Winter Vacation!

Just wanted to post a quick hello before we head out for vacation. We're going to Switzerland, the Alsace region of France, and the Bavarian region of Germany!

In case we don't have great internet access while we're on the road, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to all of you! Here's to a great 2015!



Love,
Jess and Drew

Where There's Smoke...

...there is indeed fire. This morning I woke up around 5am to a terrible smell in my apartment. At first I thought maybe there was a problem with the gas and went to turn down the heat, but then I realized that the smell was in the living room too. When I went into the kitchen to check if I could smell the odor in there, I noticed that the windows had somehow blown open and were completely fogged up as if I had been cooking. 

I glanced out the open windows and froze. There was a fire in the courtyard that is enclosed by the back of my building and those on the same block. Trembling furiously, I dashed back into my room to call the fire department, put on some warm clothes, grabbed my purse, and left the apartment. Noone else in the building seemed to be awake, so I pounded on the other apartment doors as I hurriedly descended the staircase. When I got to the bottom, I put my hand against the heavy wooden door, and, finding it cool to the touch, slowly eased it open.

Once outside, I found that there were already several fire trucks and police vehicles on site, which explained the odd bluish lights I'd only vaguely noticed through the living room windows. Since I'm on the fifth floor, I hadn't been able to see down the building facade to the ground, or I would have realized what was going on much faster.

Outside the building, I waited with the other residents on the block who had been evacuated. Slowly we learned what was going on. Apparently a fire broke out (the cause is still unknown) in a store on the ground floor just two doors down from my building around 4 am this morning.

The first responders were awesome. They must have arrived FAST because they prevented the fire from spreading to any of the stores next door, and other than smoke, the surrounding apartments don't seem to have suffered damage. They had two buses waiting for evacuees to sit and wait, a nurse checking everyone's vitals and monitoring for symptoms of smoke inhalation (I think two people went to the hospital), and regular updates to those who were waiting. They even brought around snacks and bottled water to everyone on the buses.

I had to wait about four hours (5:30-9:30am) before I was summoned to go back into my apartment with a fireman to verify that it was safe, and we opened all of the windows to ensure that any carbon monoxide dissipated and to start airing out the rooms. Other than a very strong smoke smell throughout the apartment, everything is fine here. The store where the fire wasn't so lucky though - it was completely destroyed. I don't think there was a single thing left that was salvageable. They sold some really creative, interesting prints that I'll miss walking past every day, and I think did some art restoration work as well. So sad :(

My door is on the far right of the picture with the buzzer box, and the store that burned is three windows to the left.

The back of the store on the other side of the building

I'm currently in the process of washing all of my clothes and all of the linens in the apartment because they all reek of smoke. I'll also have to clean the closets, furniture, and pretty much everything else I can think of to get rid of the smell. I've sprinkled baking soda on the mattress and the couch to vacuum up tomorrow, and I'm planning to wipe down surfaces with a white vinegar mixture. If you have any any tips or ideas, please, please let me know!

One of my landlord's friends living around the corner emailed me as soon as she saw the damage and offered to let me stay at her apartment for as long as I need, which was so incredibly kind. I'm SO grateful! The sugar on top is that she has a dryer at her place, so hopefully it will make washing everything a little easier. My landlord is also checking with her insurance to see whether they will cover the cost of sending all of her clothes to the dry cleaner. I really hope that's possible because although I have very little with me here, she has a lot of clothes!

It's been kind of a crazy day, but I'm just focusing on getting everything back to as normal as possible before Tuesday.

Why Tuesday, you ask? Because that's the day I'm heading to the airport to pick up the most wonderful, sweetest guy in the world!!

Montpellier

Back when I was still deciding whether or not to go to France, I had coffee with a friend of a friend whose family is from Togo but who lived in Paris for several years before moving to the United States. She had some great advice and was incredibly encouraging, giving me the extra motivation I needed to take a chance on moving here. She also put me in touch with a family friend of hers (SB) living in Montpellier.

A few weeks after I arrived in Lyon, SB and I made plans to get together the 29-30 of November. From the first moment, she was incredibly warm and friendly. We spent a few hours at her cozy apartment, talking and eating a delicious homemade lunch of butternut squash and quinoa. I learned that she loves food as much as I do and is a talented jack(ette)-of-all-trades. She has taught herself how to sculpt and paint (her home is a reflection of her creativity and inspiration), and she also makes jewelry and sells it on the French equivalent of Etsy. We had a quick little craft session after lunch - check out my new earrings!

Later that afternoon, we took a walk in the old, scenic part of Montpellier, crossing our fingers that the weather would hold out despite the forecast for rain all weekend. We strolled by the cathedral, the arc de triomphe (Paris doesn't have a monopoly on triumphal arches, it seems), the main square (Place de la Comédie), a lovely park, and several cute shops and restaurants. It didn't take us long to see the center city. I knew Lyon was much bigger than Montpellier, but I didn't realize just how small Montpellier is!

 

After our sightseeing tour, we ducked into a little tea salon to warm up for a bit before heading back. On the way, we walked through the Christmas market, admiring the lights strung across the narrow streets and enjoying the lively atmosphere. There were a ton of people out despite the drizzle that had finally started (and later turned into a steady rain).

 

 

Later that evening, we ate dinner at a delicious Thai restaurant called "Les Petits Siamois" and then went out to an eclectic bar/music venue where SB's friends were performing that night. It was a blast dancing to the music all night!

The next morning, SB and I walked over to the Montpellier Sunday market, where we picked up some potatoes and onions to make a Spanish tortilla, as well as some cheese (Tomme = my new favorite) and some prepared savory dishes to round out lunch.

Market produce - so fresh, the snails are still on it!

