Sweater Weather and other Random Stuff

Okay, so if I said it was time for sweaters in LA, it would mean that we were bracing ourselves for a “winter” “storm” or something like that. Not here in Paris. Here it means that the sun is shining and the temperature has gone up to the point that I can leave my house with one less layer. An important one – my coat! I know it won’t last forever, but it really has changed my outlook on this city which I have always been somewhat lukewarm about. I do recall that in the summer I almost found Paris beautiful and I have a feeling that spring won’t disappoint. I have to admit, it is still an adjustment living here. Once in a while I catch myself accidentally smiling at a stranger who, instead of returning the smile, gives me a very strange and almost hostile look. I guess that’s what living in Paris will do to you. I think it is still funny that some of my friends have such a romantic view of Paris, but I guess it makes sense. It’s always easier to see the good in a place when you are on vacation. Spending your daily life, le quotidien, is another story altogether. I am trying to find the positive here, but the most positive thing that comes up in my mind is that I might get to visit LA this spring! Nothing is sure yet, but I can’t help but get excited. I think I might have a slightly unrealistic view of Los Angeles right now. I can’t think of a single thing wrong with the place. I am sure it’s a typical expat feeling, but I can’t shake it.

There are some exciting new developments on my part, however. I FINALLY got my récépissé which means that I am LEGALLY in France now. I will devote another entry to this process so that it can hopefully help others that might be in a similar situation. Without going into too much detail, let me just say that it wasn’t easy! My husband worked super hard and without his help I probably would have been deported. Anyway, the best part is that I am able to work now. I never thought I would be so excited to work again, but I guess somewhere after the 6 month mark, I started to feel useless. I mean really useless. I am working on some English teaching positions and will hopefully start soon. The hardest part about living in Paris when you are broke is that there are so many things you want to spend money on, but you can’t. You can look, but not touch.  Ne touche pas! I hope that changes really soon. I am in dire need of some retail therapy!!

So, if I have any advice for anyone planning to live in Paris during the winter, it would be to either (a) purchase a country home or (b) find a country home you can visit. I swear it is the only way to live here. During the bleakest days of winter, we found that the best way to lift our spirits was to get out of Paris into the French countryside and get a little exposure to nature and MUD. Lots and lots of mud. So much mud that Stanford usually comes back covered in it, but extremely happy! Even when we are just pulling up to whichever cute house we have the pleasure of visiting, Stan’s tail starts wagging uncontrollably as he imagines all that grass and mud to play in. We have had the luck to go to many different areas of the countryside and I can’t decide which I like best, but the important thing is to GET OUT OF PARIS. Need I say more??

Okay, thank you for letting me vent. When I later on gush about how amazing it is here, try not to make me feel too bad. Okay? In the meantime, here are some random photos from the countryside and some from Paris. Enjoy!

Nova the cat relaxing by the open window in our apartment, next to the roses A got me for International Women’s Day

Visit to Bourgogne on a beautiful day.

Bahhhh

Stan enjoying the ride and the fresh air.

A local castle (private, by the way) in Bourgogne. Très luxe!

Village in Bourgogne.

Our friends’ adorable country house. It was perfect and we had such a great time hanging out by the warm fire and hearing the birds chirp in the morning.

Another weekend in la campagne, in central France.

Pottery museum in central France.

A gorgeous view of Paris from Buttes Chaumont in the 19th.

The Sun Will Come out Tomorrow???

So I think we are finally in the throws of winter, and even though it hasn’t been nearly as cold as it could be, I do miss those California winter/summers.  If you are from SoCal, you know what I am talking about.  It’s strange that I haven’t had to dip into my summer wardrobe, or carry a pair of sunglasses with me.  It just feels weird. Luckily the days are starting to get longer and I can see the other end of winter.  Now that the holidays are over, we are settling back into our normal lives and I am actually enjoying it.  I have been extremely busy lately, doing what, I can’t exactly tell you, but the days are going by so fast and I feel like I have no time to do anything, including my blog!

