Champagne in Reims, Champagne

This weekend, my British friend A and I went to Reims, a town in the Champagne region of France known for having many Champagne producers.

The train ride was pretty.

The cathedral, where several French kings were crowned, was stunning.

The cellars were cool, deep, and vast.

The champagne was tasty.

The Roman ruins were impressive.

And the folk dancing was cool.

Overall, a successful day of eating, drinking, and wandering around a different part of France!

What I'm having for dinner

A type of pasta aptly called "tiny lasagnas":

Solstice

Summer solstice, celebrated in Paris with a Fête de la Musique: bands and concerts on every corner, in museums, in restaurants.  A wonderful night walking around my city!

Chipotle In Paris

French people attempting to cook Mexican food... what could possibly go wrong?

Yesterday, one lab mates invited me to join her and a few friends at a new and exciting restaurant in Paris.  Low and behold, right next to the McDonalds, the Chipotle sign beckoned...

It all looked pretty similar to an American one...

The options were pretty similar.  They even had Dr. Pepper!  Although the menu was in French, and the service was strangely American (i.e., they were TOO happy).

The food was ok.  It was quite spicy, hotter than what I remember from the States (and I definitely got the mild sauce.)  Even the tortilla chips, plain, were hot.  Not flavored, but HOT.  Weird.  Maybe something got lost in the english-to-metric cooking conversions.

My French friends (all of whom have lived in the States and previously eaten burritos), scored the place 6.5/10, 8/10, 7/10, and 8/10.  I think it was closer to 6/10.  The food was ok.  The spice issue needs to be fixed.  The guacamole was good.  The prices were HIGH.  A burrito was 9 Euros!  And the burritos are smaller than the American ones, so you can't easily make two meals of it.  Overall, I'll reserve this place for emergency Mexican cravings only.

Chipotle Mexican Grill
20 Boulevard Montmartre
75009 Paris, France
map

Red Sox

When in Boston...

Do as the locals do!

Sadly the Sox lost, but it was a great game!!

Family

Today, I went to the place that I feel is my spiritual home to see my extended family.

From my great-grandfather, to my grandfather, to my father, to me and my brother, we all have wonderful memories of this lake and the little island that has housed many members of our family.

The weather today was a bit cool, but that meant that the lake was serene and peaceful with only the occasional boat driving by.

One of my relatives asked me if I ever get homesick, being in Paris and so far away.

The honest answer is no.  I don't get home-sick, but I do get lake-sick.  I miss this place.  And evenings like this:

Thanks, Grandpa, for making this place and this family so special.

All Good Things Must Come To An End...

 I've been there and back many times...

But at least this time, I got to wear a funny outfit with a silly hat...

And came out with the name Dr. Dawn!

My favorite things

The view from B's bedroom where I'm staying:

A view back on the MIT skyline, just like on my class ring.

Quality time with the most important munchkin in my life:

E shows me the bees that are pollinating the flowers at the Boston Nature Center.  Check out the monster PJs!  So cute!

A bunny at the BNC.

And last but not least, I picked up my outfit for Thursday...

Not quite as chic as I hoped, but I think it will be fine.  :-)

Back in Boston

Back in Boston, greeted by the same lovely weather from the last time I was here.

At least this time it isn't snow.

This morning I met up with the girls, we got pedis, hung out, and then B and I went shopping.  Now I'm having the perfect American evening, eating greasy chinese good and watching a rerun of the 2011 home run derby on TV.  Too awesome!

There's not too many things that Paris is missing, but baseball is a big one!