Food, food, and more food

Friday the entire program went on a celebratory field trip to L'abbaye de Royaumont, after finishing the preliminary course and the first week of classes. There we were given a tour of the grounds and then had a gourmet meal, which was nice. Our first course was bruschetta with goat cheese wrapped in eggplant; then we had mashed potatoes with veal or pork (still unsure); then a cheese course with camembert; and then an amazing dessert (still not sure what it was, but it was some sort of flan/custard on top of chocolate ganache); and finished with espresso--all while having complimentary wine, of course.

This weekend was basically full of exploring and wandering--probably the best thing to doing in Paris, besides discovering amazing food. I walked around the Marais, which I read in a guide book is the "Greenwich Village of Paris," but it's got a different sort of charm. I had been there with Emily the weekend before, and I went back to this cute cafe to sit and read. The next day I discovered one of the outdoor markets of Paris--I can't wait till it gets warmer out and other produce gets to be in season. And then that night we had our usual dinner with Beatrice (she cooks us dinner every Sunday and Thursday nights). Must I say, though, it was amazing. We always have all the courses, so last night wasn't any different, but we started with a Croque Madame and some sauteed vegetables. Then we had a cheese course with cheese I can't remember (but were delicious nevertheless) and we ended with a peach pie. Thankfully we only eat like this twice a week--I usually have to skip eating that day to prepare.

Tonight I went to the cooking workshop they were having and we all learned how to make crepes--I must say I didn't actually mess them up! (Because you all know how many cooking mistakes I've made whenever I try to cook...) They were absolutely delicious, and we made sweet and savory ones as well. My favorite combination was a cracked egg with sauteed onions and mushrooms. We cooked in the communal kitchen of a dorm, so we were able to meet some French students while cooking and eating alongside them.

Oh, and an update on the children at Day Care Beatrice: they're actually cute. There was this one annoying baby who was actually terrifying (says the babysitter) and who never smiled. There's a photo of her on Facebook, and I swear you'll agree. But today, when I brought Emily by to see the apartment and to drop off a Valentine's Day care package, she wheeled herself to my room (she's never out of this wheelie thing she sits in) and I swear she smiled...I actually played with her, if you can believe it, if you've been hearing the stories concerning her. Tomorrow I just might liberate her from the wheelie prison. And Cesar, the one-almost-two-year-old is incredibly adorable, and when he sees either Julia or I walk into the apartment he runs over to us and hangs out with us in our rooms. He doesn't talk yet, but makes unintelligible French baby noises. But they prove to be better ways of practicing our French, versus just talking to the dogs. While I might complain about being woken up early in the morning on days I don't have morning classes by the babies, I'm starting to kind of like them.

So in response to a suggestion, I've started posting some pictures on Flickr, but supposedly (and stupidly) it only lets me upload 100 MB a month, which is ridiculous (each picture is at least 3 MB), so I only have a few pictures on there now. Hopefully that will change. A ton of people are going to Amsterdam this weekend, so this might give me the excuse to really explore Paris while they're gone. Here's the link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/45724198@N06/