Although my 6 week whirlwind adventure in France ended, my desire to learn French continues. Mostly because I want to be able to communicate with Benjamin in his native language. I want to be as fluent in French as he is in English. I know that it can be exhausting for him to speak in English all the time, and I want him to be able to take a break, relax in our conversations (although right now I think it takes more energy for him to understand me when I speak French than when I speak English)! Therefore, my next 6 week adventure is going to be focused on learning as much French as I can before he arrives, and as language acquisition can often be it's own adventure, I'm going to share my journey!
To prepare for my trip to France, I endeavored to complete the Duolingo French course, and I succeeded! Duolingo is a free language learning app, and a good tool. It is gamification of learning - as their website advertises, it truly is fun and addictive. You can only advance by completing each level, which automatically unlocks through completion of all the lessons in that series. Each lesson contains a series of phrases and vocabulary in a specific category, recorded and written. I really enjoyed the challenge aspect of this app, and this was a great way for me to jump into the French language!
I discovered Mango at my local library (which offers it for FREE)! This is a fantastic app that has some really cool features including a recording tool so you can compare your pronunciation to that of a native French speaker. It also color-codes words and you can switch between the understood and literal translation of phrases. I'm about half way through the first unit (several chapters in), but I'll keep going.
One of my favorite tools is FrenchPod101, a collection of leveled podcasts designed to help you learn french, no matter what your starting level - from absolute beginner to advanced and everything in between. You can listen to some podcasts for free, but to access all the material you need to subscribe. I chose to subscribe on the lowest tier, because I wanted to be able to listen to all their recordings - enjoy listening to the playful banter, vocabulary, and grammar explanations. I play the podcasts several times and then make notes to help me learn the material better.
I would like to try the Mimic Method developed by Idahosa Ness, which is all about learning the sounds of the French language first, but his comprehensive program is a bit out of my budget, so I'll have to wait to try his until I've saved a bit. I did take his free course, which was very helpful and I'll utilize his advice.
Wow, thanks for sticking with this blogpost. It's a bit dry, but I'm hoping to share some funny French anecdotes along the way. If YOU have a favorite language acquisition hint, tip, trick, or tool, please share it with me in a comment on this blog. Thanks!!!
Tuesday, November 7, 2017
Thursday, November 2, 2017
Week 6: Toulouse France Part 3
I went to the market solo again on Wednesday morning, as I wanted to purchase more fresh fruits and vegetables. It is nearing the end of tomato season, and Benjamin enjoys them so much, I wanted to pick up a few for him while there were still some at the market. I visited his favorite vegetable vendor, purchased two each of three different varieties, then went to my favorite cheese vendor to buy some chevrè and a bit more aged gouda (as it's one of my favorite snacks), as well as some eggs. I also bought some more apples, carrots, bell peppers and garlic. Benjamin was happy with these purchases, and made one of his favorite tomato and chevrè salads for lunch. He wanted to keep it light, because he had big plans for dinner... Benjamin was determined to make sure that I experienced a variety of French foods, and one of the most interesting is that of the dried sausage. On Tuesday evening we went to a restaurant in Toulouse that specializes in different types of sausage. We ordered from a set menu, and then were promptly brought a selection of dried meats in a basket and a bowl of baguette pieces, as well as some pâté accompanied by tiny little pickles and onions. Benjamin explained that I was able to eat as much of the dried meats as I wanted, and if we ran out, they would bring us more. That is a daunting image, because the basket was FULL of meats. There were six different types in the basket, from super dry cured to the velvety texture of blood sausage. I dutifully tried them all. My favorite ended up being the ash covered sausage, which at first was my least favorite - mainly because I didn't realize I needed to remove the casing and popped the bite into my mouth, only to be confronted with the flavor of fireplace. Benjamin laughed at my expression and explained how to remove the casing, which I admit took a while to get the hang of. My first attempts ended up in my dry sausage falling apart, because I was cutting too deep, past the casing and into the sausage itself. With practice, I was able to manage liberating my sausage on my own (although Ben is still the master at this. He's so quick!) When we'd had our fill, he signaled the waiter for the main course. I had ordered Spanish Sausages, which were slightly spicey, and Benjamin had ordered duck heart skewers. Ever the gentlemen, he offered me the first one. It had an... let's just say 'interesting' texture, but the flavor was rich. Our meal came with large salads on the side, and I can honestly say I finished his food - after he had eaten the rest of the duck hearts, we traded plates; mine with 3 sausages left and no salad, his with his salad untouched. I remark upon this, because our usual pattern is that I eat as much as I possibly can, and he finishes what I can't. For once I ate what he didn't! Our meal ended with a scoop of ice cream each, and a bonus aperitif - something with cinnamon, which I appreciated. I am glad he chose this restaurant for us, but it is definitely something for special occasions and not a regular venue for dinner.
I fell back into my regular routine again on Thursday, working to improve my French. Benjamin had suggested a few language links, and one of them I found quite helpful. Benny Lewis, the Irish Polyglot speaks several different languages. He has a blog, and his method for language acquisition is to speak it from day one. I was impressed with the article I read, and decided to explore further. One of the resources Benny recommends is Flow Theory with the Mimic Method, developed by Idahosa Ness, where the concept is to learn the sounds of a language first, and once you have the pattern of the sounds, work on putting them together with vocabulary. Idahosa emphasizes getting familiar with your speech organs to understand how to reproduce the specific sounds in a language. That led me back to the International Pronunciation Alphabet (IPA), which had been another resource Benjamin recommended. I also started listening to French rap, which has heavy repetition of syllables and can help me become familiar with those sounds (another suggestion bt Idahosa). After a full day of study, I switched to an English audiobook while I made fried rice for dinner. It was tasty! Then Benjamin and I played a few rounds of Splendor before bed.
