trying to be quick as I am spending a fortune in this internet place...I am currently in Bayeux, home to the Bayeux Tapestry which depicts the events of 1066 in which William the Conqueror (originally known as 'William the Bastard' - and with a handle like that wouldn't you want to try to change it too?) conquers England. It is very very cool...over 900 years old and 70 metres long and still in amazing condition; the colours are still almost as bright as they were when it was created.
This weekend I am staying at a Benedictine monastary (the building I'm in dates from the 16th century, I'm told) which is fabulously cheap and fabulously cold but there's loads of hot water and I get a huge room all to myself. I showed up last night just before dinner without a reservation; the door was answered by the tiniest most ancient nun I have ever seen who demanded "what do you want?" (it doesn't sound quite that rude in French) and "what is your nationality?" before disappearing for a few minutes to confer with her peers. Finally she returned and told me they would take me (whew!)...I was passed on to Sister Cecile who is very young...I would like to ask her why she is a nun but I sense this would be somewhat impertinent.
I spent the past week with Jane on our Ibis/cheese/cemetery tour of northern France. Amiens, Arras, Lochnagar Crater, the British WWI cemetary and monument at Thiepval - site of massive British casualties in the battle of the Somme (where we were interviewed for a local magazine), Vimy Ridge where the monument is closed for repairs but we were able to take the tunnel tour which is pretty crazy, Rouen where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake and which is also home to 'Monet's Cathedral' - the one he kept painting and painting...Rouen has a pretty great Beaux Arts Musee but you can probably skip the Joan of Arc wax museum...I did it so you don't have to. Rouen is also the location of our second run-in with the press; as we are cornered outside the cathedral by a local tv guy who wants to know what we know about Ingrid Betancourt. Sadly I believe I came off as an uninformed foreign imbecile, as I know absoulement rien de Ingrid Betancourt.
Finally yesterday we visited Omaha Beach (one of the beaches stormed on D-Day in WWII) and the American Cemetery there. We also went to the German WWII cemetery which is nearby...there are over 20,000 German soldiers buried there. It's rather a stark place; I will post photos when I can connect my camera to a computer.
I am very close to Dieppe but I don't think I will go although I hear the Canadian Juno Beach centre is quite good...it's too late today, tomorrow is Sunday and I don't know about the bus schedule; it's REALLY fricking cold here...and quite frankly I'm a bit warred out. Driving along the highways from place to place you see so many WWI and WWII monuments, plus so many military cemetaries scattered about the countryside.
Tomorrow I plan to chill with the nuns and prepare for the potential nightmare that will be Monday _ spend the day in Mont St Michel; then catch a train to Paris and another train to Bayonne near the Spanish border to arrive approx 6a.m....then try to find the bus station where apparently I can take a bus to San Sebastian (SPAIN FINALLY) to eat tapas until I burst. I feel myself inexplicably drawn to a warmer climate. Then hopefully a day in Bilbao and then I will get to Madrid to meet the parents! Looking forward to that too.
However, this plan hinges entirely upon my ability to get up at 6 am monday morning to catch the train from Bayeux to Mont St Michel. Cross your fingers for me.
Saturday, February 25, 2006
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
bring me the head of John the Baptist
I have left Paris with the inimitable Jane, I'm her road dawg this week as we tour around northern france making use of her car.
In Amiens right now, on one of these wretched french keyboards again...yesterday we drove up near Boulougne (just southwest of Calais) to hang out with her parents for the afternoon, then took the scenic route sort of along the coast to Amiens.
Along the way we stopped at the Etaples Military Cemetary which I believe is the largest commonwealth military cemetary in France. Something like73,000 11,000 (uh, oops...big difference) people are buried there, mostly casualties of the First World War (although there are also some from the Second).
Rows and rows of tombstones that look a little like teeth sticking out of the ground - we were the only ones there in this impeccably maintained place. Very peaceful and somber, there are four books which log the name and some information about each person buried there...stacked up it's the equivalent of a two inch thick ream of paper; each piece covered in names.
We are planning to visit more of the Somme war memorials today, I've been attempting to read Un Long Dimanche de Fiancelles by Sebastien Japrisot (source for the film - english title is A Very Long Engagement). It's set during and after World War One so it's interesting and also horrifying to see the remnants of things I've only read about.
As for John the Baptist - we just visited the cathedral in Amiens which is incredibly huge and beautiful (and fffrrrreeeeezing) and is the host to a fragment of John the Baptist's head. Sadly it was in a little case so one couldn't actually see the gory details, but I saw the case which will have to suffice. Headlessness seems to be a bit of a theme at this particular cathedral; outside there is a long series of statues which I think are supposed to represent kings of france or maybe these were specific saints, a couple of them are holding onto their detached heads. And then inside there is a statue of Judith holding the head of Holofernes.
