treize semaines.

     On Thursday, Nora Joana and I decided that we needed to get into the holiday spirit...of consumerism and spent our afternoon shopping for gifts and such. We started out by meeting near Fauchon at Madeliene and then wandered our way over to the Galerie Lafayette. We strolled along Haussmann checking out all of the Christmas window displays and lights, as well as braving the crowds of holiday shoppers now everywhere. I usually try to hold out on Christmas activities until after Thanksgiving, but it's hard not to get in the spirit with the sound of Christmas music in your ears, the smell of chestnuts roasting on the street, and beautiful Christmas displays like the one at Galerie Lafayette to look at.


Christmas @ Galerie Lafayette

     Once inside, we spent a few hours looking at all of the beautiful things we couldn't afford and even purchasing a few gifts in the small section of things that we could. Our plan for that evening was to check out the tree lighting ceremony on Champs Elysees which started at 6pm, so we started walking that way with plans for a coffee and treat at Laduree to warm us up before the big hoopla began. Generally, we try to avoid the Champs Elysees Laduree since it's in a full tourist frenzy at all times, but we were really wanting to try the Palmiers that Joana had gushed about for the last week so we braved the crowds and were seated at a fairly quiet table upstairs in the ornately decorated and beautiful tearoom. 
     The Palmiers were massive, and perfectly caramelized, and buttery and delicious. They were worth they hype (and cheaper than many other treats at the infamous tearoom, bonus) and almost too rich and buttery to finish, but somehow we muddled through. 

Laduree Palmier

     After paying our tab we walked back out to the street to brave the crowds for the tree lighting ceremony. The Champs Elysees is lined with trees for the whole length of the street, and every single one was decorated and would light up to start the magical Christmas season off right. The mayor of Paris as well as a celebrity appearance were promised for the big event, and we were excited to witness it. Unfortunately, like any event that draws a crowd, actually finding standing room and a view of the stage proved impossible, and we eventually found a spot where we could hear and somewhat see what was happening, but short people problems, could definitely not actually see anyone on the stage. Undeterred, we stuck around for the big show, which consisted of some random and a couple of Christmas songs playing over the PA system, a brief introduction from the mayor, and an announcement the lead to cheers and screams from the crowd which the three of us later realized was the introduction and appearance of Omar Sy (actor from Intouchables, the French pronunciation threw us.) After our confusion wore off thanks to a quick Google search, (where would we be without smartphones?) we laughed at our ignorance and joined in the countdown to the actual lighting trois...deux...un...CONFETTI BOMBS! The lights were on and the season had officially begun. Even though it wasn't exactly what we were expecting or anticipating, we were glad that we had decided to go.


Tis the season! All lit up

     We moved away from the crowds a bit and started heading towards the Arc to meet up with Yunwi, and then we all strolled down the decorated and lit up street to the Christmas markets near Concorde. Holiday music was playing through speakers along the street, vendors were selling ornaments and gifts and food from little pop up shops, and a warm glass of Vin Chaud helped us to gulp up the Christmas spirit that much more. Once we had covered one side of the street (the markets are pretty massive) we checked the clock and realized it was time to catch the metro so that we could make it in time to Chef's DJ gig.
     When we arrived at Chez des Amis we saw Chef and another friend from school there to great us enthusiastically immediately. Chef was really excited to have such a large group of students there to support, and we were stoked to see what he did in his off time. He's more of a sound technician, and he was on the board for an awesome live band from Australia that was playing in the cozy café. We grabbed our seats and a bottle of Beaujolais, the wine of the season (an annual event here) to share and Nora and I ordered a burger to split. Chef's brother was also there, so we were able to meet some of his family and then a few more of our LCB bunch arrived as the place filled up. It was completely packed, standing room only aside from the fortunate few who had either made reservations or arrived early like us to snag seats and a table. Overall, the evening was a massive success, the food, wine, company, and music could not have been better, and it was the perfect way to spend the night. When the band was done playing, we all hung around for a bit and chatted with one another and Chef before saying out goodbyes for the evening.
     We had made plans with Albert to meet up for teriyaki the next day for lunch, so the next afternoon we met up at Pyramides again and Joana Albert and I grabbed another bubble tea while we waited for Nora and her friend visiting from Finland to arrive. Right as we were finishing our beverages, the showed up just in time for us to snag a table in the back. I had Yakisoba and Gyoza, which felt a little like home since it's my go to fast food meal generally (hooray for awesome teriyaki options in Seattle,) and when we were all sufficiently stuffed, Cine and Norah gave each of us Finnish salted licorice candies to try. They are definitely an acquired taste; while I didn't hate them, I won't be running out to the store anytime soon to buy them. Albert and Joana's reactions however were priceless, Albert especially was quite vocal about his distaste, with is main question being, "WHY?" After some good laughs and paying the bill, we headed back to the metro to lay low before the big event later that evening. Since Joana was leaving for home the next day and Nora had a friend in town, we'd made plans to go to an event at the Machine Moulin Rouge (a club right next door to the Moulin Rouge) for a night of dancing and music.


