A long weekend does a body good...

Both France and the States had long weekends! I hope that wherever you were you enjoyed your long weekend - unless you didn't have one. In that case, I hope you had or will have a good long weekend sometime soon! 

Even though this was our first Memorial Day weekend away, I forgot how Memorial Day truly is the "start" of summer in America. I was bombarded - happily - with Facebook/Twitter updates and photos about Hampton journeys, rooftop barbecues and hot, steamy NYC nights wearing shorts and sundresses.

For Paris, it has finally gotten warm enough to sit outside without a scarf or blazer. On Friday, I enjoyed an afternoon by the Seine which resulted in a bad tan line. To be honest, it was the first time that I actually partook in the cliché experience of "sitting by the Seine." I had a good book and sun and for a Friday, that was all I needed. 

The weekend consisted of pretty much the same thing. One of my absolute favorite things to do in New York was Central Park. There were a few summers where a weekend without at least one Sheeps Meadow day was abnormal. So Sir Lancelot and I are very lucky that we live close to Parc Monceau - one of the only parks in Paris where you can actually sit on the grass.  

Yes, in Paris until seven years ago, you actually were not allowed to sit on the grass - anywhere. At least that's what our neighbors told us. Isn't that crazy? To me the one thing that city dwellers dream of while they're stuck in their high rise offices during the week is sitting and enjoying the bit of outdoor space their city has to offer during the weekend. What gives? Central Park - after an influx of money from Wall Street taxes and generous donations has kept Central Park impeccable. During the winter, the grass is off limits and New Yorkais accept this with the agreement that during the summer, the public grass is theirs from April - early fall. City dwellers deserve to have green space to relax, read, eat, drink and socialize with friends! 

Even though Parc Monceau is a "sit on the grass" friendly park - there are certain areas where you can and can't sit. We chose to sit where the grass was longer and subsequently had less people. This was clearly because it was the area where you were not supposed to sit. After paging through two French fashion magazines trying to find a blonde model that I felt would best suit the summer blonde I was going for the park police showed up. These cops weren't the normal French police in serious outfits with even more serious weapons. These "cops" wore unflattering polyester pants with even more unflattering colored polo shirts with lanyard whistles around their necks. The whistles of course were to get all of us "rule breakers" off the long grass and herd us over to the short grass, already rammed with people. Sir Lancelot was not happy and we walked around the entire park before he found a second spot that he liked enough to actually sit in. (High-maintenance anyone?)

Looking out to the short grass.. where we were allowed. 

Looking to the long grass where we went but weren't allowed. 

The following day we went to the Luxembourg Gardens with friends who have a newborn baby, At this park no one is allowed to sit on the grass anywhere at all times. And given the popularity of parks in nice weather (remember friends, it's a city), we were not able to find suitable seating in the "children friendly" area. So we ended up rounding together six chairs in an area that seemed to only be occupied by solo people reading. There weren't any signs which led us to think that this was not a designated area for quiet readers, but nonetheless we were the only baby people within 200 meters! And our friend was breast-feeding to boot! You can imagine how great that went down with our quiet, reading French friends next to us - especially once we broke out the rosé. 

No matter what it was a lovely weekend with sunshine, friends and good park time but I really do wonder: why are the French so obsessed with not letting anyone sit on the grass? I understand their desire for perfectly manicure lawns but there must be an understanding that city dwellers need green space for peace especially during the hot summer months! 

Lancelot housekeeping...

Hi there, I still have so much I want to tell you about. Cinque Terre, the Loire Valley to name a few... but first I must do a few housekeeping things.

1. Now that it's finally warm out, I've begun to wear flats again. I have the typical black ballerinas and even found a cheap pair of animal print ballerinas. But I must share my favorite pair so far...
Remember jellies? Well, they are back in the form of this version: Melissa & Campana

I bought my pair in Japan and was able to try them out for the first time last week. I assumed I would wear them for an hour or so, walk around Paris and then my feet would start to hurt... but they didn't! I'm super excited about these shoes and if you live in a city where you walk a lot but want a lighter walking shoe, these are great. Melissa has a lot of other "jelly" type shoes, which I'm not really a fan of, but these are perfect for the season. A new Melissa store just opened in SoHo as well. 

