boys are gross

In many French homes, the toilet is in a little room of its own, and right next door (down the hall) you'll find the sink, and possibly the bathtub, but rarely a shower.  We don't have this set up in our little apartment.  We just have it all in one room.  And at times like this morning, I wish I did have the French set up.  All you moms out there will understand that the shower is quite possibly the only place we mothers can find a moment of peace and quiet.  But not me.  Not this morning.  There I was, relaxing in the shower when, knock knock knock.  Someone to deliver a number.  Boys are gross.


Last French Wednesday, I took Gaius to Paris to do what he wanted to do, climb Notre Dame (again).  We had a blast!  

standing in line (this hotdog will come up later)

view from the top

Gaius & Me

front and center

the big bell, Emmanuel

goofy

into Harry Potter

In the early afternoon, Christopher met us in the city and we hit this cool café.  Check out the huge clock on the far wall.  I want one of those!

this snack will come up later

The waitress was extremely nice to Gaius.  We ordered him a chocolate ice cream and each time she passed our table, she'd bring him something extra.  Extra cookies, a fee sirop drink...another free sirop drink.  She obviously did not have kids of her own.


After the café, Christopher had a meeting at a big fancy hotel in the city, heretofore known to us as "the scene of the crime."  On our way there, Gaius was complaining of a stomach ache.

the scene of the crime

While Christopher had his meeting, Gaius and I waited in this beautiful, fancy lobby.  Now, imagine that you have your coffee maker carafe in your hand.  Fill it with a large McDonald's chocolate shake.  Add about 1/2 a cup of thanksgiving stuffing, a handfull of craisins, and maybe two cups of cranberry juice.  Mix it well, then hold the carafe at shoulder height, and pour it, splashing onto the ground in front of you.  This is a close approximation of my situation in the lobby with Gaius when he got sick.  Luckily he missed the carpets!  But, he may have splashed a little bit into someone's briefcase.  This very kind French woman whispered to me as it was happening, "Ce n'est pas grave" (it's no big deal). 


One good thing about big fancy hotels is that they have a lightning fast housekeeping staff, and big bathrooms with lots of towels.  It really was "pas grave" and after the meeting, we headed out to dinner at our favorite place on Rue Cler, Café du Marché.  Gaius got sick there too (twice) and so we headed home, where I got sick too.  Apparently, there is a stomach bug going around in our town.  YUCK.


Anyway, we're all better now.  Oh, while we were on Rue Cler that night, I saw a tourist walking her dog.  The reason I know she was a tourist and not a local is that she actually scooped up her dog's poop!


à bientôt!

comme tu veux

We just came home from a five day vacation in Normandie.  Normandie is famous for its Camembert cheese, apple cider, Calvados, butter and cream.  In addition to these gourmet treats, Normandie is also known for many historic events (like D-Day) and people (like William the Conqueror).

We were very lucky to have the opportunity to stay with a French family, the Guinamards.  Although Christopher has corresponded with Romain Guinamard (the dad) for many years, this was the first time they had met in person.  


Romain and his wife, Odile live in an enchanting house in the town of Caen with their children Aubert, Beryl, Hilaire, Evroult and Lazare.  Their home is a magical place, reminiscent of the Weasley House, of Harry Potter fame.  The house is chock full of personality and a terrific place for children to play.

the Guinamard Home

Bienvenue!

a whimsical trail of animals climbs along the stairwell

la cuisine, le coeur de la maison
(the kitchen, the heart of the home)

view from the back yard

best playroom in the whole entire universe

My favorite times in Normandie were spent sitting around the kitchen table with the Guinamard family.  It seems that the family motto (for guests, at least!) is "comme tu veux" or "do as you please."  We were so comfortable there.  It wasn't until the second night that we realized that we had been sleeping in the master bedroom (best room in the house), while Romain and Odile had been staying in their guest room downstairs.  Talk about hospitality!  Wow!


The church bells down the street would begin to ring each morning at 7 am, a natural alarm clock!  Breakfast with the family was so French!  Look at the size of the bowls of hot chocolate that the kids get in the morning.  Isn't that the coolest thing you've ever seen?  Note also the big jar of Nutella!

saturday morning breakfast

Gaius' bowl of hot chocolate is bigger than he is!

