jmtanzella

[jmtanzella]

Quiet Mornings

August 18, 2019

God, I love quiet slow mornings so much. I had these more when I was consulting, and it’s part of why I attribute that time as being one of the happiest periods of time in my life. With the job I have now, I feel like I am always reacting and never have time for proactivity. That’s where the magic and creativity lies, though! Don’t “they” know?! Now, I feel I’m always checking to see what fire needs to be put it out now, or to see who’s freaking out about something that really isn’t that important. 

My dream is to wake up at 7, do a little work then exercise. Shower, eat breakfast and be back to work by 11. Then work hard for 6 straight hours and finish up around 5:30. Does that job exist, lol? Maybe a baker or shop keeper? 

[jmtanzella]

Warming up

August 10, 2019

Paris! Ok, I’m starting to like it as a place to live. That is a very important distinction. Of course Paris is a beautiful and romantic and wonderful place to visit, but that doesn’t mean it’s an easy or fun place to live. Day to day experiences have been hard, but I am warming up to her more and more. 

[jmtanzella]

Since moving to Paris, I stopped doing these 10 things

April 27, 2020

Now in the land of “au naturel,” I have the beautiful and confident women of Paris to thank for most of these. 

- Botoxing my forehead; I’m 36, I have foreheads lines, fuck it. But also, if I get some good sleep and drink lots of water, they just don’t look so bad.

- Waxing my eyebrows; Haven’t touched them in months, and I love them bold and kind of wild.

- Wearing dark eyeliner or very much makeup at all;

- Washing my hair every day; going on once a week now, twice max

- Fully blow-drying or “doing” my hair; messy is cool

- Wearing bras; free the nip!

- Getting Brazilian waxes; I am an adult woman. I have pubic hair. Omigosh, who would’ve thought?!

- Wearing thong underwear; carrying about panty lines over hygiene and comfort is so 2008

- Eating processed foods; quarantine has gotten me to cave a bit (because Pringles are just so damn good), but during normal life, it’s just not really a part of French life

- Dressing to match the people around me; I wear what makes me feel happy and good, when and where I want, no matter where I’m going or who I’m seeing

- Giving a fuck what people think. (Generally speaking, and in the healthy way.)

Whenever I return to the US, I sure hope I keep not doing these things, because I feel so much healthier and happier cutting these things out.

[jmtanzella]

That Sunset Walk Gave Me Life

April 22, 2020

Today was another rough day for me. After 6 weeks of this strict confinement, I am definitely feeling cooped up, restless and to be honest, a little bored and unmotivated. I’ve generally been very ok with taking this time to slow down and not force productivity, but the past few days I’ve just been bored. I want to write more or learn some TikTok dance moves, but unfortunately, the inertia of boredom has its grips on me, and I end up just sitting on the couch keeping busy doing nothing. 

I’ve seen from Instagram and Strava that the sunsets have been beautiful lately. The skies have been so clear over Paris without all the cars and pollution, and the sun is now setting over the Seine just before 9pm(!). For the past couple days, I’ve been telling myself I’ll walk down at 8:30p, but today I had no Zoom calls nor online workouts nor excuses not to. 

J went for a run at 7p, but mentioned he wanted to come with, so I waited for his return. After he quickly gulped down some food, we walked down Temple to le Pont d’Arcole and arrived just in time to see the sun setting just above le Pont Notre-Dame. Many other people had gathered, all staring to the west, either embraced with a partner, or solo, stopping their run or their walk to watch the sun in its daily unraveling. 

Let me just say that watching that sunset gave me life! I was so happy to be a part of nature’s beauty once again, and to be surrounded by humans again, and to be part of a collective moment. I just wanted to yell out “Humans, isn’t this beautiful?!” I felt like a normal person in normal life again. It wasn’t this magical moment during which I had an epiphany or felt all my anxiety melt away, but I did feel, which is a contrast from the “blah” I’ve been feeling lately. It was something so small and ordinary, but it gave me energy, and weirdly made me feel I had some purpose. What that purpose is, I still have no idea, but hey, I felt something. 

