I don't know what kind of school you go to (or went to), but I have experienced a whole different world of school acitivites at AUP than at FIT. And it is a beautiful world indeed!
The biggest shock came today: The school parties. I don't think FIT even has parties actually. By parties I don't mean going dancing at Tenjune with some people from your FM class and a creepy promoter. I mean an "end of the semester" party for the History of Art students, funded and put-on by the Art History party of AUP.
Sounds pretty lame right...? WRONG!
I was of course going to go, even though I totally expected it to be empty and boring - because I have loved my art history class so much, and the email said "drinks provided." Count moi in!
So, expecting nothing, I walk into the classroom, which has been totally transformed! Huge banquet tables, dim lights accented by the candelabras in the cetner of the table-clothed table, and christmas lights decorating the ceiling! On the table was a spread of baguettes (of course), several types of cheese - including my favorite - chevre, clementines, mixed nuts, homemade apple crumble, cookies - and that's just what I remember!
Then, because we ARE in France, neverending bottle of wine, the head of the department corking them left and right! Let's all eat cheese and drink wine and listen to Christmas music!
I knew things were out of control when someone showed up with about 100 jello shots. I had never actually taken a jello shot until tonight - which I only did because they had whipped cream on top, and like I could turn down whipped cream!
So some of my friends from class and I did a shot with our awesome Professor (in our classroom mind-you), who has taught me more in 1 semester than most teachers could in a lifetime, and continued to drink bottles of wine and eat chevre and crumble. Only in Paris!
A little, art history trivia game was played - sadly,after the wine was making my mind fuzzy as it tends to! But, nevertheless I was quite impressed with my ability to solve some of the riddles, to which the answer was a famous work.
For example,
Riddle: "the old lady sits on an island....she is forever ours"
the answer (of course) is.............
Notre Dame! Duh! Any intellegent Parisian/Art History student should have known that!
I shoud point out that I am not trying to sound like a total nerd but I know I am. What's more important to point out is that I don't care!
I have LOVED my Paris Through It's Architecture Class! I am truly sad that it is over. I wish I could be in until I had visited and studied every building and monument in Paris. But no more crazy-length papers, please! Because 15 pages about the Centre Pompidou and the Elgise Saint Merri nearly drove me insane.
So I guess that's what the "lets all eat cheese and get drunk" party hosted by our teachers was for!
Tomorrow is my offical last day of class. Then I have 3 days of finals next week, and then 1day of fun, and then I leave....
Excuse me, I have to go sob now.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Monday, December 7, 2009
Manoush, je t'aime
Amazing. I'm going on ten minutes of internet connection!
I returned because I wanted to introduce you to the store of my dreams.
Hello, family and friends - this is Manoush.
Manoush, this is my family and friends.
You both say: Enchante!(kiss, kiss)
look how magnifique it is! http://www.manoush.com/collection.php
Sooo magnifique! It's like Marie Antionette in the 21st century, with a bit of Barbie and Elle Woods thrown in!
I am loouvvrrinng it! Too bad that half a skirt is even more expensive than those pink Repetto flats I dream about on a nightly basis!
I returned because I wanted to introduce you to the store of my dreams.
Hello, family and friends - this is Manoush.
Manoush, this is my family and friends.
You both say: Enchante!(kiss, kiss)
look how magnifique it is! http://www.manoush.com/collection.php
Sooo magnifique! It's like Marie Antionette in the 21st century, with a bit of Barbie and Elle Woods thrown in!
I am loouvvrrinng it! Too bad that half a skirt is even more expensive than those pink Repetto flats I dream about on a nightly basis!
Les Ennuis
I have absolutely ZERO time for blogging - but I just dropped in to complain for a paragraph about things!
#1 WHY IS MY INTERNET NOT WORKING? For some unknown reason, why pink Viao is longer connecting to the internet for a period of more than 5 minutes every 5 or so hours! The tec guys at AUP couldn't help -and neither could the French-speaking Numbericable help hotline! How wonderful!
#2 FINAL PAPERS are such a RUDE assignment! Tell me - who can write 20 pages about ANYTHING without wanting to stab themselves with a baguette! I don't think I could even write a 20 page paper on how much I love macarons. It's just insane. AUP needs to re-evaluate the amount of the work they have given me.
