My Baguette Belly :)

NOTE:  As of January 17, 2012, I have moved my blog to my new website:  www.onegirlsadventures.com

I will still be doing duplicate posts on this website for the next 6 months or so, but plan to close it down after that.  Please go to my new website and subscribe!!

MERCI BEAUCOUP!

****

Il fait chaud aujourd'hui...tres chaud! Today is the first day since I have been here that I have felt and experienced summer heat....in fact, as I sit her holed up in my little apartment, shutters shut tight blocking the sun's rays and my fan blasting on high, my iphone reads that the temp outside is a balmy 97 degrees (36 degrees Celsius, if you please!). Ah, swimsuit season has arrived which means my routine of consuming a baguette a day needs to gracefully and promptly come to a halt. I did order a demi-baguette today at my corner bakery as I don't think I can go cold turkey...the bread here is soooo good and I am becoming very French in the sense that the idea of a meal without the flaky, crusty staple seems incomprehensible. What will I eat all my fresh butter with!!!! :) I do lovingly refer to my growing ventre as my baguette belly...thank goodness I walk as much as I do otherwise I don't think I would find it as cute and novel :).

Yesterday in the Jardin des Tuileries the weather was perfect!

It is possible to rent little toy sailboats here! This little boy was trying to race his with his sister's...unfortunately it got stuck, but he worked hard to detangle it from the fountain plumbing :).

Just beyond this point the La Prefecture de Police de Paris orchestra was putting on an outside concert. So many people were out enjoying the weather and taking in the sun.....

Not only did the hot weather start today, but so did the 2nd half of my 8 week language class!  I am no longer a debutante - debutante, but have graduated to "false beginner"...yes, that is an actual term in the school.  My class largley consists of my classmates from last session (moins 3 who either went back to their country or are now taking some time to travel). We did add 2 girls from Venezuela (who made a very good first impression today by giving us venezuelan chocolat) and another women from the USA (who I can't see becoming a friend of mine anytime soon...I didn't understand the feet stomping when she couldn't get wifi access on her iphone at the school...really?...but hey, she could just be jet lagged.  I will remain open).

The best begginner French class dans le monde!

This picture was taken in our salon jaune last Friday on the last day of 4 week session and right before the school pique-nique.

Fabien, the homme standing, was our professor...he was incredible, funny and patient.

He is taking the next two months off to cook vegetarian food at a musique festival in Marseille and then he is headed to Senegal with his Senegalese girlfriend for a month visit and tour!

We will miss you Fabien!

I absolutely love learning French.  It is amazing the pleasure I get out of talking to my fromager or my Tunisian veggie vendor completely in French.  Of course, anything I say or ask isn't perfect....but I do create something comprehendible by putting together simple nouns and verbs. And when someone does what I ask, I just beam :).  "It works!" is usually the thought that goes through my mind when I am shown the section with the Sauvignon wines after asking for wines from the Loire Valley or the poissonier gives me the 10 shrimp I ask for after shelling one to make sure I will indeed like it. My growing confidence with the language must also be making me look more local. It is actually a phenomenon to me, but I usually get asked once a day for directions to someplace...in French, bien sur!  Perhaps it is the baguette that I usually have in hand that disguises me as an all knowing local....but the lost Frenchie is usually disappointed when I give them a sad face and "Désolé". My belly may be becoming French, but my tongue has a ways to catch-up :)...which is why I need to go do my homework now!

Before signing off...one more picture.....

Me in a stand-out chair in the lobby of  Hotel Meurice.

They serve the best bellini's in Paris (which are yummy), but for me the most delicious thing in the 5 star hotel was this chair!

Saturday Night in Paris

NOTE:  As of January 17, 2012, I have moved my blog to my new website:  www.onegirlsadventures.com

I will still be doing duplicate posts on this website for the next 6 months or so, but plan to close it down after that.  Please go to my new website and subscribe!!

MERCI BEAUCOUP!

****

It is Saturday night.  I am settled on my couch/bed watching L'Ecole Des Fans, a cute program where children around the age of 5 get to sing a song with one of their favorite French singers.  The kids are asked pretty basic questions prior to their performance (i.e. What is your name? What will you sing?  What does your mom do?) which makes it a perfect program to reinforce my class work.  Most of the little ones freeze up or forget the lyrics so there is a lot of camera panning to parents feverishly mouthing the words at their wilting, stage frightened children.  Luckily, since all the parents are also holding video cameras, the moment is eternally caught on tape probably to be replayed at the poor child's wedding.

