Saturday, February 26, 2011

The Haircut - a blog from Mark

I think one of the most intimidating experiences for me in Paris is getting a haircut.  For the past couple of weeks I have been itching to get my haircut.  Of course we were traveling, so the opportunity didn't exist. Therefore I targeted today as the day.

To prepare for the event, I spoke to my French tutor about how to manage the experience - je voudrais faire couper mes cheveaux courts - I would like my hair cut short.  Next, Jill and I took a walk to scope out potential places.  Now bear in mind there are elle et lui (hers & his).  Most of these places require reservations and are not your typical upstate NY barber shops, so you can't just walk in anywhere.  Fortunately there is an old school barber right around the corner from us.  Great - my plan was to get up Saturday morning, have coffee with Jill, breakfast and walk over for an old fashion clipper and scissors haircut.

My plan was perfect until I got to the shop and it was unexplainably closed.  Yikes, now I have to go to my fall back plan - go around to the various other places to find one that can understand my sloppy French AND have a time slot.

So after lunch Jill and I walk around the neighborhood looking for a "masculine coiffure".  Those words alone are enough to let my hair grow out like in 1979.  But I'm determined, so I start the search.  We walk by the first two shops because they look to "unbarber shop" to me.  The third looks promising - I practice my line a few times and walk in.  There were 3 barbers and all them were busy.  When I walked in, one by the door asked if he could assist me.  I started with "je voudrais (and then I panicked) a haircut".  Everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at me, like I said a bad word.  After a few awkward seconds, one of the old guys spoke English and told me they were fully booked for the day.  Onward to the next shop...

Only a block away we find a place.  I walked in, laid my line on the guy at the counter with a few technical mistakes, but still understandable.  Fortunately they had a slot and I was able to get my haircut.  They shampoo your hair before the haircutting begins and offered us coffee two or three times.  After all the anxiety leading up to it, it was a good experience and a nice haircut. The lady who cut my hair let me practice my French and was very quick to tell me she could comprehend me (of course it could be the tip she was setting up for).  Nonetheless it made my day.

So ends another adventure in Paris.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

The Vatican - a blog post from Mark

Let me start by saying Rome was very interesting, exciting and fun to visit.  My only regret is I wish I would have done a little research before going.  The guide book helped, but I'm sure we saw things but didn't know the story behind it.

So for the Vatican...  I was absolutely enthralled with our visit there.  From the visit to Castle de Angelos to walking in St. Peter's Square, to the Basilica and finally Sistine Chappell.  The whole time I was there I couldn't help but think about the history, wealth and mysteries of my faith.  When you see the inside of the Basilica, it overwhelms you with the size, color and beauty.  There were so many statues, each with a special or significant meaning.  Jill and I did get to see the end of a mass, but we were too late to participate.  Too bad, I would have been pleased to say I attended mass and received communion in St. Peter's.

We did get to see the tomb of St. Peter.  The alter is built over the top of it.  This is the second apostle tomb I've seen.  About 11 years ago I saw St. Thomas' in Chennai.

My favorite part of our visit is when we took 10 minutes to entire a special prayer room to pray together.  Jill and I knelt in front of a side alter and spoke with our God.  For me it was a nice time to reflect on Gram Forsyth.  If she were still alive I would have called her to share the experience over the phone.  Im sure she was there with us...

As for the Sistine Chappell -- the art was incredible.  However getting to it in the center of the 1000 other museums was overwhelming.  Both Jill and I experienced sensory overload due to all the painted ceilings and walls, but also the crush of people.  When we got to the Chappell, both of us were surprised by its size.  It wasn't small, but it didn't have the majestic religious feeling to it.  It was one big painting - walls and ceiling.  Once we realized the historical significance we were able to better appreciate it.  There was a bit of sarcasm there -- you were suppose to be quite in the Chappell, but there was a couple of guys constantly shishing people or telling you no pictures.  They were the loudest noises in the place with ~500 people in it.

We ended our visit by resting under the trees outside the castle.  I called Mom and let her know I was thinking about her.  We talked for ~20 minutes.  I'm sure that Gram was whispering in my ear to make the call.

A Trip to Paradise: Roma , a post by Jill!

I don't even know where to begin!!!  Everything about Rome was wonderful, beautiful, visually exciting and romantic...I know I say this all the time, but I never dreamed my sailor would one day wisk me around the globe to see and experience the wonderful world of Europe!  Who would have thought we would be sitting across the street from the Colosseum just after dusk with all the city lights aglow, drinking a glass of red wine...sitting in awe and wonderment!!!
 
