French Lessons - Paris Part 2

Oh Paris, you make Socialism look so sexy, and tasty......

So what's it like to spend a week in France learning French as an *adult* (I use the term loosely there)?

Well, pretty cool actually. I studied at Ecole PERL,which is located near the Père Lachaise cemetery on the east side of Paris. The school attracts students from all over the world. I had Russian, Japanese, Peruvian, Chinese, German, and Spanish peeps in my class - this kind of mix is helpful because you are forced into speaking French with them. It was our only common language.

In the morning, we had typical vocabulary and writing lessons. In the afternoon, we had a lecture/conversation-type lesson. It is amazing how well immersion programs work. You can practice everything you learned in class while walking around the city (a.k.a. shopping) the rest of the day.

Aside from being 15 years older than most of the other students, studying French was actually fabulous way to spend some non-work time while in Paris. I will definitely continue classes upon my return to London.

So what else did we do........ Well Dave worked all day and I worked in the afternoons. Then we would meet for my favorite part of the day in Paris - DINNER.

View of the Opera from Dave's office, asshole.

The dinner highlights were Gaspard De La Nuit near the Bastille (love), and Maison De Gyros in Bacteria Alley. Sorry, the gyros are a required ritual when we are in Paris. These were both Paris restaurant repeats for us, but both totally worth it!

Grease and more grease, heavenly.

Take that CA, Dave eating the outlawed fois gras.

For my birthday (the big 38), we went to Auberge Nicolas Flamel in Le Marais. It was lovely. Thanks J.P. for the recommendation!

At Auberge Nicolas Flamel - and that is NOT our Rick Steve's book.

You might be wondering, uhm OK - WTF else did you do in Paris besides eat?

Well (as I mentioned) there was class and working, and whatever non-eating time that was left was generally spent on the Paris Velib bikes. Velib bikes are the city-wide bike scheme for Paris. They have these all over Europe, and we have used them in Dublin, Copenhagen, and Bordeaux. You buy a pass for a day/week/year for a few Euros, then have access to an army of bikes throughout the city. The first 30 minutes are free, then it costs a few Euros per hour to use the bikes. Thus, they are incentivising their use for short trips around town town - though we tended to use them a bit longer than that. It is still super cheap though.

That is me riding into the sunset (next to the Louvre - sick).

Again, why is the U.S. so retarded (except for Portland). MAKE THE U.S. BIKE AND WALKING FRIENDLY - PLEASE! Our health, happiness, and the environment depend on it. But don't get me started on that topic.......

And special thanks to our favorite Frenchman C.B. for leading us stupid Americans on an adventure through Paris on Friday night: champers at the Louvre, oysters, dinner, and drinks after dinner. My stomach hurts just thinking about it, in a good way:)

Yes, I am having a Perrier - I have a small liver. Leave me alone.

Uhm, no comment.

Next blog - Olympic update! We went to our first event last night - men's gymnastics. Welcome to the gun show, NICE.

I'll tell ya all how it goes down over here over the next 2 weeks.

And just a note, watch the BBC Olympic broadcast if you can. Holy crap those announcers tell it like it is, no sugar-coating at all like we do in the U.S. where everyone seems to get a participant medal.

First Days in Paris

So I am a douchebag, have I mentioned that before. On the Eurostar to Paris on Sunday, I had a revelation while reading the newspaper, "the TOUR DE FRANCE finishes on the Champs Elysees today!" How the hell did I forget about that? Well actually, we have no TV and I am not riding much nowadays. So I guess it isn't completely unforgivable that I forgot, right?

In any case, we caught the end of the race and watched the final laps through the city. It is pretty spectacular, this year there was racing (for the stage win) right up till the end. I cannot imagine how tired those guys must be this week - brutal.

Here is the  results summary, in case you care:
 

1.	WIGGINS B.	SKY	87h 34' 47''
2.	FROOME C.	SKY	03' 21''
3.	NIBALI V.	LIQ	06' 19''
4.	VAN DEN BROECK J.	LTB	10' 15''
5.	VAN GARDEREN T.	BMC	11' 04''
6.	ZUBELDIA H.	RNT	15' 41''
7.	EVANS C.	BMC	15' 49''

Otherwise we are doing Parisian things like eating, drinking, and walking around aimlessly. The residents of Paris have started their summer vacation exodus (ya know, they get that outstandingly sane and humane 6 weeks of vacation per year) so it is actually quiet in the neighborhood where we are staying in the 9th Arrondissement. I have never stayed in this area of the city and it is kind of fun to explore streets I have never walked down before.

