So We are Moving to Paris: 2013

A Chateau Fit for a King

Nicolas Fouquet hired famous architecture Louis la Vau, landscape architect André le Notre, and decorator/painter Charles Le Brun to build Vaux le Vicomte. This trifecta of creative geniuses constructed a chateau fit for a king.

Once built, Fouquet and his wife, threw lavish parties showing off the newly renovated estate. One such party, which included a new play by Molière and ended with fireworks, was attended by King Louis XIV. He was impressed that one man could create such a grand residence.

Haute Coutre - en chocolat of course.

Autumn is my favorite season in France, because it marks the start of the salons (expositions). This is the time of year when there are frequent events where artisans come together to show off their creativity and foodies indulge. These salons range from large, international expositions to ones organized by small local groups. All have food finds waiting to be discovered.

Thomas and I try to take full advantage of these events to discover the flavors of our new home. Friday, Thomas and I went to the Salon du Chocolat. In two week we'll head to the Salon du Vignerons Indépendents (independent wine makers). And we are holding our breaths for Salon Saveurs where artisans who make all the good accoutrements that together make up a wonderful evening (prosciutto, cheese, wine, and chocolates).

Autumnal weather has returned. The air is crisp. The lighting is warm. Looming, cumulus clouds contrast against the deep azure sky. These types of days are perfect for enjoying the outdoors. Being the first Sunday of the month (when select museums are free to the public), we decided to try to find a participating museum outside of Paris. Today's destination- The Rodin Museum in Meudon- a 20 minute drive from our 'hood.

On the streets where we live

It's summer in France. Last week it meant 97 degree weather in a country that does not believe in air condition. This week it means that anyone with means have made their way out of town. In my opinion and weather permitting, early August is France has the best. You have the streets all to your self. Last Sunday afternoon, I took a walk through our little town of Garches. Below are some of the scenes I saw along the way.

Street from our house to the center of town.

Porches parked along the street in the business area of Garches.

The church in the town square.

The gates to park in front of city hall.

100th Tour de France

This afternoon at the Chateau of Versailles, the one hundred and seventy riders of the 100th Tour de France began their final leg. Thomas and I took advantage of this sunny (albeit hot) afternoon to find a spot on the route between Versailles and the finish at the Arc de Triomphe. Fearful of the lack of parking and road blocks to the venue because of the race, we decided to take public transportation to Versailles. So instead of being a 20 minute drive, it was an hour trek from our home in Garches to the Chateau. The race was supposedly to begin at 16h00, so we found ourselves a good view location a half mile from the start at 15h30. At 16h15, a friend at the starting line texted us that the riders were just getting off the bus. After another hour, the yellow jersey finally appeared. It was exhilarating. It was exciting. And a minute later, it was a mere memory. Despite the fleeting nature of the moment, it was worth it though. We were two feet from the winner. It was amazing how accessible the tour is. Tickets for the French Open, France's famous tennis tournament, are near impossible to get. But if you want to see a part of the Tour de France, you only need to find a spot along the route. Today was a good France day.

Fresh air

I am not a city girl. Give me fresh air, outdoor living, and scenic views. This vacation has reminded me how much I favor nature over urban landscapes. For the past week, we've spent most of our time outdoors- we eat outside; we walk to town; we go on hikes. I take deep breaths hoping to keep some of the fresh air with me when we return to Paris.

Thomas had to do some convincing to get me to take a holiday in July. I still have the US mentality of all work and no play. I am glad that I gave in. Chamonix, France, located in South Eastern France close to the border of Italy and Switzerland, is a wonderous place. The towering peaks that cradle the valley are mesmerizing. The glaciers that are nestled in the wedges created by the mountains can been seen from every corner of town. A thirty minute walk in any direction will get you to a trail head. There is only one butcher in town, but the restaurants are good and not terribly expensive or crowded. Things might be different during the ski season, since this is one of France's oldest ski resorts. I can tell you that the summers are a perfect getaway for those of us who find cities too crowded. Chamonix is proof that France does have space. It's just not in Paris.

The dining area.

Mer de glace. France's longest glacier (4.3 miles/7 km long).

On the hiking trail "Rendez-vous avec le mer de glace" (Date with the glacier "mer de glace" ). Perfect name since the glacier is constantly in view as you hike the trail.

Mont Blanc

We are at Chamonix on our first European vacation. Thomas is attempting to climb Mt Blanc (his second of the seven summits). I'm along for the ride. To make sure I'm not spending the days while he is on his mountaineering trip alone, we invited another family. Thomas found a beautiful Chalet at the base of the mountain. When we are not out enjoying Chamonix, we are on the terrace mesmerized by the Midi de Aguille and Mount Blanc (peaks on this mountain range). We watch the clouds roll in. We watch the gondola climb up the mountain. Life is not bad at the moment.

