"Hoi" Holland!

Tuesday morning in the Marais! Just made some breakfast and now I'm watching MTV en francais. Which is tres comical. I'm watching "mon incroyable anniversaire" (my super sweet 16 in the US. Dubbed things are very funny! I am also thinking of my wonderful weekend in Holland! I got to see Caroline's hometown, got in touch with my Dutch roots, and have a delicious, American, Thanksgiving!

This may be beginning to sound repetitive about places I visit - but I LOVED Holland! What's not to love about a country where every town has a town windmill, little houses line cute canals, and there are delicious things to eat?

Caroline lives in a cute little town called Wasenaar - which happens to be where the Prince and Princess live! Sadly - I had no opportunity to meet them and become BFF with the Princess. Of course we also went into Amsterdam! I get so excited arriving in a new place! My first view of Amsterdam was of cute, colored houses lining the canal! How perfect! I fell in love at first sight!





We arrived conveintantly starving, since we quickly encountered a fresh cut french fry stand! Caroline had long been talking up "pinda sauce" - a Dutch speciality that is put on lots of things - including fries. What is amazing is that it is peanut butter based! My peanut butter obbsession is now clear to me! Clearly, I inherited my ability to eat PB with a spoon from the jar from my ancestors eating pinda sauce! So it's in my genes - and you can't fight genetics.

So - the fries were AMAZING! Truly the perfect fry! Perfect thickness, firmness, and saltiness! Smothered in pinda sauce, and served in this giant cone. It was seriously enough fries to feed all an entire wooden-shoe-wearing family! And possibly their sheep. (I saw lots of sheep in Holland)



But the fries were not what I came to Amsterdam for. I came for Panneokoken and Olliebollen. I knew we were having Panneokoken later for dinner, so needed to locate Olliebollen immeaditely! We were riding the tram over to the Van Gogh museum when I saw the bright lights and pink awning of the stand! Obviously - I excited the tram and went!

Now, to be honest - I didn't expect to really LOVE to Olliebollen, because it is fried dough and usually I'm not a funnel-cake kind of girl. But this was not like a funnel cake! It was a delicious, fresh, chewy, dough, ball of sweet goodness - covered in an obscene amount of powdered sugar! In other words - it was the dough form of heaven. It took me about an hour to stop talking about it. Only the Van Gogh was able to take my mind elsewhere.



Van Gogh is one of my favorites, and due to my art obbsession I had to see the Van Gogh museum! It was very cool because they had a lot of his works that I had never seen - along with some quite famous ones. Caroline was especially proud that he painted in Den Haag - the town next to hers.

We wandered around the musuem, in complete awe and admiration for about an hour - when we went to leave and realized it was POURING rain! zut alors! So we had to with our coats over our heads run back to catch the bus! The rain made me tres triste because we couldnt just wander around the cute streets - which is my favorite thing to do in a new place!

We were riding along - about to head to train station when my eyes spotted a cute square decked out in Chirstmas lights - and more pink stands selling treats! STOP THE BUS!!!!
We exited, to find ourselves in the cutest, Chirstmasy, little square in Amsterdam, that Caroline instantly recongnized as one of the favorite places! There was even an ice rink - but it was closed because of the rain. Rain is kind of a fun-sucker.

So instead, we went into a little bar - that looked like the North Pole inside it was decorated - and I ordered the first beer I have ever drank in my life.
Ok - it wasn't exactly beer - as Caroline made a point to tell me everytime I gloated - It was a cider beer. BUT the name beer is in it - and for a total beer-hater that is a big step! The cider was delicious - but a sip of Caroline and Maddy's real beers secretly made me want to gag. So I will just stick to who I am. A wine, champagne, and cocktail kind of girl - and I like it that way.



That night - that pancake dreams came true. We got panneokoken!! Panneokoken is like a mix between a crepe and a thin crust pizza. They are HUGE, round doughy pancakes, that are thin and having toppings of your choice on them. There were 102 different kinds of toppings! This is a problem for an extremely indecisive person! So - after much debate I decided on apples and bacon to get both a salty and sweet experience in one!

There are few moments in my life that I can recall eating something so delicious. I am going to have to try to re-create them. Or just move to Holland for a bit so I can eat them until I am sick of them. Which would never actually happen since there are 101 kinds left to try!



Saturday we had Thanksgiving! It was so nice to be in a home and with a family! Caroline's Aunt and Uncle from Paris were there, along with some of their close friends. It was nice to have so many people like I would have at home! Her mom made a DELICIOUS dinner! Thanksgiving is the best meal of the year.

I did really missed my family though! I got teary eyed talking to my mom! I've been away from home so long now! And Thanksgiving is such a big deal to our family - I hope I never have to miss Holidays again. It was so nice to be in a home and have a great friend to spend Thanksgiving with - otherwise I would have spent the day crying and skyping.

Caroline took us on a little tour of her town - which included the beach! There is such a beautiful beach 5 minutes from her house! How did I not know Holland had beaches? It was literally freezing, and we were all in our dresses. But it was so nice to see the sand and the ocean! I LOVE the beach! It made me very excited to go to Flordia with Josh in January!

That night we went out in Leiden. Which was very fitting because it's where the pilgrim left for the United States from! Leiden is such a cute little town! Little shop-lined streets, all decorated with garland and lights! Unfortuantely - it was POURING again! We had to run about ten minutes through the rain, so I arrived at the bar soaked in my boyfriend blazer. A couple gin & tonics helped warm me up though!



What's so fun about traveling and when you stop and think - Wait a second....I'm in Holland right now! It just makes everything 50% more fun!

I haven't mentioned yet that Caroline has some fierce Dutch-speaking skills! Dutch pretty much sounds like gibberish to the french-trained ear. So its quite funny to hear two people speaking gibberish to each other and it all making sense! She is quite Hollandaise!

Like everyweek - Sunday came too fast! I got tons of postcards (so keep a lookout in your mailbox!) and tons of stroopwafels!! These amazing dutch cookies that I LOVE. Some are for Biggie - who asked me to get him some. Some are for my daily pleasure! We had an early train back to Paris so my adventure Hollandise came to a fin.

So I have come to the conclusion that I have to go back in the Summer! I have to see the rows and rows of rainbow-colored Tulip fields, I want to go lay out on the beach in Wasenaar, and most importantly - there are still 101 kinds of Panneokoken to try!!

Joyeuse Mercigiving!

Joyeuse Mercigiving!
See - the French could celebrate thanksgiving if they wanted to! The holiday name translates so perfectly....kind of.

Today is Thanksgiving! And I have truly never felt less-thanksgivingy in my life! If I were not in Paris - I would already be home in the lake house, up late talking with a penguin-pajama-wearing Moeski and squeezing my yorkie, Lucie while she obsessively licked everything in sight!

I would have spent the week deciding which harvesty-flavored dessert I was going to make, and whipped it up yesterday while Moeski supervised my every whisk in her immaculate kitchen.

I would have woken up early to watch the broadway shows perform at the parade, and to find my daddy downstairs already starting on the turkey. Soon to be stuffed with David's famous stuffing that I would later eat thirds of!