I do watch a bit of the tele here in Paris.....definitely more than I do at home.  But that is because at home t.v. is a time sucker, HERE it is an educational tool!! :)  It is a fun game for me to see how much I can understand...which is usually a word here, a phrase there.  I have most of my success with the commercials. Apparently the French Ministry of Work, Employment and Health has quite the campaign going on right now to promote healthy eating, exercise and not snacking between meals.  Every second commercial is a PSA requesting us, the unhealthy, stagnant, snacking viewer, to eat the required amount of veggies and fruits a day, get out and exercise and eat only during proper meal times.  These disclosures are also found written at the bottom of the commercials promoting chocolates, sweets, cookies or anything else that may not make you fat! :) And if you didn't get the point from the ongoing commercials and disclosures, there is a website to visit:  http://www.mangerbouger.fr/.  I guess this is all just the government's way of keeping the Frenchies svelte.

Me with some of my classmates trying to get our proper veggie intake!

We chose a Vietnamese restaurant for our first class outing.

It was located in the historic Passage des Panoramas.

The food was quite good, the owner was quite annoying.

He made us order all our entrees and plats at one time....which seemed to go against everything I know about French dining.  But since he wasn't French, I will give him a pass.

Today my Italian classmate, Carlotta, invited a few of us over for homemade pizza at her flat that she shares with a local Parissien.

For a Parisian apartment it was huge.

As you can see from the picture the entire place was stark white, the owner even owned 2 white cats.  She use to work in a museum so her place had a very artistic feel.  In fact in the water closet she had about 10 toilet paper roll holders mounted in different places all up and down the wall.  It was clear there wasn't much concern about running out of toilet paper...the concern was more about be able to reach it (she had some mounted close to the ceiling!).

After lunch I cut through Montmartre to go find the only vineyard left in Paris.

Wow! Tourist season must be upon us! The Sacre Couer had beaucoup, beaucoup people.  I stopped to watch a puppet show on the story of Moses and observe a street performer balance on his head a bowl with 3 goldfish while he juggled and danced.

Success!

Between Rue Saint-Vincent and Rue des Saules

is Clos Montmartre, the only working vineyard left in Paris!

This vineyard only produces about 300 bottles a year (and from what I read and hear they aren't the most spectacular bottles).  Every year in October there is a fetes put on by the vineyard where the public gets access to the vineyard and the bottles of wine are auctioned off for charity.

Some of the delights of Montmartre!

I was discreetly trying to take a picture of these 4 older French women resting on a bench in the heart of Montmartre.  They were simply adorable!

I will sign-off this Saturday night with a picture of my lunch on Wednesday.

It is langoustine ravioli  made by an Israeli chef who studied under Alain Ducasse.

I pass his restaurant every day on the way to school.  It is located on a quiet back street in the 9e. Ever since the moment I saw it and its blackboard menu I have been wanting to try it.....so I stopped in on my home on Wednesday.

The meal was amazing and I was given a lot of attention by said chef....so much so that he refused to take my money for my 3 course meal with wine.  I think he may have a little crush on me :).  Next time I go back though I must pay...I don't want him thinking payment will end up being in the chambre.

Vive la France.

Week One as a French Débutante - Fini!

NOTE:  As of January 17, 2012, I have moved my blog to my new website:  www.onegirlsadventures.com

I will still be doing duplicate posts on this website for the next 6 months or so, but plan to close it down after that.  Please go to my new website and subscribe!!

MERCI BEAUCOUP!

****

The French word for "beginner" is débutante....kinda nice, I think...and I suppose it is good that I like the word as I am sure I will be using as a self-descriptive adjective for a while!

My first week of French classes fell during a week that France also had a national holiday or un jour férié.  Ascension Day was Thursday, June 2 which meant not only was my corner boulanger and marché closed, but my 5 day class week shrunk to 4. I guess I am really easing into learning this language.

