"And I won't be satisfied till there's nothing left that I haven't tried," - Brendan Benson

Location: My room, which has not experienced invasion by the Rat King. I'm waiting for my Nutcracker Prince to save me from Francois.
Currently Listening: What I'm looking for - Brendan Benson
Weather: Right index-finger-aching cold (That's zero degrees Celsius)

Source: www.potatomato.com
Fun Finds in Le Marais

Today's Reverse Course Dinner!

1) Creperie Suzette
24 rue des Francs Bourgeois 75003 Paris
Alas a good crepe curbside! I'll have to go back to eat inside where they have a much larger selection, but man it seems like you're more likely to get quality crepes when you go to a regular creperie that has a "take-away" window.

I ordered a crepe citron....Soft, sweet crepe doused in the juice of a freshly squeezed lemon and SUGAR. As Laura described it, he "rained" that sugar on, baby. Tasty, tasty!!!! What did Laura get? Nutella banana, as always! I would complain more about her need to try other flavors but I take comfort in the fact that she tries all the ones I order, and that I always get to sneak a bite of hers to get my Nutella fix.

2) L'As du Falafel 34 Rue des Rosiers, 4th Tel 01 48 87 63 60 Frankly, I'm not at all concerned with the fact that this in Lenny Kravitz' pick of Paris (If you forget to read your Lonely Planet, don't worry, the menu will remind you), but this place was freakin' de-lish. I loove my neighborhood, so much good food in such close proximity. Anyway, I had the Falafel special... red and white cabbage, roasted egglants, cucumbers, tzakiki sauce, and crisp - made on the spot falafels. They make 'em better here. I used to get tummy aches from the ones I find around Austin.. probably not fresh.

3) Laura picked out my new Metro husband...he's moroccan and has funny shoes.

The past fortnight...

Last week we threw a party at chez moi (my place)! A bit of wine and cheese is enough to get a party started here - big change from the trashcan-punch "soirees" that give UT its "#1 party school in the nation" title. I miss apartment parties from back home - good mixture of relaxed conversation and wild dancing with no cover and coat check fee! Most of our friends are all international students and live in dorms so we're mostly "forced" to socialize in bars and clubs, which gets expensive quickly...but sometimes wealthy friends get bottle service. The other night we went to Club Med. On the tables they had some atypical mixers...like apple juice. I hope this apple juice and vodka craze doesn't catch on in elementary schools back home...

How is school going? (Apparently, I'm allowed to conduct self-interviews on this thing) Got a ton of group projects I'm working on... I gave a presentation today for my International Business Management class on the how investors should put their money into the tourism sector of Vietnam. In the afternoon I had my European Model class taught by a rather young professor dressed in mustard suspenders, Harry Potter glasses, and purple tie who spent three hours discussing in detail the madness behind today's financial crisis.

I wish all topics could be taught by visiting a museum. The other day I went to a really neat art exhibition 6 Billion Others which should be coming to a museum near you! This man went to 65 different countries interviewing people about life over about ten years and created this video art presentation. Basically, you walk through different tents on subjects like change, dreams, fear, first memories, love, happiness, etc. and watch clips of responses. Incredibly moving.

Today Laura and I explored some random gardens we found on a page in our Paris map/guidebook. By explore I mean to say played make-believe and acted like we were on the Discovery Channel and crawled through passages in the bushes and made up descriptions of plants. She probably doesn't want me to share this with you. Outside the leafy labyrinth we found ourselves at some sort of zoo like exhibit where we met some wallabies! (Mmm Wallaby Yoghurt is delicious! It's just a brand don't worry not freaky australian food) We kept on walking and ended up at the Grande Galerie de l'Évolution, a natural history museum. Pretty fascinating display of animals. I'm too lazy to upload pictures, otherwise I'd show you. The whale jaws/teeth were kind of gross/weird like a sea broom. I'm rambling. Probably should wrap up.

Wraps make me think of Greek food which triggers baklava which reminds me of the dessert I found in the bakery down the street from the gardens. Kristina will be jealous because it was AFRICAN food! I thought it was Algerian, but the receipt says Les Graines de Kenza. I know that was not the name on the building though so good luck finding it. Incredible display of desserts I've never seen in my life. I have no idea what I ate, but it was a triangle and was flakey with honey and almond. Pleasant, but I think my tummy is rejecting sugar today. Oh well, the sun'll come out tomorrow.

What-the-French!
1) The infamous little sucker that gives me a little heart attack whenever I enter the kitchen. God, if I ever find him in my boot....

He likes hanging out under the sink, so I stand awkwardly away from it when I wash my hands.
The vegetarian/Gandhi-ist in me refuses to put the rat poison out or use a trap that may maim Francois. I tried to catch him in a cardboard box once. Quite the disaster. . he has too many passages to run through in the walls. Gandhi, help me, how do I kill him with kindness?!

2) They listen to TAYLOR SWIFT in the supermarkets here. Should I be surprised?

"Oh give me the words, give me the words" - Nouvelle Vague

Location: Train to Paris

Currently Listening: Nouvelle Vague - In a manner of speaking

Weather: Snow fall!