Mais - I am in Paris. Where there is no Thanksgiving. It's the one thing about Paris that is unfortunate. Today in Paris will be just another Thursday. No parade, no pie, no family fun, no giving thanks. C'est vraiment trop mal.

It dosen't make sense to me really. I know that France has no ties whatever to native american and pilgrims feasting together, but they love food - and after being thankful, thanksgiving is all about eating delicious food! So isn't that reason enough to adopt another country's holiday?

So, yes. Today is going to be a bit depressing. I LOVE thanksgiving. I LOVE spending time with my family, and I LOVE pumpkim pie. But - to soften the blow of being thanksgiving-less, I am going home with Caroline to Holland for a belated-thanksgiving feast, visit of her home-town, and visit of my native country!

Yes, je suis Hollandaise! So I have long been wanting to visit Holland, and get in touch with my Dutch roots by eating pannekoeken and buying some wooden shoes! I have also long been wanting to meet Caroline's parents and see her home town! And ride around on the back of her brommer!

Saturday, we'll celebrate Thanksgiving! If I had to miss a Thanksgiving dinner, I don't know what would happen to me - aside from crying myself to sleep for weeks. Had I not had such a wonderful pal to take me to her home - I may have ended up at the "AUP Thanksgiving dinner". It's actually nice that they do it - but I can only imagine how pathetic it is!

So, today we head out for Holland! I don't really know anything about Holland, aside from giant pancakes filled with toppings. But on that basis alone I know I'm going to love it!

After dinner, my family always goes around the table and says what they are most thankful this year. So, in Kloots-family Thanksgiving tradition, I will close this post with a verrrry sappy (but very true) declaration of what I am most thankful for this year.

- For God. Who watches over us everyday, and gave us this beautiful world.
- For my amazing parents. Who I love more than I could say, and who eventually gave into my begging and pleading and let me come to Paris. Where I am spending the best 4 months of my life.
- For my incredible siblings - truly my best friends, and new niece and nephew - who are perfect little angels.
- For having met Joshua - the absolute sweetest and most amazing guy I have ever dated. Who shares my love for shake shack, Disney, and France!
- For wonderful friends - who are always there to talk to, dance-crazily, ice-cream-eat-with, and have proven to be excellent tour guides!
- And finally....for Paris! All I can say is, God - you did good with Paris! Also for crepes. And Nutella.

Joyeuse Mercigiving! I'm off to Amsterdam!

Just When You Think Paris Couldn't Get Any Cuter...

As if the Champs Elysee weren't amazing enough on its own, it has been tranformed into a giant Christmas street! Little stalls line the sidewalks of the Champs Elysee selling gifts, crafts, and the most amazing foods! At the top, is the Arc de Triomphe! At the end - is the Place de la Concorde with a huge chirstmas ferris wheel! And lining the streets with the Chirstmas stalls, are trees full of twinkle-lights!! I have found where I am spending every day of December until I leave!! I took a short movie of myself freaking out. Sadly, my poor video skills left me with a less-than mediocre film.



So let's get down to what's most important. The food! I start talking down and find that inside some of these cute little, decorated stalls are GINORMOUS pots that are full of creamy potatos with lardons, giant smoking sausages, cassoulets, even chilli con carne in one of them! These things are either scooped into a dish - or into a fresh baguette and eaten on the go!



My jaw dropped and drooling, I continued! One stand had giant hams, sausages, and turkeys roasting, which they were carving and putting onto baguettes! Then, they topped it my scraping cheese off of this giant cheese wheel that was under a cooker so it was warm and melty! It looked INCREDIBLE!



Another stall had fresh, bavarian pretzels and pretzel bread that were made into sandwiches! I kept walking to find a stall with giant slabs of foie gros, making fresh foie gros and fig jam baguette sandwiches! Another stall - cavair on a cracker with a shotglass of vodka! Little viande stalls, with cured sausages hanging everywhere and stacks of pates! Vin chaud! Fresh oysters with champange! Giant slabs of salmon hanging in front of a fire - for fresh smoked salmon and creme frais sandwiches! I WAS FREAKING OUT!!





And that's just half of it! The sweets was a whole another world! Tons of chocolateries, selling chocolate-covered-everything! Fruit, gingerbread, giant bricks of flavored chocolates that you can break off to create a mixed bag! Marshmallows, meringue, and of course - chocolat chaud!! C'est incroyable! Bon-boneries with overflowing bins of bon-bons, nougat, various fudges, and lollipops that are being made on site! I watched a guy pulling the candy to stretch it - like I've seen on the Food Network! Fresh made churros, falling from the machine into the fryer, covered in sugar and cinnamon, and then put fresh into these giant cones, with a side of chocolate sauce! Then of course your traditional crepes, fresh made gauffes, and sugary, puffy beignets! All topped with nutella and creme!











Literally, I was going crazy with delight! I was on a gourmet/Paris high! Aside from the food - there are tons of little shops selling cute gifts, jewlery, candels, ornaments, clothes, santa dolls, every cute Christmas thing you could want! It is truly adorable! There are all these cute Christmas carnival rides for kids! And even a live-animal reinactment of the manger! THEN - to top it all off - there is an indoor exhibit of the city and monuments of Paris in giant ice sculptors! La tour in ice!! I didn't go in because I am saving that activity for a night of Christmas fun where I ride the ferris wheel, go to see the ice tour, and get dinner and treats! Oh what fun is to be in Paris at Christmas time!

I had been worried I would really miss the Union Sqaure Christmas Market - but not anymore! I should have known better than to doubt Paris' abilities to fullfill my every desire! When the city lights go on in the night - and the whole city is sparkling, and now sparkling with twinkle lights for Christmas - there is simply no place in the world more beautiful! Before I made it to Christmas-Market fun, I went to the Petit Palais, a museum I had yet to see, right next to the Champs and the Pont AlexendreIII.

It was really beautiful inside! A huge, painted ceiling and beautiful rooms with statues and paintings! Downstairs, was the exhibit of the history of the Petit Palais, from the time of its conception for the Universal Exhibition until now! They had all these amazing photographs of Paris, floorplans for the palais, and advertisement posters for the exhibition! I was very excited to find such a gem!

As you exit, they had a giant white canvas, with post-its all over it, and pads of post-its and pens on either side! There was a sign that instructed me to write what I thought about the museum, and post it on the canvas! The canvas will hang until its full, and then they will take a photo to go in the museum forever! How fun!







So, I got to write a lasting love note to Paris! A little piece of me will always be here, hanging in the Petit Palais! And that - as you can imagine - made my day!

The Classics Never Get Old

A very interesting thing happened today as I was sitting in my Speech class. I'm not sure how we got on the topic, because I was gazing out the window trying to see the Eiffel Tour -but suddenly I heard my teacher ask, "You've all seen the movie 42nd Street right?"
The simultaneous reply was:

me: OF COURSE!
rest of my class: head shaking, looks of confusion, mumbles of no/what's that/huh?

I could not believe I was the only person in the whole class that had seen the movie, and actually....the only person who even knew what it was!

What is happening to our world!