Finally, a few more photos - not exactly up to date but at least I'm trying. More new ones can be seen here.
Rodin's The Thinker; at the Musee Rodin
The Chagall Ceiling at the Palais Garnier:
Rain at the Centre Pompidou:
In Amiens right now, on one of these wretched french keyboards again...yesterday we drove up near Boulougne (just southwest of Calais) to hang out with her parents for the afternoon, then took the scenic route sort of along the coast to Amiens.
Along the way we stopped at the Etaples Military Cemetary which I believe is the largest commonwealth military cemetary in France. Something like
Rows and rows of tombstones that look a little like teeth sticking out of the ground - we were the only ones there in this impeccably maintained place. Very peaceful and somber, there are four books which log the name and some information about each person buried there...stacked up it's the equivalent of a two inch thick ream of paper; each piece covered in names.
We are planning to visit more of the Somme war memorials today, I've been attempting to read Un Long Dimanche de Fiancelles by Sebastien Japrisot (source for the film - english title is A Very Long Engagement). It's set during and after World War One so it's interesting and also horrifying to see the remnants of things I've only read about.
As for John the Baptist - we just visited the cathedral in Amiens which is incredibly huge and beautiful (and fffrrrreeeeezing) and is the host to a fragment of John the Baptist's head. Sadly it was in a little case so one couldn't actually see the gory details, but I saw the case which will have to suffice. Headlessness seems to be a bit of a theme at this particular cathedral; outside there is a long series of statues which I think are supposed to represent kings of france or maybe these were specific saints, a couple of them are holding onto their detached heads. And then inside there is a statue of Judith holding the head of Holofernes.
Finally, a few more photos - not exactly up to date but at least I'm trying. More new ones can be seen here.
Rodin's The Thinker; at the Musee Rodin
The Chagall Ceiling at the Palais Garnier:
Rain at the Centre Pompidou:
Friday, February 17, 2006
entwined in bestial romance*
*for those of you in the know, that's a quote from a Dayglo Abortions song, the title of which will soon become apparent.
I love french tv. They get away with stuff that you would never see in North America, at least not in prime time and not on the networks. For example, remember 'Hot or Not' (or something like, it was a terrible show with Lorenzo Lamas in the Janice Dickinson/Simon Cowell role where extremely stupid pretty people would put themselves on display to be rated as 'Hot' or 'Not'. Anyway, there is a french version which was on for like 2 or 3 hours last night called something like 'Am I Sexy'. I could not bear to watch it but it seems to feature a lot more nudity.
I also saw a Quebec show which was actually subtitled in French...I watched for a few minutes trying to figure out if it was a different language (sounded French to me) but no...
But the best was reserved for this morning...there's some talk show which features guests and a panel of regulars. I happened to flip past this morning to see the entire panel laughing hysterically, of course I thought "wow, this looks good, I need to see what they're laughing at". Cut to a shot of two tiny chihauhas (this seems to be a theme this week) humping like maniacs in the middle of the studio. I have no idea how this came to pass. The panel tried to continue but of course were distracted by all the romance in the air.
Finally I think one of the camera guys tried to separate them; however they were stuck together and could not be separated. So here you have, on international television (I think it's aired on TV5 in Canada) two tiny happy dogs stuck ass to ass, being carried off the set by some poor intern while the panel tries not to pee their collective pants.
Vive la France!
I love french tv. They get away with stuff that you would never see in North America, at least not in prime time and not on the networks. For example, remember 'Hot or Not' (or something like, it was a terrible show with Lorenzo Lamas in the Janice Dickinson/Simon Cowell role where extremely stupid pretty people would put themselves on display to be rated as 'Hot' or 'Not'. Anyway, there is a french version which was on for like 2 or 3 hours last night called something like 'Am I Sexy'. I could not bear to watch it but it seems to feature a lot more nudity.
I also saw a Quebec show which was actually subtitled in French...I watched for a few minutes trying to figure out if it was a different language (sounded French to me) but no...
But the best was reserved for this morning...there's some talk show which features guests and a panel of regulars. I happened to flip past this morning to see the entire panel laughing hysterically, of course I thought "wow, this looks good, I need to see what they're laughing at". Cut to a shot of two tiny chihauhas (this seems to be a theme this week) humping like maniacs in the middle of the studio. I have no idea how this came to pass. The panel tried to continue but of course were distracted by all the romance in the air.