Technooooooooo

     Sadly, Joana was feeling under the weather by the time the evening rolled around, so Nora, Cine and I headed towards Pompidou to meet up with Piry and his friend Eugene for some dinner before the festivities. After the meal, we stopped at some more of Piry and Eugene's school friends apartments (a group of Aussie boys) to hang out and enjoy some Finnish delights like glögi, Finnish mulled wine. Eventually, we made our way to the club and had an awesome evening dancing and taking in the music (tech-nooooo, it's now a joke and a thing, bear with me) before finally calling it a night and heading home to crash.
     The next day after a bit of sleep, I met up with Nora, Cine, and Piry at our favorite Indian restaurant in the 6th for lunch. After a delicious and satisfying meal, we decided to head over to Grom (it was a tradition and routine at this point) for some gelato. Nora wanted to pick up a sweatshirt she'd had her eye on at Galerie Lafayette and Cine and Piry wanted to see it all decked out with the Christmas décor, so we headed over to Haussmann. After shopping around a bit, we headed up to the roof to take in the view of the city. The weather was fabulous, sunny and low 60s with just a hint of Autumn chill, and so we hung out for quite awhile enjoying the view and atmosphere. Eventually, we were all in need of caffeine, so we sauntered back down to street level and hit up a near by café for some espresso. Feeling a little more balanced after the coffee, we were all still pretty exhausted from the night before, so we parted ways and headed home.


Rose Bakery quiche

     Sunday was my friend Gary's birthday, so a group of us got together for brunch at Rose Bakery to celebrate and give him some lovely cookbooks for gifts. The food was delicious (I'll have to head back soon for the amazing carrot cakes I was eyeing while paying my bill) and the company was amazing as usual. Since it was sunny and lovely and Montmartre was nearby, we all trekked up the hill towards Sacre Couer to enjoy the day. After taking advantage of some group photo ops, we meandered around the charming neighborhood together people watching and enjoying the sites.


It's an obsession.

     Nora wanted to show Cine the Marais, and we were in the mood for some dessert, so Piry met up with us and Alex ventured with the team to hit up the Éclair Genie. (There's so many varieties and they're all so good, trust). After devouring our treats, we continued to wander the Marais a bit before deciding to head back to the Champs Elysees for some Christmas cheer and Vin Chaud. After wandering the markets for awhile (the crowds are even crazier on the weekends, imagine that) we made our way up the Champs Elysees towards the Arc de Triomphe.
     Along the way, we stumbled upon a slide that Goni had told us about the previous week and we had been dying to try out ever since. It's five stories high and at only 2 Euros, it's a steal if you ask me! When we saw it, Nora and I squealed like small children and ran to the entrance to buy our tickets and take our turn. It was completely worth the money and the 5 story stair climb, I was grinning from ear to ear like a child who learned what Halloween was for the first time. Sometimes, you just have to embrace your inner 5 year old.


View for the Arc

SLIDE!

    Jazzed on our slide victory, we made our way to the Arc de Triomphe so that we could head to the top and check out the view. (The whole student under 25 thing still means free entrance, yay!) We climbed the dizzying steps to the top and then embraced the 360 degree panorama of the city. It was fun to see everything all lit up at night, and to realize that my knowledge of the geography of the city had exponentially increased since my arrival; all of the puzzle pieces of the map were coming together. Hungry from a long day of wandering, Cine, Nora, and I headed back to my place to enjoy some pasta for dinner and relax a bit watching Love Actually (chick flick mode, I know, tis the season). After an epic day, we said our goodbyes and went to bed.