Old movies are one of my favorite things about life. I LOVE turning on TCM at night - and transporting myself temporairly into the Old South with Scarlett, or Tiffanys with Holly Golightly. If it is true that people my age don't even know what these movies are! Old movies are everything wonderful! Take a minute to watch the original trailer for my favorite Audrey movie, Funny Face.



Paris and Audrey! What could be better?

Doesn't that 2 minutes of 1950s wonderfullness just make you smile? If not...something is most definitely wrong with you!

For your enjoyment, I've posted a short list of some of my absolute favorite old classics! Everything from musicals to horror movies - and all released before 1960. Well, I extended it to 1961 so I can include Breakfast At Tiffanys. Because no list of classics would be complete without it!

I beg you, in your spare time to do yourself a favor, and watch some of these amazing films! Admire the way life used to be. The gorgeous clothing, the impecable manners, the wholesome ideals, and the ability to break out into song in the middle of daily life! You will soon find yourself begging me for more suggestions!

The Audrey Classics. It's hard not to love them.
- Funny Face (my favorite Audrey movie)
- Roman Holiday (you should know by now how I feel about this movie)
- Sabrina
- Breakfast at Tiffanys



The Movie Musical
- 42nd Street
- Guys and dolls (young Frank Sinatra)
- Wonderful Town (I did this show my senior year of high school. I was Eileen - duh)
- West Side Story
- Singing in the Rain
- King and I
- White Christmas (Mandy dance scene is my favorite)



Bette Davis & Joan Crawford. Goddesses of films.
-Whatever Happened to Baby Jane (Bette Davis at her scariest)
-All About Eve
-The Little Foxes



The Famous and Fabulous
- Gone With the Wind (my #1, favorite movie of all time)
- An American in Paris
- Casablanca ("here's looking at you, Kid")
- Rebel Without A Cause (James Dean's leather jacket changed fashion forever)



Lesser Known, but No Less Wonderful
- Royal Wedding (tap dance on the ceiling)
- Picnic
- East of Eden
- Gigi



Now I know I'm missing many classics. But this is MY list of favorites! And I promise, if you like my blog - you will love each and every movie! So get watching! Hours of happiness await you!

Loving London!

Where to begin...? I LOVE LONDON!

In complete seriousness, my new life plan is to live in London! It is the ultimate city for me for so many reasons....
1. It has a mix of the coolness of NYC and the charm of Europe!
2. It is only a 2 hour Eurostar ride away from Paris- my favorite city ever!
3. Everyone speaks English and is SO friendly and funny.
4. The tube is the cleaniest, nicest, metro system i've ever been on. Also it has a cool name.
5. The double decker buses are the funnest mode of public transportation!
6. Harrods is the most gorgeous department store on Earth and has an amazing food market.
7. I could have afternoon tea everyday!
8. I could get all my clothes at TopShop. The best store EVER.
9. London does an amazing job of Christmas decorating, and you feel like your in fake town.
10. I could say fun things like "have a go" and maybe even develop a britsh accent.
11. I may run into Harry Potter or Edward Cullen on the street.
12. Daily visits to Brough Market for sampling would be possible.
13. I wouldn't need a watch, I'd have Big Ben.
14. The WestEnd would fullfill my theatre needs.
15. England is still a monarchy - so there is a chance I could become queen!

I could go on and on and on! I LOVE LONDON! I wish I would have had more time to spend with Amy and see the city, because 2 days was simply NOT enough! I had such a wonderful time, and truly felt that I could live there!

Let's begin my London-worship with praising the EuroStar. The Eurostar is more convienant than the Paris metro. It is SO nice, clean, and FAST! Training-about is so much better than flying! No bags to check, no shoes to take off, no annoying stewardess yelling at you to buckle your seat belt and turn off your ipod! Just ease and luxury! Once I made it through border-patrol, I was passed out in my luxury seat, and woke up in London!

Amy was waiting at the train station, looking ADORABLE with her Audrey Hepburn hairdo! It was sooo wonderful to see her, it had been almost a year! She took me to the Wolseley, her dad's resturant for dinner! I have LONG been wanting to go to the Wolseley, as it is not only her dad's resturant, but the #5 most popular resturant (according to Zagat) and the #1 rated for afternoon tea! It was also quite a treat to have a lovely, gourmet meal in a gorgeous restaurant! I hadn't since Josh took me to Jules Verne! My steady diet of baguettes, yogurt, eggs, and cheese was interupted with a delicious filet of beef! Mmm!

After our delicious champange, dinner, and home-made Lemon-Meringue-Pie ice cream "coupe", we walked to the tube station, past the London Ritz (the Wolseley's neighbor) where I thought of Hugh Grant in Notting Hill - another must-see movie! (Partially because of Hugh Grant's general fabulousness - and partially because the main character's name is Anna.) We took the tube to Amy's house, where her sweet parents (and adorable labradors) welcomed me into their beautiful home! What a wonderful welcome to London!


The Wolseley

In the morning, Amy and her brother James took me for breakfast at this cute and quaint little place on their street, where I had the most delicious "porridge" with dried, carmelized fruit and nuts. I loved that it was called porridge! British english is so much more fun than American english! We really should consider just switching to all their sayings, because they are so cute!

Amy and I took the double-decker red buses to get over to the cute shopping areas! I didn't realize that the double-decker buses are just regular, public transportation! It is so fun to see them all riding around the street! We got off and did some shopping and gawking over Harrods! Harrods could be an entire post on its own! It is the most amazing department store! I would like to work, sleep, and eat at Harrods - everyday of my life from now on. It is SO beautiful, and they have the most amazing, gourmet epecerie attached I've ever seen!

There was beautiful room after room of roasting chickens, fresh seafood, amazing fruits and vegetable stands, sweets, everything! (I was particulary fond of the cupcake counter selling pink frosting-filled martini glasses). It is a never-ending mania of gourmet delight! There are also tons of little counters you can eat-in at, including Laudree, Krispy Kreme, and an old-fashioned ice cream parlor serving enormous ice cream sundaes and milkshakes! If you remember the one that was temporairly in FAO Schwartz in NYC, it was obviously copied from the one in Harrods!


Had I not JUST had breakfast, I would have been all over this!

Aside from the amazing, gourmet wonderfulness - there is a beautiful, elaborate, disney-world-ride- like "Egytian staircase" that leads you to floors of the most amazing clothing and a full "dog floor" with a puppy bakery selling "pupcakes" and Roberto Cavalli dogclothes for 200 pounds. They also had a "Wizard of Oz" theme going on, so there was a yellow-brick road running through the store! For an extreme Dorthy-lover as a child, like myself, it was quite thrilling to walk down the yellow brick road! All in all, Harrods could charge an admission fee, because it is more like a museum of awesomeness than a department store!

We stopped at Itsu to meet Amy's "mate" for some Sushi! It had been MONTHS since I've had sushi - so my ahi tuna sushi and nori salad was particulary delicious! The food comes around on a conveyor belt and you pull off what you want and eat it! A very genius idea for those who hate waiting for food, and like seeing what the dish looks like before you order it! (I fall under both of these description).

Since all the museums in London are FREE (another reason I LOVE it there) we wandered into the Natural History museum's dinosaur area, where a rather life-like, moving T-Rex gave both of us a freight (Yes - I'm trying to sound British), and then into the V&A musuem, where we went through the fashion exhibit.

