Food and Friends

11/21-11/27

Top of the Mountain

So on Wednesday during the first class the fire alarms went off and we had to evacuate the school.  We all were super annoyed at the fact that we had to stand outside in the freezing cold while the drill happened, but then fire trucks started to arrive and they used the ladder to rescue someone on the top floor.  So now we think that there might be an actual fire inside.  However two days later they finally tell us that this was a full drill and that they firemen were call to perform their part of the drill so that ISARA administration could see if there were any holes in their plan. 

Thanksgiving Day!!!  So, after my French class I had to race back home to change.  I literally had time to throw on a nicer top, freshen-up a bit, and grab my jacket and purse and run out the door.  I was impressed with myself because I hoped on the same bus that I road to my house!  At

Thanksgiving dinner

Thanksgiving, I had fun catching up with everyone, and I also invited Clara with me.  The food was amazing!!  To start it off we were served pumpkin soup with bacon, and could choose between a red wine and a white wine.  The main course was turkey with cranberry sauce, green beans, sweet potatoes with marshmallows, stuffing, mash potatoes, and gravy.  Then for dessert we had Oreo cheese cake.  After dinner I got to skype home and see everyone gathered for thanksgiving back in Oregon!  I then had to pack for my weekend trip to Maëlle’s house.

  

So Friday after getting Maëlle’s house I went to archery practice with her!  I did fairly well I only missed hitting the target once.  I had a lot of fun going to the archery practice.  Maëlle’s mom was super nice and made some wonderful risotto for dinner.  Then for dessert I had some homemade applesauce with Boudoirs.   

me and my bread

Saturday started off with going to a market in the center of Moirans with Maëlle, and her mom.  It was a total Beauty and the Beast type of town.  We first stopped at a fruit stand to pick up apples and pears, then continued to Meat store.  There I got to see some new food.  We went there to pick up meat for sandwiches on the hike.  I ended up getting Rillettes d’Oie (goose thing), and Pâté Forestier (mushrooms and pork).  Next to get some cheese.  Here I got to taste some different cheeses that I had not tried before.  The first was Abondance, then Tomme au Marc de Raisin (fermented raisins around cheese and tastes like earth). Next I got to ask for Tomme de Chartreuse, and the lady at the counter actually understood what I asked for!!!! Then the last piece of cheese I got to try was Reblochon (pue-le- pied) or stinky feet cheese.  It tastes way better than it smells. After cheese, we went to get the bread!  When we got to Artisan Boulanger, where we could also get the dessert for the hike.  I got des lunettes de chocolat.  This dessert has two cookies that have chocolate in the center, with powdered sugar and chocolate powder on the top.  After we got all the food for the hike we headed back home to get ready.  

My cairn

Now it was time to climb a mountain in Vercors called Le Moucherotte.  The summit is at 1901 m (we climbed 600 m of the total height).  We stopped a little more than half way to have lunch and I loved the goose thing and the Pate, and all the cheeses that we had gotten at the market.  We saved dessert for when we would make it to the summit.  On the way up the mountain I got to rap a little Hamilton, and explain some American history, as well as learn some history about France and specifically the region where we were.  Getting to the top of the mountain was so great, the view of the alps was breath taking!  We made it to the top and I got to enjoy my dessert.  However, I was not able to eat if gracefully.  The coco powered and powdered sugar got everywhere, but it was so delicious, so it did mater.    I also built cairn, which is a tower of stones that indicate that the summit is at that point.  This was used to help hikers when it snowed a lot fined their path.  This is a tradition to do when you summit the mountain.  So I now can check climbing a mountain in the Alps off my bucket list (GO Me).   

Due to the hiking, we watched a movie and drank hot chocolate afterwards.  We watched Snow Dogs, and it was a great Disney movie to watch curled up next to a fire place.  In the evening I got to try vegetarian chicken nuggets, which  is something that I have never eaten or tried before.  They were so good!!!  If no one told me that they were made out of I would think they were normal chicken nuggets.  

fog rolling through the hills

Starting off our hike

SNOW!!!