#3 I ONLY HAVE TEN DAYS LEFT HERE.
enter: (tears...) (anguish....) (sadness.....) (more tears.....)
and I have to spend most of them studying so I dont fail school.
enter: (tears...) (anguish....) (sadness.....) (more tears.....)
That's all. Merci.
#1 WHY IS MY INTERNET NOT WORKING? For some unknown reason, why pink Viao is longer connecting to the internet for a period of more than 5 minutes every 5 or so hours! The tec guys at AUP couldn't help -and neither could the French-speaking Numbericable help hotline! How wonderful!
#2 FINAL PAPERS are such a RUDE assignment! Tell me - who can write 20 pages about ANYTHING without wanting to stab themselves with a baguette! I don't think I could even write a 20 page paper on how much I love macarons. It's just insane. AUP needs to re-evaluate the amount of the work they have given me.
#3 I ONLY HAVE TEN DAYS LEFT HERE.
enter: (tears...) (anguish....) (sadness.....) (more tears.....)
and I have to spend most of them studying so I dont fail school.
enter: (tears...) (anguish....) (sadness.....) (more tears.....)
That's all. Merci.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Noel on the Champs!
Last night was the Parisian Christmas-y night I've been waiting for! The whole day was actually quite magnifique because it was sunny and nice! Despite the freezing wind!
I left early in the afternnon to do some wandering! Wandered around Rue Mouffetard - one of the oldest and cutest streets in Paris! They were having a fresh market which was simply incroyable! Wandered over to the ile st. louis, one of my favorite part of Paris, where I found some tres adorable things for Noel presents in the coolest little shops!
I also wandered over to the St. Merri catherdrale and Place Igor Stravinsky because I have to write my final paper for Art History on the comparison of the modern architecture of Paris "living' right next to the old, gothic architecture. That's what I should be doing right now! But blogging is much more fun. So volia! Maybe I will just print out some posts and hand them instead!
I eventually wandered back to Hotel de Ville (ice rink still in process of going up - WHAT IS TAKING SO LONG!) and home! Where I proceeded to spill an entire thing of tomato soup ALL over our cuisine! As sad as it was it also kind of funny. I definitley destroyed a hand towel or too mopping it up - since we have been out of paper towels for about a month now! And I keep forgetting to buy more while I am at the grocery store stocking on up Merlot, Chardonnay, and this delcious sparkling cider from Normandie that I found! c'est la vie parisienne!
After the soup-catastrophy, Caroline et moi left to go to the Place des Vosges and go into the Maison de Victor Hugo. We were both tres decu, because it was tres lame. We basically had hoped it would more like le maison des Miserables and it was not. So, I checked it off my list, and put a sad face next to it for decu!
The rest of the night I was very far from being decu though! We continued onto "Merci" this boutique department store on Boulverard Beaumarchais that is so chic and so adorable! They had the cutest mini-people clothes that I wanted to buy for Ollie and Nina - but I couldn't because the mini-people clothes were more expensive than big-people clothes! Encore....C'est la vie parsienne!
Merci has super cute "used book cafe" that is in a room surrounded by bookshelves full of old books you buy! Everyone there was truly Parisien (us included) and we sat there sipping wine and parlering!
Apres, we went to place de la concorde to ride the giant wheel! I cannot even tell you how AMAZING the site of the place de la concorde is right now! I also could not photograph it - because my camera broke yesterday. I can't really talk about because I am so upset. So from now on all photos are curteosy of Caroline.
The view from the Ferris Wheel nearly made me cry. Caroline kept making fun of me for being over-enthusastic, and overly obbsessed with Eiffel Tower - but I can't help it! It's who I am. Over-enthusastic and obbessed.
It was GORGEOUS to see the entire, sparkling, twinkle-lit Champs, lined with Christmas shops and the arc de triomphe at the top and the obelsik at the end! The Eiffel Tower, just to the left - huge, beautiful, amazing as always! On the other side, the jardin, pyramid, and the Lovure! I don't talk about how beautiful the Louvre is enough! I could see the golden statues on top of Opera Garnier, the pillars of the Eglise Madeleine, and of course - the ghostly white Sacre Couer perched on top of Montmarte! Only 2 more weeks of seeing these things...can you understand why I almost cried now?
We browsed the market stalls next, and stopped for a delicious raclette sandwhich! That's those giant wheels of cheese that just sit under a heat lamp, and then they take a baguette and put it under while they scrape the hot, gooey cheese into it. Yeah - I KNOW! Good thing we walked around ALL day and night yesterday!