I attempted my very first Spanish omelet on Friday afternoon, as well as my favorite spiced applesauce, both to take with us when we went to visit Benjamin's parents. I LOVE the simplicity and flavor of a good Spanish omelet, and I was encouraged by a recipe I found online. I was happy with the way it looked when it was finished, and packed it up, as well as my bag for the weekend, then carried both to the parking lot halfway between Benjamin's work and the flat, where we agreed to meet at 5:00pm. He showed up right on time, and away we went, rocking out to metal music most of the way down, and engaging in interesting discussions for the rest of it. We arrived just before dinner (which in France is shockingly late for me - 9:00pm!), meeting his mother Isabelle and father Gilles, followed by a tour of their large and lovely home. My favorite was the great open fireplace in the kitchen, which had a fire going when we arrived! As an appetizer, we tasted some of the Spanish omelet I'd made and I was pleased with how it turned out - I will use that recipe again! Then Isabelle served dinner, a creamy pumpkin soup followed by rabbit and potatoes, paired with a rich red wine. It was the first time I had ever eaten rabbit, and I liked it! Dessert was a couple of delightful cheeses, then ice cream. At times I struggled to follow the conversation; both Benjamin and his father would translate for me periodically, but I endeavored to understand the French they were speaking as well. I'm happy to report that I was able to pick out quite a few words I recognized, and my confidence in speaking French grew a bit. I still have a LONG way to go before fluency, but I'm making progress!
Everyone managed to sleep in on Saturday morning, but eventually we all woke up and headed down into the kitchen. Isabelle had thoughtfully purchased gluten free crackers for me, which I enjoyed with apricot jam and a bowl of tea. I was encouraged to be quick, as Benjamin and I had planned to go wine tasting at the local castle. He was a bit disappointed when we arrived in fog, but I didn't mind. The misty morning gave an air of romance and mystery to the castle and surrounding vineyard, and caused the spider webs to dance and sparkle with dew - a perfect look with Halloween just around the corner! The wine was a delicious treat, to balance out the trick the weather was playing on us. We returned to the house for lunch, just as Benjamin's brother Gaspard arrived. We enjoyed another hearty meal and conversation, and then said our goodbyes, as we were meeting Benjamin's friends in a different town for dinner. As we drove, he kept making little detours through quaint towns, and I began to understand the charm people speak of when describing the French country side. I have fallen in love, and am happy to admit it! We arrived at Coucou and Aurélie's home, and quickly set off for Albi, where we planned to have dinner. We visited the basilica, which has the most bricks of any church in the France. It is a massive structure, and impressive in it's grandeur! There was a choir concert taking place, thus closed to the public, so I will have to visit it again to see inside. For dinner we went to a Basque restaurant. Basque is half in France and half in Spain, and thus the food has a heavy Spanish influence. We ordered beer for the boys while the ladies enjoyed sangria, and opted for the set menu. Benjamin and I ate stout salads with meat and cheese, then he enjoyed steak and potatoes while I enjoyed fish and vegetables (I may have poached a few of his potatoes as well...). For desert he had Sheep cheese and I was thrilled to have flan; Aurélie and Coucou ordered the caramelized pears which looked divine, but the crumble had gluten so I sadly abstained. Then we played cards. It was a fabulous evening!
Daylight savings time occurs in France nearly a week before it does in the united states, so we enjoyed an extra hour of sleep before having breakfast with our friends. Again I did my best to follow the French conversation, and understood the gist of what was said, with Benjamin or Coucou translating periodically. When I spoke, it was in French as often as possible, and everyone seemed to understand what I was trying to communicate. We left just before noon to visit a weekend market before heading back to the flat. We played games, laughed, and made the most of my last full day in Toulouse. I was introduced one more French treat for dinner, aligot, which is basically cheese melted into potatoes and whipped until they have the elastic quality of melting mozzarella. It tasted amazing! Benjamin also harvested his radishes - they were cute and crunchy!
The next morning I had breakfast with Benjamin before he went to work and I packed. I left with plenty of time to get to the airport, and good thing too, as I took the wrong bus - it eventually made it to the right destination, but took the long way. I managed the metro just fine, but couldn't find the bus stop for the line that went to the airport. I called Benjamin at work, he sent me the coordinates, and I understood why I couldn't find it - there was construction occurring at the location. I had walked by an Air France travel center, so I popped in to express my confusion, and the woman who greeted me explained that the bus stop had been moved, and gave me new directions. I found it, and arrived in time for my flight from Toulouse to Paris Orly airport, with 3 hours before my next flight on a different airline departing from Paris Charles de Galles Airpirt, on the other side of the city. Fortunately, there is a metro line that runs between the two airports, and I again arrived in time for my flight. Lots of time, in fact, as my flight from Paris to New York that day was cancelled. We were put up in an airport hotel for the night, provided with dinner and breakfast vouchers, and informed that the check-in counter would open again the next morning at 7:00 am, with more information. I arrived around 7:30 am, to find about a dozen other passengers waiting, and no one working at the counter. We found an airport manager who informed us that the airline agents would arrive around 9:30am, so we settled in to wait it out in solidarity. I shared that this was my third significant delay in three months, so it was possibly my fault, and we all laughed. I met some pretty interesting people in line - a head writer for the DC Batman comics, a couple from Florida who actually saw the eye of the hurricane pass over their home, a young man who had surfed the south of France (he actually had his surf boards with him), and a recent college graduate who was literally seeing the world before his new job started - a fellow Western Alumni, in fact! Such fascinating people helped ease the frustration and agitation that I would miss my flight back to Seattle. The flight finally departed, and I am hoping to make a new connecting flight in New York. By the time you read this, I'll know whether I made it in time...