To be honest neither Mark nor I could remember too much about Rome except for the obvious...the Colosseum, the Pantheon and of course, Vatican City.  So we bought a guide book and did some research...jogged our memories a bit and off we went.  The fountains, statues, and obelisks where around every corner.  It truly was a delight to the eyes!!!  And unlike my sister, Jean, or Kyrstin, art history was my least favorite class in college, but even I could appreciate the archetecture!!!  The Romans seem to embrace all things old...buildings are built on, over or on top of something from the past incorportating whatever into a new design!  The forums or ruins have been excavated and left where they were found...they haven't been moved to a new location or put into some museum~they simply are a part of the city and amazing to see!
 
One of my favorite areas of Rome was the Piazza Di Spagna.  In this piazza, the beautiful church of the Trinita Del Monti sat a top a gorgeous flight of stairs that follow the slope of a hill.  In front of the chuch is an obelisk and at the bottom of the stairs the Fountain of the "Baraccia".  From my understanding the stairs are gorgeous when all the flowers are in bloom~we were a bit early in the season for that!  When we arrived at the Piazza I looked around at the little market place while Mark took pictures and video.  There was one artist there who painted the most beautiful water colors of the church and spanish stairs(as they are commonly called)~I just had to buy one!  We walked down the stairs and continued our wanderings.  I felt we cheated by only walking down the steps, so we made sure we walked back to the hotel in the same direction and walked all the way up to the top...it felt good! 
 
The Fontana di Trevi was also very interesting.  Since I have assured our return to Rome by throwing coins into the fountain, we will be able to explore parts of the city we were unable to visit!!!
I think I threw enough coins for Mark's return also but I'm not sure if it works that way.  You may have to throw your own coins into the fountain and if that's the case, Mark is out of luck!!!  We will see...
 
Of course, the Pantheon was great and beautiful in the evening.  The Vatican City was awesome!  Hopefully Mark will blog about that since it was his most favorite. We really enjoyed the Piazza Navona with three magnificent fountains and the many artists selling their paintings~watercolors and oil on canvas.  We sat in a restaurant in the Piazza and had a pizza for dinner one evening...it was very nice!
 
The food in Italy was always good and there were never any surprises!  I can't say that... one restaurant surprised us with delicious bruchetta, a glass of sweet wine and cookies on the house~we went there twice:)  I can't say that any of our meals were "yummo", but we may not have eaten at the best places.  We really could have used a "Carlos"  in Italy!!!  I really enjoyed the simplicity of true italian pizzas~thin crust, tomato sauce, a sprinking of mozzarella and a dash of oregano...Perfecto!!!  I had one meal of homemade pasta made with local brocolli and a simple sauce of parmesan cheese.  It wasn't creamy or oily so I'm not sure what it was made of, but it was very good.  The texture of the pasta was delicious~can texture be delicious???  One night, I had veal scallopini and grilled eggplant that was very good,also.  We were surprised by the italian bread.  It wasn't anything special!  Nothing like the yummo italian bread we can get back home at Marticello's Bakery...I must comment on the wine.  While the italian wines were enjoyable, I am partial to the french wines!  Am I turning into a wine snob??? 
 
Italy, or Rome to be exact, was a magnificent place to visit.  It was easy to get around on foot, the maps were easy to follow and most everyone spoke english!!  I would highly recommend Rome for those of you looking for a European vacation...after a visit to Paris of course!
 
Back in Paris...It is starting to feel more comfortable here!  I go for walks by myself and stretch my personal boundries each day.  If I go somewhere I am unsure of , I tell myself I can always turn around if I'm uncomfortable or nervous(hasn't happened yet)!  The gee-gaw guys(you know  the ones-with the eiffle tower statues, the barking dogs, the dancing cows...) don't even bother me anymore.  I walk with a purpose, act like I belong and am no longer a tourist~a small victory:)!!!
 
Thanks for reading...A bientot!

High Speed Trains -- A blog by Mark

As we ride the high speed train from Milano to Rome, I can't help but wonder why one of the most advanced countries in the world can not support such a thing.  We are traveling at ~250 km/hr, making the trip in slightly less then 3 hours.  The speed is impressive, but so is the comfort, accessibility and amenities.  As we are speeding through Italy, we are enjoying a glass of wine.  We can read, use the Internet, walk about or take a nap.  It so beats a plane!

