Paris/Amsterdam - March 18 & 19

We went to the Waterlooplein Flea Market which was awesome!  Just what I was hoping for.  Not too big, so you can walk the whole thing and get an idea of prices before buying.  Cute hippie stuff.  And a frites stand frying them to order.  I heart Waterlooplein!

Wendy and I bought some fabulous skirts that will be the envy of all at the next music fest, and incense, and pillow case covers, and a tapestry...a bunch of stuff.  Mata got a ring and something for mum.  It was just a great variety of things for sale at pretty good prices.

After the market we caught the New Amsterdam Free Walking Tour (yup, same company does both).  We didn't enjoy our tour guide in Amsterdam, Mason, as much as we liked our Paris one, Alex.  Mason seemed a bit condescending, especially to the others, and pretty darn hung over.  To be expected, I guess.  As we walked the city I noticed how few windows had curtains, and you could look into people's homes...and what a great sense of design people employed in decorating their homes.  More beauty, everywhere you looked, but funkier, rather than classic like Paris.  And cats, everywhere!  If you're into that kind of thing :)

After the tour we headed back to the Satellite Sports Cafe, if you can believe that.  We became regulars, sort of!  That night we had some apple flavored tobacco in a hookah at our local bar, Wonder Bar.

We left late to the airport the morning of departure, and through assorted delays and mishaps (don't let your travel agent say it doesn't matter that your name is slightly misspelled, because it does) we ran through the airport and made it onto the plane about 20 minutes before takeoff.  The flight was overbooked but after a few tense moments we all got seats, and then the rest was easy sailing.

At home I really noticed how there is so much empty space, just a really inefficient use of space.  And everything seemed so baked and dull.  Oh, well, it's home.  My apartment was delish to return to.  Went to Home Depot and blew some of the money I didn't spend in Europe on some plants, herbs and such.  My balcony is not too sunny but I'm hoping they'll do all right.  I planted herbs instead of flowers because, if I'm going to take care of plants, they'd better earn their keep!

Paris/Amsterdam - March 16 & 17

The 16th was a travel day, from Paris to Amsterdam.  On our last walk around the Paris hood we stopped in a French Hallmark type store where the shop owner had her English bulldog with her - eating a baguette!  So cute!  We did some last minute shopping at the Paris airport (surprisingly, we did little shopping in Paris and actually all came in under budget for spending money on this trip) and tried some Chicken and Thyme flavored chips and Bolognese ones.  Those crazy Europeans!  The in-flight safety video British Airways  plays was very well done and informative...we actually learned something!  Kudos to the Brits!

We got the I Amsterdam card at the airport, which gives you free public transportation and free admission to many museums.  Again, we used the hell out of the free public transportation feature, at least.  We had some quaint notion that we would be walking less in Amsterdam, since the trams are so convenient.  Well, they are but only once we figured some things out...and some things we were still figuring out the day we left.  The bus driver (*Note: when leaving the airport, take the 195 bus to Lelylaan tram station) took the opportunity to give us his opinion on the Moslem immigrants to Amsterdam.  I say, no comment.

We dropped Yoli and Z at their hotel, then walked to ours.  With our backpacks.  Because someone told us it was a fifteen minute walk.  It may have actually been only fifteen minutes, but time is relative when you are carrying a heavy pack on your back.  We did get to see the mini Red Light District right in our own neighborhood.  How convenient.  We met up with the girls for a quick dinner at one of the many falafel places in the city.  I really liked how "fast food" there is prepared to order.  Thank goodness for all the exercise they get there, cause everything is fried.  But good, if not authentic Dutch food.  I had Shorma, which included meat carved off a huge hunk impaled on the counter (goat?) and was slathered in some tasty creamy garlic sauce.

The next day we very self righteously got up early and headed over to the museums, the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh museum (free admission with the I Amsterdam card).  We then ended up at an Ach Emm near a sport bar; I had more success in the store this time, and we ate lunch at the Satellite Sports Cafe.  Hey, we didn't name it.  I had spaghetti with Bolognese sauce (there's a trend, there) cause I was craving carbs and we had beer...we really just loved the place, and didn't want to move, ever.  Funny how at home I want to split as soon as I eat but on my trip, I just wanted to sit around and veg after my meal.  How very civilized of me.  We loved our waiter (holla!) who was charming us with his ready wink until we realized it was most likely a facial tic.  We never win lol  Awesome fact: the drinking age for soft liquor is 16 and up, and for hard liquor is 18 and up.