Amy had to work at the pub that night, and my brother (whom I call Biggie) was coming in from Brighton, so I tubed over to Victoria Station to pick him up! It was SO WONDERFUL to see my brother! I haven't seen him since June, and haven't seen family since August! So to be able to spend some time with Biggie, and in London no less! I took him out for a birthday dinner at a place called "Gaucho". Good thing I am no longer a Veggie because it was entirely decorated in cow-fur and they bring out their freshly-imported cuts of beef from Argentina, raw meat cuts on a silver platter so you can choose. I choose the "award-winning" burger - because burger's in cool restaurants are always amazing. This super thick, cheese and pancetta-topped materpiece was not a let down! My side of sweet potato "chips" was the perfect addition! One bite-in and I was saying "hello gourmet burgers, I have MISSED you!!"


Burger at Gaucho

Since the tube was closed, I had to take a cab home - which was an experience on its own!
I am used to New York. I am used to cabs that smell like Halal food, rude drivers that almost kill you with their maniac driving, and having to shout directions from the backseat, because he dosen't actually know where Washington Street is!
Welcome to London, where you're cab driver has been through a 5 year cab college, and actually knows how to get around the city, does not make you fear your life with his driving, and is sharing his life story with you on the way! When I got out, I felt that I had made a new friend! Now, this plesant cab-ride did not come cheap! 20 pounds to get across London!! - Which Amy told me was actually quite reasonable! I guess you pay for the service, knowledge, and kindess, but it certainly makes for a pleasant ride!

Saturday, after Amy made me a delicious "english" breakfast, I headed out to Brough Market to meet Biggie in what turned out to be the outdoor market of dreams! Stalls and stalls of food to rival Harrods - but with that busy, market feel and tons of free samples! Biggie got a sausage roll and apple cider, and I got mulled wine, since it is a British thing! We wandered around, wide-eyed and drooling over grilling cheeses, sizzling gumbo, smoking sausages, fudgey brownies.... truly a foodie's paradise!


I tried mulled-wine to be British!

The site-seeing commenced next! We popped out of the tube right next to Big Ben! Who is QUITE big and beautiful! Parliment sqaure literally blew me away. (Partially because it was very windy, but mostly because it is GORGEOUS). I have never seen so many beautiful buildings so condensed in one square! Biggie pointed out one particular church where scenes from Harry were filmed! Of course I freaked out! I found out only too late that you can actually take a 'Harry Potter tour of London". IF ONLY!!! That is one huge reason I must go back ASAP!



Afterwards we walked through the park, towards the Palace! London is full of "commons" which are these beautiful, huge parks! They are full of pretty trees and benches and dogs and it is so picturesque and wonderful! This particular, tree-lined path of the commons, lead us right to Buckinham Palace, where I saw my future-home, because one day I will be Queen. London still has a monarchy, so that is another reason I need to live there!

When it became afternoon, it was time for afternoon tea! Oh how I LOVE afternoon tea! We went to the Wolseley of course, and I had the most delicious scones, clotted cream, and jam of my tea-eating life! I could have just kept having scones and never made it to the sandwiches and petit fours! Luckily though, I did - and they were equally tasty and delightful! I so wished my mom was there to be tea-ing with us! She is the reason I love going for tea, and have so many wonderful memories of skipping school and eating petit fours!

After our very British afternoon - we went to Oxford Street, which I name nicknamed the North Pole because it is the most festive, adorable, twinkling, magical collection of streets I've ever seen! Oxford, and all the little side streets and covered in lights, trees, inflatable-reindeer, sparkles, and garland! It is truly like walking through Santa-world, only there is no snow!

Oxford street is also magical because it is home to TopShop - the coolest store of all time! Shopping in London is the best I've ever witnessed! It is so forward, cool, and unique - and TopShop truly at the top! I thought I had experience TopShop since the New York store opened, but sadly - the New York store is NOTHING like the London one! If they would allow it, I would pitch a tent in the middle and live there for a week so I could see everything, and go on a shopping spree for a week-straight. Since I wanted to buy EVERYTHING, I had to practice some self-control and only go for my favortie item. Ballet flats that actually look like real ballet shoes! They are so adorable, so comfy, and make me feel like the prima ballerina I always dreamed of being! I also actually really needed shoes, so it was a savy purchase afterall!


Our cute sqaure

Cute oxford street led to cute Regent Street, and cute Bond Street, and they just kept getting cuter and cuter until we took a secret passage way, and ended up in this adorable, shop-filled, 4 story, indoor sqaure completely covered in twinkling icicle lights! I was so adorable! Secret passages always lead to the best things! There were trendy little stores, and a yummy noodle bar/chinese place we had dinner later. Todd and I have always loved secret passages so it was very appropriate to find such a particulary wonderful one! The only downside to the restaurant was that they "don't do desserts". Excuse me?.... I don't understnad. You don't do desserts? Like - you don't even have 1 option? Nothing?......Is that even legal? Apparently is it. So, we had to outsource, and ended up very pleased with out chocolate fudge cake and strawberry ice cream we got next door! Yum!


Regent Steet, covered in lights!

When I got back to Amy's, her parents had just got home from the ball at Wimbeldon, so I was able to show-off the precious little outfit I picked up for my new neice, Nina to Amy's mom before passing out in my cozy bed! Dreaming of christmas lights, scones, and moving to London!

Sunday afternnon, her parents took me for a "traditonal British, Sunday Roast" at the pub Amy works at. The pub is so cute! It is decorated really funky chic and Amy is the most adorable waitress of all time! I ordered the Pork with crackling, which means a huge piece of pork with a crispy, "crackling" crust, applesauce, yorkshire pudding, vegetables, potatoes, and gravy. I was slightly worried upon ordering it what it would be like - and pleasantly surprised when Amy put down a delicious, beautiful looking plate of meat, veggies, and what looked like a popover! It turned out that was Yorkshire pudding! It's not a pudding at all, its a giant, puffy, fried bread thing that is delicious!



For dessert, another traditonal British experience of treacle tart - which is like a more sugary pumpkin pie, served with a side of rich, creamy, custard sauce! It is soo sweet and scrumptious (good British word)! I always remember reading Harry Potter and wondering what treacle tart is, and now I know! So now I will read and salivate, instead of read and wonder!

So, on the train back I was quite sad because the weekend went sooo quickly! I didn't want to leave Amy and her wonderful family, and I didn't want to leave London - the Christmas city of cuteness! I will have to go back soon to see all the museums and do some more shopping! I will plan a day each for the Tate Modern and TopShop spree! Amazing musuems, shopping, and restaurants is all I need in life!

Before I came, my only London knowledge was from SpiceWorld, Romantic Comedy movies, and the 8 times I've seen Billy Elliot. So, it was quite fun to ride a red bus, see the Ritz, and go in a "pasty shop" and hear people say "50p". But what was most fun is discovering a city that I honestly want to move to, and could see myself living in! I couldn't live in New York City forever - because after a while the crowds, noise, and grime would get to me - and you can't have a family there. I also couldn't stay in Paris forever because the Parisiens relish in being a smoky, depressed, wonderfully-tragic race - that I would never quite fit-into to. But London would give me the best of both worlds! I could have my tea-cake, and eat it too!

