Somewhere in the Middle

Visiting J & Numeracy Grrrl

Over the pre-lent break, C & I went to Germany to visit Lil' J's family. They live in the Bavaria region which is about 6 to 7 hrs away. Considering I'm usually the first one to fall asleep in a car, driving to Germany was not the best option. So C & I took the ICE train. The train ride to Bavaria went pretty smoothly except our train was delayed in Frankfurt for almost an hour. Once the train arrived it was as if they made announcement that said, "The train is here. Get on NOW!" lol! I felt like within 2 the train arrived and departed. Everything happened so fast. So we didn't have enough time to find our train compartment and the signs were a bit confusing. So we played musical train seats with some of the German passengers not once, not twice but three times. lol! And on our way back, C & I had exactly 8 minutes to exit the train, walk from Track 9 to 18, and board our next train. If we missed it, the next train wasn't for another 6 hours so we literally sprang out of the train, dragged our suitcase & backpacks and ran to track 18!

C & J were so excited to see one another. They were completely inseparable the entire 4 days. I was a bit concerned they'd tired of one another after the first day or two. I even had a conversation with C about savoring the time he's with Lil' J and not to waste time arguing or being upset with one another. Numeracy Grrrl told me she also had a similar conversation with J. But the kids did great. They played non-stop.

According to C, his favorite time with J was spent playing Wii & imaginary pet hospital and watching movies.

Even though the kids would have preferred to be home bound the entire time we did venture out a few times. During one of our outings C & I had the opportunity to meet Carino & Coco, their new horses.

Lil' J did great during her riding lessons. Carino & J make a great match considering they love speed and really enjoy galloping. She looked absolutely adorable on her little pony. 

We also went into town for a nice walk before celebrating Rocker boy's birthday with a delicious dinner and dessert at a classic Italian ice cafe.

It was really nice spending time with Numeracy Grrrl. I miss having her close by. We had a lot of good laughs and spent our afternoons relaxing, drinking tea and catching up. Hopefully, we'll see them again this summer in Belgium.

Meeting Baby S

Amazing how much babies change in such a short amount of time. Baby S is about 3 weeks old in these photos.

On Saturday, Baby S will turn 5 months old.  Last night, while I Skyped with my sister, Baby S was smiling, putting her hands in her mouth, grasping little toys, and rolling over. 

She's at a really cute age right now. This photo is my absolute favorite. Baby S looks like so happy!

Our trip to California was wonderful. It was a VERY long flight though. About 3 hours into our first flight Lil' C asked me if we were almost there! I laughed and said we had about 12 more hours to go!

When we arrived in Los Angeles, Baby S was sleeping soundly in her car seat looking like a little angel.

Like most babies she adores being snuggled and I spoiled her as much as possible. One day I remember we watched an entire movie while Baby S slept in my arms.

One of the best things about visiting someone with a new baby is that Lil' C & I had company around 3am when we couldn't sleep! lol! This turned out to be pretty advantageous for my sister as well. Like most mothers she was exhausted and needed sleep. I'd come into her bedroom in the middle of the night completely awake and cheerful and offer to feed Baby S or try to calm her down if she was crying.

We spent most of our time at home which was perfectly ok with me. My sister & I had a lot of quality time together which I really savored. It was also a perfect way to bond with my niece. Some days we had the best intentions of leaving the house but sometimes it just didn't happen. The feeding, changing, playing, napping schedule happens so quickly and before you know it you're doing it all over again without having the opportunity to get out of the house. lol! I remember those times when Lil' C was a baby. I swear I saw Fall turn into Winter in the blink of an eye through my bedroom window.

My Mom also flew out to CA for a few days so it was great seeing her. C loved seeing Mema too and enjoyed getting spoiled.

Lil' C was a great little helper too although he didn't pay Baby S much attention. He was very curious why she seem to cry so much. lol!

Cheap Hotel + Bubbles + a Michelin Star = A Fabulous Getaway

Over the holidays, C's godfather R, Mr. Plantsman, came to visit us. One of the things he wanted to do was visit some Belgian breweries & Champagne houses. Unfortunately, most of the breweries we researched only did pre-arranged group tours plus they were closed for the holidays. The big champagne houses weren't any different. Most of them were closed anywhere from a few days to the entire month of January. But Mr. Plantsman managed to find a couple who give private tours of the small Champagne houses. 

So in one day we planned the tour.  They also made lunch reservations for us at Le Grand Cerf, a one star Michelin rated restaurant. It all sounded perfect. But we still needed a place to stay. Unfortunately, all the B&B's & charming hotels I e-mailed were completely booked. It was as if everyone decided to go to Reims & Epernay the same days we wanted to go.