As I finish writing this I've heard the Florida High Speed Train project has been cancelled by Florida's governor, Rick Scott  I can't help but wonder when will the U.S. break our dependency on oil.  I hope we see it in my life time because high speed trains are a great way to travel.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Pictures from Bryan & Kyrstin's visit




Our Fabulous Winter Vacation -- A Post from Kyrstin

As a brief introduction to the following novella, I would like to comment on a few things about myself and the trip. First, to my bewilderment, I became obsessed with dog poop on this trip. Not just because everyone in Paris has a dog and nobody picks up, but because I am the least graceful person I know and if anyone is going to end the day with poop on their shoe, it's going to be me. Second, I am a fairly confident person in English because I think my conversational skills when I'm lost make me seem approachable and people therefore want to help. This was not so in France. I did not take French in high school, so I was terrified of communication. I came to heavily rely on the Darrows' knowledge of French, and even found myself turning into an idiot when Bryan explained (more than once) that I essentially ran from someone who was speaking English to me. Last and most importantly, I love food. I love to cook, I love watching the Food Network, I love reading recipes, and I am a pretty adventurous eater. This caused most of the trip to become centered around what I ate. All memories of France stem from what I ate on any given day. With that being said, the following journal of our experience in Paris takes place with me at all times avoiding poop and French communication, and becoming obsessed with food. So, here goes:
 
Day 1: We arrived in Paris early in the morning just in time to enjoy a Parisian rush-hour experience, which I immediately enjoyed if you know what sort of passenger I am. We had flown through the night without any sleep due to excitement and a good in-flight movie lineup, so we laid down for a nap for a few hours once we got to the apartment. When we woke up, the French culinary adventure began with supplies Mark had purchased for our arrival. We had a lunch spread of marinted olives, chicken, spicy mustard, brown bread, and a bottle of wine (we were in France, so obviously noontime wine is acceptable). After lunch we walked through the neighborhood (16th ward) to get acquainted, and then down to the Siene River and the Eiffel tower. After marveling at the seemingly impossible size of the tower for some time, we walked back up to Trocadero to have a glass of wine. We sat for quite a while chatting and having some wine-induced giggles as we enjoyed the view from our table. We headed back to the apartment as the fatigue began to set in and later went around the corner to Le Passy for dinner. I ate filet of some kind (Bryan insists it was Dori from Finding Nemo) with beurre blanc (white butter) and breadcrumbs baked on top with a side of zucchini au gratin. Dessert was a molten chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream.
 
Day 2: Bryan made breakfast: English muffins with egg, serrano ham (cooked in a pan until perfectly crispy), laughing cow cheese, and salt and pepper. We ate, showered, got ready for the day and welcomed Mark back from his business trip. We went to lunch at Cafe Trocadero before he had to return to work for a meeting. This would be the first of two times I ran into trouble with foreign food. I ordered the salad trocadero which came with tomatoes, lettuce, onions, Swiss cheese, smoked, aged thinly-sliced ham, and a light creamy horseradish dressing. Most of the salad was very good and I was doing just fine eating it. However, the ham was very difficult to cut into smaller pieces, so I was stuck putting very large slices in my mouth at once. I don't know how everyone else's gag reflex operates, but if I have to chew something for more than 2 minutes or so, mine kicks in. I managed to choke down the potential disaster, and handed the rest of the salad off to Bryan. I was later scolded for being ridiculous and told by Jill and Mark that if I don't like something, don't eat it. Unfortunately, I'm a very curious diner. We'll get to that later. After lunch we walked down to the Arc de Triomphe, up to the top, and down the Champs-Elysees for a few miles. The view from the Arc was amazing. To see the eiffel tower jutting out from the cityscape in that way made me really appreciate how massive it actually is. After our long walking tour through Paris, we returned to the apartment and waited for Mark to return from work. We all went to dinner a few blocks away at Cafe du Muette: We all had a blush champagne as an apertif, which I have interpreted as the drink version of an appetizer. The real appetizer that I got was an artichoke bottom with a poached egg, topped with smoked salmon. Bryan had escargot which was my favorite. Dinner was roasted back of bass with buttered potato purée. I'm going to start addressing my mashed potatoes that way. Dessert was a quartered and sliced pineapple served with rhubarb compote and spun sugar laced over the top. The entire 2 to 3 hour meal ended with espresso and dark chocolate with almond. I love how the French do dinner.
 