2. I've recently started writing for the Anglo-Paris travel site, Girls Guide to Paris! Here is the link to my first article about the treasure hunt I took at the Louvre. A few of my favorite blogs also wrote really great write ups that can be found here.  That's also the link to THATLou (the treasure hunt company). If you find yourself in Paris on a Sunday and want an afternoon running around the Louvre, try a treasure hunt! 

3. There have been some exciting updates to The Kale Project - please check them out and support my endeavor! Most importantly, I think I might have found a farmer!

Sir Lancelot finally got back to Paris after almost two weeks away so we're going to enjoy the (rare) nice Paris weather and I think a French bank holiday and Memorial Day are matching up - so it might even mean he has Monday off! But I'm not holding my breath. 

Have a great weekend and I wish everyone lovely weather! 

Thursdays are better if you're versatile!

Sweet peas! Exciting news for a pretty normal Thursday. The lovely Abby of J'Adore Ma Vie, has awarded me the Versatile Blogger Award!! I feel very honored to be included in her selection. Abby is a lovely woman who moved to Central France with her husband to help his family run their bed & breakfast. Doesn't that sound romantic? I love reading about her expat experiences as she and her husband navigate French life in the country and take lovely trips throughout Europe. Plus she is an amazing scrapbooker - I wish I could scrapbook like her! 

So, now for those that I nominate and the rules: 

1. Nominate 5 fellow bloggers for the Versatile Blogger Award

2. Add an image of the Versatile Blogger Award to your page

3. Thank the blogger who nominated you in a post with a link to their site

4. Share 7 random facts about yourself. 

5. Include this set of rules.

6. Inform each blogger of their nomination. 

And my Versatile Bloggers are... 

1. Edna from Expat Edna. Edna moved to Paris in January and has vowed to live abroad for her entire 20's. She is a fantastic writer and blogs about her amazing adventures. Her blog has recently been featured on WordPress' "Freshly Pressed" and Hostel World. It's definitely a blog to watch.

2. Lindsey from Greetings From The American Girl. Lindsey moved to Paris in July 2010 but we just met this past weekend in Berlin. She's your perfect American Girl and reading her adventures in Paris from before we even moved here makes for an honest account of living life abroad.

3. Rebecca from Parlez Vous Loco? Rebecca just arrived to Paris and already I am in love with her writing. She has touched upon some very common expat emotions with a unique voice. 

4. Sylvia from Finding Noon. I met Sylvia through my friend Mary Kay and she's already become one of my go-to people in Paris for restaurant recommendations. Plus, she's been in France for ten years and has French citizenship - so she's for sure in the know!

5. Saren from This Dynamic Life. Last but not least, I have to include someone from the States. Saren is my oldest friend (remember that kimono pic before we went to Japan? Yeah, that's Saren). She recently completed law school at Loyola Chicago but is an accomplished yoga instructor and has started to write a lifestyle blog focused on food and being true to yourself. Her daily posts inspire me to be a better person and stay healthy! 

And here are my seven random facts...

1. This one may not be surprising, but most people are shocked when I tell them I've never eaten a hamburger from McDonalds. I didn't even eat my first hamburger until I was 24.

2.  I am a fan of techno and trance music. I listen to Armin van Buuren, Tiesto, etc. when I run or if I'm cleaning the apartment. I would go see them in New York all the time. 

3. I am obsessed with children's books, the nostalgia I feel about my favorites and find myself gravitated towards the children's section more than the adult book section. I have a dream to one day write a children's book.

4. While I love traveling, I have no desire to go to Australia. (Aussie reader/friends, please do not take this personally - instead try to convince me!) 

5. I'm a bag lady. I've been a bag lady since I could walk - to the point where for my third birthday, our neighbors gave me a bag full of plastic bags. This has not changed and Sir Lancelot fears for the day when we have a family and our bags increase by default which means he'll have to carry everything. 