A cute older woman who was sitting on a bench resting her head on her husband’s shoulder saw us taking selfies and asked if we wanted our picture taken. Despite wondering what germs lie in wait on her fingers, J handed her his phone, and I practiced my French to answer her questions and give her some instructions. The pictures came out cute.

We then strolled over to the Pont Notre-Dame and marveled at how lovely it is to have less people out in the city. To have fewer cars on the road, fewer boats in the river and less tourists on the streets. It feels a little like we have Paris all to ourselves right now, and I love it. But in the same vein, I also miss Paris. Her energy, her lights, her people, her bustling cafes overflowing with people drinking wine, smoking cigarettes and leisure-ing. I miss being able to sit on the Seine and drink rose and laugh with friends. I love this city. I really really do.

I wasn’t sure if the Eiffel Tower was still lighting up with it’s nightly show, but we waited at the top of the hour at 9p to see if she would light up. At 9:03 the lighthouse came on, and at 9:05 the lights turned on, but at 9:07 there was still no light show, so we decided to stroll home. We stopped and got a nutella, banane et coco crêpe on the way home, and then watched the season finale of The Circle. It’s a silly show with a great message. 

Bonsoir, Paris. Je t’aime. 

[jmtanzella]

M&M Cookies: Always a good idea

April 20, 2020

 Last night around 9:45p, already a little tipsy off of €3.00 French rosé and a little high from the stale weed gummies we imported last September, J and I decided we absolutely needed to bake some cookies before starting the next Marvel movie, Captain America: Winter Soldier. Yes, a brilliant idea, and hilarity ensued. 

From the recent recipe exchange flying around the internet, I received a simple enough looking recipe from my friend Jenna for M&M chocolate chip cookies. Recipe said it took about 20 mins to prep and 10 mins to cook. “Ok, we can do that.”

Our apartment is amazing, but again the “furnished” kitchen lacks a lot in practical cookware. So casserole dishes become mixing bowls again and the only whisk we have is massive and kind of useless. Forget electric mixers or anything actually helpful for baking. 

J invented the “manual beat method” for beating the butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla. I was skeptical, but it worked pretty well. He’s a good sous chef.

We had the M&Ms because I was planning to make these at some point, but because chocolate chips are expensive here, I didn’t have any. And by expensive, I mean, the equivalent of $4.50 dollars for half of what a recipe would call for. I’m not paying $9 for chocolate chips when I can cut up a $3.00 chocolate bar and have plenty of “chips.” Plus it makes it look more “rustic.” So that is what I did. 

Oh, so also, of course I decided to make these gluten-free without even having the clarity of mind to think about modifying other ingredients. I blame the rosé. 

When we were rolling them into balls for the cookie sheet, I could tell they were a little greasy. Gluten free flours tend to be less dry than regular flour, so I probably should’ve put a little less butter in them. And since we didn’t have wax paper or a silicone baking mat, I had to grease the cookie sheet a bit 😬

Welp, 9 mins later they decided they wanted to be back together in one dough formation rather than separate cookies.

And after another 6 minutes they decided they were ready for us to cut with a pizza cutter, natch, and enjoy without cooling, double natch, while starting the movie. 

Because we polished the bottle of wine and ate 3/4 of that tray, I woke up with a little bit of a hangover and belly ache. But I regret nothing as it was a super fun night filled with giggles and a little kitchen creativity with J. 

[jmtanzella]

Recipe: Cheese, Peas, Pesto and Pasta

April 13, 2020

Ingredients:

Green Colored Pea Pasta*

1 Zucchini, sliced into half moons

1 bunch of Broccolini

1 bag of Frozen or Fresh Peas

2 tbs Olive Oil

½ cup (or more!) Pesto**

Fresh Basil

Red Chili Flakes

½ cup (or more!) grated Parmesan Cheese

*Pasta: The pasta doesn’t have to be green, it just makes it more on theme and visually pleasing. I love this pea pasta I found here because it is high in protein and gluten free.

For any dish with pesto AND veggies, I recommend fusilli, penne, or a pasta with grooves in it that will hold the pesto better. You can def use a long pasta like fettuccine or spaghetti, but you won’t have the perfect ratio of pasta to pesto to veggie per bite.  