THE ROAD TRIP

The Cast

Mama Blair

Description: Moves as fast as a bullet, powered by yogurt cups

Hobbies: Eating yogurt, speed-walking, making sarcastic comments

Famous Quotes:
“I’m prepared to do something illegal.”
“I want my carrots. Just give me the damn carrots!”

The Old Couple

Laura/Turtle #1

Description: Ham-nivore eager to play rugby and meet Mr. Darcy

Hobbies: Eating Nutella banana crepes, listening to HSM soundtracks, Skype-ing with Mama Suttles

Famous Quotes:
“You know, Camp Rock, the Disney movie?" (No….)

Saloni/Turtle #2

Description: Vegetarian with uncontrollable enthusiasm and bangs, and mad map skills

Hobbies: Finding husbands on the Metro, eating hummus, carrying too many bags

Famous Quotes:
“Oh my God, I saw a donkey!”
“What’s that recycling sign for?”

Setting

I strongly advise against visiting Normandie in January unless you are from Poland. Not even thermals, jeans, a cami, long sleeves, coat, scarf, gloves and hat could keep this Texan girl warm in the blustery winter of North France.

Overview of the Plot
On Friday Laura and I rushed after French class to meet Blair and head to the train station for a little weekend trip to Normandie and Brittany. The train ride was more than pleasant; clean, sleek, fast and heated! Much different from my experiences in India (the scent of urine can be so strong and the fight for a seat can be an ordeal) and in Italy (on our way to Pisa, there was a strike and we had to sit around waiting for hours on the train)… but nothing like riding through the French countryside! I just need to find me a nice plot of land in the middle of the country and set up a little B&B or creperie or something of the sort. Although I don’t think I’d like making a bunch of beds and cleaning bathrooms all day… Seriously though, I can’t wait to have my own house. I daydream everyday about the kitchen I will have with the a big round stove to make crepes or dosas, copper sinks that deepen in color with age, and the pizza oven out in the backyard…

Our train arrived in Deauville around 4. … not too much going on in Deauville although we kept seeing signs for some American cinema festival they have every year…This place is definitely for the wealthy who want to waste away on their yachts or in the casino hotel…. I gambled for the first time… Stuck a ten center in a slot machine. Yeah, I think I’d get a much bigger kick out of finding a toy in a cereal box. The shops were nice, lots of well-known designers, and smaller unheard of boutiques, but we arrived as they were closing (Oh Europe, the continent that starts falling asleep at 6pm). Blair spotted an Astin Martin and naturally wanted a photo shoot with the beauty. (Blair must’ve been a model in another lifetime because she can pull out the pouty lips or a sultry pose at a moment’s notice) Unfortunately for us the owner started walking up to the car just as we were taking photos. Hahaha how embarrassing!
After an Italian dinner, (you’d think I’d learn by now that Italian food sucks in France. I want basil on my Margherita pizza and I don’t want it coated with emmental!) and a 25 minute hike in the blood-freezing cold out of the city center along some dark foresty road, we arrived at our small hotel Kyriad.

Saturday morning we woke up and tried to get a car we’d rented online from Hertz. Unfortunately Hertz US failed to tell Hertz France about our reservation – much to our surprise because our families have relied on Hertz many times in the past. There was not a single automatic car in the city so we were forced to take a train (Thank God for public transport) to Caen and rent a care there. What’s a good road trip without a few hiccups?

We had to wait a few hours till our train arrived so we warmed our bodies by a heater in nearby brasserie. There we learned about the typical breakfast offering. Orange juice + Coffee + Croissant also known as death-wish for Saloni so I ordered a chocolat chaud and called it a meal.

Our train to Caen stopped in Liseux by the time our empty tummies began eating our insides. We walked around but nothing was open (again!) but this bar next to the train station. There was nothing vegetarian but a plate of fries. Tempting at the time, but I do not want this feeling of an extra layer building up to be more than my long underwear…so I found some chirwa I’d brought a long for the trip and made it my lunch while Laura attempted a strange baguette filled with mayo and hard boiled eggs – needless to say that did not end well…

Caen was a breath of fresh air. We walked around a nice set of shops along some cobblestone streets (I love cobblestone streets) where we found my French lover Paul waiting for us. I had the most delicious sandwich made with olive bread. Mom, I know you’d eat a loaf of this stuff in a heartbeat. I am growing a new liking to olives in more than just the olive oil context. After a quick look in Sephora, which was having a crazy sale like we’ve never seen in the U.S., we found ourselves in an environmental shop, Nature & Découvertes, which sells a lot of neat green products from beauty supplies to clothing, to incense to camping essentials. Of course everything was in French so when I tried to put on moisturizer, I ended up putting on soap. This tree-hugger/shop-aholic couldn’t walk out with buying something so I ended up walking out with this swiss army knife like thing with a cutlery set… for all the picnics I plan to have in warmer weather. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve walked out of grocery store in Europe wishing I could make a cheap healthy snack of yoghurt or couscous if only I had a spoon. I’m sure it’ll come in handy especially when I backpack through Greece.

