Red Cake Take 4, this time with GLACAGE!!

Well, I think I've finally done it. It doesn't look great, but the batter and the frosting tasted good on the mixer beaters! I hope the final product lives up to my "taste" expectations. Many thanks to my new friend Marie for the suggestions on how to make "Philadelphia" frosting with local products. It's a little runny, but I'm hoping a stint in the fridge will help solidify it.

I'll let you all know how it goes over tomorrow at work... assuming it doesn't slide of the plate.

The snow has fallen...

So I'm sort of ready for this snow thing to stop for a while, but I have a feeling it's just beginning. If I could just feel confident on my feet and in my car, it might not be so bad. My new snow boots were a huge help today, but my feet still got cold, and I still slipped some. Now that my car battery has been changed, I just have to worry about a little tire spinnage every now and then. The collage below contains some of the pictures I captured on my Blackberry.

Starting in the top left corner, you can see the clouds start to roll in over the Puy de Dome on Monday afternoon. You can actually see the volcano in that picture. The next four, continuing across the top and down the right side are the same view at 11:40, 1:05, 2:30, and 6:55pm Tuesday. Then there's poor lil' red in her snow covered self. The three pictures in the middle are the different views of the "major" roads near my apartment. You can see the Christmas lights and the new Christmas trees that have been installed on Rue Du Port. The final picture, taken this morning, is the one of Mr. Bib. Bless his heart, he's been covered in Christmas decorations and then snowed on. Hopefully we'll thaw out this weekend. I could use a little sunshine and some warmer temperatures. A colleague said again this week, welcome to France.

Apartment

For those of you that want to know what my French apartment looks like, here you go! It's approximately 80 sq meters and it's on the 3rd floor (aka deuxieme etage.) Hope some of you can come see it in person soon!

FINALLY.... Photos of Paris October 2010

FINALLY!!!! I think I finally figured out how to make the connection between the different technology options I have.  It really makes me miss my technology guru, aka, my cute boyfriend.  Hope you enjoy seeing the pictures that go with the brain dump blog from a couple of days ago about our amazing vacation in Paris.  Bises! S

Link to Paris Trip Photos

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Red Velvet Cake... take one...

So, in my family, we always have a red velvet cake at Thanksgiving or Christmas.  Since I have to have a dessert for next weekend's Thanksgiving dinner, I decided to bring a little family tradition to my new "adopted" family in Clermont.  Here's the photos of the first attempt.

Ingredient assembly on my one little counter and the top of the stove.

Zoom in on the ingredients, a combination of US and French products. The French "crisco" is already in the bowl with the eggs and sugar. It's solid coconut oil... maybe a contribution of coconut flavor to the cake???

This is the first attempt at using the French "crisco." Obviously I didn't find the right temperature to start working the shortening. I tried again and was reasonably happy enough with it to actually bake layers.

35 minutes later, and I have two and a half ruby red layers. The one with the knife on it is very thin. They are pretty, but they don't taste right. I think the fermented milk I used in place of the buttermilk was too acidic and there were still lumps of the shortening. I'm giving up for tonight and might try again during the week. Gotta figure out how to soften but not melt the shortening and will probably try to make my own "buttermilk" using regular milk and lemon juice, or a combination of fermented and regular milk. If any of you have any suggestions, I'll gladly take them.

Apartment Photo Album

Just in case you were curious about my apartment, here's a little album that shows the view of the Basilique Notre Dame du Port and the most used spaces in my apartment.

November Already???

The month of October was quite a blur.  The first two weeks were frantic preparation at work to be gone for a week.  Then I was in Paris for a week with Hal (see below for all the details.) Then I was sick for a week and a half, and suddenly it was November.  Halloween isn't the same over here- they celebrate Toussant (All Saints' Day.)  Since there's no Thanksgiving to wait for, the Christmas lights started going up the first week of November.  They haven't turned them on yet, but there's hanging everywhere! 

