5 Things

5 Things (I Love About My Life Right This Minute)

 

1. Being reunited with old friends

2. Making new friends

3. Drinking vanilla lattes in french cafes while listening to Taylor Swift and Ben E King

4. Robot parties, where we can only speak in binary code

5. Croque monsieurs avec chevre (goat cheese)

Bordeaux - Sunday

Going to bed at 5 am means not waking up before noon. We chit chatted a bit about everyone's nights and then Abby and I walked Rachel, Kate, Rex and Maggie to the train station.

So sad to see my Poitiers group go, but I will be seeing them again in two weeks! And they promised they would throw me a 'Welcome Back to Poitiers' party :)

It was really weird at the train station in Bordeaux, they didn't post where the train was going to be until 5 minutes before the train was supposed to leave. So we were just kind of waiting around. Usually it tells you where you're train will be about 20 minutes before, so you have time to board and everything.

On our way home, Abby and I stopped at Subway for some lunch and then headed back to her apartment to have a 'Bachelor' marathon. Reminded me of college days! Tonight we are going over to Abby's quasi-boyfriend's house to watch a movie. Very relaxing after a fun weekend!



Bordeaux - Saturday Part Deux

After we woke up from our naps, we had a short amount of time to get ready for our party.

The party was to celebrate Abby's birthday. Her real birthday isn't for a couple more days, but her mom will be in town and we wanted to have a grande fete for it!

The other girls who were throwing the party decided on a robot theme, which kind of annoyed us because we had all bought new outfits the day before. Also, they wanted us to dress up like robots, but not tell Abby and have her dressed normal, so she would feel left out. It was really weird. Ultimately, we didn't really dress up like robots. Rex made a hat and vest out of aluminum foil and we had some silver eyeliner, but we wanted to dress up!

We went over to Elise's apartment (another one of Abby's friends). They went ALL OUT with their outfits- electrical cords for necklaces and metallic buttons all down their arms. Plus they had found stickers that go on keyboards, but they had put them on their faces and arms and would only speak in binary code-which ended up being hilarious. Also, one girl taped a calculator to her pants-awkward. We brought some drinks with us and ate some pizza.

Elise's apartment is really cool- she has a 'cave' in the basement, which is where they have their parties. I didn't take any pictures, but once the other peoples' pictures end up on facebook, I'll add some.

We went out to a club around 2 am. Drinks there ended up costing 10 euros a piece! The french girls there did NOT like us at all. One told Maggie that she could see her underwear and that she needed to 'zip her dress up' because it was too low-cut. And one girl told me that my hair kept hitting her in the face. Oh well!

We left at bar close-around 4 am and made our way back to Abbys, where we stayed up until 5 or so, discussing the dramas that occured during the night.

Bordeaux- Saturday Part One

I did not sleep well Friday night. Woke up Saturday morning at 5 and could not go back to sleep. Abby had school all day Saturday and she had to leave at 8:30 am. So I walked her to her tram stop (or nearby to it) and then went for a little jog around Bordeaux. Luckily, I did not get lost! I stuck to the roads that I remembered, but the roads didn't seem as windy as Poitiers-much easier to navigate! Plus there's a circus/zoo in town-so it made for fun things to look at.

I was able to fall back asleep when I got back and re-woke up with everyone else around 1. Abby's apartment has a loft and she has a single bed up there. That's where she slept. Kate and I shared a double air mattress up in the loft too. Maggie, Rex and Rachel all shared Abby's fouton (or 'clic-clac' as they call them in France).

We decided to venture out to eat a little bit. It was really nice and sunny on Friday when we first got it but Saturday, it was a bit chillier and raining :(

We stopped into Lush to pick up some bath bombs and soaps-they had huge blocks of soap that you cut into smaller pieces and the shop smelled amazing!



Rex is in the first picture :)

Afterwards, we grabbed lunch. I had a smoothie- I was feeling a bit ill and craving some fruits. My smoothie had coco, banane, yaourt and miel. (Coconut, banana, yogurt and honey). And they had these tiny cups for tasting and they were filled with mini apples:

And Rex had a photo shoot with a turtle statue we found

We headed home and all took naps.

Bordeaux - Friday

We made it to Bordeaux! Well, we made it here a couple of days ago...and we have been too busy having FUN for me to write anything about it. I have broken up the couple of posts I need to write into days

Soo Friday. We left Poitiers a little worse for wear. We had a dance party Thursday night at Rachels (it may or may not have included glow sticks and dancing while wearing sunglasses with the lights off). We made it to the train a little early and our other travel companions were meeting us there

Companions included: Rachel, Rex, Maggie (and then Kate and I)

All of them are a part of the "Poitiers Shore" (a rip off of Jersey Shore) and so much fun! They are all assistants like Kate (the teach English to french students). Rachel and Maggie are from the states (Mississippi and California) and Rex is British (and a lover of musicals and all things Glee-he is fabulous).