Finally I think one of the camera guys tried to separate them; however they were stuck together and could not be separated. So here you have, on international television (I think it's aired on TV5 in Canada) two tiny happy dogs stuck ass to ass, being carried off the set by some poor intern while the panel tries not to pee their collective pants.
Vive la France!
Thursday, February 16, 2006
down and out in Paris, or, I am the best date ever
It's day....something....in Paris France and I am spending money like Paris Hilton. I gots me a new Hermes dog carrier, and a Swarovski crystal encrusted chihauha, and then cause the dog's too heavy for me to carry I hired a couple goons to tote my pooch around town.
Okay, no. But the tradition of eating like a peeg continues as
a) I hit an Isreli place in the Marais for the 'Assiette Falafel Speciale' (Special Falafel Plate) which featured the best grilled/fried/whatever eggplant I have ever tasted along with a veritable pile of hummous, falafel balls, pickled cabbage, couscous, chickpeas and sauce, tomatoes and cucumber. I watch and listen as the two giggling girls next to me flirt with the waiter and get a free basket of french fries (? why fries?).
b) I go to the Cafe de Flore one afternoon and drink the very rich and tasty hot chocolate and sample the gold leaf encrusted 8 Euro chocolate eclair (in english - chocolate eclair. And no, it wasn't encrusted in gold leaf, I was just hungry. And stupid.) A french man tries to make conversation but my lack of comprehension cuts that short. Parisians speak too quickly for me to understand, I find.
c) I go to the famous (or infamous, depending on your pov) Ladurée tea room and mange down on a giant St Honore (think that's the name) with rose cream and raspberry filling, as well as a few of their macarons - the guy just brings me a selection. The almond one was fantastic, not too rich, and the chocolate was really good too, but the others (I think both had something to do with pistachios) were too rich or strong or something. I'm sure it had nothing to do with sugar overload. This is the bottomless pit we're talking about here.
When I'm not eating I'm walking it off (walking for hours through the Marais and the Bastille - found our old street Neena!) or watching movies that I don't really understand.
Finally, at about 6 p.m. on Feb 14 I realized what day it was and decided it was time to take myself on a date to the Opera Garnier. I had no idea what was playing but knew that I could probably get a cheap seat so wandered around searching for the Opera Garnier (how is it that I can never find it when I need it?), finally getting there in time to buy a 6 euro seat "no visibility"...which wasn't a big deal since I still didn't know what the performance was - music? opera? ballet?
As it turned out it was ballet and my "no visibility" seat was actually a "great visibility if you're willing to stand up" seat. Three ballets choreographed by William Forsythe, absolutely fantastic, and the best Valentine's date ever.
Okay, no. But the tradition of eating like a peeg continues as
a) I hit an Isreli place in the Marais for the 'Assiette Falafel Speciale' (Special Falafel Plate) which featured the best grilled/fried/whatever eggplant I have ever tasted along with a veritable pile of hummous, falafel balls, pickled cabbage, couscous, chickpeas and sauce, tomatoes and cucumber. I watch and listen as the two giggling girls next to me flirt with the waiter and get a free basket of french fries (? why fries?).
b) I go to the Cafe de Flore one afternoon and drink the very rich and tasty hot chocolate and sample the gold leaf encrusted 8 Euro chocolate eclair (in english - chocolate eclair. And no, it wasn't encrusted in gold leaf, I was just hungry. And stupid.) A french man tries to make conversation but my lack of comprehension cuts that short. Parisians speak too quickly for me to understand, I find.
c) I go to the famous (or infamous, depending on your pov) Ladurée tea room and mange down on a giant St Honore (think that's the name) with rose cream and raspberry filling, as well as a few of their macarons - the guy just brings me a selection. The almond one was fantastic, not too rich, and the chocolate was really good too, but the others (I think both had something to do with pistachios) were too rich or strong or something. I'm sure it had nothing to do with sugar overload. This is the bottomless pit we're talking about here.
When I'm not eating I'm walking it off (walking for hours through the Marais and the Bastille - found our old street Neena!) or watching movies that I don't really understand.
Finally, at about 6 p.m. on Feb 14 I realized what day it was and decided it was time to take myself on a date to the Opera Garnier. I had no idea what was playing but knew that I could probably get a cheap seat so wandered around searching for the Opera Garnier (how is it that I can never find it when I need it?), finally getting there in time to buy a 6 euro seat "no visibility"...which wasn't a big deal since I still didn't know what the performance was - music? opera? ballet?
As it turned out it was ballet and my "no visibility" seat was actually a "great visibility if you're willing to stand up" seat. Three ballets choreographed by William Forsythe, absolutely fantastic, and the best Valentine's date ever.
Sunday, February 12, 2006
President Poutine
I've recently discovered that in French, Vladimir Putin becomes Vladimir Poutine.
