Heya~ well I've been in Dordogne for about a week and a half now, and obviously the blog entries have kinda stopped... It's not really my fault, it's the weather. Fabulous autumn weather happening here, cool weather with brilliant sunshine hanging low in the sky. I swear, the next day it rains, there will be some updates happening, including:
~ Robuchon dinner
~ last day in Paris with Lindsay
~ my first week and a half in Dordogne with a photo tour of the "farm" I'm at
~ a meal I had at an Auberge near here
and hopefully some more...
October 26, 2011
October 16, 2011
Day 6
Today started with a good sleep-in, followed by butter and sugar in the form of croissants and macarons.
Lindsay and I headed to St. Germain & the Latin quarter and tracked down Pierre Herme and Laduree. Laduree is the shop that made macarons famous (theirs are basically the most well-known). Pierre Herme is supposed to be the first shop aside from Laduree to make them. His macarons are the most expensive in the city and are regarded as the best macarons by some.
We chose plain croissants at both places, and had Herme's chocolate macarons and Laduree's vanilla ones. The croissant at Pierre Herme was, by far, the best croissant I have ever had in my life. It was crisp on the outside and so buttery that it left some butter behind on my fingers. The macaron was good, though I felt like it was more about the filling than the cookie and kinda felt like I was eating a lump of ganache~ delicious, but not really what I was going for. Laduree's croissant was definitely good, but was less crisp than our first croissant. Their macarons, on the other hand, was my favorite from all the different shops we visited so far. It had just the right amount of filling and wasn't too sweet.
Lindsay and I headed to St. Germain & the Latin quarter and tracked down Pierre Herme and Laduree. Laduree is the shop that made macarons famous (theirs are basically the most well-known). Pierre Herme is supposed to be the first shop aside from Laduree to make them. His macarons are the most expensive in the city and are regarded as the best macarons by some.
We chose plain croissants at both places, and had Herme's chocolate macarons and Laduree's vanilla ones. The croissant at Pierre Herme was, by far, the best croissant I have ever had in my life. It was crisp on the outside and so buttery that it left some butter behind on my fingers. The macaron was good, though I felt like it was more about the filling than the cookie and kinda felt like I was eating a lump of ganache~ delicious, but not really what I was going for. Laduree's croissant was definitely good, but was less crisp than our first croissant. Their macarons, on the other hand, was my favorite from all the different shops we visited so far. It had just the right amount of filling and wasn't too sweet.
October 15, 2011
Day 5
Today was a major sleep-in day. Didn't get up until nearly noon. Hopefully that means the last of adjusting to the time difference is over.
Spent the day shopping in the area by les Halles~ the area is kinda dominated by national and international chains, but it's worth mentioning that the international chains offer different stuff over here than at home. After a few purchases were made, we grabbed some sandwiches and wandered over to a church to eat. We found the church sorta by accident. No idea what it was called~ there was a sign but I can't remember what it said... St. Mustache is what's popping into my head, but obviously that's wrong. All I know is that there was a giant deer head under the crucified Jesus at the very top, and it was fairly gothic looking.
We also went on a hunt for cupcakes today. It was fruitless... or should I say cakeless?
Dear Business Owners:
When you change addresses, it's important to change your google map and the address listed on the contact page for your website rather than just putting a random news bulletin on your website. It's helpful for the people who are trying to find you.
Imperative even.
Love,
Charity
Dinner tonight was a tasting menu at the fabulous L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon. Nine courses, all amazing. No details just yet. Too full to do much of anything else.
Spent the day shopping in the area by les Halles~ the area is kinda dominated by national and international chains, but it's worth mentioning that the international chains offer different stuff over here than at home. After a few purchases were made, we grabbed some sandwiches and wandered over to a church to eat. We found the church sorta by accident. No idea what it was called~ there was a sign but I can't remember what it said... St. Mustache is what's popping into my head, but obviously that's wrong. All I know is that there was a giant deer head under the crucified Jesus at the very top, and it was fairly gothic looking.
We also went on a hunt for cupcakes today. It was fruitless... or should I say cakeless?
Dear Business Owners:
When you change addresses, it's important to change your google map and the address listed on the contact page for your website rather than just putting a random news bulletin on your website. It's helpful for the people who are trying to find you.
Imperative even.
Love,
Charity
Dinner tonight was a tasting menu at the fabulous L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon. Nine courses, all amazing. No details just yet. Too full to do much of anything else.
