Day 25

In one Saturday I saw some amazingly beautiful cars, & also celebrated my first Canadian Thanksgiving!

I woke up at a normal time (for me) of about 9:30, had breakfast & tea, then went back to my room to check my Faceboook/Twitter/Gmail & get ready to go to the Mondiale Auto, aka the Paris Motor Show!

I don't know what to expect, going on a weekend, to a car convention, in a HUGE European city, but it surely wasn't what looked, smelled, and felt like 5 million people. Somehow, though, I managed to wedge myself through the crowds, and got some decent shots, so without further ado, the autos! :]

Rolls Royce, anyone?

Smexy new Peugeot SR1

Jaguar's new electric concept...Want.

Yup...still want.

Still want. Love the green stripe on the tires!

Ferrari California, anyone?

Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano

Maserati Gran Cabrio

Maserati Gran Turismo S

I can hear Joe Walsh now...

Maserati Gran Turismo MC Stradale. Translated: Want it. Now.

And again, from the other side. Still want it.

Too many people!

Everyone's favorite Honda robot, Asimo!

Bentley's "New Continental GT"

Audi R8 GT

One more shot for the road (I know it's cringe-worthy, but I had to say it sometime!)

After a long day of battling smelly, sweaty guys with cameras, I decided to head back towards the apartment. The Canadian needed some shortening she left here because she was making a pumpkin pie for Canadian Thanksgiving, which is evidently a month before American Thanksgiving. I grabbed the shortening & headed to her apartment. She had a friend from Canada who was visiting, so we chatted for a bit, and then I was invited to stay for dinner, which was a wonderful meal.

Canadian Thanksgiving isn't much different from American Thanksgiving as far as food is concerned. The big difference was that there wasn't a turkey, but that's because there were only 4 kids & 3 adults eating, and a turkey would've been overkill. Instead, we had two delicious roasted chickens, stuffing, gravy, a casserole of layered potatoes & sweet potatoes, roasted carrots, green beans in browned butter, pumpkin pie, and apple pie. The cooking was divided between the three adults (the Canadian, her friend, & me); the Canadian handled the chicken & stuffing, and the potatoes, her friend handled the pumpkin pie & the carrots, and I was in charge of the green beans and the apple pie. And surprise of all surprises, nothing went drastically wrong! Not one thing was burned or undercooked, the pies came out picture-perfect, and the company that evening was fantastic. And we also saw the Eiffel Tower all lit up & twinkly, which just topped the evening off wonderfully.

This was all that was left over...

I told you they were picture-perfect!

Twinkle, twinkle :]

Days 18 & 19

So, I'm doing a combo-post, but it's been a long weekend, & I wanted a break!

Saturday I attended a program at the American Church called "Bloom Where You're Planted." This program, hosted by the Women of the American Church, celebrated it's 40th year with this
workshop, and I'm really glad I went. I think I was the youngest one attending (apart from the children), but I still got a lot out of the program. In the morning, there were several guest speakers that the entire group attended, and then there were several breakout groups after lunch. One of the morning guest speakers talked about the difference of communication styles between the French & Americans, and I was actually intrigued, because she was talking about theories & information that I've studied in the classroom. I actually got a little excited about it, which took me by surprise.

Lunch for the group was a quiche with broccoli, tomatoes, & cheese, served with a side salad of quinoa, tomatoes & spinach. During lunch, I wound up sitting across from a couple from New York (city). The wife was taking a sabbatical while she was here, and her husband (from the Netherlands) works for Unilever, and is in charge of the Lipton tea branch of the company. Now, normally this would be boring, but my family uses Lipton whenever we make sweet tea, so I was actually intrigued when he was talking about his job, because how often do you meet someone in charge of something you drink on a daily basis?

The breakout groups were great, and I learned about: how to survive in Paris on a budget, how the French interact socially, and how to survive a Parisian grocery store/open market. That doesn't sound like much, but I really took a lot of notes, and am glad I chose the ones I did!

The last event of the program was a guided wine tasting, which I found quite interesting, & I feel like I actually know a tiny, minuscule amount about how to figure out if a wine is good or not. The guy leading the workshop owns a wine shop just outside of the Paris city limits had a good saying about wine tasting: he said that it's a real sport; you get better with practice. How very French, but also, how very true. Sadly, I had to leave before his demonstration was over, but I still have all the paperwork, so I'm definitely going to look over it.

I had to come back to the apartment to babysit with the Canadian because the mother & her sister were going to a party, and the sister's kids were here as well. After the kids had eaten, they watched a movie on a laptop while the Canadian & I finally ate dinner. The father came back from working on a wedding, ate a quick dinner, and then left to go & meet up with his wife & sister-in-law. It was a pretty calm evening once the kids were asleep, and I went to bed b/c I knew I was going to go to church today.

