A hike up Le Parmelan

Back on May 18, yes that was nearly 3 months ago, R and I spent a spectacular day hiking up Le Parmelan, near Annecy in the Haute-Savoie. From a distance it's easy to pick out Le Parmelan from the other mountains in the area—it is massive and cliff-like. You can see its gray rock face for miles and miles away.

The summit, or la tete, of the Parmelan is 1,832m, which is over 6,000 ft. We parked at the lot near Le Petite Montoir path which we decided to take up—it's longer but not as steep as Le Grand Montoir. In total we ascended 660m which is about 2,165 ft! On a clear day the panorama from the top is impressive. Lucky for us, R and I picked a clear day with steel blue skies.

On the way down, we decided to take Le Grand Montoir—faster and much much steeper. For someone who's afraid of heights, I did pretty well, thank you very much. I also thank Le Parmelan's caretakers who put up some chains and handrails so hikers have something to hold onto to as you make your way down the steep steps and narrow ledges. Oh, we also had to climb over a few huge fallen trees that blocked the path down. In the end it was 100% worth it for the 360 degree views of the Alps, Lac Annecy, and even Mont Blanc!

The Parmelan is classified as difficile but I found it much harder to descend than to ascend. Both R and I were happy to reach the parking lot and even happier when we got home and took a nice long shower. Despite being completely sore for two days afterwards, our randonnée up Le Parmelan was easily one of my favorite days in France. Have you seen anything more ridiculously beautiful?

Mushroom club and Marie-Christine

Last September, four months after my arrival in France, Richard and I just happened to catch the last hour of a local expo on mushrooms. We agreed to go, expecting to spend 20 minutes or so looking at whatever specimens were on display. I thought there might be a buvette or something featuring local food made with mushrooms. But what we found was much much more.

I was totally surprised at the huge variety of mushrooms that the club had gathered in only 2 days! There were about two hundred different kinds of mushrooms, all arranged neatly by family and color. Besides the chanterelles and porcinis, I saw many new shapes and colors, even vivid purple, green, and flourescent mushrooms. Roger, the co-president of this club and also the mushroom expert for our region was there with his microscope and mycology tomes.

At this expo I met the club's secretary Marie-Christine who answered my mushroom questions and welcomed me to join them on their next sortie. I jumped at the chance to go on my first ever mushroom foray. After that first sortie Marie-Christine added me to the club's email list and Richard and I were both invited to every single outing and meeting.

Marie-Christine and the others took me under their wing..perhaps it was my enthusiasm for learning. Or my youth because the rest of the members were in the 60s and 70s. Or the fact that I usually arrived at meetings with baked goods. Whatever the case it was, it doesn't matter because I was happy that I got to know them. I later found out that you can't just join this club...you're invited at the request of the members. Knowing this, I feel extra warm and fuzzy knowing they adopted me.

This past Friday's wild orchid and pink butterfly walk went as planned despite the shocking news that we lost our friend Marie-Christine on Thursday morning to cancer. She was 60 years old and in good health and doctors discovered the cancer too late, after it had metastasized.

Marie-Christine was a kindred spirit...we had become good friends very quickly. With some people I feel like we've known each other forever. She was one of those kind of people who made you feel welcome, who opened her heart, and shared her passions. For MC, her passions were her family, mycology, speleology, and genealogy. 

She welcomed me into the mushroom group, tutored me, and despite my broken French and her broken English, we got along like the best of friends despite our age difference. MC, I will always remember your positivity, good humor, and laugh. Thank you.

Au revoir la France

Just as France is feeling like home, and I've made some good friends, we are moving again to start a new adventure abroad. R has accepted a great job opportunity in NYC, and for the past few weeks we have been spring cleaning inside and outside the house, as well as finishing up some bricolage. It all feels a bit surreal really.

Au revoir la France—I arrived as a stranger and part as an admirer and friend. Re-bonjour à Boston and New York City where R and I will make our new home come June. So much to do and pack and see and eat before we skip back to the other side of the pond.

Last weekend it was sunshine and rain. Amazing meal in Annecy-le-Vieux under tree-covered terrace. Cleaning and purging stuff. Red Cross Bric & Brac. Antique cars meetup. 1922 Bugatti. Special goodbye BBQ. Champagne. Sausages. Japanese crepe-like thing that was so yummy. Seasoned sushi rice triangles. Homemade blueberry mousse Charlotte.