Arc de Triomphe

     I spent most of Monday at home relaxing and reading, but later in the evening Nora and I were in the mood to go to the movies, so we met up at Montparnasse to see the much hyped and anticipated
Interstellar. All that I can say is, if you have not yet seen it, you must. It's visually incredible and the story line is totally insane and amazing. Nora and I walked out of the theater speechless and in need of a glass of wine to process and decompress, so we headed to the nearest café and did just that. Once we felt that we had returned to normal a bit more (and the café was closing) we headed back to the metro and called it a night with plans to hang out the next day.


Chair palette from Picasso's studio

     I woke up the next morning and made my way to the Picasso Museum to meet up with Sara. We had tried to visit a week earlier but got distracted by shopping, so we were excited to fully appreciate the art for the afternoon. I was excited to check it out, but was blown away by the exhibits once we arrived. It was incredible to see how much seeing all of his work together that way humanized him and made him all the more impressive all at once. He worked with so many different mediums and had such a vast array of styles; seeing everything moving from room to room through the decades was truly a privilege. The museum also houses pieces from his personal collection which includes works from Degas, Matisse, Renoir, and many more. Hard not to find inspiration when surrounded by such brilliance I guess. Needless to say, the visit was definitely worth the price of entry for me (even though my ticket was free, but you get the point).


Gargoyles & Paris.

     I was starving at this point and Nora was joining us to visit Notre Dame finally (I had been in the church, but I had not yet toured the towers) so Sara and I walked over to the island and grabbed a couple of savory crepes from a street vendor. We sat in the park behind the church enjoying the day before Nora arrived. We met up out front and headed inside to take in the grandeur, which will never cease to impress no matter how many times I visit.


Notre Dame.

     We went back outside to join the queue for the tower tour, and enjoyed some Vin Chaud to warm us while we waited for our turn to climb the 400+ steps. When we'd gotten our tickets and finally reached the top, I was once again reminded why I love this city so much. Seeing the detailed architecture up close while drinking in the view of the historic and charming city made me remember just how blessed I am to be here. 200 pictures and 400 steps back down later, we wandered back across the river and along the Seine before deciding to head to Pierre Herme in Saint Germain des Pres for the much praised millefeuille. Since it was Nora's last week in Paris before heading back to Finland, we were working on bucket list items and that particular pastry had made the list. We purchased that and an Isaphor croissant (dusted with rose water sugar and filled with raspberry cream, in a word, amazing) to split on the steps of the church across the way. We quickly inhaled our amazing treats (worth the hype as usual) before parting ways with Sara and heading to the grocery store.


Successful evening baking.

     Nora and I had made plans with Alex to spend an evening baking bread. He had interned at a bakery, so he was going to give us some tips and tricks while we also prepared rolls for Thanksgiving on Thursday. I wanted to contribute as well so I decided to make some scones with clotted cream for the team to enjoy. After gathering our supplies at the grocery store, we metro'd up to his place and caught up on the latest stories and such before getting to work. The evening was a success and we made tons of different kinds of bread while enjoying sandwiches with our freshly baked concoctions. Tired and pleased with our productive evening, we called it a night and I biked home.
      Today I hung out at home cleaning and prepping for tomorrow, (Thanksgiving, yay!) and I'll pick up the last minute supplies needed for my dishes and contributions later. I know, this post is a serious novel, props if you've read the whole thing! It's been an insane and wonderful week and I'm' so looking forward to the holiday with our amazing Parisian family unit.





semaine douze.

 Basic Pastry Graduation

"Big Mama" Chef and DJ

    On Thursday I woke up and got ready for my graduation which was at 11:30am. My friends doing the Grand Diplome had their ceremony at 9, so I would sadly be graduating separately from them with plans to get together later. The ceremony itself was interesting because I hadn't realized how many of the people from my half of the program were GD kids, so I actually didn't know a lot of my fellow BP grads. I did get my photo op and the ability to sign the golden book, and then we went upstairs to enjoy some small treats and champagne. My friends and I took full advantage of the treats provided, took pictures with our favorite Chefs (the ones in attendance, others were working,) and made plans to attend an upcoming gig for our Chef who is also a sound tech/DJ. He gave us the address and details and we were excited to see him outside of the uniform mixing some tunes.

Love these nerds.