Une Bonne Semaine a Paris!

Ohhh, home sweet Paris! I had the most wonderful week back in Paris!
It was so nice to be able to speak French again, and all the italian food made baguettes and crepes taste like the first time again! Oh, Paris. Tu as mon couer pour toujours!

Monday apres l'ecole Caroline and I went to Le Grand Epecerie at the Bon Marche. If you are unfortunate and do not know what that it, it is the Bergdorfs of grocery stores. How many grocery stores do you know of that decorate for Christmas? It is a wonderland of expensive cheeses, pasteries, breads, and meats. They had this entire new display of candied fruits that belong in the Louvre next to the Mona Lisa.

So, we got the ingredients for me to make some baked ziti. Because I was still craving italian and the only food we had was tons of pasta. As I was dancing around the store in a Parisienne/Christmas/amazing food frenzy, what to my wandering eyes did appear but a petit jar of PB&Co Dark Chocolate Dreams! I couldn't believe it! Santa must be real, because my Christmas gift came early, in the form of my FAVORITE peanut butter being sold in Paris!

They were also selling those ginormous containers of nutella that all the creperies have, that weight like 20 pounds. I actually considered buying it because it would save a lot of money in the long run. Had I been alone, I probably would have. Luckily Caroline was there to talk some sense into me! There are some quite funny photos of me hugging it though, which Caroline has to incriminate me with later on in life.



So, since Monday at Le Grand Epecerie had been so fun, I decided to spend my 3 hour break inbetween French and Paris Architecture class at La Lafayette Gourmand, same concept - only at Gallerie Lafayette! Along with gourmet food, they also have all these mini restaurants/shops inside where you can sit at the bar, eat fresh food, and watch all the shoppers and shop owners!

So, bien sur, I sat at the cutest one, and had the most amazing assisette de trois fromages, cut before my huge, delight-filled eyes, with this amazing salad and mini baguettes! Everyone at the bar with me was French, and I felt to Parisienne sitting and eating my cheese in the Lafayette Gourmand, chatting the cheese-man and the nice woman next to me (in French!). It was magnifique!

Afterwards, I went into the Opera Garnier to do my reading before class. Because why wouldn't I want to do my homework under the gorgeous, Marc Chagall ceiling of the Opera House, starring out into the beautiful theatre? Could there be a better place to read a chapter about Haussman's modernization of Paris? Je pense que non!


Marc Chagall is such a wonderful, modern, twist to the very Baroque Opera Garnier!

Today, it was warm!! Well, warm-ish. Paris is essentially freezg, so 50 degrees and sunny is like swimsuit weather to me now. When I got out of 3 hours of French class, the sun was shining on the Eiffel Tower, and I mentally confessing my love to it. Things are getting serious between us...

Since I had a couple hours until I had to be at the Pantheon for my architecture class, I decided to get lost in the 6eme. Getting lost in Paris is one of my favorite activities! I just go somewhere I haven't been yet, and start following the cuteness and discover the most wonderful things! Today, I was wandering about and came upon of the cutest Parisien, cobble-stone streets I've seen yet!

Rue de Mouffetard. It begins at this adorable, ivy-covered church, and ends at a beautiful sqaure with a foundtain and cafes. If that weren't enough, it is lined with the most wonderful fromageries, boulangeries, patasseries, boutiques, bucheries with chickens roasting outside! I mean, the smells alone that you get from trapsing down the rue are worth the visit! So, when I got to class I told everyone they had to go - and my teacher said "You really do go everywhere!" And I said "OUI!"

Tonight, I went to see "Tenatation" with some friends from French class. To you Americans, it's "New Moon," the second book of the Twilight saga. Which yes, I love. And yes, I know is ridiculous. But I am pretty much the queen of loving ridiculous things. So it works. So, to be a movie critic for a moment - I throughly enjoyed it! It is far better than the first movie, which Kristin, Amanda and I laughed our way through and left crushed. It is still full of cheesy moments and bad acting, but that's what makes it wonderful, non?

So afterwards I got tricked into going up to the 7eme to go to an Irish Bar. There was some important soccer game going on against Ireland and someone, and people were going mad! They told me we were going to the 5eme (close to my apt) but since I was not paying attention I realized too late that we were in the 7eme (far from my apt). But, it all worked out for the best, because just as I was leaving - the giant tour started to sparkle, and all the lights of the city were on, and I was standing there, looking around and admiring the tour, and I was SO HAPPY!

I love that the tour and I have memories together... I remember the first time I saw it! Eating a croissant from Polaine under it with Tre! Screaming and running down the rue de Montaigne at night towards it because I saw it sparkle for the first time! Having a crepe there with mom and dad when I finally returned to Paris in August! Josh taking me to the top to have an amazing lunch at Jules Verne! It's not just the Eiffel Tower to me. It's so many wonderful memories now, and I LOVE that!


First time in Paris, seeing the Tour with Tre. The best trip ever!

Tomorrow, I leave the tour, because I'm going to London! I am even extra excited because I get to see my brother, Todd - and my adorable friend, Amy! It will be so nice to spend time with family and friends I haven't seen in months!

I am also excited for London because of high tea! I LOVE having afternoon tea, and London is THE place for tea! Eveything about tea is fun! Fancy clothes, pretty setting, nice china, little sandwiches, little desserts, scones and cream, good manners! I can't wait!

Also excited because London is where Harry Potter lives! Well, technically Little Whining, but Diagon Alley is in London. And yes, I kind of believe Diagonal Alley is real.

Also because of TopShop (duh) and the queen (which I should be someday) and British accents! I love them. I am contemplating adopting one for the weekend. We'll see. My Britsh accent is kind of crap, I need to work on it before I execute this idea. Perhaps I can do that on the "tube" tomorrow!

Roman Holiday

Ciao Bella!

I've just returned from the most wonderful 5 days in Italy - a truly amazing and beautiful place, that I am SO extremely happy I got to visit, because Italy is magnifique!

I know - I didn't blog live, but why would I spend time on the internet when I am in Italy for a mere 5 days!? But I will try to make my re-cap blog just as vivid as my documented trip in my travel journal! Which is nearly filled!

So, to re-cap: I JUST HAD THE BEST 5 DAYS!!
After my last, abruptly-ended post, Dyne and I went for an "aperitivo"! This means you go to a restuarant and you order a drink, and then you eat as much as you want of the delicious italian buffet! Why does Paris not do this! Why does the US not do this? It's amazing! I got a Negroni, because I knew my sister Amanda loved them, and because they are Italian thing - and you know, when in Rome....!


Dyne took me to a cute little place called Obio!

Since Dyne had class all day Thursday, and a date with her cute Italian boy, I decided to go to Roma! I took the 8am train, and was in by 9:30, when I bought a guide book at the train station - and off I went! I was THRILLED to be in Rome! I get this rush of excitement when I get somewhere new - even if it's just a new NYC restaurant. So you can only imagine the level of excitement I had upon arriving in one of the most exciting cities in the world!