The dinners were delicious, and the company very lively!  One of our favorite French things is how they end the meal with a cheese course.

Aubert, Romain, Beryl, Evroult, Me, Lazare, Hilaire, Odile & Gaius

On Valentine's Day, the family surprised us with these gifts!

surprise valentine presents

Gaius had a lot of fun spending time with Beryl.  Beryl is learning English at school and would like to find an English-speaking pen pal.

Gaius & Beryl

On our last night there, Beryl had a dinner party of her own for her girlfriends.  They set up their dinner in the big dining room and the rest of us had our dinner in the kitchen.  It was a busy night!

gourmets in training

Beryl & Friend setting the table for their all-girl dinner party

In the picture above, you'll notice that in France, the fork is placed with the tines facing down when you set the table.  Isn't that interesting?

Gaius also had a lot of fun playing with the boys.  Gaius' French really improved, living with a French family.  When I hear him speak French now, his sentences are much more complex and descriptive.

playing with the boys (who are hiding from the camera)

Lazare is six years old

this canoe is in the play room!

Overall, we had a wonderful time living with the Guinamard family.

Aubert helping Christopher compose a letter in French

heart and soul

christopher making crepes

After spending time with them, I feel like we will now try to be more generous, more easy-going, and eat more cheese!


à bientôt!

a great day

Tuesday was a great day.  It started out with a behind the scenes look at the boulangerie/patisserie in Chevry.  Chevry is the place I used to get lost driving to all the time.  Well, I don't get lost AT ALL anymore!  The tour of the bakery was organized by the French Conversation group of AVF (Accueil des Villes Francais), sort of the French Welcome Wagon.  There were about a dozen of us and we got to hang out in the back of the bakery for over an hour, watching everything!

this is the boulangerie/patisserie in chevry

this is the nice man who gave us our tour

this is the bread guy

les baguettes

hot out of the oven

hot bread (HB)

In addition to a variety of other breads, each boulangerie sells a plain baguette and their signature loaf.  In Centre Ville, the two dueling specialty loaves are the Croquise (Magda's favorite) and the Giffoise (Christopher's favorite).  At the bakery in Chevry, their specialty loaf is called the La Festive.  One day soon, we are going to have a Baguette-Off to decide which specialty loaf is the best.  When my Mom & Bric visited over Thanksgiving, we had a similar baguette-off.  That one was to decide which was better, the expensive baguette or the cheap one.  Of course, I can't remember the outcome of that contest, so we'll have to do that one again too!

first baguette-off of many

Also owned by the bakery is the tiny little chocolate shop next door.  Many of the chocolates are bought directly from artisans, but they also make some candies on site, too.  The candies are made in a very tiny, almost closet-like room, hidden in the back of the kitchen.  They keep this space separate from the rest, maintaining a cool temperature to prevent all the chocolates from melting!

not bon bons, but bon

One of the things I learned at French Conversation is that not all candies are "bon bons."  I think only the hard candies that you suck on are called bon bons.  In all honesty, I wasn't very excited by the chocolate making.  But I was totally fascinated by the pastries!

When I saw these, I felt like some people must feel when they look through the nursery window at newborn babies.  Look!  When these grow up, they will be cream puffs!  

profiteroles

Looking at these cake pans was just as exciting as looking in the window of a jewelry store.  Oh là là!

beautiful cake rounds

éclaires in the oven

pain au chocolate et croissant

ready for the oven

newborn éclaires

where the magic happens

This is the part of the bakery where they make palmiers and tarts.  We sat here for about 15 minutes watching this guy work with the dough.  After about 10 minutes, I happened to take a look a the calendar on the wall.  (double click on the photo to see what I'm talking about.)

new meaning to "food porn"

that's a lot of dough

This guy was great.  He has worked in this bakery for 18 years and he loves his job.  It was a real pleasure watching him work.

really and truly behind the scenes at the bakery

After the bakery tour, we were all invited to Mireille, the animatrice's house for lunch.  (The animatrice is the person who facilitates the French Conversation meetings.)  She made the most delicious boeuf bourguignon for lunch.  The nicest part is that she said that Gaius was also welcome!

gaius at the head of the table

best lunch EVER 

love that face

twinkies

Overall, a very memorable day!

à bientôt!