     After the reception, I walked home, changed, and hopped on my bike to meet up with Goni. We were taking the metro up to Montmartre to meet up with Nora and the Joana's to celebrate and enjoy the afternoon. We acted super touristy taking tons of pictures, including essentially putting on a show playing around with panoramas. We wandered the neighborhood in search of crepes stumbling upon the café where Amelie was filmed along the way. The crepe hunt proved fruitless for what we were looking for, so we ended up at Starbucks for a hot beverage and to kill time before meeting up with the rest of the team for a meal at a great Korean restaurant for a post graduation celebration. The others wanted to metro to dinner, but Nora and I were in the mood to bike, so we wandered for a bit until we finally found available bikes, and eventually made it to dinner after a slightly epic hour and a half adventure. (My phone was dead, so I was navigating blind. Didn't get us lost, just took longer routes than normal since I was sticking to what I knew.)

Playing with Panoramas. Like I said, nerds. We're okay with it.

     We arrived at the Korean restaurant where we had a long table all to ourselves right in the center of the restaurant. We had an amazing meal (ordered for us by Yunwi, our resident Korean) with classic food and beverage choices. We were loud and jovial (plus there's about 20 of us, we mob everywhere we go), so the rest of the restaurant probably hated us, but we were enjoying the celebration. After the meal, we wanted to keep the festivities going, so we planned to head to Fernando's for a night cap. Half of the group left in a cab, but the rest of us opted to metro (cheaper.) Nora and I were in the mood for dessert, so we convinced the Alex to bring us to his place since he had Berthillon ice cream in his freezer. The other Alex also joined, and we hung out eating ice cream, drinking espresso, and watching snowboarding videos. A little chaos in communication with phone troubles later, we eventually met up with Joana again, said our goodbyes to everyone at Fernando's, and walked home exhausted from a long day.
    Insanely tired, I slept in ridiculously late the next day and spent most of the afternoon reading Amy Pohler's new book Yes Please which I'd purchased at Shakespeare & Co. I definitely recommend it! It was exactly what I needed after some craziness. Saturday I met up with Nora and her friend Piry from Finland, who is also studying here in Paris,

View from Pompidou

to check out Pompidou. Taking full advantage of our status as students under 25, we used our free tickets to enjoy our afternoon taking in some Modern Art. My reaction would be a combination of feeling impressed while at the same time asking WTF to multiple exhibits, but all in all an enjoyable afternoon.
     In need of a pick me up, we wandered over to Craft in Canal Saint Martin for our favorite cappuccinos to relax a bit before checking out restaurant day. It started in Finland and is spreading more around the world, but essentially different restaurants can try out new menus for the day or people can open a restaurant at their place, etc. Since it's still pretty new here, we were able to check out a couple of places that were restaurants providing different tasting menus and beverages that weren't part of their daily fare. We split a lovely Indian spread at the first place and Goni joined us to try some lovely Asian noodle soup at the next stop. We made a couple of new friends from Italy and Finland at the second stop while enjoying our meal on the sidewalk. Nora, Piry and I said goodbye to the others and wandered to a local bar for some signature cocktails that we had heard good things about. We enjoyed our drinks and the atmosphere, then said our goodbyes and headed for the metro.

Trying to get Goni packed

     Goni was heading home to Israel for a couple of weeks, so Joana, Nora, and I met up at her apartment to take some perishables from her fridge off her hands and to say goodbye. When her cab arrived, there were hugs all around and we wished her safe travels. A little saddened and not wanting to be alone, the three of us headed to a café for some coffee and a croissant. In front of our table, a huge queue was forming for a bakery right next door, so we decided that stopping in to buy this fabulous bread would be necessary for us to enjoy at our movie night later that day. We bought the delicious baguettes, said goodbye to Nora until later that evening, and headed back to our neighborhood. After finding an open grocery store for the remaining necessities for the evening (not an easy feat on a Sunday in Paris, seriously), we took our time walking home chatting about movies and life. I cut through the park on my way home to take in the fall colors and reflected on how grateful I was for my amazing friends. We've all bonded so quickly and Paris wouldn't feel homey without them.

Stroll through the park

     Later that evening, Nora and Joana came to my place and we mixed up some a healthy Tuna Greek salad to eat with our baguettes while we watched our movie. We stayed up chatting and watching New Girl until everyone was too tired to go anywhere, so like the precious co-dependent unit we are, we all crashed at my place. The next morning I made us coffee and breakfast and we hung out for a bit before going our separate ways to lay low the rest of the day.


