Road Trip 2011 - Day 2

We're checking in from Day 2 of our road trip! Here are a few pictures. Due to a horrible internet connection (in an otherwise lovely budget hotel) we can't upload more pictures, but we'll add on to this post once we have a better connection! The Hot Air Balloon was definitely the highlight of Day 2, and Nancy, while fascinating with its history as the capital of the Art Nouveau movement, could be visited in one day. We had a nice time exploring the city, relaxing in the park while listening to a live band play, and exploring the Art Nouveau houses that remain in certain parts of the city, as well as the Ecole de Nancy Art Nouveau museum. Nancy was nice, but we're ready to get on the road to Germany!

The world's largest international Hot Air Balloon Festival

Place Stanislas in Nancy, France

More pictures to come!

Road Trip 2011 - Day 1

We departed Paris on time at 8:00 this morning and hit the road for our first destination on our road trip: Metz.  Along the way, we kept ourselves busy visiting a number of interesting World War I sites.  The drive through Eastern France provides a chilling reminder of how terrible this conflict truly was.  These reminders are everywhere - monuments, memorials, cemeteries, and museums dot the countryside.

So far we have driven 400km so far and only used a half tank of gas in our trusty Renault diesel.  Here are some pictures.

Wind Turbines along the road

A French WWI cemetery we stopped at along the road. 

A WWI memorial dedicated to American soldiers which also serves as an "ossuary" for 10,000 unknown fallen soldiers.

The entrance to the American WWI Cemetery and Memorial in Meuse-Argonne.

An unknown soldier.

The burial site of a soldier who had received a medal of honor.

A memorial to American WWI soldiers erected by the state of Pennsylvania.

Cathedral de Saint-Etienne in Metz, France

Caroline enjoying coffee

An interesting section of town, where the stores and restaurants seem to be built into old city walls.

The local park in Metz.

The Protestant Temple Neuf standing in the middle of the Moselle River.

A "canoe-kayak" competition in Metz.

Food Pictures

We will be leaving Paris for the rest of the summer this Saturday when we embark on our 19-day road trip through Europe! Before saying goodbye to our favorite city, we had to go out and enjoy our last few summer nights with, obviously, some great food. I've collected some of our favorite food photos as a tribute to our summer in Paris!

*Sidenote: We didn't necessarily eat all of these things ourselves! Some of these are orders our friends made...but not many....*

Picnic food at the Jardin du Luxembourg. Chairs make perfect tables.

Caroline's homemade vegetable lasagna

Octopus salad at Le Verre Volé

Pork- can you tell?

A delicious red tuna our friend Alex ordered at Le Verre Volé

Homemade duck confit can't be beat!

Brunch set up on Fung and Fleur's patio...yes, a patio in Paris!

Caroline's spinach quiche

Strawberry Tarte (or Tarte aux Fraises) and a Paris Brest (creme filled pastry)

L'Os à Moelle (Bone Marrow) at L'Entrepot

"Salad" Perigourdine (or from the Perigourd region of France)

 This "salad", from L'Entrepot, contained so little letture and so much fois gras and "geziers" or gizzards, that we hardly thought it deserved its title as a salad. Though unhealthy, still it was pretty delicious.

Peter's homemade Pa Jun (Korean scallion pancakes with squid...mmmmm)

Eclairs

Steak with a green sauce that just doesn't look nearly as good as it tasted.

A pretty gooey looking picture of some amazing profiteroles at Le Relais de L'Entrecote

A simple crepe from Crepe Suzette near our apartment.

La Durée Macarons, a birthday gift from our friends Louisa and Caspar.

We'll miss Paris dearly, but are looking forward to the culinary adventures to come as we travel through the Black Forest in Germany, hike the mountains of Switzerland, gaze into the waters of Lake Orta in Italy and relax on the shores of the Mediterranean in the South of France! 

We'll be blogging along the way, so check back for updates on our trip!

Caroline's 2nd French Birthday

Having lived in France for over 1 year now means that I've now had my second birthday here. Last year, we were on our 6th day of our Honeymoon in Strasbourg, France.

A pretty gorgeous background for a birthday dinner!

This year we were in Paris, and we decided to have a big group dinner with all of the friends we've made this year. We headed to one of our favorite restaurants, Le Relais de L'Entrecote, which serves up steak and fries in a delectable "green" sauce (secret recipe....we've tried to figure it out). The pictures of our evening are below. One of the coolest parts of being overseas is that we've made so many international friends, and our group last night represented Brazil, Canada, Croatia, Korea, Taiwan, Germany and the USA.

Mmmmmm...

2 desserts for the birthday girl?

Possibly the most amazing chocolate cake I've tasted

The birthday girl and the man who planned it all.

The La Durée macarons I received as a gift...you think I'm sharing? Think again!

The Girls

The Boys

Free Concert and a Sunset to Remember

Thursday evening, the rain finally let up enough to allow us to get out of the house and enjoy some fresh air. We headed to Hotel de Ville (City Hall) for a free concert series. With the gorgeous building behind the stage, it was a great night for some free music. We enjoyed an "indy" band with a funky, electronic twist and a Canadian artist Chilly Gonzales who "raps" and plays piano.

We walked lazily from the left bank to the right, passing behind Notre Dame. Notice the police officer in training swimming in the river!

The view of the back of Notre Dame as we walked to the concert.

The stage at Hotel de Ville

After meeting up with our friend Sean, we headed down to the riverside to walk through the Paris Plage (Paris Beach) which opened Thursday. Every summer, the city of Paris builds a real beach right down by the Seine, blocking off parts of the highway that normally is packed with traffic.

This proves that yes, Paris Plage has real sand!

It was too chilly for sipping a mojito and sunbathing, but it was pretty incredible to watch the sunset with a cold beer on a park bench.

The last rays of sunlight on the Ile St. Louis