S was able to find us a hotel within walking distance from the city centre with outdoor parking which is a huge selling point for me. I'm fine with driving in an unfamiliar city but PLEASE DO NOT make me park in an underground car garage. Is there a name for people who have a phobia of underground car garages? Well, whatever it is I have it! lol! Not because these garages are dark & creepy. Oh no, it's because these garages are super TINY! I refuse to park in these areas. I'm fearful of those tight corners when you're driving in circles to the next level and I always feel like I'm going to scrape the side of my car against the wall. I remember once I actually managed to drive my car into the garage (of course screaming the entire way fearing that the roof of the car was going to scrap against the ceiling) and when I opened the trunk it touched the ceiling. Yeah, I'll leave those open parking spots for the mini Cooper &  Smart cars. So when S told me the hotel had an open air parking lot I didn't need to hear any more details. And within a day we set off to Reims.

On the way, we made a stop at the Le Creuset factory outlet. It was our 2nd visit within two weeks. Did I forget to mention that R & I love to cook. lol! I picked up a great grill pan for 40 Euros and some ramekins for 6 Euros. I'm kicking myself for not buying more than 4. After we shopped we had lunch at the La Brasserie de l'Abbaye du Cateau which R loved. 

We arrived in Reims in the late afternoon and the area around the cathedral was absolutely deserted unlike our visit in the spring. I suppose that's one of the benefits of traveling to Europe in the winter. But the church was ice cold. You could see your breath everytime you spoke.

Afterwards, we walked around the city for a bit. It was much nicer than I remember. We stumbled upon a kitchen shop that specialized in bakeware. They had a huge selection of decorative silicone bakeware so I picked up a pretty cake pan.

When we arrived at the hotel in Epernay, R & I couldn't stop laughing. Our hotel was absolutely awful! The minute you walked into the place it smelled like fried foods. Blah! The bathroom was so awful I swore to use it as little as possible. The walls surrounding the bathroom were like cardboard.  But it did have a GREAT outdoor parking lot! R insisted there was no way he was staying there for more than one night. All throughout dinner we laughed and joked about how awful the hotel was and how we were so embarrassed by our hotel accommodations that we were going to wait for our champange guide at the end of the street. What would he think of us? Two friends splurging on a private champagne tour, dining at a Michelin rated restaurant and staying at a hotel that smelled like fried food or better yet a hotel where you needed a code to enter the building like it was in the bad part of town. lol! Our laughter that night was contagious - even our waitress started laughing with us when she gave us our bill.  So after dinner we set out to find another hotel. Of course the one we found had an underground garage but when they gave R the maximum car measurements we knew there wasn't even a chance my car would fit. But luckily, there was plenty of street parking which meant I'd have to parallel park.... Another car phobia of mine! By the time we got back to our hotel, part of the H in the "Hotel" sign went out and it looked like it said, "Motel". The place was looking really bad now. lol! But we felt better knowing that it was only for one night.

When Christopher, our Champagne tour guide, picked us up he informed me we'd be the only ones on the tour. R & I have the best luck with getting private tours... first Egypt  & now Epernay & Reims, France.

It rained the majority of the day so we didn't get to walk around the vineyards which was a shame but now we have a good reason to return. ;) The first place we toured was the Abbey of Hautvillers. The houses near the Abbey were absolutely charming. I would have loved to walk around the area snapping photos but the rain was a big deterrent.

After our visit to the Abbey it was time to start sampling some champagne. We visited three small Champagne houses which were all unique in their own way. The first house was J.M. Gobbillard & Fils in Hautvillers. At this house, we tried the Brut Blanc de Blancs, champagne made with only Chardonnay grapes. Mr. Plantsman absolutely loved this champagne. It was very fresh and clean.

The second house we toured was Nicolas Maillart. Our guide was able to take us through the areas where they actually make the champagne. It was very interesting to see how the technology has changed the industry. Before we left, we tried two different champagnes by Nicolas Maillart.

Before continuing on with our Champagne tour, we stopped for lunch at Le Grand Cerf. I was quite excited about dining at a Michelin rated restaurant. The restaurant was decorated nicely. Lots of natural light. We were seated at a table near a large windows with an area leading out to their gardens. Those gardens must be especially gorgeous during the spring & summer seasons.

As I sat down & opened my menu I immediately felt a slight panic. Imagine opening your menu and everything is in a language you don't understand. Granted, I could make out a word here & there but I was pretty much at a loss for what to order. The appetizers ranged from 30 to 40 Euros and the main entree was anywhere from 60 Euros and up. As you can imagine ... I really wanted to be careful to order something I thought I'd like. Christopher, our guide didn't speak very much French so he couldn't help translate the menu so we asked our waiter to help. But he wasn't especially helpful. When we asked him about a particular soup he mumbled something that slightly resembled English. So we asked him to repeat himself and still we had no idea what he was saying. So we asked him one more time. And again, I had no clue what he said. But Christopher suddenly understood, "OH, Pumpkin soup!" The waiters responded with a very thick French accent, "YES, that's what I just said." We asked the waiter one more question and his response, "Fish". No further explanation...nothing about what type of fish or maybe how it was cooked. Nada! So when Christopher asked me if I had any other questions I completly lied and said, "No, that was it".  Are you kidding me... I had lots of other questions. But when you have a waiter that helpful translating, it makes you not want to question another thing. lol! The way I figured it anything I ordered was like taking a stab in the dark. So I decided to play it safe and go for the menu of the day. At least if I didn't like one course I had 4 more coming. lol! Mr. Plantsman was more decistive and chose the foie gras which he loves and roasted pigeon.