I am also taking French classes from 9:00am until 3:00pm each day at Ecole PERL. I LOVE IT! I am in classes with mostly 23 year olds, but they are really sweet and fun. I am going to continue the classes once I return to London, and hopefully add some German too!

And last but absolutely not least, CONGRATULATIONS to L.I. and T.K. They got engaged in Rome right before we arrived to meet them there last weekend. T.K. proposed at the top of a hill overlooking the city, and I am sure it was horribly romantic. We were stoked to share the celebration with them!

I had to keep my mouth shut until they officially announced their engagement when they returned from their European adventure, and man that was tough. So best wishes to the gorgeous couple to the right there! I hope you are as happy as us Flying Monkeys - holy crap almost 9 years of joy and happiness (sometimes......on Tuesdays) for us.

Identity Crisis

Yup that's me. I must apologize to my husband, because I think I am driving him crazy.

I think I have always measured my contribution to life and to my marriage by my monetary contribution to each. Here, I work (barely) part-time and it is weird. I feel stripped of my vote on things, which is stupid and not true. It is just a weird feeling not to be equal anymore, whatever that means.

I also constantly have a feeling like I am "wasting" time over here. I must always be working, trip planning, working out, running errands, volunteering, learning something, studying French, etc. I don't let myself read a book or the newspaper during the day, because that would be enjoying myself and I would be "wasting" time. Like I am going to die before I learn to speak better German, and that would suck. I don't know why, but it would suck.

This seems to be a strikingly American thing, I think. Or maybe it is just an Amie-ish thing. It reminds me of that New York Times article I read - the Busy Trap.

They’re busy because of their own ambition or drive or anxiety, because they’re addicted to busyness and dread what they might have to face in its absence.

Almost everyone I know is busy. They feel anxious and guilty when they aren’t either working or doing something to promote their work.

Yes, that is me - am a neurotic douchebag.

In any case, I will refocus and try to chill the eff out and enjoy a little more. French and German classes are coming up again, which helps me feel engaged. I work from home, in a crappy basement apartment remember. The more I can get out the better.......

And I will try and be nicer to Dave.

"Rome Knows More Than Any City in the World"

There are no words big and encompassing enough to describe Rome, I cannot even try.

Rome is such an incredibly modern, busy, energetic city. At the same time, it is an open air museum full of ruins and ancient churches. It all makes me feel insignificant, which I like. I have permission to forget my worries, they are insignificant. See that coliseum? Trajan, Titus, and Caesar though they were important too. Guess what, they're dead. We'll all be dead, so enjoy yourself and stop thinking you are so important - you're not.

I adore Rome in the pit of my soul. It could have been the 4 days of sunlight (after 3 months of rain in London), but there is just nothing like it. Dave and I were there for 3 days about 13 years ago, then we were there for a quick stop about 9 years ago before our wedding in Positano in 2003. This time, everything was still as amazing as the first time I saw it those 13 years ago.

Oh and the food. I won't go there because it will just make you feel bad about yourself. I'll just say we ate well.

The whole point of the visit was to see these gorgeous people (T.K. and L.I.) during their 3-plus week vacation in Europe. It was all rather spontaneous for us, but I managed to find two semi-reasonably priced Easy Jet tickets at the last minute - and off we went. I booked us for 3 nights at the Hotel Mimosa, where we stayed when we were there 13 years ago. It is right behind the Pantheon - which is an outstanding location, but the hotel is not the greatest. Though at €100 a night, one must temper one's expectations. The AC and toilet worked, I was happy with that.

I am not sure what is going on, but there is Limoncello involved - so it must be fun.

Pantheon, our hotel was right behind! LOVE!

T.K. had studied for a few months in Rome, so he had a handle on some great off-the-beaten-path things to do and restaurants to visit. Sweet! Plus they T.K. and L.I. had both watched Anthony Bourdain's Rome episode of No Reservations and managed to find the secret Cacio e Pepe restaurant from the show. Hells yeah! I believe Lauren called it, "Pasta I would sell my mother for".


Other than eating and drinking, we tried to avoid tourist attractions during the visit. It was July in Rome and the place was CRAWLING with sweaty people. I only travel in the off-season whenever possible, not just because it is less expensive and I am cheap, but because you avoid the annoying crowds. Here I am at the top of the St. Peters Basilica cupola, along with the rest of the world. Clearly the Italians do not care so much about fire codes.

