1er Arrondissement: Gardens

Here are some gardens to get you through your weekly case of the Mondays. If you are on the east coast, enjoy these not-as-ominous-looking skies and stay safe!

There are 2 gardens in the 1st - the Palais Royal gardens + the Tuileries gardens. As you gaze through these beauuuuutiful images, take note of the garden design. The French are known for displaying order/control over nature in their gardens (much different than English. DO YOU EVEN CARE ABOUT THIS? To my mom and aunts, this is for you/you already know this I've seen your coffee table books....)

1er Arrondissement: Sights

Okay guys, blog slacker party of one over here. I know I KNOW. School is in full swing now, so I am playing my famous disappearing act from society. Seriously though, I've been getting home from studio and I'm just too tired to be witty and put together blog posts.

Good news: You will not be able to get rid of this blog and its constat updates (and meeeeeeeeeee!) starting at the end of January.
Bad news: I'll be in and out of here sporadically for the next 3 1/2 months. Sorry, but this girl's gotta graduate!

So, we left off last time with the arrondissement thing. That starts now!

The 1st arrondissement is one of the oldest arrondissements (weird right?!) in Paris. It's also one of the smallest, with a significant portion containing the Louvre and the Tuileries Gardens. Aside from that, it's main functions are dedicated to business/administration and things like tourism, dining, shopping, etc. Even though it's small, the 1st is packed with things to do/see, so I've broken it down into a few different sections. Today I'll show you some of the sights (built ones - AKA gardens are another day).

What is an Arrondissement?

An arron-WHAT? Yes, an arrondissement. Paris has 20 of them. It is how the city is organized. I know what you're thinking, "Lauren I really don't care why are you telling me this?" Well, read on.

Before I left, I was talking with a previous professor of mine who spent quite a bit of time in Paris and southern France many moons ago. He said that while he was in Paris, he explored the city by arrondissement, and I was like, "Hey that sounds like a great idea!" and now here we are. So I am going to start exploring and blogging about each arrondissement. I'm pretty sure by the end of my time here, you're going to be ready to pack your bags for Paris and you'll be like, "OH MAN I'm so happy Lauren blogged so much I feel even more prepared for this fabulous impending trip!" 

What are those letters next to the numbers? Well we say "First" (1st), "Second" (2nd), and so on. The French say Premier (1er), Deuxième (2e), etc.

Foodie Friday

OKAY so apparently I can only blog about food and on Fridays. Those who know me best know my strong affinity for themes (and outrageous ability to rock them), so that's why I developed FFs buuuut  I know you're just waiting to read about other things. SO hang tight for early next week. Until then, I have a little two-birds-with-one-stone post for you. On Wednesday night, a few friends and I took a cooking class, and it was so fun. It was organized through our program, so we met some other American students as well, which was nice. Now, we by no means learned anything new (we basically peeled and chopped things), but I like a good activity that mixes things up. There were three groups, and each made two dishes. We made Nicoise salad and tarte tatin.

It also solidified the fact that I actually do want to take real cooking classes, and that is what I am asking for next Christmas (cough cough FAMILY cough cough). Okay, without further ado, here are some preeeetty bad pictures documenting the evening. Sorry in advance.

Foodie Friday!

This week's foodie moment is brought to you by: Quiche Lorraine. Quiche is a savory pastry dish filled with a mixture of eggs, cream, meat, and/or vegetables. Quiche Lorraine originally contained eggs, cream, and lardons*. Now, cheese (usually gruyere) and onions are typically added as well.

*Sarcastic Cultural Difference Moment: Hormel is not sold here! Instead, they use lardons, which are essentially pieces of pork fat cut in thick cubes or strips (so, the same part of the pig as bacon, but just thicker and a different shape). If you were wondering: YES, they're better.

Are you a visual learner? Click here.

Vincennes

As I mentioned earlier, this past weekend our studio professor gave us a tour of Vincennes. Notable points on the tour were the Chateau de Vincennes and the "Festival America", which was going on at the time. 

We first went to the Chateau, which is a Medieval castle. I know this is going to come as a shock as I am an architecture student, but I've always been fascinated with different styles of architecture. Just in case you happen to stumble upon a castle, here are some tell-tale signs if it is Medieval. (Sidenote: there are a bunch of classifications within "Medieval", I'm just giving you some basics...)

1. The purpose behind a Medieval castle was defense, not just to be an opulent spectacle of wealth and indulgence. If there is no wall, gate, or drawbridge in sight, they might have perished long ago (the Middle Ages are considered to be the 5th to 15th centuries... annnnd a lot has happened since then...). Usually, you will see these things. Other defense devices include: walkways along the top of castle walls, small slits in the defensive walls which enabled knights to shoot arrows at the enemy, moats (or evidence of an pre-existing one), and its location. Smart kingdoms are located on a hill and near a fresh water source (think about it).

Approaching the donjon, which is the main tower on the grounds. Here, you'll find everything you need if you're a king or queen in the Middle ages. This is the tallest remaining donjon in Europe.

Foodie... Saturday?

Ok so last night at dinner I realized I hadn't posted for Foodie Friday yet (sacre bleu!), so I was going to cop out and just do a little post about wine. BUT I WOULDN'T DO THAT TO YOU GUYS. You are going to get some great French treat-eye candy (just pretend that makes sense) and pictures of the remnants of my red wine are just not going to do. Obviously, red wine will make an appearance eventually... but it needs to be planned, or curated, if you will. It's not going to happen after I scarf down some lasagna and am then anticipating my Amorino (which you will also see, no worries... I have big plans.). And yes, we were feeling Italian food last night. Okay anywayyyys onto more important things in life:

CHEESE!

Today our studio professor gave us a tour of Vincennes, a town outside the eastern edge of Paris. We ended the day at his home, where his wife had a smorgasbord (YEP I SAID IT) of cheese, bread, grapes, and wine waiting for us. I honestly do not remember all the names of the cheeses - I know there was brie, chevre, comte... and that's about it. They told us all the names, but I was so hungry and had all these delicious cheeses in front of me... my memory was on the backburner. I've never met a cheese I didn't like (and I've met some of the stinky ones...), so each was amaaaazing. 

If you are in France, get a cheese plate for dessert one night. It will not disappoint! And, you might find a new one you never thought you'd like. 

I told everyone to be awkward. Great Success!