Every single course was a work of art. Beautiful, clean presentation and the flavors just blew me away. And of course the service was impeccible. Everytime we finished a bread roll it seem to be replaced just as we finished chewing the last bite. There was a utensil missing from the table so when the server brought another one it was delicately wrapped in a cloth napkin and very carefully rolled out of the napkin onto the table. And with just one simple glance, your server was immediately at your service. I must admit I've never dined at a restaurant that was so attentive. But I could easily get used to it! lol! Everything we tried at Le Grand Cerf was absolutely amazing! Ok, so enough about the service let's talk about the food! We were served a pumpkin soup with slivered almonds as our amuse bouche which was to die for! If I could have licked my bowl clean I would have! lol! A few days later Mr. Plantsman & I tried to present a Tuscan white bean soup in a similar fashion but we failed miserably on the presentation. For my second course, I had the Souffle de St. Pierre which was a delicate fish souffle. I usually think of souffles as a dessert so it was a bit unusual but it turned out to be absolutely superb!! The consistency was perfect and the flavors were amazing. As my third course, I was presented with grilled beef and tear dropped silky smooth mash potatoes. The sauce was incredible. Next came a wonderful cheese plate with three different varieties, Comté being one of them. The timing was perfect considering I'd just read about how Comté is made on David Lebovitz's blog. By this point, I felt like my stomach was about to explode. I just couldn't eat another bite unless of course it's dessert. In my world, there is always room for dessert. The dessert possessed the perfect balance of sweet & tart flavors... Pineapple chunks with passion fruit sauce, vanilla ice cream tucked into a thin lace caramel colored cookie and coconut marshmallow. Now I love sweets but I'm not a fan of marshmallows. But THIS marshmallow was like no marshmallow I've ever tasted. The sweet, coconut flavors were so subtle and delicious I became a fan immediately.

After our incredible lunch, we drove to Ambonnay to visit Paul Dethune. We sampled a crisp Blanc Noir made from 100% Pinot Noir grapes. What I loved most about this Champagne house was how enthusaiastic the owner was about creating a sustainable viticulture. I purchased a wonderful Cuvee a la Ancienne for S. Everything about this organic champagne is made by hand even the riddling is done the old fashion way. It even has a cork with a string like the way champagne was bottled years ago.

On the way back to our motel hotel, Christopher pointed out a few noteworthy restaurants in the centre of Epernay. So once we switched hotels, Mr. Plantsman & I walked to the centre of town and had dinner at a place called Le Banc. The menu outside looked great but once we entered I realized there was no way our dinner would be as good as lunch. The atmosphere was nice but there was no comparison. But Mr. Plantsman & I were being positive. I wasn't very hungry so I just ordered Lobster Ravoli as an appetizer. This seemed to completely annoy our waiter or maybe it was because I asked for English menus. It was a bad start to a very fun evening. My Ravoli was just awful... the lobster was overcooked and swimming in a sea of sauce. Mr. Plantsman's food was slightly better, but he & I both started to make each other laugh mimicking some of the comments we hear on Top Chef. Despite the food being less than average, we had so much fun laughing over the positive affirmation card I almost left for our waiter.

After dinner, Mr. Plantsman & I walked along the Champagne Blvd where all the big Champagne houses are. It's a beautiful cobbled stone street lined with mansions and lots of Christmas lights to make the area look even more festive.

The following day, we spent the morning hours at an outdoor market where I bought some delicious walnuts and butternut squash. It was a gorgeous sunny day so we enjoyed wandering through the market watching vendors sell fish, meat, cheese, vegetables, and of course lots of fruit.

Let's do the Flåmbana

In Norway we rode trains, metros, buses, ferries... you name it, we were on it! lol! Coordinating transportation in Norway was initially a bit intimidating but once I got started it was super easy. Every day we were on the go with our suitcases trailing behind us. The Norwegian public transportation is fabulous! Everything is so clean & it runs so smoothly. It was a great experience.

On our 2nd day in Norway we boarded a super comfy train to Bergen with a family compartment where children can relax, play, and watch cartoons. It was perfect.

Hey, there's our train! We were just beginning our adventure.

The ride to Bergen is supposed to be one of the most beautiful train rides in the world. And believe me it was. The landscape changed dramatically throughout the five hours. We went from this... gorgeous farmland

to this... beautiful mountain and lakes

followed by this... we're getting a little more rustic now. Love that little house in the middle of nowhere! Couldn't imagine living there for more than a few weeks though.

And then we saw snow capped mountains...

Several families with camping gear & backpacks got out in Finse. The landscape was a bit bleak but the outdoor activities... glacier hiking, biking, and trekking looked super cool.

