Britt's B-day Celebration

Tuesday, July 27

So today is the day before Britt's B-day so we were going to celebrate it with her today since most of us had French quizzes on Thursday.
Anyways, during our break for class I got a spinach quiche with my cafe noir because I skipped breakfast.

it tasted like an omelet

For the night celebration we got some vodka and gin from the Monoprix to save some money.

pre-party pre-bar

We headed to the Frog and the Princess because we've heard good things about it and haven't been yet. Unfortunately that ruined our night. Read here for a recap on Yelp.
-The Frog and Princess Review

---

Wednesday, July 28

We went out for lunch to celebrate Britt's B-day. Planet Sushi: Lunch Special. 12€ for three plates, vinegar rice, and cabbage. I forgot to take pics of all the food.

cabbage was pretty good though it made me feel like a rabbit

Crunchy Salmon Roll: tastes like a dynamite roll

Chicken California Roll: not so good...

Happy Birthday Britt!

---

Thursday, July 29

We went out to party again this night after having our tests today and having no school tomorrow.

Dinner: Pasta, albacore tuna, mayo. Not bad

We went out to the Long Hop where they play a lot of American music that we're familiar with. Student Night serves 5€ cocktails(which are weak of course). Nice bartenders. Went with a large group. One was way too incapacitated and had to be walked home before even getting to the bar. Long story... But we had a good time at the bar though.

the only photogenically safe photo from the bar: my gin fizz =)

After the Long Hop, we went to the Dungeon but were there too early so it was a bit dead. Britt was gone though... so when the rest of our party came back from escorting their friend home, we took Britt home. What a night... we still have a night of clubbing for Friday!

Day of Rest Well Needed

Sunday, July 25

So I took this day easy and didn't do very much. It was a day of food.

Pasta lunch with corn, chicken and tomato sauce. I pulled out anything I had in the cupboard

Falafel dinner in the Murray area. So good!

Gelato dessert back at the Bastille with Britt and Phil. I got mango, strawberry, and amaretto(the best).

Bordeaux: Day 2 of 2

Saturday, July 24

-Bordeaux Day 2 Album

We woke up late. Britney and Phil wanted to see the time trials this morning, but i was still too tired, so I stayed in. We planned to meet back up at 10:30am. In the meantime I got my things packed, got breakfast and rented a bike for the day.

chicken curry panini: interesting taste, not bad. Apple sauce =)

We got to the winery late, but the tour didn't start yet so we were good. We got lost with the directions we were given and it wasn't as easy for me to bike so far through the streets with cars around us. We got a tour and walk-through of how they made their wine. Afterward, we were able to taste two different wines.

the wine distillation place

the wine cellar waiting to be bottled from the oak barrels

this is going to be one expensive wine. The oak for this barrel was one of Marie Antoinette's garden in Versailles bought in an auction by the owner of the vineyard.

trying for a new profile pic... and fail: I'm too weak. I wanted a head stand with the caption: "wine making my head spin"

170€ bottle that I got to taste from this vineyard. Dry, smokey, smooth, with a hint of berries in the end.

At the end, I just bought a bottle for 8€ but the guy asked if I paid for the tour. I didn't like and paid 9€ for the tour. However, my friends didn't pay yet so we jammed out of there. We got some lunch on the way back at a fast food place. Delicious taste and quantity at a great price. While we ate, we watched some french music videos with subtitles and actually understood some of it.

double yum! There are tomatoes and lettuce under the meat =)

We headed back all the way back into the city. I had a really hard time with a wine bottle making my bike unbalanced, plus my clothes and stuffs in my backpack. At some point I turned somewhere and lost them altogether. I detoured my way back to the train station to hopefully meet up with them since I was wayyy off track. They eventually found me YAY! And back into the city we went.


Bordeaux's logo? it's marked everywhere

saw a wedding in progress

ended up in a garden to rest

don't bother me, je suis fatigué

dinner: roasted salmon with olive tapanade and creme sauce. omfg mouthgasm!

Time to go home...=(

real proof I was here

multi-million dollar train: BMWs pictured above.

