Chez Jeanette

Last night I decided to go to a vernissage at the 12 Mail gallery with a couple of friends. As the gallery was very tiny and as the number of people inside exceeded a safe capacity and as there was no free booze flowing we left in search of other adventures. Our initial plan was to check out another vernissage not too far away and then to grab a quick drink. However, when we failed to find the second gallery we decided what the heck "let's go get our drink on" and that's exactly what we did.

We headed over to Chez Jeanette, the popular hotspot for young Parisians. I've been to Chez Jeanette several times in the past and despite having good time with my friends I was mostly underwhelmed with the ambiance and atmosphere of the place and the service of the bartending staff left a lot to be desired. But something was different last night. We cozied up to the bar, ordered three pints and started chatting away pausing every few moments to check out the new "merchandise" walking through the door. As we were finishing our pints and deciding what to do next (the consensus being to head home and call it an early evening) one of the bartenders surprisingly started chatting us up. A few moments later three shot glasses, filled with an indiscernible red liquid, were placed in front of us and like that our plans to call it an early evening were tossed by the wayside.

There's something to be said for friendly bartenders and free drinks. Since a bartender's wage doesn't depend on gratuities as much as bartenders in the US it's rare to find friendly bar staff let alone get free drinks out of it. But suffice it to say, the small gesture by the bartender last night has completely changed my opinion of Chez Jeanette and it's now a place that I'd willingly and happily frequent again.

A Day at the Park

During a conversation several weeks ago with some friends it came to our attention that one of our friends had never been to an amusement park and has never ridden a roller coaster. As someone that has very fond memories of warm summer days and evenings spent at Six Flags riding the scariest rides and roller coasters I was completely shocked and so was everyone else. It was then that we decided that a group trip to Euro Disney was in order. It would be a first for me since living in Paris.

On Saturday, we were all up early to meet on the platform of the RER A and to make our way out to the happiest place on earth. After about 40 minutes or so our trained arrived and instantly upon exiting the metro station we were all instantly transported to another world. After getting oriented, the requisite coffee stop and a potty break we decided to make our way to Space Mountain first after catching the tail end of the parade of course. I was nervous that the first timer wouldn't enjoy the ride or find any amusement in it at all. However, when it was over and with a huge grin on his face he asked us if we could ride it again. The answer of course was "non" because there were plenty other attractions to see that day in the park.

Surprisingly everyone had a blast in the park and it was as if ever so briefly we were all children again. The best part about the whole experience is that we get to do it again for free before the end of September thanks to a special 2 for 1 promotion Euro Disney is currently running.

Oh and so you all don't think we're mean people we did manage to ride Space Mountain a second time before heading home and it was even better than the first time around.

*image from Ma vie est tout à fait fascinante by Penelope Bagieu

I Love Picard

Before moving to Paris I remember someone telling me about the good frozen food that France had to offer without any further elaboration. At the time I thought it was pretty bizzare feedback especially considering all of the other great things France and Paris have to offer. I filed that information away and went on my merry way.

When I finally arrived in Paris and got settled in my apartment I would pass in front of a store named Picard each day as I either entered or exited the metro. During my first 6 months in Paris I had no idea what the store was or what they sold. And while I was curious to know what was inside behind their sliding doors I never dared to enter because of the sterile looking interiors. Not to mention that at the time I had no idea what the word surgelé meant. It wasn't until friend of mine started raving to me about the goodness that is Picard did I garner up the courage to venture inside to see what they had to offer and that was a turning point for me.

Picard is like the mecca of frozen foods. Picard is the single guy and gal's best friend. The friend that turned me on to Picard actually refers to it as her boyfriend. What makes the place so amazing is that you can find almost anything in frozen form and ready to be cooked with zero prep time and the best part is that it actually tastes good. Picard is light years ahead of it's closest US competitor in terms of quality, taste and product variety. You could actually prepare dinner for an entire dinner party by stocking up at Picard and no one would be the wiser as long as your tossed out the evidence before your guests arrived.

Fast forward to yesterday when I was talking to some friends about the quality of food in France and naturally the topic turned to Picard. One friend who's only been in Paris for 3 months mentioned that she's never been to a Picard and wasn't even sure what it was. Because I had once been in her shoes and am still grateful to my friend for opening my eyes I let her in on the secret by going on and on about how good Picard is. She gave me a skeptical look as I talked and she didn't seem fully convinced at the time. Maybe I should have told her that the cashiers are known for actually bagging one's groceries as well unlike most French supermarkets. I'm not concernerd however because I'm pretty sure curiosity will drive her into the store and thus will begin another American's love affair with Picard.