As we approached Mrydal it became sunny & lush again. Once at Myrdal, we boarded the  Flåmbana railway. Although it's incredibly touristy the train ride does goes through some of Norway's most breath-taking scenery. Over the 20km long train ride you'll see lush moutains, rivers, and gorgeous waterfalls. The Flåm railway is one of the world's steepest railway lines and the twisting tunnels spiral in & out of the mountain. Unfortunately, when we boarded the train we sat near a window that didn't open so my photos would have come out really hazy so instead I sat back and enjoyed the ride.

The train ride did make one stop at this beautiful waterfall. While we admired the beauty they began playing traditional Norwegian music and a few blonde women started dancing. It was a bit cheesy but it captured C's attention.

The train ride ended in the town of Flåm. After we checked into our apartment we went outside and explored the area. In Flåm you can admire the Aurlandfjord, a section of Sognefjord, the world's largest fjord. I can't begin to explain how immense the fjords are. Being in Flåm felt like being nestled in a tiny little corner of all this natural beauty with these majestic fjords surrounding you. It was spectacular.

But unfortunately there was this gigantic cruise ship docked at the port.

Ugh! I'm sorry I really dislike these monster size cruise ships. They completely ruin the scenery and overflood the town with so many tourists. Luckily, the ship left the port soon after we arrived. But the next morning there was another ship to replace it. ;(

We spent the rest of the evening walking around the small town and doing a little shopping.

Trolls + Fjords = Norway

In previous years, C & I usually spend about 6 weeks out of the summer visiting our family in the US. We always have an amazing time... hot sunny days, playing in the pool everyday, shopping, visiting friends & family. I really missed not going this year but since this may be our last summer in Belgium I thought it'd be nice to do a little traveling here in Europe. But where?

S didn't want to go somewhere hot & I wanted to avoid super crowed tourist areas.  And August is notorious for being the one month where Europeans close shop and travel to their hearts content. So I logged onto Ryan Air and searched for the cheapest flights... Norway 15 Euros RT, hmm? We've never traveled to any of the Scandanavian countries & I've always wanted to see the Fjords. Plus the weather in August is supposed to be the best. But for some reason planning a trip to Norway seem a bit overwhelming. When I shared my feelings with S he said, "Why don't we stay in Belgium and we'll do day trips." Yeah, right. lol! We have a tough time getting out of the house before 12pm unless we have a plane to catch! Day trips? Yeah, that's not going to happen. So I got to work, booked the flights to Oslo and began my research. Luckily, I knew  two other families going to Norway so they both shared valuable information with me. In less than 2 weeks we arrived in Oslo.

Oslo is a gorgeous city. I absolutely LOOOVVVED it!! So much to see & do. And the weather was perfect. We took it pretty easy on our first day.

After checking into our hotel we ate lunch. Norway has a reputation for being one of the most expensive countries in the world. In 2010, Oslo was rated as the 2nd most expensive city in the world. So I prepared myself.

As we looked over the menu at the Italian restaurant (think a small scale Macaroni Grill), S looked at the prices and said, "these prices aren't that bad." "Really?" I said. So we ordered... we had two appetizers, S had a salad and C & I shared a pizza, and three sodas. Now I'm good with converting Euro into dollars but as soon as we start using different currency it takes me a while to get used to the different rates. Being that S is a math/science whiz I let him do all the Kroner calculations. Little did I know he was using the wrong currency rate! lol! Which explains why he thought things weren't that expensive. So instead of our lunch costing around $50 it was about $100!  And the ice cream cones S thought were $3 were really $8! lol! I don't even want to mention how much soda was! Needless to say, I ate pretty healthy in Norway and stayed away from soda & ice cream! lol!

C loved all the street performers dressed in gold & bronze. He wanted to take photos with all of them. 

We spent the first part of our morning at the National Gallery to see Edvard Munch's The Scream. Afterward, we visited the Munch museum which was really interesting. We normally don't do too many art museums with C since they can be a bit boring for him. But the Munch museum was completely different.

They gave C a little card with stickers of Edvard Munch's art work. Instead of the stickers being an exact replica of the art piece they were close up images of a tiny section of the art work. So finding all the stickers was challenging but fun for all of us. It encouraged you to really evaluate & appreciate Munch's art.

After enjoying a snack at the museum we took a bus to the Vigeland Sculpture Park. This park is a lovely place to spend an afternoon.

C enjoyed playing at the park and I loved admiring all the sculptures.

The Vigeland Park is actually the largest sculpture park made by one single artist. You'll find more than 200 sculptures by Gustav Vigeland. By far my favorite pieces by Vigeland were the wrought iron gates.

Some of the sculptures were quite interesting. Like this one...

I suppose caring for 4 babies at once can be challenging! lol!

Once we left the park we took a tram to Aker Brygge. There were lots of people out.

We watched a group of people swing dance which C loved. He didn't want to leave! lol!

We walked so much that day we were happy to sit down and relax especially since we had reservations for a 5 hrs train trip the following day.