On Tuesday R and I spent a day hiking up the Parmelan, a steep mountain to climb. It took us 6 hours round trip—we took the Petit Montoir up, and then the Grand Montoir down. The latter was extremely steep in many places, so much so that I had to hold onto rails and chains that were attached to the large rocky surfaces along the route down. While descending our path was blocked at one point by several huge fallen trees. For someone who is a bit afraid of heights, I was grateful for the extra security. One of my favorite days with R and a great memory of France. I was so very sore at the end of the day and a little bit the next day, but the climb was worth it, if only for the stunning views of the Alps, Juras, and Lac Annecy.

Tulip fields near Hillegom

Tulip fields near Hillegom and colza fields in France. Breathtaking in every sense.

Cookies and travels tomorrow

Day 1 Arts Expo: Success! Many people enjoyed my photography and took my business cards. And I sold over 60 euros worth of cookies to benefit Japan. Surprisingly the oatmeal raisin cookies were a bigger hit than the chocolate chunk ones. All the apple spiced ones got bought up quickly as well. 

The cookies sold so well that I ended up baking two more batches late into the night tonight. My Japanese friend M will be selling the cookies while R and I are away this weekend. 

Some hints of where we're going: Canal St Martin. Shakespeare and Company bookstore. Mark Bittman article from today's NYTimes.com about Four Restaurants Worth a Metro Ride. Le Seine. Notre Dame. Champs-Elysees. Galleries in the Marais. Pierre Herme. Lenotre. Tour Eiffel.

We're heading to Paris, the city of lights, and love. Weather is expected to be sunny and in the 70s. 

I'll be back online on Tuesday with tales from Paris. Bon week-end à tous.

Daytrips to Ambronay, Meximieux and Pérouges

This week really flew by for me. Did it for you? I've been busy lately—for times like these I stick to simple dishes that take less than 30 minutes to make but deliver on taste. Lately I've been making simple couscous or pasta dishes. Try this and let me know what you think. Take simple spaghetti and toss it with caramelized shallots, shiitake mushrooms, petit pois, and soy sauce. For a bit of heat, I add hot pepper flakes. Why is this dish so good? It must be all that umami flavor from the shiitakes and soy sauce.

So what have I been up to this week? Travels, baking, and more. On Thursday R and I celebrated a friend's birthday in Geneva at her photo studio. For that I baked chocolate chip cookies and a bacon mushroom leek quiche. Why chocolate chip cookies? Because my friend is American, and if there's one comfort food I missed when I first moved here, it was an honest to goodness American cookie, crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. Over the past year I've experimented with different recipes and ingredients. After many tests, I finally have a few cookie recipes made using local ingredients. The results? A crispy crust leading to a chewy interior. And the French like it because it's something new and "foreign".

Spelunking is NOT a stroll in the park

Gray skies and light rains lasted throughout the day but it didn't keep us inside. First, a quick stop at the dechetterie to drop off our recycles and yard waste. Next, a visit to Ville's school where the kiddies were having a fundraiser and selling freshly pressed apple cider and tarte aux pommes - yumm! Then, a stop at Bellegarde's mushroom "expo". It was a tiny expo, but to our delight, the hosts were really nice and they baked 5 different savory "cakes" with different mushrooms in them. We ate the "cakes" with homemade alcohol made with local ingredients - one was made from sage; another from basil; another from a local berry.

After Skyping with May and the boys, R and I got ready for our big adventure of the day. This summer, when there was an open day for the local clubs in Bellegarde, R and I met the speleo club and told them we'd be interested in their "initiation" day.

So today was it! At the beginning of the week, the club sent us a really simple email. Dress warmly in layers in clothes you don't mind being totally dirtied; bring water & snacks; wear boots; bring rubber kitchen gloves. Thinking it was an initiation day, we expected a fairly easy expedition for novices...maybe a bit physical but nothing crazy!

We drove to the meeting place which was a parking area by the side of road next to a big mountain. At the location, we met the group (10 in total including us; 5 experts; 5 newbies like us) and had to pay for insurance (12CHF for both of us which is freaking ridiculously cheap) and sign in case something happened to us. To prepare for our expedition, we donned knee high rubber boots and helmets with lights (grace au club). Then we started walking to our entrance - within minutes, we stopped. I was puzzled because I didn't see any entrance to our grotte Felicite which means happiness in French.

The guides were pointing at a small hole in the mountain which was 2 feet in diameter (or slightly less). We had reached our entrance into the grotte - my first thought? Sh**!!!! What have I gotten myself into. Did I mention I've had nightmares where I've had to crawl into tiny holes which seem too small to fit me but then it does.