I had breakfast with the family this morning, which included (for me) cereal, an English muffin w/ strawberry jam, & hot tea. I made it to church on time, and enjoyed the World Communion Sunday service. I did get a little teary-eyed, this being the first time I've really done communion on my own (normally, I'm with friends or family), but I knew that my family would be celebrating in the same way, so my sad moment was short-lived.

It was a beautiful Sunday morning in Paris, and the weather was wonderful...it felt like springtime! The sun was out, the sky was blue, and I think it got up to 75 today, which felt wonderful, given the cold/rainy/cloudy weather recently. After church was over, I wandered around a bit, and played tourist, taking photos while the sunlight was favorable.

After I did enough damage to my camera's memory card, I returned to the apartment, had a quick lunch (pasta w/pesto & olives, bread & goat cheese w/ honey), grabbed my Sherlock Holmes, and went to go read in Luxembourg Gardens for a few hours, before the weather could make its inevitable turn.

I returned, did some laundry, read for a bit, then hung my laundry up to dry in my bathroom (I already know I'm going to miss my clothes dryer, but maybe it won't be too bad). Dinner with the family tonight was soup & a savory clafoutis (Google it) with what I've determined to be the French equivalent of lima beans. It was very good, although the mother had doubts about how it would turn out, as it was her first time making it. Dessert was a fruit yogurt, and then I headed to my room to write, read, knit, & relax.

I start my French language courses tomorrow!

Day 12

Another Sunday, another church. Today, it was the American Church in Paris.

I woke up to a quiet apartment, which was, in a way, relaxing. I had breakfast (more pain d'epices & tea), then got ready to head to church. The church is right along the Seine river, which made for a pleasant walk from the metro stop nearby. I got off the metro, and this is what I saw:

Les Invalides: Famous for containing Dead Napoleon Bonaparte, among other things

Now, the weather's not helping this picture any, but this is Les Invalides, a home for war veterans, the French military museum, and a burial ground for some old, dead dudes, one of which happens to be Napoleon Bonaparte.

Before the bottom really dropped out, I scurried on to the church. I walked in, and was welcomed in both French and English, separately. Now, being a preacher's kid (& grandkid, for that matter), churches are no new thing to me, but usually I'm attending with family. Walking into the ACP, I felt a little nervous, but once worship started, I began to feel more comfortable. There was one moment of hesitation (for me) when the pastor asked all the first time visitors to stand up, but I gathered myself and joined the few that were standing.

The service was quite nice, with a familiar feel, and with songs that I actually recognized (which meant more to me than I expected it to!). Also, the interior of the church is beautiful, which never hurts (though it's not a requirement):

They were setting up for a contemporary service, thus the screen

After worship, there was a social time with coffee, so I ventured into the crowd and picked up a cup. I sipped it, soaking in the environment & the people around me, and then got a refill. I was almost done with it when a group of 3 girls came up to me & introduced themselves. One lived in California a while back, came here as an au pair, then got married & has lived outside of Paris for 3 years now (don't worry...I'm not getting any ideas). The other two were Austrailian; one was an au pair, like me, and the other was assisting a man in a wheelchair. We conversed for a while, but breakfast didn't hold me very long, and everyone already had plans, though we agreed to meet next week after the service, so I returned home & had the yummy pizza leftovers.

After lunch, I went to my room and tried to nap but the coffee didn't do me any favors, so I settled on reading some more Sherlock Holmes. The ACP hosts a free concert every Sunday at 5, so I headed out to hear some music after my reading time. The program was good, and included two of my favorite composers, Vivaldi & Handel. When I returned from the concert, the family had all returned, and dinner was in progress, so I greeted everyone, changed out of my Sunday clothes, and joined them for dinner. Tonight, it was veggie soup (carrots, tomatoes, and zucchini) & pasta (with pesto, for me). Dessert was a pear, along with some real brie (the mother brought it back from her visit with the kids to her mom's house), which was absolutely delicious.

Fall is coming, in all its glorious colors :]

Day 11

So, the family's out of town for the weekend. I woke up to a quiet apartment, which was actually very nice. Before I left Macon, I got used to waking up to an empty house, so it was almost a return to normalcy. I had toasted pain d'epices (it's a dense, sweet, spiced cake-like bread sweetened with honey) with cherry jam for breakfast, along with a nice cup of hot tea. I made another cup of tea, then returned to my room to begin researching a place to go for lunch.