Day 3: woke up at 11:15am-- oops! Had a dark chocolate-filled warm croissant for breakfast and had a quick lunch (wheat bread with French mustard and packaged chicken) and coffee. Bryan and I walked to the cineaqua du Paris while Jill stayed back to get some unpacking and settling in done. We spent 2 hours and lots of video footage underground looking at exotic fish and being terrified of the touch pool where they allow you to have large fish have a go at eating your hand off. We went home to rest and check in with Jill, then went for beers at Le Passy when Mark got home from work. From there, we went to dinner at La Matta Pizza. We had an antipasto platter with mortadella, spicy salami, and prosciutto with capers and gherkins. We also had a platter with two bruschettas topped with Spanish olives, and a free apertif of chianti. For dinner, I had a Pizza Regina (cheese, ham, mushrooms, and oregano). To follow suit with many of the other pizza selections, I also ordered an egg on mine. I thought it would come hard-boiled and diced atop the pizza, but when it came out it was a raw egg cracked over the pizza and just beginning to cook. I was okay with this concept, but as a rule dislike the texture of clear, runny eggs. Once I spread the egg out and it proceeded to cook to a more familiar color, I bit in. Delicious!! Dessert was tiramisu with espresso.
 
Day 4: Woke up, had a quick breakfast of toast and Nutella, and went to the flower shop. We browsed potted plants for the apartment windowsills with Jill in order to have a truly French view from the apartment. We found some nice plants that were tagless, and therefore remain nameless. We later took the train to Notre Dame, also known as Pigeon Disneyland. Bryan and I braved the cold to walk the stairs to the top and back down. The view was amazing, and I tried to remind myself of that while I stood shivering and glaring at Bryan as he filmed every angle from every terrace on every level of the roof. After the descent, we walked through the Latin District and got a glass of wine. While we were in the area, we also went to an Irish pub, Canadian bar, and Scottish pub. Still enjoying our time spent bar crawling along the Seine, we frolicked through the Louvre courtyard and settled in to eat dinner at an Irish bar across the street. We ate stew with carrots, cabbage, potatoes, and lamb in a light broth. It was the perfect hearty dinner we needed to end our hearty night of drinking.
 
Day 5: woke up early to go to the market. We stopped at Le Passy to have a chocolate croissant and an espresso, which had become my very favorite breakfast combination. We hurried off to the market and saw lots of strange foods and had many samples. We sampled wine, foie gras (of both the duck and goose variety), clementines, and shrimp. We each picked a cheese, and I also found some intriguing puff pastries, so we got some ham and mushroom varieties. We assembled a lunch out of the market supplies and threw in a bottle of wine. The mushroom pastry was delicious, and tasted similar to a pot pie. The ham was good as well, but resembled a slab of spam inside a pastry, which didn't sit well with me. We had 5-6 different cheeses on a tray to eat alone, on a fresh baguette, or with some apple slices. My favorite cheese was called Compte, and my least favorite was the cheese I blindly selected at the market, Tomme de Chevre. The Compte was a hard cheese similar to a parmiggiano-reggiano, and the Tomme tasted like high-end cow manure. We also had some dried sausage that Bryan picked out, and sliced tomatoes in balsamic vinegar. After lunch, we headed off to the Louvre with high hopes for seeing everything it had to offer. As it turns out, that is impossible. We spent about 5 hours walking through the halls of the Italian Renaissance which takes up about half of one floor. There are 3 floors total. After visiting the Louvre, we went to Le Petite Tour for dinner. I ordered escargot, which came in the shells, cooked with what I believe was butter, garlic, parsley, and basil. The sauce is especially good for dipping bread. I also tried some homemade foie gras with fig jelly that Bryan ordered. I still don't think I can say I actually like it, but this was the best way I had tried it so far. I had scallops for dinner with a side of potatoes au gratin. For dessert, Bryan and I had profiteroles and decaf espresso. Delicious!!
 
Day 6: Woke up and went to church. I was afraid of someone speaking to me and not knowing what they were saying, but Bryan reminded me that we're Catholic and generally don't speak to each other in church. What a relief. We left church and went to a small market, looked around, and got some flowers and an orchid. We came back to the apartment and had some cheese, wine, peanuts, and bread. We spent some time talking and relaxing and then went to lunch at Dino. We all had a glass of white wine and I had pizze royale which had cheese, tomato, ham, and pancetta. It was very cold that day, so we spent most of it at the apartment just enjoying the down time. For dinner, we made sandwiches at home on baguettes with zucchini, broccoli, onion, and garlic baked in the oven. We had a fruit tart for dessert with apricots, strawberries, and kiwi on top. C'est magnifique!! We watched the movie Julie & Julia after dinner which led to me spending the rest of the trip pronouncing all of my French like Julia Child.
 