A week in Paris... every girl's dream.  Throw in a boyfriend I hadn't seen since August and more Monet  paintings than I could count, and I was in heaven!!!  Here's the not so quick and dirty synopsis of Paris.   WARNING:  this is pretty much a brain dump, feel free to speed read to hit the highlights.  I promise you won't hurt my feelings =)

1. Saturday- take the train from CFE to Gare de Lyon.  I think the train is my new favorite way to travel.  You hop on, find a comfy seat, and chill for a couple of hours.  No fear of oxygen masks or flotation devices.  The man comes by with the candy cart, AND you can talk to your friends using your smartphone (thank GOD for Google Talk and international dialing plans.) After navigating through the train station, which is under destruction, I found the metro and eventually our apartment.  Then, I found STARBUCKS!!  Don't get me wrong French coffee is good, but there was something about wrapping your hands around a Grande White Chocolate Mocha and walking towards the Opera House that made me giddy.    Maybe because it made me think of Rhett and drinking White Chocolate Mochas on the steps of that coffee shop in Savannah a long time ago.  Probably so.   Everybody asked me and Hal if we had strike trouble, and luckily we were able to avoid most of it. Or at least he was.  My first experience was Saturday night as I left the Bastille metro stop.  Duh, the Bastille Sara.  THE rebellion point.  I've never seen so many cops in riot gear, but other than having a little chat with some mouthy high schoolers, they looked kinda bored.  Anyway, drinks and dinner were awesome, and I finally had to pull myself away from the vin in order to make my train home. Late.
2. Sunday- Hal's plane arrived around 8 so I got up around 6:30 to make sure I could catch the RoissyBus in time to meet him.  I now know which side of the Opera House the bus stop is, but making a tour of that beautiful building in the cold, dark Paris morning wasn't the most fun I had on the trip.  It felt like he was the last one to baggage claim, but finally he was there!!!  We took the bus back to town then started our hike.  Dropped his luggage, introduced Hal to Nutella (so should've taken a picture of his grin,) walked to the Louvre for pictures, then onto Les Jardins de Tuilleries, Le Champs Elysses, and L'Arc de Triumph.  A quick-ish stop for lunch, a necessary hat purchase at H&M, lots of pictures, and 22k steps later, we were back at the apartment for much needed naps. 
3. Monday- Slept in a little bit, then headed directly to the Eiffel Tower, after a quick stop at Le Trocedaro for a banana/nutella crepe and pictures.  We didn't know at the time, but we picked the BEST day for it since the sun was shining brightly.  The line was a bit long, but what else did we have to do but stand in the sunshine and make some new friends.  The view was amazing from all three levels and the lunch at 58Tour Eiffel was YUMMY!!  Thanks to my Blackberry I was able to send my dad a cheesy grin pic from the top of the tower.  Technology's come a long way since he was here in '83 and could just use the payphone.  Afterwards, we took off to find SacreCoeur and after many steps and hills, we found it.  Only after we were at the top of the hill did we find the cable car, but that's alright.  The more steps you take, the more chocolate you can eat =)  A quick walk through the Montemarte neighborhood and a picture op in front of the Moulin Rouge and we headed home.
4. Tuesday- Rainy and cold, what better to do than go to the AMAZING Monet Exhibit at the Grand Palais.  If you have the opportunity, get your booty to Paris before January 24th to see this exhibit.  It is TOTALLY worth it if you're a Monet fan.  They've collected paintings from all over the world and  put them together to show his progression as an artist.  It was fantastic to see his "series" all together again.  From the Grand Palais, we stopped for lunch near the Louvre, then headed towards Musee d'Orsay.  Always one of my favorite places to go, it was fun to watch Hal look at so many of the paintings he studied in Art History.  The musee is under renovation, so all of the impressionists have been moved to the bottom floor.  Not a bad thing, just different.  The Degas' were my favorite this time, but the cross section of the Opera House was a close second. Followed most of Rick Steve's Left Bank walk after Orsay. We hopped on the 6 train to take us back to the Right Bank, and we timed it just right.  That train goes over the Seine with a really cool view of the Eiffel Tower.  We were able to see the light show from the train! We stopped at Le Trocadero to take light show pictures of the Tower.  Dinner that night was at a Bib Gourmand recommended restaurant, right outside of our apartment.  Le Gourmand on Rue Moliere was very tasty!
5. Wednesday- crepes and Musee Louvre.  Tuesday, we got our Museum Pass which let us in most of the Museums and National Monuments we could handle.  It also let us go in the special "pass" entry at the Louvre which is definitely the way to go.  Before going to the Museum, we hit Cafe du Musee for the best crepes we found in Paris.  We lasted as long as we could then had a quick lunch at Le Carousel de Louvre (Royale with Cheese anyone?)  We wondered around a good bit and eventually (after another trip to Starbucks) decided to take a river boat tour. We boarded the boat just as the sun went down, and while it was beautiful, I cannot remember another time I was that cold.
