Final installment of Winter Break: Paris

I have been studying French for nearly 10 years. Going to Paris is like a pilgrimage to visit long-lost sister. So, when Dad finalized his trip, I knew I had to take him to Paris. Dad's first trip to Europe would not be complete without a café, a view of the Eiffel, and some culture at the Louvre.

So, before dawn on Monday morning Dad and I boarded a TGV (train à grande vitesse/ high-speed train) to gay Paris! I was hoping the sun would come up as we were along the coast, because that train ride is always great, but it didn't. So, we took in some of the countryside, seeing snow as we traveled further and further north. And, precisely 6 hours later, we arrived at the Gare de Lyon. After checking into our hotel room near the train station, we took off on our whirlwind adventure.

First stop: the Louvre. Actually, from the metro stop to the entrance, 4 gypsies "found" gold rings and tried to convince us that we had dropped them and ask for money. Ridiculous! Four times in 10 minutes! Anyways, the Louvre was pretty packed (all of Paris seemed packed, more-so than I remember from my April visit). We hit all the highlights and a little extra: Venus de Milo and Winged Victory. Then, I saw the Jacques Louis David room, and was really happy since I missed it the first time. Then, we saw La Jaconde/ The Mona Lisa and some other daVinci's and Michelangelos. From the Louvre, we followed the Seine (passing Musée d'Orsay and the Hôtel des Invalides) to see the Eiffel tower.

If Paris is my long-lost sister, then the Eiffel is the anchor to my heartstrings. Upon reaching the base, my face was plastered with a smile-- and I think Dad enjoyed it too. We got in line for the elevators right around sunset and stood on the 2nd floor right as the last glimpses of light were leaving (and ya'll know how I love my sunsets).
We were in line to get to the summit when the lights were turned on and the first time the Eiffel sparkled. I also missed the sparkling on-the-hour last time I was in Paris, so I was determined to see it this time. At the summit I got pretty freaked out due to my fear of heights, but Dad just loved seeing Paris all lit up-- and the view was gorgeous, just a little high for me. It was a really great night. On the way to the metro, we stopped at the Trocadero to watch the tower sparkle again, and it was so magical and beautiful!

Now, allow me to digress to say that the winter in Paris is not really my friend. I enjoyed myself, but the cold was biting. I wore so many layers and Dad and I were huddled and freezing for most of our Eiffel adventure. We never could find the temperature, but it had to be 20° F or less that night. I was wearing as much clothing as I possibly could, and I was still cold. I don't know if I would brave Paris in the winter again, but it was fine for this time.

We ate at a small italian place near the hotel, and I have to add in that Dad was so proud to order in French: "spaghetti bolognese s'il vous plaît." It was actually interesting having to play tour guide to my Dad.... (digression) A lot of people initially spoke to us in English and it didn't bother me, but I was always there when my French was better than their English. However, I was a bit surprised that so many of the Parisians resorted to English and weren't rude about it. I hardly even bothered to speak French in Paris because they were so willing to speak English with me. It was also cute when someone would stop me in the streets to ask directions or about the parade in Nice and Dad would just seem so impressed when I carried on with them in French. I think it would have been cool for my mom to see the interaction because she's the one constantly asking me to "say something in French!" but it's much more authentic when I'm conversing with someone else.

Anyway, Monday night we rested our wind-burned rosy cheeks and slept through the night. Tuesday morning (coincidentally Mardi Gras, which I didn't celebrate for the first time in many years) we got a slow start around 10 with some coffee at a cafe in the train station. From there we metro'ed to the Place de L'Etoile to see the Arc de Triomphe. I think this was a favorite of Dad's; he told me he could imagine the Allied troops marching down the Champs Elysées to liberate Paris and so much other history is marked at that point as well. After the mandatory tourist photos, we walked down the Champs Elysées to Place de la Concorde, stopping for some souvenirs. For lunch, we stopped near Ile de la Cité at a brasserie and had a sit-down lunch. I don't think we took complete advantage of the food Paris had to offer, but we were more into the sights.