Day 7: woke up around 9/10:00, showered, ate a quick breakfast, and got ready to go to the Eiffel tower. When we got there, we discovered that it was closed due to technical issues. We cut our losses and sat in front of the tower for a while. Bryan drank a beer while I had a hot chocolate and we both ate banana-filled crepes. After that, we walked down LePassy and shopped. We got cologne for Bryan, chocolate for souvenirs, some jam, a baguette, and a tomato and basil panini for lunch. We met Mark at the Frog Pub for happy hour drinks, and then went to a Chinese restaurant called Man-Lung for dinner. I had Chinese Roast Duck for dinner, and Jill and I shared apple-caramel fritters for dessert. The server turned them in caramelized sugar with chopsticks and covered them with sesame seeds. He then dipped them in cold water to harden the caramel. It was very good, but the caramel was very hard and poked me in the throat and caused me to gag, thus beginning the second food-related incident where I almost vomited at a restaurant. While Bryan stared on watching the color drain from my face as I forced the apple down, the caramel was working on cauterizing my taste buds. While all this was going on, the waiter delivered free saki which also made me gag, burned my throat and mouth, and evaporated the chapstick right off my lips. I drank the teaspoon of water I had left, and then the hot towels arrived. Seeing them as a relief, I dove in. Contrary to what I had hoped, the towel was still scalding hot and burned the remainder of my face off, thus ending the worst 3 minutes of my life. C'est la vie.
 
Day 8: woke up and went to the monoprix with Jill to get groceries. Bryan and I picked out some wine to bring back to the US with us, realizing that Wegmans will never win Best Store Ever until it adds a wine selection. We stopped back to the apartment to drop the groceries off and set off to see the Eiffel Tower again. The very top was closed until that coming weekend, but we got to go to the middle floor. We took pictures and video and enjoyed the sights for a while, then came back down. It was starting to get very cold, so we headed home. We stopped to get a panini with peppers, onions, olives, eggplant and mozzarella to split. Later on, Mark's co-worker came to have drinks and dinner with us. We had some Brouilly and Bordeaux wine with baguette slices, foie gras, fig jam, and a spread of cheeses and sausage. After that, we went to a seafood restaurant called La Maree Passy where Jill and I split appetizers of langoustines and fried gambas (shrimp) with a tandoori sauce. For dinner, I got a bouillabaisse with a whole fish hiding at the bottom. It was served with Parmesan cheese, toasted baguette slices, and a small bowl of some sort of mustard. I wasn't sure how to apply the mustard to the soup so it was left out, though I'm sure it would have been a nice addition. I also ate a fish eye that Bryan was too afraid to eat. I was also afraid to eat it, but I have this obnoxious tendency to compete with Bryan over ridiculous things like "Who can eat the weirdest food", which I won. For dessert, we had a rum cake that was a bit rummy for my taste but still very good and beautifully presented.
 
Day 9: Our last full day in Paris. The morning was spent puttering around, getting ready, and waiting for Mark to get home from work. We walked up to Le Passy with Jill and had lunch. I got crepes with chicken and vegetables wrapped and fried. Shortly after that, Mark returned early from work and accompanied us on a walking tour of the areas near the apartment that we had not yet seen. We stopped at a pub hidden away down an alley called The Honest Lawyer, and had a few beers while we recapped our favorite parts of the trip. For dinner, Mark and Jill had asked us to pick our favorite restaurant to revisit. Bryan was feeling indecisive and I love pizza, so we went to La Matta again. An Italian restaurant on our last night in France may seem strange, but good food is good food.
 
Day 10: Our flight was at 1:00, so we woke up and planned to be packed, ready, and to the airport by 11:00, ensuring enough time to get our bags checked and make our way through passport control and security. We had one last breakfast of chocolate croissants, and waited outside for the taxi. We hugged Jill goodbye, and set off with Mark to the airport. We checked our bags at about 11:00 and got our tickets. We were originally supposed to fly into Chicago, but due to a blizzard there the day before were instead redirected to Washington D.C. on an earlier flight. We found all of this out when we were handed our tickets. Needless to say, it was a quick goodbye to Mark and a steady sprint to get to the plane in under an hour. We made it with an extra 15 to 20 minutes to spare. We boarded the plane at about noon, and settled in to our seats both excited to get home, and sad to see the French countryside grow smaller and smaller beneath us as we took off into the sky.
 