6. Thursday- I found my new favorite museum all thanks to Hal.  We tried to go to L'Orangerie on Tuesday, but that's the day it's closed.  Hal read in one of the tour books that L'Orangerie is the home of Monet's large format paintings.  We'd seen one of these, or maybe a similar one, on display in Columbia in 2009, so I knew they'd be cool, but I was so mistaken.  This place was breathtaking.  It is amazing to think about how in the world to paint 6meters worth of water lilies, but to do it 8 times?  I could've stayed there all day, but then, there was the bottom floor, full of picasso's, renoir's, and at least one van gogh.  Afterwards, we made our way back down Champs Elysses and climbed to the top of L'Arc de Triumph.  It reminded me of being at Top of the Rock in NYC.  Very cool views of Paris.  After l'Arc, we hopped the trains to Notre Dame.  Unfortunately we didn't have time to go up the tower, but the inside was definitely worth the visit, and we got some cool pictures in the courtyard.
7. Friday- Off to Versailles.  Monday night, we bought metro passes (definitely the way to go) but we only bought Zone 1 and 2.  Had we looked a little harder, we probably would've gotten the other zones to include Versailles and the airport; we probably would've saved a little money.  Anyway, we went to Versailles.  It's not a bad walk from the train station to the chateau, but it kept looking like it was going to rain.  Not how we wanted to spend our day.  Our Museum pass got us in, and OMG, the audio guides were free!!!  Off we went on our tour, and in the middle of the opulence of the Kings of France is Japanese modern art.  A little weird.  Elsewhere, I probably would've appreciated it more, but seeing a funny looking bunny/demon/flower thing in the middle of the hall of mirrors was a big nuts.  Overall, it was an enjoyable time.  Oh to have lived there with the servants, maids, and cooks... Surprise, surprise, when we were tired of looking at the paintings of old French military battles, we headed outside, and the SUN WAS SHINING.  For the first time all week, I could take off the hat, scarf, and coat for pictures!!!  We walked around the garden a little bit, but decided with the train schedule interruptions from the strike, we didn't want to get caught in rush hour, so back to town we went.  We hightailed it to Saint Chapelle; a beautiful church from the 11th century that is actually inside the Palais de Justice at the Conciergerie.  The most incredible stained glass windows either of us had ever seen!!  We wondered around l'ile de la cite, then hung out at a street side cafe (check the happy hour prices or lack thereof next time) before finding dinner.  The Latin Quarter is certainly a hot spot! Using the tour books again, we found a theater that shows Rocky Horror Picture Show (in English,) with a live cast, every Friday and Saturday night.  What the heck, how many times will we have the opportunity to do it, so off we went, umbrellas in hand.  I made some friends in line so we were armed with rice.  It was fun, but we didn't get all of the jokes from the cast.  I think Hal finally got the last few grains out of his jacket last week!
8. Saturday- by now, we're pretty worn out.  My pedometer was well over 10k steps every day, so we decided to take it kind of slow.  Unfortunately, Mother Nature wanted us to play in the rain.  We stopped by Jardin de Luxembourg, but there weren't many flowers, and it wasn't so much fun playing in the puddles.  After another quick stop at Starbucks, we headed to the Rodin Museum.  The Thinker was handing out in the courtyard, and the sculptures in the museum were impressive.  La Defense is the woman!  Who knew Money and Rodin were friends, so we found another Monet painting, and even a never before seen (to us) Van Gogh!  Definitely worth the trip.  A walk past Les Invalides, a stop for quiche, then back to Champs Elysses and eventually to Galleries Lafayette behind the Opera (thank goodness for the metro since those two places are nowhere near each other.)  Now, how would you spend your last night in Paris with your boyfriend?  Romantic dinner, river cruise?  Not us.  We went tailgating!  A trip through the Monoprix for the closest thing to tailgating food we could find and a stop at the convenience store for cold beer, and we set out to tailgate and pack.  Thank goodness for ESPN3!  GT v CU started at 9pm so we spread out our chicken, pork rillette, baguette, veggie tray, and beer and had our own little party.  The game obviously didn't go how I wanted, but it was fun to watch Hal get excited.  I decided it was time to pack at the end of the 3rd quarter.  Only after the game did I double check my train schedule... my train was cancelled.  It was almost 1am. Nothing to do but wait...
9. Sunday- time to go =(  After an amazing week, it was time to head home.  Hal and I made the trip back to the Opera House to catch the RoissyBus to the airport.  Terminal 1 was a buzz when we arrived, and the lines to check in at the different airlines were way long.  I went off in search of breakfast only to get caught up in the tax refund line.  After Hal checked in, we realized there wasn't a good place for us to hang out for the next little bit before it was time for him to pass by security, so we said our goodbye, and I hightailed it back to the Opera House.  On the 30 minute bus ride, I started contemplating my best move to get home.  My 2pm train was cancelled.  There was another train at 1pm and a different one at 4:30pm.  I had a check out appointment for the apartment at 12:30.  Once my feet were back on Avenue de l'Opera, I took off for the train station to try to exchange my ticket; not possible.  Asked for help, was told to show up for either of the other two and if there's an empty seat, I can have it.  Ok, not problem.  It was 11:45.  I called the owner while running back to the metro to see if I could check out early.  His employee showed up at 12:15 bless her.  Back to the metro, through the train station, onto the train.  Thank goodness for new friends in CFE because as I sat down, safe and sound in a real seat, I received an invitation for dinner that night. 