Kill me now, really.

 OK so we did go to to St. Peters Basilica, there was a short line when we walked by - so we figured, what the hell. Well guess what, my dress was too short and I got turned away at the door - WTF!!!! I purposely wore a conservative, shoulder covering dress for church visiting. Luckily, there was a very enterprising old dude selling ugly scarves out of his pockets right where they turn you away for immodesty. So €5 later, my knees were covered and I was IN.

Anyone want this ugly scarf? I'll send it to you.

We also did the usual wandering about the town, my favorite. Unfortunately, it was hot as shit. I love hot, but Dave......not so much. A few times, I thought he was going to die. He made it through, however, thanks to lots of white wine and gelato breaks.

The forum.

I love the public fountains, I feel so Roman here in front of the Italian graffiti.

In Trastevere, I had never been over there untill this trip.

Yup, I am sweaty and so so happy.

Amazing, I must go back again SOON.

Random church wedding, nice place. Almost makes me miss being Catholic - not.

OK people, get ready to hate me. We are going to Paris next week so Dave can work and go to some meeings. I will take French classes in the morning and work in the afternoon. Thanks J.P. for the restaurant recommendation by the way. We'll be going to Auberge Nicholas Flamel for my B-day, oh man that's 38 years young for me.

Oh and last night we went to a rainy Madonna concert in Hyde Park, don't get too excited - it was all general admission and we could barely see the screens next to the stage. I sure as hell couldn't see Madonna.

In any case, life doesn't suck. Which is something I have to remember each morning when I wake up and it is RAINING. Love you bye.

Five Surprising Things about London

Well, it has been a year since the flying monkeys moved over here to London. And what a year it has been!

Overall, I knew what to expect (I am nothing if not anal-retentive in my travel research and planning). I knew it would be cheap to travel all around Europe, London has three airports and a lot of discount carriers after all. I knew the weather would suck. I knew to anticipate miniature sized appliances:  dorm-fridge, mini-bake oven, and tiny washing machine (no dryer over here people). I knew I would LOVE all the walking - and not having the hassle, expense, and environmental guilt of a car.

Still a few things surprised me.......

#1 - Londoners Are Dirty: Not kidding, you would not believe how people throw trash on the ground, leave it on the Tube, toss it out of car windows, etc. It is disgusting. I suppose we see the worst of it, living near the Victoria Tube/Bus/Train Station where there are a lot of hotels and a transient population of travelers. Still, the trash is not limited to my neighborhood - it is everywhere. And even I (being a fairly politically liberal person) can appreciate the fact that here in London you have a high Council Tax that you pay to fund trash clean-up, so people don't feel the need to do it themselves. They pay for someone to pick up the shit they left on the ground. It still makes me crazy though.

#2 - The NHS is Pretty Good: I know not everyone would agree, but my experience was actually great. I filled out a 1 page form, submitted it to a Dr.'s office around the corner from my house, got my NHS number, and made an appointment for the very next day. Granted, I had a sore foot and not cancer, but it was refreshingly easy to get care - with absolutely no bill at the end.

#3 - The Food is Great: This one has a caveat - if you do some research, the food is great. You absolutely cannot go into the corner pub and expect greatness the way you generally can in San Francisco. But man, we have been to some fantastic restaurants. I have so many restaurants on my list that I just don't think we can make it to all of them in the year that we have left.

#4 - Londoners are Drunk: As in, people will pound beers all night......and no one eats (eatin's cheatin) at the pubs after work......ever. Compare this to San Francisco; when I want to meet friends there is a 40 email-long debate over where to meet for dinner. Here in London, people may grab a pack of crisps at 9:00pm to go with their beer - but that is about it. Let's just say it isn't pretty at about 10:00pm, when there are loads of really drunk men and women in business suits staggering around, unable to walk, and passed out on the sidewalk in the financial district. And EWWWWW the aftermath the next day, it is a good thing Sam isn't here because he loves eating random barf on the street. I have never seen anything like it.

#5 There are Lots of Small Businesses: I really like this part of London. There are a million smaller boutique coffee shops, restaurants, art galleries, furniture stores, clothing shops, etc. Some of the storefronts are no bigger than my bathroom, yet these tiny businesses are successfully operating. I attribute it to (after doing zero research) much lower start up costs, fewer stupid restrictive health department requirements, and the NHS (in that you can start a business and hire workers that are passionate about what they are doing and no one has to hold out for a lame desk job just because it offers health insurance). Anyway, there are a lot of chain-stores still of course, but it is so awesome to see all these super passionate people and cool, creative business across the city.

