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.

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.

Paris Street Food

Paris is a melting pot of old world and new world, and sometimes those lines get blurred together. Take a stroll down the famous Rue Cler to understand.

Rue Cler is a classic Parisian street, known for its abundance of food markets. The smells of fresh foods that waft from the open doors change with each step taken down the cobbled street.

The French have a different way of thinking and buying food. Instead of a mad dash to the nearest superstore to stock up on all of the boxed and shrink wrapped necessities needed for the upcoming week, they shop more often for more specific items. Each store of Rue Cler is a specialty shop full of fresh, gourmet items.

In one block, you'll stumbled upon a store for honey, bread, cheese, chocolates and meats. Each item in the stores was made mere hours before and sometimes you'll be lucky enough to still see steam rising from a fresh baguette.

Along the more populated, but still picturesque, main streets you can find everything you need for a quick lunch. Giant sandwiches consist of entire baguettes cut in half and stuffed with the most fresh vegetables, meats and cheeses. For a few euros, you can eat for days. In the open windows of the famous boulangeries, you can order world famous crepes that are made fresh for you in the paris sun.

They are filled with multiple french sweets, like lemon zest and jams, and their favorite, Nutella. The familiar jar takes on a classier and more delicious air when the contents are spread on a steaming crepe.

A perfect day in Paris can be spent strolling down the ancient streets, soaking up the scents and flavors of the classic city.