Birthday Celebration!

Okay, so here we are, starting with the gorgeous desserts I bought myself for my birthday...I wanted to end with these because they're so fantastic, but the uploading process was a bit dodgy, so here it is:

Little Cake with Chantilly Cream and Raspberries

And this little guy:

Penguin made from Dark and White Chocolate, with a Cream Pastry on the inside to make his body, with a Cookie for Feet
I can't believe I can buy something this cute

Okay, so this picture is a bit bizarre, but it's me with the first baguette I've ever bought!

Robert, Dad and Matt, this is for you: I saw this funny fishing display on my way home from the restaurant:

And here's my birthday dinner: oh my god. I could barf just looking at it, it's so much food. Let's see, there's like a prawn or something on top, a big shrimp, a small salmon fillet, a small white fish fillet, some of ther seafood that I didn't know, and mussels all around the plate. There were also some boiled potatoes on there somewhere. This is one of the BEST meals I have EVER eaten! I ordered it not remembering what "choucroute" meant, and thank goodness I didn't remember, because if I had remembered it was sauerkraut, I probably wouldn't have ordered it and missed out! Well, I gots to go. I'll check in again soon.

Le Puy and some orchids

This first picture is for Olivia; its a picture i took through a window, so you can see the buildings behind me in the reflection, BUT, inside is an orchid shop! All orchids! I wrote down where it was in case you/me ever need to find it again, Liv, its really close to Notre Dame.

Below is a shot of the train I was in coming from Clermont Ferrand to Le Puy...this one was nice because there werent any stairs up into the car, so i didnt have to lift my almost 60 pound bag into the car and the aisles were bigger than the last train, so i could roll it down the middle of the aisle. Thank. God.




And here! Are pictures of my place! Sorry, the picture of the toilet is first--I couldn't see which pictures were which when i was dowloading them:





On the picture above: my desk is on the right, my bed is behind it with the plaid blanket, to the left is my wardrobe, and on the left in front is the back of my tv. Nice, huh?

Above: My windows; the one on the left is a set of French doors that opens out to a little balcony.


And here, above, is the piéce de résistance as they say here. On the top right is my shower, and that curtain pulls closed to section off that whole area, including the sink, so everything on my sink gets wet, and if youve noticed, the only counter space i have is the sink and the top of the toilet. Yup. Thats it. But I think I have it figured out for right now. Note to self: get a shower caddy. Also! And I think this is the most interesting part...the thing that turns the water on is a push...thing. Like in a stadium or aiport bath room, and you have to push the think in on the sink to make the water come out and its on a timer, so the water will stop on its own after a couple seconds? Yeah, thats my shower. This concludes my theory that the French have something against a good hot shower. Seriously, if you want further proof, ill show you pictures of some in homes that are a tub with a hose, and nothing gets warm. Anyway! At least I wont waste time in the shower (not that i do anyway; i hate standing for that long. jokes. but seriously.)

Anyway! Heres some pictures of the town that I took today as i was walking around:

Oh! This is a view from my balcony:

Another picture around town:And the view from my balcony facing the other way; on the left is the school:


Okay! And last but not least: Heres what I bought myself for my birthday at the French answer to Aldis:

The list includes:

• a bag of potato chips
• box of tissues
• 2 bars of soap
• Pantene volumizing shampoo
• hairspray
• body wash (smells yummy)
• face lotion
  
• strawberry jam
• chocolate biscuits
• fruit and yogurt cereal bars (8 pack)
• 2 cans of sardines in oil
• body lotion
• orange juice
• 2 nectarines
• 2 pears
• and a reusable shopping bag!
  

Also, for those of you who are keeping up with the "American TV shows dubbed in French that Meghan has seen" list that Im starting now... heres whats going on:

1. Desperate Housewives
2. Malcolm in the Middle
3. Bones
4. Medium
5. the old 50s zorro tv show
6. and...Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman

Theres a lot more going on, but I think thatll do for now! Thanks, loyal listeners, and always remember to drink your Ovaltine!

Bon Courage!
Meghan

Les Tuileries

Here are some photos I took while roaming around the Tuileries, the gardens right outside the Louvre, where I spent the majority of my day reading "The Lost Symbol" by Dan Brown. (...also, I'm having a really hard time formatting my pictures with my blog--they will go in weird places and chop up the text weirdly..can anyone help?!) Thanks! Meg

Bonjour tout le monde!

Hey everyone,

I've been in France for

a few days now; I just got to a city in the middle of France called Clermont-Ferrand yesterday via train. I stayed with the family that hosted me last time I was in France for a few days in Paris before venturing out into the rest of France by myself.

The first day I was in Paris, I read a lot; I actually finished Dan Brown's

new book "The Lost Symbol" which Robert and I both bought in Chicago the day it came out (it was pretty good--not as good as "DaVinci Code or Angels and Demons in my opinion, though). I mostly just went to gardens and read that day. I also went to see if the Comedie-Francaise was playing anything that night (this is France's state theatre) and sadly, their season opened

the very next night, after I would already be gone. And! They would be opening with Moliere's "The Miser" which I would have liked to see. :( Oh well.

Uhm, since I've been in Clermont-Ferrand, I've mostly stayed in my room. Especially since today is Sunday and virtually nothing is open AND I'm worried about getting lost and not being able to get back to the hotel. however, last night, I found this awesome restaurant on my street that specializes in regional cuisine and I ate orange duckand had a glass of wine. It was delightful. Although I will say that eating at a restaurant alone is not all that fun, even if you have sudoku to keep you company. I'm pretty lonely right now for some company, and I miss all of you back home terribly, but I know that this is all a part of the acclimation process and that I will get over it soon.

I will tell you though, that I am not looking forward to taking the train to my final destination where I will be teaching with this bag I have (note to self: baggage in America is NOT the same size as baggage in France). Some man made a comment on the last train that my bag is big enough for two girls. I was quite embarrassed. And I think I even packed pretty well! I managed to fit everything I need for eight months into one bag and one backpack. What can you do...

Oh! And if some of you are wondering, I did not take a TGV (train à grand vitesse--one of the really fast trains in France); I don't know why, but my train just wasn't one of them. I have so much more to tell you (p.s. hulu doesn't work on French internet...it says it won't work outside of the US... :(, but I did find a website where I got caught up on "Project Runway" and now I have "The Office" too, if I want to watch something familiar and in my own language). Anyway! Wish me luck; I'll write again soon!

Bisou!

Meghan