Sunday, Thomas and I took the gondola up to the top of Aiguille du Midi. It's where mere mortals like me make it to the top of a mountain. It is also where Thomas will start his trips up to Mount Blanc.
Words cannot accurately express the magnificence of Europe's highest mountain. I won't even try, but will let the photos speak for themselves.

View from the side porch of the chalet.

Aiguille du Midi from the house.

On Aiguille du Midi. Watching climbers make their way down the ridge.

View from Aiguille du Midi.

Thomas preparing for his own expedition.

Sunset view.

River of snow melt on our easy 15km hike today.

Fêtes de l'été (summer parties)

It seems with the start of the summer solstice the French look for any excuse to have outdoor music in their parks. Thankfully the weather has finally started to cooperate to make that possible. Last week Thomas and I had a chance to attend two outdoor parties. One was for work which featured three bands, catered food, and a nonstop wine bar. This party was high class with folks dressed like what you would imagine in the European place (designer clothes and fashionable shoes). The set was over the top. There were mini cheeseburgers, pasta bars, a candy table for the kids and an ice cream stand. The highlight of the evening for me was the twenty piece swing band. One of the better evenings this summer - drink in hand, Thomas by my side, and hanging out on the steps of a chateau listening to big band music in France.

The other party was a town festival celebrating Saint John the Baptist. Apparently, all over Europe (and Quebec) people celebrate Saint John on the solstice by building a bonfire on hilltops. The town party didn't seem to have any religious connotations, but there was a big bonfire at the end, as well as outdoor music and fire works. I've been searching for that small town feel, which is a bit hard when you town has 16,000 inhabitants. The fete helped. It was organized in a small park. Families and other Garchoises attended. We met a neighbor and watched some musicians from the local music conservatory. The night ended with an impressive firework display. Thomas and I left at this point. We did not wait for the pile of wooden crates to be set alight.

Parks in France are spectacular displays of topiary artistry. Add good weather, outdoor music, a loved one or two, and delectable dishes, and you transcend into a space of sensory eudaimonia.

work party. big band music.

There are times when I can't believe I work someplace that has this as part of its head quarters (don't work in this building though)

Fire works display.

French weather: B-, but French parks: A+

I have to keep reminding myself that we are in June. Last weekend was so cold, that I wore jeans, a fleece pullover, and scarf (although the scarf was more of a fashion accessory rather than a weather related consideration). The temperature barely went above 60 degrees (F), and it rained off and on for most of the weekend. Despite the gloom, the weather didn't stop us from exploring more of France.

This weekend we went to Saint-Germain-en-Laye, another western suburb. It was a royal town. being residences to many french monarchs, and during world war two was the head quarters of the Germany Army. We went there for the parks that are often associated with the chateaus. The chateau now houses an archaeology museum. We passed on the museum this time around since next weekend is the first Sunday of the month (meaning museums in France are free). We were ambivalent about it so the seven euro entrance fee was enough of a reason to skip it.

The garden, technically it's a national forest, itself was plenty to keep us occupied. We covered only one small corner of the 48 square kilometer forest. It was the section next to the museum. As it happens, there was an open air exposition in the garden. The dreary cold weather added to the ambiance to the outdoor art work. The art was dreamy french romantic. There was a bed fit for a queen floating in one of the fountains. Stark white two dimensional "statutes" shaped like children were positioned throughout the park like the historical one common in traditional french gardens. It was a delight.

The city itself wasn't too shabby either. With several Michelin rated restaurants, we'll certainly be back for further explorations.

On a culinary note, our quest for Mexican food took us back to Marly le Roi. We noticed Casa Rosa, a restaurant with enchiladas and burritos on the menu. With a menu at french prices we had high hopes for the place. Those were dashed the minute we sat down. Before walking in I had imagine Guapos - a friendly neighborhood restaurant active with diners, families, and tortilla makers. Casa Rosa was quite. The staff was as friendly which made up for the less than spicy meals. They got the plates correct - fajitas, burritos, enchilada, and chili with a few extras like hamburger. The sliver lining was the margaritas. Good to know that mix drinks translate well in any culture.

Unplug

Life in France is a little less plugged in. Obviously we still have internet and mobile phones, but we don't have a TV. We are more likely to enjoy a day at the park than inside a shopping mall or movie theater.

Lucky for us, parks are what the French do well. Some are private while others are public. Some are part of chateaus while others are just part of the urban landscape.