We also walked around Abbey Aux Hommes, which was gorgeous. Don't worry, Karina, they also built an Abbey Aux Dames on the other side of town!

We drove off to Bayeux a nearby town. While the girls freshened up, I went off exploring on my own and picked up a few goodies at Salon de The, and Jeff de Bruges chocolate shop. Truffes in French patisseries are really chocolate dipped meringue balls with chocolate crème. I walked through the whole in search of good place for dinner but everything was close or way too French (code for anti-vegetarian). I ended up at what a surprise, another Italian restaurant. I had a nice aubergine pizza, nothing remotely Italian, but at least better than the night before.

This time there was a bit of chili oil and salt and pepper for me to give a little more flavor.

After getting lost a little I mustered up the strength to ask someone where I was and soon made it to the delightful Hotel Le Bayeux where I warmed up and watched The Daily Show while the girls ate a restaurant famous for the Normandy pig.

Sunday morning we visited the world’s longest tapestry, which tells the tale of William the Conqueror. Pretty amazing to have survived the years.. it did get a little gory at one point with chopped heads and horses getting strewn about.

Nothing like staring at a tapestry to work up our appetite (Laura and I could pretty much eat at all hours) so I brought the girls back to the Salon de Thé…I love the marble counters lined the shop and beautiful white tables and chairs perfect for tea parties. I found another apple dessert I like besides apple pie. If a Tarte Normande comes knocking at your door, by God open it!

After Bayeux we hit the beach…I thought we could have a picnic, enjoy looking at the water, it was of course cold. BOY WAS I IN FOR A SURPRISE! The weather found its way into negative Celsius degrees and the wind burned my cheeks and the occasional stronger gust had enough strength to knock me off balance. Still, we made attempts to enjoy all of the beaches we stopped at along the Normandie coastline by taking a few snapshots and getting as close to waves as possible without succumbing to death by frost bite.

The three of us brushed up on our history by visiting the American Cemetery where we

watched several short films about WWII and read about stories of war heroes. It was a little unnerving to walk through the room where a recording of a woman reading the names of those lost played and the sight of all of the white crosses. Blair and I looked at the pictures of then young boys in the war who had to grow up so quickly. I think if the entire world was suddenly at war, American boys our age wouldn’t be prepared or be able to handle what those before us went through and hopefully, they never will.

4 o’ clock on a Sunday afternoon in the middle of nowhere Normandy, we knew we were Kanye-West-screwed in terms of finding food since we’d missed lunch. (Oh the ever present American worry of missing a meal). We attempted a 2 hour drive to St. Malo south of Mont St. Michel where our hostel was that evening in search of food. Again we found ourselves among gated up shops and restaurants with the exception of a Domino’s, a questionable tri-Asian restaurant, and a fondue place…which appeared to be the French equivalent of a biker bar. We got as far as sitting down at the table in the fondue place, but we just couldn’t bring ourselves to order anything on the menu and the restaurant wasn’t technically open (they were cleaning and setting up) so we ran across the street to this tiny food mart and picked up some life savers (Monaco crackers & yogurt for Blair) and set out for Mont. St Michel (got way lost – we couldn’t find a map large enough to cover the area).

Just outside Mont St Michel, we spotted a large, nice looking restaurant with, PEOPLE and a fireplace! We rushed into La Restaurant de la Galette and had a nice long, hot meal. The owner served our meal and was a very nice man who was gracious to serve us difficult English speakers at what must have time for closing. Blair begged him to bring her out a plate of carrots (All of us are concerned with our nutrition here…it’s really hard to get vegetables in restaurants) and luckily he whipped up a vegetarian crepe for me. It was basically a crepe with a tomato, carrots, and white beans lying on top of it, but I was so hungry and the food tasted so nice and fresh I didn’t care (We found out afterward that everything came from the fields next to the restaurant). Oh, I almost did something horrific. I almost ordered a crepe with bourdin noir… Blair’s Oxford French – English dictionary translated this as black pudding…. But really it’s BLOOD PUDDING. Perhaps if I had eaten a proper meal that I would have lost it right there on the table when the waiter told me this. I think it was just the combination of my being ready to order it and who knows if I would have been able to tell what it was on a plate. Thank God they teach us in American schools (opposite in French ones) that no question is a stupid question!

We got back into the car to discover the dashboard lights had decided to turn. All this time, Blair had been driving with a flashlight in her right hand to see the dashboard. The radio also decided to stop working so we had to pull out my laptop and listen to the random songs I had on my iTunes. I think it was midnight by the time we made it to our hostel Au Bon Accueil,

which was advertised as in Mont St. Michel…To our surprise it was a good 20 minutes away…which is enough time to take you through a couple of city centres in northern France. But the hostel was cozy and the lady who owns the place turned out to be a really nice British lady, who was kind enough to give us a proper map of the area.