My school's name is L'Atelier 9.  It is located in the 9e close to the Galeries Lafayette, Folies Bergere and lots of great little cafes. I have decided to walk to school in the morning which a wonderful 45 minute stroll through all the side streets in my neighborhood, Montmarte in the 18th and then a small part of the 9th.  Every morning I window shop the cute boutiques on Rue de Abbesses and wish I had more time to sit at a sidewalk table with all the boho-chic, creative-looking patrons as they take their espresso and croissants (cigarettes usually too...these people smoke like the French National Assembly is going to illegalize cigarettes tomorrow!).

This is the Church of Saint-Jean-de-Montmartre that I

pass each morning on the Rue de Abesses on my way to school.

My group has the maximum amount of students allowed in a class, 9.  There is Pedro and Andrea from Brazil, Carlotta and Felice from Italy, Yuka from Japan, Hema from Spain and then Lindsay and me from Les Etats-Unis. Fabian is the patient soul assigned to teach us.  In class he doesn't speak a word of English....only his perfect French. My brain is usually spinning after class from all the new words, verb tenses and rationalizing why the French language insists on including vowels and consonants in words that aren't  pronounced! Argh!  I love my class, and I love the camaraderie that we are developing as a group...we all struggle very well together :).  Ah, fun factoid about one of my classmates, Andrea from Brazil is a bikini designer!!!  Of course la Brésilienne designs itty-bitty swimwear! 

Since I didn't have class today, I decided to take a break from conjugating the verbs Etre, Faire, Aller and Avoir to go explore Le Bonne Marche.  Called the oldest department store in Paris, it specializes in luxury fashion for men and women as well as fine house wares and furniture....but I wasn't interested in these departments today.  My goal was to witness firsthand the department called "La grande épicerie de Paris."

Place de Clichy

This is place is near my apartment and was on my way to Le Bonne Marche.

It is one of the few places in Paris where four arrondissements (the 8th, 9th, 17th, and 18th) meet at a single point.

I find that it doesn't matter how often I see the Eiffel Tower, I still reach for my camera.

Here I had to steal a shot as I passed though Place de Concorde.

There was a model shoot going on as I walked through...I don't know what designer or brand she was posing for, but since she was leaning against a Bentley I ruled out H&M :).

Made it!

Inside is 5000 different products selected from around the world. A hard-to-find bottle of mineral water from Wales, jams made by a French artisan, a famed tomato sauce from Naples!

What you can't find anywhere else, you can find it here.

Dangerous? Yes!

Just a peek inside...it was beautiful!

Not shown was the amazing fresh produce department, extensive cheese counter, Spanish ham section, colorful pastry display, and jaw-dropping cave de vin.

Uh, cool!

Either you can choose your own fresh ouefs and the colorful carton they will call home for a short time

OR

you can grab a pre-packed pastel package of 6.

Another First!

I have never seen bottles from the great Châteaux of Yquem, Moulton-Rothschild, Lafite, Latour.....and Petrus, but Le Bonne Marche carries them all!

Not exactly a wine that one opens at 5pm on a Tuesday because she is thirsty.

These cheesecakes come decorated with edible flowers. 

The little oval objects stuck in the cake like candles are individual serving size capsules of different fruit sauces to drizzle over your piece of cake.

Really, when it comes to food, the French think of everything...and package it perfectly!

The cake I bought was called "Tonka Chic."

I will learn more about it tomorrow when I eat it, but it is a vanilla and chocolate mousse cake that is apparently flavored in part by Tonka beans from South America.

These beans are used in French desserts as a substitute for vanilla.

I will report back later....but I can say now that it looks absolutely amazing.

After being surrounded by all that food...I needed to go eat something!...and do some homework.

Sitting at the bar, I did get a few chuckles as the Frenchies would look at my homework sheets.

To them, my homework looks a little like, "Dick is going to the market. Jane is going to school."

Ah, C'est la vie...at least I was able to order my entire lunch in French and even ask the difference between the two types of jambons on the menu.

I will take being laughed at if it means progress.

Le week end commence!  And the apartment search continues, but I will leave that for a later post....the whole ordeal needs its own dedicated entry :).

Here's to using my new skills this weekend! Oh, and this Sunday (1st Sunday of the month) c'est gratuit to enter public museums....perhaps the Louvre is in my future!