Then, I bought myself an early Christmas present! I had to! Something I can have everyday and look at and remember Paris bv. Something that is tres moi. Something I had made for me by the kindest little French woman!
"Blonde Parisienne" on the front, and the dates I lived in Paris on the back! And its pink!
I spent the rest of the night taking turns between admiring it and the Eiffel tower as we walked down the Rue de Montaigne! (Lined with huge, red-lit trees!)
I am going to wear it everyday of my life. Everyday until the day when my first blonde daughter leaves to spend her semester abroad in Paris - at which point I will give it to her. (God - PLEASE let me have little girls. Unless they are as cute as Oliver. Then 1 boy is okay)
We went to a bar for a bit - where I was disappointed that they did not have champagne by the glass to celebrate the birth of my braclet. So I had to settle for a Kir cassis instead.
The only thing that put a damper on my night was knowing that today marks 2 weeks until I leave. 2 WEEKS. How did this go so fast? How am I already leaving so soon! How am I going to live without the tour! I keep having dreams about being back in New York - crying. I'm not even joking un peu!
On the brightside - a lot of wonderful, Parisian chirstmasy things start this week! The marche noel in St. Germain, the christmas music concerts in Notre Dame, hopefully the skating rink! So I can really live my last 2 weeks amazingly. It's most definitley crepe-eating crunch time!
I left early in the afternnon to do some wandering! Wandered around Rue Mouffetard - one of the oldest and cutest streets in Paris! They were having a fresh market which was simply incroyable! Wandered over to the ile st. louis, one of my favorite part of Paris, where I found some tres adorable things for Noel presents in the coolest little shops!
I also wandered over to the St. Merri catherdrale and Place Igor Stravinsky because I have to write my final paper for Art History on the comparison of the modern architecture of Paris "living' right next to the old, gothic architecture. That's what I should be doing right now! But blogging is much more fun. So volia! Maybe I will just print out some posts and hand them instead!
I eventually wandered back to Hotel de Ville (ice rink still in process of going up - WHAT IS TAKING SO LONG!) and home! Where I proceeded to spill an entire thing of tomato soup ALL over our cuisine! As sad as it was it also kind of funny. I definitley destroyed a hand towel or too mopping it up - since we have been out of paper towels for about a month now! And I keep forgetting to buy more while I am at the grocery store stocking on up Merlot, Chardonnay, and this delcious sparkling cider from Normandie that I found! c'est la vie parisienne!
After the soup-catastrophy, Caroline et moi left to go to the Place des Vosges and go into the Maison de Victor Hugo. We were both tres decu, because it was tres lame. We basically had hoped it would more like le maison des Miserables and it was not. So, I checked it off my list, and put a sad face next to it for decu!
The rest of the night I was very far from being decu though! We continued onto "Merci" this boutique department store on Boulverard Beaumarchais that is so chic and so adorable! They had the cutest mini-people clothes that I wanted to buy for Ollie and Nina - but I couldn't because the mini-people clothes were more expensive than big-people clothes! Encore....C'est la vie parsienne!
Merci has super cute "used book cafe" that is in a room surrounded by bookshelves full of old books you buy! Everyone there was truly Parisien (us included) and we sat there sipping wine and parlering!
Apres, we went to place de la concorde to ride the giant wheel! I cannot even tell you how AMAZING the site of the place de la concorde is right now! I also could not photograph it - because my camera broke yesterday. I can't really talk about because I am so upset. So from now on all photos are curteosy of Caroline.
The view from the Ferris Wheel nearly made me cry. Caroline kept making fun of me for being over-enthusastic, and overly obbsessed with Eiffel Tower - but I can't help it! It's who I am. Over-enthusastic and obbessed.
It was GORGEOUS to see the entire, sparkling, twinkle-lit Champs, lined with Christmas shops and the arc de triomphe at the top and the obelsik at the end! The Eiffel Tower, just to the left - huge, beautiful, amazing as always! On the other side, the jardin, pyramid, and the Lovure! I don't talk about how beautiful the Louvre is enough! I could see the golden statues on top of Opera Garnier, the pillars of the Eglise Madeleine, and of course - the ghostly white Sacre Couer perched on top of Montmarte! Only 2 more weeks of seeing these things...can you understand why I almost cried now?