October 14, 2011
Day 4
So, we went to Versailles today, did a lot, I mean A LOT, of walking.
Getting there took a little longer than anticipated, mostly because we missed a train while trying to buy water from a vending machine. The train runs above ground most of the way, through what I guess is suburbs.
Despite the fact there were approximately 5 million people there when we arrived, the line to get into the chateau moved pretty fast, and before we knew it, we were standing in the castle. We toured the inside, following the shuffle of tourists through the State apartments, the King's chambers, the Queen's chambers, the Hall of Mirrors, etc. Decided to go outside and that's when the walking started. We were going to rent a tandem bike, but they were out of them so we opted to hoof it over to the Grand Trianon and Petite Trianon. Had planned to explore Marie Antoinette' estate, hamlet, and farm, but took a wrong turn somewhere and ended up looping the long way around the grand canal instead. We figure we did about 5 miles. It was cool though~ it was a really nice day, the gardens there are really pretty, especially with the late blooming flowers and the leaves just starting to change colour.
We found good food today! We wandered out of Versailles past the place we were going to eat by mistake, so we decided to turn down a side street and see what we could find in the town. €4.50 sandwiches was what we found... Actually, 1/2 baguettes. Mine had cured ham, pickles and butter on it. Lindsay's had regular ham, mayo, tomatoes and lettuce. We washed the sandwiches down with a couple Heinekens. I gotta say, $18 CAD for 2 giant sandwiches and 2 beer sitting outside at a cafe is not bad at all.
Lindsay's quotes of the day:
"So what if we just went down a path that nobody thought to go down before and we found something... like a crown!"
"Was the first Big Mac made in France?"
Getting there took a little longer than anticipated, mostly because we missed a train while trying to buy water from a vending machine. The train runs above ground most of the way, through what I guess is suburbs.
Despite the fact there were approximately 5 million people there when we arrived, the line to get into the chateau moved pretty fast, and before we knew it, we were standing in the castle. We toured the inside, following the shuffle of tourists through the State apartments, the King's chambers, the Queen's chambers, the Hall of Mirrors, etc. Decided to go outside and that's when the walking started. We were going to rent a tandem bike, but they were out of them so we opted to hoof it over to the Grand Trianon and Petite Trianon. Had planned to explore Marie Antoinette' estate, hamlet, and farm, but took a wrong turn somewhere and ended up looping the long way around the grand canal instead. We figure we did about 5 miles. It was cool though~ it was a really nice day, the gardens there are really pretty, especially with the late blooming flowers and the leaves just starting to change colour.
We found good food today! We wandered out of Versailles past the place we were going to eat by mistake, so we decided to turn down a side street and see what we could find in the town. €4.50 sandwiches was what we found... Actually, 1/2 baguettes. Mine had cured ham, pickles and butter on it. Lindsay's had regular ham, mayo, tomatoes and lettuce. We washed the sandwiches down with a couple Heinekens. I gotta say, $18 CAD for 2 giant sandwiches and 2 beer sitting outside at a cafe is not bad at all.
Lindsay's quotes of the day:
"So what if we just went down a path that nobody thought to go down before and we found something... like a crown!"
"Was the first Big Mac made in France?"
October 13, 2011
Day 3
Today we went to the Louvre. Seriously if you ever go there, go early in the day. It just gets more and more congested with tourists the later it gets. The pack of people who want to see the Mona Lisa is ridiculous. Aside from the grief associated with large groups of people, we had a great time. There was lots of awesome Renaissance sculpture to see, as well as a few of my favorite Botticelli pieces, and ancient stuff from Mesopotamia and Egypt.
After a few hours browsing famous art, we headed outside to the Jardin Des Tuilleries and sat down for a bit. Lindsay dumped her Pringles everywhere by accident, so she fed them to the birds~ not the pigeons though, she wants to kick the pigeons. We saw the Eiffle Tower for the first time (well, her first time, my first time this trip). We snapped some photos with it in the background and I put my hand in poop.
I thought we should head to Pierre Herme for some macarons, so I lead us back and forth on Rue Du Rivoli for like 1/2 hour, not realizing that the map I looked at was totally wrong, and we were nowhere near the place. Finally we just gave up and went to Hugo&Victor instead. They're known for their crazy patisserie items, but were sold out of most of them, so we just got macarons. Totally different texture than any I have had before, with a texture that was almost cakey for the shell... anyhow, we're going to try to hit Pierre Herme before we go to the Eiffle Tower on Monday night.