I'm Going on a Picnic...

According to an article in last week's NY Times picnics are one of the most economical ways to pass a warm summer afternoon or evening in Paris. Anyone that has ever spent any time in Paris during the summer already knows this but the article was timely and interesting nonetheless.

After having a lovely afterwork picnic last Thursday it was time to do it all again on Sunday to celebrate my friend Juliet's birthday. We all gathered at le Parc des Buttes Chaumont in the northeast of (real) Paris. Througout the afternoon while bathing in the warm late afternoon sunlight, we ate, we talked, we laughed, and we even sang (thanks to the talented and musically inclined brothers Garnier). A good time was had by all especially the birthday girl.

One of the best parts of the afternoon was the little fan that took a liking to our English/French speaking group and our singers/guitar players. The expression on her face is priceless.

A Weekend in Bourgogne (translation: Burgundy)

Last weekend I parted fake France took off to "Real France" with Sam, Sarah and her husband. First stop on the roadtrip was to visit Justin in Chalon-sur-saône. He was the most hospitable host and I'm glad I had to see his charming town before his move to Paris. (Thanks again Justin).

I had every intention to go running along the river but life got in the way.


And by life I of course mean wine tastings, dining, sleeping and things like that. We visited several caves in the region and two of my faves were the Jean-Claude and Anna Breliere and the Paul Chollet domaines. The former is run by the cutest and most friendly couple imaginable offers all types of burgundy wine. The latter only produces crémants which are French sparkling wines not made in the Champagne region. Go figure.


While I did have a lot of fun on my trip I did manage to learn a thing or two about wine. In Burgundy there are two primary grape varieties grown the Chardonnay grape and the Pinot Noir grape and very little blending if any and little flexibility compared to the five primary varieties produced in Bordeaux and much more blending. Hence, if there is a bad harvest one year in Burgundy chances are you aren't going to have any good wine from that region and the producers are SOL whereas in Bordeaux producers have a lot more leeway to create their wines which is why they say that you can never really go wrong with a Bordeaux wine.

In addition to visiting caves and wine tasting we also visited the Hospices de Beaune and spent a day touring Dijon.

Comfy looking hospital beds

Medicine Anyone?

How 'bout some surgery?

Thanks to the Frenchies I have another long weekend coming up and I'll be heading down south to visit Aix-en-Provence and Marseille.

Bordeaux in Detail

*Warning: this is an unusually long post.

Prior to heading to Bordeaux I had some pre-birthday cocktails at my favorite bar in Paris. Somehow thanks to my girls Juliet, YM and Sarah we ended up getting a private tour of the hotel by to one of the owners. And if that wasn't enough there were complimentary rounds of piscines thanks to the owner's kindness and generoristy. Getting home late and full of champagne (I'm not one to turn down a free cocktail especially when they're going for 12€ a pop) I was afraid I would miss my 7AM train the following morning. Fortunately, that wasn't a problem and I made it right on time.

The 3 hour train ride was uneventful and passed fairly quickly as I used it as an opportunity to catch up on some much needed sleep. Upon arriving in Bordeaux a friend picked us up at the gare and gave us a short guided tour of the city by car. After lunch, while my friend KD worked for a bit Kiki and I decided to take a free rickshaw ride. The driver told that his sole destination would be a mutuelle office on the other side of town and if we stayed for the sales pitch we would be offered a free gift. Not one to turn down a free gift and having nothing else better to do for the afternoon we hopped in. The driver must have found us charmer or possibly realized that he wouldn't have many other riders during the afternoon and offered to give us a tour of the city as well.

On Saturday we drove to check out Saint-Émillion which was absolutely gorgeous and picturesque despite the rainy and gray weather. Unfortunately, because we got a late start we didn't get to do any wine tastings altough we did have an enjoyable lunch. After and afternoon spent in Saint-Émillion we headed back to the hotel to prepare for the evening which included a Felipecha concert. It was my first time listening them and I must say that really enjoyed their live performance and I'd highly encourage you all to check them out. We all hung out after the concert and had an amazing time. At midnight my friends and the band started singing happy birthday to me which was quite embarassing. However, one of the bartenders heard the singing and offered each of us a yummy cannelets as a little gift.

