Passover

Last night began Passover for our fellow Jew, Leslie. She introduced us to Sedar by cooking a traditional meal and printing off "Passover for Dummies" for us to read during the meal. Traditionally, the meal take hours and full of prayers recited in Hebrew. Our version was a bit shorter than normal and although we didn't recite the prayers, we took part in a few other traditions. She made an extra plate for Elijah which included a bone, a few greens (green beans in our case), horseradish (or the closest thing France had to offer), a hard-boiled egg, a "sweet" side dish (in our case cinnamon sugar apples) and a glass of wine. Before we devoured our Jewish meal, she read us the significance of each part of the plate. We each had to dip a green bean into salt-water and lean to the left while eating it. The leaning to the left represents the Jews freedom from Egypt. Then, we had to combine the sweet and spicy by making a "matzo sandwich" with the horseradish and the apples. Next, we dipped our pinky fingers into the wine and placed ten dots of wine around our plate to represent the 10 plagues. We all had a little trouble remembering all 10 plagues and we eventually resorted to Wikipedia to help us out. Our meal consisted of matzo ball soup, roasted chicken and potatoes, green beans, cinnamon sugar apples and "matzo dessert", which was matzo with caramel and melted chocolate. The whole time Leslie was apologizing for the lack of food and telling us we could make other food if we didn't like the meal. Despite her lack of faith, we each had second (in some of our cases, thirds) of each dish. My favorite was the matzo ball soup and I might have had three servings. By the end of the meal, none of us could move and we were greatly satisfied with our first Passover meal. It was really neat to experience a second Jewish holiday and learn the history behind all of the traditions. Sunday, we will get the chance to show her how we celebrate Easter and explain the importance of the day and how it greatly impacts our faith.

Hair Dying Wednesday

Back in September, one of our first "trust tests" as roomies was letting Leslie cut my and Laura's hair. Since she proved herself as a trustworthy hair cutter, it was my turn to prove myself as a trustworthy hair dyer. Since we all have Wednesdays off, we normally spend it doing errands, grocery shopping and bakery hunting. This past week, I woke up and asked the usual "What do y'all have in mind for today?" Much to my surprise, they both answered "We want to dye our hair." Not to be cocky, but I have been told that I do a great job coloring hair so I gladly offered them my services. Leslie decided that she wanted to go a bit darker with a touch of red and Laura wanted to go blonder for the summer season. We set off in search of temporary hair dye. After looking through several stores and holding up the various shades of colors next to Leslie and Laura's face, they finally settled on their colors. Later that afternoon we set up a salon in our bathroom. I put on my hair-coloring garb and the girls tied towels around their shoulders. After coloring, waiting and rinsing, they revealed their new (but subtle) dos.

Third Time's the Charm...?

This weekend for St. Patrick's Day we (Leslie, Laura, Jimmy and I) decided to venture back down to Marseille. I have never particularly liked Marseille, mainly because it doesn't have a certain charm to it, but I knew that it couldn't hurt to give it another try. This was my third time there and each visit was a little better than the first. While I still don't love it, I don't outright hate it. The one thing I was looking forward to was finding the cookies that I ate in Montpellier. Traditionally, they are a Moroccan cookie and since there are more Northern Africans in Marseille, I figured I would find them. My instincts were correct! The first thing I purchased was a cookie (which come to find out there are called montecaos.) It was good but my second one was better. After wandering around to find ourselves a snack, we went to an Irish pub to watch England vs. Wales rubgy match. Sadly, Wales won 30-3. We then headed to Monoprix and picked up a random assortment of dinner foods and had a picnic in our hotel room. Later we headed back to the Vieux Port where we heard an overwhelming amount of English due to the St. Patrick's Day festivities. We met a few interesting locals who willingly serenaded us (both in English and French) for about an hour. After the serenade, we called it a night. This morning we got an early start and hiked up to Notre Dame de la Garde, which is a church overlooking the ocean. It offers a great view of the city as well as Château d'If. Once we hiked back down, we decided it was time to head to the train station. On our walk back, Leslie and I came across and great selection of savory treats. We couldn't decide which one to buy, so we got both and split them!

