December 8, 2008
So I'm fighting the urge to veg out in front of the tv or watch youtube videos because I know many of you are waiting for an update. So here it is. I'll try to keep things in chronological order. Sorry in advance it you find this post super lame.
Near the beginning of November I went to the Fête de la Châtaigne (Chestnut Festival) in Cagnes-sur-Mer with Bev, one of the other English assistants. There was a petting zoo, arts & crafts, vendors, music, and free chestnuts! It was here that I first tried socca and roasted chestnuts. Socca is a Nicoise speciality that I had been wanting to try for quite a long time. It cost me 2 euros for a small portion and basically tasted like greasy half-cooked pancake batter. It wasn't half bad, but I could understand why they only eat a little bit at a time. My stomach can handle almost anything, but I wasn't about to test it that day.
It was that same day that I realized how cheap traveling can be here. For the price of a beer (or 2 glasses of wine) I could travel to a nearby city, take pictures, and taste a few new things. Ever since then, I've barely gone out (unless you count house parties).
As for daytrips, I also visited Eze, a very scenic town located between Nice and Monaco. I went there with an American I randomly met, and we had an awesome time. We visited a parfumerie where they sell perfume and show you how it's made. Apparently Grasse, a town not too far from here, is the region where most French perfume is made. The American and I also visited the old town in Eze and the Exotic Gardens, where you can take breath-taking photos.
For Thanksgiving, I worked (boo!) and made dinner for one. I was slightly sad that nothing crazy happened, but whatever, I got over it quickly. I figured everyone would wonder what I ate, so I took a pic of it (see below). I had a sweet potato with butter and sugar, chicken lunchmeat that had a hint of spicy mustard flavor to it, a mixture of greenbeans and corn cooked with curry, and a baguette and butter. Yum! Also, is it just me or do French sweet potatoes have a totally different color than American ones?
What else? What else? I've gone to a few parties in the past month. There was the Moule Party at Mara's apartment where we ate tons and tons of mussels. Then there was the Ringard (Nerd) Party at Sophie's when we all dressed up like nerds. I put tape on my glasses, went over the top with makeup, and layered clothing like I was colorblind. I'd post a pic, but it wasn't really that awesome. The last party I went to was Sophie's Christmas party. We had hot wine and candy and cookies. And everyone bundled up to celebrate the holidays. Some people tried to be a extra festive, and there was even one guy who wore a tree Sophie and friends had created using paper, paint, etc.
For the Christmas party, I wore my new second-hand coat that I bought at Secours Populaire for 10 euros (oh yeah!) along with a scarf I bought to cover up the hideous collar (or lack thereof). I won't feel bad giving it back to the Secours Populaire when I'm done because the coat really isn't anything to brag about. When I first saw the coat, I thought it was cute minus the ugly fur collar attached to it.
I convinced the lady to sell me the coat for 10 euro if I let her keep the fur part. ;) However someone had apparently cut off the original collar to make room for the fake fur. So after I bought the coat, I took it to the dry cleaner's, sewed the coat here and there to patch it up, and bought a warm fluffy scarf to hide the fact that my coat is collarless. I'd buy a little material to remake the collar, but I think it would be impossible to find the print at an affordable price. It's okay, though. I'm content with being ghetto. ;)
As you can tell, it's gotten a lot colder here in the past month. There's snow on the mountains near Vence, and there was even a day when it snowed some in Antibes, a city on the coast located just west of Nice. For the most part it's been in the 40's and low 50's here. The city is starting to look a little more Christmasy. There are lights decorating most streets, and they set up a Marche de Noel at Place Rossetti near Old Nice. There's a ferris wheel, an ice-skating rink, craft booths, and yummy fair food like "barbe a papa" (cotton candy), "pommes d'amour" (candy apples), and "beignets" (donuts) that totally smell like elephant ears. I here that there's also going to be a living "creche" (manger scene) with animals and a little baby Jesus! :P Sabrina better get ready 'cause I'm definitely dragging her there when she arrives in TEN days!