Before January ends, I would like to share a tradition here in Paris that is both cute and delicious.  It’s the galette de rois, or the kings’ cake and it’s pretty much a huge almond croissant! Hidden inside each delicious cake is a little porcelain figure and who ever finds it, wears the crown.  We had one at our friend’s place and even though I technically found the toy, I thought everyone should have a turn at wearing the crown, even Stanford 😉

Yummy!

He was literally drowned in almond paste. What a way to go!

As the winter progresses, I have noticed that the beauty of Paris comes out in different ways. Most of the trees are bare now, but there is something very beautiful about that and sometimes you can discover things you may not have noticed in the winter, like camouflage trees:

Luckily, my weekly cultural excursions with my belle mère are still taking place.  We recently visited an exhibition of Erwin Blumenfeld a really progressive photographer well known for his forward-thinking fashion photography.  I snuck a few photos, which are pretty awesome, especially since most of these were taken in the 30’s and 40’s.

As we were leaving the museum,we had a perfect view of the sunset right over Concord.  It was magical.  I have never seen a more expressive sky than the sky of Paris.  It’s mesmerizing.

Also, in January in Paris, you can still find holiday lights around.  As I was walking quickly through the Marais, I couldn’t help but enjoy these beauties:

The following are some pictures we took while walking through the park a couple of weeks ago.   It was a chilly but sunny day so we took advantage of it.

You see those ducks on the bottom of the picture? I look at them and think, delicious. I never at much duck before I came to Paris and now, I can’t get enough. I feel a little bit guilty when I look at them so happy in the pond, but I will try to forget the image next time I am at my favorite brasserie. 😉

  

Okay, well I am sorry for the lack of depth this week, but I did want to update everyone on what’s happening.  The biggest thing is my new haircut, which I think is totes Parisian.  (Really, I was getting so sick of my hair getting caught in my winter gear – in my scarves and becoming a tangled mess or my zippers and getting ripped out.  Ouch!)

Chocolate in the Air…Belgium Part 2 (Bruges)

This pretty much sums it up.

Is this for REAL??? Yeah, it actually is. Go to Bruges! But not when we go, so we can roam the streets freely. 🙂

The second leg of our trip was Bruges, which I was really looking forward to.  Like many others, we saw the film, “In Bruges” and were excited to see where the various scenes were filmed and to experience this adorable city for ourselves.  We arrived at our hotel and I was so happy. The place was decked out for the holidays and adorable and it was updated in a very modern style with a bathtub.  Score!!!

We took to the quaint cobblestone streets as soon as possible and immediately were struck by the delicious smells in the air.  I think there is a chocolate store every 5 meters (look at me using the metric system) and, of course, more waffles and fries.

I really felt like we were in another country when I realized that the locals there speak Flemish.  (Okay, so I felt a little ignorant because I was confused between the difference between Dutch and Flemish, and apparently Flemish is “Belgian Dutch.”  If you are a nerd like me, you may “Wikipedia” Flemish and read all about the differences.)  Every menu has a bevy of languages making it almost difficult to order and I realized pretty quickly that the Flemish are not fans of the French so we spoke English while there.  (Of course,  I don’t want to make any assumptions, but when we spoke English we seemed to have slightly more positive treatment from wait staff.)

The first night there we had some rain, but the next day the weather was amazing and we took full advantage of it by walking pretty much all over the city.  The first item on our agenda was to climb the famous belfry.  As we walked around the town, we encountered swans and little canals everywhere with perfect little bridges.  The medieval structures in the city are preserved so well that I could easily imagine myself transported to that time.  The holiday lights made it even more special and we came across many christmas markets where groups of people enjoyed the local beers.  I noticed a definite cheerfulness of everyone there – on a day like that, in a place like that, I think it would be hard to not be in a great mood.

We had a strange encounter with a man dressed in a period costume right after I took this photo. He insisted we go inside his “store” and participate in his “art.” We had a great time with him, actually. AND, we now have a very strange photo of us printed out on a dot matrix printer. Who says art is dead??

I think there was someone hiding under the bridge and telling the Swans when to come out for pictures!

