Cassis

Meaning - black currant. Yep, I tried a flavored beer and it was quite nice. Tasted like a mix between light beer and a breezer. My beer run is soon coming to an end and I will be back to my old monk and coke :)

Farewell

We recently had our farewell party here at school. I can't believe it's already been 4 months since I'm here and it's already time to go back. Actually I go back and forth between thinking it has been too long, and that oh I just came yesterday. Funny.

Sometimes it is hard to believe that you have actually lived a dream. 

It's been so long. The colors have also changed. Sigh. 

Beer diaries 4

So after a really hectic week, I decided it was time to continue my tryst with new beer and I went down to the market to get myself some new bottles. 

Today I tried another Belgian beer. They sure do make a lot of beer out there ! This one was wheat beer - interesting is what I'd say. It tasted quite different from the ones I've tried before. And pretty light too. 

I opened the bottle with my teeth again :D 

It snowed :)

The town I live in get only rain. Rain, rain and some more rain. So when it snows, it really is a BIG deal. I missed the actual snow fall but at least I got snow :) I wished and wished for it to snow, and snow it did. Everything was white and pretty. 

Since I didn't get out of my room till much later, I made some snowmen on my window sill :) It was fun. I was super excited. 

Snow is beautiful. Except when you have to walk on slippery, icy roads. All I could think of was to try and get to the tram without slipping and falling on my bum. But it was beautiful. Just a day of snow, and I enjoyed it.

Jugaad

The closest I can ever come to enjoying Rajma-Chawal in France ----> Chili con carne ! I must be the only living person making the comparison but ya it does taste like that and I like it. 

Yummy in the tummy :) 

Recipe cards

The project at my exchange school just got interesting. We are in the final stage and get to do all nice graphic identity stuff. We have to make to set of recipe cards to go into the gift box we designed (my partner and I) so here is what we have. Can't decide what to go with, so confusing. Help much?

Le Petit beurre is a simple yet delicious french biscuit made famous by a factory right here in the city of Nantes. The first three are in the shape of the biscuit itself, which is why that outline. Feel free to try out the recipe. 

Football match in Nantes

I was so excited to watch my first football match in France. I asked a bunch of my classmates, who surprisingly were quite interested in watching it. Some had never seen a football match before o_O !!

So we arrived at the stadium, the one we pass every day on our way to college, and it was choc-a-bloc. Where did all those people come from. I didn't ever imagine it to be so crowded. There were people everywhere. And there were food stalls (more than a dozen) and wine/beer stalls (one too many) and  merchandise stalls too. Wow, the place looked transformed. I was even more excited. While we bought our tickets, food etc. I could hear people singing and cheering inside. It was going to be a fun experience.

The crowd in the stadium was quite large, though it wasn't packed. But the energy. Oh my, the energy. It was enthralling. just to sit there and watch/listen to them cheer made my day. If only I could understand what they were saying, coz it was all in French. 

FC Nantes versus Nimes ( a city I recently visited) Nimes won sadly. They played really well and had a good goal keeper. We played well too, especially in the second half of the first half. But alas. And the saddest part was that I missed the only goal Nantes scored, thanks to my lovely friends who wanted to buy food and drinks. But it was fun. It was a cold, cold night but so worth it. 

Sadly, I didn't take my camera so this is a picture taken by one of my friends. 
And here is my ticket :)

View from my window

Decided to start illustrating again. Frequently. Often. Whenever I can. Here is my first attempt after long.

Lucky finds

Nantes is full of antique shops and it is simply a treat to walk into one. A treat to the eyes that is, not so much to the pocket. The goodies range from jewels to books, typewriters to postcards, desks to binoculars and many old paintings. It is fascinating to just stop for 5 minutes and look around. 

I happened to chance upon this lovely pendant on one of my visits. Had to grab it for myself.

Waiting for the right day to wear it.

Double rainbow time

It's not every day that you get to see a double rainbow.

You should be super happy when you do. And I was :) 

Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater

So we tried making pumpkin soup a week after Halloween and it turned out to be super delicious. The pumpkins in France are rather strange and nothing like our Indian ones. It has a hard shell which is super difficult to cut. It took us almost an hour just to cut up the two pumpkins. After that it was smooth sailing. 

Here is the link to the recipe: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/7730/pumpkin-soup Do try it out, as it was really yummy. I couldn't believe that something made out of pumpkin could taste so good. 

Bon Appetite ! 

Touristy day out

Our first day as tourists in Nantes. Nantes is divided into different Quarters and yesterday we explored the Bouffay Quarter. It has these cobblestone streets (actually entire Nantes has them) and these stone buildings. It is also where the castle of the Dukes of Brittany is located. We explored all the outside areas (will go inside the museum on Sunday as it is free then) 

We then moved on to walk the streets and reached the Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul. 

It was one of the most gorgeous structures I have ever seen. I finally felt that I was in France. Someone was playing the piano inside, and when I entered I was transported to another era. 

Stained glass windows, intricate carving, candles.. oh it was just breathtaking. 

We stopped for a bite and then just strolled around the streets looking at beautiful shop windows and little antique finds. Europe is really - beautiful.

and how can I forget the pretty little cafes dotting the sidewalks... I had to stop myself from clicking a picture of each one. I just couldn't help it. They are so pretty.

It reminded me so much of "Little Brown Pen", my fav Parisian blog. 

Sigh. More sightseeing today. Just can't get enough.