We finally had a beautiful day this weekend. Thomas and I packed ourselves a little picnic lunch and headed to Versailles. During the off season, the gardens are free. We spent many outings walking around the garden. The park is a little less green and the statues are covered in the winter time, but it is still nice to wander around. Weekends during the summer the fountains are turned on, but now there is an entrance fee. Unfortunately for us, they stop the water during lunch time (from 12-3:30, the fountains aren't running). Next time, we'll get there earlier to enjoy the water "show".Also during the summer, classical music is piped in throughout the garden. As we strolled through the gardens on this beautiful summers day, I thought to myself that this is what I imagined our life in France would be like: Thomas and I meandering through the park, walking through a maze of well manicured bushes of the formal garden, past marble statues while Chopin played in the background. Life is good.

Fresh

It's been exactly one year since I moved to France. Obviously there have been many changes, but one of the most delightful has been the evolution of our culinary habits. We went from eating out multiple nights a week to making our own pizza - sauce and dough included!

Part of the change has been due to necessity. Our little town has three friendly, but mediocre restaurants. We have a great market with high quality meats, vegetables, cheeses and breads, but we have the occasional craving for American food. We have had to resort to making those things we miss, and ventured into re-creating dishes we've discovered here. The French also use less preservatives even in their processed foods leading us to buy less food and shop more often. And if we are going to shop for everything on a weekly basis, then we might as well buy fresh ingredients and make things ourselves.

It is surprisingly easy to make things from scratch. I think there is only marginally more effort, but there is definitely more clean up. Worth it though, because you can taste the difference. We make pizza dough from scratch, the sauce as well adding herbs from our little window herb garden. Today, I had a craving for cup cakes, so I made carrot cake with honey cream cheese frosting (the recipe is for maple frosting, but I didn't have maple syrup. I had honey so I used that instead). Instead of opening a box cake mix, I just mixed the dry ingredients myself -- easy as, well, cake. Things might be different if we had kids demanding our time and attention. But we don't, so we indulge in good eating, good wine, and the luxury of living in France.

We've tried good restaurants every now and again, but more and more people (french and long term expats) tell us that it is really hard to find a good restaurant that is worth the money. Our restaurant outings however are good for discovering good wines that we might not hear about otherwise.

I'm still deciding if the French museums are any better than those in DC. They are plentiful around here, and the French take their culture and history seriously. The museums and cultural sites are as plentiful as their vineyards. And like restaurants it is best to do some research before going to those off the beaten path. They are rarely free (unless it's the first Sunday of the month), and some are not worth the entrance fee.

All in all we are enjoying our lives here in France. We've met some extraordinary people. Sampled some good wine. We are still working on the language. Thomas has progressed enough to be able to scold the woman at the Marie for not being helpful. And my level is where it was when I finished grad school. The dogs are adjusting well, although I am pretty sure Scout prefers the US (more grassy spots there). But she is slowly getting used to the new life. I still don't understand why the French do certain things, but I've learned to just let it pass and move on. Because ici, c'est comme ça.

Herbs from our window box herb garden.

Herbs for the homemade breakfast sausage.

Carrot cake with honey cream cheese icing -- all from scratch.

Homemade pizza with roasted eggplant and broccoli - everything from scratch.

Mont Saint Michel

There are four bank holidays in France during the month of May. While this does little for productivity, it gives us ample opportunity to discover more of the country. Last week, Thomas and I decided to take advantage of the five day weekend to visit Mont Saint Michel in Normandy.

Mont Saint Michel is an abbey built on a small rocky island a kilometer from the coast. Legend has it that the Archangel Michael told the bishop of a nearby city to build a church at this location. After the revolution, the abbey was closed and converted to prison. It has since been converted back into an abbey.

The island boasts 44 inhabitants but 3.5 million yearly visitors. Being only 247 acres in size, the island gets quite crowded during the high season. The narrow passage ways were congested with tourists last week, but we navigated through the maze of steep staircases up to the abbey rather than up the main narrow road. We passed a few people along this route, but it was not nearly the mobs of tourists we encountered on our way down from the abbey.

That said, while there are some hotels on the island, maneuvering through these streets with your luggage doesn't sound like a good way to start a vacation. We opted to stay in a bed and breakfast in Plouer Sur Rance, a small town (three restaurants small) that was an easy thirty minute drive to Mont Saint Michel and a 20 minute drive to Dinan - a quaint medieval with restaurants and a historic quarter to explore.

The bed and breakfast was run by a charming British couple who moved to Brittany twenty years ago after closing down their shop in Paris. They were the best part of the bed and breakfast. Each morning and afternoon, while the beagles enjoyed their expansive garden, Rosemary would chat with us. We found out wonderful details about the bed and breakfast -- The old barn used to be their brocante (antiques) shop; they have a small apiary in the backyard that produced the honey we had for breakfast; they have two pet tortoises that live in the backyard; the neighbor who owned the chateau behind the house was someone implicated in the Bernie Madoff scandal. For me, part of the joy of travelling is encountering people who have taken a different path in life and hearing about their experiences.