When I got home at around midnight... tired... really really tired... great weekend and Sunday's the day of rest. Thank God

Bordeaux: Day 1 of 2

Friday, July 23

So... I'm off to Bordeaux today with Britney and Phil! Full album of day one in the Facebook link below:

-Bordeaux: Day 1


I was so excited I didn't sleep until 4am in the morning and had to wake up early enough to catch our 7:50am train ride. It was a 3 hour ride, most of which I slept through. We all booked our tickets separately but Phil ended up being in the same car as me, so that was cool.

ticker signs!

doing 2nd class

When we got to our final destination, we checked into our hotel that was conveniently nearby the station. We we sly(not really) to get the belongings of three up to the room for two at 90€/night.=) After that was settled, we went to rent some bikes. They were 10€ for a half day rental with a 250€ security deposit.
It wasn't too much trouble filling out the paperwork using English/French Charades. We took a quick bike to explore the city area. Since we were early and got there way before the Tour de France, we got a chance to bike through part of the course. I'm no match for Britney nor Phil though...

biking and taking photos is hard...

From here on... I won't have very many photos while I'm on my bike. The city was like a more run down version of Paris with bits of a modern touch here and there. There wasn't the glamor that Paris gave off, but it did have character and felt authentic. This place had age and taste, just like its wine. There wasn't really much to do around the area, but it was great to walk around in.

the place and people are so welcoming...

got some lunch: tuna salad sandwich

When we got back to the course two hours before the bikers' anticipated arrival, we tried to get a good spot to sit in. Most of them were taken but Phil was around the 300m area; Brit and I were about 100m after the finish line.

got pretty hungry so I bought this 5 euro "hot dog"

my sunblock

don't know most of these people, but we got pretty close to them.

some people got really close

Tom Cruise/Cameron Diaz with a police escort out of a fan mob.

We had to return the bikes by 7pm, so we headed back and got some grub around the area.

Terrine de Canard(some kind of duck pate)

Poêlée d'Encornets aux Olives(squid with olives)

Baba au Rhum(rum cake: definitely tasted the rhum)

a well fed happy group of people

Since it was still early, we decided to hit a wine bar that we got info on from the tourist office. We walked back into the city which took much longer than by bike. It wasn't what we expected, but the walk was really nice. The local youth appeared to not really be in the bars, but out on the grassy areas drinking or smoking.

the cow wanted to jump over the moon

only got one glass/person

found a legit-looking Ramen shop

Long day... Turned in...Good Night

THE OPERA HOUSE

Wednesday, July 22

Woke up late, with 15 min to get to class... Made it in time to take the test, without a quick review. I did okay...maybe? Anyways, after French was over, we had a class trip to the Opera house. I mean THE OPERA HOUSE. It was beautiful, here are some highlights below. The rest of the shots can be viewed on Facebook via the link below. Of course we had to have lunch so we went to this delicious Mediterranean place. bomb ass food! I'm definitely coming back.

-THE Opera House


this place is awesome!

food is filling, but not heavy with grease

architect's name jumbled on the ceiling near the lobby.

mirrors make the place look larger

the "social area"

crosshatched yellow paint on the ceiling make it appear to look like gold

reference to Louis XIV's hall of mirrors. Just Grand!

this clock works like a calendar

"goddess" reference to electricity

it was hard to get a picture with the dim lighting and crowded space

the grand interior

just chillin' in the waiting room

some idiot lost his metro ticket inside the costume display

the great composers greet you as you walk in the original main entrance of the Opera

Afterward, we went to the bank nearby to look at the references and resemblances to the Opera I believe by the same architect. Unfortunately, no photography since it is still a working bank. It was beautiful though, with green tinted stain glass domes and windows with balconies and gold plated railings. Most beautiful bank I've ever seen.
Next, we went onto the Lafayette Galleries: currently a department store for high end clothes. I've been here already, but I never realized it resembled an Opera house. This is a shopping center!


emulation of the opera house balconies

ceiling dome emulating stained glass

Gorgeous!

on the rooftop enjoying the view. Best thing: Free and no crowds

best intersection traffic yet

Of course, we had to go shopping afterward. I went to H&M and got a stripped polo for the summer and a pair of cargo pants the roll up for my trip this weekend to Bordeaux! Exciting!!!