So you know in the movie how they run up the belfry and there is NO ONE around? Yeah, that’s B.S. We had to wait in line while hoping we wouldn’t have to stare at the butt below the entire way up the stairs, and we had to pay an entrance fee. Oh, the magic of Hollywood.

Of course, it was all worth it for the views. Not bad!

A little taste of the charm of Bruges. Everywhere we turned, we were mesmerized by the adorable sights.

I took this while we were on a little boat getting to know our neighbors very well. This was the mecca of the swans. It was funny hearing all the “oohs and aahs” on the boat.

Fairy tale land!

Needless to say, Adrien and I are already planning our next trip in the summer and we would love to make a stop in Amsterdam, as well.

Next post, I snap some photos while taking my friend on some long and arduous walking tours of Paris.  WARNING:  Be prepared to sweat a little if you come for a visit!!!

Beer Goes Great with Waffles and Fries. Belgium, Baby! (Part One – Brussels)

As you may have guessed from the title, Adrien and I recently spent some time in that charming country to the north of us, Belgium!  It’s only a few hours from Paris and so different than Las Vegas (which is also just a few hours from California).  We had such a great time and it was exactly what we needed – a little break from the holidays here in Paris and some time away from responsibilities, including Stanny. Even though Belgium is super doggy friendly, the hotels we found last minute did not allow for dogs so we had to leave him with my sister-in-law. I think he had a nice time, but definitely not as nice as us!

Our first stop was in Brussels.  I didn’t really know exactly what to expect, but I was very pleasantly surprised.  I loved the fact that the older part of the city was really quite large (even though completely walkable) and super charming.  I loved that the buildings were old, but very colorful and full of gold and lots of pizzaz.  Yes, pizzaz.  Everything in Paris is gray.  Not that I don’t think Paris is very beautiful and classy, but sometimes a little color can be fun!!  Adrien found us a very well-located hotel right in the center of the cutest part of the city.   Even though it was a little noisy with the teenagers late at night, it was totally worth it for the location and view.

Just got out of the car in Brussels and loved this adorable hat shop. Yay colors!

Adrien admiring the awesome views of Grand Place from our hotel room. Since it was the day after Christmas, you can see the large tree in the center of the square.                    

Of course, a trip to Brussels would not be complete without some fries waffles and beer.  I cannot describe the smell of it all together, but it is incredible.  I don’t remember Paris ever smelling like that.   While walking down the adorable cobblestone streets, it is hard not to constantly be craving all the yummy and delicious treats on all the streets. Let’s just say, if you are planning on starting some sort of diet, do NOT,  I repeat, DO NOT go to Belgium!!!

.

Here Adrien is proving that he can eat all of his fries. I am sure there is some prize he won for this. I am sad to say I was a quitter.

Great place to get a beer if you are in Brussels. It has a great history and such a cute atmosphere. We were lucky to find A la Mort Subite randomly!

Even though it seems like all we did was eat while in Belgium, we did do some other things.  We went to the Magritte museum. Adrien smokes a pipe occasionally (I protest, but I am lucky it’s not cigarettes since he is French) and the first time I saw the Magritte painting, “Ceci n’est pas un pipe” I thought of Adrien.  It was the night just before he was flying in to see me while I was still in LA.  The museum is very comprehensive and impressive.  Magritte was a busy guy and had many different styles.  I really enjoy his more grand works and his surrealist paintings.   We also tried to see Jazz based on a recommendation from my travel book, but no music played that night so we just enjoyed a night out in Brussels.

A view from a charming street in Brussels.

Love the holiday decorations.

Another beautiful holiday display.

That’s the Manneken Pis! Yes, he isn’t very impressive and is dressed like a runner for the marathon that took place that evening. Still not sure what the fuss is about, but no trip to Brussels is complete without a picture of this little guy peeing.

Because were lucky enough to be in Brussels for the holidays, we had a view of a light show from our hotel room in the square and we could also see the runners streaming by.  All those people exercising didn’t stop us from enjoying a waffle topped with chocolate, bananas and strawberries that maybe tasted even better than it looked.

