Judith's Visit (keeping busy)

Judith's visit was exactly what I needed this weekend. Not that I feel particularly better, but it was really good to be with someone who know's me well, can give good advice, keep me busy, have a good time, and, bonus, kind of explain to me what I'm supposed to be reading for Emory. I started reading it and, after reading the introduction, understood less than when I started (seems to be a theme with me this week).

Her visit was also good since she got me to eat regularly for the first time all week. I took her to Ginette and Marcel's for tartines when she first got in and the back the next day for a dessert and tea/coffee. Seriously, if any of you visit me, Ginette and Marcel's is the first place we will go. We also checked out Avignon's Christmas market, drank vin chaud, talked a lot, and took a few walks around the city. She even treated me to dinner at Chez Ripert, a really typical French restaurant in town. Like I said, exactly what I needed.

Avignon's Christmas market is now in full swing.
Sadly I'm a) poor and b) done with most of my xmas shopping!
Judith checking out some "Santons" de provence. People here in the South of France collect them much in the way Americans make Dickens Christmas villages.



Yummy vin chaud and a treat (a small piece of pistachio bark from a nearby artisan's booth)

And, since I blog, photos of my dinner at Chez Ripert. Let's just say I got some odd looks while making these photos happen!

Entrée (which in France means 'appetizer'):
Foie Gras with spiced bread and fig chutney
Plat (main dish):
Magret de canard (duck) with mashed potatoes and sautéed green beans and mushrooms
Me, wearing a new dress J convinced me to buy that day, with my delish food
Dessert:
Poached pear with chocolate sauce and whipped cream
Obligatory after dinner (decaf) coffee
A shared bottle of delicious local wine and a funky water carafe
A photo of a drawing in the menu. For such a traditional restaurant with delicious food, I always find it funny that their menus are handwritten in the little notebooks my French kids use in class. Apparently other French people think the same thing, since (in this photo) someone has taken to writing lines in the back of the menu (the most typical punishment for French primary students)
Dinner was perfect and we spent a few hours just eating and listening to that evening's musician singing French standards (and on breaks random American songs over the radio). Like with my 36 points of beer, I tracked this whole meal too (as best as I could). I used most of my weekly points, but it was so worth it.



We also checked out Ginette and Marcel's for an afternoon "goûter" i.e. snack. I got a yummy raspberry tarte and a tea (also tracked) and Judith and I chatted a bit about everything. It's kind of embarrassing to cry (lightly) in a restaurant, but it's getting better. Plus, at least I looked good, right? I may or may not have bought the same sweater dress in tan as well...





Sadly, we both had to get back on our way Monday AM and she left to go spend the rest of the week up in Paris with the snow and ice. :( I wish she could have stayed longer, but I hope to see her when I'm home in less than TWO weeks and again when she's back in Paris in June. Again, the goal for the moment is just to stay busy!

Last night one of my British friends hosted a Mince Pie/Mulled Wine Christmas Party at her flat, so that was fabulous. More on that and today's run later! :)

23 miles = One French Meal?

And here it is... my first French school vacation. After a mere two weeks of teaching (plus a few of training), I have a week and a half for the "Toussaint" or All Saint's Day holiday. Originally, I wasn't going to go anywhere, but I found a cheap 33€ round trip train ticket, so I'll be visiting some family friends for a few relaxing days near Carcassonne.

Vacation started a bit earlier than anticipated, since I sidelined myself Thursday after teaching two classes due to a stomach bug. I thought I'd be able to pull through after being up all night sick (since I didn't really want to flake out on them on my second day in that school—I only see each school 1x/week), but, in the end, I had to come home and put myself to bed. Well, that is, after missing the bus by 10 minutes and thus being forced to wait 2 hours for the next one... Yeah, so I fell asleep on a bench like a hobo, whatcha gonna do about it? ;)

Anyway, after eating only 8 points yesterday, today was looking a bit iffy for my long run (I moved it to Friday so I could do the 10k Sunday pain-free). Thankfully, I woke up feeling 100% better so I decided to venture out. I tried to keep an really slow pace (13 min/mile) so as to not push it too much and, due to time constraints more than not feeling well, I only ran 8 miles instead of the anticipated 10. But, it was worth it to me because I wanted to make sure I was home in time to skype with Jon and his parents before the 'rents left to drive back to Alabama! I won't "see" them again until I'm home for Christmas. Due to the slow pace, it was a really easy run, actually. I'm not used to thinking that I'm capable of running 8 miles without dying, so it's pretty surprising to realize. Very cool. I was talking with my dad over the internet today and he mentioned that I'm probably in the best shape I've been in my entire life... and, you know, he's right. So odd to think about really. I'm also finally getting used to where I run so I can better plot out my routes distance wise. That was another problem with today's run--I overestimated the distance and got home with 2 miles left to go!