We managed to find seats together on the train. It was a bit confusing at first. None of us had assigned seats together, but we figured the train wouldn't be too packed. We 'composted' our tickets (validated) and grabbed some sandwiches from Paul (awesome sandwich shop) and then sat down.

Maggie ended up sitting away from us but Kate and I sat together and Rex and Rachel sat together. And while Kate and Rachel slept, Rex and I read trashy British magazines. My sandwich from Paul was so GOOD! It was tomato and mozzerella on olive bread.

Abby met us at the train station in Bordeaux and we hopped on the tram and made it closer to her apartment. It's Abby!!!

Bordeaux is beautiful! It's got the feeling of a big city and it has loads of old buildings and beautiful architecture

We made it to Abbys and unpacked a little and then ventured out for some shopping!

Bordeaux has lots of shopping opportunities-fancy ones like Louis Vuitton, Hermes, Longchamp and then cheaper ones like H and M, Pull and Bear and Bizzbee. Rex became our personal fashion stylists and told us everything we needed to buy.

Friday night we went over to Abby's friend's apartment, Hannah. There were a bunch of fabulously gay French men there wearing bow ties and we were able to meet a lot of the people that Abby has been hanging out with.

On our way home, we stopped at this little falafel shop and the owner was so nice! He gave us all these free tastes of everything-hummus, baklava, gyros, fries. It was really fun.

We kept the night a short one because we had big plans for Saturday night

Update

Sorry for the lack of posting but there really has been nothing going on.

Yesterday it rained, so we didn't really venture out but we went to send Kate's visa stuff out because she's going to Russia in a couple of weeks. The whole process of going to Russia is pretty complicated because you 1) have to be invited by someone in order to come and 2) you have to have a visa to get in the country

While out, we picked up stuff so that I can have a phone! Woo hoo! So now I have a french phone, with unlimited texting for the next 5 days- granted right now I only can text Kate and Rachel but still

Kate received a care package today. She created a competition between all her relatives and said that whoever sent the best care package would get daily phone calls and emails for a couple of weeks. So the package arrived today from her dad. It included: Reese's mini cups, gum, popcorn, kit kats. Gum is very expensive here but luckily I brought 10 packs with me!

Tonight we are having a "disco" dance party at Rachels. We are going to play lots of old school music from the US and wear sparkly things. We are off to go buy decorations and fun outfits and then we're going to curl all of Rachel's hair and tease it so it's really big. I will most definetly post pictures afterwards.

We're headed to Bordeaux tomorrow morning, so it may be a little while before I write again but I just wanted to give a quick update on life here!



Love Love Love

Macaroni and a New Blanket

On Sunday night, Kate and I went over to Rachel's apartment because she was going to make some homemade macaroni and cheese.

We didn't have a cheese grater so Kate and I used carrot peelers to "grate" a couple different types of cheeses:

Rachel melted the cheese with butter, a little bit of milk and cream and then poured it over some shells. We "grated" some cheese for the top- delicieux!

And I have been in desperate need of a blanket. Kate has been nice enough to let me borrow a couple but they got stuff spilled on them this weekend by Kate, so we went out looking for a new blanket/quilt for me and this is what we found:



I found this beautiful quilt for 25 euros. It has the brightest yellows, blues and oranges and it reminds me of the Basque region of France/Spain, which is where I stayed last time I was in France. It's not the biggest blanket but it covers me from my neck to my toes, plus I can't help but smile when I look at it because it's so sunny!

On My Own in Poitiers

Kate had to go to work today and I was left on my own. We walked around a little bit yesterday afternoon, so I figured I pretty much knew the lay of the land when it came to Poitiers. Boy was I mistaken...

Kate left and I woke up around 10 (okay 12:30) and then I felt the urge to go for a run. This weekend involved a lot of carbohydrates and I needed to get moving. So I loaded up my ipod and grabbed my running shoes and headed out.

I felt good, it was pretty cold-I was wearing pants, wool socks, two long sleeve shirts, a fleece and a hat. I felt good and I felt that I knew where I was going, I recognized some places I was running past and I figured if I got lost I would just turn around. Well I got lost (of course) and when I tried to turn around and find my way back, I got even more lost. No bueno.

And then, as if it was a movie, it began to rain. So I ran around a bit more, pretending I knew where I was going.

I couldn't muster up the courage to ask someone where La Grand'Rue was (once I get to the 'great street' I know how to get to Kate's apartment)But somehow I made it back. I had intended to only run for about 20-30 minutes and ended up running for almost an hour and a half but it felt really good once I made it to Kate's.