Christmas lights show!

Yep, that’s a lot of people. Luckily they cleared out before bedtime.

Look at them run! Hopefully they had a chance to carbo-load on some fries and waffles before the race.

I am glad we have this picture – evidence that it existed since we quickly devoured it.  It was incredible.

Next post we will explore Bruges, one of the most adorable places I have ever been to that ALSO smells like chocolate.

Art and Toilets, These are a Few of my Favorite Things.

The weeks between Thanksgiving and New Years feel like a countdown to me.   I really love the decorations and the feeling of the holidays, and I have to admit, I get a little sad when it’s all over and all the sparkles are gone.  I really love sparkles.   Before the holiday lights come down in Paris, I am going to try to take as many pictures of the lights in the different neighborhoods as I can.  Adrien may have to be my chauffeur, but I am sure he won’t mind 😉

Once a week I take an excursion with my mother-in-law and I really love it because I get to know her better and we get to practice my French. She usually speaks in a way that I can understand and she is very patient when I make horrible mistakes. That is always a great quality in a person.  We have been trying to visit different museums and exhibitions in Paris and a few weeks ago we we went to the Jewish History Museum in the Marais.  I took many photos, but I must have lost them somehow. It was a really impressive museum – huge, actually.  We started to get pretty exhausted by the end when we finally reached the exhibit that we came for, Maryan. He has a very troubled history involving World War II and his art is extremely intense and almost difficult to take in, but we really enjoyed it.  Although very somber, especially with the Maryan exhibit, I am so glad we had a chance to visit the museum, even though we could have probably spent a few more hours there and still not have seen everything.

The last museum we visited was Musée Bourdelle near Montrmartre.  Although I had always heard of Rodin, I had never heard of Bourdelle another sculpture who is actually just as talented and was admired by Rodin and even worked with him. The museum that used to be his studio holds some very impressive sculptures in plaster, bronze, marble and ceramic.   Some of the sculptures were so huge, it is incomprehensible how they are moved around, let alone switched out with other one and must be done because there are too many statutes to fit in the space!  I am always in awe of the talents of some people. Although he had a team working with him, each sculpture takes so much work and time and they are all incredibly expressive and unique.

In one of the gardens at the museum.

It is hard to capture how huge this one is. The is the plaster version; it may also be found in bronze outside in the rear garden.

The madonna and child in bronze.

I really loved this one, especially the way the boy is holding up the bird and the expression on his face.

Here you can see the scale of the horse. That’s my mother-in-law in the background.

The interior of the sculptor’s studio where we learned how the statues are made. Don’t ask me to tell you because the video was in French and a little confusing!

One of the few in marble. When you see it up close it sparkles, so I definitely liked it a lot.

This one is for the ladies, and the guys who might also enjoy it. Don’t you just want to ask him “What’s the matter??”

The other day, I met my friend for lunch and forgot to use the restroom and I was near the Champs-Elysées.  Oh-oh! I was looking for a bathroom and noticed a sign that lead me into this fancy shopping center behind the main avenue. When I entered the restroom, it was really strange. There were toilet lids decorating the walls in bright colors and a wall of colored toilet paper. The price was 2 euros, which, if you have to go badly enough, doesn’t sound that outrageous. Plus, there was a toilet concierge that escorted me, AND STANFORD, to our toilet stall! After I was done, I am not sure it was worth the 2 euros, but it was definitely an experience.

May I escort you to your toilet, Madame ?