If you don't believe me, check this.
Perhaps Putin is too close to putain? Whatever the reason, for me this makes Rick Mercer's 'say hello to Prime Minister Poutine' bit a lot less funny.
If you don't believe me, check this.
Perhaps Putin is too close to putain? Whatever the reason, for me this makes Rick Mercer's 'say hello to Prime Minister Poutine' bit a lot less funny.
Saturday, February 11, 2006
the origin of the world and other eye openers
I spent about 4 hours in the Musee d'Orsay today, and it wasn't enough. I definitely prefer this museum to the Louvre - I find the Louvre to be completely exhausting (yes I know you need to break it up into multiple visits) and I just prefer the art that is housed in the Musee d'Orsay.
One of my favourites (which unfortunately they didn't have postcards of) was Hesiode et la Muse (Gustave Moreau, 1891)
You can't tell from the linked image but the colours are really incredible.
I also really liked the paintings by Maurice Denis, whose work I had never seen before.
Unfortunately I started on the bottom floor and spent a long long time down there. By the time I got up to the top floor which has most of the impressionist paintings (and the Van Gogh stuff I was really excited about seeing again) it was 5:15 and the museum was starting to close the galleries in 15 minutes. So I had to march through the rooms looking for the Van Goghs. I finally found them, and they were beautiful but the one painting I was really excited about seeing again (Starry Night) - I'm pretty sure it wasn't there. However the others were still amazing, I love the self portraits.
Finally there's always L'Origine du Monde by Gustave Courbet. You can see it here, but I warn you now, it's a painting of a vagina. Don't click if you can't handle it (or if your employers are particularly lame). Anyway, I always love turning a corner in the museum and coming face to face with it. At first you're like....uh....woah...it's very in your face. After a while you get used to it however and by the time you hit the museum postcard store you can flip past it without even batting an eye.
After the museum we went for a great dinner at Bouillon Racine where I had an egg poached in red wine sauce with mushrooms and fresh croutons (it was incredible, I could eat it 4 times a week), cod back with tapenade and whipped potatoes with tomato, and mi cuit au chocolate (chocolate cake with a molten chocolate center - incredibly rich and incredibly delicious).
Finally we went to this jazz club called Le Bilboquet which featured two very attractive male staff members....most bars in Paris have at least one hot bartender or waiter but this place is special. The door guy will do things like tell you it's full and then when your friend pulls out the blackberry to show him the email she sent to his manager to make a reservation say, "well then.....theengs have just changed" and then go inside and fetch the rather charming manager who will usher you inside to wait for a table.
And while you wait you will look around at the red and black decor which looks pretty good at midnight in the candlelight but which apparently is a little tacky in the daylight, and the manager will give you a drinks menu to peruse, and you will fight the urge to scream and run out the door when you see that a beer costs 18 Euros ($27 CAD), and a scotch is 20 Euros ($30 CAD) and a non alcoholic beverage like Coca-Cola is (I think, but to be honest this menu sort of blew part of my mind) 15 Euros ($22 CAD). And no, we are not talking about a pitcher of beer or a bottle of scotch or a liter of Coke.
Finally you will be seated in the sunken lounge part of the club, right in front of the stage where, it must be said, the band is pretty great tonight. You notice that there are a lot of people speaking english in this bar and assume it must be written up in some guidebook somewhere - you are seated next to two women from Florida on their first trip to Paris; one of them is even wearing a beret and seamed stockings but you really can't mock her since you're wearing fishnets yourself.
At the end of the night you walk home, hoping you don't get mistaken for a hooker because your dress is made of a lacy fabric and the lining keeps riding up, way waaaay up, giving everyone (you fear) a great view of your underpants.
Happily the walk is uneventful and you make plans to invest in a slip.
The end.
One of my favourites (which unfortunately they didn't have postcards of) was Hesiode et la Muse (Gustave Moreau, 1891)
You can't tell from the linked image but the colours are really incredible.
I also really liked the paintings by Maurice Denis, whose work I had never seen before.
Unfortunately I started on the bottom floor and spent a long long time down there. By the time I got up to the top floor which has most of the impressionist paintings (and the Van Gogh stuff I was really excited about seeing again) it was 5:15 and the museum was starting to close the galleries in 15 minutes. So I had to march through the rooms looking for the Van Goghs. I finally found them, and they were beautiful but the one painting I was really excited about seeing again (Starry Night) - I'm pretty sure it wasn't there. However the others were still amazing, I love the self portraits.