3 monuments down, 1 to go. Our last stop in Paris was.....(drumroll).... Notre Dame Cathedrale. Located on Ile de la Cité, we saw the home of Quasimodo. I had hoped to leave time for the tower tour, but it was closed because of ice, so that is a next-time Paris goal. Anyways, we walked around the outside to admire the flying buttresses and then inside to walk around. Around three we bid "à la prochaine!/'til next time!" to Paris and headed out to Charles de Gaulle airport to catch a plane back to Nice. I'll skip over the stress that I usually feel trying to get to the airport on time, and say we landed safe in Nice and enjoyed some Mac n Cheese (thanks Dad! 4 boxes!) and some Glee before bed.

Wednesday was my last day to enjoy with Dad in Nice, but sadly the weather was gross. We did head out to see what the deal was with the flower parade, but it was cancelled (and I got flowers on the street since they wouldn't be throwing them at the parade), so we grabbed a bite to eat at Blast American Bar. I had heard they served a full breakfast and hoping for some, but alas we were an hour too late. I still had fajitas and Dad a "chili burger" (on the side?). We also went souvenir shopping for a bit, but eventually were too cold and wet to continue. So, we spent the rest of the afternoon lazing about in my apartment-- time not wasted since I won't see Dad until I'm back at home in 2.5 months. For dinner we went to a (chain) restaurant called Hippopotamus and it was the best meal I'd had in Nice! I ordered a grilled chicken breast and got (unlimited sides) ratatouille and potatoes au gratin on the side. The ratatouille was great and the potatoes were amazing! Then, dessert was a crème brûlée and mousse au chocolat for Dad. Seriously, so. so. good.

Thursday morning I escorted Dad to the airport with grey skies, and on the way back it started raining. I enjoyed catching up with friends the rest of the weekend, but this vacation had been the Vacation of a Lifetime!

Voilà! And I promise to write soon about Carnaval, now that it is officially over.

Dad's in France!

And now for Part Deux, my Dad's trip to Nice!

Thursday brought about a lot of anxiety as it snowed in Nice and Dulles had been closed "until further notice" as of Wednesday thanks to giant snowstorm #3 of the season. Luckily, Dulles reopened in time for his flight and things went off without a hitch. Dad arrived on time in Nice mid-day on Friday. I was very impressed that he had gotten sleep and seemed pretty rested from his flight-- mine in October left me jetlagged for what seemed like forever. I was also just stunned to see my Dad in France with me!!! It was almost like role-reversal because I was the expert and had to lead him everywhere considering his French consisted of "Merci" "Bonjour" and the occasional "Gracias" (haha, love you Dad!) Anyways, after feeding him a tuna sandwich and plopping his suitcase into my apartment, we went on a walk. We walked around Nice, saw the sunset on the Med, returned my library books, got some dinner (pasta for me, pizza topped with pasta for him) and walked home.

I started feeling bad when Dad got tired near the library. I know he was jetlagged, but I realized I also had to be conscious that not everyone, especially my 54yo Dad, walk everywhere everyday. Plus, as I told him, I am still in college-walking mode which means I weave between people on the sidewalk all the time. So, I tried to be more conscious of how much walking we did.

But Saturday we trudged on. Sadly the weather could not provide Dad with much of a respite from winter, a cold wind blew off of the ocean, but Dad still thought it was better than snow! (He even hugged a palm tree on the promenade!) We did a walking tour of Nice, and stopped to munch on some typical Niçois specialties-- Socca and Farcis (cornflour crepe and stuffed veggies) and some Fries. Dad was a good sport as far as food goes-- I think the Garwood boys were fed meat and potato bottles ;) Then that afternoon we went up to the Colline du Chateau (Castle hill) and took in the beautiful sights of Nice. We did a little grocery shopping and had a delicious fondue dinner that night before heading out to the Corso Illuminé-- Carnaval Night Parade! I will write more later about Carnaval, since it is still going on, but let's just say we had a great time!

Sunday we went took the bus to Monaco-- the second smallest country on Earth. We toured the hill with the Royal Palace (Prince Grimaldi, woot woot) the Cathedral where Princess Grace (Kelly) and Prince Rainier are buried, and then made our way up to the world-famous Monte Carlo casino. There we admired Rolls Royce's, Ferrari's, and several other luxury cars. When we returned to Nice we watched some Glee, ate dinner, packed for Paris and headed to bed. Oh, and it was Valentine's Day, so I had gotten 4 mini patisseries for us to split for dessert-- they were amazing!