Just me & C

At the beginning of June, C & I took a trip together to Leeds Castle in Kent, England. The Leeds Castle is set on 500 acres of gorgeous parkland.

There is plenty of open space to have a picnic and enjoy the day. It's easy to spend an entire day there between visiting the castle, gardens, and aviary. The Castle also had a small maze which C loved.

We were most excited about the jousting event which was very entertaining to watch.

And the best part was that everyone spoke English which is such a nice treat sometimes. We didn't stay for the entire show... the heat was so intense.

C & I saw lots of interesting things in the castle and watching the bird show was also interesting. I think the highlight of the day for C was climbing the trees.

The Battle of Waterloo

Looks like I'm playing some serious catch up. So let's see where was I?

The weekend after the Cordon Bleu cooking class was Father's Day and the Battle of Waterloo reenactment. Believe it or not I've never visited the Waterloo Battlefield. I've passed it on numerous occasions but it's one of those places that I keep saying we need to go see and then never do. But with the reenactment occurring every 5 years I figured this was the perfect opportunity to see the battlefield as it looked back in 1815.

Attending the reenactment seem like a great idea until we arrived. It was super crowded and it also rained for about 30 mins. Not fun.

It was cool to see all the men & women dressed in period costumes. Unfortunately, C didn't find it interesting and was ready to leave as soon as we arrived.

We left close to noon and took S out for a Father's Day Brunch at La Ferme du Hameau du Roy.

Later we came home and C gave S a special hand-made card along with a gift from both of us.

Just call me Julia

Just over two weeks ago I was with 6 other ladies in a Suburban on my way to Paris. That's right, I was in Paris for one purpose... a Traditional French Cuisine class at Le Cordon Bleu ~ Academie D'Art Culinaire de Paris. Oh la, la. Just like Julia. Now all I have to do is move to Paris, join a gastronomy group, and start having fabulous dinner parties for my good friends. lol! Baby steps T, baby steps. lol!!

Taking a class at Le Cordon Bleu was so cool. I mean how often do you get to take a cooking class at one of the most prestigious cooking schools in the world & cook in the same kitchen where Julia Child cooked. Can you tell how excited I am about this experience. Chef R organized the event with a few other students from her cooking classes. There were a total of 9 of us. 

Our class was conducted in French by Chef Patrick Terrien. No worries though we had an English translator who was great. She was an American sculptor from Chicago who is now living in Paris pursuing her passion. Chef Terrien's resume is quite impressive. Throughout his career he's worked in Strasbourg, Paris, and Japan where he worked under the world renowned chef, Joel Robuchon. Chef Terrien co-authored "La Cuisine de Tourangelle" which is based on the cuisine of his native region, La Touraine. He also owned a one star Michelin rated restaurant in Tours, France & he's been teaching at Le Cordon Bleu since 1989.

I wasn't sure what our Chef would be like... would he be arrogant & fussy or someone who would admire our passion for cooking? Lucky for us, it was the latter. Chef Terrien was delightful.. sweet, funny, and extremely talented. It was also very interesting to see the genuine respect Le Cordon Bleu students have for their instructors. These "Chefs to be" helped immensely by preparing the kitchen, cleaning up, and making sure we had all the tools necessary throughout our course.

Our menu for the day was:

• Magret de Canard Roti Au Miel et Citron (Honey & Lemon Roasted Duck Breast)
• Mousseline de Pommes de Terre (Potato Mousseline)
• Tomates Confites (Confit Tomatoes)

This cooking class was a lot different from others I've taken in the past. It was high speed. I wonder if their normal classes are fast paced as well. Finding the opportunity to take a photo was tough. But I was able to get some shots here & there.

We started the class by boiling, peeling, and cutting our tomatoes. Afterward, we cut them in quarters and seasoned them with olive oil, salt, pepper, thyme and garlic. These came out wonderful in the end. Definitely something I'd make in my own home. It was easy, simple and delicious. A perfect combination in my eyes.

Next step: Peeling potatoes which I have to say was embarrassing & comical at the same time. I COULD NOT PEEL my potatoes. I barely managed to get a few tiny little slivers of skin off. I'm going  to blame my peeler. I mean I peel potatoes at home with no problem. But not at the Cordon Bleu! lol! I passed my potatoes to Chef R so she could peel them for me. Because again, our class was fast paced. There was no time to wait on a Ms. Can't Peel Potatoes! lol!

Once our potatoes were boiling, Chef Terrien demonstrated how to create the Honey & Lemon sauce that would later be drizzled on the duck. Once he finished, everyone attempted to make their own sauce.

I have to say cooking in a professional kitchen was amazing. The oven worked brilliantly. Food was simmering and boiling within a minute or two. Now in my kitchen it takes a good 10 mins to boil water. I'm looking forward to the day I have my own kitchen with a professional stove top. The difference is night & day. Even with the air conditioning running on high, you could feel the intense heat coming from the stove. My cheeks were blazing hot.

