The funny thing about French wine is....

.. that after you have a few glasses, you always seem to be in the mood to purchase the most ridiculous things..

How am I going to get this home?????

These are a few of our favorite things...

Yesterday, we started off late, we slept in and didn't leave the house until 2. I think I made "breakfast" at 12. We had a fantastic day yesterday but it was a long one so we were exhausted. Thank goodness we had plans otherwise we might have bagged the day for DVDs and relaxation. But in Paris, and as our time is ending, there is no time to rest. But we do have time for our favorite things!

We went to Salon Du Vin, which remember our chocolate tasting day? It was just like that but it was wine. We were not prepared for the huge amount of wines that would be there and we definitely were not expecting it. There had to be 1000 booths of independent wine producers. You show up, give them your ticket, they give you a glass and you are off.

We did like any logical Americans would do and started at A then decided to work our way down the isles until we got until Z and then we would get a medal. Or something. 

This was awesome! It was really fun to try a large amount of different french wines. A large amount of any wines is cool but when in France... 

I have to admit, at our wine tasting with David the other night, we tried 2 wines that I really loved but other than that, haven't been all that impressed with the french wines. Although in Beaune, they were nice.  I just told my brother yesterday that I couldn't wait to get back to the California wines. I think its mainly because I don't know what to order here and the food is much more rich so the wine is there to wash it down, rather than carry the meal, where I feel it often does at home.  But today I was pleasantly surprised to find some fantastic wines and for really good values.

I swear, on this trip, the second I say something, I am instantly proven wrong, its like there is a French god watching over us, saying, "No, no little American girl, watch this."

Just the other day, Ty and I made the trip over to the 9th to try this pizza place that Babba had recommended and swears is the best pizza in the world. It was our 2nd trip over to this area to try the restaurant and it was closed... again. So Ty and I were frustrated and hungry. Bad combo. We were swearing this neighborhood and vowed never to go back. But then we saw something in a window as we were walking back to the metro and went in and found some fun treasures. We were so happy to have found them and knew that would have never happened if the pizza place was open.  There was the god saying to us, "Watch what you say." 

Haha, isn't that life though? 

We went to this wine event today with our new friend, also a David, from LA, originally from St. Louis. Small world! He is very into food and wine and had some great ideas of things to try and look for. We had a great time and found some very friendly wineries, 1 who gave us restaurant recommendations even. That one had 2 cute girls, ages 27 and 29, they were the most of 21 generations of wine makers, dating back from the 14th century. Nuts. They loved their job and had a big crowd around them. 

I have never had such amazing champagnes as we did today. I am serious, I love champagne, its my fav and what fun it was to try the stuff right from the source. I am not certain I will be able to drink a sparkling wine again, I am hooked. 

Bought 2 bottles from this very snooty french man. But who cares, the wine was fab. A delicate but creamy champagne with just the perfect amount of bubbles. I have NEVER tried anything like it and it was relatively inexpensive, 2 bottles were less than 1 bottle of Veuve so we were stoked! 

We ended off the day stopping at this friendly man's booth, the only one that waved to us to come try his wine. Tyler wanted to try it because their was a snowman on the board behind the wine and he said, "Come on, its gotta be good, its a snowman and its Christmas." 

The wine he had was a Muscat that was delicious and we bought a bottle to take to our Faux Thanksgiving lunch tomorrow.  It was sweet and had a big hint of maple syrup towards the end of it. Interesting for sure!  The wine man put his wine bottle in the middle so it would be in the picture, he was a character.

Then, Tyler and I were hungry, big surprise, and David was talking about Pizza Carmine, the pizza place that closes when they hear we are coming. We decided to give it one more shot and had success!!! We both ordered the pizza with prosciutto and arugula and shaved parmesan. It was crispy and thin and decadent. We both thought that it was very good, maybe not the best pizza we have had, but it was up there for sure. They gave us free shots of amaretto on the way out while we paid our bill, how cool is that? 

This restaurant is on a hill so we rolled ourselves down it until we got to Carmella, the gelato place that David also insisted we try after the pizza. We took his advice and man was this stuff good!! I had 3 flavors in the small size, check out these flavors: chocolate with orange peel, pistachio and Ty and I's favorite, Carmel with Fleur de Sel. 

OMG. 

This day could not get better so we came home and are hanging out in the warm apartment. We might not have eaten a Thanksgiving dinner yesterday but I have never felt so full in my life!!!!

 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!!

Happy Thanksgiving to our friends and family! We miss you all!