So, Amsterdam.  For some reason, the city makes me wonder about statistics.  It's just so extreme, here.  Bicycles everywhere (nearly 30 percent of all commuters travel exclusively by bicycle) makes me think, what's the average commute time?  You see almost no children - what's the population growth rate?  Crossing the street is insanely dangerous - how often are there accidents?  So many people, milling about, at all hours - what's the unemployment rate?  The smell of pot everywhere and people drinking beer on the street, on trams, boats - what's the rate of addiction?  In the Red Light District I wondered, who the hell actually does that?  In a purely practical sense, paying 50 Euro for 15 minutes, and you have to undress, shower, get hard, cum, and be ready to go in that time...I'd rather jerk off, I think.  The food - how much heart disease is there?  I mean, they have chocolate sprinkles for toast!

We did a free canal tour that was part of the I Amsterdam package, then went to the Red Light District, and were more impressed by the swans than the hookers.  We ate at New York Pizza and Wok to Walk.  Pretty self evident meal choices.

Nice full day!  We definitely made better use of time in Amsterdam.

Paris/Amsterdam trip - March 14 & 15

The free breakfast at the hotel was glorious!  So good we snuck Yoli and Z in to have it :)  They had a traditional English breakfast, fruit, a bunch of pastries, breads and croissants, cereal, cured meats, cheese (fancy ones!), coffee, espresso...and the stewed tomatoes was one of the best things I've ever put in my mouth.  I ate breakfast super early after finishing up on the Internet, then went back to sleep...we all slept until 10am, and we missed the 11am New Paris free walking tour.  This pretty much threw our whole day off.  We got to the site where the tour meets, hoping to catch Yoli and Z...all we saw was what appeared to be the tour group, off in the distance.  So we walk-ran to catch up, and after fifteen sweaty minutes gave up.  We took the 1pm tour instead, and it was great.  History in snack form.

It was a Sunday so pretty much everything was closed.  We tried to find an H&M (which the French call, "ach emm") but nada.  Or, rien.  We headed back to the hotel; I got a ton of smokes at a tabac nearby and we got dinner and a couple six packs of French Beer, 1664 and something else, at the grocery store.  We hung out in the hotel, drinking and eating, and slept like babies.

The next day we determinedly got up via wake-up call and went to the Pere Lachaise Cemetery, where Jim Morrison is buried.  We saw his grave and I got a new Facebook profile picture; I don't know which of the two is more important.  We then headed over to a French Flea Market, Marche aux Puces de Saint-Ouen, which was a total bust.  The affordable part resembled Hialeah, and the rest was an expensive antiques market.  More metro trips led us to the Moulin Rouge, which we weakly photographed and then got back onto the Metro.  God, we used the hell out of that metro card.  Definitely a good value.

Tired.  Tired.  Taking pictures of outsides was all we could manage, being tired and cheap.  We went to a lot of places in Paris, just not in them.  At least we were all in agreement that, that was the way to go.

Wendy had a boot mishap and Mata was suffering in her shoes so we went to the mall to get sneakers for the two of them.  There we saw an Ach Emm but it was a bust, extremely picked over and busy.  I got nuthin', and shock waves ran through the earth as a result.

We ate dinner at a French Friday's called Hippopotamus (Hippo, if you're down like that).  Apparently well-done meat is unheard of in France.  There was a blood bath on Mata's plate by the time she was finished, and Wendy had to send hers back...not that it came back any more cooked, just more charred on the outside.  It's as if they cook with blow torches.

We began our love affair with frite sauce in Paris and it continued through to Amsterdam.  It's either mayo, or flavored mayo, that you eat with fries, and it was the thing to do in both places.  If you want to know how this tastes, just come by any of our homes for a bit of authentic frite sauce we bought in Amsterdam and yes, carried all the way home.