On top of the Mountain

We made it

At the summit

 Sunday was a day of exploring the history of Moirans.  Maëlle took me into town to see the old city wall that protected the city including the last standing guard tower.  I also got to see the old church that was built around 1014.  It is now closed to the public because they found some old bones under the floor.  The next place we visited was part of the old convent and the Paris house (four brothers that were very powerful in the town).  Now it was time for Lunch, I have been looking forward to this lunch all weekend.  We started off with a meat fondue called Fondue Bourguignone, where there was a pot of boiling grape seed oil that you just took a piece of meat on a skewer and stuck it in until is was cooked the way you wanted it.  We had red wine for the meat fondue.  White wine for the cheese fondue and it was called Sancerre. Also we had a cherry alcohol called Vin de Griotte.  This drink is made of cherry tree leaves soaked in white wine and liquor. This drink is Maelle’s grandfathers recipe, and no one really knows what is in it.  Then we had a cheese fondue called Fondue Savoyarde, that had Beaufort, Comté, Abondance.  For this one, I took a piece of bread and then dipped it into the delicious cheese mixture.  The for dessert I had more homemade apple sauce, madeleines, and meringue.

I had a great weekend with Maëlle's family and am now ready for all the final papers and presentations that are to come in the next couple of weeks!!

Fondue Bourguignone

Fondue Savoyarde

madeleines, and meringue

Guard tower

The old wall for protection

Gardens 

TickTock

11/14-11/20

Organ pipes at the Sagrada Família 

So sorry for not posting this at my normal time on Sunday (sorry Grandma)!! I have only 4.5 weeks left till I return to Oregon!! The time has gone by so fast.

This week was not very interesting (just school). However, two things happened this week that were cool.

The first was at dance.  On Friday I have a ballet class and I have seen a lot of improvement over the past two months.  My technique has improved, I can now do triple turns on both the left and the right (for those of you who are not dancers this is very good).  Another thing is the teachers that have taught the class are very direct and I have been getting some really great feedback and have been able to strengthen my ankle enough that I think I can go on point again.  Another funny thing was that the accompanist started to play the Star Spangled Banner at the end of class, and I sang half of it (he didn't know the second half).  

The second thing was I got to watch Rent the musical.  There was a taping of the 2008 Broadway production on YouTube.  I had never seen the whole musical before.  I had only heard the famous 525,600 minutes song, and Take Me or Leave Me.  I recommend watching it!  I loved the actress who played Mimi, and I am pretty sure that the actress plays Angelica Schluyler in Hamilton the American Musical.

I look forward to this coming weekend because I will be going to a friends house in the mountains and possibly playing in the snow :)

Barcelona Day Three

11/12-11/13

I touched the Mediterranean Sea!

Day 3

View from the top of Castell de Montjuïc 

This was the last day in Barcelona…… we still had so much to do!  We started off walking along the beach.  I got to touch the Mediterranean Sea!!  I didn’t go swimming because it was the start of the day and we had a lot of walking to do. It was nice to be at a beach again! After the beach, we took a bus to the Castell de Montjuïc.  This castle is a military fortification and is well positioned on the mountain to where you can't see the castle until you are at its doors.  We had a tour guide for this visit as well, and she was amazing!  She made jokes and had pictures to show us about the evolution of the castle and of Barcelona.  One interesting point is how the castle got its name.  There are two theories on how the mountains and castle got its name. The first, is that it is named after the roman god Jupiter, and the name just got shortened until it was Montjuïc.  This theory is supported by some artifacts that were found by archaeologists on the mountain.  The second theory is that it is called Mountain of the Jews, because archaeologist discovered a Jewish cemetery below the castle. The second theory is more accepted then the first. 

Castell de Montjuïc gardens through cellar window

As part of the tour we got to see the water reservoir that was made when the fortification was built.  The original castle was built in 30 days because, the people of Catalonia needed to defend their city from King Philip V when he was uniting all of Spain.  Then during the Spanish revolution they build the fort that we see today.  Another part of the tour was to go to the dungeon (torture rooms), however, archaeologist have found some drawings on the walls of the cells and they were closed to visitors.  We also go to go up the signaling tower to get a fantastic view of the city.  This castle use to use a mast to signal to the city of approaching ships by day, and fire by night.

After going through the different rooms in the castle Clara and I walked down the mountain to go and see Olympic stadium/park.  Since it was night we could not go into the stadium, but I got to see the track and the Olympic park leading up to the stadium.  They had fountains going with lights, it was very pretty.  We continued down the mountain because there was a fountain light show at the base of the mountain.  When we got to the fountain there was a hip hop group preforming.  They were so funny, they actually put on a 10 minute show.  The fountain show was beautiful they played English and Spanish songs.  After the show Clara and I went to find dinner at this shopping center that use to be a coliseum for bull fighting.  We found a restaurant at the very top of the mall. There we both had some sangria (you can’t go to Spain and not have sangria), and  I had this rice and Catalan sausage with vegetables dish.  Then for dessert I had coffee and chocolate tiramisu! 

