Grapes and Baguettes

Hello, it appears you have come across my first blog post. Here I hope to write (in some detail) of my adventures during my gap year, starting last week, when I boarded a plane at Logan airport....

I flew AirFrance which was great because foreign airlines always offer better food. Arrived at Charles-de-Gaulle and waited there for about 6 hours until my mom arrived on a different flight, then flew to Bordeaux.
We stayed with a friend of my mom's near Bordeaux (in the country, in WINE country) for a week. It was nice to relax, take walks, go see some little villages and eat a lot of baguettes. We have "tartines" (slices of baguette) every morning for breakfast and they are wonderful!

There are vines all over the place; we only saw red grapes. the grapes are in perfect little bunches, very small and round, with dark skins. We visited a couple wineries and got to taste some wine, including "bourru," which is a 10-day old pressing of the grapes (not exactly wine). The last day we were in the Médoc (that region) the "vendanges" were starting--the grape picking! It was very cool. A bunch of workers were winding through the pebbly soil among the vines, cutting grapes and putting them in big plastic tubs on their backs. There were also some grape-picking machines, used solely for that purpose.

We also visited a beautiful 14th century abby, the Château de Cadillac and a 12th century château-turned-winery that looked exactly like a disney castle. It was great.

Yesterday mom and I took the TGV from Bordeaux to Paris, then took a bus and walked to our little apartment, where we met my dad, who was coming in from Istambul. It's quite nice, and perfect for a family of three. We're in the Marais (means swamp), right in the center of Paris, also known as the gay district and the jewish quarter. Alas, most of the clothing stores around here are for gay men, but there is a good shopping mall down the street.

Today was our first full day in Paris--we saw the Jardin de Luxembourg, which I like because of its role in "Les Misérables," the Panthéon (a beautiful 250-year old building full of famous dead people. seriously. Marie Curie, Victor Hugo, Voltaire, Rousseau, etc...), then some nice churches. We also consumed crêpes, quiche, coffee and chocolat like good french people...

The weather has been unpleasantly cool and slightly rainy, so I'm hoping to buy a hat and gloves sometime soon. Hope it gets warmer! My french is getting better, though I haven't had many chances to speak it yet. Waiters, etc. recognize my accent and speak english (usually with fantastically funny accents themselves).

Until next time,
salut!