Paris/Amsterdam trip - March 12 & 13

We are here!  Here being, the Holiday Inn - Bastille, bitches!  Man, French keyboards are crazy!  They move just a few crucial keys enough to make you think you've lost your mind.  Anywho, Wendy, Mata and I got to the airport rushing but the flight was delayed, anyway; we ended up leaving at 6:30pm instead of 5:15pm.  The good part is that it shortened our layover in NY to almost nothing.  There was a cute group of French teenagers with a flight delay, sleeping in a pile on the floor like puppies.  Actually, we'd be there at MIA still, lying on the floor reading, if Wendy hadn't had the smarts to check and see if the gate had been changed.  The crappy Delta flight to NY's LaGuardia airport was both lame and sad, as can be expected (doll-sized portions of pretzels, peanuts or biscotti - I hardly fly and it's exactly what I got last time) but dinner on the Air France flight from NY to Paris's Charles De Gaulle airport was something else - the menu (ahem):

Salmon with couscous
Chicken fricasse with herbed mashed potato
Cheese
Bread
Raspberry orange cake
Rice pudding

By far the best airplane food I've ever had.  You hear the French take food seriously, but when you are there you really see it...take their school lunches, for instance...

The airport in Paris was deserted and we walked right through...I still think we missed an immigration step somewhere but, oh wells!  Someone left a big, silver, men's ring at the security checkout which I promptly co-opted, thinking it was some kind of omen.  As I put it on I imagined that it was the symbol of membership in some secret, arcane group and some crazy adventure would befall us because I was wearing it a la Da Vinci Code but so far, nothing.

After a minor SNAFU (the first of many involving public transportation) where I kept trying to put my receipt instead of the train ticket in the gate until the first of many nice French people helped me out, we got to the hotel.  The room was tres chic but we were a trifle bemused, wondering how the three of us were going to sleep in the not-so-big bed, when Wendy discovered the Murphy bed: I promptly claimed it since I have a debilitating inability to sleep near other people.  Mata's friends Yoli and Z met us at our hotel.

Then we started walking.  We saw the Notre Dame as the sun was setting (we got to our hotel room at 4:30pm so we started late) and then the Eiffel Tower at night;  Hmmm..I expected it to be bigger.  We ate dinner at a cute cafe, the Salle au 1er, that we selected after extensive research: we were hungry, it was the first place we saw, and it was cheap.  The place had a prix fixe menu, a three course meal for 8.50€.  I had the Pate de Compagne (it was pork liver, haters), Steak Grille, and Mousse Chocolate.  By far the best part was the appetizers; I never get to have pate and Wendy loved her green soup and finished Yoli's.  The smidgen of steak was nonspectacular, the fries indifferent, the vegetables overcooked but flavorful.  The chocolate mousse redeemed the adequate dinner but I can't complain; I spend more than that on lunch all the time.

Got back to our hotel room a little before eleven.  We tried to grab a six pack of sucky French beer but the market didn't sell beer after nine (Sad face!  Sad face!)  A lot of people speak English but a lot don't, of course, and communicating complex thoughts is tough (Not, can I have a cigarette, or, where is the closest place to purchase cigarettes but, what is the cheapest place to buy the several packs of cigarettes I have been commissioned to bring back home?)  We did good, we only spent 49€ our first day, and 28.50€ was for train passes and fares.  *Note: buy your multi day train pass at the airport!

We got to the room and promptly passed out...then I got up at 5am and came down to the Internets to let the others sleep.  I am getting sleepy again, though...then, free breakfast at the hotel and our new day begins.  I hope to catch a walking tour today, and go to the flea market (why else did I come lol), the Champs Elysse, the catacombs, the cementery where Jim Morrison is buried, anf hopefully get to H&M (it's not really an option).

The weather at night is pretty chilly but the days are completely doable...and everything, everything, is absolutely gorgeous: the buildings, the winter-bare trees, the clothes, the signs...everything.  It's impossible to choose particular sights to photograph.  Every step and every view is equally lovely, from the impressive cathedrals to the charming bakery displays.  Everything is touched by a graceful hand.  Spring here with everything in bloom must be spectacular.

Lime Fresh Mexican Grill

I can't concentrate, the Lime Fresh Mexican Grill website is playing that Black Eyed Peas song I like so much, Boom Boom Pow.  I was going to be pretty hard on them but now, I've lightened up.  Such is the power of palatable packaging for your product.  Anyway... ate lunch there with the beach crew.  Had a veggie quesadilla.  It was ok, but, anything that tastes like I could have made it (and may have made better) is no great shakes.  The predominant taste was hardly cooked onion.  The good part is that the food for four people was just under $40.  It is a pretty spot to have lunch; it's got covered outdoor seating that is bearable even during the summer, and really polite staff.  My favorite part of eating there is their salsa bar.  Their salsa verde is awesome, and I could eat their pico de gallo with a spoon.  And I do.  Oh, and I love their Corona salt and pepper shakers...Wait, let me restart the song...