We browsed the market stalls next, and stopped for a delicious raclette sandwhich! That's those giant wheels of cheese that just sit under a heat lamp, and then they take a baguette and put it under while they scrape the hot, gooey cheese into it. Yeah - I KNOW! Good thing we walked around ALL day and night yesterday!
Then, I bought myself an early Christmas present! I had to! Something I can have everyday and look at and remember Paris bv. Something that is tres moi. Something I had made for me by the kindest little French woman!
"Blonde Parisienne" on the front, and the dates I lived in Paris on the back! And its pink!
I spent the rest of the night taking turns between admiring it and the Eiffel tower as we walked down the Rue de Montaigne! (Lined with huge, red-lit trees!)
I am going to wear it everyday of my life. Everyday until the day when my first blonde daughter leaves to spend her semester abroad in Paris - at which point I will give it to her. (God - PLEASE let me have little girls. Unless they are as cute as Oliver. Then 1 boy is okay)
We went to a bar for a bit - where I was disappointed that they did not have champagne by the glass to celebrate the birth of my braclet. So I had to settle for a Kir cassis instead.
The only thing that put a damper on my night was knowing that today marks 2 weeks until I leave. 2 WEEKS. How did this go so fast? How am I already leaving so soon! How am I going to live without the tour! I keep having dreams about being back in New York - crying. I'm not even joking un peu!
On the brightside - a lot of wonderful, Parisian chirstmasy things start this week! The marche noel in St. Germain, the christmas music concerts in Notre Dame, hopefully the skating rink! So I can really live my last 2 weeks amazingly. It's most definitley crepe-eating crunch time!
Friday, December 4, 2009
Love In The Afternoon
How is it possible that I had never heard of the movie "Love In The Afternoon" until the other day when my teacher brought it up in French class?
And how is it possible that I had never seen this wonderful, old movie until just now?
Of course I came home and rented it! Started it at midnight and that is why I am an insomnaic.
The movie is adorable! And what is most amazing - is that I feel like the movie was made for me! There were several moments that I went "Oh la la!" For example:
It is filmed in Paris.
I'm living in Paris!
It stars Audrey Hepburn.
I want to go back in time and be Audrey Hepburn!
It takes places at the Paris Ritz.
It's my dream to stay at the Paris Ritz!
There is a yorkie named Lulu in it.
I have a yorkie "Lucie" who I call "Lulu"!
A scene is filmed in Opera Garnier.
I'm obbsessed with Opera Garnier!
The opera shown is Tristan & Isolde.
Tristan & Isolde is my favorite French story!
The story is a young girl who falls in love with an older man who travels the world.
Hmmmm reminds me someone... maybe - Josh!
And finally - when Frank Flanaggan is trying to guess Ariane's name - the first name he guesses is Anna. ......
MY NAME IS ANNA!!
That is far too many things to be a coincidence! I truly believe this movie was made with me in mind.
Here is the trailer. If you have never seen it, it is well worth an I-tunes rental because it is simply magnifique!
So cute! So French! So moi!
To talk about another French reference - as I was watching Gossip Girl last night (leave me alone - I can watch whatever crappy TV shows I want!) Mrs. Waldorf announced to Blair that they were moving to the ile st. louis! Right near Blair's favorite restaurant! At which point Blair interjects - "La Rotisserie Beaujoulais! Their poulet roti is worth the move alone!"
So, naturally - I googled it tout de suite, and have added it to my list of things I must do before I leave.
Because if Blair Waldorf loves it....chances are so would I! (Yes - I am aware that Blair Waldorf is a fictional character) But that doesn't mean I can't take her restuarant recommendations seriously! Alors, poulet roti here I come!
Mrs. Waldorf also says she has brought back the most wonderful from Marriage Freres - which is on my rue! And a visit there for afternoon tea service is much overdue!
And how is it possible that I had never seen this wonderful, old movie until just now?
Of course I came home and rented it! Started it at midnight and that is why I am an insomnaic.
The movie is adorable! And what is most amazing - is that I feel like the movie was made for me! There were several moments that I went "Oh la la!" For example:
It is filmed in Paris.
I'm living in Paris!
It stars Audrey Hepburn.
I want to go back in time and be Audrey Hepburn!
It takes places at the Paris Ritz.
It's my dream to stay at the Paris Ritz!