Well we are off to Rome tomorrow. I am so excited to wear all the summer dresses that I have that I haven't gotten to wear since it has been 63 degrees and raining for the last 3 months in London.We'll let you all know how it is down there.

Dubliners and a Concert in a Barnyard

We spent an entire week living like the Irish in Dublin. Meaning, we drank a lot and complained about the shit weather. So it is JULY and, while we had 2 great sunny days during our week-long trip, it was still cold. Like barely-breaking-60-degrees kind of cold.

So Dave and I worked all week and then went to Sunday's Florence and the Machine/Snow Patrol/Other Random Artists I Hadn't Heard Of concert in Phoenix Park. We also caught up on some of the touristy things here in Dublin that we haven't done on past trips.

Such as the Kilmainham Gaol, which is an old prison that held your common prisoners and Irish revolutionaries during the 18th through 20th centuries. They give a pretty good historical presentation/tour. However, it is a rather long and pub-less walk over there from central Dublin (especially in the rain). We were planning to stop off for a beer at the Guinness Storehouse on the way, but you have to pay for the €16.50 tour JUST to be allowed to go to the bar/restaurant they have there. I'm sure the Guinness is fresh and all, but come on!

Looks kind of like Alcatraz.

We also happily participated in a tour of Jameson's whiskey distillery, which is a bit misleading. Jameson's makes all their whiskey over in County Cork now, not in Dublin. You just get a rather Disneyesque tour of the old building and facilities where they used to make the whiskey. Plus there are some overly dramatized videos about the history of the whiskey factory in Dublin. Not great, not bad, just meh.

Big old masher.

At the end of the tour you have to watch a really lameass video showing All the Great Drinks You Can Make With Jameson's whiskey - really. I felt like Ralphie in A Christmas Story, "A crummy commercial". At least Dave was selected to do a special free whiskey tasting at the end of the tour, so that made us feel a little better about participating in the blatant brand of whiskey consumerism they were selling there.

I was so proud, he passed and got a certificate. That will go right on the resume.

It was pouring down rain (shocking) when we left the distillery, so we went to a movie (Spiderman - our choices were very limited people). Luckily the theater had a FULL BAR, which helped make the movie a bit more palatable.

Yup, a bar in the theater. I love this country, but still wish it was a bit warmer.

We luckily had a few sunny days this week and on one of them, we rode a pair of Dublin Bikes out to Howth. I am pretty sure we are the only assholes to have ever taken those 50lb giant hulking bikes the 10+ miles along the coast north of Dublin to Howth. Still, it was a great ride - mostly along a dedicated bike path. Sweet.

Once in Howth we had a lingering seafood lunch (look at those oysters, yum). Dave picked the restaurant, Octopussy......I am serious, that's actually what it was called.

That is Howth, there in the background.

You can feed these dudes, aren't they cute.

And the requisite old church seeing to be done.

The whole purpose of this Dublin trip was to see Florence and the Machine and Snow Patrol at a music festival in Phoenix Park.

OK for those who do not know, summer music festivals are big over here. They are sometimes several days long and involve loads of bands playing throughout the entire day(s). At the more remote festivals (like Glastonbury or the Isle of Wight festival), you camp out in tents - which sounds to me like the worst thing ever. I love camping but not where rain, lots of noise (I need my beauty rest), people vomiting, overcrowded port-o-potties, or triathlons are involved (sorry Wildflower). People also dress up in these redic outfits with lots of jewelry, headbands, and feathered hats - like those douchebags in the photo there on the right. Hello, it is freezing in the UK and Ireland people, those short shorts and tank tops are not waterproof or frost-proof.

In any case, I brought my favorite red wellies, raincoat, gloves, and wool socks - so I was set for the shitty rainy summer concert weather. This poor girl in the leather leggings and suede heels was NOT.

I am quite sure those shoes will not recover.

Who doesn't love a "summer" music festival.

It got ugly out there.

But it was all worth it for Florence. That woman is my hero, she is amazing!

We are off to ROME this coming weekend. We meeting some friends who will be traveling in Rome, and what's the point of living over here if you can't just dash off to Rome for a weekend.

