Fall Recap

It's hard to believe it's December! It seems like the fall has just flown by, and I haven't done a very good job of writing posts of the fun things I've been doing in Paris, so it's time for a quick recap!

A Hunting We Will Go...for Mushrooms!

Quite a while ago now, I went on a mushroom {and chestnut} hunt in the forests outside of Paris. Despite getting poured on, it was a fun and informative afternoon. I now understand why mushrooms are expensive in the markets..they are difficult to find! After several hours, this was my total haul! Lillian wrote a much more extensive description of our outing, check it out!

Books, Books, Books

Since Nick's been gone quite a bit for work this fall, I've gotten into a major reading kick. I've also discovered the American Library's monthly book sale. {Again, I'm amazed how many things I continue to discover.} I've been stocking up on some some books on my must-read list for 1-3E each!

The French book club I'm in continues to grow now that it's on Meetup. After last month's event, we ended at an underground bar playing jazz music. Given that I was reading a book about Zelda Fitzgerald at the time, it was very fitting, and I could imagine them frequenting a location just like it. Of course, about 20 minutes later, the mood was broken with "oldies" music, which for some reason brought out some table dancing from the Frenchies!

Baking Fun

Of course fall means, baking with pumpkin time! I made my fair share of pumpkin goodies, but I also got to teach a Halloween baking class during school holidays for 10 kiddos through my after school job. It was a fun, but messy, three days of cookies and cupcakes!

Can you guess which one was a kiddo's baking? :)

A PINK Eiffel Tower

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month, for one day, the Eiffel Tower was lit up in pink and purple hues. It was a very unique experience for Madame Eiffel but made for some beautiful pictures!

Rugby Match

We were able to catch another rugby match again this fall, courtesy of Saipem's box. While I didn't take nearly as many pictures as last year, it still never ceases to amaze me the differences in American vs. French sports. The food was amazing once again. France lost again, although scored a "touchdown" at the last second, but the ref said he didn't touch the ball to the ground. There was no replay or review, and the crowd seemed to take it in stride; we were shocked, as this kind of reaction would never happen in American sports!