Monday morning we woke up and ate Blair’s fantasy version of Thanksgiving. Two cups of yoghurt (mine had tiny pieces of green apple! Yum!). We finally got to explore Mont St. Michel, which is a small island with a large castle and a few gift shops with freakish souvenirs: rabbit food with a cat’s head on it, tiny fake cats, dolphins on surfboards, etc.) A+ for creativity though! We were convinced the shops and restaurants had some sort of price-fixing going on. All of the creperies had the same menu (colors, prices and everything) posted outside each of them. We ended up getting these Tartes Provencales (sometimes an actual tart, but in this case, crunchy toast smothered in shredded cheese, herbes de provence, tomatoes, olive oil, and basil.) and, of course, yoghurt for Blair. Also, for whatever reason, we ran into gobs and gobs of Japanese tourists.

We tried to visit what we thought was a chocolate factory but it

ended up being a lame shop with a small museum… so we skipped that and attempted the yoghurt factory for Blair.

We literally saw it off the side of the highway and decided to just stop and see if they would let us in for a tour, but they rejected us. Depression. We made one final attempt at an industry tour and called a local ciderie, Les Vergers du Ducy, to see if they would let us visit in the off-season.

We talked with the owner over the phone, and he was gracious enough to give us a tour without a moment's notice! He was a very nice, knowledgeable man and taught us all about the cider-making process and let us taste a lot of the products they make, which are all organic! They make several drinks apple juice, cidre, pommeau (wine), crème de pomme (similar to Bailey’s), and calvados (brandy). We took a few drinks home, and some cidre vinegar and this yummy-looking confiture de lait, a creamy apple spread to use in crepes.

After that quite delicious pit stop, we hit the road for Deauville to catch our train to Paris. While waiting for our train we sat in this truly vile smelling room to keep warm..I think it was a mixture of vomit and urine. Once a couple, also cold, came by and turned around walked right out because it smelled so bad. They’d rather sit outside. 15 minutes later a woman came in and tried to sit down, but then threw her hands up in frustration and said “Non!” and walked right out. Oh the things we will do to stay warm. A little later, we got on the train and watched the snow fall as we traveled south to Paris.

What-the-French!
Shocking news! I started testing out my French on REAL FRENCH people, and I’m starting to get the gist of what people are saying when they respond to my questions. A few new phrases I’ve tried out…
Vous avez chocolat san soja? Do you have chocolate without soy?
Vous avez lait du soja? Do you have soy milk?
Vous avez un carte du Deauville? Do you have a map of Deauville?
Un tableau pour trois., s’il vous plait. A table for three, please.

"Once you go indian, you can never go back!" -Susanna the Italian professor

Location: Le beddy-by

Currently Listening: Love by Rosey (as corny as that sounds)

Weather: warm and cozy (okay, so I'm really talking about my bed)

Fun Finds in Montemarte
1) Spotted an African lady with Barbie Pink drawn on eyebrows (don't believe she had real ones...)
2)Discobitch - C'est beau bourgeoisie ..saw the music video playing in pizza place.
3) Crazy wig shop...

What-the-French!

Amanda and I were walking around trying to find cheap opera tickets and word on street (Google) is that last minute tickets are sold half price at Place du Madeleine. .. Well we found ourselves on the square, but all we saw was a massive building that turned out to be a rather eerie Iglesis (church? home of Enrique Iglesias? who knows, really?). We found this nativity scene with super creepy mannequins..reminded me of Lars & the Real Girl, where this guy orders a customized sex doll that he takes around everywhere, and she becomes one of the townspeople. Going to go ahead and blame my sister Soniya for my having watched this. She also made me watch Eagle vs Shark. That was at least considerably better.

Friday is as far back as I can remember so I'll start there to recap.

Had my first french lesson. I like my class..it's cute and only ten people giving me ample opportunity to ask questions my teacher can't understand and/or forgets in midst of explaining. Everyone back home seems to be concerned with how my french is coming along. I'll have you know I have learned a few things like "Je suis Americaine" and "J'mapelle Saloni." By the way, "marron" is not maroon, but chesnut. That's about it.........

For dinner I tried to make Vodka sauce, but it was complete and utter disaster. Too many parts vodka to the tomato. Oh did my tummy toss and turn! I used this this really cheap vodka I got for about ten euros...

At night I went to the Fins' place (I've got two way too cute Finnish friends, Paula and Martina)for a little get-together. They served up this Fisherman's Friend drink, which is a mentos-like mint and vodka (as if I needed any more). The mint is supposed to hide the taste of vodka and apparently leads to nights of unintentionally excessive consumption. We had ourselves a smashing good time before heading out to an ESCP hosted party at Les Planchets. On the way there, one our friends tried to find a "good place" to hide his bottle of vodka...ended up in Laura's magic boot that actually fit the same nasty vodka I had used in my spaghetti (At this point the mere mention of vodka was nauseating). The ESCP party was somewhat fun, but a large number of recent graduates (high school graduates) found their way in and spoiled the fun. We tried going else where, but ended up on a very wrong bus route, which wore us out and so we found ourselves taxis and split.

Saturday

My great grandfather's sister's grandson's fiancee came to visit this weekend.

