Christmas Carols

The weather has turned cold here and the sky was actually spitting some flurries earlier. It made me smile. I'm working from my favorite coffee shop today and I've been getting a lot of work done, which is always nice. When it rains, it pours seems to be the name of the work game right now. I leave for the states on Friday so I'm trying to get things lined up before I go like packing all of my clothes for three weeks, remembering Christmas presents and trying not to forget my drivers license or passports. Tonight, G et G et moi are going to a holiday concert in an old abbeye/church. Check it out here. It's going to be Christmas carols performed by a choir. Nothing like getting into the holiday spirit. I have heard a lot about the abbeye - we walked around the grounds a couple of weeks ago - and the sound in the church is supposed to be, well, heavenly. 

Chasing Alain

Running just as fast as we can...

Yesterday I did an 11k race with my uncle, Alain. He's quite the runner and I try to hang whenever I can. The race was a trail run through the forest. It was really pretty but I was mostly focused on not tripping over tree stumps, horse poop and other runners. In a few areas we ran over cobblestone, which is much harder than running on sand. I was surprised. The forest was beautiful and the weather was chilly but clear. It felt great to run though the forest though I miss my mountains a whole lot. The trail is used for people, bikes and horses. At one point there was a girl on horse riding through the run course - not smart. The horse got spook right in front of me and started bucking with its hooves right at eye level. I pushed the guy next to me off of the trail and we ran as fast as we could away from the horse. Seriously, I saw my life flash before my eyes! I also had a chance to scope out all of the running clubs in Brussels. My goal for Jan 2010 is to join a running or tri club. Now that I feel a little more settled and comfortable with my French (I still get easily flustered when I can't explain things), I want to join a club to meet people. Here are the ever-so flattering race photos. Enjoy.

Pastries!

When I was in Paris, I took a pastry class with www.cooknwithclass.com - the class had 6 people and was all in English so I didn't miss out on anything. I have always wanted to learn the process of baking some of my most favorite bakery items and I figured why not do it in Paris. I learned how to make croissants, pain au chocolates, cinnamon rolls (french style), foccacia and a delicious cheese and onion bread. I never knew how labor intensive croissants were but I quickly found out what an art it was to make them. It takes about two days from start to finished to make croissants. You make the dough, then let it rest for 24 hours. Then you take that dough add in more ingredients (heaps of butter), fold the dough over and over again to give it layers (I never knew that's how the flaky layers were achieved) and then let that rest for another 24 hours. Then it's time to shape the dough and roll it into your favorite treats. Here's a couple pics of yours truly and some of our creations. 

The dough after we put in layers of butter and folded the dough over and over again.

Some of our creations ready for the oven.

Moi with cinnamon rolls ready for the oven.

Moi with the finished product. 

These didn't last very long! Delicious.

Mais oui, Paris!

Thanksgiving Feast French-style: Turkey, Stuffing and Frites!

View from roof at Galleries Lafayette

View from Jardin de Tuileries

Thanksgiving in Paris - so great! I took the train to Paris on Thanksgiving morning and in an hour and a half I was in Paris. I know, can we talk about how close it is?! I stayed in a little guest house in the Montmartre area. Perfect for just one person: http://www.paris-oasis.com. I met up with family at Chez L'Ami Louis for Thanksgiving dinner. It was a blast to be among family and to get to know everyone a little better.

Dinner was delicious. We started off with oysters and snails, then turkey and the most amazing stuffing I have ever had, and finished off with fruit and heaps of delicious delicacies. Never thought I'd say this but the French definitely know how to do Thanksgiving! After we were completely stuffed we went for a long walk. That's the great thing about Paris - walking. It's always fun to explore the little side streets and to see all parts of the city. We went to see Inglorious Bastards that evening before tucking in for a well deserved slumber.