Champagne and macaroons, a perfect combination

After the week I've had, I now understand what David Lebovitz considers living the sweet life in Paris.  David writes all about how he "adjusted to life in a city that sometimes left him scratching his head, but ultimately won him over."  If you have never read his blog, check it out here: http://www.davidlebovitz.com (trust me, you won't be disappointed).


I started my internship Tuesday at École Fénelon in the 8th arrondissement of Paris.  I am teaching English to a class of about 25 sixteen and seventeen year old French students, and I already LOVE it.  The kids are hilarious and seem really interested what we have to say.  The teaching style is so different here in France, I have noticed it both in my own classes and in the class I teach as well- there are no lectures, it's all conversation between teacher and student.  Students have no problem being put on the stop when a teacher calls on them to repeat what we have just said to them in English (a feat American students would cower away from).  I can already tell I have a lot to learn to my high school students!


On Thursday, I was given the opportunity to go to a fashion présentation of a Parisian design label called Innamorato and view their upcoming Fall 2011 collection!  A friend and I are guest blogging for our API resident director on 2 different presentations (I'm going to another tomorrow!), and giving our opinions on fashion in Paris.  It was completely surreal being in room full of French fashion experts, I felt like I was in a real life Devil Wears Prada scene!  I'll be sure to post a link to our blog post once it's online!


We spent all day Saturday east of Paris in the Champagne region of France. We visited 2 different champagne "caves" where we were able to tour the cellars where the champagne is both fermented and produced, as well as taste the champagne!  The first vineyard, Taittinger, is in the town of Reims.  We literally walked into the ground via a spiral staircase to get to the caves.  The temperature is about 10 degrees Celsius (50 Fahrenheit) in the caves, which I learned is done to perfectly ferment the champagne.  After the first tasting, we went into town for lunch and found the most unique café/restaurant I have ever been to.  We discovered La Route du Vin on a side street (the best places are always off the beaten path), and it probably holds 15 people at most.  The waiter triples as owner AND chef, and his kitchen is literally open to the patrons- it's as if a friend is cooking you dinner at their apartment.  I ordered the vegetable omelette, and it was the most fresh meal I have ever had-stuffed with zucchini, carrots, and leeks.  So delicious that I could barely wait to take a photo!
After lunch, we traveled to Épernay, the capital of Champagne, for a tour and tasting at La Maison de Mercier.  One of the oldest champagne houses in the world, the founder Eugène Mercier began making champagne in 1858.  At this particular tasting, a Mercier sommelier told us all about their special cuvée brut.  The Mercier cuvée champagne is actually made of 3 different types of wine grapes: Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Meunier.  I'd have to say that after this trip, I am a champagne connoisseur and definitely did not go home empty handed :)


After spending all of Sunday morning wandering through produce markets in Montmartre, and the afternoon eating a jambon, fromage, et champignon crêpe (ham, cheese, and mushrooms) on the steps of Sacre Coeur, my return to Paris was welcomed by le Jour du Macaron (Macroon Day)!  Free Macaroon Day was started 6 years ago by the Pierre Hermé macaroon boutique in support of children's charities, and several patisseries throughout the city have now caught on!  At each Pierre Hermé shop (there are 7 total), you get 3 free macaroons of your choice.  The flavors are extremely unique, including vanilla and olive oil, chocolate and foie gras, and mint and peas...Bernie Bots Every Flavor Macaroons anyone?  I wasn't adventurous enough to go with those flavors, but after trips to 2 different stores, I ordered rose, Arabella (milk chocolate, banana, passionfruit, and candied ginger), licorice and violet, Arabesque (apricot and pistachio), white truffle and hazlenut, and salted caramel!!  It's has been nearly impossible to not devour them all today!

 Cheers to champagne in Champagne!

 Preparing our meal at La Route du Vin

 Captured my delicious omelette mid meal :)

 Bouteille after bouteille of champagne in La Maison de Mercier

 Waiting in line for free macaroons at Pierre Hermé. Queue Willy Wonka music now...