A Priori The treats.

     On Tuesday, I was originally going to try to head to Amsterdam for a quick 2-3 day trip with Sara, but the train fare was more expensive than what we were planning so we opted to save it for another time when the fares were down. Instead, we decided to meet up for a coffee at a really cute little tea room at the Galerie Vivienne near the Palais Royale, a covered passage of shops and restaurants that were designed so that ladies in the 19th century could shop at their leisure regardless of the weather. I enjoyed a delicious scone and coffee while we caught up and dished all of the latest news and gossip. We wandered over to the Palais Royale to do some window shopping and then did some shopping for gifts and such near rue Saint Honore.


The Lovely Galerie Vivienne

     Nora was at home sick and Sara and I were hungry, so we decided to head to a bagel shop for some salted caramel bagels that Joana had told us about and Nora and I had been coveting and waiting to treat ourselves to for quite awhile. We enjoyed our bagels, I purchased an extra for my sick one, and we said our goodbyes for the evening. I picked up a few more supplies for Nora, dropped them by her place to check on her and say hello, and then headed home for the evening.
     Yesterday, the Hunger Games third movie was premiering here in France (two days sooner than the States, hoorah!) and since Nora was feeling a bit better, she Joana and I decided that we would definitely have to go. I booked our tickets online to be safe and we headed to the theater. The movie did not disappoint (I love them and the books, no judgments, they're awesome), and we were all hungry and wanting to unwind and process after the film. Having made her a convert the week before, Joana suggested Chipotle, so we found and walked to the nearest one. I was feeling all sorts of American after the film while eating my burrito and drinking my Corona and lime, but after almost three months abroad it was nice. The real talk with friends was also super lovely and comforting of course. We decided to head back towards home, and hit up the student bar for a night cap and to catch up with some friends.

Spoils from Albert

Cheers! Student Bar adventures.

     We ended up seeing Albert, Fernando, Joy, and Carla, and all sat around chatting over a drink. Albert then brought out some special Chinese alcohol that he had brought to share with us, so after getting the okay from the bartender and sharing a drink, we all tried our little tasters of Albert's present. Definitely interesting. So sweet of him to share with the team though. After hanging out awhile longer, we said our goodbyes and Joana and I walked back towards home together (we're basically neighbors if I hadn't already mentioned).
     Later today, the Champs Elysees Christmas lighting ceremony happens and Chef's DJ gig is happening after that, so excited to see what the day brings!

semaine onze.

     I spent the evening before my exam cleaning and ironing my uniform so that it would be spotless for inspection. On Thursday I woke up early to go over all of the recipes again to make sure that I was prepared regardless of what cake they threw at me. I had my favorites and my "not so excited if I have to make that dish" picks, but I wanted to be ready and optimistic. I packed up all of my things and walked to campus so I could clear my head and calm my nerves before the exam. The final counts for 45% of our grade for the term, so this one cake and technical dish was the equivalent of the previous 19...oh the pressure.


My Final exam dishes

     Hopeful and expectant for our dishes and our favorite Chef, my group made our way to the 2nd floor and anxiously waiting to enter the kitchen. Thankfully, we had our choice of kitchen, and two cakes that we were fully prepared for (for the majority at least). Half of our kitchen would make the Moka, and the other half (myself included) would make the Dacquoise. It's not extremely difficult from a technical standpoint, but since the cake has a meringue-y component to it and a buttercream frosting, it's insanely labor intensive due to the lack of machines. I would whisk my life away, but it was nothing I hadn't already done or could not handle. Once the initial nerves of the first 5 minutes passed, I had my technical dish together and the cake came together nicely. At the end of the day, I didn't love my decoration (piping wasn't perfect and I had made a better flower at home) but Chef gave me a side hug, said it was good, and I exhaled feeling confident that I had at least passed.
     We all left the kitchen, changed, I emptied my locker, and a group of us decided to head to the student bar for a couple of beers to celebrate. We had a really phenomenal group for our kitchen so it was fitting to cheers and celebrate a little together all that we had accomplished; phase one complete! Joana still had her Cuisine exam, so after a couple of drinks we left the bar and walked home together chatting and enjoying the stroll.
     I spent the next day helping a friend who'd had some troubles with her apartment and then worked on laundry and such after the exam. That evening, I met up with Nora and her friend visiting from Finland to bike over to a fellow student's apartment for a lovely, relaxed evening with a potluck and a little champagne to unwind. Cuisine and Pastry for Basic were complete so we could all breathe a sigh of relief, swap stories, and bond over our shared love, food. We said our goodnights and biked home before our adventures the next day.