What I did next, may make my mother the proudest of me she has ever been. I bought a ticket for the double decker tour bus of Rome, and hopped on! My mom LOVES those buses. She made my dad ride it 3 times in a row with her when they were in Italy, and she goes everytime she comes to visit me in NYC. I usually hate these bus tours - because I would rather walk around and experience things on my own - but, since Rome is huge, and I only had 1 day to see as much as I possibly could - I thought it would actually be a "good one"! So, I boarded - and the amazingness began!


I wish I could have bought one of these for Moeski!

It was a gorgeous day! Clear, blue, at least 70 degrees! I was standing on the top of the bus, blonde hair blowing the wind and coat off - snapping photos like a crazed tourist within minutes of boarding! My first view from the bus was of the colosseum, and I basically made a small scene by completely freaking out as we passed right next to it, and continued past the Circus and Palantino! It is breathtaking! I instantly made a friend on the bus of course! A goofy, old, Irish man and his wife, Jannette. We bonded over having problems getting our informational headsets to speak in English! He was quite histerical - I could have paled around with him all day! But I had to leave him when the bus pulled up at Saint Peters Square, because I was being drawn to it like I'm drawn to cupcakes in the window of Billys!

When I actually was standing in the middle, looking at the Vatican - my eyes filled up with tears and I was completely overcome with how amazing it was! I don't know what happened to me! I was so upset with myself for not having enough time to go inside - but I only had 10 hours to see as much as I could, and the line was wrapped around the square! So I went on to my next stop - Trevi Fountain! Which needs it's own moment of silence! Trevi Fountain... I am completely in love you! I wish I could spend an hour everyday just sitting on your steps, eating gelato and being happy! If there was a most beautiful fountain in the world award - I would nominate you, and sutff the ballot box to ensure that you won!



So after gawking there for awhile, I forced myself to other sites of Roma! The Panthenon, Spanish Steps, the piazzas! Thanks to the bus, I got to see just about all the sites that day! The bus is actually good! I was in complete awe when I got inside the palantino, walking around the ancient ruins! I was just in time to watch the sunset over the city! I wish I could have seen my face all day - because I must have looked ridiculous with my jaw dropped to the floor and eyes huge, gazing at everything like it was a dream and shouting words of admiration!

I took the bus on a night loop, so I could see all the lights of Rome, which was incredible! I was so sad when I got to the train station! I was an hour early to make sure I didn't miss my train back to Florence, since it was the last one of the night. This is where speaking Italian would have come in handy! I did not know how to read the boards! Turns out, I was looking at the wrong board the whole time, and missed my train! So at 9pm, I realized I was stuck in Rome for the night!

Now I won't lie - I had a mild moment of panic. I called Josh, travel expert and boyfriend extraordinaire! But then I realized.... I'm trapped - IN ROME! Not such a bad situation to be in! So, being resourceful and smart like I am, I went into the train bookstore, found a guide to Rome, looked up a nice hotel by St. Peter's Square, and a metro ride later I was checking into a little room at the Hotel Amalia!

I truly believe it was divine intervention. All I kept saying all day was "I wish I had more time here! I want to see the Vatican!" So, God helped me out a bit and made it happen. It was the best accident ever because THE VATICAN WAS AMAZING! Again, tears upon entering! Why? You tell me! Perhaps I am just more emotional when I travel than I usually am! Perhaps it's because I was standing in the middle of the center of the Christian world! Perhaps it was a little of both! Whatever the reason, it was incredible!



After wandering around the basilica for hours, and starring at every statue and tomb in the grottos, I went to see the Sistine Chapel. The Vatican museum does not make it easy for you to get to the Sistine Chapel! It's like they want to be sure you're not just trying to see that and then leave! I had to maze through the entire museum before I finally was standing underneath the "Creation of Adam". I stayed there at least an hour. Just starring at the ceiling, jaw dropped, admiring how the colors and the figures of the fresco pop off the ceiling and come to life before your eyes. It is truly masterpiece.

I visited the inside of the Colosseum next, which was so cool! I love being in things that are just unfathomably old! It's incredible! I also had time to go to the Piazza Bocca de la Verita, where I stuck my hand in the stone face's mouth - just like in the movie "Only You"! Which if you haven't seen - you need to because it is an old family favorite, and it takes place in Rome! If you haven't seen Roman Holiday - you shouldn't be reading this blog. Just stop - now! You're no longer welcome here!

So I spent the rest of my beautiful, Roman, day number two seeing everything I hadn't and eating gelato! Ohhhhh the gelato stands in Italy! It is just about every other shop is a gelato stand. I was in creamy heaven! I got 2 gelatos in Rome, and 2 in Florence. I think Rome is the winner though. I tried pistachio, carmel, nutella, black cherry, and melting chocolate in Roma! ALL delicious!


First cone of the day. She actually asked me if I wanted whipped cream! HA! What a silly question!


Second cone, eaten at Trevi at night! I loved the mini cone on top!

After saying arrivederci to Roma, and successfully making it ON my second train - I was soon back in Florence, with Dyne! After Dyne cooked up a delicious, italian pasta dish, we went out dancing to celebrate my successful return at a place called YAB. I expected techno or italian music, but was very surprised when I instead got to start a dance party to the Michael Jackson music blasting when we got in! We instantly made friends with some italians and had a blast dancing off all our pasta!

The next afternoon was one of the most fun and unique things I've ever done! We went up in the hills to Ponte a Ema to pick olives! The FIT florence coordinator lives up in the hills outside Florence, and has 400 olive trees that she was in the middle of harvesting! So with the rolling hills of Florence and a golden sun as our background, we spent the afternoon picking olives from the trees! When we were finished we went inside for a "snack" she had prepared for us.



The "snack" turned out to be an italian feast of bread, flatbread, foccacia, bruschetta (that I helped make!) prosciutto, salami, giant olives, fresh Roma tomatoes, mozzarella, wine, and olive oil from her trees that she pressed ONE week ago! The olive oil was incredible! I didn't know olive oil could taste like that! It was life changing, I can never look at store bought EVOO again! After we were all stuffed of italian deliciousness, she brought out the chewiest, most delicious biscotti I have ever had, and dessert wine! There is always room for dessert, and dessert wine!
P.S. This whole feast was taking place in the cutest little italian country home in the hills!

We left offically STUFFED! We needed a nap before waking up and going to dance it all off again, with Dyne's italian boy and all his friends - who only speak italian! Well, aside from being able to say "I don't speak English!" So, it made conversation quite limited and restricted me to sign language to communicate, but it was lots of fun!! You don't need to be able to talk to have a crazy fun dance party!

Now I need to take a moment to admire my friend Dyne. Dyne is so adorable! She is nearly fluent in Italian after like 1 year of classes, and she seems to know everyone in Florence! All her friends are Italian, and she is truly making the most of being in Italy! Not to mention she is the best host ever! She referred to me all weekend as her VIP guest, and I sure felt like one! It was so fun to see her, to get to see Florence, and to get to meet all her friends! I wish I could go to Florence for the Spring when I'm forced to leave Paris! It would help soothe the pain!