After that, I was getting pretty hungry (can't just fill up on sugary treats), so we hopped on the metro to go to L'As Du Falafel in the Marais district... here's the thing. Marais is a pretty hardcore Jewish neighborhood, and Sukkot started today. So they were closed, and we didn't have falafel. Fail. I'll reattempt a visit when I'm back in December because Sukkot lasts 8 days so we won't get another chance while Lindsay is here.
I thought the next best thing to an awesome falafel sandwich would be a trip to Bowfinger, which is Paris' oldest brasserie (more upscale than a bistro, but similar to a pub if that makes sense) for classic things like French onion soup, mussels, and steak tartare. Fail again though, as they close down in the afternoon between 3:00 and 6:30. We might go there on our way home from Versailles tomorrow.
At this point, bladders were at the point of bursting, so we just came home. Hung out for a bit (because, again, nothing is really open til 6:30 or 7:00), then went and had some pasta next door.
Nothing on the agenda for the night~ heading to Versailles early tomorrow morning.
Lindsay quotes of the day:
"I can feel the dirty all over my face."
"Pigeons are assholes."
After a few hours browsing famous art, we headed outside to the Jardin Des Tuilleries and sat down for a bit. Lindsay dumped her Pringles everywhere by accident, so she fed them to the birds~ not the pigeons though, she wants to kick the pigeons. We saw the Eiffle Tower for the first time (well, her first time, my first time this trip). We snapped some photos with it in the background and I put my hand in poop.
I thought we should head to Pierre Herme for some macarons, so I lead us back and forth on Rue Du Rivoli for like 1/2 hour, not realizing that the map I looked at was totally wrong, and we were nowhere near the place. Finally we just gave up and went to Hugo&Victor instead. They're known for their crazy patisserie items, but were sold out of most of them, so we just got macarons. Totally different texture than any I have had before, with a texture that was almost cakey for the shell... anyhow, we're going to try to hit Pierre Herme before we go to the Eiffle Tower on Monday night.
After that, I was getting pretty hungry (can't just fill up on sugary treats), so we hopped on the metro to go to L'As Du Falafel in the Marais district... here's the thing. Marais is a pretty hardcore Jewish neighborhood, and Sukkot started today. So they were closed, and we didn't have falafel. Fail. I'll reattempt a visit when I'm back in December because Sukkot lasts 8 days so we won't get another chance while Lindsay is here.
I thought the next best thing to an awesome falafel sandwich would be a trip to Bowfinger, which is Paris' oldest brasserie (more upscale than a bistro, but similar to a pub if that makes sense) for classic things like French onion soup, mussels, and steak tartare. Fail again though, as they close down in the afternoon between 3:00 and 6:30. We might go there on our way home from Versailles tomorrow.
At this point, bladders were at the point of bursting, so we just came home. Hung out for a bit (because, again, nothing is really open til 6:30 or 7:00), then went and had some pasta next door.
Nothing on the agenda for the night~ heading to Versailles early tomorrow morning.
Lindsay quotes of the day:
"I can feel the dirty all over my face."
"Pigeons are assholes."
October 12, 2011
Day 1 & 2
Yesterday was pretty much a write off. Neither Lindsay nor I got much sleep on the plane, so by the time we made it to our apartment (4 different trains, probably slightly more than an hour), we both basically crashed. Like I was so tired I wasn't even hungry anymore, despite the fact I had eaten only a meager sliver of iceberg lettuce with ranch dressing and a dry bun with margarine in a 20ish hour time period.
Three or four hours later, we both woke up somewhat refreshed and ventured out to a cafe near our place, where I had a tartine (like a croque but open faced) and she had some ravioli. Not the best thing I've ever eaten, but a huge step up from my previous meal. We tipped too much (tip is included in the bill here, it's not customary to leave more), came home, watched a movie and then slept some more.
After 11 hours of sleep, I felt nearly normal again. We had breakfast and then headed down to "the historic center" of Paris and took in Notre Dame and all of its flying butresses. By the way I don't actually know what a butress is, I just like saying it. We walked around Ile-de-Cite, Ile-St-Louis, and the Latin Quarter for most of the afternoon, stopping for a fairly mediocre lunch (I had soupe a l'oignon gratinee, Lindsay had a tartine with parma ham, tomatoes and mozzarella on it). We also each got a scoop of dark chocolate ice cream from Berthalon. This is the ice cream I mentioned in my essay, and totally lived up to the memory. Basically like eating a frozen chocolate bar, actually that's a shitty analogy. It was just the best ice cream I've ever had.