She's an MBA student studying for a semester at SDA Bocconi in Milan! (Her italian professor once had an Indian lover....hence the title) Meet Amanda! Isn't she beautiful?

Amanda and I started our afternoon walking around Le Marais.. that's my new neighborhood!! Picture Jewelry shops, up and coming designer boutiques, chocolate shops, brasseries, patisseries, shoe stores galore.

I skipped breakfast and was starving so we stopped at a falafel

shop. After standing in line at the window, we discovered the indoor order outdoor pick up method in practice. Unfortunately, we also discovered this man licked his thumb a few times whilst preparing pitas. We turned our heads the other way and gobbled down our rather delicious falafels (only 'cause we hoped the man that actually prepared ours had better hygiene).

Bodies pumping with new found falafel power, we made our way to Notre Dame. This time I wasn't wearing my silly hat that blocks all peripheral vision, so I found the cathedral a

little more breath-taking than the first time around. We waited in the cold for pretty much an hour to be able to climb to the top of the tower. Amanda really wanted to play amongst the gargoyles, which are kind of cute in an ugly duckling sort of way. I bet they made Quasimodo feel like hot stuff back in the day. Has anyone actually read that book? I debated buying it for a mere 3euro in the bookstore at the church, but I think I have quite a long list of suggested reading for brand management. .. Library please!?

One more trip down the cold, dark, never-ending spiral staircase and we hit broad daylight and solid ground. Worn out, we made our with home with my usual "scenic route" (I don't even try not to get lost anymore).

We stopped in this Whole-Foods-esque shop Naturalia on the way home. This is the shop for all the soy/almond/rice/hazelnut milk drinkers and organic chocolate lovers...relatively cheap,

too, for what you're getting! I picked up tofu and chocolate, of course. :) That Croque Tofou (a couple of days later) was actually rather delicious and made me feel a little less bad for avoiding the traditional meat-driven French cuisine.

For dinner, we delighted our bellies with some extravagant crepes. We actually tried to hit up Breizh Cafe for lunch, but much to our surprise this creperie requires reservations. The French take crepes seriously, and when you're not eating them curb-side expect the dining experience to be an ordeal that can include any but generally most of the following: appertif, amuse-crepe, savory dinner crepe (generally referred to as a galette) with cider, dessert crepe and I can't remember what else, but seriously it's quite normal to spend eating 2-2.5 hours eating several courses, though small and slowly.

I ordered one of the specials against the recommendation of the waitress (God gave us all individual minds for a reason) and it ended up being fabulous (You've got nothing to worry about, I will always be fabulous (That's an inside joke with J.K. Rowling in case she's reading this entry))

I ordered Crepes Vendangeur and split a carafe of the house specialty, cider, with Amanda. Cider we discovered is essentially sparkling beer. We were cold and expecting something warm, but it was decent. They had quite a selection of cider by the way, about 2 pages. We ordered something called Domaine de Mont Chevron described as "soft, acidulous and fresh" as if it made a difference to our American palettes.

Above is my Crepes Vendangeur..."fourme d'ambert, miel, pignons de pin, raisons, saladed." Blue cheese topped with mixed field greens, honey, grapes, and pine nuts. All for 12Euro50. My goodness, definitely one of the best meals I've consumed! I loved the dessert, too. We picked out a crepe with pears and chocolat. Oh Valrhona, how I love you so. I think at one point I kept my home page Valrhona's website... After dinner, I ventured up the windy stairs to the bathroom.. A tiny room for just the toilet and a sink stationed outside in a narrow supermodel fitting hallway. Anyway this French lady was convinced she had to go to the bathroom whilst I washed my hands and squeezed by me, and decided to top it off by leaving the door open so I had to uncomfortably listen to her relieve herself. She also came outside without her pants zipped and felt unmoved to wash her hands.

Sunday

Another failed attempt at leaving the house early, and we found ourselves at Rose Bakery. It's not one bit French, but rather unbelievably British. To my surprise the place was not bustling with people in the morning hours. I think the place is mostly a lunch destination as the food was not entirely laid out by 10. Although, it was Sunday. Amanda got herself some sort of orange white chocolate chip muffin and I decided to come back another time and get lunch. I'm not a big fan of muffins or pound cake or anything in that related category.

One long metro ride got the two of us into Montmarte, a hill that houses the white Basilique du Sacré Cœur, which I found well worth the deviation from the city centre. I'm glad we came on Sunday to witness their very traditional mass. The organ playing and choir singing sent chills up my spine - the good kind - it was just so beautiful. I wish I lived closer because the whole place is so pleasant I'd love just hanging out on the green hill below in warmer weather.

We made our way down from the hill stopping in souvenir shops. One was run by an Indian man so we listened to some good Bollywood jams for a bit and bought postcards (Yes, that means some are coming your way).