My last day - I got a "Last (Italian) Supper" with Dyne. A mozzarella pizza, and a pear and gorgonzola calzone....I know, right?! There are not even words! Then Dyne took me to the original GROM, like they have in the west village in NYC, for a final gelato! Now I've never been there in NY, but this was amazing! Soooo creamy! We licked our way through the giant cones as we wandered through the cute Florence streets, back to the apt to get my bag.

I was quite sad on my flight back! I wish I had more time there! I had such an amazing time in Italy! It was the one place I said I had to see while I was here, and I am so thankful I got to go. I have already made a list of the places I need to return to, which currently includes Venice, Naples, and Capri. I want to improve my Italian first though! It would be nice to know more than 5 words before my next visit!

So, I know what you're thinking. Does this mean that the Blonde Parisienne likes Italy better than France?
Well mes amis, comparing France to Italy, is like comparing Billys to Buttercup! They are both wonderful! Both can fullfill your buttercream craving, and make you want to come back for more! But when people ask, what is the best? I say Billys, and I say Paris!

This morning as I was walking through the light rain, eating my just-baked, buttery, crossiant, and admiring the view of the Eiffel Tower as I headed to my French class - I knew that no place takes my breath away like Paris, no sight give me chills that compare to the ones I get looking at la Tour, and no scoop of gelato compares to a Pierre Hermes macaron! So - Paris will always have my heart.

I am, afterall, la Blonde Parisienne!

La Blonde Italienne!

I know I promised not to fall in love with another city - but Florence is too beautiful not too! So, just for the duration of my stay, I am calling myself the blonde italian. Im imagining next weekend I will be going by the blonde Brit after spending the weekend in London! But I will always first and foremost be the Blonde Parisienne, so never fear!

Have I mentioned yet that I LOVE IT HERE!! Florence is gorgeous! Today it had to be 65degrees, all blue skies and sun shining! First thing first - I went straight to the Duomo and climbed the 463 stairs to the top! Which is why I have renamed it the duomo the DOOMo because I thought I was going to die midway! Imagine the smallest, spiraliest stairs made of stone ever....463 of them! But it was worth it! I got to enjoy a delicious, creme topped waffle afterwards guilt-free!

The city is BEAUTIFUL! All the red, old, rooftops match and then these huge palazzos stick out, all covered in marble and stone! Its truly breathtaking! The DOOMo is really striking when it sticks out over the city!

In the same piazza as the doomo is the Gates of Paradise doors! Its actually a copy but it was still very cool to see! I learned all sbout that in art history at FIT! I LOVE old, important, things! NO wonder I love it here!

I continued my walk down to the Pont Vecchio, and across to the Pitti Palazzo, where I went into the Boboli Gardens! I LOVED the gardens! Every royal gardens is based off of them! Including Versailles! I did not really know where I was going, so I walked to the top of this hill thing, went through a gate - and thought I was in heaven it was so beautiful! Giant, rolling green hills, dotted with skinny italian trees and adorable little country homes! I literally could not breathe it was so beautiful!

I stayed in the gardens for a long time, journaling, napping, exploring! Then I went into the costume musuem, that had a bunch of really awesome clothing from all the different decades, and dating back to Marie Antoinette styles - which I loved seeing!

I spent the rest of the day just walking around, looking at all the beautiful things and desperately wishing I could speak Italian! Im back the hostel now - ONLY because I can use the internet here, and I have to pick up my suitcase.

Dyne just came to pick me up!!! So goodbye hostel forever!!!!

My First - and LAST Night in a Hostel

I have arrived safely in Florence!! I got in a bit ago, walked through the ADORABLE little town to my Hostel I am staying in just for tonight. Tomorrow I move in with my sweet friend, Dyne. But since I got in so late I insisted I stay in a hostel tonight so she wouldnàt have to wait up for me.

Apparently, the hostel I am staying in is the "luxury" hostel so I was expecting it to be nice. Hoever, my idea of luxury is the Ritz. So I should have known better.

THIS PLACE IS DISGUSTING. I do not think I will be able to sleep tonight. Therefore, I am blogging instead - and complaining, because if you were here you would be complaining too.

On the brightside, I think the guy at the check-in counter thought I was cute becuase he gave me free internet time and moved me into a room that only has 1 other person instead of the 7 other girls in the room I was supposed to be in. There are perks to being an exotic blonde in Europe!

I just went into the room, made the bed - or what they THINK can PASS for a bed - locked up everything I own in the locker, and came downstairs where I am hoping to pass the next 7 hours until I check out of this doomful place!

But what is amazing to me is...if this hostel luxury - then what are the bad hostels like! I cannot even imagine! I do not understand how people do this! I think it is worse being alone, but still. Alone or not - dirty is dirty. And this is DIRTY.

I suppose I have just stayed in one-to-many suites in the Waldorf Astorias of the world....

Okay, enough complaining. It is just one night. And at least it is safe. And there is only 1 other girl in my room. When I saw her Sheer Blonde shampoo bottle in the bathroom - I was hopeful we would bond and become Florence friends - but turns out she was quite upset that someone barged in on her privacy and turned the lights on at 2am! But hey - I don not want to be here anymore than she want me to!

On the brightside - I AM IN ITALY!!! It is SO exciting to be somewhere new in Europe! I forget sometimes that I have only been in France! This weekend is like a whole new chapter in my life! Full of pizza eating and piazza sitting!

Tomorrow I will trapse about the city, ooo-ing and ah-ing over everything, until Dyne gets out of class at 1! At which point we will have a delicious, Italian lunch and go to some fun fashion presentation her friend told her about! What a wonderful first after in Florence!!

I have researched more about the city and added several other things to my "must do" list that I created in my last post. Turns out there is more to do here than just try all the gelato flavors! There is a quite famous and important museum I am now DYING to see called the Uturzi (spelling, I know! But I take French remember! And spelling has never been my fine point!) So I have added that and several other important art things, and open markets, and found plenty of piazzas I want to sit in and people watch!!

I love it here already! Well not here, in this hostel. But here - in Florence!!
Wish me luck to make it through the night....I am going to need it!

"Attraverissmo!"

Tonight is Sunday.....
Tomorrow is Monday......
So the next day is.....THE DAY I GO TO FLORENCE!!!

Oui mes amis, c'est vrai! La Blonde Parisienne is finally venturing to Italy! But no worries Paris, I promise not to start a love affair with Italy and change my blog to "La Blonde Italienne". It dosen't have the same ring to it anyways. And it wouldn't make much sense as I am only there for 4 days, while I am here for 4 months. So Parisienne I shall stay! No matter how crispy their pizza and creamy their gelato!

Yummmmmmmmmmm pizza and gelato!! I am soo giddy and full of excitedosity to be in Italy! It is really too bad that the ONLY word of italian I know how to say is 'attraverssimo" (I said SAY not SPELL) which means "let's cross over". I only know this becuase I read "Eat, Pray, Love" last year - and have that little peice of knowledge to show for it! I realize this may not exactly come up in everyday language, but you can bet I will get my use of it! For example - I can cross to the wrong side of the road, and then boldly declare - "attraverssimo!" as I cross. Genius! I know. Merci.