Ok, went to the Asian Culture Festival at the Fruit and Spice Park in Homestead.  Let me start by saying that there is no reason whatsoever to go to this park unless there is a festival going on.  Unless you're an amateur botanist or something.  And, there's no reason to go to the Asian Culture Fest unless you want to eat.  But if you do, then, by all means...I was kind of broke so I just had Thai iced bubble tea and Thai donuts.  Thai donuts are the culinary equivalent of holding a freshly bathed infant: soft, sweet, indescribably delicious, all the way down to your bones...Evil G had some pad thai and JC just stuck to beer-Chang-which wasn't as awful as some Asian beers are and had really cute bottle caps with elephants on them...which we saved for the Beer Christmas collection.  The line at the coconut puffs stand was super long; wish I'd tried them.  There was really just a huge selection of food choices there, definitely the best food court I've ever seen.  The stands selling little trinkets and such also had very nice choices to blow your dollars on.  I got my very first plant for my balcony, a red romaine lettuce.  I prefer to grow plants that earn their keep, ya know?  I think the highlight was the cute little girl singing this, karaoke, which totally outshone the original version.  Love! love, love...

Leaving on my trip in two days!

Lifefood Gourmet

One great thing about not living in the boondocks (like Kendall or Westchester, otherwise known as Suburbia) is that you are within walking distance of at least some shops and restaurants. It's green, it's healthy, and I really just like taking a walk. Went to Lifefood Gourmet with JC for lunch yesterday. I led us on a zigzag path through the back streets of the Silver Bluff area...to admire the homes and extend the walk, and also because I got a wee bit lost.  Only I can get lost 6 blocks from my apartment.  The first thing we noticed in the restaurant was the smell: I hated it, and he loved it. I guess all vegetarian places smell alike, like curry; the place smelled just like Om Garden, but that was all they had in common. Om Garden is all crunchy granola hippie (I don't think they even air condition the place) while Lifefood Gourmet is a bit more fancy pants.

I had the Nori Roll and JC had the Save the Seas sandwich. I was disappointed that they didn't have the mock tuna listed in the menu in his sandwich (the waitress, who patiently answered my multiple questions, said they don't make it anymore).  I was curious to see what sorry, bastardized mockery of fish those nutty vegetarians would come up with. My lunch was, I think, better than his. He basically had a very pretty vegetable sandwich while my roll had a little more going on with its yummers Thai Ginger dressing. The presentation was lovely (I had to send a picture to Allegra, Evil G, and Lydia) but that's to be expected; what else do hippies have but time?  Lifefood Gourmet is organic, raw, and vegetarian. If that's what you are looking for in a meal, it's a good choice. It's a bit pricey for lunch (both our meals were $40 with tip) but for a special treat it's a good idea. I won't be in a huge hurry to go back, but, I did save on gas!

At night I invited myself over to Lydia and Monger's place for delicious homemade vegetarian lasagna.  It was Lydia's first try and it was awesome!  We saw some comedy thingies, the best by far being Louis CK.  That is some funny shit, especially if you're a parent...you can totally relate.

Had a unreal day Thursday at work (I was all alone for several hours, for starters) so I decided to treat myself to lunch at this hoity toity Asian restaurant across the street, Origin Asian Bistro & Sushi.  Yes, another treat, yes, another overpriced lunch.  I just can't make my tummy behave!

I had their Spicy Tuna Tartar and a JB roll.  Twenty dollars later, I was left full but unimpressed.  The tuna tartar now ranks number one for the worst I've had.  It was just avocado, tuna, and some spicy mayo, stirred together...the chef thought I wouldn't notice he snuck the browning avocado in there, but I did, oh, I did.  It wasn't awful, but it was a dish made without love.  The JB roll was actually pretty good.  It seemed to have a pearl sushi rice in it, if that exists; the grains were tiny, and it gave the rolls a very pretty and elegant translucence.  For some reason, the soy sauce seemed the saltiest I've ever had.  I had to dip just the tiniest corner of the roll in it or it was mouth puckering. 

I have a theory that the restaurants on Key Biscayne tend to not be all that great since they don't really have to be; people would rather stay on the Key for their meals and take advantage of the fact that you can reach everything on foot.  There isn't really any competition.  I overheard some patrons here talking about the place, and saying that the service sucks lately...anyway, the temptation to go back anytime soon is not great.

Soooo...in six days I'm going to Paris and Amsterdam!  With Wendy, and Mata, and two of Mata's friends...I will have so much to write about!