But I was there, so I was going to do it! One by one, we got on all fours and slid in head first because the hole was so low and narrow. R went ahead of me, barely fitting through because it was a small hole but also because we had on so many layers. When it was my turn, I took a deep breath and went in, feeling a bit like Alice in Wonderland, not knowing what to expect inside.

How do I describe the descent and the spelunking expedition? It was dark, cold enough inside so we could see our breaths, and after crawling into the hole, we descended down it pretty fast into a small landing with a pool of water a few inches deep. And then we sort of walked down a little bit, noticing that the ceiling got lower and lower as the cave walls got narrower and narrower.

In many places it was so narrow and the cave ceiling so low, we had to crawl on our stomaches; in a few places, it was too low to really crawl so we had to drag our selves with our arms through sand, stone, pebbles and pretty F****** cold water to get to the other side.

It was a long meandering expedition and I for one didn't know how long it was..just knew it would take 3 hours to do. Dowwwwwnnnnnnn and then Uppppppppppp we went. We navigated deep pools of water (deep enough we were advised to not step into it) so we had use the sides of the cave to navigate across the water. Thank god there were ropes at the very dangerous points. But every step was made judiciously because some places were super high and it was also pretty slippery (thank goodness for the rubber boots and rubber gloves, which are now totally shredded). I don't have claustrophobia but there was a point towards the end where I would have given anything to emerge outside - but then I learned we had to crawl back out the same way we went in!

The whole time, I continued, sometimes stopped to take a look around..and then we had to move forward again. It was SO COOL - being inside the belly of a mountain. We saw cool stalactites, the ones that hang down like icicles. It was a real physical and mental challenge but it was such good fun...and I'm so happy I did it but if I had known what I was getting myself into, there would have been NO WAY I could have done it.

I'm now sitting in my PJS, all warm and clean after having taken one of the BEST showers in my life. The endorphins are rushing through my body! Despite the bruises, and the aching muscles, I'm so happy for the experience and surprised I was not really afraid or lose my sh** at the scary parts.

This is what I love about France - or about the French countryside. Everyone is really gracious and ready to share their knowledge and passion! The guides were great and so helpful at the points where I needed help navigating. Even though it's only 36Euro a year to join the speleo club, I'm pretty sure I'm not signing up anymore for these type of spelunking expeditions (considering the one we did today was for debutantes). I'll post pics when the members send them to me!

Rendez vous success

Yesterday I passed my interview with OFII and left with a brand new resident permit sticker. Youpie! With this residency permit affixed next to my Visa, I'm able to legally live in France and get a French bank account, etc. And I can legally travel in and out of France for the next year (or during the validity of my French Visa).

Before moving abroad I read stories about other peoples' nightmare experiences with French officials while trying to secure a visa or residency permit. With this in mind, I expected a lot of paperwork and encounters with unpleasant bureaucrats. Today I was also afraid I'd have to return at another date if I didn't have everything they wanted on the day of the interview.

On the contrary the two officials I met yesterday were very friendly and professional. The medical exam was a breeze. The doctor asked me questions about my health and my family's medical history. He took my blood pressure, weight, height; he listened to my lungs and heart. He tapped around to make sure my organs were in place. To my surprise, I did not have to disrobe or get a OB/GYN kind of exam. I had been prepping myself to disrobe in front of him and whoever happened to be there at the interview. Apparently, in France, doctors do not leave you alone to disrobe. They don't give you a drape cloth or tissue thin robe to wear either. You are expected to undress in their presence which seems a bit awkward to me but then again Europeans think Americans are prudes. Today's doctor also asked to see my vaccination papers and chest xrays even though the letter from OFII said I only needed to bring them if I already had them. Since I did not have them, I was unable to produce them for him. Thankfully, he was nice and took into account of the fact that I was American (and would have been vaccinated appropriately during childhood and beyond) and that tuberculosis is nearly non-existent in the U.S.

It was a beautiful drive to Bourg-en-Bresse. The heat and humidity has disappeared for now—it was all sunshine and blue sky. On the way to Bresse, we drove past fields upon fields of sunflowers saluting the sun. On the drive home we stopped in Cerdon and visited a cave to taste some of the rosy champagne-like wine. The vitner was incredibly nice and funny. Like many French, he is living the dream and is passionate about his work. I took a bunch of photos of the cave and the sunflower. As you can see in the photos below, the vineyards are set in the mountains.