When I can settle for a less fancy toilet experience, I don’t mind using the public bathrooms that can be found all over Paris. At first I was skeptical, I admit, but after being assured that they clean themselves between uses and are free, I was all about them. When my family was in town we were waiting in line for the catacombs and, of course, with my bladder which must be the size of a pee, I inevitably needed to use the restroom. My aunt and I found one of the public ones just around the corner – score!!! Or so I thought. I let my aunt go first, no problems. Everything seemed to be fine – the toilet’s door opens, you walk in, do your thing, wash your hands and dry them, press the button and then out you go.  When you leave, the toilet starts a wash cycle. Well, at least it is supposed to do that. I waited until my aunt was done and the light was green. I step into the bathroom and immediately I noticed something funny – just as I had started to lower my pants, I saw the toilet seat lift itself back up into the wall. Hmm, I think to myself, that’s strange. All of a sudden water starts flooding the floor like a wave and I start to scream. I had already pulled my pants a third of the way down, and when the doors open, you are pretty much on stage for anyone walking by. Somehow I got my pants up and managed to press the unlock button to stop the process, but only after my shoes had gotten a thorough cleaning. I did not even get to use the restroom!!! Needless to say, I am not a quitter, and that was the last time I experienced a malfunction. Even better, I found an app for my phone that tells me where they are all over the city! My small bladder is extremely grateful.

Do you have a turkey small enough to fit in a toaster oven?

That would be a negative.

Happy Thanksgivinkah!!!

Regardless, I really wanted to celebrate Thanksgiving in Paris this year.  It is my favorite holiday and I just couldn’t stand the thought of not enjoying all the yummy foods and that feeling of spending a lazy afternoon with family and friends getting stuffed to the gills the way only Americans can.   For that reason, I decided that I would host a little Thanksgiving linner (lunch/dinner) at my place on the Sunday following Thanksgiving, since here in France it’s just another Thursday.  Plus, it’s much easier to get people to come over on a Sunday because you don’t have anything to compete with.  Not many stores are open and most restaurants are closed.  Now all I had left to do was figure out how the heck to make a big TG meal in the teeniest of Parisian kitchens with a toaster oven and hot plate.

Some winter flowers we received from a guest. They last for weeks, and are only destroyed by small cats that like to eat flowers.

The First and Worst Thanksgiving Meal in Paris

Jus to make sure I got my TG fill, I signed Adrien and myself up for a Thanksgiving dinner at a restaurant in Montmartre hosted by an expat group on Thursday night.  After dinner, we were supposed to take leisurely stroll up to the Sacre Coeur to work off the large meal.  It all sounded really great in the description and I really wanted to try to make more friends.  We arrived at the restaurant at about 8 pm (which is already dangerously late for a TG meal considering how heavy it is).   Not many people were there yet, but at some point everyone showed and we sat down for what we expected to be a delicious TG meal.  Luckily, the other guests were super nice and friendly and Adrien and I made some friends because the meal was not exactly what we were expecting.

After waiting for what felt like a millennium, the first course arrived.  It was a few triangles of very white bread – almost like American sandwich bread – toasted with caramelized onions and balsamic vinegar.  Some of us were so hungry (I think it was around 9:45 at that point) we just started eating the strange appetizer when the waiters started bringing out what looked like a trough of mushroom soup.  We didn’t think it could get much stranger, but the serving of soup was enormous, especially considering the size of the meal to follow.  My husband was able to guzzle down the soup like the champion he is.  (Food is no match for him.)  After the soup there was more socializing since we really didn’t have a choice.  Finally, at almost 10:15 the waiter started delivering our Thanksgiving platters.  Yes, platters since every item was arranged on what might have been a child’s personal chalkboard from the 1800’s.  There was no edge and the food was piled so high it had no choice but to escape.  The turkey was actually pretty good, but the sides were a medley of various TG foods with a slight odd flavor or ingredient.   After we were completely stuffed (like turkeys should be) at about 10:40 the dessert showed up and we really wished it hadn’t.  It was one of those situations where you really felt bad for the chef.  This poor French guy is slaving away making what he thinks is a perfect TG meal, but in reality, the Americans can’t wait for the meal to end.  And we were right.  One taste of the “pumpkin pie” revealed that the chef had taken it quite literally.  It was essentially some pumpkin mashed up and placed on a pie shell.   It tastes just like what you are imagining right now.  Suffice it to say, we didn’t stick around at 11 pm for the walk and just wanted to hit the pillow with the force of a wrecking ball.  (Not the kind with Miley Cyrus attached to it.)