There is a yorkie named Lulu in it.
I have a yorkie "Lucie" who I call "Lulu"!
A scene is filmed in Opera Garnier.
I'm obbsessed with Opera Garnier!
The opera shown is Tristan & Isolde.
Tristan & Isolde is my favorite French story!
The story is a young girl who falls in love with an older man who travels the world.
Hmmmm reminds me someone... maybe - Josh!
And finally - when Frank Flanaggan is trying to guess Ariane's name - the first name he guesses is Anna. ......
MY NAME IS ANNA!!
That is far too many things to be a coincidence! I truly believe this movie was made with me in mind.
Here is the trailer. If you have never seen it, it is well worth an I-tunes rental because it is simply magnifique!
So cute! So French! So moi!
To talk about another French reference - as I was watching Gossip Girl last night (leave me alone - I can watch whatever crappy TV shows I want!) Mrs. Waldorf announced to Blair that they were moving to the ile st. louis! Right near Blair's favorite restaurant! At which point Blair interjects - "La Rotisserie Beaujoulais! Their poulet roti is worth the move alone!"
So, naturally - I googled it tout de suite, and have added it to my list of things I must do before I leave.
Because if Blair Waldorf loves it....chances are so would I! (Yes - I am aware that Blair Waldorf is a fictional character) But that doesn't mean I can't take her restuarant recommendations seriously! Alors, poulet roti here I come!
Mrs. Waldorf also says she has brought back the most wonderful from Marriage Freres - which is on my rue! And a visit there for afternoon tea service is much overdue!
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Paris au Noel
C'est Noel a Paris et c'est vachement incroyable!!
I'll start my day from the end because the end was AAAAmazing!
I hop off the bus at Hotel de Ville - to see the Eiffel Tower shining its bright lights through the Parisien fog, the Conciergerie lit-up and towering over the Seine, Notre Dame in the distance - peaking out above the buidlings, just my usual walk home!
But as I came upon Hotel de Ville - I was overjoyed to see the ENTIRE ROOF SPARKLING, two GIANT Christmas trees, and an ENORMOUS ICE SKATING RINK going up!!
I WAS FREAKING OUT!!
The Hotel de Ville looks GORGEOUS and I loveeee (louvvrree) ice skating in the winter. Bundling up! Taking breaks for hot cocoa! Falling on your butt! I bought skates last year I love it so much! Had I know that there would be a beautiful ice rink steps from my apartement, I would have brought them along! Mais c'est pas un probleme - parce-que I can rent them there. If only Josh was here to skate with me and hold my mitten-clad hand so I don't fall!
An ice skating rink overlooking the Seine and Notre Dame means that Christmas in Paris just got a million times more magnifique!
That was just the fin to my wonderful day! I also went to le grand palais to see the Renoir exhibit which was incroyable!! It was ginormous - and they had so many wonderful works I'd never seen!I also learned so much about Renoir!
He was BFF with so many other important painters! One of which was Pierre Bonnard - who is only important to me because 9 months ago Josh asked me to go to the Pierre Bonnard exhibit at the Met with him, which was our first date! Awwwww! First date at the Met! We are tres cute - and tres New York!
But, I have always loved Renoir, and after seeing the huge collection of photos they had of him - I loved him even more because he just looks like Mr. France. Observe....
tres mignon, non?
My culture didn't end there today! I braved the rain over to St. Augustin - this amazing hybrid gothic/industrial cathedrale where I met my architecture class! It was unlike any other church we've visited in Paris! AAAmazing! Then we went over to Opera Garnier!
You'd think that the 4th time wouldn't be as magical....but if so then you'd think WRONG! Because it is! The Opera Garnier is my favorite (interior) building in Paris. I wish I could go everyday just to wander through the gilded foyer and pretend im in the early 19th century!
I payed a visit to Box #5 before I left this time! To try to catch a glimpse of the phantom of the Opera! Opera Garnier is the opera house where the legend took place! They actually found a "lake" underneath at some point - so who knows! I left singing "Think of Me" and "Masquerade" in my head as I danced into Gallerie Lafayette.
I went because I wanted to see the giant tree - but my intentions changed when I entered and saw the sign directing me towards the Pierre Herme boutique downstairs with all the shoes!
