DON'T MAKE ME LEAVE

This is me scheming up more ways to stay.

DeliEffiel

My favorite thing in Paris is the Eiffel Tower (And the cafes, and wine and cheese and Seine and the Latin Quarter, but I’m narrowing down here.)

Many people all over the world are probably uttering that same sentence, but we all have different reasons for liking it. For me it is because of the constant reminder.

I could be deeply lost in tiny roads filled with 500 years of footsteps and conversation, far within the Latin Quarter across the city, when all of a sudden with the slightest bend of the road and the parting of a building, the tip top of the tower comes into view.

Or I could be at the top of Montmartre on the highest point of the glimmering city in crowds clinging to the rough iron fence every couple of feet to see the tower from in between stubborn tree branches. From this angle at the top of the hill, the tower sticks up dramatically from the low city, puncturing the sky. The onlookers gather and wait with bated breath for the top of the hour when the tower starts glittering against the sky. When it starts, a collective gasp and hush fall over the crowd, and the entire city for the five minutes.

Or I could be down in the Champs de Mars with the giant metal structure looming over me. I can sit at the concrete foot, the bottom of the legend, and while avoiding the dozens of street peddlers selling miniature versions of the tower I can look up behind me at the giant tower that I’m leaning against, physically touching it, yet it still looks like a painting.

No matter where I am in the city, the tower seems to show up at the perfect time almost to say, “Hey! You’re in Paris!”

Water Lilies

Yesterday morning, I went to The Musée de l'Orangerie, which is home to some of Monet's famous Water lilies.

It is hidden in a corner of the The Tuileries Garden right along the bank of the Seine. It was a very interesting musuem, somewhat spaceship-like.

It was a wonderful place, however, they were out of english maps and english audio guides so I didn't know where I was or what I was looking at.

After I managed to find my way out of the museum, I wandered up the Champs-Elysses (but not too far up) then back down along the river, stopping to watch painters creating scenes of the Seine.

Day of the Dead

It was a beautiful, sunny summer day in the city of love. As I awoke that morning with the happy sun streaming through my windows, I thought to myself, what can I do that would capture the loveliness of this Parisian day? A walk down the Seine? A stroll through the Luxembourg Gardens? A bistro meal at an outdoor cafe?

...A trip to the Cemetery?

While the French are known for their "Joie de vivre," they certianly take good care of their dead.

I went to the Père-Lachaise cemetary to find the graves of famous icons buiried in the best city to live (and die in).

I had a map, but was able to find the graves easily by looking for the hordes of people, except at lonley Gertruide Stiens grave.

It was interesting to see the graves of famous icons, but it was even more interesting to see how previous passers-by had payed their respects.

Oscar Wilde's grave was covered in red lips and thank-yous, amists and ignored sign to respect the grave and not deface it.

Jim Morrison's grave, behind a barracade and surrounded by tattered tee wearing teens making their pilgramage, was filled with empty beer cans.

In contrast, Gertruide Steins grave was immaculate and plain, and although her partener, Alice Toklas is buired beside her, her name is carved on the back like a hidden afterthought.

The cemetary was also home to many heartbreaking Holocaust memorials, graphically depicting the pain that the Jewish had felt durning the occupation and the war.

Edith Piaf is laid in a nondescript black family grave, surrounded by a bunch of frenchies singing "La Vie en rose"

Finally I visited the famous composer, Fredrick Chopin's grave and thanked him for the soundtrack to my childhood.

It was the most famous people I'd ever seen in a single day...does that count?

St. Emilion

During my stay in Bordeaux, we took a trip to St. Emillion, on the right bank of Bordeaux. The ride from Bordeaux to St. Emillion is beautiful, on each side of the winding roads is a sea of wine vineyards stretching as far as the eye can see.

Bordeaux is a realitivley flat area, but St. Emillion is pearched on a hill high above the vineyards.