Tagine from the Marais market

     I spent Saturday with Nora and her friend Mimi wandering the city. We went to the Marais and discovered a food market that had been closed in our previous visits. It has a bunch of restaurant stands; overwhelming and wonderful all at once. After settling on Moroccan, we ordered our food and settled in at a table to enjoy our meal. Needless to say it was amazing, and just the fuel we needed for the day ahead. We walked all over, shopping, window shopping, stopping for the obligatory eclairs so that Mimi could try them, and eventually parted ways for the evening.


Éclair Genie, round 2. Still worth it.

     On Sunday, Goni wanted us all to try an Israeli restaurant in the Marais with the fluffiest pitas I have ever tried. A large group of us feasted and enjoyed everyone's company with a few extra visitors from out of town. It was nice to not have to fret or stress over school at all. We all were in the mood for ice cream after our meal, so we slowly made our way to Berthillon for some cones (best in the city). Afterwards, Mimi Nora and I broke off from the group, wandered along the Seine a bit, and then I finally got to explore Shakespeare and Co. I had done a good job avoiding spending money in the previous days shopping, but books are impossible to resist. I have no shame in that. After fully appreciating and taking in the charm and history of the shop, I settled on three books and we all checked out with our purchases. (I'm not the only one unable to resist the draw of a good book).
     We continued to wander and window shopping a bit (a complete French favorite, they call it lèche-vitrine, or "licking the windows") before realizing we were wanting a warm beverage and treat, and we had landed ourselves back in Saint-Germain des Pres. Of course, our first thought was to head to Les Deux Magot for some Chocolat Chaud. Also quite famed and revered, the creamy delicious concoction was exactly what I needed and wanted. While Angelina is still my favorite, Les Deux Magots is up there for a close second.


Finnish cinnamon rolls

      We all went home for a couple of hours before everyone was coming to my place for a nice dinner in. Joana also had a friend in town from Portugal, so that evening the Joana's, Nora, and Mimi arrived and we had a salad, garlic bread, and Finnish cinnamon and vanilla rolls (we ate so many!). The meal was awesome, but mainly because of the company; it was lovely to host and have my friends over for a low key night together.


Love me some Laduree

     The next day, I slept in and lazily got ready at my place before I headed to the 6th to meet up with the girls. The four of them were wrapping up lunch at Cosi, and we decided to head to the nearby Laduree tea room for coffee. It was fun showing the visiting friends the charm of the area and the beauty of Paris...eating your way through the city one fabulous place to the next. Mimi had to leave to catch her flight, so she and Nora headed home but I stuck with the Joana's and wandered to the Luxembourg Gardens. We then spent the next couple of hours window shopping and slowly making our way to the Eiffel Tower because the girls had tickets to go to the top at 5:30.

Sooo much ramennn

     When we got to the base of the tower, Nora arrived at the exact same moment, so the two of us said our goodbyes to the Joana's and decided to head to Alex's to hang out for a bit before we all got together for dinner later in the evening. After a couple of hours catching up with Alex and making plans for a movie night the next day, we grabbed the metro to the 1st to meet up with Albert and the Joana's to try out a Japanese ramen restaurant that Albert wanted to show us. There was a pretty big queue to get into the restaurant (good sign for the food!) so Albert very sweetly went and bought all of us bubble tea to drink while we waited. The others had never had it before, so it was fun watching them enjoy their tea. Once we finally got inside, we enjoyed our massive portions of ramen. It was so good, and I was so sad that getting a doggy-bag was not an option, I definitely over ate to take in as much as possible but it was totally worth it. We'd be back, but next time we'd be smarter and split our meals. Sufficiently stuffed, we decided to walk to the Seine to enjoy the evening and digest our meal a little more. Once we crossed the river and got back to the Latin quarter, we said our goodbyes and called it a night.