Near the beginning of November I went to the Fête de la Châtaigne (Chestnut Festival) in Cagnes-sur-Mer with Bev, one of the other English assistants. There was a petting zoo, arts & crafts, vendors, music, and free chestnuts! It was here that I first tried socca and roasted chestnuts. Socca is a Nicoise speciality that I had been wanting to try for quite a long time. It cost me 2 euros for a small portion and basically tasted like greasy half-cooked pancake batter. It wasn't half bad, but I could understand why they only eat a little bit at a time. My stomach can handle almost anything, but I wasn't about to test it that day.
It was that same day that I realized how cheap traveling can be here. For the price of a beer (or 2 glasses of wine) I could travel to a nearby city, take pictures, and taste a few new things. Ever since then, I've barely gone out (unless you count house parties).
As for daytrips, I also visited Eze, a very scenic town located between Nice and Monaco. I went there with an American I randomly met, and we had an awesome time. We visited a parfumerie where they sell perfume and show you how it's made. Apparently Grasse, a town not too far from here, is the region where most French perfume is made. The American and I also visited the old town in Eze and the Exotic Gardens, where you can take breath-taking photos.
For Thanksgiving, I worked (boo!) and made dinner for one. I was slightly sad that nothing crazy happened, but whatever, I got over it quickly. I figured everyone would wonder what I ate, so I took a pic of it (see below). I had a sweet potato with butter and sugar, chicken lunchmeat that had a hint of spicy mustard flavor to it, a mixture of greenbeans and corn cooked with curry, and a baguette and butter. Yum! Also, is it just me or do French sweet potatoes have a totally different color than American ones?
What else? What else? I've gone to a few parties in the past month. There was the Moule Party at Mara's apartment where we ate tons and tons of mussels. Then there was the Ringard (Nerd) Party at Sophie's when we all dressed up like nerds. I put tape on my glasses, went over the top with makeup, and layered clothing like I was colorblind. I'd post a pic, but it wasn't really that awesome. The last party I went to was Sophie's Christmas party. We had hot wine and candy and cookies. And everyone bundled up to celebrate the holidays. Some people tried to be a extra festive, and there was even one guy who wore a tree Sophie and friends had created using paper, paint, etc.
For the Christmas party, I wore my new second-hand coat that I bought at Secours Populaire for 10 euros (oh yeah!) along with a scarf I bought to cover up the hideous collar (or lack thereof). I won't feel bad giving it back to the Secours Populaire when I'm done because the coat really isn't anything to brag about. When I first saw the coat, I thought it was cute minus the ugly fur collar attached to it.
I convinced the lady to sell me the coat for 10 euro if I let her keep the fur part. ;) However someone had apparently cut off the original collar to make room for the fake fur. So after I bought the coat, I took it to the dry cleaner's, sewed the coat here and there to patch it up, and bought a warm fluffy scarf to hide the fact that my coat is collarless. I'd buy a little material to remake the collar, but I think it would be impossible to find the print at an affordable price. It's okay, though. I'm content with being ghetto. ;)
As you can tell, it's gotten a lot colder here in the past month. There's snow on the mountains near Vence, and there was even a day when it snowed some in Antibes, a city on the coast located just west of Nice. For the most part it's been in the 40's and low 50's here. The city is starting to look a little more Christmasy. There are lights decorating most streets, and they set up a Marche de Noel at Place Rossetti near Old Nice. There's a ferris wheel, an ice-skating rink, craft booths, and yummy fair food like "barbe a papa" (cotton candy), "pommes d'amour" (candy apples), and "beignets" (donuts) that totally smell like elephant ears. I here that there's also going to be a living "creche" (manger scene) with animals and a little baby Jesus! :P Sabrina better get ready 'cause I'm definitely dragging her there when she arrives in TEN days!
posted by ashley at
5:48 PM
1 Comments:
I cannot wait to see the living baby Jesus. Wait until I tell G-ma that I found Jesus in Nice!!
Love you!
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