**Pesto: You can make your own or you can get pre-made in the store. No judgment. If you get premade, I recommend one with ricotta or parm in it as it will be creamier and better for a sauce. Here is a great basil pesto recipe.

If you make your own pesto, do so before you start the rest of the recipe. You can always freeze the leftovers or add them to eggs the next morning or to a sandwich for lunch the next day.

Instructions:

Fill two separate pots with the appropriate amounts of water for peas and pasta, respectively. Place them on stove and bring them to a boil

While the waters are heating up, chop and prep the zucchini and broccolini

Zucchinis should be cut into ½ inch thick discs, and then cut in half to resemble half moons

Broccolini should be cut lengthwise down the middle. The stems can be trimmed down too, but keep them and cook them too

Once the waters are boiling, add the peas and pasta to their respective pots. Cook according to respective packaging: pasta usually 9 mins, peas usually 5 mins

Heat olive oil, salt and pepper in a high walled skillet or pan on medium high heat.

Add broccolini and stems to the pan and cook for about 4 mins. They should still be a little firm

Add zucchini to the pan, adding more oil if necessary, you don’t want anything getting too browned. Cook for another 4 mins

At this point, the peas and pasta should be finished and drained. It’s ok for them to hangout in their sieves

Turn the skillet heat down to medium-low

Add peas, pasta, pesto and ¼ cups of grated parmesan to the broccolini and zucchini.

Stir together on medium-low heat for about 2 mins. This will reheat the pasta and peas and evenly distribute and coat everything with pesto

Serve with grated parmesan, fresh basil and red chili flakes on top

[jmtanzella]

Recipe: Fancy Shakshuka

March 27, 2020

Ingredients:

3 cans (around 400g each) of crushed tomatoes (can be plain or fire-roasted)

1 white onion, diced

1 red pepper, diced

1-2 cloves garlic, minced or chopped

½ tsp paprika or chili powder

1 tsp cumin

½ tsp red pepper flakes

5-6 eggs

Optional: 2 tbs tomato paste

Optional: 1 can of chickpeas, strained and rinsed

Optional: 1 avocado

Optional: Micro greens or mâche or spinachOptional: Feta cheese to crumble

*I highly recommend all these optional ingredients. It makes it more complete. But this can totally be done with the bare minimum.

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375°F**

In a walled skillet/pan on the stove, salt and cook the white onion and diced red pepper in oil until the onion is translucent, about 5 mins on med-high heat

Add the garlic, tomato paste, cumin, paprika, and red pepper flakes. Cook for 1-2 mins, stirring so it doesn't burn

Pour in the crushed tomatoes with their juices and add the chickpeas, give it a good stir to homogenize all ingredients

Bring to a simmer for about 12 mins, it will start to thicken, which is good, no need to stir much during this time

Create little divots in the tomato mixture with the back of a spoon. These are where the eggs will go

Crack the eggs directly into the divots, you can usually fit 5-6 eggs in a regular large skillet

Transfer to the oven and bake for 8-12 mins, depending how "done" you like your eggs.

Top with micro greens then avocado then crumbled feta then black pepper et voila!

Enjoy with crusty bread, toasted pita or rice!

**If you’re skillet won’t fit in the oven, you can always finish this on the stove. Just put a lid on the skillet once you put the eggs inside. Cook time will be a little less than 8 mins, but again, it’s dependent on how well you like your eggs.

[jmtanzella]

Recipe: The French Baguette

February 18, 2020

In this recipe we use the “autolyse method,” which will make the dough more workable as it allows the gluten in the flour to absorb more water and become more supple. Many bakers say it also gives it a better tasting, fluffier baguette.

Ingredients (Make 4-6 medium sized baguettes):

500g All-Purpose flour* (4 cups)

330g Water (1⅓ cup + 2 tbsp)

10g Fine salt (½ tbsp)

10g Fresh Live Yeast** (about 2 tsp)

*The flour used in France for baguettes is “French Tradition” T65 flour. It isn’t widely available in the US, so All-Purpose flour should be used instead. If you do have access to fancy flours, you should definitely get your hands on some T65 and bake baguettes with it!