Cemitiere Pere Lachaise

     Tuesday was a beautiful, sunny, crisp fall day and so I met up with the Joana's and we explored the Pere Lachaise Cemetery. It perhaps most famously has Jim Morrison's grave, but it also is the final resting place for Edith Piaf, Oscar Wilde, Proust, Chopin, and countless others including some haunting WWII memorials. It's extremely large and can be tricky to navigate, but it was well worth the visit. While it can seem morbid, in an odd way it humanized these great people and it was a great way to honor their memory, especially since it was a holiday here in France and Veteran's Day at home. It seemed fitting and lovely as we wandered the cobblestones in the fall light. After about 3 hours of meandering, we hopped on the metro and made our way to Canal Saint Martin.


Pizza pizza!

     We showed Joana the charm of the neighborhood before heading to an Italian place where we each enjoyed our own personal Nora joined in and was so enticed, she ordered a pie for herself as well. We chatted and hung out awhile longer and then Nora and I stopped at a grocery store to pick up some supplies for our movie night at Alex's.
     I went home to prep the salad I was bringing for our dinner and then biked up to join the team for some wine cheese and charcuterie to go with our meal. We devoured our salads while laughing along to the Producer's (Alex's favorite) only taking a brief intermission for some chocolate bananas courtesy of Nora for dessert. When the movie ended, we cleaned up, chatted, and said our goodbyes with plans for more movie nights in the future.
     I spent most of today at home relaxing and reading after a busy few days. Tomorrow is the graduation ceremony for Basic, and then it's all free time until January! With so much in just these last few days of break, who knows what the next two months will bring. Madness.






semaine dix.

Chocolate Pistachio Cake

     Last Thursday, I was able to sleep in before heading to campus for my Pistachio Chocolate cake prac. We had a different Chef that we had never had before for Practical and I found him to be very helpful. He gave us lots of great tips and tricks about how to prepare for the final exam, checking on and removing cakes from the oven in a professional kitchen, and time management. Making the cakes went pretty smoothly, and once they were assembled and in the freezer, we began to set up the two stations for glazing. Chef had a very particular system that he wanted us to use, and also photo examples from other students of to do's and not to do's on his iPad. With trepidation, we all nervously stepped up and took our turns glazing. There were some hiccups and bumps in the road, but overall it went fairly smoothly. We all had to remind ourselves that we were just glazing cakes, no one's life was on the line, the nerves could wait. I was actually quite pleased with my final product, I managed to glaze without any major mishaps. I'd also been pretty sick all week, and by the end of prac had essentially no voice. My friend Albert promised to bring me Chinese herb candies for my throat the next day. So sweet this LCB bunch!
     Since it was evening when we were done and my cold had forced me to live like a hermit all week, Joana and I changed and met up with Nora in the Winter Garden (she had also had practical that afternoon) and decided to check out the infamous student bar a few blocks from campus. Aptly named, it's essentially the McClaren's (HIMYM anyone?) of LCB students. Cheap beer, friendly staff, and a constant influx of fellow students make it the perfect place to unwind at the end of the day. The moment we walked in we were greeted by the smiling owner announcing in French, "The girls, champagne for the girls please!" I was sold. (We didn't really get champs on the house, but with a welcome and intro including bubbles, I knew this was a good spot, he got us.) Nora, Joana, and I sat with our friend Gretel chatting about life and school for a couple of hours before parting ways and heading home.
     We had early morning demo the next day (which also happened to be Halloween!) where we would be learning how to make Alhambra, another layered and chocolate glazed cake. Before heading into demo, true to his word Albert called me over and offered me the Chinese herbs as promised. Not only did they help, my spirit was lifted by my incredibly thoughtful friends who were looking out for me and helping to take care of me. Pretty spoiled by this bunch, what can I say?


Chef's personalized B-Day cake :D

     The demo continued to restore my faith in humanity when we all wished and sang one of the girls a Happy Birthday (standard practice and tradition with our group,) but Chef proceeded to decorate one of the cakes especially for her. It may seem small, but we were all incredibly touched by his thoughtfulness while watching him put that together. So much kindness.


Halloween hijinks w.Goni

     After demo a big group of us changed and walked over to a little Lebanese sandwich shop to pick up some lunch. The wait was fairly long (mainly due to us taking over, we tend to mob places and it was only one guy working) but the sandwiches were cheap, delicious, and exactly what we needed. Once we were fed, the most of the group returned for class (Cuisine) and I went to a little shop to pick up some necessities for our Orange and Black themed Halloween shindig later that night (easier than costumes on short notice). I met up with Joana in the evening to get ready and we trammed up to Alex's for the party. We had a good time hanging out and playing games, and ventured out a little later to meet up with some other friends from school, but pretty soon after Joana, Nora, and I called it a night and crashed back at Nora's place which was nearby.


