Day 2 Summer Jam!

Salut!

After a long, much needed sleep (the sun is bright until after 9:30 pm during the summer!) I was off to begin my day at 6:30 in the morning. A quick walk to Place de La Bastille, and today I had my first excursion on the Metro—got lost only once and caught it quickly—on the way to my class at the Cordon Bleu! I was so excited! And although it seems that the Cordon Bleu is not so well known in France, and in fact the school is small and unassuming, the experience lived up to my expectations and I feel, the 100E. We had a petit dejeuner together first—not bad having my first croissant at the Cordon Bleu—and I am quickly becoming addicted to French coffee—not even using cream now.

I made 3 confittures at the “Summer Jam”: 1) apricots and almonds, 2) pineapple and vanilla, and 3) berries mélange (wild strawberries, raspberries, blackberries)! Instruction was in French which I could follow well enough along with the demonstration, and of the other participants, all were Japanese young women studying at the Cordon Bleu for their certificates, and a young woman from Mexico. Their English was better than my French I have to say—and my Japanese is non-existant!

A-mazing, and I’m taking home 10 petit pots de confittures (so much more than a common jam!). We’ll have to have a “Summer Jam” when I come home—or at least a tasting!

Lunch was cassis de confit carnard avec pommes frites (duck (thigh) confit with French fries), un café and a slow leisurely lunch on a quiet Saturday in the Montparnasse District.

More cruising in the 17 district and more metro, then an artists expose in the neighbourhood... Discovered Lenotre (fine chocolot!) and fabu bookstore... and now a red from the Rhone at the Bastille (seems the only place i can get wireless so far!

Enjoy the pictures and vids --if i can get them up tonight! I'm for another vin, then off to discover dinner! (maybe I should have called this blog--eating my way through Paris! mais les gastronomics fantastics!)

xxxooo

Sandrina