**If using active dry yeast, use at 50% of the weight of fresh yeast. If using instant dry yeast, use 40% of the weight of fresh yeast. For this recipe you can use 1 tsp of dry yeast.

Ideal Set-Up:

Pizza stone on middle rack of oven

Cast iron skillet or large pan on the bottom rack of oven

Instructions:

Measure out water making sure it’s warm / room temp and not cold

Sift flour into the bowl of a stand mixer and add water. Knead the flour and water together for 2 minutes on low speed (Min-1). After 2 mins, the dough will be “shaggy,” meaning it’s a little lumpy and sticky, but there are no pockets of dry flour. It’s all mixed together, but don’t expect it to be smooth

Keep the shaggy dough in the beater bowl and cover the top of the bowl with plastic film. Let dough rest for 45 minutes at room temperature

After 45 mins, add the salt and yeast, and knead for 5 minutes on low speed, then for 7 minutes on medium speed. Remember to scrape down the sides of the bowl so all flour and ingredients are well incorporated

The dough should be smoother now. Shape the dough into a large ball (yes, it will still be sticky), and keep the dough in the mixer bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap again and let rise for 1 hour at room temp. Once during that hour, “knock the dough back” by gently pressing your fingers into the dough to push out the air bubbles

During this hour, set-up and heavily flour your “couche” if you have one. If you don’t have one, you can create your own by heavily flouring several stiff dish towel and creating ridges which will keep the dough snug and in its desired shape while rising

At the end of the hour, flour hands and remove the risen dough ball from the bowl. Ensure all air bubbles are out of the dough by knocking it back one final time

Weigh the dough out into 60g pieces

Fold and shape the pieces into rounded rectangles by first flattening the dough to a oval, then folding the top edge to the center line, the bottom edge up to the same center line and sealing by pressing with our fingertips on the inner seam. Rotate 180° and repeat a few more times to elongate the dough

Place seam side down onto the couche or homemade couche and let rest for 15-30 mins

After the resting period, reflour your hands and the workspace and begin shaping the baguettes. Repeat the folding and elongating process a few more times.

Finally, with the seam side down, cup your fingers and gently roll the dough into a log. Start with your hands in the middle and gradually move them to the outer edge of the baguette as you roll to create the tapered, pointy ends. Roll them out an inch longer than you’d like, about 13,″ to account for shrinkage

Place shaped baguettes with the seam facing down back onto the couche or a lightly greased parchment lined baking sheet. Cover with the other side of the couche, or another dish towel, or a sheet of lightly grease parchment paper

Allow to proof for 45 minutes to 1hr. Afterwards, they should look less dense and more marshmellow-y 

Place pizza stone on middle rack and empty cast iron skillet on bottom rack of oven. Preheat to 480°F

Gently transfer proofed baguettes from couche onto to a clean parchment paper to cook on the pizza stone, or keep on the parchment lined baking sheet if you don’t have a pizza stone

Score the top of the dough with a razor or sharp knife by cutting 3-4 diagonal cuts across the top of the baguettes

Next, load the baguettes into the oven. If you’re baking on a pizza stone, use a baker’s peel to transfer the baguettes, parchment and all, onto the hot stone. If you are using a parchment lined tray, place into the oven on a rack above the cast iron skillet  

Before closing the oven door, immediately, but carefully, pour water from a pitcher into the hot cast iron skillet and close the oven door to capture the steam inside. This will create the perfect crisp on the outside of the baguette

Bake for 18-24 minutes until golden brown

Remove from the stone by pulling the parchment paper with the baguettes on top onto a baking tray

Let cool on a rack for a bit, and enjoy while warm!

[jmtanzella]

Recipe: Olive and Tomato Confit Focaccia

February 19, 2020

This is the best focaccia I’ve ever had. Hands down.