* A special thanks to Mark and Jill Darrow, who not only made this trip possible, but also made it unforgettable. We truly appreciate all you have done for us.

Paris Visit -- A Blog From Bryan

So our trip to France has come and gone but the memories and video shall last forever.

I had fairly high expectations going into our trip to Paris. Matt had just got home from his trip and his stories were making me very excited. We left the United States at 5:00pmish EST. Kyrstin and I found our seats on the plane and as it turns out the plane was probably 50% filled. Kyrstin and I had a whole row to ourselves right in the front row. We had more room than mom had in her upgraded seats. So that was awesome.

We get to France and Mom does a great job taking us through the airport through customs and to baggage claim. We get our bags no problem and head to the taxis. She made me very proud. I dont know why she says she can't do things. She even gave him the directions en france. Our taxi driver looked just like Jean Reno from the movie the Professional. He weaved in and out of traffic which made Kyrstin extremely nervous. We finally get to the apartment and the trip can finally begin.

I will now do a power ranking system for things that Paris had to offer.

-Resturants
1. La Petit Tour
2. La Matta
3. Cafe de la Muellette
4. Irish Pub
5. La Maree Passey

-Food
1. Escargots (Cafe de la Mullette)
2. Parma Pizza avec oeuf (La Matta)
3. Fois Gras (La Petit Tour)
4. Steak RARE (La Petit Tour)
5. Ham and Cheese Baguette (Passey Deli)

-Desserts
1. Profiteroles (La Petit Tour)
2. Tiramisu (La Matta)
3. Ice Cream Sundae with mousse (La Matta)
4. Pistachio Creme Brûlée (Cafe du Trocadero)
5. Molten Cake (Le Passey)

-Bars
1. Le Galway
2. Le Passey
3. Scottish Bar on Seine
4. Irish Bar by Louvre
5. The Great Canadian

-Tourist Places
1. Arc de Triomphe (climbed to the top)
2. Notre Dame (climbed to the top)
3. Eiffel Tour (elevator to 2nd stage)
4. Musee de Louvre
5. CineAqua

-Drinks (Alcoholic)
1. Carlsberg (beer)
2. Le Galway House (beer)
3. Chateau Neuf (wine)
4. 1664 (beer)
5. Sancere (wine)

-Things we did.
1. Climb to top of Arc de Triomphe with Mom and Kyrstin. Mom was a great guide. She knew everything on where to go.
2. Notre Dame climbing to the top and freezing.
3. Seine Bar Crawl and walking through the Louvre court yard.
4. Going to the Market on Saturday morning.
4. Walking to the Eiffel Tower several days only to find out the elevators are closed.
5. Going to the flower shop with Mom and Kyrstin
6. Watching Kyrstin try to touch Koi at the CineAqua.

To sum it up we ate a lot if great food. Went to a lot of amazing restaurants. Everything I had in France was delicious. All the cheeses smell bad no matter what they taste like. We had an amazing time and I can not wait to go back.

Also keep an eye out for the video...You didn't think I'd forget to film this trip did you?

Monday, February 14, 2011

Visit to Spain -- A post by Jill

Hola!  We arrived in Barcelona around 9:30pm Wednesday night.  There was a taxi waiting for us at the airport and Danny, our driver, took us to our hotel.  It was dark and hard to see the surrounding area, but I could make out palm trees and see the beautiful spanish style architecture of the buildings. . .much like the french, but with a little more style and color!!!
 
After settling our belongings, we decided to go out in search of dinner.  La Rambla, a famous street in Barcelona, was just outside the door of the hotel!  Because of the late hour, the street was kind of quiet and the little shops and such were closed for the evening.  Mark and I walked until we found an interesting looking restaurant and went inside.  Not knowing what to order we took advice from our waiter. . .traditional spanish style tapas!  Oh great, I was thinking, but it only costs 16 euros so if we don't like it no great loss.  I was mistaken. . .more on that later.  We started with a seafood salad, complete with mussels, shrimp, octopus and something I couldn't identify...to me it was the best of all plates that night!!!  Next came, little minnow like fish served whole that had been battered and fried.  I could see the eyeball and tail and couldn't bring myself to try it~Mark said it tasted like fish sticks!  We got fried potatoes with some sort of mayo like sauce, chirizo sausage, spanish ham and some other kind of meat(not my favorite), more mussels cooked in a tomato sauce, clams, octopus on sliced potatoes, a traditional potato omelet, etc.  Mark enjoyed the meal, just wished he had someone who could appreciate it more than I, but I tried everything except for the minnow fish...It was  very disappointing as our first meal in Barcelona, but it only cost 16 euros, right?  Wrong. . .our bill came to 123.00 euros and that included two large Sangrias we didn't finish or enjoy!!!  You have to remember, we are in Spain. . .I only know the spanish I learned on Sesame Street when the kids were little and I can't read any of it!  The menu was in spanish with french translation~did not help me much!!  Mark and I, disappointed from the meal, went back to the hotel.  I went  straight to sleep and Mark followed shortly after.  A few hours later I awoke with a terrible stomach ache and rid myself of 61.50 euros of traditional spanish tapas!!!  What a night...feeling much better, I rested easily until morning. . .
 