Finally there's always L'Origine du Monde by Gustave Courbet. You can see it here, but I warn you now, it's a painting of a vagina. Don't click if you can't handle it (or if your employers are particularly lame). Anyway, I always love turning a corner in the museum and coming face to face with it. At first you're like....uh....woah...it's very in your face. After a while you get used to it however and by the time you hit the museum postcard store you can flip past it without even batting an eye.
After the museum we went for a great dinner at Bouillon Racine where I had an egg poached in red wine sauce with mushrooms and fresh croutons (it was incredible, I could eat it 4 times a week), cod back with tapenade and whipped potatoes with tomato, and mi cuit au chocolate (chocolate cake with a molten chocolate center - incredibly rich and incredibly delicious).
Finally we went to this jazz club called Le Bilboquet which featured two very attractive male staff members....most bars in Paris have at least one hot bartender or waiter but this place is special. The door guy will do things like tell you it's full and then when your friend pulls out the blackberry to show him the email she sent to his manager to make a reservation say, "well then.....theengs have just changed" and then go inside and fetch the rather charming manager who will usher you inside to wait for a table.
And while you wait you will look around at the red and black decor which looks pretty good at midnight in the candlelight but which apparently is a little tacky in the daylight, and the manager will give you a drinks menu to peruse, and you will fight the urge to scream and run out the door when you see that a beer costs 18 Euros ($27 CAD), and a scotch is 20 Euros ($30 CAD) and a non alcoholic beverage like Coca-Cola is (I think, but to be honest this menu sort of blew part of my mind) 15 Euros ($22 CAD). And no, we are not talking about a pitcher of beer or a bottle of scotch or a liter of Coke.
Finally you will be seated in the sunken lounge part of the club, right in front of the stage where, it must be said, the band is pretty great tonight. You notice that there are a lot of people speaking english in this bar and assume it must be written up in some guidebook somewhere - you are seated next to two women from Florida on their first trip to Paris; one of them is even wearing a beret and seamed stockings but you really can't mock her since you're wearing fishnets yourself.
At the end of the night you walk home, hoping you don't get mistaken for a hooker because your dress is made of a lacy fabric and the lining keeps riding up, way waaaay up, giving everyone (you fear) a great view of your underpants.
Happily the walk is uneventful and you make plans to invest in a slip.
The end.
finally, photos!
I am now happily installed in my home for the next 8 or so days, and finally have a computer that i can upload photos to. I've put a bunch on flickr but here are some highlights:
Hello Paris!
This is some kind of famous French landmark or something. Everyone is talking about it.
This should make Bruce happy:
The Gnomad survived the trip. However this is one of the most embarrassing photos I have ever taken, I don't know how much action the Gnomad will be seeing in the future...
Villefranche, just before sunrise:
I think I must have taken this in the morning, just before the sun came up. This is the view from the school.
Tourrettes sur Loup, medievally yours:
One of the streets in the 'medieval village' of Tourrettes sur Loup.
I can't believe I'm eating things that still have eyes.
Little breaded deep fried fish served as an appetizer at a restaurant in Nice.
Nuff said.
Pretty oranges at the Marche aux Fleurs:
I love the way that oranges are sold with the leaves still on here. It's a nice touch.
Hello Paris!
This is some kind of famous French landmark or something. Everyone is talking about it.
This should make Bruce happy:
The Gnomad survived the trip. However this is one of the most embarrassing photos I have ever taken, I don't know how much action the Gnomad will be seeing in the future...
Villefranche, just before sunrise:
I think I must have taken this in the morning, just before the sun came up. This is the view from the school.
Tourrettes sur Loup, medievally yours:
One of the streets in the 'medieval village' of Tourrettes sur Loup.
I can't believe I'm eating things that still have eyes.
Little breaded deep fried fish served as an appetizer at a restaurant in Nice.
Nuff said.
Pretty oranges at the Marche aux Fleurs:
I love the way that oranges are sold with the leaves still on here. It's a nice touch.
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
Solange the Bastard from Hell
So. I flew to sunny (except not) Paris Sunday night to spend February with my friend M in her fabulous new Paris apartment.
Unfortunately, she rented this apartment through Craigslist from an evil fucking bastard named Solange (if that's really his name, which i doubt) who doesn't exist. That's right, there are people who make a living scamming people out of deposits for apartments that don't exist; sending detailed emails with photos of the interiors, answering all kinds of questions about the neighbourhood, doing a full out lease; generally being highly convincing and seeming to be completely legitimate right up until the point where it's a couple days before you arrive in Paris and all of a sudden they're not getting back to you about where you're going to meet to pick up the keys.