(Update: I did NOT make the flight that evening, but the airline did put me up in a hotel that night and I flew out the next morning. I am finally back in Washington State!)
I fell back into my regular routine again on Thursday, working to improve my French. Benjamin had suggested a few language links, and one of them I found quite helpful. Benny Lewis, the Irish Polyglot speaks several different languages. He has a blog, and his method for language acquisition is to speak it from day one. I was impressed with the article I read, and decided to explore further. One of the resources Benny recommends is Flow Theory with the Mimic Method, developed by Idahosa Ness, where the concept is to learn the sounds of a language first, and once you have the pattern of the sounds, work on putting them together with vocabulary. Idahosa emphasizes getting familiar with your speech organs to understand how to reproduce the specific sounds in a language. That led me back to the International Pronunciation Alphabet (IPA), which had been another resource Benjamin recommended. I also started listening to French rap, which has heavy repetition of syllables and can help me become familiar with those sounds (another suggestion bt Idahosa). After a full day of study, I switched to an English audiobook while I made fried rice for dinner. It was tasty! Then Benjamin and I played a few rounds of Splendor before bed.
I attempted my very first Spanish omelet on Friday afternoon, as well as my favorite spiced applesauce, both to take with us when we went to visit Benjamin's parents. I LOVE the simplicity and flavor of a good Spanish omelet, and I was encouraged by a recipe I found online. I was happy with the way it looked when it was finished, and packed it up, as well as my bag for the weekend, then carried both to the parking lot halfway between Benjamin's work and the flat, where we agreed to meet at 5:00pm. He showed up right on time, and away we went, rocking out to metal music most of the way down, and engaging in interesting discussions for the rest of it. We arrived just before dinner (which in France is shockingly late for me - 9:00pm!), meeting his mother Isabelle and father Gilles, followed by a tour of their large and lovely home. My favorite was the great open fireplace in the kitchen, which had a fire going when we arrived! As an appetizer, we tasted some of the Spanish omelet I'd made and I was pleased with how it turned out - I will use that recipe again! Then Isabelle served dinner, a creamy pumpkin soup followed by rabbit and potatoes, paired with a rich red wine. It was the first time I had ever eaten rabbit, and I liked it! Dessert was a couple of delightful cheeses, then ice cream. At times I struggled to follow the conversation; both Benjamin and his father would translate for me periodically, but I endeavored to understand the French they were speaking as well. I'm happy to report that I was able to pick out quite a few words I recognized, and my confidence in speaking French grew a bit. I still have a LONG way to go before fluency, but I'm making progress!
Everyone managed to sleep in on Saturday morning, but eventually we all woke up and headed down into the kitchen. Isabelle had thoughtfully purchased gluten free crackers for me, which I enjoyed with apricot jam and a bowl of tea. I was encouraged to be quick, as Benjamin and I had planned to go wine tasting at the local castle. He was a bit disappointed when we arrived in fog, but I didn't mind. The misty morning gave an air of romance and mystery to the castle and surrounding vineyard, and caused the spider webs to dance and sparkle with dew - a perfect look with Halloween just around the corner! The wine was a delicious treat, to balance out the trick the weather was playing on us. We returned to the house for lunch, just as Benjamin's brother Gaspard arrived. We enjoyed another hearty meal and conversation, and then said our goodbyes, as we were meeting Benjamin's friends in a different town for dinner. As we drove, he kept making little detours through quaint towns, and I began to understand the charm people speak of when describing the French country side. I have fallen in love, and am happy to admit it! We arrived at Coucou and Aurélie's home, and quickly set off for Albi, where we planned to have dinner. We visited the basilica, which has the most bricks of any church in the France. It is a massive structure, and impressive in it's grandeur! There was a choir concert taking place, thus closed to the public, so I will have to visit it again to see inside. For dinner we went to a Basque restaurant. Basque is half in France and half in Spain, and thus the food has a heavy Spanish influence. We ordered beer for the boys while the ladies enjoyed sangria, and opted for the set menu. Benjamin and I ate stout salads with meat and cheese, then he enjoyed steak and potatoes while I enjoyed fish and vegetables (I may have poached a few of his potatoes as well...). For desert he had Sheep cheese and I was thrilled to have flan; Aurélie and Coucou ordered the caramelized pears which looked divine, but the crumble had gluten so I sadly abstained. Then we played cards. It was a fabulous evening!