-Courtney and Tyler

Wined and dined

Hi everyone! God I feel like I have so many stories to tell and just within the last week. It has been a fast paced and eventful one and we are closin in on Courtney/Tyler Europe trip Circa '08 and making the most of it for sure.  Tonight we went to a wine tasting class with David Whittier. Here is his website if you are interested: www.davidinparis.com/

This night was kind of hilarious.  First we rushed out at 5:30pm to get to this class at David's apartment which started at 6. We got lost after getting off the metro as this was uncharted territory, it was dark and raining, which also didn't help. We tried a few wrong apartments and finally got to David's at 6:05 which actually was too early. He was just getting out of the shower and his class started at 7, not 6. So we said, no problem, we will head out and grab a drink. He said, "No, you will have plenty here, do not have a drink and come back in 15 minutes, that's all I need" We felt awful for being early and especially since now he would feel rushed. We though, ok, no problem, noticed a cute wine bar next door on our way up and despite his instructions decided grabbing a champagne couldn't hurt. Wrong. We went into this nice wine bar and asked for champagne, she said "Yes, we have that, but only for take away, this is a wine shop and we don't have a license to serve here". Needless to say, there were 2 lovely people at their bar sipping something delicious taunting our watering mouths. Great. So we headed out into the rainstorm to find somewhere else to hang for a few before we could go back. It was Sunday, mind you, and seriously nothing is open here in Paris. We ventured up the street and found a happenin' cafe, probably because it was the only one open and we ordered hot chocolates and a side of fries. Random but killer, hit the spot.

Anyways, headed back to our wine class. I had no idea what to expect. Getting there was a challenge and being out in the rain and cold was the last thing I was in the mood for. The gorgeous and warm apartment with my book sounded way better at the time.  It was down a dark alley, hallways were pitch black on our way up to the apartment and to be honest, I felt like it was not going to be worth it. I hate it when I am wrong and boy was this one of those moments. We had a blast. Met 3 great people, David from LA, and Maria from Portugal, and of course, David in Paris.  He served us 6 fantastic wines paired with decadent cheeses and other various french delicacies like goose pate, rabbit and a duck mouse which went perfect with the wines. I had died and gone to wine and food snob heaven. Seriously, for 4 hours we talked about food, wine, restaurants and museums and I couldn't get enough. Kind of how I feel about Paris.  Here is a pic that I took at the end of the night with David, the instructor at the front, Maria and David on the right in the back. When asked if David would teach a class to a famous chef in New York and his 9 closest family members on Christmas Eve and money was no object, he said, "No, I like Christmas Eve, its fun.... money isn't everything you know."

hahah

Love it and I seriously love Paris, wine and food even more after tonight!

 

Normany, Amsterdam, and Christmas Windows!

We have had a busy few days!!!! Literally non-stop since Wednesday!!

On Wednesday our family friend, Olivier, called us and said he wanted to take us to see Normandy in Northern France. It was supposed to be very cold but Courtney and I really wanted to go, so we all agreed that Olivier would pick us up at 7 am, and we would drive to have breakfast in Normandy at 9! Well, the weather was BEAUTIFUL, and the trip was even more fascinating than either of us expected!

In Normandy we ate at THE GRAND HOTEL which is right on the beautiful Normandy coast. This hotel is located several miles to the east of the D-Day landing beaches. When we started the day Olivier wasn't sure if we would have time to go and see Omaha beach. But after breakfast we decided to go for it and we drove almost 2 hours along the Normandy Coast. We went past Sword Beach, Juno Beach, and ended up at Omaha Beach!

Seeing Omaha beach puts so much perspective to battle that took place there. First, there is the cemetery where THOUSANDS of headstones represent the thousands of men killed that day. Then you walk to the beach and it is SO SMALL. You stand there and on your right is grass and 30 feet to the left is water and you think, "Wow.. THERE is where the Nazis were, and THERE is where Americans were..."  It is very humbling.  All over Normandy are WW2 relics on the streets, on the hillsides. It really puts perspective to the fact that all of this only happened about 60 years ago.

After our day at the Normandy Coast, we stopped in the town of RUENE, where Olivier had some business to take care of. There is a beautiful cathedral there.. In fact it is the star of a Monet painting.

On Thursday, we got up and hit the train to Amsterdam! Amsterdam was amazing. I was envisioning sort of a "Las Vegas for Hippies" atmosphere, but it was really NOTHING like that!

It was a clean, classy, young city! It manages to maintain its quaintness but is really quite modern! Also, everyone speaks English... which was nice!

On Thursday, we got off the train and into a cab.. 15 minutes later the cab driver dropped us off at the wrong hotel and took off. The cab drivers there are the WORST I have ever seen. Total and complete idiots. If I ever incur a severe brain trauma, and am deemed by the state of California as 'nearly retarded,' I could still make a living by being a cab driver in Amsterdam.