Now, Sorry to stop before the end, but I myself have gotten bored/distracted while writing this. More to come later for our whirlwind trip to Paris and an entry about Carnaval!
Bonne nuit!

For the Love of Food

***to break the monotony between posts, this will be a brief departure from Winter Break***

I feel like the cool new thing is to be a foodie/gourmand and/or cook.

My interest mostly started this summer. A friend, (yes, you Cat) is a certified foodie and sparked my curiosity a bit this summer, but mostly I really started to feel it after watching Julie and Julia. I was thrilled when my aunt gave me a copy of My Life in France by Julia Child and I just devoured her memoir.

Sadly, I have an ill-equipped kitchen here in Nice and don't often feel inspired to try stove-top only recipes. I have tried a few, and remain proud of my turkey and how amazing that smelled on Thanksgiving, but I just cannot get into the cooking mood without an oven. Not to mention, I usually have to count my Euros and don't always have enough money to experiment a lot.

I still try to read articles/recipes and try new dishes (especially when traveling). I follow the foodie blog and am currently watching Top Chef in French-- the series takes place in France, not just dubbed, thank goodness!

I'm thinking that this summer, between finding a teaching job and many other things, I'd like to practice in the kitchen a lot more. You know, Julia Child was already pushing 40 when she enrolled in the Cordon Bleu, so if she can do it, I can too!

So, in the spirit of getting better...
a beginning to my birthday wish list
-a George Foreman Grill (I know, still kinda amateur, but I've really wanted one)
-a bread maker
-cookbooks! There's one specifically that my friend Oana has, but I can't remember the title now; its about French Cuisine

Winter vacation part I

Whatta great 2 week vacation! Seeing as I actually traveled during this break, I decided it would be best to split the entries into multiple parts. The following is from my 5 days spent traveling to Grenoble and Lyon with Sandra and MariCarmen.

We left Nice by train Saturday afternoon (feb. 6) for Grenoble. For me, this trip was to experience and discover a little more of France. I will be teaching others about this country in the near future, so I had better experience as much as I can.

One thing about France is that is a country known for gastronomy. French are foodies, and each region of France has its own specialties. One thing that I don't love about the Cote D'Azur is its specialties (but I think the Med. outweighed food for me, so I came to Nice) because they are very simple and, well, not creamy. The specialties of Nice include Socca (cornflour crepe), Farcis (stuffed veggies), Pissaladière (caramelized onion tart) and olives. But, in a country that boasts more that 300 types of cheese and uses fresh cream often, I want something creamy and cheesy and fattening!

Well, pretty much the only thing we got to see in Grenoble on Saturday night was some yummy food after checking into the hotel. I ordered a calzone, which was pretty good, but I preferred what MC and Sandra ordered: Seafood Gratin. It was all different types of seafood-- shrimp, mussels, tuna, crab-- in a cream sauce, covered in cheese, and baked. Delicious! I had to order it at a different restaurant Sunday night. Gratins (think potatoes au gratin/scalloped potatoes) are a Grenoble specialty.


Sunday we did some sight-seeing. Grenoble is a beautiful town surrounded by the Alps on each side which were covered in snow. This was a bit of a shock to us girls who are used to the mild Nice weather. But, it was equally beautiful. Grenoble has a large mountain called la Bastille which you can access by télépherique (gondola? I don't know the word in English). So, we wandered for a little while up there, taking in the sights. We warmed up that afternoon in a coffee shop and then went to an art museum. In France, the first Sunday of every month museum visits are free, so this was the first time I've actually taken advantage of that! Saved myself a whole 2€! And, as I said, we found a Brasserie where I ordered the seafood Gratin which was delicious. That night (and the night before) the 3 of us girls squished into a small double bed because the hotel ran out of triple rooms.

Monday morning we hit another museum with an ancient Roman baptistery and had some cool sepia photos in 3D, and wandered around the old town which had seemed rather dead the day before (typical French Sunday). That afternoon we caught the train for Lyon.