Daylight savings time occurs in France nearly a week before it does in the united states, so we enjoyed an extra hour of sleep before having breakfast with our friends. Again I did my best to follow the French conversation, and understood the gist of what was said, with Benjamin or Coucou translating periodically. When I spoke, it was in French as often as possible, and everyone seemed to understand what I was trying to communicate. We left just before noon to visit a weekend market before heading back to the flat. We played games, laughed, and made the most of my last full day in Toulouse. I was introduced one more French treat for dinner, aligot, which is basically cheese melted into potatoes and whipped until they have the elastic quality of melting mozzarella. It tasted amazing! Benjamin also harvested his radishes - they were cute and crunchy!
(Update: I did NOT make the flight that evening, but the airline did put me up in a hotel that night and I flew out the next morning. I am finally back in Washington State!)
Wednesday, October 25, 2017
Week 5: Europe Part 3
This week has been a travel adventure - I am happy to tell you all about it! On Tuesday we were still in Toulouse, having just returned from the Czech Republic. We had a quiet evening recuperating from our travels, and watching the Big Bang Theory.
On Wednesday I went to the morning farmers market, solo again, and purchased pumpkin, apples, and eggs. I made a hearty pumpkin-coconut soup from scratch and it was delicious. Benjamin came home after work with a surprise for me. We were going to the circus! Toulouse is home to Lido, a professional circus school where students learn acrobatics, aerials, juggling, contortion, and other circus related skills. Periodically, students will practice their acts for an audience. I adore Cirque du Soliel, so I was excited. We arrived a bit early, and were able to secure some decent seats in the middle of the 'theater'. There were 13 acts in all - some were cool, others fascinating, a couple scary (one aerial artist fell, but she was seemed alright after), and many were a bit weird. I wasn't sure what was going on much of the time, but I still enjoyed it! My favorites included a woman with hand-written cardboard signs to communicate as she climbed onto then curled in and around a suspended hoop, a young man doing amazing things with a yo-yo, and a couple who demonstrated extraordinary yet terrifying feats of strength and balance as they supported each other. To see their Promo video for this year, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XanqolpJqEo
Thursday was another quiet day of practicing my French, making potato soup, and then enjoying some games with Benjamin after work. I have introduced him to Splendor, "a fast, tactical, and addictive game" published by Space Cowboys, and he quite enjoys it. I have the digital version as an app on my iPad, and this is what we usually play on. The game consists of gathering jewel tokens to purchase jewel cards and earn victory points as well as the favor of nobles. The first player to 15 victory points triggers the end of the game and the player with the most victory points wins. Quick and deceptively easy... lots of strategy and a little bit of luck involved - I highly recommend it! To find out more (in case you'd like to purchase or play) check it out at http://www.spacecowboys.fr/splendor/language:eng
The morning went quickly on Friday as I put on my Seahawks gear and prepared to accompany Benjamin to the Netherlands. He had a conference near Lieden, and I'd never visited that town before. We packed and made it to the airport in time, boarded our plane, and sat in our seats at the gate for the next 4 hours while the crew tried to fix a part of the aircraft that was broken. Many of you have heard the story of my adventure with my friend Jeremy returning from Las Vegas earlier this year, and compared to that - this was a mere inconvenience. We played Splendor until my iPad ran out of battery, then Tsuro on my phone, and assembled a sort of dinner from the snacks I'd brought along. We eventually took off, were served a complimentary beverage and snack, then landed in Amsterdam. A quick train later and we were in Lieden. We dropped off our bags then wandered around the city - it was beautiful at night and I was excited to see it in the daylight!
In the morning we headed to the Saturday Market. There were amazing shops there - everything from fabric to notions, clothes to flowers, produce, cheese, meat and seafood. I inadvertently tried horse meat while sampling at a sausage vendor. One of Benjamin's favorite treats is fresh herring, so when we reached that section of the market, he bought one for us to try. Traditionally it's served with fresh onions and sweet pickles. He offered me the first bite, and I tried it. It was... interesting. I kind of liked it! He finished it, and then sampled herring from two other venders. He smelled a bit fishy afterwards, but he was content. We paused in a beautiful little bakery and bought a gluten free treat for me, then back at the market acquired some fresh fruits and vegetables and listened to a cute couple playing performing nearby. He was playing harp, she was playing guitar and singing - they sounded lovely! We headed back to the hotel and played a bit more splendor, then ventured out for dinner at one of his favorite restaurants for Dutch ribs. Leiden is a college town, and home to the Netherlands oldest university. As such it has an active nightlife, and we were able to attend a live local concert of an American singer from Texas. He was good - I quite enjoyed it. Benjamin even got me dancing!
After a morning of work - Benjamin reviewing his presentation for the next days conference and I practicing my French to the point of frustration, he decided we needed a break and sent me a mystery location on my phone to navigate to. On the way he had me attempt to guess our destination. I was delighted to discover a board game pub, and we spent a wonderful rainy afternoon playing a variety of games. He taught me Stratego, I taught him Machi Koru, we played the original version of Splendor, a round of Carcassonne, and super quick game called ___ as an intermission between each longer game, where we had to think and act fast. The establishment was fantastic, with delicious beverages (I had a hot cocoa with the works while Benjamin had a pint of beer), and the owners were fabulous. Then we went to the lovely Chinese restaurant next door and had a set meal complete with soup, appetizer, and 3 dishes for the main course with Chinese tea and dimsum, plus a bonus bag of coffee flavored candy as a gift.