Thank god M made a few friends at the institute who live in Paris; and thank god I'm tagging along after M the excellent problem solver. Right now we're staying in the beautiful apartment of J who we met at the institute and who is letting us stay there until Friday while she's out of town. I've always wanted to know what the flats in those huge beautiful buildings look like and now i do. When i grow up i want to live in an apartment in Paris like that one.
M has been trying to find another 1 bedroom with an extra pullout to replace the one she thought she was getting so we could go ahead with the original plan, but that's proving elusive. However she also found a really great studio that's available for sublet for 11 days and i've just come from paying the deposit and picking up the keys for that place; I'll be there from the night of the 9th to the 20th. It's a really cool little place in an incredible location (the 1st arrondisement), right between the louvre and les halles. The woman who lives there is very cool and i think it's going to work out well. I'm also liking this subletting idea more and more (but i think i will be wary of doing it over the internet from now on), maybe it's something to look into in Barcelona.
After the 20th things are up in the air for me, i might head to Spain early (need to be in Madrid Mar 3 to meet Mom and Dad) or i might go to Normandy or maybe Geneva.
It's crappy that this happened but generally things are turning out well, i'm very excited about this place i'm renting, it's a great deal and everyone's been really kind and helpful.
Unfortunately, she rented this apartment through Craigslist from an evil fucking bastard named Solange (if that's really his name, which i doubt) who doesn't exist. That's right, there are people who make a living scamming people out of deposits for apartments that don't exist; sending detailed emails with photos of the interiors, answering all kinds of questions about the neighbourhood, doing a full out lease; generally being highly convincing and seeming to be completely legitimate right up until the point where it's a couple days before you arrive in Paris and all of a sudden they're not getting back to you about where you're going to meet to pick up the keys.
Thank god M made a few friends at the institute who live in Paris; and thank god I'm tagging along after M the excellent problem solver. Right now we're staying in the beautiful apartment of J who we met at the institute and who is letting us stay there until Friday while she's out of town. I've always wanted to know what the flats in those huge beautiful buildings look like and now i do. When i grow up i want to live in an apartment in Paris like that one.
M has been trying to find another 1 bedroom with an extra pullout to replace the one she thought she was getting so we could go ahead with the original plan, but that's proving elusive. However she also found a really great studio that's available for sublet for 11 days and i've just come from paying the deposit and picking up the keys for that place; I'll be there from the night of the 9th to the 20th. It's a really cool little place in an incredible location (the 1st arrondisement), right between the louvre and les halles. The woman who lives there is very cool and i think it's going to work out well. I'm also liking this subletting idea more and more (but i think i will be wary of doing it over the internet from now on), maybe it's something to look into in Barcelona.
After the 20th things are up in the air for me, i might head to Spain early (need to be in Madrid Mar 3 to meet Mom and Dad) or i might go to Normandy or maybe Geneva.
It's crappy that this happened but generally things are turning out well, i'm very excited about this place i'm renting, it's a great deal and everyone's been really kind and helpful.
merci céline (not you, Celine Dion)
i flew from Nice to paris Sunday evening, but it was such an incredibly beautiful day (maybe 14°, bright sun, no clouds) that i spent the morning wandering around the Vieux Ville and the Marché des Fleurs (not sure if that should be a des or what, articles continue to be a problem for me). The market is great because it's not just flowers but also a farmers market and there are cheeses and olives and spices and teas and olive oils and tapenades etc etc. I wandered around (with my backpack home strapped to my back) for a while, bought some bread with tomatoes and gorgonzola, as well as a basket of the reddest shiniest spanish strawberries to eat for lunch.
When i got hungry i headed to the beach and sat there for a while watching the crazy old men swimming in the water (there's like a whole bunch of them; they swim around and then get out and do pushups on the pebbly beach...they're not together but they all just seem to do the exact same thing) and the dozens and dozens of sailboats out on the water for sailing school.
after a while i decided that i haven't done any drawing in a ,onth and it's time i started again so i did a drawing of the boats and the water and the waves and started painting it in with watercolours. i was almost finished when i noticed someone walking up to me; i looked over and there was this little blonde french girl looking at my sketchbook.
- Bonjour! i said
- Bonjour....
- Comment ca va?
- Ca va bien... je [unintelligible french] acheter [more unintelligible french] votre dessin?
Whaaaa? She wants to buy my drawing? This is completely inexplicable since i just draw for fun and rarely show anything to anyone, but yes, after a little more discussion and gesturing it was established that she wanted a drawing. i was completely blown away and told her she could have this one if she liked it and she seemed pretty happy about that arrangement. We managed to have a little more conversation while i cut the page out (i think she was confused by my accent and occasionally weird sentence structure but it was fun, i found out that her name is Celine and she is seven and a half and someone, i didn't understand who, is thirty-nine) AND i got to say 'Voila!' as i handed it to her! You don't know how long i have been wanting to use 'Voila!'. Also 'Ooh la la' but it didn't seem to fit.