Once we found and walked to the right hotel, we dropped off our bags and headed out. Amsterdam is actually pretty small, totally walkable. The hostess at our WRONG hotel was nice and gave us a map and told us that on Thursday their, "Shopping district" was open late, and that its a fun place to walk. So after lunch we headed to that area..  I was sort of expecting a touristy, "Niketown, Hot Topic, Crabtree and Evalyn" type of street... (Much like the Champs Elysee is becoming) but it turned out it was almost all little boutique stores.. and HUNDREDS of them! Very cool.. C was in Heaven. And, since it gets dark at 4 pm there, all of the Christmas lights over the street lit up out path in a festive way!

After the shopping, I looked at the map and we were RIGHT next to the RED LIGHT DISTRICT. We HAD to see this...  Again, I was expecting "Seedy" and dirty...  But it was not like that at all! There were actually TOUR GROUPS of people walking around!!

The Red Light district is HILARIOUS. It's a bunch of sex shops, marijuana bars, and a scattering of pubs and restaurants. The RED LIGHTS themselves are a sight. Its a window, and behind the window is a woman, usually dressed in something skimpy and white (they use black lights inside so their white clothes glow), and men literally open the door a bit, ask "HOW MUCH?" and if they aren't interested, walk away, and if they are, walk inside and the girl closes the blinds! The red lights themselves are literally red lights above the windows of these little spots. We saw a bunch of guys asking, and a few going in, just randomly. The thing C and I both noticed too was that a few of the women were actually really pretty! We were shocked. Keep in mind, this was only a small percentage.. But still...

After that, we found an Argentinian steakhouse and ate a great dinner! C got serenaded  by the guitar player. 

After dinner, idiot cab driver #2 tried to take us home, got lost, and I had to use my blackberry GPS to get (and GIVE HIM) turn by turn instructions to get there. We still got dropped off 3 blocks away.

On Friday, we got up for our MUSEUM DAY! First thing we did was rent bikes! Bikes are a great way to get around there, and everyone rides them. Lots of big wide bike lanes. Our first stop of the day was the ANNE FRANK HOUSE. The actual house where her family hid.  This place had a very powerful feeling, and a lot of people started crying while going through it. It really chokes you up to actually see and feel what it much have been like.  A special treat there was actually seeing little Anne Frank's Diary which concluded the tour.

After the Museum, we went to lunch at a place that is known for their apple pie and recommended by the friendly bike rental store. While we were sitting there, it started HAILING HARD! It was cool to see... It was supposed to storm rain the whole time we were there, and by some fluke we lucked out, and we were usually inside eating or at a museum when the rain hit.. We stayed mostly dry!

After that, we tried to go to the Rembrandt museum and on the way stopped off at the, "Pier 39-ish" Torture Museum. It was gross.. I don't know why C dragged me there!

The Rembrandt museum ended up being closed, and by this point it was 5:30 and really, really cold so we decided to return the bikes and go to the VAN GOGH museum. This museum was like a club. Open until 10pm on Friday's and with a DJ spinning records in the main hall. Over 200 Van Gogh paintings were here on display, as well as an exhibit of 125 of the best masterpieces in Amsterdam.  (A lot of the museums are being renovated so their best stuff was there.. cool bonus!)

After that, idiot cab driver #3, tried to take us to a restaurant we wanted to try and again I had to give him turn by turn from my blackberry. Then once we got there, the restaurant was closed, and C has the name of another.. So we give it to him, and he pulls out HIS GPS and types the address in!!! Where was this 5 minutes ago??  

Anyhow.. We got to the second choice restaurant and it was fantastic. C got fish, I had pheasant, and we were both very happy. Afterwards, it was 11 and I was tired, but C was persistent to find a whiskey bar we had heard about the previous night from a friendly Irish bartender.. My objections aside, we ended up there and had a blast. We ended up staying until 2 am with a group of Australians we met! (This bar was amazing... over 300 whiskies!)

On our walk home it snowed and we got snowed on.. It was really fun!

On Sat, we got up and packed our bags. We had a small breakfast and tried to go to the Rjieks museum, but the line was LONG, not moving, and it was snowing again, so instead we took a boat ride up the canal, and when were got near the train station, got off and did some shopping. C was trying to find a charm, but unfortunately we never did. So after that, we hopped on the train and 4 hours later were back in Paris!

Then TODAY, Olivier called us and asked if we wanted to go see the Christmas themed windows at Gallerie Lafayette. Olivier and his wife, Ellen, have a 5 year old daughter, Marie, and 3 year old twin boys. ALL adorable! We were excited to see the family again, so we went to check them out! The windows were really, REALLY amazing. All animatronic, but with marionette style controls. Bears scuba diving, space dolls dancing, Alice and Wonderland theme windows..  We were really blown away!! They obviously put a lot of time into this!!!

Below are pics from today with the windows, Amsterdam, and Normandy. Not in chronological order, but they are grouped together by event! 

CHRISTMAS WINDOWS!

