Well, it's about time for somethin' new huh? Life has been treating me well here in Paris; Classes are underway and they're going well. So far they're not entirely challenging, but very interesting. I'm in a modern art class which is fantastic because we've had the opportunity to go to the Musée d'Orsay to see the real works that we study in class. Our teacher shows up at the museum and walks around while explaining the precise details of the pieces of art and their artists. The Musée d'Orsay has an impressive collection of impressionist works among others. We walked by the priceless art of Van Gogh, Monet, Manet, Seurat, Gauguin, Renoir, Degas, Pissaro, and so many more.
Since my last post I've been to Belgium (Brussels is not great and Bruges is calm with canals running throughout the city, like veins that give the romance to this small place) and Provins, Rouen, and Dieppe. I've also been busy working on plans for the future: Skiing in the Alps next weekend, London the last weekend in March, Wine tasting somewhere in France the 1st weekend in April, Springbreak in Nice, Venice, Florence, and Cinque Terre after that, Mont St. Michel, Munich, then I'm finished with school. I guess my schedule is packed.
This past weekend, after spending some quality time with Vanessa in Rouen and Dieppe (Dieppe only for an afternoon for some beachtime and lunch), I returned home to Paris for a Dinner party Parisian style at Chez Jacques. The. Food. Was. Amazing. It was a soirée of conversation, good food, wine, and discovering just how many cigarettes french people can go through in an evening. 12 or so. Not so many I guess. Jacques doesn't smoke luckily, but it's no big deal to smoke in his apartment and it doesn't smell bad at all. We sucked Moules (with is french for mussels) out of their shells, in a soup of carrots and coriander, aided our digestion, apparently, with some fresh -- not like cheese can really be fresh at all -- camenbert, Stephen's favorite. It's like brie, but not at all the same according to Jacques and any other french cheese lover. Then we finished the meal off with some cooked apples. mmm. I feel like I should mention a few of the highlights of my wine education thus far here: first off, in order to taste wine here are the steps: 1) pour wine into glass ending the pour with a slight twist 2) swirl the wine around the glass so as to aerate the beverage 3) stick you nose into the glass as if you're attempting to breath it up your nose 4) then. drink a little --don't swallow, but instead swish it around you mouth and definitely taste it on the underside of your tongue 5) then have another glass because I have yet to find a wine that's not good here in France, but of course I haven't been developing my taste for the grape drink since I was 9 years old like Jacques and many others. It's a large part of their culture.
Jacques has commited himself to teaching me how to prepare several french dishes. He is an excellent cook and I can't wait to learn and bring back some choice recipes including chocolate mousse, cassoulet, pot au feu, couscous (yeah not actually french), and just some general cooking styles.
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