On Sunday, after a late night we managed to get ourselves together and head to a vineyard in Barsac for a wine tasting. The region's specialty is a sweeter tasting Sauternes wine which, at first, I wasn't sure I would like. Turns out I really enjoyed the younger less sweet option that I tasted and ended up buying a few bottles. After our visit to the vineyard we headed back to Bordeaux to do some shopping at the outlet stores along the Quai des Marques and I scored some desperately needed new jeans. Sunday evening we took it easy and enjoyed a nice, relaxing dinner.

After 3 days of grey and gloomy skies, the sun reappeared on Monday in full forced. We used this opportunity to drive to Arcachon to visit la Dune de Pilat which is essentially a giant pile of sand. After laboriously trekking to the top we were rewarded with the most stunning views of the bay. After a short rest at the top to take it all in and enjoy the sun, we climbed back down, grabbed some lunch then drove back to the gare in Bordeaux.

All in all if was a fabulous weekend and I couldn't have asked for a better way to spend my birthday.

Spontaneity

I am extremely grateful for the friends that I've made here in Paris. My social life in general is more active than it's been than my days living in New York. I go to Friday night drinks with the expat gang most Fridays, I go to the jazz jam sessions on most Sunday evenings in between my week is filled with movie dates, dinners and dancing and I really enjoy it. However, most of those activities are usually planned and there's nothing wrong with that but I feel like my friendships here in Paris are missing a bit of spontaneity.

In NYC, I would call up my friends Dave or Robin and ask them if they'd like to join me for brunch and in an hour or two we'd be at our favorite brunch place in Manhattan taking in the scene, enjoying the food and each other's company. I mention all of this because I'm planning a brunch next Sunday which I'm certain will be a great time but it just got me thinking about how I used to do brunch in the past.

Christmas Baking Party

Back in October while at dinner with friends I was complaining about my lack of stove and my friend KD kindly offered to let me borrow hers. Out of that discussion came the idea to have a Christmas baking party and like that the date was set.

Fast forward to yesterday where a group of French, German, Finnish, Greek and American friends got together in KD's apartment in the 10th to fete the holiday season. We drank gluehwein which is a traditional German hot wine, ate some Finnish joulutortut (star shaped pastries) and some other things in between that I didn't find out the names of because I was too busy stuffing my face.

My contribution to the affair were good old fashioned butter cookies and I think they came out pretty well. They didn't look so beautiful but they tasted pretty good and the other guests agreed. My plans were almost foiled when I realized that I couldn't easily find some of the ingredients needed for the recipe especially for the cookie icing.

Some of you out there reading this might be thinking to yourselves "Oh why didn't she just go to the Le Grand Epicerie in Paris, they have products from all over the world." And I'll tell you why, supermarkets (especially French ones) intimidate the hell out of me. I'm like a lost puppy whenever I go into a supermarket (hence my soup and lentil diet as of late) and that feeling would only be magnified if I went to Le Grand Epicerie.

Overall, the evening was great, I ate and drank more calories than I wish to contemplate (hence my return to a soup and lentil diet) and I passed out almost immediately when I got home.

Happy Thanksgiving

So it's Thanksgiving again and I'm fortunate enough to be spending the day with my family in New York. I've been very fortunate over the past year and this being able to be in the US to celebrate with my family is just icing on the cake.

Last night I went out and met up with some friends and I had an absolute blast and I'm thankful to have them in my life as well. I'm also thankful for all the friends that I didn't get to see during this visit.

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice

My friend Amy gave me all of these nice Indian spices before leaving Paris. I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before on my blog but Amy is an excellent cook and can through a great meal together out of the simplest ingredients. She can work wonders with a box of frozen peas.

Yesterday on my way home I stopped by a cute little store called Casa and purchased some glass containers to store the spices. Now I'm a little ashamed to admit this but transferring the spices from their previous containers to the new glass ones was the first time that I have touched the spices since Amy left. The problem is that Amy failed to tell me what the spices were and how to incorporate them into my cooking. So for the time being they will sit idle on my kitchen counter as decorative pieces until Amy gets her butt on a plane and comes back to Paris.

Amy also left me some spices for making homemade chai tea however each time I try to make the tea on my own it never tastes as good.

Mysterious Amy Spices

Better Late Than Never

Work has been kicking my ass so I haven't had the energy to post for a while. An update on the job shortly but in the meantime I wanted to share some photos that I took from the Champ de Mars on Bastille Day here in Paris.

Pretty Things

I went to the marché this morning and for some reason I ended up spending more money than I usually do there. I did end up treating myself to some pretty flowers. I couldn't resist because they were so interesting looking and I can honestly say that I've never seen anything like them before. From the pictures below you'll probably also notice that I've yet to buy a vase. Now is probably a good time since les soldes started yesterday.