Some pretty sights around Poitiers:

The 'Hotel de Ville' above is in the center of town- I ran through here like 6 times- all of the buildings are going through a bit of renovations right now

This is where we get our baguettes and canales!

A lot of the buildings look like this-beautiful!

Poitiers

Kate picked me up at the train station and we boarded a bus and made our way to her apartment!

Her apartment is the cutest thing! It's one room, with a little 'kitchen' by the door and she has a bathrooom too.

Here is Kate, laying on her bed and we made up a little air mattress that I put on the floor to sleep.



And you can see my pile of 'stuff' next to her computer chair

Yesterday we had 'raclette' for dinner. Kate just bought her own machine to make it. What raclette involves is boiled potatoes, special melted cheese, and meats (chorizo, ham, salami). Kate's friend Rachel came over and had dinner and got ready with us

Here's a picture of our feast:

The raclette maker is in the back. You put boiled potatoes on top and slices of special cheese on the 'plates' with the orange handles. While the cheese melts, you smash a potatoe and tear up some meat and then you pour the cheese on top. We also had bread and wine (I mean, we are in France)

Here is the after picture (please note that we did not touch the salad at all):

Raclette = delicieux

Then we made our way over to Maggie's apartment (another one of Kate's friends). We played some card games and drank some more wine and just chatted with the other assistants that live in Poitiers. We all went to Plan B- a new bar that opened up in town and we drank some red beer and chit chatted some more. There were a couple boys from England with us and lots of American girls-everyone was super nice and welcoming

Later on, Rachel, Kate and I made our way to La Grande Goule-a dance club in town. There is a huge university in town and so lots of people our age (or younger...) We danced on stages and stayed out until 3:30! It was so much fun.

I came home and telephoned mi familia before I passed out. Kate's phone is awesome because she has unlimited calls to the US-aka I can call home whenever I wanna!

We slept in today until 1 and then made our way downtown to find some coffee/something to eat.

Poitiers is the cutest little town

And we stopped to pick up some bread/snacks for lunch at this little shop

And look! More macarons!! Except these macarons were in a turn-y thing and had some sprinkles on top of them! I will have to go back to get some...

Lunch/ 4:00 snack consisted of bread,croissants, tartines, cheese, coca light (diet coke) and canelles.

Lunch feast (we've been feasting a lot...)

A canelle (spell check?) is a sweet little dessert that you really could just pop into your mouth. But they're chewy and awesome!

Outside:

And the chewy goodness inside:

Now we are getting ready for another fete (party) tonight!

Best Western Nouvel Orleans

I loved the hotel I stayed at in Paris: Best Western Nouvel Orleans.

I had stayed there the last time I was in Paris and I felt that it would be a safe place to sleep off my jet lag. Plus the area near it was really nice.

My room would've been too small for a family but it was perfect for little ole me. It was across the street from a metro stop and there was a monoprix (little grocery store) down the street.

Plus free wi-fi and the people at the reception speak english, which was helpful when I was trying to ask for directions or order a taxi.

Weird thing: my bed was just two 'single' beds put together to make a big bed:

So I pretty much just slept on the side and had my laptop on the other side

I stayed on the 5th floor, and only used the elevator to bring my luggage up or down. I was a champ by taking the stairs up and down every other time!

Plus, the view was B-E-A-UTIFUL!

Overall, I would stay there again!

Train Ride

So yesterday I checked out of my hotel no problem- ordered a cab to take me to Gare Montparnasse (where my train to Poitiers was)

I had google-mapped the route to Montparnasse from my hotel and it said it was only a 20 minute walk. But then I thought about it. Me + two rolling luggages + backpack + narrow sidewalks, I don't think so. So I took a 10 euro cab ride there.

Once I got into the train station, it was pretty easy to get my ticket and carte 12-25. My friend Kate had ordered an e-ticket for me and I picked it up at an electronic kiosk. Then I went to the window to buy my carte 12-25.

The carte 12-25 is an awesome card that gives discounts to people in France that are between the ages of 12 and 25. It discounts the price of train tickets by about 20 euros.

Of course I love being places early, but I was at the train station waaaaaay too early. It made sense to me to get there an hour and a half before my train departed, but that was completely not necessary! So I found a nice little spot where I could read and eat a little lunch. Apples and macarons were not cutting it as meals anymore. Lunch was a mozzerella/heirloom tomato panini and un coca light (diet coke).

Nothin' special, but I was so happy to eat a real lunch. The train ride was pretty easy. I sat next to a nice woman who ate Quik the whole time (equivalent to McDonalds) and I fell asleep a little bit. I woke up to a man yelling at the woman checking tickets. Apparently he didn't have one, but he didn't speak French. I don't know what language he spoke but it was a little freaky.

And Kate picked me up at the train station in Poitiers and helped me get my luggage back to her apartment.

