I suppose I should start at the beginning. John was one of the lucky ones to get the Swine Flu, which is perhaps how we lost track of the beginning of the month. It was pretty awful though I must admit he found a way to look cute even if wearing a mask! Luckily, I didn’t catch it. In retrospect I suppose it would have been quite an adventure experiencing France’s health care system first hand.
Once John started to feel better we decided to take advantage of the nice weather while we still had it and went to Père Lachaise, the largest cemetery in Paris. This summer I used to walk past the cemetery every morning on my way to France Langue and I took a small tour with Marina when she visited though I never took my time to really visit. John and I chose not to allow the search for the cemetery’s famous inhabitants (like Oscar Wilde, Jim Morrison and Edith Piaf) to guide our time. Instead we took our time and admired the enormity and explored the cemetery’s less popular sites. I was a little bothered to find many of these graves unkempt and some even decorated with litter though the overall sense was peaceful. Make sure to check out our pictures here!
I've decided that with my little time left in Paris I should really take the opportunity to do things everyone who lives in France should. As of now my list consists of: learn how to make and flip crepes, find a liking for cheese and gain some sort of understanding of wine. With such a list visiting the Wine Museum seemed like a great idea! I had hoped the museum would explain how wine is made, the differences in grapes, etc. Instead we found a museum of wine-related antiques. Sadly, I know no more about wine than before I visited but it was worth the experience for the humor. There were these wax people setup throughout the exhibit that took me off guard each time. At least we enjoyed our glass of wine at the end of our visit! Check out the pictures of the Wine Museum here.
It was hard to decide how to spend my birthday this year but after much thought John and I decided to spend the day exploring a new town; something we both enjoy but feel like we haven’t done enough since my arrival. Chartres is a small city about an hour outside of Paris and is best known for its Cathedral, which dates back to the 1200’s. We found the town had two identities: the historic part was kept separate from the modern. Once we arrived we headed straight to the Cathedral. From first glance I thought the Cathedral was breathtaking. After spending almost two hours listening to the audio guide I have to admit that I have a newfound respect for Cathedral Architects. Between the stained glass, the labyrinths and the intricate choir I don’t know what I liked the most. I’ve always taken the stain glass in these churches for granted. I respectfully admire their beauty without understanding the stories they tell. I’m in awe of the artistry it must take to create them. But I never find myself wondering why I don’t see them outside of churches or what actually goes into creating them. The stained glass museum in Chartres allowed me to see stained glass as more of a mainstream art than religious decoration. Three museums, three churches and a historic walking tour later I can honestly say I had the most interesting birthday ever. Definitely check out our pictures here!
Two days later John and I went to a cooking class at L’Atelier des Chefs (thanks to one of the best gifts ever from Daphne and Guillaume!). John and I were given a choice between a plethora of different classes such as: Asian cuisine, more traditional French cooking, Seafood, Macaroons, and a Chocolate class. Of course John wanted to learn how to cook using chocolate and I was interested to see how we’d make an appetizer, main course and dessert around something so sweet. The class was located in one of Paris’ major department stores: Printemps. Between the dozen of us students we learned key cooking skills like how to prepare of piece of meat and how to cut onions and fresh herbs, etc. We started with the dessert: Macaroons. For the Americans reading this, please don’t be confused. Parisian Macaroons are nothing like the hard-as-rock, kosher for Passover cookies you’re thinking of. We filled the meringue cookies with dark chocolate mouse (surprisingly easy to make!). We then moved on to our appetizer: seasoned scallops with a balsamic infusion and salad (the chocolate was in the infusion though you couldn’t really taste it). And the main course was duck cooked in a red wine, shallot and chocolate sauce with a side of potatoes cooked with garlic and parsley. The two-hour class went by in a flash. I’m not exactly sure we’d be able to replicate the recipes, except for the macaroons. Though I have been able to continue to use the skills learned. A big thanks to Daphne & Guillaume for such a great gift!
I suppose the most recent excitement has been having some of John’s family over for Chanukah. Every time I’m in Paris for the holidays, John’s family is so welcoming to me. This year I decided I couldn’t plan anything better for Chanukah than to celebrate with his family. 45 potatoes worth of latkes, 18 apples worth of applesauce and 60 sufganiyot later John and I had officially prepared our Chanukah meal! Celebrating Chanukah in Paris was great. I found a beautiful menorah in Le Marais so I could light the candles every night. I found my own way to make great Latkes and even tried my hand at making sufganiyot. And above all else I was able to celebrate with great people. As Noël approaches I look forward to celebrating with John’s family. I’m so lucky to have had such a great year and I couldn’t ask for a better way to finish with a bang! Check out our pictures from Chanukah here.
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