Les Fleurs

Les Fleurs

In other news I spent the evening yesterday with my friend Opal having a drink at Café du Nord along the Canal Saint-Martin and we spotted Angès from the French equivalent of America's Next Top Model. It was actually pretty weird because I never, ever recognize people when I see them on the streets including A-list Hollywood celebrities.

French is Still Challenging

Below is a summarized conversation that I have with a friend of mine a few days ago who is visiting Paris. Mind you I first met this friend while studying French at the Alliance Française in New York City several years ago.

Friend from NY: So we're in town and settled into our hotel.
Me: Oh, so where are you staying?
Friend from NY: We're staying near Montparnasse.
Me: Oh, so you're near the Denfert Rochereau métro stop?
Friend from NY: You're telling me that you've been in Paris this long and that's the best you can do with your pronunciation.
Me: Uhm, yes? For the record I plan to kick your ass when we meet up.

Footloose and Fancy Free

Yesterday afternoon my friend Mr. Blackberry picked me up and took me for a ride on his Vespa. Once I got over the fear factor it was actually quite fun. Since this was my first scooter ride I spent the first five minutes with my eyes closed tight scared out of my mind (apparently American women are scared of everything according to this particular French friend.) It didn't help that at times it felt as though he was speeding up and down the boulevards and playing chicken with oncoming traffic. After the ride we stopped for a drink at a sidewalk café near the Pantheon where I really enjoyed the company and the conversation. Most of all however, I enjoyed being back home in Paris feeling footloose and fancy free.

Saturday Was Mon Anniversaire

I'm not usually one to make a big deal out of my birthday or force my birthday celebration onto other people. I guess the reluctance to celebrate stems from two other girls in grade school sharing the same birthday as me. Because I wasn't the most popular girl in school the other students usually decided to attend one of the other birthday parties instead of mine.

So when my friends here in Paris found out that it was my birthday they insisted that it was a day to be celebrated. After some debate I stubbornly agreed solely because the selected location was Favela Chic. Favela Chic is a Brazilian restaurant turned dance club which has some of the best music and the best vibes of any dancing establishment that I've visited in Paris. The place was full of energy and almost every in the place dances which is rare for this city. It turns out that the food there is pretty good as well. So needless to say we ate and then danced our butts off for the entire night and I had the best time. Thanks Amy, Lillian, Opal, YM, Tatyana and Theresa for making my birthday one that I will never forget.

As if that wasn't enough, my friend Chi invited me over for dinner on Sunday because she couldn't make it out on Saturday night. As a special treat she baked me cupcakes using the recipe from Billy's Bakery in NYC and they tasted delicious. It was like a little touch of home all these miles away in Paris.

And It's Back to Work for Me

After a lovely two week hiatus I head back to work tomorrow for my last six weeks. I cannot believe that my assistantship is coming to an end in six weeks. It seems like yesterday I was fretting over getting accepted to the program and then fretting over all of the administrative stuff. Knowing that I only have six weeks left is really leaving me stress filled and uncertain about my future.

On top of that I have a string of back to back to back visitors starting next Friday. Between now and the end of April there will only be one weekend which I will have sans visitors. As much as I am looking forward to seeing my friends and family members that plan to visit I am also stressing about it. Some visits will overlap and I'll have a lot of juggling to do. Additionally, having visitors usually entails doing touristy things and doing touristy things involves spending money. Oh and I'm just starting to roll up my sleeves and get into a good study routine and I know it will be disrupted with a constant influx of visitors.

Ah, what's a girl to do? I know that in the short term I need to come up with some lesson plans for tomorrow's classes or else I'm screwed.

John's Visit A Recap

Wow what a crazy crazy week it has been with John in town. I can honestly say that I have never in my life laughed so much and enjoyed myself so much in one week. There were multiple occasions when I was brought to tears from laughing so hard. Unfortunately, we spent so much time partying that we didn't get in a lot of sight seeing and cultural things but I have a feeling John didn't mind.

Let's see if I can sum up the week for you dear readers. There was drinking and dancing on Saturday evening. I refer to this as the warm up. Sunday was essentially a day of rest but I did manage to drag John to the Aligre marché, my favorite Sunday morning activity. Monday was more drinking and dancing in the Marais. John participated in a ad hoc dance off at CUD with a fella named Stevie. It was close throughout but unfortunately, John was served. Tuesday was Ladies Privilege at L'Etoile. Somehow I managed to score my cronies and myself free bottles of champagne. It seemed like a good idea at the time but one of us who remain nameless ended up over served (no dear readers, it wasn't me I'm a complete angel).