6. I never have and still don't like games or puzzles. Instead I went all imagination and spent my childhood playing dress-up, school, putting on plays and turning my friend's garage into a clubhouse. 

7. If I'm in an airport, especially if traveling alone, I always stop at the bar near the gate and drink a beer. There is something about having a solo beer at an airport that I really enjoy. My cousin is the same way and then we text each other while having our airport beer. I'm not sure if it's the people watching or the random person I seem to always chat with but I find the entire experience very fun. Unless of course the flight is delayed, then it's not so much fun. 

La Fête des Voisins... I could not be more excited!

May crept up on us and is almost over. I think this was because it was filled with bank holidays each week. These didn't really make a difference to the Lancelots, as Sir L still had to work on those days since America did not have the same bank holidays. For me, it just meant more stores were shut. Anyways, you don't care about that. What you should care about is what else May is going to bring...

La Fête des Voisins! (Neighbor Day!)

I knew it would be here eventually. I learned about this exciting Day of Neighbors in French class. This was back in November when I had not met anyone in our building yet. The next door neighbors and their infamous Christmas tea had not yet happened and I had not yet met Frank, the man from upstairs with six wives. At that time, I could not imagine attending a little party with people from our building - in fact I could not imagine anything worse. 

But what a difference six months make! While I still won't be able to really communicate with anyone, I will not miss this courtyard party. The more people I meet in our building, the more I laugh and the more I can tell all of you! 

As you an see the party is May 29 (I guess they wanted to have it on May 28 at first but made a typo?) in our courtyard and is hosted by our guardian couple. That's Amelia on the right and her husband on the left (I still don't know his name, but nine months in I'm too embarrassed to ask). I do know that one day he let himself into our apartment with the electric company when I was in the loo. That's even more embarrassing than not remembering his name. 

As for the woman in the middle, I have no idea who she is but clearly she was at the party last year. Perhaps it's their daughter or maybe another neighbor - I do want to know what she did or does that makes her special enough to be front and center with the guardians for the 2012 Neighbor Day announcement. I think that should be my goal: charm everyone enough this year to be the neighbor included for 2013!

I've mentioned the guardians a few times before. Overall they are lovely people and take their guardian responsibilities very seriously, but I never told you what happened when we first moved in... 

As most of you know, Sir Lancelot's mother passed away the day before we moved into our apartment and our NYC shipment and her Barcelona shipment arrived. We didn't even have 24 hours to process everything that had just happened but had no choice but to go through all of her belongings including knick-knacks, statues, furniture and clothes. We kept most things but there was a lot we gave away. Amelia kindly offered to let us put our charity pile in the corridor of the building as the French version of the Salvation Army would be by within a week to pick everything up. She did mention that she sometimes takes a few things for herself if she fancies. We thought this was a great situation and didn't care at all if she took anything. 

Within two days, we had filled the corridor with small foot stools, clothes, vases and statues knowing the charity truck would arrive soon. And within three hours everything was gone. Not one item was left. And guess where it all went? With the guardians, into their apartment. 

To this day I see Amelia wearing my clothes or my mother-in-law's clothes (c'est vrai). When I first retrieved a package from their front room, I saw placed on the buffet Sir L's mom's two blue vases. On the table is her collection of wooden horses and Egyptian sphinx. To the left of the room on the chair are her purple Zara Home pillows... they literally took and kept everything! 

Just last week, I came home to find this in the main hallway. Yes. You guessed it... after nine months,  this foot stool made an appearance as decor for our building. And just last week while walking in the door, I saw Mr. Mascot (the man who told us to have a baby) giving the other foot stool away to someone that lives in the building! I totally caught them in the act as they looked at me and mumbled French. I proceeded to laugh and call the chair my mother-in-law. C'est ma belle-mere.  Don't laugh... I just learned possessives and clearly haven't gotten the hang of them... 