Obligatory bike selfie.

View from Belleville <3

Our delish & healthy picnic

Who could resist?

     We woke up the next day to a beautiful sunny, warm day and decided to take advantage. We had also made a pact the night before that we would make this month "Get it Together November", a.k.a., less fattening foods and more biking everywhere to get back in shape. So after parting ways to shower and get ready, we coordinated at my place, rented bikes, and set off for a healthy picnic at Parc de Belleville which has a fabulous view overlooking the city (and bonus, and uphill bike ride to get there, more exercise, yay!). After a lovely ride (seriously, it was in the high 60s, low 70s in November!!) and amazing picnic, we biked into the Marais to wander around. We spent an epic evening shopping, drinking cappuccino, and allowing ourselves a stop at the éclair genie, (we'd stumbled upon it and biked over 25k, one éclair that we'd been hearing about for weeks couldn't hurt!). After our treats and a bit more window shopping, we were in need of some real food, so we biked to the 6th for our favorite delicious cheap eats at Cosi. After devouring our salads, we biked back home and said our goodbyes until the next day. (If we weren't already, our epic day and pact had solidified our friendship and we were now conjoined at the hip.)

Cosi salad yummmm.

     Sunday we woke up with plans to meet and bike to Canal Saint Martin (where Amelie skips rocks in the film), an area of the city none of us had yet explored but had wanted to for quite some time. Our final exam was coming up the next week and I had read about a café in the neighborhood that was a "must visit" so we grabbed our notes and biked there. Alex was going to meet us at the café, so while he metro'd our way, we did a little shopping and wandering taking in the charm of the Canal. It's quaint and wonderful and full of charm, just like the rest of the city, but with it's own identity (just like the rest of the neighborhoods, yay Paris!).


Craft Noisette.

     We finally settled in at Craft with delicious coffees that tasted like home (excellent coffee, Hallelujah!) and started going over our notes once Alex joined. We studied for a couple of hours until the place closed, and then decided that we should finish up our study session somewhere with space and good eats. Which is how we convinced Alex to join us on the bikes and had dinner at Cosi for the second night in a row. Yay salads, they'll know us by name by the end of this thing.


My Alhambra

    Monday I had my last normal practical of Basic (where does the time go!?) and made my Alhambra. We had the same Chef that we'd had for the Pistachio log cake and had even more of a rhythm. He was pleased with our time management, and despite the added trickiness of glazing a square shaped cake evenly, it went better than the time before (a few less nerves). Chef gave me a solid score and appreciated the décor which felt like a good way to end before the exam. After snapping a few pics to commemorate the occasion in the Winter Garden with friends and giving away my cake, (Get it Together November) I headed home before the final demo the next day.


Cheers! Final demo with my loves.

     Tuesday afternoon I arrived at campus to find my friends in a post-celebratory-final-Cuisine-demo-champagne-toast jovial mood. There was definite excitement in the air as we wandered into the demo room for our last class before the exam. Chef would be making a Chocolate-Bergamot mousse cake with orange crisp (the list of ingredients alone took up an entire page) but we wouldn't be making the cake ourselves in practical since the exam would be our 20th and final time in the kitchen for Basic. Once Chef completed the recipes, we all enjoyed the spoils as well as our own champagne toast taking pictures and soaking it all in. It was fun to celebrate a bit before the stress of the exam fully set in.


Final demo of Basic!

    Once we'd changed, a group of us met up in the Winter Garden and headed over to Chipotle (my first American fair since the move, sue me, sometimes you just need a burrito!) to finish up comparing notes and studying for the final exam. The school gives you a list of 10 potential dishes from the course and on the day of the exam, you will have to make one of them without notes. While the ingredients and quantities are provided, knowing how to execute is all on us, so studying consists of talking through the recipes while giving each other tips and tricks.
    A few hours later, we were sufficiently full and the restaurant was closing, so we said our goodbyes until Thursday (tomorrow) which is exam day. Today, I stayed home, practicing a couple of the trickier recipes I hadn't gone over in a bit, some piping and decorating techniques, and practiced making marzipan roses just in case. Tomorrow, exam day!!