Olympic Park

Today was a great day to end the trip on.  I enjoyed the whole trip and was sad to be going home.  The next day we went to the cafe we went to the first day next to the Sagrada Familia to get lunch for the bus ride.  The bus ride was not too bad, and we got back to Lyon without any issues. 

Fountain show at the Magic Fountain

Fountain show

Dinner at the coliseum

Barcelona Day Two

11/11

MY BUBBLE!!!!

Day 2

All the Pigeons 

Today we went to a farmers market.  On the way to the market called Mercado dela Boqueria, we saw a house that was designed by Gaudi (Sagrada Familia architect).  I got some coconut, empanada’s (ham and cheese, and pumpkin), and dragon fruit.  I also had my first Dunkin Doughnut drink and doughnut!  I had some tea with with a pink confetti doughnut.  After the market we went to the Basilica de Santa Maria del Pi.  On our way there we crossed the Plaça de Catalunya, which was filled with a ton of pigeons!! There were also two large fountains but they were not going in the morning.    Now this was not as big at the Sagada Familia, but it still had some amazing architectural design.  The different artwork that were around the church was incredible. 

After the church we went to the Picasso Museum!  I also recommend buying tickets ahead of time and with the audio tour.  Paying the extra euros is totally worth it!!  I learned so much about Picasso’s early career before his cubism phase.  I fell in love with his blue period drawings.  My favorite painting in called The Blue Glass.  I wanted to get a print of this, but I had to settle for a postcard.  The most “interesting” collection was his switch to cubism with the painting of a girl and her lady in waiting (I can't remember the name). He literally painted this girl 14 times, each with a different interpretation.   Clara and I had fun interpreting some of his more obscure paintings.  The audio guide explained that some of his painting we see now are actually painted over other paintings/sketches.   The painting of the sick women in the bed went through several different stages.  Picasso changed how the dying women's arm was placed, the child's position and features, then the way the nurse was standing and holding the tea.  

Next Clara and I traveled to the Parc de la Ciutadella, to eat lunch.  While enjoying the empanada's we got at the market that morning, we got to enjoy some street music.  In this park there is a big fountain with a golden statue on top.  Clara and I took a lot of photos of each other at  certain location around the fountain.

Parc de la Ciutadella

There were also some people blowing bubbles around the fountain and park with was a lot of fun (who doesn’t like bubbles!!!).  There was also this large statue of a mammoth. There were a lot of girls that were trying to jump up and sit on the trunk but were not able to do it.   Next, we set off to see the Arc Triof.  From the park we were making our way to see Casa Mila (wavy house).  However, we had some time to spare so we stopped at a nice cafe and sat for a while.  Once it was time to see the houses all lit up we started off and came across some fountains that are only going at night with lights.  Finally, we came to Plaça de Catalunya and got to see the two fountains all lit up and running.  Then on the way to another house design by Guell we saw a fountain that was in the middle of a round about. 

Round one of Sushi

The end location of this trip was Toyo Japanese sushi restaurant.  This restaurant is A MUST if you are coming to Barcelona!! You don’t have to order anything, it just appears by the server.  Note: you will need to arrive before 20h30 to get a table!  We got there right at 20h30 and we got one of the last tables.  We split each dish, and so I ate 14 pieces of sushi plus half of the side dishes.  All in all at the end of the evening I had quintuplet food babies.    Over the course of the day we ended up walking 14km!! We were so sore that walking up to the 6th floor of the apartment as so hard.   

Gaudi design house

My first Dunkin Coffee (tea)

Basilica de Santa Maria del Pi

Pumpkin Empanada

Basilica de Santa Maria del Pi

My first Dragon Fruit

Parc de la Ciutadella

Fountain in the Parc de la Ciutadella

Parc de la Ciutadella

The Bubble Force is strong

Fountain at Plaça de Catalunya

Barcelona Day One

11/8-11/9

Ceiling of the Sagrada Família 

This week I went to Barcelona with my friend Clara!!  Since we did a lot of things I will be breaking this blog post into three parts (one for each day’s adventures).  So I don't flood you with a ton of photos (I took over 200)  I will post the best ones...... it will be hard to choose. 

