Weekend Recap

This is the first weekend that I haven't really planned anything. I guess that means that I'm settled in Paris. I did the usual things this weekend-- grocery shopping, cleaning, and laundry. On Saturday, I walked to the Luxembourg Gardens and read for a few hours. It's quickly becoming one of my favorite places in Paris.

Today I did my market shopping-- apples, zucchini, tomatoes, and grapes. Oh, and a delicious rotisserie chicken that will last me at least four meals. A huge bonus when you only have two hot plates for cooking (and zero counter space). I walked up to Pere Lachaise cemetery and walked around, stopping at Oscar Wilde's grave. Then I headed up to Parc des Buttes Chaumont. Very pretty and very crowded park. I think Luxembourg Gardens are still my favorite, followed by Place de Vosges (which fortunately is only a few blocks from my flat). The park is off my map, which is not good. I got lost coming home. Here are some pictures of today's adventure.

Pere Lachaise

 

 

Oscar Wilde's tomb. Apparently people like to kiss it?

 

 

 

Parc des Buttes Chaumont

 

 

London

I visited London this past weekend. Loved it. It's as if someone took the best elements of DC and New York and combined them into one British version of a city. My only complaint is that the time passed too quickly. Oh, and the weather. It was cloudy and cold the whole time. Not quite raining, but the air was wet and misty.

My London weekend started out with drinks with my friend from Thailand travel, George.

It was great to see her again, and this time under better circumstances. Very few people can understand that moment when you wonder if your untimely death will come from drowning in the Gulf of Thailand. When we realized we were having drinks across from a store called Monsoon, George said, I'm going to give you my parents' phone number here in London, just in case something happens and you need it. Fortunately, no natural disasters in London. Moving on!

Saturday started with grand ambitions for a full day of site seeing. I mostly succeeded. I started off the day at St. Paul's Cathedral. I had an embarrassing tourist moment when I asked someone to point me in the direction of the cathedral and he pointed... up. In trying to decide whether to turn left or right, I failed to look behind me. I can no longer silently mock tourists who point to the White House and ask me if it's really the White House.

 

 

I thought the cathedral was beautiful and couldn't quite imagine how Kate Middleton turned it down. I thought the tribute to American soldiers was very touching, particularly after going to the WWII section of Paris' Army Museum that failed to mention the U.S., British, and Canadian forces in the section on France's liberation. I walked along the Thames to...

Big Ben and Westminster Abbey. Beautiful place, rich with history and the bodies of dead royals.

 

 

You can't take pictures in either church (nor Buckingham Palace for that matter), which was nice because you can just enjoy the visit.

 

 

I walked up Whitehill Street and peeked in at 10 Downing Street. You can't really get a good view.



Next stop, Buckingham Palace. I got a ticket to tour the State Rooms and the Queen's diamonds. The place was packed, but interesting to see. I'd say the rooms fall somewhere between the White House and Versailles. There were 19 State Rooms alone, so much much bigger that the White House and more ornate. I have to say, if the goal is for the tourist to come away with a more positive view of the Queen, the tour was successful. The staff were incredibly nice and helpful and told us that it is the Queen's wish that everyone who visits Buckingham Palace be as comfortable as possible. She even had a coloring room set up for the kids. Good work, Queen Elizabeth.

I took a quick stroll to window shop on Sloane Street and popped into Harrod's. It was a bit overwhelming to say the least. I went home to change and put my feet up briefly, then headed to the West End for a show. I saw The Lion King. The show was fantastic, and I sat next to a very friendly military family from the U.S. stationed in Germany. After the show, I went down to the embankment to see London at night.

 

Sunday began another day of site seeing. First, to the Tower of London... more like 20 towers. This is practically a medieval city.

 

Great views of Tower Bridge.

 

 

I didn't make it to the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, but I did see them do it at the Tower.

 

 

The best part of the Tower of London are the "Beefeaters." There are 37 trained tour guides that provide colorful commentary for tour groups. They are all decorated former military officers and live at the Tower with their families. It's considered a high honor to become a Beefeater (they used to be paid in the King's Beef; not anymore). 