Finally as she got up i offered her a strawberry which i think made her happier than the drawing did and she ran back to her dad.
A couple minutes later she was back with a long stemmed pink rose from the bouquet they had purchased at the market. It was so nice.
A little later as I was getting up to leave the beach her father came over to thank me and to chat; i had told her i was from Canada so we just talked about that and the fact that i was travelling etc. He told me my french was very good (ooh la la!) which is not quite true, i think that right now i'm at the point where my french is charmingly broken. I would have liked to stay and talk to them some more (they were both so cute!) but i had to go.
Anyway, after speaking only French with them, and the super friendly cab driver from Friday night and the museum guard who tried to pick me up i'm feeling a lot more confident in my ability to navigate paris in french only. We shall see....
When i got hungry i headed to the beach and sat there for a while watching the crazy old men swimming in the water (there's like a whole bunch of them; they swim around and then get out and do pushups on the pebbly beach...they're not together but they all just seem to do the exact same thing) and the dozens and dozens of sailboats out on the water for sailing school.
after a while i decided that i haven't done any drawing in a ,onth and it's time i started again so i did a drawing of the boats and the water and the waves and started painting it in with watercolours. i was almost finished when i noticed someone walking up to me; i looked over and there was this little blonde french girl looking at my sketchbook.
- Bonjour! i said
- Bonjour....
- Comment ca va?
- Ca va bien... je [unintelligible french] acheter [more unintelligible french] votre dessin?
Whaaaa? She wants to buy my drawing? This is completely inexplicable since i just draw for fun and rarely show anything to anyone, but yes, after a little more discussion and gesturing it was established that she wanted a drawing. i was completely blown away and told her she could have this one if she liked it and she seemed pretty happy about that arrangement. We managed to have a little more conversation while i cut the page out (i think she was confused by my accent and occasionally weird sentence structure but it was fun, i found out that her name is Celine and she is seven and a half and someone, i didn't understand who, is thirty-nine) AND i got to say 'Voila!' as i handed it to her! You don't know how long i have been wanting to use 'Voila!'. Also 'Ooh la la' but it didn't seem to fit.
Finally as she got up i offered her a strawberry which i think made her happier than the drawing did and she ran back to her dad.
A couple minutes later she was back with a long stemmed pink rose from the bouquet they had purchased at the market. It was so nice.
A little later as I was getting up to leave the beach her father came over to thank me and to chat; i had told her i was from Canada so we just talked about that and the fact that i was travelling etc. He told me my french was very good (ooh la la!) which is not quite true, i think that right now i'm at the point where my french is charmingly broken. I would have liked to stay and talk to them some more (they were both so cute!) but i had to go.
Anyway, after speaking only French with them, and the super friendly cab driver from Friday night and the museum guard who tried to pick me up i'm feeling a lot more confident in my ability to navigate paris in french only. We shall see....
Degustation II - Electric Boogaloo
You know I can't resist the Electric Boogaloo option.
Last Wednesday (you have to pardon the weird spelling and punctuation; i'm back on a french keyboard) i ate at this little restaurant in Nice:
http://keispassion.com/
with Chié, Kae, and Marie. Chié used to work with the sous-chef (i think he's the sous-chef) and invited me to join them for this incredible meal at the restaurant. We ordered the degustation tasting menu which consisted of about 8 courses, i will ty to run through them here...
1. fried oysters served on a shell with a mild curry sauce
2. white truffle foam with a little wasabi
3. risotto with baby anchovies and artichoke
4. um...i don't know if i should admit this...foie gras* bonbon wrapped in threads of fried potato with mushrooms and black truffle
*yes; i ate the foie gras. i've been mostly sticking to fish so far but for this meal i decided that i was not going to be a vegetarian or pechetarian. however, those of you who are gasping in horror right now will be co,forted to know that while all of the other stuff on the plate was great, i have decided that i don't get the point of foie gras and it is unlikely that i will eat it again. Besides, the worst is yet to come (see point #6 below)
5. fish, i'm not sure what kind, with squid
6. er.....uh....and then i ate veal** with asparagus
**i'm not a virgin anymore. i ate veal. and it was delicious. however, i was very conflicted about it which i take as a sign that i will not be eating veal in the future.
7. avant-dessert (i love this concept) of a mango and yogourt foam
8. real dessert of mango sorbet with wild strawberries and MASCARPONE and possibly something else i've forgotten because i keep thinking about the MASCARPONE.