A Real American Thanksgivingkuh

After having recuperated from Thursday night, Adrien and I decided to go for a little pre-feast walk Sunday morning thinking we had plenty of time to prepare for the big meal.  Adrien surprised me on our one year anniversary (seeing each other for the first time when I came to Paris last December) with a very lovely walk to this park that I pass by almost daily, but had no clue about.   It extends from Bastille to the Bois de Vincennes (the woods) and has little exercise stations along the way.  There is a sign that is meant to discourage runners from disturbing the lazy pedestrians (yeah, that was us).  I thought that was very funny.   The sign didn’t work that well, since there were plenty of runners darting between us, making us feel particularly lazy that Sunday morning.

Translation:  This is a walking space.  “Jogging is tolerated, but only when it doesn’t bother the walkers”

There is the woman who should be enforcing the sign, but has chosen to take a leisurely stroll as well.

I almost had a nervous breakdown before my friends arrived,  which was further incited by an unfortunate incident with the toilet and the slow cooker that has been taking up space in our tiny kitchen for almost 6 months.  After a heated discussion about the efficacy of a plunger v. chemicals, the plunger, thankfully brought to our place by Adrien’s mom, saved the day.  Unfortunately, the slow cooker was not salvageable and ended up being a large hunk of junk that wasted about an hour of my prep time.  Fortunately, I was also lucky to have an awesome American friend who likes to cook and bake as a guest.  I also asked other guests to contribute to the meal, however, given that most of the guests were French and clueless about a TG menu (not their fault, of course), I was lucky to have some help with the menu.

On dish I made was turkey meatball in a cranberry sauce.  The last time I made them with beef and they came out really tasty and there were none left for the next day, which made my husband very very sad.   I tried to make a lot more this time, and with turkey they came out a little differently, but I made sure to spice them a lot so they would be tasty.  I also made homemade mashed potatoes with the peels.  I did attempt to make some cornbread, but it was a bit of a disaster.  Luckily, there were plenty of other dishes there that made up for that loss.   Since it was also the third night of Chanukah, I made some sweet potato latkes, a little nod to Thanksgivinkah.  My mother-in-law helped me so much with the latkes.  French women are masters at shredding things.  Usually it’s carrots, but this time it was sweet potato.  I don’t think my old food processor could have done it faster!

My friend Kristin brought a green been casserole, stuffing (my favorite), and not one, but two pies – pumpkin and pecan!  Both were amahhhhhhhzing! Anne-Sophie brought over some delicious macaroni and cheese, complete with breadcrumbs.  Super impressive, especially for a Frenchie 😉  I think it was also the French cheese made it even more yummy.

In the end, it turned out to be one of the nicest Thanksgiving meals I have had.  I was really impressed with my friends here and my new mom, who totally came through for me.  I am so grateful for how far I have come these past 6 months.  I have made a home for myself with Adrien and it has never felt like more of one.  So, even thought it started off a bit rocky (which I guess is pretty normal right?), ultimately everyone looked uncomfortably full, happy and tired.  A success as far as TG is concerned!

These photos are taken by my husband because I was too busy cooking, eating and finally resting to take the photos.

My sister-in-law and her boyfriend enjoying their first TG ever!

Pie time!!!

Stan was wondering where his TG meal was. On the floor, of course!

She sells sea shells…

Gorgeous sunset!

Since last weekend we had 3 days off (Monday is the day celebrating the end of WWI) we decided to head to Normandy to stay at Adrien’s grandfather’s apartment.  His place is one street away from the beach with beautiful views and about 2 hours from Paris.  Adrien has been itching to go there for a while, since he spent a lot of time there as a child and has fond memories of his grandmother.

There isn’t a lot to do in Normandy and we had limited wifi access (oh no!), but smelling the ocean is always restorative for me.   Our first evening there we walked along the beach with Stan and witnessed a beautiful sunset.   It was incredible.  Maybe the cold air and the fact it had just rained helped make it so lovely.   Stan loves the sand (not the water) so he had a blast just running up and down the beach like a rabbit.  I almost never see him with that much energy!

Okay, he doesn’t look that active here, but trust me.