Saw this when I was out for my easy 8-miler. Bonus: in English!
Other than that, I experienced both ends of the food spectrum this weekend. Classy, traditional French dining with my friend Christèle and then tonight's homesick McDonald's with Claire:

Classy dinner. Main dish: Duck with potatoes au gratin and green beans
Moelleux au chocolate... as in a brownie that's melty in the center
McDo outing. I'm the tiny diet coke, the pineapples, and the mini mcflurry (well, that's regular size for France)
I opted for a Happy Meal...which is, much to my dismay, DEFINITELY not worth how many points it ends up being...

The top meal was worth more than all the APs I'd earned running this week (I think I also may have over-estimated) and the bottom was worth at least half... Verdict: McDonald's is SO not worth it... but that first meal SO was! I don't eat like that often at all, but it was really nice catching up with an old friend over a good meal, and I had the APs to do it!

And now, I leave you to go run the 10k! I also leave you with another interesting article on these French strikes... Oh and WAR CAM EAGLE! What a game last night!!!!

Oh, you know just some striking.

Run 2: Les Invalides, the Seine (and the Tour de France)

After the epic success that was our first run in Paris, I was really hoping that that easy energy and "I can run forever" feeling was going to be a Parisian run trait... Sadly, this was not the case. Run 2 ended up being one of the runs where I really struggled to motivate myself to keep running and instead of the longer route that we'd plotted that would have been a tad over 4 miles, we ended up taking the original shorter one instead, hitting a bit over three (if you count all the time that we were running that Mr. Garmin couldn't remember that we were still "more than 100 miles away" from home... even though he'd been used the other day).

For Run 2, we decided to run over to Les Invalides, the old hospital for war vets that houses Napoleon Bonaparte's remains once he was repatriated from Elba. After running around the main domed building and the gardens, we hit the Seine. This was pretty funny because we thought we were going to be able to go down and run next to the river like you can on certain parts of the river. Apparently, it's only at certain places that you can do this. We accidentally ended up first in a metro station and then running on what would be the equivalent of the shoulder of a highway type road... and then up it's entrance ramp back to the normal street level. Needless to say, we'll be more attentive next time.

After the Seine, we moseyed our way back to our dorm via the Boulevard Saint-Germain and the Boulevard Raspail. One thing that is hilarious about street running in Paris is that you run by a lot of cafés with their outdoor terrasses and hence their outdoor waitstaff and patrons, who frequently feel the need or desire to either yell at you or cheer you on (mostly cheer you on). The waiters are especially big fans of this, and I have yet to go on a run here where at least one (male) waiter hasn't yelled either "On y va!" (Let's go!) or some random English comment. All in all, I find it amusing and sort of motivating... It's hard to walk just after being cheered on (especially when you know they're all probably looking at "Ze crazy American girls who are running").

Unfortunately for this run, I kept leaving things in my room upstairs as we went to leave and kept going back to get them... and forgetting a new thing each time. In the end, when I went up to get Mr. Garmin (how could I run without him?!), I ended up leaving both my cellphone (who has a camera) and my camera in the room and didn't realize it until we were already on the Blvd des Invalides... Sad day. We'll definitely either go on a run their again or at least pass by on a tour, I'm sure.

Anyway, here's the break down and map from the run, once MG clued in.



In other news, we spent yesterday watching the arrival of the Tour de France in Paris. Instead of crowding onto the Champs-Elysées, we found a spot at Rue de Rivoli that was also on the circuit, so we were able to take PLENTY of photos. Our camera has a speed shot setting on it with 5 photos per second, so by the time I got home, I had taken 455 photos in a few hours!!! Needless to say, I easily wheedled that down to a more manageable 70 on my iPhoto.

This would be the French interpretation of a hotdog. I don't want to know the points value of this creation: a hot dog stuffed in a baguette smothered in toasted cheese. I only had a bit of Christy's and, oh man was it delicious!


Look! A Garmin car in the parade!







For dinner we hit up a French restaurant on Rue de la Huchette (by the Seine/Notre Dame) and each were able to order a "menu". As an entrée (which is actually an appetizer in French), I had a chèvre chaud salade, which is a green salad that is served with a few slices of baguette that are toasted with goat cheese (chèvre) and spices on top of them. Then, for dinner I had an émincé de rumsteck with a roquefort sauce (steak with a blue cheese sauce) and a small serving of chocolate mousse for dessert. One thing I really love about French restaurants is the ability to order a menu. For one price, you get to chose from each of the three categories (or 2 if you opt out of either the entrée or the dessert). It makes the meal smoother AND allows you to take your time. Here in France, waiters never rush you to finish your food or to move through the courses. Dining out is an experience to be enjoyed and it's not uncommon to spend 2-3 hours at dinner. Afterwards, we took a stroll around the Ile-de-la-Cité (i.e. Notre Dame) before catching the métro back home. What a nice little Parisian day. :)