Later we walked among the sex shops to find Moulin Rouge(really disappointing from the outside, and the Red Light district in Amsterdam is much more lively/interesting), not that either of us could afford the tickets to any of the shows. I have my doubts on how amazing the shows are and honestly, I'd rather spend my money on a ballet or opera. We actually visited the opera house later, Palais Garnier, but unfortunately there were no shows playing this weekend for Amanda to see. The guard was a little forthcoming and offered to take us to the opera anytime for free. ... Questionable!

Quickly walked out of that place and hurried to Musee D'orsay. Everyone (that's foreign, any how, I don't actually converse with French natives...except my French teacher, the rest of my professors are from european countries) raves about how this museum is far better than the Louvre. I enjoyed visiting this pastel exhibition: "Le mystère et l'éclat" or "The mystery and the glare."

To the right:

Nocturne au Parc Royal de Bruxelles

William Degouve de Nuncques (1867-1935)

1897

We were in the midst of viewing the Picasso exhibit, very interesting.. a collection of paintings Picasso did in response to all the hoo-hah created by Manet's

"Le déjeuner sur l'herbe," which features a naked woman sitting among clothed men at a picnic in the park. Anyway, right in the middle of it, there was some sort of security breach and the entire museum was evacuated. I guess someone tried to run off with a painting? I don't think it could've been a terrorist threat because the museum workers stayed inside without any immediate desire to leave. Apparently, I can return and reuse my ticket....Doubt it. What-the-French!

It started raining as we left the museum. What luck! I really can't complain though because dinner turned out to be such a delight!!! And right in my neighborhood! We "dined" at Pink Flamingo Pizza, this small, eccentric restaurant serving up innovative pizzas California style. The place is owned by Americans, but hey, good food is good food. By dined I mean there were four tables all taken so we sat at the tiny bar and merrily ate our pizza.

Our Meal

La Gandhi: Sag Paneer (épinards cuisinés a l'indienne) et Baba Ganoush (le caviar de l'aubergine, crème de sésame, citron et ail) et parséme de mozzarella fondue

L'Aphrodite: Tranches d'aubergines grillées et marinées a l'ail, huile d'olive, pétales de piments rouges autour d'une louche de houmous maison....or eggplant pizza... fantastique!

Side note: I really don't eat Indian food.. I usually don't like it as a matter of fact..er rather I've mostly been too scared to try it - shocking I know. Any how. Sag Paneer is a pretty standard dish and my parents will be (REALLY) happy to know I ate Sag! It would take a pizza to get me to eat indian food, wouldn't it? Haha.

We boxed up our leftovers and left room for dessert :) We walked around my neighborhood (it's terrible having such good food walking distance from where I sleep. It's like having that mini-fridge/microwave next to your bed in college dorms) and found ourselves once more at Breizh Cafe.

They let us in without a reservation because we were just getting dessert and because they just knew we couldn't help ourselves. The dessert crepe itself was disappointing from the night before, but I know now to stick to my general rule of avoiding apple desserts in all restaurants unless it's one of two things: apple pie or apple crumble. I always find other apple desserts to be bland and unimpressive. This pomme crepe was boring indeed and infused intensely with an unpleasant liqueur. However, my strong recommendation to visit Breizh Cafe still stands.

Monday

As if the weekend couldn't get any better....

Fun Finds in Le Marais

1) cacao et chocolat Fun, little chocolate shop boasting impeccable chocolates for giving, cooking, snacking, and my personal favorite, eating in. I got myself a cup of their spicy hot cocoa, quite tasty. I love the French emphasis on chocolate rather than milk, as it always should be. Definitely not as spicy as Mexican hot cocoa though, which is how I like it in general.

2) Oliviers & Company

This is a small shop you'll also find in the U.S. They stock an assortment of mediterranean oils and spreads that could tease your palette before any meal. I fully intend on ordering a few jars when I return home. You'll also find other cooking supplies and olive-based beauty products. On the right is a picture of their beautiful chandelier of jars of olive oil. What a marvelous idea!

3) This is a two-part find. Couldn't seem to walk out of this hot botique a couple of blocks from my apartment where French designer Sophie Albou's collections are sold under the brand of Paul & Joe of which you have heard. While Amanda was trying on a few things, I heard this remix of Daniel Bedingfield's "The One." Love it. My friend Munish complains about me staying up way past my bedtime because I get wired on techno.. He thinks everything is techno. Whatever! I'd love a 24-7 dance party life. Anyway, check it out.

4) Wouldn't dream of leaving out Breizh Cafe

5) or my new loove: Pink Flamingo Pizza

The rest of Monday was incredibly touristy. After visiting Arc de Triumphe (don't try to cross the street to get there - you'll pretty much get killed - Thank God for underground passageways) we shopped on Champs- Élysées & Avenue George V stopping in Cartier, Hermes, and Brioni (a few of Ritam's favorite places.. haha (Ritam is Amanda's fiancee). I wouldn't mind a Cartier watch.........whatever, my Fossil works just fine. Of course, it was soon snacktime and we made our way into tea-party-esque Laduree for their highly acclaimed macaroons. Picked up six varieties: Pistachio, Mango, Vanilla, Rose, Praline, and Citrus. I liked the Rose and Mango best, but also the Pistachio, but to be quite frank, I'm not much of macaroon girl. It's really just frosting-y to me. You know when it comes down to it, I really just want my chocolat.

