Croissant au beurre/Pain au chocolat

I have been holding out on buying a pain au chocolat (basically a chocolate filled croissant) in fear of becoming addicted to their soft, flaky, buttery texture. But after 10 weeks and after reading one too many food blogs, my willpower collapsed and I walked across the street to the Boulangerie to pick one pastry up- which turned into two. Since the pain au choclat was 1.05 Euro, I thought that I’d make it an even 2Euro with a croissant au beurre, this was breakfast after all- the most important meal of the day. Pastries gourmands agree that croissants are only truly fresh if eaten before 11am, so luckily I was in time for that mark. Next, they say skip the croissant natur since it can be dry and splurge for the butter topped one. So with the rules in mind, 2 Euro in hand, I made it to the boulangerie. BUT before I could even cross the street back to my apartment, I took a huge bite of the croissant au beurre and I literally melted on the sidewalk. The croissant was the most amazing pastry that I’ve had so far in France! The extra butter (and I think a little sugar) created a crunchy, delicious crunch to the outside of the croissant. Of course the middle was perfectly flakey and chewy. On a scale of 1-10; probably a 50. Next I bit into the pain au chocolat, expecting to be transported back to my high school exchange trip here where we were so addicted that we hoarded them in our bags at breakfast. Eh- it was good but the croissant made such an amazing first impression on my tongue that the pain au chocolat tasted like filler.

So- luckily, I’m not addicted to pain au chocolats and I won’t come home with them stuffed into my pockets- but I can’t really say the same about croissant au beurres!

Un Jour avec Ina Garten

Ina Garten, FoodNetwork chef and my idol hostess, bought an apartment in Paris around the time that she came out with her Parisian cookbook. Apparently she spent some time here throughout the year, and was even here in February! So I looked up some of her favorite places in Paris and followed a little Ina-inspired walking tour through Paris. (I was hoping she’d be wandering around Paris at the same time- but no such luck.)

I started on her street at the Sunday Organic Market at Metro Rennes (Boulevard Raspail between Chercher Midi and Rue de Rennes). She recommends visiting the pancake man and the American bakers for American treats.

I stopped and bought a slice of organic nut bread with whole figs. It was delicious! I also bought some handmade soaps for my boss, who only shops "bio".
Next, she says to stop by Polaine (8 rue Cherche-Midi), which is a famous boulangerie in Paris. It was closed because it was Sunday, but the neighborhood was so cute! I heard someone hosting a party through an open balcony window and I dreamed that it must be Ina’s apartment.

I visited her suggestions for gifts, dishware, and flowers.

Barthelemy (51 rue Grenelle)
Marianne Robic (39 rue de Babylone)
Muriel Grateau (37 rue de Beaune)

She also suggests going to Bon Marche (38 rue des Sevres). It’s the biggest home appliance store in Paris. I need to go back, because I hear that it’s incredible- think Williams and Sonoma + French style and Chef Central Sized. After walking for a while, I found a cute little private park and sat and read for a while in the sun. It was quite a lovely Sunday- Ina would approve.

Bien Couru

Paris is known for it's five-star restaurants, amazing hotels, and fashion, fashion, fashion- but not it's five-star gyms. Parisians DON'T exercise. They smoke, drink, and eat- all in moderation- and they walk, a lot. But I'm a gym-buff, exercise junkie to to core and throwing my sneakers out of the airplane window for 4 months just wasn't an option. One friend warned me that she signed up for a gym on her Paris summer program and it was a disaster. Smelly, sweaty, and spandex. Another friend who had done the Paris program told me that she just ran outside, because the climate was much less harsh than in Boston. She gave me some warning too, though:

Notice these are Parisian rules to exercise;I, the American, broke every single one.

Parisian Running Etiquette

Sidewalks are not for runners.
Sidewalks have lanes for bikers, but the rest of the sidewalk is a free-for-all. First, cafe seating or markets. Next, extra parking. Third, walkers at their own pace. Fourth, dogs. I dodged as many of these obstacles as possible- but I was always being yelled at in the end.

Streets are not for runners.
J-walking doesn't exist in French. No one does it. No one goes in the street unless they are crossing in a crosswalk. Had a few close calls there too.

Parks are for runners!
...after 10am and before 7pm. I worked 9:30-6:30.

Parisian shuffle.
They don't exactly pick up their feet- I don't understand it at all but since I would run around the International Dorms park, you could easily pick out Parisians (shufflers) and Americans (full blown horse legged runners).

Fashion for Runners (c'est Paris)

No t-shirts!
I stuck to this one!! I had my classy outdoor running gear.