As our Honey & Lemon sauces were cooking Chef Terrien walked around making sure everything looked good. Once my honey was simmering to the proper consistency he came around and added veal stock to the pan. I then added my lemon zest which was another thing I could not get right. Zesting with a regular knife is a little challenging...I need my zester! lol! Or at least give me a smaller knife. Each student had three different knives and they were all huge. I'm sure it was just me...I'm accustomed to working with smaller knives. I feel more in control using a smaller knife plus it feels better in my hands.

Once my sauce was ready, it was time to season, cut & score the fat on my duck. Being this was my first time cooking duck, I was quite surprised how greasy my hands were as I trimmed the excess fat.

I mean I knew duck had a higher fat content but I had no idea how much fat would be released during the cooking process. As the meat cooked, I walked away for a minute or two to wash my hands & when I returned there was a good amount of oil in my pan. I turned to Canadian Grrrl and said, "Did the chef come by and put olive oil in our pans?" She said, "No, that's the grease from your duck!" I was blown away by the amount of fat.

While the duck cooked Chef Terrien showed us how to make Mousseline de Pommes de Terre or commonly known as Mashed Potatoes. lol! Leave it to the French to develop a very labor intensive method for creating mashed potatoes. Chef Terrien showed us two ways to cook Mousseline de Pommes de Terre. The first method used a food mill to mash the potatoes to a beautiful fluffy consistency.

Now the second technique Chef Terrien demonstrated was the method he uses at home. He used a tamis (also known as a drum sieve) to scrape the potato in a horizontal motion.

I'm not sure how the Chef was able to strain the hot potatoes without even flinching one bit. Once all the potatoes were strained we whipped them with butter and seasoned them with a bit of salt & pepper. Don't get me wrong the potatoes were absolutely fantastic... light & fluffy but for the amount of work that went into making them I think I'll stick to my hand mixer.

The ducks were coming along quite nicely. Mine had turned a beautiful golden brown color.

One by one Chef Terrien effortlessly sliced each duck while they were steaming hot. I'd be surprised if the man has any ridge impressions on his fingertips. I have a feeling he's burned them all off. lol!

Once everything was set we sat down and ate our lunch. Eating the duck & potatoes we'd actually cooked was very gratifying. Everything was simply amazing.

As we finished our meals, we were presented with a Cordon Bleu class certificate. We also got to keep our aprons and a dish towel with the name & location of the school which I was really happy about.

Walking to the main floor, you'll see several photos of Julia Child at the Cordon Bleu. There was a great vibe to the school as students rushed around carrying elaborate desserts down the staircase. I saw others carrying plastic food containers... little doggie bags with delicious take home treats. As I watched the students go by all I could think about was how intense the program must be. But also how amazing it must be to have friends that are in the same industry & share your passion for cooking.

After we left Le Cordon Bleu, we stopped by E. Dehillerin. I would have preferred to try out some of the cookware shops David Lebovitz  recently wrote about but most of the girls had never been so we had to make a stop.

I love how E. Dehillerin looks like the backroom of a warehouse... dark & musty with pans still wrapped in plastic and old wooden bins with various kitchen gadgets. It's as if they could care less about presentation it's more about the quality of the items they sell.

The staff is an interesting bunch. Sometimes they're friendly and other times they could care less about helping you. I'm always on my best behavior when I go and I research prices by myself. Why bother them?

As I was looking at graters, Mr. Split Personality walked by talking & cursing to himself about how some people recognized him from a review on TripAdvisor. It was as if he were behaving like an irritated & spoiled movie star who had just been spotted by a couple of fans. The man was not happy! I just kept looking at the selection of graters trying to avoid him but once he noticed me he completely changed & was super sweet to me making small talk about my camera. Later I found out the people who recognized him were two girls from my group.  

Now besides Mr. Split Personality most of the employees working at E. Dehillerin are old, cranky men but they seem to have hired two young and may I add very flirty men to their staff.  After paying for my things (small Eiffel tower cookie cutter and a dough scraper) Mr. Green Eyes wrapped by things and with some serious eye contact said, "Ciao" to me. He must have thought I was Italian. So I gave him my best "Ciao" in return and left. The shop was crowded & hot so I decided to wait for the girls outside. Suddenly I turned around and who's there... Mr. Green Eyes. He introduced himself and started asking the normal questions where are you from, how long will you be in Paris, blah, blah, blah. He was being quite charming & saying funny things like "I prefer only to go out with girls from Southern California." As I was getting ready to join the other girls, he asked me if I was married and I said, "Yes" to which he replied with a big smile, "Well.. I don't mind sharing." I walked away laughing... Ah.. the French men. lol!