Monday morning I was on my own, as Benjamin was at his conference. I studied French, then went for a tea at starbucks, studied some more, visited a yarn shop I'd seen earlier, wandered into some other interesting stores (one sold upcycled bags made from fire hose - I want one!!!), bought some meat, cheese, and other goodies for us to enjoy on our train to Paris, enjoyed a gluten free bagel at a place called Bagels & Beans (which serves a Bug Bagel - complete with crickets, mealworms, and a grasshopper. I didn't try that one....) then settled back down at Starbucks to wait for Benjamin and his boss. Their meeting ran a bit late, but they arrived in time to make the train to Rotterdam, where we would connect with out train to Paris. We had a lovely conversation, and then after we changed trains Benjamin and I enjoyed our picnic dinner before I took a nap. We arrived at our hotel a few hours later, in the Montematre district of Paris.
Benjamin had a meeting bright and early Tuesday morning, so I was left to explore on my own again. I left my bag at the hotel and climbed the stairs to the highest point in Paris, the Sacre Coeur Basilic, which is about to celebrate it's Jubilee in 2019. I arrived in time to hear the nuns singing and one was playing a harpsichord. It was beautiful, as was the basilica. The day was gray and rainy, so I wasn't really able to see much of the city from the viewpoint in front of the church. I walked around the corner to Lace du Tertre, where the artists usually set up, but due to the early hour and the rain, there was no one yet. Instead I paused at the Starbucks for a coffee and to regroup before venturing out again. On my way back, I found a lovely garden and covered stair leading me down to the street the hotel was on. Benjamin's meeting was over so I met up with him at the metro and we headed out for Crepes, then drinks in a quite Parisian café, walked through the Luxembourg gardens, pausing to watch children push sailboats around the fountains. Back at the airport we discovered why Benjamin was only half successful in checking us in online - the flight was overbooked and he was given the last available seat. I had to wait standby, but at the last minute was allowed on the plane because boarding had closed and not all ticketed passengers had claimed their seats. Our flight left on time and once back in Toulouse we took the metro to his neighborhood and walked the rest of the way to his flat. We were exhausted, but gathered enough energy to watch the latest episode of Big Bang Theory.
Next week will be spent mostly in southern France, before I return to the USA. I have loved my adventure and expect to be back very soon. More to come... until then, a bientot!
On Wednesday I went to the morning farmers market, solo again, and purchased pumpkin, apples, and eggs. I made a hearty pumpkin-coconut soup from scratch and it was delicious. Benjamin came home after work with a surprise for me. We were going to the circus! Toulouse is home to Lido, a professional circus school where students learn acrobatics, aerials, juggling, contortion, and other circus related skills. Periodically, students will practice their acts for an audience. I adore Cirque du Soliel, so I was excited. We arrived a bit early, and were able to secure some decent seats in the middle of the 'theater'. There were 13 acts in all - some were cool, others fascinating, a couple scary (one aerial artist fell, but she was seemed alright after), and many were a bit weird. I wasn't sure what was going on much of the time, but I still enjoyed it! My favorites included a woman with hand-written cardboard signs to communicate as she climbed onto then curled in and around a suspended hoop, a young man doing amazing things with a yo-yo, and a couple who demonstrated extraordinary yet terrifying feats of strength and balance as they supported each other. To see their Promo video for this year, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XanqolpJqEo
Thursday was another quiet day of practicing my French, making potato soup, and then enjoying some games with Benjamin after work. I have introduced him to Splendor, "a fast, tactical, and addictive game" published by Space Cowboys, and he quite enjoys it. I have the digital version as an app on my iPad, and this is what we usually play on. The game consists of gathering jewel tokens to purchase jewel cards and earn victory points as well as the favor of nobles. The first player to 15 victory points triggers the end of the game and the player with the most victory points wins. Quick and deceptively easy... lots of strategy and a little bit of luck involved - I highly recommend it! To find out more (in case you'd like to purchase or play) check it out at http://www.spacecowboys.fr/splendor/language:eng
The morning went quickly on Friday as I put on my Seahawks gear and prepared to accompany Benjamin to the Netherlands. He had a conference near Lieden, and I'd never visited that town before. We packed and made it to the airport in time, boarded our plane, and sat in our seats at the gate for the next 4 hours while the crew tried to fix a part of the aircraft that was broken. Many of you have heard the story of my adventure with my friend Jeremy returning from Las Vegas earlier this year, and compared to that - this was a mere inconvenience. We played Splendor until my iPad ran out of battery, then Tsuro on my phone, and assembled a sort of dinner from the snacks I'd brought along. We eventually took off, were served a complimentary beverage and snack, then landed in Amsterdam. A quick train later and we were in Lieden. We dropped off our bags then wandered around the city - it was beautiful at night and I was excited to see it in the daylight!
In the morning we headed to the Saturday Market. There were amazing shops there - everything from fabric to notions, clothes to flowers, produce, cheese, meat and seafood. I inadvertently tried horse meat while sampling at a sausage vendor. One of Benjamin's favorite treats is fresh herring, so when we reached that section of the market, he bought one for us to try. Traditionally it's served with fresh onions and sweet pickles. He offered me the first bite, and I tried it. It was... interesting. I kind of liked it! He finished it, and then sampled herring from two other venders. He smelled a bit fishy afterwards, but he was content. We paused in a beautiful little bakery and bought a gluten free treat for me, then back at the market acquired some fresh fruits and vegetables and listened to a cute couple playing performing nearby. He was playing harp, she was playing guitar and singing - they sounded lovely! We headed back to the hotel and played a bit more splendor, then ventured out for dinner at one of his favorite restaurants for Dutch ribs. Leiden is a college town, and home to the Netherlands oldest university. As such it has an active nightlife, and we were able to attend a live local concert of an American singer from Texas. He was good - I quite enjoyed it. Benjamin even got me dancing!