Anyhow, we attempted to come home around supper, but there was some sort of delay on the metro, so we went and had some beers. Once we got home, Lindsay decided to go get us pizza from the place next door. It's a really good pie.
Lindsay quotes of the day:
"I just took a mouth-shit in the Seine." (After spitting about half her ice cream into the river.)
"Whatever, I'm not Francinian." (She meant French.)
"Je m'appelle Canadienne." (My name is Canadian.)
Three or four hours later, we both woke up somewhat refreshed and ventured out to a cafe near our place, where I had a tartine (like a croque but open faced) and she had some ravioli. Not the best thing I've ever eaten, but a huge step up from my previous meal. We tipped too much (tip is included in the bill here, it's not customary to leave more), came home, watched a movie and then slept some more.
After 11 hours of sleep, I felt nearly normal again. We had breakfast and then headed down to "the historic center" of Paris and took in Notre Dame and all of its flying butresses. By the way I don't actually know what a butress is, I just like saying it. We walked around Ile-de-Cite, Ile-St-Louis, and the Latin Quarter for most of the afternoon, stopping for a fairly mediocre lunch (I had soupe a l'oignon gratinee, Lindsay had a tartine with parma ham, tomatoes and mozzarella on it). We also each got a scoop of dark chocolate ice cream from Berthalon. This is the ice cream I mentioned in my essay, and totally lived up to the memory. Basically like eating a frozen chocolate bar, actually that's a shitty analogy. It was just the best ice cream I've ever had.
Anyhow, we attempted to come home around supper, but there was some sort of delay on the metro, so we went and had some beers. Once we got home, Lindsay decided to go get us pizza from the place next door. It's a really good pie.
Lindsay quotes of the day:
"I just took a mouth-shit in the Seine." (After spitting about half her ice cream into the river.)
"Whatever, I'm not Francinian." (She meant French.)
"Je m'appelle Canadienne." (My name is Canadian.)
Dear United Airlines...
I hate you more every time I fly with you.
Love,
Charity
Yes, that's right. Once again, United Airlines has proved how much they suck.
1) They ran out of the meal option I wasn't allergic to. So when it was my turn to receive a meal, instead of asking me "Pasta, or beef?" they said "Here's some beef for you. We're out of the other choice". I said to the flight attendant "Actually, I can't eat this, I'm allergic to potatoes." She shot me an incredulous look and asked if I could just eat around them. I asked her to take the entree from my tray, and proceeded to have about five bites of salad and a stale bun-in-a-bag for supper. Mmmm. Nourishing.
2) My overhead light wasn't working properly. Instead of being angled and shining down on me, it just shone straight down into the seat beside me. I guess this wouldn't have been so bad, except the seat was occupied by a sleeping woman, so basically as soon as they killed the overhead cabin lights, I was relegated to hours in the dark.
It could have been worse. My seat could have been padding-free, like that time I flew United to Las Vegas. And there could have been no meal like some of the other trans-atlantic flights they offer.
Anyhow, I've arrived safely and in one piece.
Love,
Charity
Yes, that's right. Once again, United Airlines has proved how much they suck.
1) They ran out of the meal option I wasn't allergic to. So when it was my turn to receive a meal, instead of asking me "Pasta, or beef?" they said "Here's some beef for you. We're out of the other choice". I said to the flight attendant "Actually, I can't eat this, I'm allergic to potatoes." She shot me an incredulous look and asked if I could just eat around them. I asked her to take the entree from my tray, and proceeded to have about five bites of salad and a stale bun-in-a-bag for supper. Mmmm. Nourishing.
2) My overhead light wasn't working properly. Instead of being angled and shining down on me, it just shone straight down into the seat beside me. I guess this wouldn't have been so bad, except the seat was occupied by a sleeping woman, so basically as soon as they killed the overhead cabin lights, I was relegated to hours in the dark.
It could have been worse. My seat could have been padding-free, like that time I flew United to Las Vegas. And there could have been no meal like some of the other trans-atlantic flights they offer.
Anyhow, I've arrived safely and in one piece.
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