Ingredients:

3¼  cups of Cake Flour (French Type 45)

½ cup Olive Oil

2 tsp Fresh Yeast

2½ tsp Fine Salt

2¾ cup Cold Water

¼ cup Black Olives, pitted*

¼ cup Confit Tomato or Sundried tomatoes

2½ tsps Herbes de Provence Blend

*When you get olives, try to get the Greek kind, not the classic round black ones we put on our fingers growing up

Instructions:

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine flour, olive oil, yeast, salt and cold water. Beat on low speed (min or 1) for about 10 minutes

Slice the olives in half lengthwise, the tomatoes into threes. Add to the dough. Combine by mixing on low for about 1 min. Until all ingredients look well combined

Transfer into a 9x9 or 10x10 metal frame on a baking tray or baking pan and stretch the dough with your fingers so it goes all the way to the edges and corners of the frame          

Cover with plastic wrap and let proof** for 2 hours (See bottom                instructions for proofing)

Preheat oven to 450°

Brush on a generous amount of olive oil. Feel free to use your fingers to push into the dough creating more dimples and more places or olive oil

Cover with Herbes de Provence blend

Bake in oven at 450° for 20 mins until golden brown. Put the broiler on high for the last minute to get the top even more nice and crispy

As soon as it comes out of the oven, brush the focaccia with some olive oil so it shines. Add a few fleur de sel flakes on top as well if you have them.

** Two Methods to Proof at Home:

Cover with plastic and place in a sunny spot which can get to about 80°

Fill a separate baking pan with 3 cups of boiling water. Place in the bottom rack of an oven and place the bread to proof on the rack above it. Turn oven to 50°

[jmtanzella]

Assembling lemon and almond cream macarons, raspberry Charlotte, tempered chocolate

[jmtanzella]

Recipe: French Twist on an American Classic

January 27, 2020

Ok, let’s just start by mentioning the way the French pronounce “cookie.” It’s probably the most adorable thing I’ve ever heard, and definitely my favorite thing to hear Frenchies say. It sounds like “koo-kee,” with the emphasis on both syllables. I have searched the internet for a sound byte to link here, but haven’t found one... yet. 

Every time Chef says cookie, I just smile. And today I smiled a ton, not only because I got to hear a bunch of French people say “koo-kee,” but because we got to make them too! Not surprisingly, like most things the French do, they have taken the All-American chocolate chip cookie and fancified it. And let me tell you, it’s one of the best damn cookies I’ve ever had. It gives Specialty’s cookies in SF a run for their money. Seriously. It also received rave reviews from all my expats friends here too. They’re cripsy on the outside, chewy in the middle, decked with gianduja, carmelized pecans and fleur de sel. What else could you possibly want?!

Read on for the recipe:

Ingredients (Makes 10 Cookies):

2 sticks + 1½ tbsp Unsalted butter

1 cup Brown cane sugar

Optional: 2 tbsp Granulated White Sugar

1 tbsp Hazelnut paste (or hazelnut butter, nutella, chestnut creme)

1 Whole Egg (large)

1 Egg White (large)

2½ cups All-Purpose Flour (T-55 flour in France)  

1½ tsp Fleur de Sel

½ tsp Baking Soda

1 cup Dark Chocolate chunks

1 cup Milk Chocolate chunks

Optional: ½ cup sliced Pecans

Directions:

Soften butter to room temp, or warm in a microwave until slightly melted, but not fully liquid. Add to the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment

Add sugar(s): brown cane, and if a sweeter cookie is desired, add the granulated white sugar. Mix on low (Min-1) until the mixture is soft and smooth, a few minutes

Add hazelnut paste (at room temp or slightly warmer in a microwave), fleur de sel and eggs. Mix on low until homogenous, about 1 minute

Add flour and baking soda. Mix on low until homogenous, another couple minutes

Add both chocolates and mix until chips are evenly distributed in the batter

Weigh dough into 80g chunks and roll into balls. Place on parchment paper on a baking sheet. If desired, press 4-5 pecan slivers into the top of each of the cookie dough balls

Refrigerate for 30 mins. Cookie dough balls can also be stored and frozen for later use at this point as well

Preheat oven to 375°F  

Transfer refrigerated cookie balls to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a perforated Silpain silicone mat. Let the cookies sit for about 15 mins and come to room temp

After 15 mins, put tray into oven and bake cookies for 6 mins, then turn the baking sheet around and bake for another 6 mins

Remove from oven and let cool on a rack

Decorate with melted chocolate, gianduja, carmelized pecans, fleur de sel, or whatever you’d like on top!

