Trying New Things

Soja yogurt: not as delicious as one might think.

Springtime in Paris

This week has been busy and I don't even really know why. It just flew by without much to note except that Spring has finally arrived and it came with a bang. We've had lovely weather pretty much all week with lots of sun and moderate temperatures. It's so funny seeing how everyone reacts to the arrival of the preferred season. I've seen people in various degrees of undress trying to soak on the sun on their lunch hour (yours truly included). But hey, who can blame them when the previous three months have been dark and rainy?

I went to an art exhibit at a new gallery near Madeleine. I was prepared to be floored, grossed out, mystified and informed but instead I ended up just being vaguely irritated that I spent so much money. (15 euros is an incredible amount when compared to the 10 euro entrance fee at the Louvre.) The exhibit was all about how the body functions and the displays were actual bodies that had been formaldehyded and pickled and manipulated to display all the different systems. Instead of learning anything new, I was just reminded of high school biology class and instead of being horrified that I was looking at actual dead people I was reminded of cheap plastic toys. So neither informative or disgustingly entertaining.

There was also a massive transport strike scheduled for Thursday. I lost a few appointments because of this strike but I saw little evidence of it on the metro. I was able to get to work with the greatest ease because many people took a holiday on said day because of the mistakenly perceived difficulties. I could have done a cartwheel in the metro.

And finally I found this great menu at a restaurant in the Marais. It took me a few seconds to realize that the pizza advertised is actually what we call the Hawaiian. Go figure. I am sure Obama would probably be pleased. He seems like the type of bloke who would like having a food named after him. Although I am quite sure Toulouse-Lautrec would probably prefer to has his name designated to an STD or drink, not a pizza.

Cool Bus at Chatelet

I could complain so much right now about all the rude people I encountered this weekend, but I won't because that seems counterproductive to any good vibes I might have. Instead I will just post this picture of a really cool, old bus I saw last weekend (when we had some sun and warm weather on the same day) for everyone to enjoy.

Salon International de l'Agriculture 2009

Yummy dried ham displayed at one of the stands.

The agriculture salon, or any salon for that matter, is fantastic. I spent quite a lot of time at the convention center at Porte de Versailles last Saturday looking at cows, pigs, sheep, etc. and learning about the various foodstuffs from the different regions of France. The salon is also a great place to gain weight because everyone is all too willing to give you samples of their products. I can't remember everything I ate, but I know I had a lot of cheese, meat, olives, sausages, bread and ice cream and a whole lot of fantastic wine. I even got to do a tasting in a completely blackened room. All in all, it was an excellent day.

30th Birthday Party in Paris

Being the fantastic technological whiz that I am, I completely erased the post that had pictures of my 30th birthday party. It's just as well, because I posted a picture of my friends without getting their permission first. I can't remember what I wrote in the post so I will just improvise.

The table before the carnage.

I wanted to do something grand and exciting for my birthday like go ski-diving or skinny-dipping in ice cold water, but I didn't have those options so I decided to invite a few of my closest friends-I had to limit the party to eight because I simply did not have room for anymore people-and have a glutton-fest.

Just in case you are unable to guess the theme, it was pink. And yes, I made a cookie for everyone with their name on it.

I had seven bottles of champagne, shrimp, nine different types of cheese, macarons, chocolate, lots of really great smoked meats, pear tarts, fantastic bread, tapenade, blinis, stuff from Picard, huge olives, salmon and carrot cake. It was fantastic! I was so happy to spend the day with my friends, eating and drinking!

An eighth of the food.

One of my flower arrangements. I did them both.

A fire hazard.

Istanbul

So here are some more pictures from Istanbul. I will never be able to post them all as I took about 350. It is impossible for me to choose my favorites because everything there was so great. I definitely have to go back.

A fisherman weaving a net. How cool is this? Just out in the street, in the middle of the day, weaving a fishing net.

Now, I know these children look harmless but a few minutes after I took this picture, they swarmed me. Death by children is not how I want to exit this world. Luckily they left after they realized they couldn't get my camera away from me.

Inside the Blue Mosque. If you have never read about this beautiful building, you really should. It has an amazing history and it is probably one of the most beautiful religious places I have ever visited. My friend and I were on a terribly misguided mission the first day to see this building. We walked round and round Istanbul following the mirages of other mosques and then we finally found this one. It was breath-taking!