Since the weather was crummy, we ended up spending the afternoon relaxing at SB's apartment until it was time for me to leave to catch my ride back to Lyon. We watched a movie (The Young Victoria), drank tea, and chatted with a friend of her's who stopped by. Perfect for a rainy Sunday. 

Overall, it was a lovely weekend with a really lovely person, and I'm looking forward to getting back to Montpellier at some point. I'll definitely pick a weekend with better weather for next time - the beach awaits!

Castles, Cathedrals, and (Wine) Caves - Part 2!

Coucou! Hope all of you are doing well and that you had a great Thanksgiving. Although I was sad to miss my family in New Jersey this year, I had fun hosting some friends at my apartment. I bought roasted chicken (instead of trying to cook a turkey in my tiny oven/microwave!), but I made the stuffing, mashed potatoes, and green beans. I also attempted my first homemade pumpkin pie, baking a fresh pumpkin for the filling and making whipped cream to spoon on top. Everything turned out really well!

Anyway, I already told you about the first half of my four-day trip to northwest and central France a few weeks ago, but there are still two more days to cover! So continuing right along...

Monday at the Château de Chambord

After breakfast at the auberge Monday morning, we packed up and drove south to the Loire Valley to visit the Château de Chambord. I won't lie. I actually wasn't that excited about the day's trip, and not just because we had a five-hour ride to get there. I just wasn't really psyched to see another castle. (Spoiled much?)

Arriving in Chambord and walking through the ticket gate, however, my eyes widened and a familiar sense of wonder washed over me again. The château, the largest of several in the Loire Valley, was breathtaking! And it wasn't even a primary royal residence. It was originally built by Francis I as a hunting lodge. Can you imagine if this was merely your vacation home?

First glimpse of the castle. Disney used it as inspiration for the castle in Beauty and the Beast!*

Walking around...

View from the other side

We didn't arrive in Chambord until pretty late in the afternoon around 3 pm, so we only had about two and a half hours to explore before the site closed. That was plenty of time at some of the other stops, but I really would have loved to have more time to wander through the castle at a slower place and to walk all over the extensive grounds. Instead, my friend and I did a whirlwind tour inside the château, climbing the famous double helix staircase to each floor, taking in the views from the balconies, and scoping out as many nooks and corners as possible. In contrast to Versailles, where I had followed a very structured path jam-packed with tourists through a limited number of rooms, Chambord was more or less wide open and we had free rein to explore. 

Famous double-helix staircase in the center of the castle

Walking around on the top was the most impressive part

Afterwards, we spent our remaining time walking the grounds before it was time to leave. We caught some really nice views of the castle at sunset!

Sunset view from the grounds

I

Saying goodbye to the castle

It really was a very quick visit, but I think this might have been my favorite stop of the weekend. And craning my neck to catch last glimpses of the château as the bus pulled away, I had to admit I was totally wrong. Castles never get old.

Tuesday in Bourges and Reilly

After spending the night in another auberge de jeunesse in Bourges on Monday night, we had several hours free on Tuesday morning to walk around the city. Located more or less in the center of France, Bourges is known throughout France for the "Printemps de Bourges," a HUGE music festival that the city hosts each Spring. It's also known to tourists for its gorgeous, immense cathedral, which was our first stop for the day. There was a special mass in honor of Armistice Day starting just as we arrived, so we wandered (extra) quietly around inside the cathedral, admiring the windows, the architecture, and the massive organ.  

 

Afterwards, we spent the rest of the morning leisurely exploring the city. We walked around the old part of town, stopping to pick up little quiches for lunch at a boulangerie, strolled through some nice parks, and paused to watch a parade and some other ceremonial events for the holiday. It was a quiet morning since most of the town was closed, but it was still very nice to walk around and enjoy the sunshine. We got lucky with the weather on the trip! Other than the rainstorm our first day at Saint Malo, we had blue skies the rest of the weekend.

Watching the parade

Redwood trees spotted in Bourges!

Next, saying goodbye to Bourges around noon, we drove to Domaine Claude LaFond, a winery in the central French town of Reilly, where we took a guided tour of the facilities and did a little wine tasting. During the tour, we learned all about the wine-making process and saw the fermentation tanks, the elaborate bottling apparatus, and the huge warehouse where the winery stores cases of bottles waiting to be shipped out. Afterwards, we did a wine tasting with three whites, a rose, and a red. I liked the first one we tried, a wine named "La Raie." Apparently they ship wine internationally, so if you happen to spot any of their wines in Total Wine or wherever, give it a try!

The equipment and process was really similar to beer brewing

A wine tasting for forty people...our guide was a pro.

Degustation!

Finally, it was time to board the bus one last time for the ride home. We didn't make it back nearly as early as we anticipated, though, because our bus broke down on the highway about an hour away from Lyon. I still don't know what the problem was, but we ended up standing on the side of the auto route in the dark (and eventually in the rain) for a few hours waiting for a new bus to pick us up. It was actually a little funny because I think this is the third time I've been on a group bus trip with bus troubles. I only vaguely remember something happening to our bus on the way back from a high school band trip to Florida, but I distinctly remember stopping on the side of the road in the middle-of-nowhere Poland when the back of our bus started to fill with smoke during a youth group trip. Isn't there something about curses coming in threes?

Despite the bus troubles, I had a terrific weekend, and I'm feeling very thankful to have had the chance to see so many incredible sites in such a short period. Even though I've already been here for two months (crazy, right?) I still can't believe this is my life right now!



*Side note - I didn't realize it until I started writing this post, but we were watching the French (that is, not Disney) version of Beauty and the Beast on the way to and from the castle. I'm not sure if that was intentional since Chambord was apparently the inspiration for the Disney version or just a coincidence!