Monday, January 19, 2009
Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it...No!
After several years of having lived in hot climates, I've become a total sun snob and had a really difficult time managing the cold when we went to Montreal and New York for the holidays. I remember walking out of Trudeau International into the parking garage and gasping for air as the cold air hit me. I seriously couldn't breathe! If you want to experience instant hypothermia, go to Montreal in the dead of winter. For the next week there was snow and wind and ice. A couple of days we were literally housebound. Now and then the sun would force its way through but overall the weather was overcast. Still, when we could we bundled up (longjohns, two pairs of socks, etc.) and braved the cold. There was no way we weren't going to indulge in a grosse poutine at La Banquise, THE place in Montreal for this extremely unhealthy but delicious fast food, shop on Sainte Catherine, have smoked meat sandwiches at Reuben's, and stop off at Fairmount Bagels for the best bagels ever. And for the first time we visited the "underground city," which isn't where Montrealers hibernate for months on end when their igloos become unbearable, but where a series of tunnels, linked with the metro system, allow people respite from the cold and the chance to eat and shop without frozen fingers. I think the entire thing is 30-some kilometers long, so about 20-odd miles. Then it was on to New York, Tarrytown to be exact, to visit my family. The first day we drove into Manhattan there was a beautiful snow that lasted most of the way down the Hudson. We toured Central Park, then did 5th avenue before stopping for beer and burgers at the Heartland Brewery. Then it was off to Times Square, Rockefeller, Radio City, etc. Along the way, about every 5 blocks or so, we saw groups of NYPD cops gearing up for that night's celebrations. A stage was being erected, streets were blocked off, and people were already decked out and passing out invitations to bars and clubs. It was too cold to hang around all day and fight the crowds, so we headed back to the burbs and had a wonderful dinner at my aunt's house. The next day we went back to Manhattan, and I spent the day in Soho with my Mom and a childhood friend I hadn't seen in years. It was a great way to start 2009. We returned to Montreal and finished our vacation with a trip to Quebec City. It's a beautiful town that architecturally reminded me of England and France, and despite having almost got frostbite on my toes, it was fantastic, definitely worth a visit. But to top it all off, long story short, we arrived in Amsterdam for our connecting flight home the day it snowed in Marseille for the first time in 22 years!! The city was paralysed, people were stuck at work, and the airport shut down. It took us almost 3 days to get home, without our luggage!, but despite all the hassle it was really cool to see snow in the south of France. So here our some pics from our snow-filled holidays...
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Yummy
So these are my first (and not last!) attempts at food photography...we picked up these cakes at an incredible patisserie in Marseille called "Dites Moi Tout." We had been walking around all day and I wanted to show my Dad, who was visiting, one of the reasons why I love living in France. These people know how to eat!
I know they're not the greatest shots but I was playing around with shadow and light, focus, distance...hard work while you're salivating!
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
B.O. Smells Good to Me
Barack Obama is the 44th President of the United States!! Incredible. Even though I had trouble falling asleep last night and Marc woke up an hour before the alarm went off, we bolted out of bed at 6:15 as if it were Christmas morning. Only there was a sense of dread that accompanied our excitement; what if McCain was elected? Would the next 4 years be a continuation of the last 8, led by a man who changes ideological camps when it suits him and champions far-right policies or would the next 4 years be led by a man who is intelligent, capable, inspiring, and worthy? We turned on the TV and there it was, live: an image of Obama on stage in Chicago, waving to the crowds. Marc and I sleepily jumped up and down and hugged each other. America has disappointed me time and time again only to surprise me. I have a renewed faith and pride in my country, I really do. Just when the world had had enough of America we showed the world that we had had enough of ourselves and recognized, as Obama said, the time for change has come. It's strange to be in France during all of this, similar to when I was in Moscow during 9-11; only this time around it's a cause for celebration and a sense of change for the better, of new things to come, is palpable even an ocean away. Yesterday while running errands I had random encounters with 3 strangers -- a Lebanese tailor and a French aid worker and post office worker -- who all confessed their hope for Obama to win. I was nervous. There was the sense that if we elected McCain we'd not only be letting down our country but the world. Not this time! Before he left for work this morning Marc told me, "If we had an Obama button I'd wear it to work," and I laughed at the thought of a French-Canadian in a French company sporting an Obama button; not because I find it silly but because his comment is symbolic of all the hopes of so many who wanted Obama to win and saw that hope become a reality. I can't wait to go home in January!!!!
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