Lyon is the second largest city in France, located in the south-eastern part of the country. Upon arrival we were looking for Rue Victor Hugo, so we found it on a map, took a small tram. We found rue Victor Hugo and it was in a rather sketchy part of town, meanwhile the hotel had said it was central and just a few minutes from the train station. After finding that the Victor Hugo did not have the number we were looking for, we asked a woman who told us we had left Lyon city limits and were now in Villeurbanne (aptly named, urban city). So, we backtracked and realized there were 2 train stations in Lyon. Luckily, the second go-round was a lot smoother with a few metro stops and climbing the exit steps to be plopped directly on our hotel.

Monday night we went out in search of food. We found a cobblestone street lined with many Bouchons (typical Lyonnais restaurants) and settled on one of the cheaper ones. We all got 'formules' which include appetizer, main dish, and dessert. I feasted on salade lyonnaise (with a poached egg, bacon and croutons, yumm!), gratin aux quenelles (fluffy potato gratin) and for dessert a praline tart also lyonnais specialty. Like I said, I definitely took advantage (profité) from these travels to try some good food. Lyon is also known as the gastronomic capital of France, so it had to be done! Monday night we settled in early and "told secrets" like giggly high school girls (including a call to a boyyyy Sandra's french pastry chef friend who moved to Vegas and dotes on her so).

Tuesday morning we were awakened by the office telling us we had been just a little too giggly and the people next door "couldn't sleep all night" (despite the fact we were sleeping by 12) and we had to move rooms. Haha, we were a bit embarassed, but the lady at reception seemed not to care, so we figured it was the people staying next door who were being dumb. Anyways, after moving rooms, getting some coffee, and visiting the tourist office, it was nearly 12. At noon we met up with Tyler Atwood, a friend from Crozet who is studying all year in Lyon. He was a wonderful tour guide who took us out in the wet snow without even a hat! We walked around the city, ate some yummy crêpes, and visited the Fourvière church. I loved the church which had mosaics covering most walls, it was just gorgeous. Fourvière is perched on a mountain though, and so the snow was thicker up there and took the energy right out of us. We went back to the hotel to warm up and rest while Tyler went to class. Later that night we ate dinner at an American diner because we were too lazy to find somewhere cheaper in the cold. I had a turkey club sandwich and it was quite tasty. Then, we met Tyler again at a bar to hang out for a little bit. It was really cool to see a friend from home in France where we're both living.


Wednesday brought even colder weather, although drier. We were still quite miserable wearing multiple layers, so we wandered on the other side of the Rhone and then went to the train station early. Wednesday was our last day together, Sandra and MariCarmen continued from Lyon to Strasbourg, Nancy and Metz, and I returned to Nice.

Thus ends Winter vacay part I, if you read ALL of that, thanks for sticking through it, haha. You get a gold star! Part II, or Dad's visit will hopefully be up in a few days. Gros bisous!

As if it came from my own mouth...

Today I finished a completely unremarkable book but I also ran across this passage that encapsulates some of my sentiments as of recent:

"In the course of my life I have seen people attempt all sorts of things that defied what I would have called ordinary comprehension. This has led me to the conclusion that the way you and I see the world is not at all as ordinary as we might have thought. Look at all the people who believe they have been abducted by aliens. Look at the check forgers, tax cheaters, wife beaters, retirement fund embezzlers! Do they think of themselves as deviant? Not at all. They have their way of looking at the world that enables them to consider themselves to be reasonable human beings. "Rachel Pastan

One of my biggest pet peeves has been when people ignore common courtesy (ie: letting your boyfriend live in your 4x4ft dorm room with another roommate there, feeling like your roommate can take out trash always and buy toilet paper always without pitching in, crowding the metro/tram when the doors open and not letting people get out first, walking a snail's pace 3-wide on the sidewalk, and other gems). I guess I'm just coming to realize how uncommon and ill-named "common courtesy" really is. The case is the same for "common sense" and I'm sure other instincts humans are supposed to share.

I argued my point during one of our more serious discussions in Avignon; in the nature vs. nurture argument, I have come to believe that almost everything that makes up a person is due to their environment.

Okay, done with my rant. I had a bad day, but I am now on vacation. Tomorrow I leave for Grenoble, then Monday for Lyon, and back to Nice on Wednesday. Then, I have a day until my Dad arrives!!!! Im super excited! We're going to do Carnavalesque things and then go to Paris for two days. So, needless to say, I should have a lot to blog about this vacation, so stay tuned!