We are the height of Parisian fashion these days. Didn’t you see us in Vogue? Lately I have very basic requirements with my wardrobe – keep from freezing.

We had dinner that night at an Italian restaurant and then blasted the heat in the apartment and tried to go to sleep.  The bed was a little on the small side, so we kept colliding into each other all night and at one point I thought I heard a baby crying.  The apartment building was pretty deserted, so it was a pretty strange sound to hear, but Adrien said the thought the same thing last time he was there until he realized the shutters were making the noise.  Hmm… a little creepy, but I guess it went with the ambiance of a sleepy cold beach town!

View from the bedroom window. Not bad!

The next day, we headed back out to the beach and did some shopping at the indoor market.  We met the cutest old people who loved watching Stan politely waiting for us right outside the doors. They were so sweet and so friendly.  Sometimes I have to be reminded that not all French people are Parisian!  (Lest you fear I am insulting Parisians, they are the ones who bash Parisians the most!!)  We got some fresh veggies and some stinky cheese and decide to have lunch at home after a nice walk.

 

The rest of the weekend was very quiet – we watched Bridget Jones’ Diary in French for me (it was in really fancy French, but I knew what was going on because I have read the books and seen the movie so many times it’s a little embarrassing) and the third Lord of the Rings on TV,  awesome but also never seems to end.

Stan passed out after doing some light reading! Helpful hint: There are books with both one page in English and one page in French. I am reading Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest. It’s awesome!

Before we left, we read about a great seafood restaurant on the beach in TripAdvisor and so we had lunch at Le Beau Site.  It was a cozy place with wonderful views and great service!  Leaving Paris, the waiters tend to be more patient and friendly and they even brought Stanford a bowl of water. The food was excellent and not too pricey if you order from the fixed menu.  We will definitely recommend that Adrien’s grandfather go back there since he really likes seafood.

While lunching, we observed a man who was pretty much naked, jumping into the sea for a swim.  I don’t know if he was from northern Russia, perhaps, but let me tell you, that beach is COLD.  The waiter said he does it twice a day, rain or shine.   (And we thought the wind-surfer who had no shoes on the day before was crazy!)

The view from the restaurant!

Look how relaxed Adrien is.

We are back in Paris now and I think Adrien feels better having had a weekend to decompress.  I, on the other hand, feel a bit restless and ready to get out there and do something with my day. Today is the first day in a while that the sun has been out all day.  It’s incredible.  I had to take some pictures on my walk to the office where I work with Adrien to document this weather.  Il fait beau, indeed. I also noticed some of the holiday lights were starting to come up.  It looks like the leaves are going to fall soon from most of the trees (“Winter is coming”).  It actually reminds me of about a year ago when I came to Paris and spent time with Adrien for the first time.  A truly magical time!!! 🙂

Bienvenue to my New Page

Bienvenue a tous!

I have decided to switch my blog to a new host.  I liked tumblr, but feel that it focuses much more on photos than it does on actual written content.  I am not really that savvy with social media, but I know that I want my blog to be accessible to the right audience and I don’t want to feel pressured to have the pictures overshadow the words.  And, let’s face it, I am no teenager.   That being said, I love taking photographs and I am sure that some of you prefer to look at pictures than read, so I will continue to include photographs in my posts.  (I will also continue to post photos on Tumblr (karenzma.tumblr.com) and Instagram.  I do welcome any feedback, so let me know if you prefer the old blog format, or just say hello!

Our beautiful and crazy cat. Don’t let her looks deceive you…

Here she is waiting to enter the shower. If you just say the word or even look like you might take one, she is right there…waiting.

I have now officially lived in Paris for 5 months and have had no job for about 6 months.  It’s a weird feeling.  It suddenly hit me the other day that my life is SO different that it was.  Before I came to Paris I had a routine in LA.   I went to work, went to the gym, played with my dog (who has become entirely spoiled rotten here), went to Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods (which I used to think was “Whole paycheck” until I moved here), saw my friends either at the gym  or for dinner, played some tennis.   On the weekends I either saw my family or just spent some me time enjoying my pretty great life. Sometimes I went on dates (most were painful) and sometimes I played kickball.  It was pretty great but I was missing something, or rather someone.