After a morning of work - Benjamin reviewing his presentation for the next days conference and I practicing my French to the point of frustration, he decided we needed a break and sent me a mystery location on my phone to navigate to. On the way he had me attempt to guess our destination. I was delighted to discover a board game pub, and we spent a wonderful rainy afternoon playing a variety of games. He taught me Stratego, I taught him Machi Koru, we played the original version of Splendor, a round of Carcassonne, and super quick game called ___ as an intermission between each longer game, where we had to think and act fast. The establishment was fantastic, with delicious beverages (I had a hot cocoa with the works while Benjamin had a pint of beer), and the owners were fabulous. Then we went to the lovely Chinese restaurant next door and had a set meal complete with soup, appetizer, and 3 dishes for the main course with Chinese tea and dimsum, plus a bonus bag of coffee flavored candy as a gift.
Monday morning I was on my own, as Benjamin was at his conference. I studied French, then went for a tea at starbucks, studied some more, visited a yarn shop I'd seen earlier, wandered into some other interesting stores (one sold upcycled bags made from fire hose - I want one!!!), bought some meat, cheese, and other goodies for us to enjoy on our train to Paris, enjoyed a gluten free bagel at a place called Bagels & Beans (which serves a Bug Bagel - complete with crickets, mealworms, and a grasshopper. I didn't try that one....) then settled back down at Starbucks to wait for Benjamin and his boss. Their meeting ran a bit late, but they arrived in time to make the train to Rotterdam, where we would connect with out train to Paris. We had a lovely conversation, and then after we changed trains Benjamin and I enjoyed our picnic dinner before I took a nap. We arrived at our hotel a few hours later, in the Montematre district of Paris.
Next week will be spent mostly in southern France, before I return to the USA. I have loved my adventure and expect to be back very soon. More to come... until then, a bientot!
Wednesday, October 18, 2017
Week 4: Europe Part 2 (Brno)
This week was spent mostly in and around Brno. Benjamin, Papi and I went to a tea bar and met Papi's friend Tina on Tuesday evening to play Settlers of Catan. The tea bar was amazing - there were board games everywhere!!! They were all in Czech, but we already knew how to play Catan, so that didn't matter. I ordered a lovely cup of apple and ginger tea, and then shared another one with Benjamin. The tea was full of loose apple and ginger chunks floating at the top, served with a spoon and something I've decided to call a 'tea pipe' (which consists of a tea ball like strainer at the bottom, attached to a metal straw with a tip at the end). I was so impressed with it, that I bought one to take home!
On Wednesday evening, Papi and Benjamin took me to the ballet. It was in the Mahen Theater built in 1882 after the Brno city theater Reduta burned down in 1870; Benjamin shared with me that it was one of the first public buildings in the world lit entirely by electric lights! The building was beautiful, and our seats were excellent. We were in a private box, at the back of the seating on the main floor, in front of the stage, with a fantastic view. The ballet was Sleeping Beauty, and was very impressive. My favorite dances were in the second half, during the wedding of Sleeping Beauty and Prince Charming, where guests were celebrating with dances. There was a couple of cats with a faux fighting and frolicking sequence; then a pair of swans with impressive leaps, spins, and lifts; before Little Red Riding Hood took the stage followed by the Big Bad Wolf with a cute routine where she runs and he chases her. The dancers were lithe and graceful, the costumes beautiful, and the music from the live orchestra was wonderful.
Ben and Papi's friend Tony arrived on Thursday evening, and we celebrated by having dinner at a delicious devil themed restaurant, where we shared a trough of different meats. There was so much food that 3 full grown men and I could not finish it completely, so we took the rest to eat later. Then we wandered through downtown Brno, walking towards a bar to play Carcassonne and enjoy some beverages.
On Friday evening we all went to watch an ice hockey match. Our tickets were for standing room only, but that's the area where the biggest number of fans seemed to be concentrated. There were so many people crowded in, but we managed to find space for all four of us. It was very exciting and we all enjoyed it. Every time they scored a goal the crowd went wild! Brno won 5 to 0.
On Saturday we experienced a wonderful comedy of errors. We had thought to take a bike ride together, and as we were preparing to go for breakfast, Papi was putting air in the tires. Unfortunately the tube in the bike tire burst, so we had to change our plans. We headed outside the city, intending to take a boat to a nearby castle on the lake. We made it to the dock just as the boat was leaving. So we decided to walk around the lake instead, and on the way we found a mini-golf course. We played a round, and then kept walking around the lake. We stopped at a little pub to have a few drinks and play some cards, and then headed back to Brno. We ate dinner at the same Czech restaurant, and then to an absinthe bar where we played Catan, but many of the pieces were missing so I managed to make some new ones that worked.