Later in the day we stopped at another cookware shop where I picked up a really nice silicone muffin pan. Right next to the kitchen shop was a boutique selling the most wonderful soaps from Marseilles, France. I picked up a few bars for myself and as gift. As I walked pass the table my purse hit a metal caddy with four glass containers... Crash!! Everything fell on the floor and broke! My first thought was... "Oh my god, she's going to make me pay for that. How much will I have to pay?" I'm not sure if the woman behind the counter was the salesperson or the owner but she was completely irritated & kicked the glass under the table and continued to help my friend. I felt horrible! So I picked up a few more bars of soap praying she wouldn't ask me to pay for the damage. I remember when we were in Chamonix, C was trying to decide which lollipop he wanted when he suddenly let one fall on the floor... Guess which one we had to buy? That's right, the broken lollipop. We walked out of that shop with Lil' C crying and 10 Euros less in our pockets. But I got real lucky and she didn't make me pay. S thinks that she probably let me go considering all the soap the girls & I purchased.

We ended the day near a little café where we talked, laughed, and shared a bottle of wine.

The drive home was long. Poor Chef R had to endure the Friday night Paris traffic but she handled it like a pro. Driving a Suburban in Paris is like driving a big rig in the city. When she wanted to move into another lane there wasn't anyone stopping her. lol! It was quite comical. I got home after midnight exhausted but excited about the incredible experience I'd just had.

Hiking in Ballet Shoes

Now that we'd already visited the Fortezza di Fenestrelle we didn't have any concrete plans for Sunday. Michelle (B&B owner) recommended a few things to us among them a hike in the mountains or a visit to a palace just outside of Torino - about an hour away. We couldn't make up our minds though. C really wanted to go walking in the woods but I preferred to visit the palace. S was up for anything. Since the palace was at least an hour away I was a bit hesitant about making the long drive for something I wasn't sure was going to be all that great. Plus, C really wanted to go for a walk in the woods. To please everyone we decided to do both.. quick walk in the woods and then head to Torino in the afternoon to see the palace.

We weren't prepared for a long hike... no water or snacks and S & I didn't even have sneakers on but we thought we'd be okay. I mean we were only going for a short walk so C could explore and run around.

Being that it was such a beautiful day, there were a lot of couples hiking. C had a blast running & jumping in the woods and climbing up the hills.

While we were walking we even came across a patch of snow.

And C spotted some interesting flowers as well.

S & I loved the view.

We also had the opportunity to see the top of the Fenestrelle.

At this point we'd been walking for about an hour or more and S thought we should head back to the car. But C pleaded to keep going. He was having so much fun we agreed to go a little further.

After walking for another 20 mins or so C started asking for water. Of course, we didn't have any I mean we were only going to take a short walk. But we saw a sign for Selleries, a restaurant Michelle & Kent had told us about on our first night. The restaurant sounded fabulous if it wasn't for the 6 miles walk it takes to reach the place.

The sign said Selleries was just 1.10 away. S & I were surprised it was that close. According to this sign we were closer to Selleries than we were to the car. So we continued on and promised C we'd buy him water very soon.

We continued walking and taking in the beautiful scenery. Along the way we saw a few hikers tucked away in the mountains relaxing and enjoying the sun. And C found some more pretty flowers.

Another half hour or so passed and we found another sign for Selleries but the trail looked a bit difficult so S went ahead to check it out. But before he left he asked C to stop running around and to sit under the shade to relax a bit. S told C that he could get dehydrated if he didn't drink any water on a very hot day. He also told him that some people could actually die of heat exhaustion if they don't drink water. Of course, C took this to the extreme and thought he was going to die if he didn't drink any water. I explained to C that this only happens if it's an extremely hot day and that if you're body stops sweating it could be a dangerous. Of course that was the wrong thing to say because he started freaking out because he wasn't sweating! But I calmed him down by reminding him that it wasn't that hot outside.

When S came back he told us that the trail wasn't difficult but still there was no sign of the restaurant. Where could this restaurant be? According to the sign we were close... closer than the car so we continued on. But I decided to go ahead by myself since I'd walk faster.

I was making good progress and I was quite a bit ahead of S & C. On the way up, I ran into several patches of ice and mud. My poor ballet shoes. I got snow in my shoes which at that moment wasn't too bad since it felt refreshing but later that moisture help create some lovely blisters. I continued to walk and walk but still no sign of the restaurant. It had been at least an hour since we saw the last sign. Every time I saw a bend in the road I'd get hopeful. Maybe the restaurant will be just around the corner?

As I continued to walk I got this eerie feeling about walking alone in the woods. I was quite hot and I began to feel a bit dizzy and I started to worry about the elevation. You hear horror stories about people being lost in the woods...sure everything begins pleasantly but then something really horrible happens and everything seems to go wrong.

After a while I saw some cars up ahead and my spirits began to lift. Was this the restaurant finally? No. These cars were oddly parked on the corner of a cliff and there was not one person in site. This started to feel a bit weird again. I saw another sign for Selleries except this one said .50. "You've got to be kidding me" I thought. What exactly did this .50 mean?

I looked at the path up ahead and it was full of ice. There was no way I was going to make it through with ballet shoes! Ballet shoes? What was I thinking? I know. I was thinking I'd be exploring the palace in Torino after just a short walk in the woods. lol! A short walk? This short walk was turning into a 3hr + walk.