Montpellier Round II

This past weekend Hannah, Leslie and I ventured back to Montpellier. We liked it so much the first time, we wanted to go back! Plus it's only 1 hour away and train tickets are good prices, so we figured why not? We got in around 7pm on Friday night and made it safely to our host's apartment. We stayed with a young couple that Leslie had met. When they got the news that we were coming, they bought the ingredients to make a typical French dish called, aligot. IT WAS SO GOOD! Essentially, it is a cheese and potato purée that is served with cooked sausage. I could have eaten everyone else's plate along with mine. Saturday was a beautiful, sunny day which was exactly what we had prayed for. We made the 30 minute walk into town and the first thing on our list was food, naturally. When I lived in Aix my host mom made these great cookies that were a really dense shortbread with cinnamon dusted on top. I finally found them again in Montpellier. That was my breakfast and now I wish I had gotten two. (30 minute break) After much research I believe that cookie is originally a traditional Moroccan shortbread cookie. However, in France it is called a "gateau marocain" or just simply, "marocain". I thought it was called a "monaco" which is why my google search didn't yield any results. The fact that I googled this one particular cookie goes to show how good it really is! Anyways, while we were munching on our goodies we heard some music playing along the main street. The sound of the banjo immediately caught my attention and warmed my heart. I made the girls stop and listen to the band play a few songs and they were so good, I bought their cd. While I do have a slight obsession for the banjo, there was a guy playing a home-made instrument which consisted of a washboard with a symbol attached to one end. So folk. Next, we came across a market where Leslie purchased a new leather purse for herself and anther hidden gem, "a petting zoo". It was actually just people using the animals to get money for their rescue shelter. Not only did we get to see some cute puppies and (as much as I am going to regret saying this) cats too, but I got to pet a baby goat!!!! Best day ever, live folk music and a baby goat! Afterwards, we picked up a map at the tourism office and we decided to be good tourists and see something historical. We followed the map to our third hidden gem, a beautiful park with wadding pools and an aqueduc. After more walking and eating, we returned to the couple's house to rest before dinner. We decided to take advantage of the warm weather and we had a picnic in a park for dinner. The next day, we woke up to another sunny day, packed out bags and returned back to Avignon. 

The Monroes Take On Europe

I cant believe another vacation has come and gone! The past 10 days with my parents, Mother Teresa and Moustache Mike, went by wayyyy to fast. It seems like just yesterday I was picking them up at the TGV station. Our adventure started off in the south of France where we were all convinced that it would be the warmest leg of our trip. Of course the Mistral had other plans for us. On our first full day, we ventured down to Aix-en-Provence so I could show my parents where I lived in 2011. My plan was to take them to the market and then stroll around the streets that I once strolled myself two years ago. Much to our surprise it snowed! I didn't think it was suppose to snow in the south of France! Due to the snow and strong winds, the market closed early but we still had time to make our round and purchase a few goodies. In order to escape the cold we stopped in at a Greek restaurant for lunch. After a few more hours of trying to brave the cold we headed back to Avignon where we shared a variety of quiches, pizzas, breads and pastries for dinner.

On Sunday we took the train to a neighboring village, Isle-sur-la-Sorgue to wander the market and the antique shops. We prayed that the weather would warm up for us, but unfortunately another bout of strong winds passed through. We put on multiple layers in hopes of staying warm for the market. For lunch we decided to buy a rotisserie chicken, roasted potatoes, cheese and bread and take it back to Avignon to wat before our departure. My mother even convinced me and Leslie to buy cheese from the market. This was our first experience buying cheese from a vendor and after tasting multiple goat cheeses, we picked a winner. My only hesitation with buying from a vendor is that the price is unknown until the end. Our small wedge of cheese costs us 10€, but it was the best one I've had yet!

Later that afternoon we headed back to the TGV station and we were off to Lausanne, Switzerland (a name that all of us pronounce differently and refuse to believe the other is right). 

Our first day in Switzerland was a blast. The weather was still cold but no wind which was a relieve! Since most tourist attractions are closed on Monday, we wandered the city streets and familiarized ourselves with the world's Olympic Capital. We walked around the old part of the town and toured two beautiful churches, saw the exterior of St. Marie's Chateau and walked around the historic library. Our view of the chateau was hindered due to an icing skating course that started at the chateau and ended in front of the library. After asking around and reading a few signs, we realized the course was being set up for the world championship of "Crashed Ice." Later that afternoon, we walked down to the lake and walked along the lake front. Unfortunately, the Olympic Museum is closed until November 2013, but we were able to see the grounds. That night we dropped my mother off at the hotel and my dad and I ventured back to the chateau to watch the Crashed Ice race. Apparently, all of us failed to read the date because once we got back to the course, it was completely empty. It turned out that the race wasn't until the following weekend. Fail. For dinner my mother decided that she wanted her new favorite meal (thanks to me and Leslie), bread, cheese and jam. We feasted on fresh made bread, Swiss cheese, jam and for dessert, Swiss chocolate. 

Before we headed to Paris Tuesday evening, we were determined to find the Sauvabelin Tower in the northern woods just outside the city limits. We hiked around for a little while before spotting it through the trees. Once we finally crossed the snowy and icy patches, we reached the bottom of the tower only to find that it was closed due to the weather. However, we came across a small petting zoo that made up for not being able to climb the tower. We ended our time in Lausanne by touring the history museum and educating ourselves about the city. 

