Knobbly horror trees

In the Limoges winter one gets a glimpse of what is under those perfectly manicured round trees that line every street and park. We call these creatures "knobbly horror trees".  They cut them down like this to make the trees have an attractive, round shape...when they have leaves. Aren't they straight out of a Tim Burton movie?

Wwoof article

My friend and roomie writes for a travel site and her latest article is about Wwoof-ing. Check it out here if you're interested!

Petite things I like

My house key. How adorable?

This Creme de Marron makes great gateaux.  This tub of honey is so easy to eat with a spoon. 

Best yogurt ever. Wish I could take it home with me.

Cutest jam.

Lost Wwoof footage

Enjoy

Cuisine-ing at a bar

Last Tuesday Katy and I had the opportunity to cook with our french bartender/restaurant owner friends. Although I mostly de-shelled some pistachios and pressed "marche" on the food processor, I can now claim I have cooked a "terrine" from scratch.  After cooking we ate a delicious meal with cheese, wine and apres meal drink included.

 So many meats

Giant Cheese

Photos courtesy of Katy at http://katy-out-there.tumblr.com/

Mothership

I've officially moved! My new address is 32 Rue Petiniaud Dubos, Limoges 87000 France.

Here are some shots of the main living room and...the stove. It's bright and airy and happy. Pictures of the cave (dungeon laundry facility), dining room and my tiny closet bedroom to come! 

Fete de Dinde: Thanksgiving in France

My apartment hosted a Thanksgiving fete on Saturday.  There was all the usual Thanksgiving foods (minus cranberries...they don't even have cranberry juice here) with some french add-ons. After hosting this huge meal I have so much respect for  all hosts of past and present Thanksgiving. And I didn't even cook everything. I'm happy to say that although away from home and dealing with strange french ingredients (or lack there of) we pulled together a very happy Thanksgiving. Hopefully the magic of Thanksgiving made an impression on our English, Irish, New Zealand and French friends who also attended.

Limoges November

Canteen life

My favorite yaourt

So once a week I eat at my school's canteen. It's a large and scary flashback into my own time I spent at the middle school cafeteria.  Plastic trays, buckets of utensils, running gossipy children all around. However instead of the free for all cafeteria style of different lines for different menu options, pizza, fries, chips, chicken fingers, soda fountain, milk station, cookie station etc, there's one line for the one meal planned for that day.  Everyone waits in one line and for the five course (or more) meal. Check out what I ate for lunch the other Friday.

First course: grapefruit and banana
second course: mushroom quiche
main course: huge fried calamari (didn't want it didn't have a choice), rice and green beans
bread course: bread and cheese
dessert: lil custard creation
apres dessert: yogurt

note: Everyone eats everything, no changing options or refusing. It's noted and looked down upon. French people have supergenes.
Oh and it was 2.50 euros.

Wwoofing

I spent the last ten days wwoofing (organic farming) with my friend at an old house outside Libourne (outside Bordeaux). It was such an amazing experience. I built walls (yes wielded a heavy shovel) and mortar-ed (toxic), cooked, sang, and danced with great people. My feelings are too cheesy to post so here are some pictures!

Public Piscines

Just when you think you are mature and wise enough to navigate a public swimming pool..you aren't.  Oh hey vending machine selling bathing suits! Oh...no lanes? Totally normal. It's a free for all in there.  Speedos are required for safety reasons...which are?

Pot de Rentree

Two nights ago we had a “pot de rentree” for all the residences of Saint Martial.  It was very much like the ice cream socials you had in your dorms to meet the resident dean and RA’s. But we actually went. It took place in the hallway/entranceway to the building. I may have noted this before but all the lights in the Saint Martial building are on timers. You push to turn it on. Wait 10 seconds it goes off. This occurred for the total of this little gathering which added much awkwardness to conversation.  It was like a very slow, delayed strobe light. However the warm banana juice, orange juice and some little treats helped somewhat.

Weeks Two and Three

Crazy themed crepe place

AHHHH AQUARIUMS ARE AWESOME