But even if I'd had good hiking shoes on I'm not really sure where this restaurant was located. Once you walked through this icy area the road turned and seem to go on for a quite some time. .50? Really?

Who knows maybe this restaurant would magically appear right after this bend. I guess we'll never know.

I turned back and once I'd found S & C we made our way back to the car. The walk back wasn't very long but to my poor feet it seem like forever. Going down hill was much worst & I had 5 blisters to prove it. ;(

Unfortunately, we got back to the main town after lunch. And in Italy if you miss lunch, you're out of luck. There weren't any restaurants open at least not until 7pm. Even though we were exhausted we drove to Pinerolo and stuffed ourselves with gelato. 

The town had some pretty buildings and the local church was a busy section with benches filled with families & friends relaxing.

That night we had dinner at a local place and the owners were so sweet. It was a family run business and everyone seem to be there that night. It was one of those restaurants where you feel so at home. The owner even brought C to the bar area so he could meet their granddaughter who was playing a game on her computer.  Our waitress & her fiance (the pizza maker) were the only ones that weren't family but they spoke English. It was great talking to them. Gabriella was from Romania and her husband was from Jordan. Even though they were both college educated professionals in their own country there wasn't any work for them so they moved to Italy. Gabriella told me they were saving to get married this fall in her home country which she was very excited about. She was really kind and asked if we could exchange e-mails so she could practice her English. So now I have an e-pal in Italy! lol!

No matter how many times I go to Italy I still find it incredible... the people, the food, the language & culture... I love it all. And even though our stay in Italy was short this time we met some wonderful people and have memories that will last us a lifetime.

Exploring Fortezza di Fenestrelle

The following morning we got an early start and met our guide at the Fort at 9am.

In order to fully explore Fortezza di Fenestrelle, you must take a guided tour.

You then have two options... a 3 hour tour where you see a portion of the Fort or you can chose the 8 hour hike that takes you to the top of the Fort.

The adventurous part of me really wanted to do the 8 hour tour. But 8 hours is a long hike and I'm not sure C or S for that matter would have been too excited about it. Plus, S was worried as it was about the 3 hour tour. He felt we weren't dressed properly for the hike. Me, on the other hand I thought we looked fine. Sure suede Converse sneakers are probably not the best footwear for hiking in the Italian Alps but I did the best with what I had. lol! I mean I'm not a hiker, a walker - yes, a hiker - no. So none of us had any of that cool gear like those pants that turn into shorts but I wasn't going to let that stop me from seeing the Fort.

Our tour unfortunately was mainly in Italian. The Italian guide was sick so Kent, our guide & also the B&B owner, took both groups. Which actually made our tour seem longer since everything was being translated into English. Although at times I felt like Bill Murray, in the movie "Lost In Translation". There is a scene in that movie where the Asian director is yelling all sorts of things in Japanese but when the translator translates the information to Bill Murray she basically translates it into 3 words. It's really funny. So that's how I felt. We got the condensed version of the Fortezza di Fenestrelle which was fine. It was informative & very interesting.

The view from the Fenestrelle Fort was beautiful. It's an incredible place to explore.

Once we reached the mid-point we left the group and walked down the trail on our own.

It was actually really nice because we took our time and stopped to take several family photos.

Once we reached the main area of the Fort we ate lunch outside. It was another gorgeous day. As we ate our lunch we made up elaborate stories with a couple of items that were left on our table - a basket of cheesy wheesies and two wine glasses (one half full while the other one was empty). It was a really fun game to play and we got creative and included the snakes Kent mentioned earlier into our story.

After our hiking experience, we went back to the B&B and took a nap. I didn't realize we were so out of shape! lol!

Once we got going again, we drove to a shop/restaurant called "Eataly" a fabulous gourmet shop Kent & Michelle mentioned to us. Inside the store they had a Gelatoria as well as a Coffee shop. Needless to say, we spent quite a bit of time here. We had our priorities straight though and ordered some gelato right away.

The weather was much hotter than I'd expected. I didn't bring any shorts for Lil' C but he improvised and rolled up his jeans. He's really into mixing up his socks; unless he wears a pair of white socks they rarely ever match. I find it very cute how he likes to do this.

Most of the items were a bit pricy so I just bought a few things... fresh pasta, two jars of Gelatina di Aceto Balsamico - this should be delicious on a slice of Parmesan, Rosemary and Sesame breadsticks to snack on, and of course some fresh ricotta to enjoy for breakfast.

That night we ate at a local restaurant and the food again was fabulous. S stayed away from anything too unusual since the previous night he ordered what he thought was carpaccio but instead he received a big plate of what looked like raw beef. Poor thing, he tried his best to eat it all - he didn't want to offend the chef but he just couldn't do it. So on the 2nd night he played it safe. For my first entree I had a plate of assorted sausage and raviolis stuffed with lamb & herbs as my second entree. It was fantastic. Everyone at the restaurant was so nice to us too. They tried their best to translate certain things on the menu for us and they kept calling different people - the chef, waitress', and other customers to see if they knew how to speak English. It was pretty comical.