Then we are headed to France for a week so Dave can work and I can take French classes. I am SORELY lacking in my language classes lately. I've got some ground to make up. Plus that week is my B-day so email me any restaurant recommendations for Paris!!!!

A Dumbass in Dublin

The Irish are such nice, friendly peeps. It is kind of like the Midwest, there is very little pretension, everyone is just generally cool.

A prime example of this occurred yesterday as I was leaving the apartment we rented for this week near Smithfield Market in north/central Dublin. Well, as usual my mind was racing as I was walking out the the apartment to meet Dave - it went something like this:

OK I want to walk by that adorable vintage dress shop....what is the quickest way to Dave's office....maybe walking through Trinity College would be cool....I should have brought Pillars of the Earth with me because I am dying to know if the wall held off the invaders....must throw the trash away that I have in my hand....I wonder how late the Guiness tour goes....if we meet at 6 and dinner isn't until 8 will be be drunk before dinner....I should have brought a curling iron....I hate that you cannot break a 50Euro bill anywhere in Dublin and that is all the ATM gives you....I should have taken a nap....etc.

Anyway, did you see in there that line about must throw the trash away that I have in my hand.... well I threw the trash away then 5 seconds later checked my bag to make sure I had the apartment keys in my purse, and OH SHIT - no keys in my Hermione Granger bag (that bag holds everything). I must have thrown them away with the trash can. 

Said trash can.

In case you hadn't noticed, that is one VERY secure, non-break-inable, trash can. Shit. So I managed to stick my arm into that grubby can, but no luck. It is just too deep. 

While I am trying to tip over the can, reach in, break the thing open, several people stop and ask if they can help. Dudes, women, a homeless guy, and we are all sticking our arms into the grubby gross can......and the homeless guy even tried to use his allen-wrench to open the can and get inside. How sweet! 

But it was no use, that can is unbreakable. Just when I wasn't sure what I was going to do (besides just drink and try to forget about it), I looked in my purse once more - because it was just not possible this was happening.


And guess what, the stupid keys were IN MY PURSE THE WHOLE FREAKING TIME! No that is not possible, I looked....several times...... I attribute it to the leprechans, being that the apartment is just blocks from the National Leprechaun Museum.


So there you have it. No less than four Irish people willing to stick their arms up to the armpit into a dirty trash can to help a stranger. What a great place!

Who Gives a F--- About an Oxford Comma

Come on people, work with me - Vampire Weekend......Oxford Comma.....No?

Anyway, we went to Oxford for the day. You can take the train, but we chose the bus (strangely called the Oxford Tube) because is is cheap and takes less than 2 hours. So what can I say about Oxford...... Everything is old, really old, the place is littered with ancientness. There are buildings there from the 11th century. Freaking awesome.

Unfortunately, our guide book was a piece of crap so I didn't fully appreciate all the lovely, old buildings. Next time, I am signing up for a walking tour so I know what the hell I am looking at.

The Radcliffe Camera, anyone know why it is called a "Camera"? Must Google.

In front of a gorgeous museum.

And yet another gorgeous church.

We did a guided tour of the Oxford Castle, which isn't really a castle but was mostly used as a jail. There was lots of talk of excrement and experimentation on live prisioners and dissection of dead prisoners. OK there were a few 3 year olds in the group who asked a lot of questions of their very nervous looking mom during the gross parts.Poor mom didn't know what to say.

You could actually lock someone in this, I did NOT let Dave even touch that lock.

We also wandered down (completely on accident) to Christ Church college, where scenes from Harry Potter were filmed - AWESOME. You had to pay £6 to get into the place, but I'd say it was worth it.

GRYFFINDOR!

The next day, we went took a ride through Hyde Park then along the Regent's Canal. I couldn't find a map worth a damn, the one on the right there is OK, but is generally still shitty. Our route varied from the canal a bit on account of Mexican food (found at Camden Markets) and RAIN.

Yup - RAIN, see that furthest point there in yellow on the right side of the aerial photo below, about as far as one can get from our house, that is where it started to rain. Luckily, you cannot swing a dead cat in this town without finding a pub. Beer and oysters for us!

Our ride started at the restored Victoria and Albert fountains in Hyde Park, which Albert had built as an expression of love for Victoria. The restoration of the fountains was just completed in time for the Olympics.

Romantic Victoria and Albert fountains, Dave looks thrilled.

Dave and his wee bike along the Regent's Canal anal.

More riding!

Almost home, great day in London.