My original destination was a restaurant called Le Petit Saint Benoît, a small, affordable, but well-established bistro that happened to be in my arrondissement. I set out on my walk, beginning to enjoy the cooler weather. I finally got to the restaurant, though, and saw that the prices were out of my range, though the fare was classic French food. I regrouped, turned around, and walked back to the main street I had turned off of, Boulevard Saint-Germain.

The Saint-Germain-des-Pres area is named for the former Abbey in the 6th arr., and has long been noted for its bohemian atmosphere. Two of Paris' most well known restaurants are no more than 100 yards from each other in this area- the Café de Flore & Les Deux Magots.



I wound up choosing Les Deux Magots, and overall I had a decent experience. The place was obviously crowded, so I didn't have extremely high expectations for the service.

The table setting was nothing special, but I liked it enough to take a picture & share :)


I ordered a smoked salmon sandwich, and it was actually really good, if still a bit expensive for me. I did have to remove the cucumbers, but that wasn't such a bad deal. The salmon was still really tasty, either way.


And after that picture, my camera died. I wandered down Boulevard Saint-Germain a bit, but it started to rain, and I didn't have an umbrella, so I figured it was probably time to head back to the apartment. On the way, I grabbed a pastry as a late dessert- another croissant-like creation with custard and chocolate chips. So yummy. Just before I returned to the apartment, I stopped in at the little grocery store across the street and got myself some chicken soup to have for dinner. I've been wanting some since I got here, so I finally indulged myself. And it's definitely soup weather outside, so it works.

I returned to the apartment, dropped off my soup in the kitchen, and made myself another cup of tea, and retreated to my room. I think today, the gray weather actually helped. I called home, and mamma remarked that I sounded very relaxed, which I then realized was true. I'm a creature of calm & quiet, and today has been very restorative. With a belly full of chicken soup, I'm off to knit for a bit, then go to sleep. Tomorrow- the American Church in Paris awaits.


ps- discovered this video while rambling through this blog this afternoon. Do please watch. It actually made my day.

Day 5

New York on Sunday,/Big City taking a nap!/Slow down, it's Sunday!/Life's a ball, let it fall in your lap!/If you've got troubles,/Just take them out for a walk./They'll burst like bubbles/In the fun of a Sunday In New York!/You can spend time without spending a dime,/Watching people watch people pass!

So, Paris isn't exactly New York, but you get the picture. They're both big cities, right? That makes it count! (By the way, this song is a favorite. I guess I'm just an old soul?)

This Sunday was actually quite nice. I woke up before the family, which threw me off a bit, but it was ok, I just stayed in my room until I heard movement elsewhere within the apartment. Breakfast was a roll with Nutella (try it, seriously. It's sold at Walmart, for pete's sake!) & some Earl Gray tea. I love Earl Gray tea, but I like it very strong, and when the family makes tea, it's a bit weaker than what I prefer, but I'll get used to it. I retreated to my room to prepare for church. I haven't quite gotten a grasp on the weather here, so I dressed a bit warmer than I would've wanted, but at least I layered. Today, it was gray herringbone slacks, my blue Polo oxford button-down, black blazer, pink scarf, and black suede high-heeled loafers.

The father was preaching this Sunday, so he rode ahead on his bicycle and then I rode with the mother & children to the church, which used to be a Catholic church. I don't know the history behind it yet, but I do know that all the stained glass windows were replaced with clear glass, which greatly brightens the interior of the church, which is all freshly cleaned limestone. The ceiling was beautifully vaulted, making for a nice space for worship.

The worship was actually very nice, though it was all in French. The flow of the service pretty much matched the flow of my home church, which made being a stranger a little less unnerving. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the Apostle's Creed & the Lord's Prayer in this service were pretty much a word-for-word translation of the English version I know & love. Funny thing is, while they were saying both of these in French, I couldn't say out loud (or even think to myself) the version I know. Maybe it was the fact that I wasn't saying the same thing as everyone else around me. Another pleasant surprise was that one of the hymns the congregation sang is one that I know I've sung before (though it bothers me that I can't remember it). The service was a pleasant one, and they even served communion today, which made me a little homesick, because I missed the service two weeks ago when they served communion. The biggest difference w/ communion here is that they use real wine, not just grape juice (although I like grape juice just fine, too!), and instead of everyone processing to the front for intinction, or staying seated and waiting for the servers to pass around the trays, everyone stood up, moved to the walls, and the congregation made a big oval, where plates were passed by the worshipers.