 

I took a cruise down the Thames, back to Westminster Pier...

to tour the Churchill War Rooms. This ended up being my favorite attraction, I think. It's an underground bunker where Churchill, his advisors, and numerous support staff worked during WWII. You see where he slept and the meeting rooms and offices. Many of the people who lived and worked there for the better part of six years or so were women, secretaries and operators. They worked 16 hour days and risked their lives to help with the war effort. The conditions were not pleasant-- no real air, vermin, no sunlight for days on end. The museum contains everything (and more!) you ever wanted to know about Winston Churchill. The experience inspired me to read a Churchill biography, as I couldn't possibly take in all the museum had to offer.

 

 

My next stop was a brief visit to Notting Hill. I'd wanted to get there for the Portobello Road market on Saturday but ran out of time. I perused the shops and restaurants for a bit. 

My final stop was a "curry" for some Indian food. Hands down, the best Indian food I've ever had. Wish I could have taken the leftovers on the train with me.

And that was it. I headed back to the train station and 2 hours later, I was in Paris. It's baffling that such different cities are so close, geographically speaking. I love Paris, but I have to admit, it was really nice to have a weekend of welcoming people and easy communication. Approaching each and every interaction with some level or worry that you will have some kind of language or cultural miscommunication grows tiresome.

Two days is not enough for London. Can't wait to go back.

Le Cordon Bleu

My friend Jessica and her family very generously treated me to a class this weekend at Le Cordon Bleu, the famed cooking school where Julia Child got her start. It was definitely an experience that I will not soon forget.

Here are my supplies... we are making lamb stew with white beans.

This is me before the class. If I look a little greasy, it's because I hadn't showered in a few days. Showers are not big in France. The apron I'm wearing? I get to keep it!

 

 

 

This is Chef Terrien, our instructor. If you picture a stereotypical French chef, this guy is it. He didn't speak much English, so we had a translator during the class. He started by demonstrating how to cut the fat off the lamb shoulder. He explained that they get lambs that like to run so that there is not much fat.

 

 

My lamb did not like to run. I had the fattest lamb of the bunch. It took me a while to cut the fat off. It was at this point that the translator told me I was getting too far behind. The next hour or so was a flurry of activity. The students tried to keep up, the chef walked around to help us, and several assistants ran around the kitchen saying, "oui, chef, oui" as a subordinate would address a military officer.



 

We got a bit of a break while the stew cooked in the oven. I met some interesting people, many of whom were in Paris on their own for one reason or another. And then, voila! Lamb stew with white beans.

 

The chef suggested we let the dish sit for a day. I had some for dinner tonight, and it was indeed delicious. And look at this! A certificate of participation from Le Cordon Bleu. I assume everyone got a certificate of participation, and my slow fat cutting skills did not deprive me of some higher honor.

 

I didn't take many pictures of the actual cooking process because, well, I was cooking. Here's what we did for those who are interested.

 

-Cut the fat off the lamb shoulder (hopefully it has already been deboned for you by a Le Cordon Bleu assistant) and cut into large chunks

-Chop up onion and garlic and keep them separate (learning how to properly cut onion and garlic is one lesson I will be taking away from cooking class)

-Cut a peeled tomato in half and squeeze out the seeds. Chop finely and set aside

-Add butter to a saucepan and cook onions

-Brown the meat in oil and add to the onions

-Add tomato, garlic, and tomato paste

-Add a big spoon of flour and stir

-Add water and veal stock (my new friend Dawn made the mistake of telling the Chef she doesn't eat veal. This does not translate to French).

-Boil and stir

-Make a bouquet garnier and let simmer

-Put in the oven for an hour

-Cook beans with a carrot, shallot, garlic, and cloves for about half an hour

-Remove the lamb from the oven-- you should be able to cut with a fork

-Remove the meat with a fork and strain the sauce

-Return the sauce to the meat and add water if needed

-Return to stove and let simmer

-Remove the carrot, shallot, garlic, and onion from the beans and drain beans

-Add beans to meat and sauce

 

Bon Appetit!

Hot Weekend Part 2

I had more museums planned for Sunday, but after the Louvre on Friday evening and two more museums on Saturday, I was museumed out. Instead, I decided to go to one of Paris' public pools. I wasn't the only one with this idea.