It was a great meal, i forgot my camera but the others were taking photos of each course (n'oubliez pas!) so if i get copies i will post them just to whet your appetites. they were very nice to us too; treated us to some dessert wine and then, when we were finished, took us on a tour of the kitchen and the wine cave. There was an impressive collection of wine down there, Carrie you would have been salivating.
Last Wednesday (you have to pardon the weird spelling and punctuation; i'm back on a french keyboard) i ate at this little restaurant in Nice:
http://keispassion.com/
with Chié, Kae, and Marie. Chié used to work with the sous-chef (i think he's the sous-chef) and invited me to join them for this incredible meal at the restaurant. We ordered the degustation tasting menu which consisted of about 8 courses, i will ty to run through them here...
1. fried oysters served on a shell with a mild curry sauce
2. white truffle foam with a little wasabi
3. risotto with baby anchovies and artichoke
4. um...i don't know if i should admit this...foie gras* bonbon wrapped in threads of fried potato with mushrooms and black truffle
*yes; i ate the foie gras. i've been mostly sticking to fish so far but for this meal i decided that i was not going to be a vegetarian or pechetarian. however, those of you who are gasping in horror right now will be co,forted to know that while all of the other stuff on the plate was great, i have decided that i don't get the point of foie gras and it is unlikely that i will eat it again. Besides, the worst is yet to come (see point #6 below)
5. fish, i'm not sure what kind, with squid
6. er.....uh....and then i ate veal** with asparagus
**i'm not a virgin anymore. i ate veal. and it was delicious. however, i was very conflicted about it which i take as a sign that i will not be eating veal in the future.
7. avant-dessert (i love this concept) of a mango and yogourt foam
8. real dessert of mango sorbet with wild strawberries and MASCARPONE and possibly something else i've forgotten because i keep thinking about the MASCARPONE.
It was a great meal, i forgot my camera but the others were taking photos of each course (n'oubliez pas!) so if i get copies i will post them just to whet your appetites. they were very nice to us too; treated us to some dessert wine and then, when we were finished, took us on a tour of the kitchen and the wine cave. There was an impressive collection of wine down there, Carrie you would have been salivating.
Thursday, February 02, 2006
the unbearable presence of merde
a) villefranche is a small town with more dogs than people, which is fine if you like dogs but terrible when you realize you're in France where the concept of picking up your dog's turd does not exist. il n'existe pas de tout.
b) villefranche has very narrow winding steep streets with tiny sidewalks (maybe 18 inches across) and rows of parked cars taking up a good chunk of the street. which turns any sort of 'off-sidewalk' walking into a serious health hazard, what with the scooters and trucks and cars coming unexpectedly around the corners. sometimes there's no sidewalk option which means you walk alongside the parked cars and keep an eye out.
when you put a) and b) together you get:
c) something i like to think of as Walking Through A Minefield Each Day. The stretch of sidewalk outside of our apartment is a favourite dumping ground for (judging by size, colour, and consistiency) approx. 8 different dogs of various sizes and diets.
it's bad enough in the daytime when you can see the stuff....honestly if you were to see us from a distance you would ask yourself why grown women are playing hopscotch. uphill.
after 20 days of extreme vigilance i stepped in it a couple days ago on the way to school - you know when you do something and all you can think is "CTRL-Z! Oh no you di'int! CTRL-Z!"? Just me? Okay then.
also, it's worse at night when there are no streetlights to illuminate this sticky little hazard and one is easily distracted by the incredibly clear sky and the stars and the moon and the lights shining on the water.
@#!$%!!!!!
b) villefranche has very narrow winding steep streets with tiny sidewalks (maybe 18 inches across) and rows of parked cars taking up a good chunk of the street. which turns any sort of 'off-sidewalk' walking into a serious health hazard, what with the scooters and trucks and cars coming unexpectedly around the corners. sometimes there's no sidewalk option which means you walk alongside the parked cars and keep an eye out.
when you put a) and b) together you get:
c) something i like to think of as Walking Through A Minefield Each Day. The stretch of sidewalk outside of our apartment is a favourite dumping ground for (judging by size, colour, and consistiency) approx. 8 different dogs of various sizes and diets.
it's bad enough in the daytime when you can see the stuff....honestly if you were to see us from a distance you would ask yourself why grown women are playing hopscotch. uphill.
after 20 days of extreme vigilance i stepped in it a couple days ago on the way to school - you know when you do something and all you can think is "CTRL-Z! Oh no you di'int! CTRL-Z!"? Just me? Okay then.
also, it's worse at night when there are no streetlights to illuminate this sticky little hazard and one is easily distracted by the incredibly clear sky and the stars and the moon and the lights shining on the water.
@#!$%!!!!!
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