So now you can see why I am excited for the 2012 La Fête des Voisins. Everyone in the building has their own piece of Lancelot in their apartment - they might as well meet us! 

A weekend in Berlin

This past weekend, I went on my first solo trip since we've moved to France. Before France, I'd been on numerous business trips for shoots but it had been awhile and I was heading to a country where the language is much more foreign than French.

The reason I was went to Berlin was for a blogging conference called The Hive. It was the first year for the event and one of the first in Europe. Since I just recently launched The Kale Project, I figured it would be an interesting and worthwhile event to attend.

The last time I was in Berlin was in 2005 in the midst of winter. Aside from the fact that I was wearing horrible outfits (I took the whole Spanish/Euro thing a bit too far at times), Berlin left a lasting impression on me and I left the city excited to one day return. My second experience reaffirmed that I still love Berlin. While the city is not beautiful like Paris (so much of it was destroyed during the war), there is a vibrant and creative energy throughout - which I do not feel in Paris. Perhaps it is because the city is extremely international - I heard so many different languages just walking the streets - or it might be because the city has overcome so much in the past twenty years that being progressive and more open-minded is the only way to recovery.

As the city has rebuilt, they have done a great job at including the history around certain monuments and areas. Also included on the signs are pictures of what Berlin looked like in 1989 when the wall fell and it is incredible to see the changes. Standing at Brandenburger Tor (above) and thinking that only twenty years ago, this gate was one of the critical points directly between East and West Berlin but now is full of tourists made me stop and sit. It is humbling to think how much can change - for better or worse - could happen in such a short amount of time. 

A piece of the Berlin Wall - with new art (to much criticism) about the ongoing issues with Wall Street. 

A Holocaust Memorial.

Kids playing very entertaining music on the street on a Friday afternoon. 

And of course I drank some beer. Coming from the country of wine, it was refreshing to be in a place where to have a large, cold beer is not frowned upon. It also was an extra bonus that the weather was absolutely gorgeous and the sun shone the entire weekend! It made drinking my beer at dinner that much more enjoyable! I also was re-introduced to Curry Wurst which is a traditional dish/street food that I (over) enjoyed back in 2005. The top-left photo is from the 'bodega' type shop right when you walk in. 

Last but not least is the conference. It was held in an amazing co-working space called Betahaus. The concept is not new but this one had amazing energy and was done really well. The idea is that you pay a certain amount of money for a day or even a month subscription to use their wifi, printers, scanners, office space but at an affordable price. It's great for entrepreneurs, people that work from home but don't actually want to work at home or start-ups. And to add to the concept it's all centered around a hip coffee shop/cafe. Of course. Again proof at the creativity I felt in this city. 

I met some really interesting people at The Hive, learned a few things that led me to new ways to think about The Kale Project and felt so fortunate to be surrounded by people from all over Europe who love expressing themselves through words and visuals. 

Falling out of love with running...

At the age of 24, this was the sign I made for family and friends when I ran the 2008 NYC Marathon. Note my Steve Madden, yellow high-hells, circa 2007.

Exercise was always a part of my parents' lives and of course became a part of mine. It was abnormal if you didn't do anything. I owe all my running experience to my father, John. He's been in my life since I was six and the idea of exercise as a part of life continued with his daily runs and of course the iconic "long-run" on Sunday mornings. At the age of 10, he would encourage me to try running a mile around the track. Aside from barely finishing, all I can remember is keeping on my swimsuit from an afternoon at the pool because my bikini top looked like a sports bra and that made me feel cool and grown-up. After two seasons of middle-school spring track (hey, we did win a big invitational that year) and of trying to get through five-mile runs, it was the summer before high school cross country season. 

I didn't really like running. It was hard. Sometimes I would cry and pout if John made me go with him. I would get side-stitches all the time. My little legs just couldn't handle it. At 13/14 years old, I had just started developing (late bloomer here!). So John made a deal with me, "Try cross-country out for one season and if you hate it you never have to run a step again." 