The hardest part about navigating the train/train station was dealing with my luggage. There were no escalators or anything going down to where the trains are. So I lugged my two heavy rolling luggage down two flights of stairs. Luckily a man offered to help me carry it down the rest of the way. And it was hard to put it on the train and get it off the train. But I had help from an old man. But my biceps are crazy sore today!!

Leftover Pictures from Paris

Up close picture of vanille macaron (and the pretty pretty box it came in, yes I kept it!)

La musee des arts et metiers- I didn't go in but from what I've heard about it, it sounds like the museum of science and industry

 Goodbye Paris!!!

Paris Day Two, Part Two

So I decided to lay down for a second and ended up taking a three hour nap. During which the cleaning lady came in...and I had a little freakout because I thought that someone was breaking into my room. I'm pretty sure I spurted off some french at her and she left in a hurry (awkward)

After I woke up I decided to embark on Mission #2: LADUREE!

LADUREE is a very famous pastry shop located in Paris. There are 5 stores in Paris and a slew of other stores around the world. The make an array of other sweets but they are known for their macarons (and candles??) Part of the shop is a 'tea room' where people can sit down and have a cafe and drink tea. There is a menu that offers omelettes or smaller meals. I had one mission in mind and that was to buy some macarons! No need to stay and drink tea. The shop was very busy. Quick paced, but the women were all very nice and patient. This was the only picture I could snap.

A macaron is extremely difficult to make. Essentially it's a cookie. It's a bit chewy, crisp and light on the outside and the inside is filled with an almost meringue-like crust. They kind of look like very colorful, mini hamburgers. The hard part is getting the "feet" on the pastry. At one point, Starbucks was offering macarons in the United States but I don't think they are anymore. Part of the draw of LaDuree for me was the window displays. I couldn't get pictures of the really good ones, but here are a couple:

I grabbed 5 different types of macarons. Be forewarned-it's a bit pricey. It was almost $20 for these little cookies. Not sure if it was worth it because I didn't love all of the flavors but I had to try them.

Framboise (raspberry): fell apart in my hands and kind tasted like the jelly we used to eat when I was little

Vanille (vanilla): by far my favorite. Not too sweet.

Citron (lemon): sweet and a little bit sour. Reminded me of lemonheads

Chocolat (chocolate): not a fan. Very very chocolate-y

Pistache (pistachio): nutty and sweet. I didn't love it because there were larger pieces of pistachio in it

I went to the LaDuree that is near St Germain des Pres. It was such a cute neighborhood! Here are some pictures of St. Germain des Pres:

And across the street, look what I found!

A Louis Vuitton store! You can't see but near by was also a Dior store...if only! And next to Louis is Les Deux Magots. There are two different locations but they are known for the famous writers that used to sit there. Sartre, Hemingway and Saint Exupery to name a few. I wasn't able to hang there because I was off for the final mission of the day.

Mission #3: La Tour Eiffel

I love the Eiffel Tower. I especially love the Eiffel Tower at nighttime when the lights are flashing. So with a million different metro changes, I made my way to Trocadero and snapped this lovely picture:

I made my way closer and snapped these lovely pics. And before I knew it, it was sparkling time!

There is nothing like watching the sparkly lights of the Eiffel Tower, and watching how they reflect on the buildings next to it. I had a bite of a macaron and sat and watched the pretty lights ha.

But I was growing more and more annoyed with the men trying to sell me mini-Eiffel Towers, so I decided to head home and warm up a little bit!

On the way home, a stop at Starbucks (I know)for a chai tea latte and grabbed some cash from the ATM. Of course I was extra paranoid about people trying to steal my money, but I needed to get some cash because tomorrow I make my way to Poitiers to see Kate!! Time to pack up my stuff, shower and head to bed!

First Full Day In Paris Part One

I set my alarm this morning for 7:30, wanting to go for a run and grab a croissant/cafe for breakfast. What actually happened was I didn't wake up until 9:15 and there was no way I wanted to go for a run. So I got dressed instead (black dress, leggings and knee high boots)and headed out for my first mission of the day. 

Mission One: Find awesome photo shop (Chacun son Image)

I hopped on the metro and headed out to try and find this photography shop I had been wanting to check out. The mission was a failure.

I navigated the metro with no problems and made it to the street that the shop was supposed to be on but I couldn't find it anywhere! However, I did find this AH-MAZ-ING mural nearby:

I may or may not have gotten a little bit lost trying to find the metro again...but fear not! I found it and made my way to Notre Dame

The sky was cloudy for the whole morning but it managed to clear up a little bit while I sat outside Notre Dame

 There was a pretty pretty Christmas tree in front of the Cathedral

And the base of the tree had a heart carved into it!

Had to run back to the hotel for a minute to change shoes (knee high boots-not such a hot idea) And mission #2 up for this afternoon!