Last day before classes

So let's see, what have I done since the last post?

I had tea and macaroons with the author of "Capitan Corelli's Mandolin" - he is a friend of my host mother's.

I had a picnic lunch underneath the Eiffel Tower - it was beautiful, because it sparkles every night on the hour. We made chevre, tomato, avocado, olive oil, and pepper baguette sandwiches. Then we made another batch and replaced the chevre (goat cheese, my favorite...) with camembert. Both were delicious. We also packed grapes, peaches, and some wine. One of the other girls at the picnic brought tiramasu chocolate (delicious!!) and cookies. After dinner, we laid on the grass for a while, then there was a "big band" band - bizarrely dressed in silver flowing costumes with high-collars trimmed with pink fur..!! - playing music underneath the Eiffel Tower. They played "With or without you" - I love those times, when you hear French people singing songs whose lyrics they don't necessarily always understand but which mean something to them anyway (oh, culture) - and a French song "Emmenez-moi" along with some other songs, one of which sounded like it was from Gladiator. It was really fun though, with people dancing and singing... I loved it.

I ate "bifteck hache" which is supposed to be like hamburger, except not as ground. My host father cooked it, and he cooked it really rare - I think that's the European way - and I didn't like it, but out of good manners I forced myself to eat it. Even worse, we ate it with this ketchup that was wayyyy too sugary (according to the ingredient list, like half sugar and half tomatoes). After that, we had delicious Irish cheese that tasted like really good sharp cheddar, and I couldn't help but lament the fact that the hamburger probably would have tasted a million times better with that cheese melted on top (and with a significantly longer time in the oven).

I ate falafel in the Marais, which used to be the Jewish ghetto but is now home to really hip people, orthodox jews, and lots of gay men. I want to go back because it looked like there were so many good Jewish bakeries!!!!!

I had a bagel sandwich, and it was acceptable - but not as delicious as MUG's granola bagels (toasted with honey) or Panera's cinnamon crunch bagels... Oh....

I also ate milkshakes at McDonalds on the Champs-Elysees for some comfort food one night... they were so cheap (compared to everything else here!!!). It was realllly nice. And the food here at McD's is different - gourmet salads (chevre, corn, sliced tomatoes, etc.)

more updates soon : )