The exact opposite happened and I am forever thankful to John for this: I fell in love and became obsessed with running. After four years of high-school running with numerous team championships, personal success and a team of girlfriends that will forever hold a special place in my heart, I went on and founded Penn State's Club XC team, which still thrives today. And of course there was running in New York. While there was a lack of trails, it kept me structured and focused. I rarely went more than two days without logging a run down the West Side Highway or at least a loop around the park. I would wake up early before work to make sure I ran at least 40 minutes and then would always run at least 6-9 miles on Sundays. After multiple half-marathons and the 2008 NYC Marathon, running had become part of my New York identity. 

I ran my last half-marathon on August 16, 2009 in 1:34. A personal best. I met Sir Lancelot on August 30, 2009 and I think that's when I slowly started falling out of love with running. 

At first, I blamed it on a new relationship where nothing mattered but spending time together. Then I blamed it on starting a new job and winter weather. Then I blamed it on planning a wedding, then Sir L's mom's sickness, then preparing to move, then the move. Then we were in Paris and things didn't change. I still couldn't get my running groove back. And it still has not returned. Is it possible that my love for running was just a place-holder for love for my one-day husband? 

Although Lancelot has picked up running since we met and really enjoys it, I find less enjoyment and motivation to get out the door. The runner's high that I used to so cherish has disappeared. While I still go out two or three times a week, my runs lack the intensity of the past and it was that intensity that made me keep going out there day after day. 

I'm not sure why this has happened and if I'll ever get it back. Perhaps it's part of getting older - who knows. I do know that I would one day love to run another half-marathon (not sure about a marathon), but most importantly, I really want to feel that runner's high again... in Paris.  

A February run in Paris, 2010...when I slowly started losing the love.

Stop! Do not touch that orange... and other dinner party rules

Ohh la la... it's been way too long since I last wrote something but I was just so planning this crazy dinner party... 

Sir Lancelot has been crazy busy at work and gave me only a few days notice that we would be hosting six people for a work dinner. They were a mixture of colleagues, clients and nationalities and although the majority were American, Sir L wanted me to do it the French way. 

Of course Sir L asked me first if I minded doing the dinner and I never do as I enjoy the process of planning the menu, setting the table and it gives me an opportunity to explore the wonderful niche stores in our nearby markets for unique selections of various alimentations.

Except this time there was a holiday in France on Monday and Tuesday which meant that some stores were open but with odd hours or most stores were shut - so everything was left to Wednesday. And I also am the queen of procrastination...which didn't help the situation.

Thank to my dear friend Liz who helped me set the table with
more of a French touch - notice the forks.

To add to the stress and pressure of the evening, Sir Lancelot had a conversation with a few colleagues about a French dinner party. After he told me a few of the rules - which just resulted in me rolling my eyes a lot - I began to feel even more anxious about the event.

These "rules" apply to whether you have a group of eight or just two. And just when I think I've managed to succeed and understand everything,  something always happens and a bit of Americana slides into the evening. Here are a few of my favorite rules:

L'entrée
This is a more formal appetizer. No salsa, guacamole and Tostitos in the living room with the big game on here friends. Think foie gras, chutney d'oignon and a tiny piece of toast to go with it. I grew up with a mom who always did her cheese plate before the main meal but since cheese now is after the meal... I'm always at a loss for starters. If you have any suggestions for me, please leave them in the comments section!


Asparagus
This is the only vegetable that you are able to eat with your hands. Haricot verts? Use your fourchette! Snow peas? Same deal. Why just asparagus? I have no clue. I think that to myself a lot on a daily basis when I question things in France... my inner-response is always, "I have no clue."

La Fourchette
Speaking of the fork... Make sure that the fork is facing down when you set the table. Again, I did not get the reason why for this one but I do know that after our Loire Valley trip and touring many châteaus, all the forks were facing down in the dining rooms.

Salad
Salad is served with the cheese plate after the main meal. It is considered rude and an insult to the chef if you cut your salad with your knife and fork. No matter how big the lettuce pieces are. (This will also probably be the only substantial green thing you get...)