On Wednesday afternoon we strolled Père Lachaise and by the end of the afternoon we were completely exhausted. Instead of retiring for a quiet evening we decided to meet John's friend Lamia who was showcasing her line high end women's line Asudari at the Vendôme Luxury Trade Show at the Hôtel Ritz. There was a cocktail reception where we enjoyed complimentary cocktails and were even treated to a Kafkaesque spectacle. On our way out we spotted Milla Jovovich taking a smoke break. The rest of the week included much of the same drinking, dancing, laughing and meeting new people. John had a blast and was extremely sad to leave me this afternoon. He's even flirting with the idea of moving to Paris himself he loved it that much.

As much fun as we had together I'm looking forward to a low key week ahead where I can give my body some much needed rest and recuperation before I begin my final weeks of teaching.

My Friend Miss Vancouver

So I have this friend Amy here in Paris and she has been my partner in crime in many of my Parisian escapades and we've jokingly nicknamed her Miss Vancouver. Initially, she protested against the nickname but now she pretty much embraces it. If you met Amy you would realize how fitting the nickname is on so many levels. For the record, I consider Amy one of my really god friends here in Paris.

Now, with that said, I must put Amy on blast. Several weeks ago when the sales started Amy decided that she wanted to buy a new pair of boots. I agreed to tag along with her as a shopping buddy to offer feedback on any purchase. We travelled to multiple boutiques and large department stores but were unfortunately unable to find the specific style boots that she was looking for. About a week before the sales were to end Amy asked that I accompany her to the mall in the St. Lazare area. I insisted that there was no other mall in the area that we had not already checked out yet she assured me that a mall existed and went on to explain that it was fairly large and that it had 7 floors of stores. Intrigued I agreed to meet up with her. After waiting for Amy to arrive for 15 minutes we walked down Boulevard Haussman to the address that Amy had identified. To make a long story short the "mall" that Amy was referring to was actually les Galeries Lafayette. Folks, les Galeries Lafayette is not a mall rather a large upscale department store.

Fast forward to today. I had recently purchased some books for a language course at Gilbert Jeune. After purchasing the books I decided to change the course I was taking and this in turn required that I had to buy new books. Amy is taking a language course as well but hers is located in the St. Germain area. Since Amy and I were hanging out today I decided to go with her to class and then stop by the bookstore nearest there. I go into the store, asked someone for assistance, picked up my books and went to the register. In French I told the cashier that I wanted to do an exchanged because I had purchased the wrong books. The man looked at me like I was absolutely crazy because I wasn't in Gilbert Jeune, I was in Gilbert Joseph. That's like trying to return a book purchased from Barnes and Noble at Borders. I scraped up any dignity that I had left and walked out of the store all the while cursing Miss Vancouver in my head.

My First Visitor is Coming

My most wonderful, colorful, fun, famous and long time friend John is coming to visit me in 5 days. I'm one of the people in John's life that keeps him grounded and he's one of the people in my life that let me know when I'm walking the streets looking like a homeless gypsy. So it's a perfectly symbiotic relationship. I'm really looking to his arrival so we can paint the town pink like good old times.

He arrives early Saturday morning at CDG and little does he know that I will not be waking up early to meet him. He's a big boy and is perfectly capable of navigating the metro on his own. I gotta get my beauty rest if we're going to be partying non-stop once he gets here.

Le Rendezvous Chez Marie

On Friday evening I went to my old French tutor's apartment for an apéro. I was warned beforehand that for the duration of the evening only French would be spoken. Given this tidbit of information I almost declined the invitation but I knew that it would be good practice for my time spent in Paris. As promised only French was spoken as soon as I entered the apartment and the bad news is that I only understood about 40% of the conversation and even that may be quite generous. Even worse I was only about to express about 20% of what I wanted to say in French. I did learn the following phrase to prevent illness when drinking wine by the gallon in France:

"Blanc sur rouge rien ne bouge, rouge sur blanc tout fout le camps"*

Overall though the evening was enjoyable and entertaining. I always enjoy hanging out with an international crowd because the vibe is usually so laid back and welcoming. I don't know what it is but I usually feel more comfortable in my skin when I hang out with such a crowd. Hopefully I'll have the same type of positive experiences once I get to France.

*Translation: White before red nothing moves, red before white everything goes to hell.