I have gone through so many changes in the last 6 months, it’s almost surreal.  Sometimes I feel like I am flowing along with the current in a river – just letting it take me where it thinks I should go.  It’s must be the way that I cope with all of this.  I almost feel like it’s out of my control and if I just trust “the process” it will all work out.  I have to say, I must have made some progress because I am definitely not a laid-back person.  I like to control almost everything in my life, but this once, I decided to just go with the flow.

As the weather gets colder here (while apparently it’s still the middle of summer in Southern California), I am constantly thinking about LA.  The only consolation for me is that the last several Thanksgivings it has been very warm in LA, which to me, is sacrilegious.  I am happy to report that the weather here is perfect for eating turkey and all the other yummy TG foods, and I have been informed that my local boucherie will be carrying some turkeys!  Anyway, the other morning Adrien caught me watching a video by 30 Seconds to Mars with all these celebs and some random street people talking about LA.  Even though they reminded me of the things I dislike about LA, I was totally mesmerized.  Until I met Adrien, I totally saw myself living out my days in LA, hopefully moving to Santa Monica after a brief and chilly stint in San Francisco.  Although I had always had a childhood fantasy of living in Europe, reality  pushed it aside.  Fast forward 5 months and I am able to carry on conversations in French, albeit with much pain and discomfort, and I am on my way to becoming a Parisian.   In the next few years I may end up with French children, who will probably speak much better French than me.

In the meantime, part of the flow is getting to accompany my amazing husband to Astérix events (it’s a huge comic here in France and pretty much everywhere in the world but the U.S.) like an exhibit opening in the National Library and a swanky party for the release of the latest book.   (Not to mention that swanky Bat Mitzvah with all the fois gras goodness that I will repost here because I just can’t get it out of my mind.)

Adrien and his friend enjoying the Astérix event – that’s a roasted boar. Luckily it wasn’t on the menu!

Fois gras macarons. I still think about them every day and must get my hands on some again.

The Bat Mitzvah was on halloween.

The outside of the hotel – very beautiful. They definitely don’t have places like this in LA. (Yeah, get over it, you have non-stop sunshine)

During the week,  I looked into going back to school so I can try to learn proper French and basically burned through hours of my day on the internet.  I did also apply to one job.  Go me!  I am stuck most of the time waiting for Adrien to come up for air so he can help me do something or another.  Apply for something, do something with the computer, call someone to speak in French.  I am very high maintenance in France 😉

Last weekend we did a walking/biking day from the Marais to the 5th Arrondissement.   It was a really nice day (for Paris) and we stumbled upon some really cool things that Adrien didn’t even know about.  We saw a wall that was part of the ancient fortress of the old Lutetia (what Paris used to be called) just sticking out in between 2 buildings on a normal street.  As we were  walking near the Seine, we went down to the water level, which was really cool because the water level is starting to rise (from all that lovely rain) and soon we won’t be able to stand where we were.    

A modern building reflecting the older buildings across the street. Pretty cool!

Water rising in the Seine

Fall is here. I can see the changing seasons in the park by our apartment.

This weekend we are going to take advantage of another long weekend and get away to Normandie again.   The last time the rain was so strong we almost got swept away, so I am definitely going to dress in appropriate clothing this time.  It’s no warm and sunny beach!  It’s more like a scene out of Charlotte Brönte – think English moors and fog and cold, damp weather.  Regardless, the fresh ocean air and the calm and tranquility are a perfect way to take a break from Paris, which I am quickly learning is essential.  For example, last weekend we spent the day with Adrien’s aunt and uncle in their country weekend house.  It was so rustic!  After a delicious meal of barbecued meat (I really missed that smell!) we went for a walk and hunted mushrooms.  Yes, mushrooms!  We ate them with pasta for dinner and they were delicious.  They have the most adorable labrador/boxer mix and he and Stanford were running around in the fall leaves.   It was adorable!

Delicious!

Stan had a great time!

Until next time! A bientôt !