Repetto flats and macarons in the same place! What a bonne idee! I got "white truffle hazelnut" and "passion fruit chocolat" and ooooohhh la la there are not even words. Luckily I had my camera so I was able to capture photos this time! If you don't know what Pierre Herme is - you need to refer to my earlier blog post called "Pierre Herme the God of Macarons".
INCROYABLE!
So I ate my delicate little treats in a frenzy of sugar and happiness - and then proceeded onto Printemps to see their decor! There - I found these tres cool notebooks! They had silver-lined pages and had either a heart, spade, club, or diamond on the white cover!
Hellllo present for Josh! I got tres excited - until I saw the tag said 68Euro and became tres mad! $100 for a notebook! Leave it to Printemps! So, I took a picture instead. Because a picture is worth a thousand words. Or in this case - $100 dollars.
When I left I proceeded to get lost in Opera, taking a series of cute streets - admiring amazing Christmas lights as I went, until I finally ended up at Hotel De Ville where my story began!
I'm very pleased to have checked 3 things of my list today! There is no time to loose! Tomorrow starts my weekend! And I plan to go Christmas crazy! Ice skating, cider-drinking, ferris-wheel riding, present-buying, maybe even some paper snow-flake making!
It's that time of year!
Today I decided that if I could have anything I wanted in the world - I would live on the top of the Eiffel Tower for the rest of my life - and pay for monthly trips for my family and friends to visit me!
And also have Repetto flats in every color.... And a never ending supply of Pierre Herme macarons!
I'll start my day from the end because the end was AAAAmazing!
I hop off the bus at Hotel de Ville - to see the Eiffel Tower shining its bright lights through the Parisien fog, the Conciergerie lit-up and towering over the Seine, Notre Dame in the distance - peaking out above the buidlings, just my usual walk home!
But as I came upon Hotel de Ville - I was overjoyed to see the ENTIRE ROOF SPARKLING, two GIANT Christmas trees, and an ENORMOUS ICE SKATING RINK going up!!
I WAS FREAKING OUT!!
The Hotel de Ville looks GORGEOUS and I loveeee (louvvrree) ice skating in the winter. Bundling up! Taking breaks for hot cocoa! Falling on your butt! I bought skates last year I love it so much! Had I know that there would be a beautiful ice rink steps from my apartement, I would have brought them along! Mais c'est pas un probleme - parce-que I can rent them there. If only Josh was here to skate with me and hold my mitten-clad hand so I don't fall!
An ice skating rink overlooking the Seine and Notre Dame means that Christmas in Paris just got a million times more magnifique!
That was just the fin to my wonderful day! I also went to le grand palais to see the Renoir exhibit which was incroyable!! It was ginormous - and they had so many wonderful works I'd never seen!I also learned so much about Renoir!
He was BFF with so many other important painters! One of which was Pierre Bonnard - who is only important to me because 9 months ago Josh asked me to go to the Pierre Bonnard exhibit at the Met with him, which was our first date! Awwwww! First date at the Met! We are tres cute - and tres New York!
But, I have always loved Renoir, and after seeing the huge collection of photos they had of him - I loved him even more because he just looks like Mr. France. Observe....
tres mignon, non?
My culture didn't end there today! I braved the rain over to St. Augustin - this amazing hybrid gothic/industrial cathedrale where I met my architecture class! It was unlike any other church we've visited in Paris! AAAmazing! Then we went over to Opera Garnier!
You'd think that the 4th time wouldn't be as magical....but if so then you'd think WRONG! Because it is! The Opera Garnier is my favorite (interior) building in Paris. I wish I could go everyday just to wander through the gilded foyer and pretend im in the early 19th century!
I payed a visit to Box #5 before I left this time! To try to catch a glimpse of the phantom of the Opera! Opera Garnier is the opera house where the legend took place! They actually found a "lake" underneath at some point - so who knows! I left singing "Think of Me" and "Masquerade" in my head as I danced into Gallerie Lafayette.
I went because I wanted to see the giant tree - but my intentions changed when I entered and saw the sign directing me towards the Pierre Herme boutique downstairs with all the shoes!
Repetto flats and macarons in the same place! What a bonne idee! I got "white truffle hazelnut" and "passion fruit chocolat" and ooooohhh la la there are not even words. Luckily I had my camera so I was able to capture photos this time! If you don't know what Pierre Herme is - you need to refer to my earlier blog post called "Pierre Herme the God of Macarons".
INCROYABLE!
