter what the circumstance.
Last weekend I also went into one of Paris' most famous candy stores (it is a well known fact that I have a terrible sweet tooth and candy is my biggest weakness). When you walk in, you are automatically greeted by walls of different sweets, such as, chocolate olives with nuts inside; different types of cookies; macaroons; sweet candies; fudge: chocolate fudge, vanilla fudge, fig fudge, coffee fudge; chocolates: dark chocolate, milk chocolate, orange chocolate, chocolate with almonds, rows and rows of chocolate; I almost died. Especially when I saw the prices. But of course, I could not help myself. I ended up getting a piece of fudge with figs in it-delectable and a few sweet sucky candies, and a chocolate olive. Lets just say I limited myself from the first candy adventure where I spent 8 euros (around 10 dollars) on a bag of candy from the candy store on Mouffetard by my house. Woops. The chocolate olive was very interesting and something I usually would not have tried, but I am glad I did. I loved it.
Moving on from candy to something even better, traveling. My friends and I have finally settled down on our Spring Break plans, which takes place from feb 26th- March 13th. WOO! So here is the itenarary
Feb 26th: Paris-->Casablanca.
Casablanca for a day or two, then onward to Marakesh for a few days.
Markaesh--> Barcelona.
Barcelona for two days, then hopefully Madrid or Sevilla-still to be determined.
Back to Barcelona to meet up with friends for a day and a half.
Barcelona--> Amsterdam.
Amsterdam for the weekend.
Amsterdam--> Paris, and voila. Two of the best weeks of my life, yet to come.
I am also going to visit one of my best friends, Sarah Paxton, in Scotland, February 18th, so I have a lot of traveling ahead of me.
So there is a little update of my life so far. More to come soon.
Love, Bri
Inscription à :
Articles (Atom)
