Marie, the baguettes! Hurry up!

I just have to share this because I think it's adorable. I was walking back to my place today and I had a baguette in my hand. As I stood waiting to cross the street I felt a little tug on it. I looked down and there was a little boy standing behind me with his mom. When I looked at him he had a huge smile plastered on his face, and he just grinned up at me as if to say "I just had to touch it." It was really freaking cute.

Also, Sandra turned me on to sushi. I get one that is basically rice, cream cheese, and chives. It is fantastic. I also learned that the French for "chopsticks" is BAGUETTES. It blew my mind.

So, I have been trying to take different ways home to expand my territory. YesterdayI got out at the Cardinal Lemoine stop and THANK GOD. I wanted bread and I saw a bright pink bakery across the street. I had enough change for a baguette and an eclair. I hadn't had an eclair since I got to France, so I figured, what the hell? OH. MY. GOD. The filling was gooey creamy chocolate (pudding almost), and it was covered in a thick layer of divine dark chocolate frosting. Seriously, it might have been the best thing I've ever eaten. Not only that, but the baguette was perfect. Crispy on the outside, pillowy soft on the inside. I was impressed, so I Googled the bakery. Turns out that they won second place this year in the Grand Prix de la Baguette de Tradition Française de la Ville de Paris. That's impressive when the connoisseurs of baguettes, (a.k.a. Parisiens) vote you number two in the city. I was so proud of myself for my newly found baguette tasting skills. Apparently I know a good baguette when I eat one. It is dangerous that I live so close to this place. They also have some interesting flavors like coconut croissants and pistachio eclairs. It's a good thing I have to climb seven flights of stairs at least once a day.

As an afterthought, on my way home I saw a Frenchmen riding a bike wearing a beret and carrying a baguette in his bike basket. Mental snapshot. :)

'Fall'ing back in love with France

It is officially Fall. It is COLD here! I had to ask my dad to ship my winter coat...brrr!

Last night was awesome. Before dinner I had Jameson with Jean's dad, and they served crackers with it. We sat in the study and talked. His dad said it wasn't everyday that you drink Jameson with someone who has been to the factory. :) Then, we had an amazing meal.

His mom made a broccoli and cheese casserole with pasta on the side. There was also a steak, kind of served a side dish, which I thought was kind of cool. They were very nice about me being veggie. The French usually drink water with their food from what I've experienced, and we also had red wine. After the main course there is dessert. The usual options are cheese, yogurt, fruit, or some kind of pudding/mousse. The chocolate pudding thing I had was deeeelish. Then, just when I thought it was over, there was MORE! Out came a chocolate torte, I guess is what I'll call it. Like a flat cake that was more like a brownie back home. With it came a giant bowl of some of the best raspberries and strawberries I have EVER had, which I was told came from their garden. It was amazing. I told them we don't have fruit like that back home. His brothers made me laugh and I tried my best to speak with them. His brother told me that they had some English speaking friends from Norway come to visit and his mom only made one mistake in English. She said, "Now we can all go to the chicken!" Kitchen and chicken do sound similar; I never thought about it. I hope my mistakes are that endearing. :-/

Jean's dad has a wonderful cozy den with books lining the walls, floor, tables, etc. It's like a mini-library. I loved it. After dinner we sat in there and he told me how he met the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan. His dad is so cool!! He had a book about Los Angeles that we looked through together. He also had a picture of him and his wife in cowboy hats riding horses in New Mexico. I loved it. It was really good for me to listen to French like that, but it always tuckers me out after a while.

Today Jean's older brother Francois went and got me credit for the cell phone Jean is letting me borrow so I didn't have to find it, and in an hour or so I am going to head back to Paris on the train with him because I can stay with Maja again. His family has been so incredibly accommodating and nice. It is making me much happier to be here. I hope I can pay it forward someday.