Thursday brought many new and wonderful surprises!  We went to breakfast together before Mark went to work.  I had a big plate of fresh fruit and a bowl of all-bran cereal~my stomach enjoyed this normal american food and I was good to go. . .Mark went off to work and called a short time later.  Carlos, Mark's Human Resource Director of Barcelona, wanted to take us out to lunch for some GOOD spanish food and to show us around the city.  Carlos loved the city of Barcelona. . .he knew so much of it's history and shared so much of his knowledge, we had a wonderful afternoon. . .And his promise to share with us GOOD spanish food came to be with little fanfare but much style!!!
 
Carlos took us to a large indoor market with an attached restaurant.  The market provided all the fresh vegetables, fruits, meats, seafood and pasta for the restaurant and the food was spectacular(I kept thinking of Rachel Ray-YUMMO!).The flavors and textures were amazing.  Carlos started by asking us what we like and enjoy eating, from there he ordered several plates of food for us to share.  We started the meal with an aperatif-a local beer!  From there he ordered a Rioja, red wine that we had to let breath for twenty minutes or so. . . Our meal started with what Carlos called a funny but very delicious fish called navajas a la plancha or razor-shell.  It was grilled and it was VERY good!!  Razor-shells are captured in the sand. . .you know when the tide goes out, you see bubbles in the sand-these are razor shell!!!  You sprinkle a little salt on the bubbles and the fish pop out!!!  Just one of the little stories. . .anyway, from there we had grilled calamari with asparagus(calamares a la plancha), complete with a drizzle of black ink. . .again YUMMO!  Arroz montanes or mountain rice(true paella) was next on the menu.  It was served with chicken, sausage and mushroom~my mouth is still watering:)  We tried escalivada with goat cheese; some sort of mediterranean vegetable that was delicious and I even liked the mild flavored catalan goat cheese.  Moussaka was next~a greek dish made with eggplant, meat and cheese. . .heaven!  Grilled crayfish was our last plate before dessert and champagne!  Carlos taught Mark and I how to eat them with a special spork.  Moving on, we shared two desserts.  Milhojas de frutos rojos which translates to red berry lasagna and catalan cream which is like the french creme brulee.  We ended the perfect meal with a cava or catalan "champagne!"  Oh, what a dining experience...
 
Just a little fun fact~tapas was traditionally a small bit of food served on top(tapas) of a glass of wine to attract the flies and keep them out of the wine!  Who knew. . .Carlos!
 
Mark and I ended the day by walking to the port for my first viewing of the Mediterranean Sea!!!  It was beautiful and breathtaking!  My day and a half in Spain was amazing. . .hope to be able to visit again.  The spanish people were so nice and friendly and their language is very easy on the ears~romantic, they say!!!
 
Southern France was also a great experience and the mountains were beautiful.  We really enjoyed our bed and breakfast and the small village life-style we know and love. . .
 
Gotta go prepare for Italy!  Chow bella...

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Bucharest Romania for a night - posting by Mark

This is trip was 3 weeks ago and the post is long over due, but I wanted to get back in the flow...

I arrived late Tuesday evening via Air France.  It was uneventful 2.5 hour flight from Paris.  On the plane I was able to watch the movie "Social Network" with my iPad.  The only negative was the hour time difference which made my late arrival seem even later.
I took this trip about 3 weeks ago, late in posting but I want to get back in the swing of it.

When I got to my room the first thing I noticed as I opened the door was the smell of stale cigarettes smoke.  Yuk!  I went down and asked for a non-smoking room.  Unfortunately none were available, but they did offer me a complimentary beer.  That was ok by me, so I had my first Romanian beer, Ursas.  I struck a conversation with the bartenders.  I was very impressed with the friendliness of the Romanian people.  I mentioned how Dave visited Romania last year and brought home some plum brandy (which he was kind enough to share with me).  The bartender was kind enough to give me a sample of his best.  Not bad, but Dave's was better.