Converse are sneakers.
No wonder no one runs here! They wear converse to run- I get shin splits just thinking about it.

No sneakers, unless you are actively running.
As for real sneakers, if you are caught dead in sneakers/trainers/whatever- you might as well be wearing a neon hat the says "I'm a Tourist". But I am a tourist- and if I'm walking around for 6 hours- you'd better bet that I'm breaking out the sneakers.

Squishy pants or shorts and high socks- acceptable.
Apparently good fashion doesn't apply to runners. I didn't even know that they still sold some of the "gym attire" that I saw in the parks. Vintage, maybe?

NO SWEATING!
You can run, but you can't sweat. It's pretty fascinating to watch people run, come to a complete halt at the park exit, brush their fingers through their hair and continue walking home- as if they never ran. Me- my host mom used to ask "Bien Couru?" and then giggle and tell me that my face was red like an apple.

Overall- I successful ran about 3-4 times a week, outside. I ran in rain, wind, and sunshine. I dragged myself out in the mornings or after work, whether it was cold or warm. I never went inside a gym, or a yoga studio (unfortunately). I was chased a few times but always ran faster than the dog or person. I also found a free podcast on iTunes, that I practiced 1-2 a week.

So gym-guru survives Paris- still in shape, but in desperate need of some weight training.

Le Vin Sur La Seine

Once springtime hits and the sun beats down on the weekends, tons of Parisian teens and young adults pour onto the banks of the rivers and canals with bottles of wine and platters of food. The first night, we chose a quiet spot on the Canal Saint Martin, a secret Parisian nook reserved for after work cocktails and meeting friends. We dangled our feet over the side of the Canal and hung out until the wine disappeared. Then we headed over to lively Republique and lingered until the metro threathened to close its doors.

Another night, we chose our spot on the Seine at the tip of the Ile off of Pont Neuf. We had a view of the Pont des Arts with the students at Institut Francais and the Bateaux Mouches with tons of waving tourists. We brought bags of snacks, cartons of fresh strawberries, and more wine. This was a rowdy spot and we ended up packing up earlier as the other drunken Parisian became rowdy. We walked over to the Latin Quarter for our favorite late night crepes and lingered in the shadows of Notre Dame until the last metro.

Giverny

The Parisians say to wait, wait until May until you go see Monet’s gardens. The flowers are in full bloom in May- so I made a rapid dash on May 2nd to see Monet’s gardens. This trip is best described in pictures, but just to set the scene: 6 girls took the train from Gare Saint Lazare (sight of a famous Monet painting), on a partly sunny-partly rainy cool spring day to a little town called Vernon. We got on a bus and took it to a smaller town called Giverny. Giverny is one road, two museums, and the plushest, greenest gardens that I’ve ever seen. Enjoy- it was absolutely amazing.

Mai 1: Fete du travaille

May 1st in France is Labor Day!! No one works, museums and restaurants close and Parisians stroll around and enjoy the day. Unfortunately, this year was on a Saturday (so I didn't get off from work) and it was cool and threatening rain, but a pleasant change of pace for Paris. Traditionally little vendors sell small bouquets of flowers which everyone carries around- I even received a small bunch from my host mom.

An American Girl in Paris; Season 6, Episode 19-20

Sex and the City lovers, you know when Carrie goes to Paris- well that was filmed in PARIS. So my friend and I spent the afternoon being Carrie and visiting the most fantastic places in Paris. We hopped off the metro on the Champs Elysees at Metro Franklin Roosevelt. First we started at Dior, where Carrie trips and spills her purse- the store was massive, amazing, beautiful, but closed. It was neighbors with Versace, Chanel, Harry Winston, and Pucci. Then we popped across the street to Hôtel Plaza Athénée, the hotel where Carrie stays in Paris. I didn’t head up to her room but I did take a quick tour of the lobby, very classy. (They have a Sex and the City hotel package though, if you’d like to. http://www.plaza-athenee-paris.com/hotel-special-offers/sex-and-the-city). It has an amazing view of the Tour Eiffel! Then we strolled along the Seine to the Pont des Arts, or the bridge that Carrie and Big make their first Parisian appearance together at. The bridge is really cool and since it’s across from the French Institute it’s a popular place for students to hang out. There are also hundreds of “love locks” attached to the bridge by lovers of Paris and Parisian lovers. Finally over to Le Kong, the sushi restaurant where Carrie has lunch with Aleksandr's ex-wife. It is on top a department store and next to Louis Vinton, and has an amazing view of the Seine.

And now, of course I’m re-watching the episodes…Bonne Nuit