Even though it's been hot, I've been cooking after getting home from a long day of classes: pad thai with shrimp, marinara with meatballs, chilled cucumber soup (no heating required for that, thank goodness, and tonight, I'm marinating some Chinese red roast pork to grill tomorrow. If there's any leftover roast pork, I will use it to make fried rice. R is a good eater and not overly picky, which is great, because I get to cook and experiment as much as I like. He is such a love, eating everything I make, even recipes that don't come out quite right. For instance, pork Morrocan style with honey and olives. I knew it was a bad combination in the middle of the cooking process but I couldn't turn back or throw it out. I tried a little at dinner, but god bless his heart, R tried at least half of it.






En route to school, we also drive by fields upon fields of sunflowers. In French they are called turnesols because they turn in the direction of the sun at different times of the day. Isn't that just beautiful and poetic? The tournesols are turned into cooking oil, tournesol margarine, and probably other things too.

Time traveling to the Medieval Ages

Since 1996 three small hamlets have been staging an annual Les Grandes Medievales d'Andilly near Geneva. What started out as an experiment for the villagers to work together has turned into one of the biggest festivals in France. The fête operates with over 1,000 volunteers.  

I'm impressed by how well-organized it is—and the festival's environmental friendliness. Instead of disposable plastic cups, it costs 1€ for a commemorative plastic cup which is necessary to get drinks everywhere in the medieval village. In place of plastic utensils, only one set of wooden fork/knife/napkin is given with every purchased meal. Extra napkins are available but you have to ask for them..so there's no greedy grabbing. Even the toilets are green—instead of disgusting portable potties, the village has built "dry toilets" which have no running water. To my surprise, they don't smell bad at all because they use hay/straw as natural deodorizers. Then they use what's in the toilets for compost!?!

After parking our car on a sloping grassy meadow R and I walked up and through another meadow. We're now in the forest and everywhere we look are village people dressed up in medieval costumes. I see a knight, and a monk. Then a blacksmith and a farmer. Ladies in waiting. Children dressed up as townspeople. I feel like I've walked into 13th century France—and life is good here. All the buildings (except one) are wooden structures with thatch/hay roofs. Nary so much as a piece of plastic anywhere. Tables, benches, everything is mostly wood.

Food is simple and good—sausage with rustic bread and a large potato. Followed by crêpe chocolat, then strawberry and chocolate/vanilla glace, ice cream. In the evening, we settled down to a dinner of pork shoulder with lentils and bread. As evening settled in, we warmed ourselves up with hot tea and cider while watching the minstrel show.

Andilly was super fun—the costumes and scenery were authentic. The roaming musical groups got me dancing. At the falcon show, I saw an eagle and falcons about five feet away and they flew right past me, flapping their giant wings overhead. At the farm, I drank fresh raw milk and petted lambs, calves, and cows. I cooed at chickens living among the bunnies. At the parade and the grand finale, I clapped my hands and cheered for the good knights and booed the evil ones.

At Home

It's a nice drive up to our house—we take a small windy road from town to our village, and then a left turn onto our small private lane which leads to the house and large stone-paved driveway. With all the rain we've been getting, we're growing a garden of weeds and grass in between the stones. The moss is also threatening to take over.

While I love to garden, I loathe weeding because weeding is the opposite of growing something good to eat! While I cursed the state of the driveway (and weeded), R used the high water pressure jet to clean the stones and border wall in the driveway. After working outside for many hours, we were famished and ate a big lunch—grilling outside is wonderful and I hope to BBQ more this summer. Today we grilled pork and chicken marinated with my homemade Teriyaki sauce, a nice steak, prawns, onions, potatoes, and tomatoes. 

After lunch, I ran inside to clean up so I could Skype with my sister, brother in law and nephews. I was "seated" with them at the table while they had their breakfast. The video quality was much better this time, so it was a nice experience. I even played peek-a-boo with nephew A just like I was there...except I couldn't pick him up after to give him a kiss. Nephew I said "You could come back to Boston now." I miss my family and can't wait to visit them soon.

After dinner R and I tried to visit neighbor P who helped plow our vegetable garden. When we were greeted by their three-legged dog Oxanne, we knew they weren't home. Instead we took an evening stroll, past the cows in the meadows. It was 20:30h and still daylight as the crickets started singing their evening song.

Tomorrow R and I are driving to Germany for my friends' J and M's wedding. Have a good Sunday.