A four hour train ride and three metros later, we finally reached our hotel in Paris. In order to not get super overwhelmed by all of the must-see sights, we made a daily game plan. Day 1: start at the Arc de Triomphe, walk down the Champs Elysées and end at the Louvre. The Arc was only a 20 minute walk from our hotel so we opted out of taking the metro. After taking several pictures of all possible angles and reading Rick Steve's description of the monument, we walked down the famed Champs Elysées. We made a small detour at the Musée de l'Armée where Napoleon's tomb is found and the Petit Palais for a restroom break, before we took our mid-afternoon break at Angelina's for the famous hot chocolate. Everyone raves about the hot chocolate at this small café near the Louvre so we knew we had to try it. It was literally the best I have ever had and it tasted like a creamy, melted chocolate bar. My mom and I made the pot last about 1 hour while my dad mocked our "ooh's and ahh's". After several hours, we made it to our final destination, the Louvre. We followed Rick Steve's 90 minute tour and hit all of the highlights including the Venus de Milo and the Mona Lisa. After 10 long hours of walking, we finally called it and night and walked back to the hotel. 

Day 2: Versailles. We slept in the following morning and sometime before noon we headed out to Versailles. WOW! I don't know how anyone could ever live there, it was so big and there were tons of rooms! One of my favorite parts of the palace were the ceilings. They all had such detailed paintings and molding along the edges. After the chateau we toured Marie Antoinette's personal chateau which was a much more humble size. I would love to go back during the summer and see the gardens in their full glory. That night we convinced my dad to get back on the metro to go to a restaurant that had been highly recommended to me by a friend. Once we got there, there was a line and my dad immediately said no way! My mom and I put on our best "pretty please" faces and he gave in. Much to his surprise it was only a five minute wait and the atmosphere of the restaurant was so lively that it quickly became his favorite of the trip. 

Day 3: Rick Steve's "Old Paris" walk, falafel in the marias and the Eiffel Tower! Today good ol' Rick Steves led us to Notre Dame. This was my first time inside the cathedral and it was beautiful. I am still amazed how they built such an intricate church way back in the day. After the cathedral we crossed over the bridge that held thousands of locks with couples names written on them and on to the WWII Departure Memorial. After this short pit stop we went into Shakespeare and Company bookstore and then to the Latin Quarter. This section of Paris is full of ethnic food and funky shops. The last major sight on our walking tour was Sainte-Chapelle which was slightly disappointing for two reasons: 1. the security guard stole my glass water bottle because glass isn't allowed inside the church and 2. most of the church was undergoing renovations and we waited in a long line to see two rooms. Even though the stain glass was stunning, it was still slightly disappointing. Our next big highlight of the day was meeting Leslie in the marias (a Jewish section of Paris) for the world's best falafel. OH MY it was good! Probably the second best food item that I ate just after Angelina's hot chocolate. Unsure of what to do next, we decided to head to the Eiffel Tower on a whim to see how long the lines were. After waiting in three separate lines, we found the line to climb the stairs (what an athletic family you might be saying to yourself) and started our climb. By the time we reached the top, the sun had set and the city was fully lit. Yes it's a cliché statement, but it really was an incredible view. On our descent back down, the tower started dazzling like it does every night at 7pm. Another long day, yet it still wasn't over. We had to change hotels and take 3 metros from the 17th to Charles de Gaulle Airport. After changing metros and running into difficulties with our tickets, we finally made it. 

Our last day in Paris started off with a rough start. Not only was the weather cold and cloudy all week, but we also picked the one weekend that the closed down our train line for repairs. After talking to three different SNCF workers, we got on the right path and followed the herd of people heading for Paris. Our final day consisted of one neighborhood of Paris: Montmartre, the art district. We climbed the giant set of stairs to Paris's highest point and looked out over the city and saw all of the major sights that we had already seen. We walked around the artist section and went in and out of souvenir shops because naturally, my mom left all of her souvenir shopping for the last day. My dad quickly got bored but we gained another hour of his attention by touring le Sacre Coeur church and buying him some food. Once we descended back down the giant set of stairs, we stumbled across an olive oil shop from Provence. My mom was in heaven! Ever since we left the south, she had been wishing that she bought herself some typical, provincial treats. After talking with the owner for 30 minutes and tasting different kinds of oils, my dad was all shopped-out. We decided to send him back to the hotel for a girls' shopping day. Good thing we did because we came across several shops and even made a special stop for some pastries. Early that evening we decided it was time to take the 3 metro and bus voyage back to the hotel. With several shopping bags and a box of pastries in hand, we defeated the crowded metros and made it back safely. 

Our last morning together was an early 6:30am start. We had one last breakfast together then went our separate ways. I am so sad that our trip is over, but it was so good to see my parents and we had an awesome time together exploring Switzerland and France!