After the service, there was a meal with the congregation, which was actually quite pleasant. Before the meal, the mother introduced me to her uncle and sister, since they were both at worship. Also, there was a member I was introduced to who was Scottish! I didn't expect that, and was glad to speak a little English to a native speaker. Anyways, on with lunch. There were many things to choose from, but the ham quiche disappeared quickly, so I had a macaroni pasta salad, some variant of potato salad but with potatoes, eggs, & olive oil, some couscous with tomatoes, cilantro & mint, and some bread with olives & ham chunks. After this, bread & cheese were passed around, and then dessert was served. Dessert was what appeared to be coffee ice cream & bits of biscotti pressed into a loaf mold & frozen, then sliced, served with grapes. Overall, a very pleasant meal.

After changing clothes, I went out on a jaunt to find a yarn store/tea salon that my mom had told me about. I was nervous going on the metro alone, but Paris is really a pretty safe city. I used the first of my metro tickets, and safely got on the first train of my stay. My "metro legs" came back to me, but I discovered that my "metro face" is woefully out of practice. Let me explain: the Metro is Paris' underground subway system, and as such, can be pretty crowded. At no time should one passenger make eye contact with another, unless you know them personally. Eye contact is taken very seriously (at least in France), so a "metro face" should be adopted. A "metro face" is usually an expressionless stare into space (in my case, usually my shoes), made better if you're listening to an iPod (you get Metro points for that). It's not a serious thing, but it ensures that you're left alone on the (sometimes) crowded train. Back to the yarn store though. I had read about this place, L'OisiveThé, online, so I finally stopped just looking at it on Google Maps and went to see it in person. What I found was a cozy tea salon that served American-style cookies & cakes and nice tea. Even though it was pleasant outside, I ordered some tea & a chocolate chip cookie, which was perfect...it was chewy, soft, & just a tad crunchy. After I had placed my order, an old French man walked in, said something about ordering a coffee, and the sat down in the open chair opposite me at my table. The waitress told him that this wouldn't do, because I was a young girl & was alone, and it would be socially not right, so he finally moved. (I think that's what she said...it was all in French, though I caught some of it).

I finished my tea & cookie, then headed back to the apartment. I had a good walk, and am starting to figure out my way around the arrondissement, which is a good thing. Anyways, it's been a nice, mostly calm Sunday. Next week will probably be the Church of Scotland, I think.

Day 4

I have a feeling I'm going to really like Saturdays around here. My weekend consists of Saturday & Sunday, but tomorrow I'm going to go to church with the mother & kids to hear the father preach. Next Sunday, I'm going to try to find the American Church in Paris, and then the weekend after that, I'm going to give the Church of Scotland a try, seeing as Presbyterianism got its start in Scotland :)

But enough about tomorrow...let me talk about today. I slept in this morning, again (this has got to stop!), though the sound of children running up & down the hallway was hard to ignore. After I got up, however, I had a small breakfast (tea & a roll), skyped w/ my dad & mom for a while, then was about to walk out the door when I saw that the mother had left a note saying that she had cooked some chicken for me & left it in the oven. So, for the first time since I'd arrived, I had protein! (I should mention here that the mother is a vegetarian, though she doesn't mind preparing meat). The chicken was very good, and she had some peas & carrots on the stove for me, which reminded me of childhood meals. Given that I've been a bit snuffly (stuffy nose), the warm chicken w/ carrots & peas was comforting; kind of like a deconstructed soup, minus the broth.

After my late lunch, I went out for a bit to take some pictures in the nearby park, which just happens to be Luxembourg Gardens. The park is gorgeous, and while the sun was out today, it was actually warm, which felt very nice, and almost like the brief fall weather at home. Fall here has already started, as the weather is definitely cooler right now than back in GA. Some of the trees have already started to turn colors, but the flowers at the Garden are still in bloom, see:

So vibrant!

Anyways, after I returned from my jaunt through the park, the mother, children, & I went out in search of several things, including a metro card (Navigo), a sim card for my cell phone (I've got a pay-as-you-go plan now, but not clear on services to US), and paperwork for a bank account. Everything's starting to get official! Oh, I also had my first pastry today, but I didn't have my camera to take a picture of it. It was a sheet of pastry dough folded in half, w/ pastry creme & chocolate chips inside. So yummy :)

After arriving back, I checked the scores for some of the finished football games today (UGA lost & GT won...what a great game day!), then went back downstairs for dinner with the family, which was actually quite delicious, and very entertaining! The menu tonight was a pureed veggie soup (very good!), then a salad w/ balsamic vinaigrette & toast & melted goat cheese, topped w/ herbes de provence (always a winner, in my book), and then some buttered gnocci, which were very good! Dessert was simply a pear, but it was good to have a familiar fruit.

By the way, I envision this blog as a dumping ground for my events each day. The details may be boring, but at least I can look back and remember what happened when. It's helpful for me, and I hope you enjoy the posts as well :)