Sunday morning we attempted our bicycle trip again, this time with great success! We went to breakfast while Papi rented a replacement bike, then we met Anna at her flat before riding across town to the bike trail. The fall colors were brilliant, and the weather was perfect. We pedaled along a canal for a while, stopping to try out a mini zip-line and have a few pints, then followed a stream past lots of quaint homes. We paused by a little lake and found a memorial where someone had left some mushrooms. Then we headed back to Brno, stopping at the same pub for a few more pints along the way. We ended up back at the Music Lab for Board Game night, only to learn that it was being cancelled. We stayed and played cards anyway, before Benjamin and I left for a Zouk Party. The studio was across town, but we eventually found it after getting only a little lost. The music was a mix between Lamba-Zouk and the Zouk mixes I was used to, and we danced. Ben worked with me on connection and I followed his lead, grateful for my patient and persistent partner. After an hour or so be both admitted to being tired and returned to Papi's flat.
We began our trip back to Toulouse on Monday afternoon. After a lunch of Indian food, we took the tram to the bus station, then the bus to Prague, then a flight to Toulouse and an Uber back to the flat. The whole adventure took about 9 hours. I spent a quiet Tuesday recovering my energy by sleeping most of the day. Benjamin made Ch-Ch-Ch (chevre cheese, chorizo sausage, and champignons mushrooms) for dinner and we watched a couple of French movies - one about life and death, the other a love story. It was a relaxing evening!
This week I'm looking forward to visiting the circus and a weekend in the Netherlands. Have a wonderful time - I'll post again soon!
On Wednesday evening, Papi and Benjamin took me to the ballet. It was in the Mahen Theater built in 1882 after the Brno city theater Reduta burned down in 1870; Benjamin shared with me that it was one of the first public buildings in the world lit entirely by electric lights! The building was beautiful, and our seats were excellent. We were in a private box, at the back of the seating on the main floor, in front of the stage, with a fantastic view. The ballet was Sleeping Beauty, and was very impressive. My favorite dances were in the second half, during the wedding of Sleeping Beauty and Prince Charming, where guests were celebrating with dances. There was a couple of cats with a faux fighting and frolicking sequence; then a pair of swans with impressive leaps, spins, and lifts; before Little Red Riding Hood took the stage followed by the Big Bad Wolf with a cute routine where she runs and he chases her. The dancers were lithe and graceful, the costumes beautiful, and the music from the live orchestra was wonderful.
Ben and Papi's friend Tony arrived on Thursday evening, and we celebrated by having dinner at a delicious devil themed restaurant, where we shared a trough of different meats. There was so much food that 3 full grown men and I could not finish it completely, so we took the rest to eat later. Then we wandered through downtown Brno, walking towards a bar to play Carcassonne and enjoy some beverages.
On Friday evening we all went to watch an ice hockey match. Our tickets were for standing room only, but that's the area where the biggest number of fans seemed to be concentrated. There were so many people crowded in, but we managed to find space for all four of us. It was very exciting and we all enjoyed it. Every time they scored a goal the crowd went wild! Brno won 5 to 0.
On Saturday we experienced a wonderful comedy of errors. We had thought to take a bike ride together, and as we were preparing to go for breakfast, Papi was putting air in the tires. Unfortunately the tube in the bike tire burst, so we had to change our plans. We headed outside the city, intending to take a boat to a nearby castle on the lake. We made it to the dock just as the boat was leaving. So we decided to walk around the lake instead, and on the way we found a mini-golf course. We played a round, and then kept walking around the lake. We stopped at a little pub to have a few drinks and play some cards, and then headed back to Brno. We ate dinner at the same Czech restaurant, and then to an absinthe bar where we played Catan, but many of the pieces were missing so I managed to make some new ones that worked.
Sunday morning we attempted our bicycle trip again, this time with great success! We went to breakfast while Papi rented a replacement bike, then we met Anna at her flat before riding across town to the bike trail. The fall colors were brilliant, and the weather was perfect. We pedaled along a canal for a while, stopping to try out a mini zip-line and have a few pints, then followed a stream past lots of quaint homes. We paused by a little lake and found a memorial where someone had left some mushrooms. Then we headed back to Brno, stopping at the same pub for a few more pints along the way. We ended up back at the Music Lab for Board Game night, only to learn that it was being cancelled. We stayed and played cards anyway, before Benjamin and I left for a Zouk Party. The studio was across town, but we eventually found it after getting only a little lost. The music was a mix between Lamba-Zouk and the Zouk mixes I was used to, and we danced. Ben worked with me on connection and I followed his lead, grateful for my patient and persistent partner. After an hour or so be both admitted to being tired and returned to Papi's flat.
We began our trip back to Toulouse on Monday afternoon. After a lunch of Indian food, we took the tram to the bus station, then the bus to Prague, then a flight to Toulouse and an Uber back to the flat. The whole adventure took about 9 hours. I spent a quiet Tuesday recovering my energy by sleeping most of the day. Benjamin made Ch-Ch-Ch (chevre cheese, chorizo sausage, and champignons mushrooms) for dinner and we watched a couple of French movies - one about life and death, the other a love story. It was a relaxing evening!
This week I'm looking forward to visiting the circus and a weekend in the Netherlands. Have a wonderful time - I'll post again soon!