Since this has gotten so long, I'm going to stop for now.  If you're still reading, thanks for being so interested.  I'm sure I left parts out.  Hopefully I'll remember them all soon, and next time, maybe I'll remember to blog while I'm gone to insure I don't miss anything. Pictures to come eventually =) 

Next time:  I got sick in France or, OMG that was a cheap Dr. Visit!!

Where did THREE months go?

So yesterday was exactly 3 months in France.  I'm amazed at how quickly it has flown by.  I'm finally feeling at home in my apartment, even though I'm currently freezing in it.  The chauffage technician will be here Friday morning to inspect the system.  The apartment was empty in February when the annual maintenance was performed, and it's recommended to wait.  Anyway, they'll be here in two days!!!  In the meantime, I'm spending lots of time under my favorite Brookstone Nap Comfy blanket.  I had to explain to my French colleagues just what this blanket is.  The Comfy  is Brookstone's version of a Snuggie, but it's made out of their Nap fabric, and it's long enough to cover me from head to toe.  I had fun explaining that it's a <<coverture avec manches>> a blanket with sleeves.  To watch the light bulbs come on in their heads was quite entertaining.  They'd never considered such a practical invention.

Enough about my nap blanket...  after three months, I've started a list of things that are universal, so I thought I'd share.  I started these observations as I sat on a park bench in Jardin LeCoq on a Saturday morning, waiting for it to be a reasonable time to Skype with Hal.  Enjoy!

Universal truth #1, adolescent boys will do just about anything in front of a video camera.  Picture me, in my workout clothes (had to walk to the park with a laptop- counted as exercise) sitting on a bench, talking to my laptop in English.  12 year old French kid looks at me a little funny then figures out what I'm doing.  He starts walking behind my bench, waving at my web cam.  Boys...

Universal truth #2, little kids will chase birds.  Seagulls on the beach or flying rats (aka pigeons) in the park. Same park, several different visits, little kids were giggling and chasing the flying rats.  They almost got some of the fatter ones.