Night One

Food at Chinese Restaurant

Wednesday we spent on the bus for the 8 hour bus ride from Lyon to Barcelona.  The bus was fine, and when we got to Barcelona we were able to find our AirB&B house.  Our host was amazing and he gave us some great advice on places to eat.  For dinner we went to a Chinese food restaurant.  It was so much food!!  I had fried pot-stickers with beef noodle soup.  Clara had pork with soy sauce and a noodle vegetable dish.  I was able to finish the whole meal, but I thought I was going to explode!!!    

Day One!!

In the morning we went to the Sagrada Família first.  It was breath taking to just look at from the outside.  We had a guided tour (if you go, get the guided tour, it was worth the extra money) where we got to hear about the history of the architects (Gaudi), the 

Final Glory side

symbolism of the artwork and different architectural pieces, then the future parts that are being built.  The Basilica is suppose to be finished in 2026, however there is still 60% of the towers left to build.  I was really impressed with how Gaudi designed the basilica.  The guide said that in his original plans factored in the use of electricity several years before electricity was possible.  He had designed a space for lights and elevators inside the Basilica.  

The main symbolism of the architecture is that there are going to be 12 tower one for each of the disciples, four higher towers for the four evangelist (Mathew, Mark, Luke, and John), then the tallest tower represents Jesus.  There is also one tower to represent Mary.  Each side of the Basilica represented a different part of Jesus’s story.  The first was the Nativity scene or life side.  Mary Joseph and baby Jesus are front and center, with the three wise men and shepherds to either side, and angles above.  This side had a lot of sculptures to symbolize life, such as, turtles and vines/flowers. Opposite the Life side was the Passion side depicting the crucifixtion.  This side was designed by a different artist, and has a more modern flare tot he art work.  One of my favorite parts of this side is the sculpture depicting the betrayal of Jesus by Judas.  The artist decided to make a square with numbers in in that no mater which four you chose added up to 33 (the money Judas got for betraying Jesus).  Another sculpture to note is one that has Jesus carrying the cross.  One of the men watching him was sculpted to look like Gaudi, as a commemoration to the Basilica's original architect. The finial side of Glory is not completed yet because they have to tear down the buildings across the street to make room for the grand entrance. 

Side of Life

Clara with a turtle on Life side

Betrayal of Jesus

Passion Side

Stain glass Work

Stain glass on Life side

Communion (the canopy has wheat and grapes)

The symbolism continued inside with the theme of nature and life.  The windows were made of stained glass reflected the position of the sun like it was coming through the canopy of a forest.  Starting on the east side of the building there was stain glass with blue and green colors, This also is the side of life on the outside.  In the middle was just clear glass, is the side of Glory.  Then the sun set side was red, yellow, and orange, which is also to passion side.  To further the forest theme the support columns were made to look like trees.  There are not enough words to express what I felt while on the tour, let alone the pictures that I took.  Clara and I were there for the whole morning before we went to Park Güel.

On our walk to Park Güel we stopped by a sandwich shop called Enrique Tomas to pick of Lunch to eat on the way.  The sandwich was so good!  To get to Park Güel you WILL have to WALK a lot, unless you take a taxi.  Another thing is to buy your tickets before you go to the park because they only let 100 people into the park at a time. However there is a section of the park that you can access for free while you wait to enter the paid part of the park.  Clara and I spent 2 hours exploring the free part of the park and then 1 hour inside the paid part.  This place has some of the best views and a lot of great places to take pictures.  There are some artist and musicians in the free part of the park that you can listen to.  Clara and I had fun taking pictures of each other and adding filters to make them “artistic”.  I highly recommend coming here if you are in Barcelona. 

Musician in the Park

Picture on top of the park

Green house look out on the city of Barcelona

Sunset over Barcelona 

For dinner we went to this restaurant called El Nacional. There were four different restaurants and three bars (two drinking, on oyster) located in the building.  We ate at La Taperia, and had several different types of tapas and some Spanish beer.  I had razor clams that were just as good as ones I have had in Oregon.  For dessert I had this fancy cinnamon role sponge cake called Pionono de Granada.  Day one is all wrapped up...Stay tuned for more tomorrow!

Menu for Tapas

Razor clams and Spanish beer

Pionono de Granada