[jmtanzella]

A real Monday

January 13, 2020

Today was a real Monday alright. I guess it all just started off not perfect. (And yes, as I write this I can say that I know no day is perfect, nor will every day always be the best day, but still everything just kinda kept jumping up and biting me in the butt. One thing after another after another).

My alarm went off, and my first thought was “No way, it can’t seriously be morning!” As I showered, the hot water ran out. As I left the house, I realized I left my phone inside and had to go back. As I entered the Temple Metro station, I heard a train pulling away. I had to run from the Metro station at Opera to the Ritz, quickly get through security, rush to get changed, and with one minute to spare, I realized my pants were too short and had to get new ones. 

Today in pastry was hard too. My partner is very slow and the translator we had today wasn’t as good as Alina, my normal girl. I missed a lot of stuff and when cooking time is so of the essence. So I burnt my caramel and was still chopping butter during a demo. It was just awful. 

Of course at lunch, everyone is just sitting around me speaking over me in French. It’s just so isolating. I wish there were one other person that spoke English.

We went to this Europain trade show, which was pretty boring, so I ducked out and Jump biked home. We were deep in the 15th so it was a long bike home. I wasn’t in a good mood, but I was still grateful to be in rainy, dreary Paris. 

As I reached the 6th, where we originally lived when we arrived in Paris, it brought back a lot of memories from summer. I biked passed the Basque Products store where I bought a very dry funky cider in August and that made me so happy. I biked passed the corner at St. Michel where the Tour de France came by. I remember talking a bit louder than normal hoping another American would hear my accent and we’d be friends. I remember wondering “who will our friends be here?” I biked across the Seine and remembered how absolutely perfect that part of the city is. Where the city seems to open up, the Seine is lined by a mix of medieval and Hausmann buildings, and you can see the sky. Albeit a grey and cloudy one today, still the sky, and the sky over Paris.

As I crossed over to le rive droit, on the cobblestone bridge, I was reminded of how that was my commute to work each morning. Oftentimes in a short skirt with the sun beating down on my legs and the humidity giving me a sweaty hug. And then I remembered, “hey, I had a job here!” It seems like ages ago.

As I head up Sebastapol, I remembered what it looked like in fall, still commuting to work, lined with green and yellow and red leaved trees. That feeling of “I hope I’m not too late,” or “what will today bring?” washed over me. Again, funny to think I had a job. 

It’s a comforting feeling knowing I’ve watched some seasons go by in Paris. I wish I had more; in fact, I lament for more and more. In thinking about leaving in the next several months, I look back at all those dumb arguments I had with J and they all become washed over with a more positive glow. I think that’s a good thing. I wish I hadn’t wasted that time, but I can also say, many of the arguments weren’t over small things, and much of that tension resulted in J being pushed to take a look at some of his behaviour and grow in a way that is truly amazing. 

I turned off Sebastapol to Turbigo, which quickly felt like my present life. I wished J was here for me to come home to. It doesn’t feel like home without him. I parked my Jump bike across the street and came home to just sit on the couch for a minute and let go of the day. Now, even 4 hours into the night, it doesn’t seem like such a bad day afterall. 

[jmtanzella]

Everything is beautiful

January 3, 2020

Today, everything I saw was beautiful.

A guy dancing in the street for an instagram video. the background was brightly color stores, and it was along the quay valmy.

I saw a teenager girl get mad at her dad and storm off, lil tears in her eyes. true pain and frustration on her face. her dad followed with a knowing smile. a knowing smile of age, perspective. youth these days! lol

bare trees

dead leaves

moss between the cobblestone

a woman brushing her hair outside a cafe before going inside. i wish i could say before a date. wouldn’t that be so romantic and poetic and french. who knows? maybe it was. 

the grey skies, grey buildings.

the graffiti. the street art. everything.

everything was so beautiful.

i smiled. i moved along the street to the beat of my music. a guy my age noticed. he was also walking to his own beat. we crossed paths in the crosswalk with knowing smiles. 

knowing what it’s like to find the beauty, to find the rhythm, to move to your own beat. to feel. to really feel it. 

for feeling, i am grateful. 