From there we walked all the way down Champs- Élysées through the Jardin du Tuiliri (a lovely garden with ponds) till we hit the Louvre. Here's a little map to give you an idea of all the places I've been visiting and how far apart they are.

A few snaps outside the Louvre and we were starved for lunch. By that time it was well into the afternoon so we turned south toward St. Germain des Pres where found a small cafe still open! Amanda ordered a traditional Croque Monsieur (Mr. Crunch!), and I had a Croque au Chevre.

My toasted sandwich was a nice change from the weather outside... and you know I will always have a special place in my heart for cucumbers. The stages of my childhood(ending in April!) can be marked appropriately: 1) Chicken-nugget-chicken-nugget! 2) Cucumber sandwiches! 3) Broccoli Monster! 4) Choco-holic!

After an American lady sitting next to us gave a lecture on our need to have a career back-up plan and proficiency in multiple languages, we set "sail" for Tour Eiffel. We didn't get there in time to watch the sun set over Paris, but at night they light it up and the tower sparkles like a sixth grader coated in Bath & Body Works glitter lotion. Gorgeous!

Took this on the way there...

The typical "up your skirt" shot

We took an elevator to the top (don't judge) where I found the view to be less than impressive...Maybe at night the city looks kinda boring. Also it was just so far away. I'll go back during the day and compare...and I'll take the stairs. The view from the lower levels were much better as the buildings were easier to recognize. Either way I much prefer breath-taking views of nature to urban ones.

All that elevator riding worked up our appetite so we Metro-ed off to the Latin Quarter for dinner. It's a fun place to roam around at night although it was a little bit dead on Monday night. Sundays and Mondays are days of rest/store closures. This guy started following us for quite a while begging for my photo and claiming I was Penelope Cruz...He didn't seem drunk, but appeared convinced as he chased us down the street and into a store. I actually hid in one of the aisles and we waited for a bit till he appeared to have left.

After that little escapade, we continued down the street Rue descartes where I spotted Taverne Les Olympiades, an Athenian restaurant. I'd seen it before when Laura and I had walked around the Latin Quarter a few weeks ago. I kept staring at the menu. Nothing on their menu looked remotely vegetarian, but I just felt compelled to continue looking as though something might magically appear. I felt drawn to eat there for whatever reason. After a while of looking at the menu, this elderly man came outside and started talking to me in French excitedly. Soon a younger woman who spoke English came and translated for a very confused me. He was saying it's the best Greek restaurant in Paris and someday, I should eat there. Well, that pretty much "done me" (as Eliza Doolittle would say) and I pulled Amanda's elbow inside. The woman working there didn't know any English. We tried to ask if there was anything vegetarian and she had a woman at a table across the room help her. I ended up with something called "saganaki" and it was one of the best things I've ever eaten and needless to say the best Greek food I've had in my life, though that's not saying much. All in all, now that my stomach's on board, I really am looking forward to Greece this summer with my best friend.

Anyway as it turns out, saganaki is a square of fried Greek cheese. If your mind is veering toward mozzarella cheese sticks, don't let it, 'cause it's entirely different. The plate also had some other greek side dish that I really couldn't distinguish.. possibly some sort of eggplant caviar or.. gosh, I really couldn't figure out what it was, but the dressing was delicious.

It also came with salad and these seasoned potatoes. .. Best 8 Euros I've spent! Amanda had moussaka for about 11 euros. If it didn't have beef, I would've tried it. It really looked amazing.

After a pleasant meal in the cozy restaurant, we went home to sink into the old sofa in my living room and finish off the rest of the macaroons.

Seeing a french person smile is like catching a butterfly

Location: La salle de séjour
Currently listening: Yelle - Je veux te voir
Weather: The ache-y kinda cold

Fun Finds in Paris:
1) Electro French singer Yelle. I went out with my friends Jennie and Laura (Longhorns) to Club Mix for a party hosted by ERASMUS, international students organization. The place was massive and there were I-don't-know-how-many people from all over the world. Lots of French techno music with intermittent breaks of American rap or pop. Had so much fun, but very, very crowded. Sometimes smaller, less crowded clubs can be better 'cause you have a little more room to move. But God was it nice to see people from all over because that is one place where people are willing to make a little effort at broken English, or I mean dancing is it's own form of communication...This Italian guy asked me if I wanted to be Italian for the evening and handed me his Italian flag sticker haha. Speaking of Italians, all the girls are in love with my European Model professor. Class title quite fitting. He speaks Italian and French, but has been working in the UK so his English accent is a bit muddled which I find entertaining. Anyway, what a tangent! Bottom line: Listen to Yelle!

2) PAUL One word:Délicieux

What-the-French!

"It's bound to melt your heart" - Jenny Lewis

Location: The sofa that may or may not be the roof over the head of Francois the mouse.

Currently Listening: Melt your heart by Jenny Lewis with The Watson Twins

Weather: It's warmed up a tad, still very much coat/glove weather.