Since I am spending 4 full days of italianism, I may have time to hop le train up to Roma!! Because, really - I want to pretend I am a princess who has escaped, cut all my hair off into a cute little do, and meet a handsome man who I happen to fall in love with as we ride past Trevi Fountain on a vespa! Okay...that is the story of Roman Holiday. But I do not see any reason why if it happened to Audrey it couldn't happen to me.

Adorable Audrey and Gregory Peck. From "Roman Holiday"

My boyfriend, Josh, (who should completely ignore the forementioned plan of "meet handsome man in Rome") has advised me several times NOT to go to Rome, because it's not the real Italy - and several other reasons that I have blocked from my memory because I am DYING to see Rome! I mean come on....it's Rome! Now I know you can't do Rome in a day - but you can do part of Rome in a day - and that's better than nothing! Who knows the next time I will be in Europe - advantages must be taken!! While Josh is the most experienced travler I know - and is right at least 50% of the time (I say this because this statistic will make him INSANELY frusterated) I am going to trust my heart over my head on this matter.

So I may or may not visit Rome.
And may or may not relive Roman Holiday.
And may or may not love it there!
(I'm hoping for the "mays" in all these hypothetical situations)

My only mini worry is that....well - I don't know anything about Florence! Therefore, I will be largely relying on my adorable gal pal, Dyne - who is sweet enough to host my silliness for 4 days! She is going to fitFlorence, and she is one of the few people (besides myself) that I would say has an excellent knowledge of the city they live in! So I think I will be in good, nicely manicured hands!

Due to my lack of knowledge, my current "must do in Florence" list is as follows

1. Eat gelato near some type of Italian-looking fountain
2. Eat pizza near some type of Italian-looking fountain
3. Seek out amazing pasta sauce - as I am OBSESSED with pasta sauce. (and eat it near some type of Italian-looking fountain)
4. See "David"
5. Oggle over the "Duomo" and try to recall some facts I learned about it in Art History at FIT.
6. Laugh because I don't remeber ANYTHING I learned in Art History at FIT.
7. Go to the Silver Bridge and buy myself a trinket! (My mom reminded me of this one - only she of course accidently called it the "Golden Bridge")
8. Cross the street, yell "ATTRAVERISSMO" and cross back over.
9. Repeat #8 until it gets old.
10. Visit Rome and relive Roman Holiday by meeting a handsome gentlemen and falling in love as we ride a vespa past Trevi Fountain! (only joking Joshua!)

Hmm.. perhaps I should stop by Gilbert Jeune tomorrow and pick up a guide to Florence....

If you think of anything else I should add to this list - notify me before 5pm Tuesday....because by 7 I am outttta here!!! Au Revoir Paris!

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas!

In the words of one of the greatest men who ever lived, Frank Sinatra, "Oh by gosh by golly - it's time for misteltoe and holly!" You can only imagine my delight, and complete state of holiday cheer - when Caroline and I arrived at Opera to find that Christmas has already come to Paris!

Gallerie Lafayette was completely lit up like a giant, sparkling, building-version of a Christmas tree! The whole square behind Opera was actually! It was tres oh la la-worthy!! Inside, Gallerie Lafayette has giant, pink presents suspended from the ceiling - and an enormous, floating, pink-lit christmas tree!! I was OH LA LA-ing all over the place indeed! The entire theme for them this year is "Noel Gourmand", so their window displays are adorable, sparkly, hot pink creations of presents, Louboutins, macaroons, fur, bunnys, pink wigs, gingerbread men, champange! Basically....anything I would be completely obsessed with is there!

It is the cutest Christmas decorations I've ever witnessed. I should have known that Christmas in france would be all about macarons and champange! I am totally copying them next Christmas and turning my apartment into CandyLand! Like were Queen Frostine lived! I was in a frenzied, holiday state when we left. Which got me to thinking.....is there any season better than Christmas? NON! Is there any place better than Paris? NON! Alors, Christmas in Paris is my ultimate dream!

I orginally thought I would miss New York. The frosted ceiling at Saks, the musical snowflakes outside, the ginormous tree at the Rock, drinking hot cider at the holiday market at Union Sqaure, the Rink at Bryant Park where I skate with the skates I bought last year (and only used twice but it was STILL more cost effective!). But so far - Paris is doing a wonderful job of keeping me satisfied, merci!

We also made a magnifique discovery!! The amazing, gorgeous, delicous grocery store inside Gallerie Lafayette - full of little carts selling gourmet everythings! I had a moment of extreme weakness, after already buying and devouring a cafe macaron, I saw the "chocorons" - chocolate covered macarons! I think we all know what I did next.... walked away. YAY RIGHT! I hope you know me better than that. I said "un chocoron si vous plait!" Cassis of course, and OMG - it was a revelation. What a seriously genius idea! The downside is - now I am going to be craving them. I guess several trips to Opera are on deck!

We also picked up some French cheese from the fromagerie station, and a crispy baguette from the boulangerie station! You can tell a good baguette because of the way it sounds. How many cracks you can hear when you press on it! (I learned that from Ratatouille!) So we took our goodies back to the apt. and had wine and cheese night! Bottle of red, bottle of white, round of cheese, 1 baguette....what more do you need to be happy? Well, 2 baguettes would have been nice. We ate our way through numero un tres vite!!

Due to my holiday cheer - and slight drunkiness, I felt like cooking! So, I whipped up pumpkin soup with the precious remainders of my Libby's, and some fresh snickerdoodles! Half-baked of course so the centers were as warm and gooey as my christmas-filled heart! (Cheesy? Oui! But true....Bien sur!) Ohhh the magic things you can do with a little butter, sugar, and flour! Both were delicieux! I must also note I was listening to the Carpenter's Christmas album as I baked. The best Christmas album of all time! But I must search for some French christmas music because "when in....Paris!" I have adapted the saying "when in Rome" for Paris. Because it should have been about Paris in the first place.

Before we ended up in Christmas/macaron wonderland - we went to La Conciergie. I think it is possibly my favorite bulding in Paris. It looks like a giant old castle.... which is actually what it was. At one time, it was part of the King's castle, and then became the Prison during the French Revolution. So I of course wanted to go because it is where mon amie Marie Antoinette spent the last 2 months of her life! They actually have a bunch of re-created prison cells, including hers! It was very sad for me to see - the cell where my best-pretend-friend was sentenced to death. I cried for a bit, wished I had brought along some flowers, possibly some macarons....

It is quite creepy actually, so see the cells that once held doomed frenchmen! I made Caroline take a rather hilarious photo screaming behind some of the bars. I have refrained from posting it on my blog though because, well - she knows where I sleep!!! We did learn that once they were sentenced to death - they got to have one last "feast." Of course they did - it's Paris! Apparently this is custom in US prisons too. I didn't know that but Caroline did. She seemed to know a lot about prison actually....hmmmmm. You think you know someone. Jokes! Anyways, I spent some time wondering what Marie choose... undoubtly a dessert of various macarons! Maybe she even had a "chocoron" like me because we are long lost soul mates.

There is also a petit chapel inside that Louis XVIII built in honor of Marie and Louis, after they were killed in the Revolution. It's very pretty and petite. I think one day I would like a little chapel to be built in my honor. Again - if only I had been Queen!