I waited an hour and a half to get in (a very hot hour and a half, I might add). But I was there for an authentic Parisian experience, and the Parisians were lining up. Pregnant women don't have to wait in line. At one point I considered faking it before I rememberd my limited French.

The boat is literally on the Seine. It looks like a barge. This is the entrance:

The wait was well worth it. I cooled off in the pool for a couple hours and took in the Seine.

Then I read on the sun deck for a bit.

As much as I enjoyed my authentic French public pool experience, the afternoon left me feeling very grateful for D.C.'s line free public pools.

Hot Weekend Part 1

I've been pretty lucky in that the temperature has barely climbed above 80 since I've been in Paris. Which is a good thing, because I don't have air conditioning in my apartment, nor is it common in most cafes or stores. The metro is deathly hot even on a cool day. So I was not looking forward to a weekend when the weather forecast called for temperatures reaching 100.

On Saturday, I planned a day of museums and shopping. Which kind of worked. I started out at the Army Museum and Napoleon's Tomb. An interesting musuem that would have benefited from a little more context rather than military relics. Although perhaps I am just woefully uninformed about Napoleon, all the Louis, WWI, and WWII.

I went next door to the Rodin Museum only to learn that the museum is not air conditioned. I saw some interesting sculptures, and although no one has ever called me an artist, I thought the claim that Rodin was second only to Michelangelo was a bit far-fetched. I appreciated The Thinker, but the statues of all the women hiding their faces in shame and attempting to conceal their pregnancies was a bit much.

I liked his hands sculpture, and I thought his gardens were pretty.

Drenched in sweat, I headed to Paris' two large department stores: Galleries Lafayette and Printemps. Blessedly, both were adequately air conditioned. I browsed, I compared the selection to my own shopping malls at home, per instructions in my Rick Steves guidebook. I admired the view from the top. A good day, and I met my goal of staying cool for maybe half the day.

Sandcastles on the Seine

Happy Assumption Day! In layman's terms, today is the day we celebrate Mary the Virgin Mother's assumption into heaven. In French terms, no work today!

Instead, I headed to the Paris "beaches." The city shuts down part of a highway along the Seine and brings in sand, along with beach chairs, ice cream stands, and a spray area. I received a pamplet today informing me that I could also stop by the tent for treatment for "infections sexuellement transmissibles." It's truly an all-inclusive experience!

In honor of Julia Child's 100th birthday, I started re-reading My Life in France and drank some wine on the beach.



There was a Mary parade for the pious complete with a Mary replica and religious music. Kind of like Mount Pleasant on Good Friday! The sinners watched from the beach and sipped their wine.

There were a ton of families at the beach today. The kids build sandcastles with bottled water. There's also a spout where they can fill their buckets.

 A tour boat came by and took pictures of the beachgoers, so I thought it only fair to take pictures of them.

 It was a blustery day, so at times the "beaches" felt more like "sand storms." All in all though, a great spot to read and people watch. And don't worry, I'll be working Labor Day and Columbus Day.

Mosquee de Paris

You can't go more than a few blocks in Paris without running into a centuries old church and sometimes a long line to get in. Paris' only mosque take a little more searching, but there's no line. What's more, they have Hammam baths that are open to the public. I went Saturday morning and for 43 euros you get entrance to the baths, black salt, a massage, a body scrub, and mint tea (I hate tea, so I skipped the last part).
Visiting the baths is like stepping into the Middle East (or so I imagine, I've never actually been to the Middle East). The walls are covered with tiles and stained glass windows. You go through a series of rooms like saunas, mostly covered in marble, that get progressively warmer. The first room has marble enclaves where you adjust to the heat and relax. Then you move into the back room with warmer marble on one side and an even warmer area with a cold pool. Initially the room feels unbearably hot, especially around the pool. After a while it feels wonderful. I spent two hours between the pool and the sauna rooms with some black salt in between. My skin felt amazing afterwards, and I don't know that I've ever been so relaxed. I'm hoping one of my guests wants to go so that I can justify another visit. Photos aren't allowed inside, so you'll have to use your imagination.

Afterwards I had lunch at the cafe. I ordered chicken cous cous and they brought a feast.