I can't imagine living a sweeter life than the one I am currently living à Paris :)

A weekend en Provence

I returned to Paris on Sunday after a fantastic three-day trip to the Provence region in the south of France.  After a three hour train ride (most of which I spent sound asleep), we arrived in Aix-en-Provence, an amazingly quaint city originally founded by the Romans.  One of the only French cities not to be invaded and/or destroyed by the Germans during WWII, Aix is completely different from the urban lifestyle of Paris.  It was like a breathe of fresh air- everything moves slower there, from the language to the people themselves.  We spent much of the first day wandering around the streets of the city, embracing the relaxed lifestyle by getting lost in little shops and fountain adorned squares that seemed to go on forever.   One of the highlights of the trip was lunch our first day in Aix.  I had a life changing aioli dish, served with fresh cod, mussels, and vegetables.  Provence (and Aix itself) is famous for it's aioli, an olive oil and garlic sauce that pairs fantastically with almost anything.  And let's be honest, no Trani can pass up a freshly made garlic sauce.

Saturday morning and afternoon was spent at the local market, where you can literally buy anything and everything.  I picked up the staples, a bag of herbes de provence and a sachet of Provencial lavender, and spend the rest of the day sampling cheeses and meats and admiring the clothes, fabrics, and random goods for sale.  Saturday evening our group took a bus to the colorful port town of Cassis, which is quite possibly one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited.  The town feels like something out of a romantic old movie, and the crystal clear water of the Mediterranean Sea and smooth, pebbled beach only adds to the allure of it all.

After returning to Aix-en-Provence for Saturday night, we departed for the city of Marseille on Sunday morning.  Although Marseille shares the same Mediterranean feel as Aix and Cassis, it is actually France's second largest city behind Paris.  We were lucky enough to receive a tour of the majority of the city, as well as enjoy gorgeous panoramic views from the Notre Dame de la Garde church, which is situated on top of a cliff overlooking the city.  We ate lunch along the beach--seafood is a must have in the large port city, so it was only natural for me to order des pâtes aux fruits de mer (literally translated as pasta with fruits of the sea).  I have yet to eat something here that I was not absolutely in love with, so I'd say I'm doing pretty well so far :)

Fast forward "home" à Paris.  We brought the amazing weather with us, just in time for the last three days of Paris Fashion Week! Some friends and I scoped out the Chloé and Valentino shows at les Tuileries (near le Louvre) and saw fashion icons and celebs like Diane von Furstenberg and Kanye West!  Hearing the runway music pumping and seeing photographers rush by to snap a photo of the skinnest model with the highest heels was so exciting!  Just as exciting was the fact that one of my best friends from home, Claire, is visiting Paris for JMU's spring break and came to the Tuileries with me!

On Monday, I also visited one of Paris' oldest patisseries (pastry shops) called La Maison Stohrer. They are voted best chocolate eclairs in the city, and although it probably wasn't the best precursor to a fashion show, I devoured mine in less than 5 minutes.  The story behind the patisserie is also really interesting--It was opened in 1730 by the head pastry chef to king Louis XV, Nicholas Stohrer.  Stohrer invented the famous baba au rhum cake at this bakery, and the Queen of England is also a frequent visitor!

It's been a week of food and fashion, and although the two may not go together, I am one happy Parisian :)

 My enormous aioli dish. Rest assured, I licked the plate clean.

 Flower market at a local square in Aix-en-Provence

 Me standing by the port in Cassis!

Beautiful view of Marseille from le Notre Dame de la Garde

 API friends and I in front of the Valentino tent at Fashion Week!

 Finally took some photos of my dorm room

 I've started a postcard wall- My goal is to collect a postcard from every place I visit/monument I see!

Cultural fact: French drivers don't believe in traffic laws. Try taking a bus up a winding mountain at 60+mph where there are no guard rails, and you will understand what I mean.


Amazing quote I saw in a shop window in Aix:
"A journey of a thousand places always begins with one first step." Lao Tsu