Last year, you may recall reading that Michael and I went to the Salon de l'Agriculture at a convention center here in Paris. In case you don't remember, let's just say we had a bit of a sensory overload - mostly I think because we had no idea what a massively and insanely French urban-rural experience it actually is. So it came a bit of a surprise to me that I ended up back at the Salon not once, but twice this year, all in the space of a few days. The first occasion was on the opening day of the event, which we agreed to attend at the suggestion of some friends who had never gone; the second was as an 'educational' field trip organized through work by the French Ministry of Agriculture. I have to say that we had a way better time this year. Both because we knew what to expect and were prepared for massive rooms of prize-winning cows, throngs of people, and French politicians wandering around with camera crews in tow. But mostly because of this: Best. Goat. Experience. EVER! I mean, look at this 12-day old cutie!! I had only originally gone up to pet the little guy, but I think the farmer saw the look of absolute joy on my face and called me back over and handed Mr goat right over to me. He was so soft, and put his head right on my shoulder and whispered a little 'meeeeh' in my ear. I died. I wonder how our neighbors would take to having a pet goat in the building?!
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Whether you love Valentine's Day or you hate it, we are all wired to love sugar. So what better excuse could there be to hold a themed party / baking competition with a bunch of ex-pats? One of the girls who I work with is posted to the US Mission to the OECD, and invited M and I over to their V-day bake off bash. All guests were invited to bring baked goods, which were voted on for the following categories:
If you look closely at the pictures above, you just might see a fondant homage to Lorena (which won most scandalous), a few heart-shaped cakes, and some homemade chocolate chip cookies, which we brought and won for most delicious! Thanks for the training, Mom :)
I have been dreaming of traveling to Istanbul for years. Everyone who I have ever met who has been there says - to a person - how magical and romantic a city it is. Surely that many people can't be wrong, right? While February isn't exactly the ideal time of year to travel to Istanbul (it was actually colder than Paris), you can now add me and Michael to the long list of people who are captivated by this intoxicating city. It all started two weeks ago when my boss asked if I could cover a work meeting that he could no longer attend in Istanbul the following Monday. We had just gotten back from Dublin, and I was exhausted and still recovering from burning the Irish candle at both ends, but it wasn't even a question in my mind whether or not I'd take the trip - and of course I immediately started searching for cheap flights for my life-partner-in-crime. So less than a week from our epic trip to Dublin, we were again awake in the wee hours of Saturday morning, in two different taxis headed for two different airports in Paris to catch two separate flights bound for two different airports in Istanbul. Once we finally met up at the hotel, we immediately headed back out to the Grand Bazar... And it was glorious. I've been to a number of covered and open-air markets over the years in the Middle East and Asia, but I've never seen or felt anything like this. Maybe it was that I had been dreaming of this city for so long, and couldn't believe I was actually standing in the halls of the Grand Bazar. I mean, the oldest part of this place was built in 1456! And those lamps! And that ceiling! And the mint tea at the Fez Cafe! We walked around, lost in the warmth of history. The next day (Sunday), we headed back out to the historic district. Starting with the majestic Blue Mosque, known to locals as the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, which was built between 1609 and 1616. It is still an active mosque, so the visiting hours are scheduled around prayer time. There are so many mosques in Istanbul (over 3,000!), that when it is time for the call to prayer, voices echoes through the streets in an apparent response to one another in perfect discordant harmony. It's hauntingly beautiful. Across the square from the Blue Mosque is the Hagia Sophia, or in Turkish, Aya Sophia. It was originally built in 537, and was the Eastern Orthodox cathedral of Constantinople up until 1453 when the Ottoman Turks conquered the city and it was converted into a mosque. For over 1000 years, it was the world's largest cathedral. In the 1930s, the building was secularized and turned into a museum. Visiting the Hagia Sophia today, you can still see remnants from both Christian and Muslim influence. Moving along, we headed to the Topkapi Palace, where the Ottoman Sultans lived back in the day. Situated on a hill just beyond Hagia Sophia, the Palace is definitely best seen when it's a bit warmer to enjoy the views over the Bosphorus without freezing your arse off; but it was super impressive nevertheless. Especially the Harem. Which is decorated from floor to ceiling with tiled mosaic. I kind of want to live there. The last tourist stop of our day was to the Basilica Cistern, which was built during the reign of Emperor Justinian in 532 to supply water to the Great Palace. As the name invokes, the underground water reservoir feels like a subterranean cathedral. They say it's great to visit on a warm summer day in Istanbul - but we found it a peaceful refuge from the cold rain of a winter afternoon as well. You can find more photos from our trip to Istanbul here. I leave you with this infectious ditty, which I found myself humming throughout our trip :) Last year, Michael found out that his favorite singer/songwriter was planning his first tour around Europe - but not to Paris. Within 30 minutes of checking his tour schedule, we had found cheap flights, bought concert tickets, and had a short weekend planned to Dublin to see Ryan Bingham on Saturday, 31 January, 2015. Our trip to Dublin this past weekend started in the dark, early morning hours of Saturday in a taxi, then a bus, followed by a low-budget flight from Beauvais/Paris Airport (super not in Paris) to Dublin; then another bus ride in Ireland from the airport into Dublin. Despite how awful this all sounds, it was a surprisingly painless trip. When we landed in Dublin, we were beside ourselves with excitement at being back in an Anglophone country. I need to ask for directions? No problem! Do I understand side conversations going on around me? I sure do! Living in Paris, it's easy to forget how much of the time I spend "outside" with my guard up; never sure that if someone comes up to me I'm going to be able to understand them, and if I do, if I'll be able to say something semi-intelligent back. It's exhausting. And this was our first time in over a year enjoying the freedom of being a native speaker. Since we were only in town for two days, we hit the ground running. In order of appearance, we spent a few cooold but sunny days visiting:
Now let's talk about the music. Dublin is a city whose heart beats the sound of a song. Around every corner, and in every bar, there is live music pouring into the streets. I remember this vividly from my first trip to Ireland. The Ryan Bingham concert that started this whole adventure was incredible. The venue was small, and we got there early enough to score front row seats in the balcony. It was one of those experiences where the musician is on stage singing your favorite songs, and filling in the pieces with stories behind them. We had seen him twice when we lived in DC, and are already plotting where we'll go next time he comes through Europe on tour ;) After the concert, we took our music-high selves down to Temple Bar to try our luck at finding some good, classic Irish bar drinking songs. The Quay Bar did not disappoint. We closed it down late on Saturday night, sipping a glass of Jameson and knowing that life and Ireland were well and good that day. You can find more pictures from our trip here.
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AuthorBecause why not get married and move to Paris to really kick off your thirties? Archives
December 2016
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