Olivier's daughter posing for me. I didn't ask her to do this...  She was actually trying to catch snowflakes on her tongue, and when she saw the camera did this!

One of the Alice in Wonderland theme windows.. All the rabbits were animated.
Underwater Scuba bears... Look at the crowd! 
Underwater bear close up!
Me on "3 year old seeing above the crowd" duty.. This is one of Olivier's twins!

AMSTERDAM

C at the whiskey bar, right at home with a whiskey and beer...
C being woo'd by the guitar player. This guy was awesome, and we may fly him to California for the wedding.
C and I at 2:30 am, betting snowed on!
COURTNEY IS AMSTERDAM
Courtney and some red light girls.. You cant directly take a picture of them, or a big guy will run out and break your camera (seriously).. so if you want one, you have to do it under the guise of taking a pic of something else.. Even still, the second the girls see a camera, they all move and hide their faces... Note that you cant see any of the 3 girls faces behind Courtney.. 

Pic of the Canal, by boat!

NORMANDY!

At the Grand Hotel.. Their is a racetrack nearby and all of the jockey's exercise their horses on the beach.
The Omaha Beach graveyard. 
A leftover reminder of the invasion and the war. There are tanks, bunkers, and guns all over the place still.
The cemetery was huge. A real representation of the sacrifice made that day.
The Chapel at RUENE...
C and I on the beach in front of THE GRAND HOTEL
Courtney and Olivier on THE Omaha Beach. It's a beautiful beach... It's hard to imagine what it must have looked like on June 6, 1944....
Court in mid air over the Grand Hotel Beach!!

Amsterdam!

Today C and I leave for Amsterdam! We are only staying 2 nights, but really wanted to check this place out! We are literally leaving for the train NOW<>

-Tyler

I have no idea what this is supposed to be....

.. meaning, is this a museum? Is it an art exhibit? Or.. Is it something that was crafted from Hell to scare people into leading good, wholesome lives??

My money is on C.

Welcome to Musee de la Chasse et de la Nature.

This was probably the strangest, somewhat creepiest place I have been in years. And it isnt even supposed to BE creepy. It's the kind of place that when you leave, you feel like a curse has been put on you.

Whenever you go to a museum full of dead animals, and the things that MADE said animals dead, you come prepared to experience the ever present "all these dead things freak me out a little" vibe. However, myself being a meat eating man, the sight of taxidermy has never really bothered me. Most of the animals have been dead well over 50 years, and I guess its better to have them used for education at this point, than just thrown away, or done with whatever you would DO with a 9 foot long stuffed Moose.

It's when people create oddities, henceforth known as "Things that should not be" with these animals that I get creeped out.. Some of the things were normal.. Like C and this Polar bear....

However.. Some things I know will haunt me in my sleep until the day I die...

And when you look up from the above mentioned thing, you see THIS staring down at you....

This is literally the ceiling of the small room that the above monstrocity is kept in

To fully put this into perspective. the first exhibit is an "installation piece" which is a dark room with 4 movies playing.. All black and while. It was one of those " What are we inside of" experiences that chilled Courtney and I substantially. I took a video...  Let me break it down..

Video 1 - Thats not me moving the camera.. It was a jerky video of I THINK a treehouse...  Lots of zooms.

Video 2 - A locked off shot of trees? Thats all it was.

Video 3 - A slow motion loop of I think a dieing boar.

Video 4  - A small TV in a corner playing night vision footage of a hunter walking around at night.

Pay close attention to the music.. That was BLARING and was really intense.. It also echoed throughout the whole musuem.

Next was the gun and painting room. Literally every painting was of one animal killing and eating another one..

THIS thing was in a room dedicated to unicorns (???).. This is a creepy man made of what I assume is tree bark, with Antlers,... behind chicken wire. (where I assume an antlered tree-man should be kept)

Here comes the head room. There were no less than 200 heads in this room. See the picture below.. Try and spot the white wild boar.. (Hint.. Lower Right) This is important for later!

Other side of head room

OK. so remember that white boar head. Being of the last name "HAM" I have always found a connection to my 4 legged namesakes. So I thought, "Wow.. this is a cool boar head, I should take a photo!" Well, I walk over and take a photo, and then THIS happens....

There are over 200 heads in this room, and I choose the one that is possessed by the devil. Story of my life..

(You might not be able to hear it in the video, but aside from Oinking, it started yelling at us in scary 'record playing backwards' voices.)

Being a life long horror fan, I have been to all kinds of things and places that are actually built for the sole purpose of creeping you out, and NONE of them have ever had the effect that this place had on me! 

C and I left this place laughing and "Oh My God"-ing like we had just spent the day at an amusement park! Fun stop at an out-of-the-norm museum that most visitors to Paris probably never think twice about!