Wednesday, October 11, 2017
Week 3: Europe part 1
In the morning we walked to school together, then went for coffee at a favorite shop and enjoyed interesting conversations in the cozy back room of the cafe, before visiting the toy store to check out the local selection of games and other toys. I resisted the urge to buy a new game, but barely. There are weight limits on my future flights, and I need to be mindful of them! Suzanne went to work, and the kids came home from school. We played boardgames after they finished their homework. We went as a group to drop the kids off at karate then Greg and I went shopping. I ventured out on my own and got a bit lost, but caught up with them again just before they returned home. We had an interesting and delicious dinner of steak, pumpkin pancakes, and roti before the children went to bed and the adults enjoyed more Scrubs.
Thursday morning we walked to school again, and I said goodbye to the kids, then to Greg before I rode the metro to the train station with Suzanne. It was a COLD morning - I've forgotten how cold autumn can be in Germany! We stopped by Starbucks for hot beverages before Suzanne went to work and I caught my train to Heidelberg to visit my cousin Kyle and his fiance Angela. She was starting a new job, so for most of the day it was just Kyle and I. He made me a cup of tea when I arrived, and we chatted for a bit before we went to lunch. I told him all about my visit to Europe so far and then we watched an interesting show on Netflix. When Angela arrived we went for sushi to celebrate her first day and she told us all about it. Then we had some very interesting discussions about dialects and why I say things differently than much of my family (I say caramel as THREE syllables)! Then we said good night, and how happy I was to visit with them.
I woke up at 5:15 am Friday morning and left as quietly as possible to make my 5:47 am train to the airport. I was half asleep and boarded the wrong tram, only realizing it when I was across from the train station, perpendicular to where I wanted to be. I got off the tram and found a place where I could 'parkour' down to the street that led to the far entrance, embedding some vegetation into my pants in the process. But I stuck the landing and made it to the train station in time to catch my train. I arrived the Frankfurt airport, bought myself a pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks, then went through security, boarded my flight, and landed in the Czech Republic. Benjamin's flight from Geneva (where his work conference was held) landed 30 minutes before mine, so he was waiting for me in the baggage claim. We worked together to figure out the public transit system and arrived in downtown Prague, where we met his friend Papi and Papi's friend Gilly, who was hosting us for the night. We had lunch at a lovely Korean restaurant, where I discovered plum tea, and then went back to Gilly's flat where everyone else telecommuted while I took a nap.
I woke up in time for us to explore the city. I found a gingerbread museum and Ben bought me a gluten free gingerbread cookie. We saw the castle and churches, lots of swans and shops, saw the astronomical clock chime the hour, then paused for a drink at an Irish pub to wait out the rain. We met up with Gilly and her friend Hector from Spain, as well as Benben, Papi and Benjamin's friend from Paris who had just arrived, at a Mexican restaurant that served excellent mango margaritas and mole enchiladas. After dinner we all went out to an underground bar. It was a rad little place with live music and cheap drinks; so popular in fact that we waited outside for nearly an hour to get in. But we didn't mind because we were in good company and the club turned out to be worth the wait. It shut down around 3am, but we kept the party rolling at a different bar near Gilly's flat, where we chatted and discussed until 5:30am when we all finally went to bed. We slept for a while, then Gilly made us eggs and served them with fresh fruits and vegetables. So good! Afterwards Papi, Benben, Benjamin and I boarded a bus for Brno - where Papi lives. It was a short ride and we arrived in time to drop our stuff at the flat and then go out for some traditional Czech food. It was delicious!! After dinner, we meet Papi's friend Anna who gave us a tour of her favorite places in the city. We had a few late night drinks before calling it a night.
We slept late Sunday morning and then went to rendezvous with Benben's friend Dana. We had lunch at a local restaurant where I ordered mushroom soup and salad. It's mushroom season here, and there are lots of fungal dishes to choose from! Dana works at a bookstore, and had to collect some comics from an art event, so we joined her. It was very intersting - all kinds of different styles of art from live painting to music, workshops on drawing and interactive art, as well as presentations by local artists. We walked around the city and saw some very beautiful architecture. As the next day was Benben's birthday, we decided to start celebrating with a mini pub crawl. Dana took us to a little villiage with lots of art and charm. They were finishing their harvest festival and we joined in. Then we went to a few other pubs around the city taking in the scenery. We had dinner at another traditional Czech restaurant, then discussed what exactly 'traditional' food is. We ended the evening with some absynth at a bar near papi's flat. As Benjamin had to work in the morning, he called it a night at midnight. I was tired, so went back to the flat with him, while the others continued to celebrate.
Monday morning, while Benjamin stayed behind to work; I went with Papi and Benben to meet Dana for breakfast. We decided to visit a few of Dana's favorite locations outside the city, including a swimming hole. She went in, but we stayed bundled up on the shore. We saw lots of different kinds of mushrooms all over - so many and such variety! We drove to an arboretum and soaked in the beautiful surrounding as we walked through nature, admiring the scenery and enjoying it with all our senses. We visited an enourmous cathedral on the way back to Brno, and enjoyed the daily lunch specials at a local resturant close to the bus station. We said goodbye to BenBen as he returned to Paris, then Papi and I went to collect Benjamin for a dinner of Pho and an evening of live Jazz music.
Tuesday has been a quiet afternoon of catching up on my french lessons and this blog, while both Benjamin and Papi telecommute. Papi attempted Tom Ghai soup, and I quite enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to an evening of board games at a little tea shop around the corner, and perhaps visiting the conservatory accross the street. I will keep posting!!!
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