So I ate my delicate little treats in a frenzy of sugar and happiness - and then proceeded onto Printemps to see their decor! There - I found these tres cool notebooks! They had silver-lined pages and had either a heart, spade, club, or diamond on the white cover!
Hellllo present for Josh! I got tres excited - until I saw the tag said 68Euro and became tres mad! $100 for a notebook! Leave it to Printemps! So, I took a picture instead. Because a picture is worth a thousand words. Or in this case - $100 dollars.
When I left I proceeded to get lost in Opera, taking a series of cute streets - admiring amazing Christmas lights as I went, until I finally ended up at Hotel De Ville where my story began!
I'm very pleased to have checked 3 things of my list today! There is no time to loose! Tomorrow starts my weekend! And I plan to go Christmas crazy! Ice skating, cider-drinking, ferris-wheel riding, present-buying, maybe even some paper snow-flake making!
It's that time of year!
Today I decided that if I could have anything I wanted in the world - I would live on the top of the Eiffel Tower for the rest of my life - and pay for monthly trips for my family and friends to visit me!
And also have Repetto flats in every color.... And a never ending supply of Pierre Herme macarons!
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Il Faut Que Je...
Today is the day I have long been dreading! December 1st...
The day that marks the beginning of my last month in Paris...
There is only 17 days left until I have to pack my bags - and leave Paris...
My eyes are tearing up just thinking about it.
3 months of living in Paris has flown by. I really feel like I live here now. I know my way around without my map (most of the time). I know the best boulangeries to get a fresh, crispy, baguette. I can almost visualize from memory the impressionism rooms of the Musee d'Orsay. I've even gotten used to the million stairs I have to climb to get into the apartment.
So - my plan of attack is to be the most proactive I've ever been. Not waste an hour when I could be doing things in Paris.
However - my annoying finals are going to get in the way of my Parisien fun! So I will do my best to not fail out of school while still spending my afternoons strolling through St. Germain.
I have made a list of things that I must do before I leave Paris. It's divided into 2 parts
"things I still must do" and "things I must do again." It's a work in progress - but here is the start.
Things I must still do...
-afternoon tea at Laudree
- visit the Grand Palais
- Musee de le Quai Branly
- Maison de Victor Hugo
- stroll and shop on Rue Mouffertard
- tea at Marriage Freres
- go to Merci
- have a fondu dinner in Montmarte
- eat a religeuse
- walk through le parc Buttes Charmont
- tour the Catacombs
- Musee de la Vie Romantique
- get ice cream from Berthillon
- voir un film au Cinema Rex
Things I Must Do Encore
- go to the top of the Eiffel Tower
- spend a dat at the Louvre
- Musee D'Orsay
- indulge in chocolat chaud at Angelina's
- sit in the Opera Garnier and stare at Chagalls ceiling
- wander around Montmarte and pray in Sacre Coeur
- get macarons at Pierre Herme
- Musee Rodin
- Seine boat ride at night
- shop at Gallerie Lafayette & Printemps
- get a croissant at Polaine
- drink wine and eat cheese on the Champs de Mars
My last day must be planned out carefully! Full of crepes, tour-gazing, and la vie en rose singing. (And inevitably lots of crying.)
I need to mention that now that it is December 1st - the offical month of Christmas - the decorations throughout the city are plentifull! Every rue is lined with unique Christmas lights, garlands, tress! Paris is so magical at Christmas! On the bus-ride home tonight I basically had my face pressed to the window starring out and oooing and awwwing!
As we rode past the Louvre, I looked out over the jardin de Tuileries, and saw the giant ferris wheel lit-up and the arc de triomphe glowing in the background - I literally jumped up out of my seat and my heart stopped.
And it just made me say - Paris... je t'aime!
Tonight I went to the Cinema Pagode. It is a very famous, old, Parisien movie theatre that is Japanese-inspired and beautifully decorated inside with Japanese influence! A famous French actress, Fanny Ardant was giving an interview-type thing there and they showed a bunch of clips from her most famous films!
It was in French - and I could understand almost every word! It made me feel so wonderful! She pronounced everything so clearly and spoke a slower pace (compared to most parisiens) so I caught almost everything she said! Even jokes!
The night at the cinema was quite fitting because yesterday after class, I went to the Cinematique Francais! It is the museum of the cinema, and also a movie theatre of international and classic films. It was sooo incredible inside!