[jmtanzella]

Things I like about Paris

January 3, 2020

The price of wine

Fashion

Revolution

Flowerboxes

The smell of boulangeries in the morning

[jmtanzella]

Yesterday

Banshee

Bans

[jmtanzella]

Winter is coming

December 2, 2019

It’s definitely feeling more like winter, and I don’t think I’m ready for it! It’s about 35 degrees at 9am and pretty much freezing when I wake up. It’s nice to see winter a little bit, but I know I’ll be over it by January. I really don’t want it to get much colder! Right now when I walk out the door my eyes instantly begin streaming and my nose running :( How am I going to run in this too?

[jmtanzella]

Urban adventures and a familiar face

Sept 22, 2019

Today began with another urban adventure to explore the running trails just outside Paris. Last weekend, I went east to Bois du Vincennes so today, I went west to Bois du Boulogne. I picked up a Jump bike just over on Rue du Temple and then biked the 3.5 miles west to the park. I originally wanted to go in the La Muette entrance, which is about halfway up and where a 10k loop starts, but the police had shut down a lot of the major streets in the 1st and 8th near Place de la Concorde because of potential protesters. So I had to head more north than I wanted, but it did bring me by L’Arc de Triomphe, which I hadn’t seen yet since we moved.

I entered the park on the north entrance and was still able to bang out a 7.25 mile run on mostly dirt trails, around lakes, and some in more dense wooded areas.

I liked Boulogne, but I definitely like the vibe of Bois du Vincennes a lot better. I think it was a little faster for me to get to Boulogne, but I prefer Vincennes and think the trek is worth it. My co-worker Arnold actually mentioned on Friday that Boulogne is known for its sex workers, and that Vincennes had a more family friendly vibe. I didn’t see any sex workers while I was there, given that it was 10am, but I did go off on a few trails in the woods and saw lots of condom wrappers and left behind pieces of clothes. I will not be returning there any time at night.

I biked back, going a bit of a circuitous route again because of the blocked off streets, but was pleased that I could kind of figure out my own way without relying on the map. Central Paris is starting to feel familiar, and I feel like I’m learning my way around, which is really comforting and lends itself to feeling more settled. Whatever it takes to feel more settled, grounded, centered, I am all for it! Which reminds me...

Our shipment of clothes and home stuff arrives tomorrow!! Not only am I so excited to get my clothes, but I’m looking forward to getting my crystals and goddess cards. I’m definitely missing a spiritual connection to myself and the world around me, and again, will do whatever it takes to jumpstart that again. When you move and live abroad, everything can seem so tactical. You’re just executing, getting tasks done, and trying to do it with as little friction as possible. Because it’s all just kind of “doing what you gotta do to survive,” it doesn’t always allow for time and space to reconnect. So I’m excited for crystal and goddess cards and at least making an attempt to reconnect.

Speaking of reconnecting, Gina from The Assembly was in town on vacation and reached out over the Grams. We grabbed a quick cafe this afternoon at Le Voltigeur in the Marais, where they whisper sweet nothings through foam art.

It was good to chat about life, even if for 30 mins. My forms of communication in Paris have largely been work conversations or rudimentary conversations to order food, buy a metro ticket or checkout at le marché. It’s nice to talk about hopes and dreams and frustrations and life with someone who shares the same accent and knows the city, places and styles of workout I’m referring to. We talked about her vacation around Europe and her career trajectory, and we talked about my want to go to pastry and culinary school and start a new style of workout class. I love seeing how excited people get when I mention what I want to do while here. Everyone is so supportive, and it reminds my intuition and my gut that I’m on the right path. I’m still working on not only trusting my gut, but taking action on my intuition too. My hopes in telling people about my dreams for creative projects in Paris are also so there’s some accountability. I know fear holds me back, so I need all the firepower around me to keep me going. Even if they’re are acquaintances from around the world, it’s nice to feel someone support a dream. It takes the fear away a little less each time.

It stared pouring the second we left the cafe, and I pulled a J Whorley and got another bike to ride home despite the rain. Drenched by the time I got home, but still loving my new olive green jumpsuit.

And now for some creative explorations and Chef’s Table for inspiration.