What I found fascinating about Romania was the number of stray dogs in the street.  They are not little dogs either.  From what I know this came with economic changes, people couldn't afford them, so they set them free.  Survival of the fittest must come into play.

From Romania I went to Istanbul and Morocco.  When I returned Bryan, Kyrstin and Jill were here.  No time to write about it, maybe next time...

We anxiously await Bryan and Kyrstin's contribution to this blog.

Paris Live - a post by Jill

Bonjour!  I have been back in Paris for two weeks now and for the most part, I am content and happy...trying to live out my New Year's resolution of enjoying all that Paris life has to offer without obsessing about the little things that can really drag me down!  I do need more practice because I have lived 48 years obsessing and worrying...living in the moment and enjoying what I'm living does not come easy~I NEED  more practice!!!  I know many of you can't comprehend this, but there are a few of you out there who can relate to what I am saying.... Much of the time I take a deep breath and think, "OK, this isn't what we in the U.S. think is normal or appropriate but just because it is different doesn't mean its wrong!"  Well, the dog poop on the sidewalks and roadways is wrong~I won't bend on that and I think Kyrstin will agree...she really hated all the dog doo!!!!  And, the heads on my food are not a shock anymore...deep breath and deal with it!

In Paris most of the apartments or flats have window ledges with black wrought iron rails...very pretty and decorative!  Most of these ledges are decorated with plants, flowers or small trees depending on the size of the ledge (or balcony).  So of course, Mark and I wanted some sort of flowers for our windows.  While Bryan and Kyrstin were visiting we went down to the local flower shop (there are many shops, but we have a really nice shop at the end of our street called Monceau Fleurs) and bought plants for our window ledges that face the street.  I don't know what we bought because the plants weren't labeled and my speaking skills are not so good(didn't know how to ask), but they are little tree/bush type things with small green leaves and yellow flowers sprouting out all willy-nilly...no order to them, just chaos and they make my happy:-)  Mark and I also picked up a couple of camelia bushes for the ledges as well and they will soon (buds are big and starting to open) have beautiful red flowers...but as a side note, we got in trouble again with our concierge, Fatima!! Right after I watered the plants, the excess water having dripped down to the sidewalk below (one window just happens to be right above the front door of our building) making the sidewalk wet, our doorbell rang!!!  It was Fatima...I ran back into the kitchen and let Mark deal with her~she only speaks french and is a little intimidating!!!  Anyway, she was concerned because the police could come and we would be in trouble...the wet sidewalk could make someone slip and fall!! Oh...okay, but all the dog poop on the sidewalk is safe?!?!   Our American minds didn't get it, but we are grinning.......

The past two days have been beautiful weather wise....Yes, the trees are budding, flowers are blooming and it feels like Spring.  Right now the sun is shining on my beautiful plants and it is bright and cheerful.  I am sure we still have cold weather to come, but today is nice and I will enjoy it!  I decided to go for a walk and enjoy the sunshine before it disappeared...the air is warm and the park is full of little children with their parents, grandparents or nannies.  The children were having a ball playing on the playground, tossing or kicking balls and shouting with delight!  Violets and pansies are in full bloom, birds are singing...it is early February!!!  I am sorry for all of you still suffering the wrath of old man winter!!!  I promise to enjoy this early spring enough for all...

Mark has to travel to Barcelona, Spain on mercredi (Wednesday) and I will be tagging along...he has always enjoyed his travels to Barcelona so I am excited!!!  It looks so lovely in pictures, right on the Mediterranean sea~my first time to see the Mediterranean:-)  Anyway he has to work jeudi (Thursday) and vendridi (Friday) and then we will travel to Prades, France by rental car.  Prades is a small village in the south of France just north of the Spanish border at the base of the Pyrenne Mountains...it should be amazingly beautiful!!!  Hoping to see grape vines growing on the hills and the small local color of this very petite French town.  We are staying in a bed and breakfast...traveling home on dimanche (Sunday) by plane!  Mardi prochain (next Tuesday) we will be going to Italy~Milano (is that where Mario Batalli is from?) and Rome!!  Mark will be working mercredi, jeudi and vendridi, but we will stay for the entire weekend in Rome.  We are taking the high speed train from Milano to Rome~another first for me!  I am excited...got lots to do-cleaning, ironing and packing,,,we leave demain soir (tomorrow evening)!!! 

A tout a l'heure (see you later)....Jill