It is a small town consiting of 300 inhabitants and too many tourists. Our trip to St. Emillion included a trip to the catacombs underneath the city center, and an underground church carved out of one giant limestone rock.

After a morning wine tasting, we headed to a wine lunch which included a lot of free wine and a lot of authentic delicious southern french dishes.

After the wine lunch we headed to another vineyard, for another tour and tasting.

After that I'm not quite sure what we did, I think it involved sleeping. I've found that visiting Bordeaaux is best done with 30 twenty year olds, a bus to chauferre you around and someone else planning it.

Pit Stop in Sauternes

Before hitting the main area of Bordeaux on my weekend wine adventure, we took a stop in Sauternes, a wine region in South Bordeaux known for its sweet wine that is made by waiting for the grapes to be attacked by Bostrytis, a type of mold (Known to the Frenchies as "Nobel Rot"). It is a white wine that is usually made from two common grapes to that area, Sauvignon Blanc and Semillion. The grapes are attacked by the Nobel Rot in this area because of the climate, which is foggy and damp in the morning then turns very warm.

I was excited to visit this area because my GM made a big to do about this wine when we added it to the wine list at the restaurant and I quite enjoyed it when we had a tasting at pre-meal one day. And its sweet and very expensive so it's right up my alley.

We took a tour of the sprawling Chateau Guiraud, a beautiful vineyard in the heart of the Sauternes region.

After the tour of the bottling room,

and the barrel room

and vineyards,

we finished by sampling two different Sauternes wine, which were both delicious.

(Best Giftshop Ever)

More Adventures in Wine Country coming soon

The Weekly Market

Every Saturday morning, vendors from all over Montpellier set up shop under the town's ancient aqueducts for town market. The market is home to the run of the mill market goods such as fruits, veggies and cheeses,

but also whole chickens roasts over open fires, cooking potato halves in its dripping juices, giant pans of fresh paella, and cans of foie gras.

While the market closes at 2, one can easily spend days going from vendor to vendor, eating samples of fresh cheese,

smelling huge assortments of spices,

and drinking freshly made green tea from a strange little man with a mandolin.

The market is crowded with locals, getting their fix of everything they need for the week ahead.

While I was there, I bought a delicious still warm baguette, goat cheese topped with rosemary and bursting with flavor, sweet and salty green olive tapenade and an ear of corn. It was delicious.

I would have gotten more things, but my arms can only carry so much and saying "Je vodrais..." and then mimicking the way you eat food you'd like doesn't get you very far. Being in France, I have also realized how much Spanish I actually know. And also that French is not Spanish. But sometimes it doesn't matter if you can tell a "droit" from a "droites," meandered on home, my fresh baguette sticking out of the top of my bag I felt very French anyway.

ESTIVAL

Every friday night during the summer, Montpieller is host to a wine festival (Or as we culture drained Americans say it, LE ESTIVAL) The festival takes over the center square of the town with stands to get food, wine, antiques, hats, and anything you can think of.

For 4 euro, you get a pretty little wine glass (Which I lost a mere hours later in an unfortunate bar table clearing incident) and three tickets to sample any wine you want.

All of the wines are from local vineyards (which includes Burgundy and Bordeaux) and are served with pride by a vineyard worker.

ESTIVAL is also home to some of the best street food on the planet.

Moules Frites served straight out of the steamer and doused in a healthy serving of onions and delicious broth.

If Moules Frites aren't your style (anyone? anyone?), you can wander through a seemingly endless maze of food vendors selling everything from steaks to paella to falafel.

After indulging in the delicious food and the wine, and more wine, and some more wine, the townspeople, and some drunk americans yelling "I love ESTIVAL" can gather around the town pond, or infront of the large stage to watch a variety of jazz performers.

They also flood the streets to wander through stands selling all sorts of things. In one block, a determined shopper can buy nougat, books from the 1800s and antique china.

The ESITVAL is a great time, a cheap night filled with culture and entertainment, and a mainstay of Monpieller for hopefully years to come.