0 Toulouse

Ellie and I spent last weekend in Toulouse. It is such a cool city, alive and full of young people - a real departure from Bergerac. We basically ate and drank our way through the city, bar-hopping and café-crawling for two days.

0 Janvier tranquille

January is quiet in Bergerac, and apparently my blog is following suit. Last weekend I visited Imogen for a night in Sarlat, which was beautiful as usual. She took me into her church at night... I don't think there's a single church in this country that isn't freaking majestic.


And last night, Ben, Ellie and I went to our first traditional French dinner (I don't know what took us so long). For sixteen euros, I got two glasses of wine, pression de canard (a mélange of all the best bits of duck constructed in one deliciously fatty piece) over salad, salmon and rice in a delectable butter sauce, espresso, and, for no added cost, multiple bites of Ben's fondant au chocolat (shh).

Then we went to our favorite bar's very first open-mic night (our idea... just sayin'). There was a great turnout, and plenty of people performed, including all three of us. Now they're going to have them twice a month. Slowly but surely making this town our own...

0 Untimely Christmas post

But I'll never get tired of Christmas in New York!

1 Home for the Holidays

I've been to Boston



and New York;



I've seen friends from school



and friends from home.



We ate truffles with foie gras and risotto on Christmas Eve;



and spent Christmas at home with close family



and cake.



Today we're snowed in. My mom couldn't be more excited to have all four of us stuck in the house.

0 Almost home

On Friday morning, I'm heading back to the U.S., where I'll be spending my Christmas vacation. Upon arrival in New York, I'll immediately fly to Boston to celebrate the birthdays of two of my best friends. I'll finally get home on Sunday night, and am so looking forward to decorating the tree and listening to Christmas music around the fire. I can only imagine (or hope) that my mom has a few quality meals up her sleeve. I'll be seeing some friends that I haven't seen in a year or longer, and I can't wait to be home with them, even in the short amount of time we have.

Here are some more pictures from last weekend in Périgueux.


I went into the cathedral in Périgueux for the first time. A cathedral like that, it feels so grand and important and old and it makes you feel so...I dunno...small. Reverent? Appreciative? You feel hushed into silence the moment you walk in.

(In this last photo, Aissa is sitting in the park behind the cathedral, where we drank undoubtetdly the best hot chocolates I have ever tasted.)

1 Noël dans la Dordogne

I know the people who live in Bergerac or Périgueux don't have the same feelings of wonder I do when they see Christmas lights over the Dordgone or in the cobblestone streets. I guess we take what we know for granted, even the beautiful things.

Bergerac


Périgueux