They had a free audio-guide - which I LOVE - because then you get to learn all about everything you're seeing in depth! The museum had some amazing things. From the very first ways of doing special affects, to early camera, and even several costumes! My favorite things were the costume of the woman from the movie Metropolis, which I watched and wrote an essay about in the 10th grade! And still remember vividly! And also the dresses from both All About Eve and Little Women! It was tres incroyable!
Perhaps tomorrow I should make it a true cinema week by going to see a French film at the Cinema Rex! I've got to start working on that "things I still must do" list immeaditely!
The day that marks the beginning of my last month in Paris...
There is only 17 days left until I have to pack my bags - and leave Paris...
My eyes are tearing up just thinking about it.
3 months of living in Paris has flown by. I really feel like I live here now. I know my way around without my map (most of the time). I know the best boulangeries to get a fresh, crispy, baguette. I can almost visualize from memory the impressionism rooms of the Musee d'Orsay. I've even gotten used to the million stairs I have to climb to get into the apartment.
So - my plan of attack is to be the most proactive I've ever been. Not waste an hour when I could be doing things in Paris.
However - my annoying finals are going to get in the way of my Parisien fun! So I will do my best to not fail out of school while still spending my afternoons strolling through St. Germain.
I have made a list of things that I must do before I leave Paris. It's divided into 2 parts
"things I still must do" and "things I must do again." It's a work in progress - but here is the start.
Things I must still do...
-afternoon tea at Laudree
- visit the Grand Palais
- Musee de le Quai Branly
- Maison de Victor Hugo
- stroll and shop on Rue Mouffertard
- tea at Marriage Freres
- go to Merci
- have a fondu dinner in Montmarte
- eat a religeuse
- walk through le parc Buttes Charmont
- tour the Catacombs
- Musee de la Vie Romantique
- get ice cream from Berthillon
- voir un film au Cinema Rex
Things I Must Do Encore
- go to the top of the Eiffel Tower
- spend a dat at the Louvre
- Musee D'Orsay
- indulge in chocolat chaud at Angelina's
- sit in the Opera Garnier and stare at Chagalls ceiling
- wander around Montmarte and pray in Sacre Coeur
- get macarons at Pierre Herme
- Musee Rodin
- Seine boat ride at night
- shop at Gallerie Lafayette & Printemps
- get a croissant at Polaine
- drink wine and eat cheese on the Champs de Mars
My last day must be planned out carefully! Full of crepes, tour-gazing, and la vie en rose singing. (And inevitably lots of crying.)
I need to mention that now that it is December 1st - the offical month of Christmas - the decorations throughout the city are plentifull! Every rue is lined with unique Christmas lights, garlands, tress! Paris is so magical at Christmas! On the bus-ride home tonight I basically had my face pressed to the window starring out and oooing and awwwing!
As we rode past the Louvre, I looked out over the jardin de Tuileries, and saw the giant ferris wheel lit-up and the arc de triomphe glowing in the background - I literally jumped up out of my seat and my heart stopped.
And it just made me say - Paris... je t'aime!
Tonight I went to the Cinema Pagode. It is a very famous, old, Parisien movie theatre that is Japanese-inspired and beautifully decorated inside with Japanese influence! A famous French actress, Fanny Ardant was giving an interview-type thing there and they showed a bunch of clips from her most famous films!
It was in French - and I could understand almost every word! It made me feel so wonderful! She pronounced everything so clearly and spoke a slower pace (compared to most parisiens) so I caught almost everything she said! Even jokes!
The night at the cinema was quite fitting because yesterday after class, I went to the Cinematique Francais! It is the museum of the cinema, and also a movie theatre of international and classic films. It was sooo incredible inside!
They had a free audio-guide - which I LOVE - because then you get to learn all about everything you're seeing in depth! The museum had some amazing things. From the very first ways of doing special affects, to early camera, and even several costumes! My favorite things were the costume of the woman from the movie Metropolis, which I watched and wrote an essay about in the 10th grade! And still remember vividly! And also the dresses from both All About Eve and Little Women! It was tres incroyable!
Perhaps tomorrow I should make it a true cinema week by going to see a French film at the Cinema Rex! I've got to start working on that "things I still must do" list immeaditely!
Monday, November 30, 2009
"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!!
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!!
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
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!
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!
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
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!
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!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