#3- A smile and a willingness to try to speak the local language will get you a long way. France is not known for her customer service, however, if you're willing to try, some of the "customer service" representatives can and will actually provide a service.  This happened for me at the "best buy" of Clermont- Boulanger.  I had to buy a kitchen's worth of appliances, and by using my French and a big smile, my dear CSR Christophe was able to get me the hook up, and throw in a warranty.  He even helped me get my microwave in my little red car.

#4- It's fun to talk to the "older" people.  On the same day in the park as truth #1 and #2, I walked past a sweet looking grandmotherly type woman who reminded me ALOT of my dear Grandmother Connie.  Down to her filed pointy and perfectly painted (lavender!!) finger nails.  My French wasn't great, but we had a fantastic conversation about the red squirrel that was playing in the grass.  It made me think alot about my Grandmother and what she would probably think about my grand French adventure.

#5-  Absence makes the heart grow fonder... or at least the inbox fill up faster.  Since I've been in France I've received emails and wall posts from friends and family I haven't talked to in a very long time, or at least not that regularly.  I'm so grateful to have those connections, and I hope they continue over the next 33 months and even after I get home.  It's always nice to know you're loved.

The most important one of all, and maybe the one I should've put first, is that just because my life has changed drastically, God hasn't changed.  This was so ridiculously clear I couldn't believe it on my first trip to church.  A dear family friend invited me to go with him to the Baptist church... a French church.  As I stood there literally melting in the July heat, the worship leader put a new song on the overhead- Beni soit le nom.  There in French was one of the most popular worship songs out there "Blessed Be the Name." I was so excited, Icould understand all the French words and even sing the alto part. When I opened my mouth though, nothing came out... I was a bit overcome and as I tried to sing through my tears, I realized that I was going to be ok and that God hadn't changed.  He is here with me, just like he was at home, and he's not going anywhere.

On that note, I think I'm headed to bed.  Thanks for reading and feel free to share your thoughts on other universal truths.

Bises!
Sara

Technology Filled Weekend

Just a quick shout out to all the computer programmers, hardware engineers, and other large brains that made it possible for me to have an almost normal fall weekend here in France.  With the internet, I could see my bff in Texas while watching a football game from North Carolina, all from the comfort of my lil' French apartment.   I also spent more time with my boyfriend than any other time in France, and we're finally working on his trip over.  I could also see all my Sparkle City friends in the wee hours of Sunday morning to tell Brian Blue Eyes Happy Birthday!  All in all, a good weekend.  Hopefully it'll be a good week.

Chateaux with RF Friends

So here's the full album of chateau pictures. Lots of walking. Makes the Biltmore House look a little smaller.

When the going gets tough, the tough go line dancing?

So after spending August with Clermont pretty much to myself, I'm finally meeting lots of new people. My new friends from England and Ireland invited me to go to "Country" with them. Yep, that's right, I dug my Tony Lama's out of my boxes and I went line dancing. Travis Tritt and Billy Ray Cyrus music to boot, and yes, my brain pollution caught up with me, and I knew most of the words.

First Time for Everything

Bonjour mes amis!


Well, I'm finally going to try this.  I threatened to do it for months before I left, so here goes nothing.  Over the next couple of weeks, I'll try to get you all caught up on what life has been like since June 28, 2010- the day I moved to France.

If you're reading this, you probably know a little about how I got here, but I'll fill you in just in case.  I started working for Michelin Tire Company in June 2000.  With a degree in Textile Engineering from Georgia Tech, I wanted to find a career in technical/industrial textiles that would also give me a chance to travel a little bit  Boy did I find it!  After 10 years of working on tire textiles in the US, I have the opportunity to work on them in France. 

So far, so good, but it hasn't been without a few hiccups (no rental car when I arrived, no seat on the plane between Clermont and Paris when I flew home for Eric and Elizabeth's wedding) but I've also had my adventures (using my new convertible as a pick up truck, seeing four chateaux in 40 hours, Skyping with Hal using the free wifi in Jardin leCoq and Place de la Victoire while the locals stared.)  I'm sure there are more to come.

I'll keep you posted!
Sara

My Peugeot 206cc