Le Recap'

Friday

The second I got to my uncle's flat in Mumbai, I was whisked off to the salon to get a much needed haircut. Don't worry it's still long, but I have a heck of lot more layers and bangs. I think it kinda looks like Ashlee Simpson in her Pieces of Me days, which I find troublesome, but sometimes it falls nicely. After that, we all left for the hotel in Powai, ate a terribly late dinner, and crashed for the night.

The new hair.

Saturday

Dance Practice. 

My aunt hired a choreographer to teach everyone a few dances to perform at the Sangeet that night. It's essentially a talent show for the bride. A few of the married couples performed a dance - OMG hilarious to watch them learn how their dance. All of the wives complained about how their husbands had two left feet - and then all of the cousins learned a dance that made fun of the groom. We all ended up forgetting the steps except for my cousin Divya, who can actually dance. 

Prabha Nani (My grandmother's sister) doesn't need dance lessons (or singing lessons for that matter). She busted out to a rather sultry song. It was pretty much fantastic. 

Got a tiny glimpse of India outside the hotel when Dad and I went shopping. Picked up a few presents for loved ones and a kurti (Short Indian top, which is long by American standards). Seriously, I needed about 10 outfits for the whole weekend 'cause weddings are like living in a Bollywood movie where you have a costume change every 5 seconds. 

Mehndi. 

Several quite talented ladies came to decorate the women's hands with mehndi (Henna). Meanwhile, the men kept themselves busy with poker. My hands look pretty awesome right now, but later confused the immigration officer into thinking I was just married. The food at the Mehndi was so so tasty. People were making papadi chat and aloo tikis right on the spot for the guests. Papadi chat is like these wheat chip/crackers covered in yoghurt, spices, sweet and hot sauces, tomatoes, onions, and variety of other toppings. Think of it like an Indian version of Nachos. Aloo tikis are like mashed potatoes patties fried until golden brown. They are salty, spicy, and an eensy bit sour because they put aamchur, which is mango powder. They also cover these in the same toppings as I mentioned before. I was happy that the open bar (which was available at every event- although quite surprisingly the drinking age is 21) served fresh coconuts to drink the water from. Refreshing! 

I was completely amazed by this guy making bangles at the Mehndi. He melted and shaped beeswax and swirled in colors from the blocks of solidified paint.

Sangeet.

Later that night we attended the Sangeet. At the bar I found myself a kiwi margarita! This could be completely ordinary, but I've never heard of such before. The open bar led to a rather drunken night of dancing for the entire lot in the hall that literally was transformed into a discotheque with crazy lights and blasting techno-bhangra. Prior to this, my relatives all performed dances for Monika. 

I did a little number with my cousins Neha, Divya, Vibhu and Pranav. 

It was interesting to say the least...... 

We also had a little champagne-cake birthday celebration in there somewhere to celebrate Neha's 22nd birthday. Rule#1: Neha's birthday first, Monika and Ram's wedding anniversary second!

Sunday

The next morning my cousins and I went to Monika's room where the bride and groom's sides exchanged gifts. I got a shnazzy gold evening purse! 

Bharat.

Traditionally, the groom arrives at the wedding on horseback. The groom's side leads him dancing all the way to the Mandap (the tent where the ceremony takes place). It's like a great big parade with a band and everything! Holy crap was it hot though! It must have been a hundred degrees and with all that dancing, oh boy. 

Just before we decorated his face with all of those flowers for the Bharat. Haha he couldn't see anything!!! The flowers are supposed to hide the bride from the groom's view.

Wedding.

The wedding ceremony was fun to watch. It's nice being related to the groom 'cause you automatically get a good seat in the mandap. I can't imagine how terribly hot Monika must've been under all those layers of fabric and jewelry!

Reception.

After a shower and much needed nap, I made my way to the reception. Lots and lots of foood. Greek food, Thai food, lots of desserts, and of course Indian food. I think I am becoming more and more okay with Indian food which I've rejected for the greater part of my life. For whatever strange reason, Mumbai has a noise ordinance so the band had to stop playing at 10:30pm because we were outside. Rather unfortunate in terms of dancing, but later there was dancing inside the convention center. 

Left everyone more than tipsy at the reception at about 12:30 (the party did not stop apparently till several hours later) for a quick nap and left an hour later for the airport to catch my 4am flight to Paris(That was pretty much awful timing). Must comment on the complete disaster of the airport in Mumbai. They had 12 people manning the gate to keep boarding in order. What the heck! How unnecessary. Oh wait, this is India and no one follows any rules or understands the concept of a line. Oh did I mention they changed the gate of my flight and failed to announce it? Yeah, there's something called a screen. Get one so I can least figure it out on my own if you don't tell me! Also, I was really annoyed that they hired the equivalent of Indian "dumb blondes" to work the airports who just flirted with people via cell phone instead of answering my questions like "where the heck do I go?"

Anyway, I made it eventually to Paris so that's all that matters. I actually felt a bit of relief like I was returning home.