The Cheese
I come from an extended family that goes absolutely crazy for cheese and everyone runs to the cheese plate the minute it is served. But cheese lover beware - you better take a deep breath and wait your turn for the cheese course at a French dinner! Be patient and be sure to cut the cheese the correct way. If it's a triangular block (sorry if my shapes are wrong, I barely passed geometry), you slice from the top (where the rhine is) to the bottom so you are left with a longer sliver. This also goes for a circular cheese - which will already have a small sliver taken out of it as the host/hostess must always remove this small piece beforehand. You only should really have one small serving of each cheese and never seconds. And don't go overboard on the baguette. I understand that it's really, really good but you only really should take a little taste.

Where you sit
Sir Lancelot and I are no longer allowed to sit next to each other. This is because we've been married for more than a year. Newlyweds like to sit next to each other - I guess one-year in and we prefer to just talk to others? Another reason that French men are known as wanderers I presume?? A dinner party makes it easier for them. Then the MOST important female guest must be seated to the right of the host. And the MOST important male guest must be seated to the right of the hostess. When Sir L told me this, I asked him how one determines the most important male/female guests if it's just a group of people and if the dinner has no true purpose. He said that this is where the French like to play mind games with each other and perhaps seat someone at the "most important" spot to create anxiety for the person that goes there thinking that they are the most important person. Also, the hostess must sit closest to the kitchen and given that traditional French apartments have the kitchen as far away as possible from the dining room, I welcome this helpful tradition. Thank you for letting me be a table closer to where I just spent all day.

How you sit 
I think a lot of people already know this rule in other countries just the other countries have the opposite rule. In France you keep your hands above the table with your wrists lightly resting on the edge of table or around there. In the UK, you keep your hands underneath the table as it's rude to put hands or elbows above. In America...well, I don't know what our rule is. Do we even have one?! Up until Sir Lancelot was six and still living in Geneva, he was taught the French way. Then he started boarding school in the UK and immediately changed his habits to fit in with the other children. Then he went back to Geneva for summers and would get yelled at by his family and asked, "What are you doing under there"? So note to self: keep hands above or people will think something else...

Oranges for dessert
This must be my favorite dinner party custom. If you decide to serve fruit for dessert, it shouldn't be an orange because an orange must be eaten with a knife and fork and never use your hands. A KNIFE AND FORK. I'm assuming there are a lot of Americans that never use a knife and fork together ever... But if you're French and you're eating an orange you better not peel that sucker... I'm sure you're wondering, "Why would you have to eat the entire thing with a knife and fork"? Because an orange at dessert is a test. It is a test of you and who you are and who your family is and where you came from. With the goal of the test being, did you come from a proper French family that made sure they raised their children well and taught them to eat an orange with only a knife and fork? You better hope you learned that!

After all of these rules, I was exhausted even before I started prepping for the dinner. Which is why I treated myself to my first mani/pedi in Paris a few hours before people arrived.

What other French dinner party rules do you know and love or hate? 

I'm sure our frog water pitcher is not appropriate for a French dinner party!

I totally put the solo French guest on the spot at our party and served him an orange for dessert. He was very proud to cut and eat the entire thing with only his knife and fork. 

A few other updates this week:
I've been included as part of InterNation's Recommended Paris Expat Blogs!


The Kale Project is making progress. Check it out here and follow us on Facebook & Twitter! 

April Showers brings... The Kale Project!

As you all know I have a {healthy} obsession with kale and an ongoing battle with it's nonexistence in France. It's gone on long enough and I'm proud to announce a new endeavor that I've been working on for awhile: The Kale Project. 

I hope that if you are a follower of Sir and Lady Lancelot that you will support my personal goal of bringing kale to Paris. There are many exciting things happening, many of which I will discuss soon...

In the meantime, please join the movement and support something that I feel very strongly about!

THE KALE PROJECT 

twitter: @thekaleproject

facebook: The Kale Project

instagram: @TheKaleProject