The Devil in the White City

Each time I am in Paris, I pass the Grand Palais which is situated near the Champs-Élysées.  It is the traditional way to walk for some of the beautiful views of this enormous glitzy shopping street. I have never given the Grand Palais too much thought.  I always admire the building but this time, I decided to look into a bit more.

This lead me to Chicago...for those of you who have read The Devil in the White City, you will remember that the setting is The World's Fair held in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus' arrival in the New World in 1492. Chicago beat out NYC, D.C., and St. Louis for the honor of hosting.   I moved to The Netherlands from Chicago so of course this does my heart proud.  More information, read on: World's Colombian Fair.  Needless to say, Chicago had to come up with something that would wow the visitors as much as the Tour de Eiffel did in 1889.  Let's say there was a bit of competition going on...


How does the Grand Palais come in to the picture?  Well, Paris hosted another World's Fair in 1900. Paris had to come up with something that not only topped Chicago but also their own Eiffel Tower...hence the Grand Palais amongst other landmarks.

Right Bank

Right Bank Baby

I love taking pictures of people, especially the elderly...but this little boy caught our attention...he just got off the carousel and was looking ooh, so very chic.  Looks like something from Right Bank Babies, http://www.rightbankbabies.com/.

So what does Right Bank mean?   Mostly people are talking about the Seine river in Paris.  This river cuts the city into two:  The northern banks is to the right and the southern bank is to the left.  The Right Bank is associated with elegance like the

Champs-Élysées with the posh shopping and the Left Bank is more bohemian.

Of Course Sophia and I had to have our spin on the carousel in front of the City Hall of Paris (Hotel de Ville).

Hôtel de Ville, Paris

Sophia and I are taking a spin on the carousel

Pâtisserie

Pâtisserie near the Eiffel Tower

Who doesn't like a beautiful croissant?  Pain au chocolat? Hmmm....I think I gained 20 pounds just eating these beautiful creations when I lived in France during college.  My family knows I love France!  So when my brother and sister-n-law came to visit me in The Netherlands a few weeks ago, Paris was one of the cities on their list to visit.  Let's just say that they did not need to twist my arm.

Before going, I decided to ask my French friend, who recently lived in Paris, for some tips of things that she enjoyed while living in this beautiful city.  I am going to write about some of these tips in the next succession of blogs.

One important fact that she reminded me of is that a Boulangerie and Pâtisserie are protected titles in France.  Which means that not just any bakery can use it.  If you see Boulanger....close but no cigar.  It is a big difference because you can depend that all things that are made within a Pâtisserie are made fresh that day and not frozen.  Plus they must employ a master pastry chef.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C3%A2tisserie

I took the above picture of a beautiful Pâtisserie near the Eiffel Tower...the lady was shy so she turned her back but she was very pleased that I took a picture of her bakery.  I wanted to stay a bit longer and try out a few of her many treats. But the lighting was perfect for a sunset picture at the Eiffel Tower...duty called.

Kumquat Soup

I use to be a terrible cook.  Now, this statement would imply that I actually can cook now which is probably going a step too far.  I yield such high praise for those that can open up their pantry and just make something happen from the top of their heads.  Or for those that can name that obscure ingredient that they taste in some 4 star dinner. Let's just say that I do not make disastrous dishes like kumquat soup these days. Sorta had to be there (or maybe glad you were spared).  Anyway, I am enamored with grains.  Well, it is more that I like the idea of cooking with whole grains more than actually DOING it.  Do you know what I mean?

Well, I found this pretty cool website that allows you to get rid of those pantry items that have been sitting there for a while.  So all you have to do is type in the ingredients that you have on hand and voila, there is a recipe for you. Give it a try, you may find some inspiration: http://www.supercook.com/

Congested

So what does a new mom do to help her baby breathe?  After several days of struggling to use this arkane tool, I decided to go to the net to see what else is there.  Did you ever think that they would come up with these gizmos?  Really, they make an electrical nasal aspirator?!  It looks like something that de-fuzzes your wool sweaters.

I have to admit, these 'tools' seem to make a lot of sense even though it may be a little gross (come on, it is your kid, right?).  Thank goodness the laws of physics are at work here.  There is absolutely no way that anything is passing through that tube, right??  At least I hope the person that developed this apparatus paid attention in physics class because that would be some big flaw....I would say deal  breaker.

Where do you draw the line? Just how far are you willing to go for your baby?  I determined that I would risk it (if not for Sophia, for me as I need a few extra hours of sleep as this not breathing thing is taking its toll on both of us).

So I am off to buy my new and improved nasal aspirator (I chose the NasalFrida or Snot Sucker as it is marketed in the U.S.: http://www.walmart.com/ip/NoseFrida-Snot-Sucker-Nasal-Aspirator/15126393

At least the Americans are direct with what it actually does -- I did get a kick out of the name, though..made me sorta of belly laugh.  Thankfully I can buy it in the Netherlands as international shipping costs are a killer.

I was going to say, I'll give you an update as to how it works but I am guessing you probably know enough already.

Thank goodness for cauliflower soup

What are you suppose to write if you start a blog?  I must admit it is a tad bit daunting.  It is not as if I am going on some life long dream sailing adventure (check out my brother's blog http://svfieldtrip.blogspot.com/).  Although that is what got me thinking...would I like to start a blog?  Looks like fun so I got inspired by my brother and sister-n-law's site and here I am!

I will begin with the birth of our first child, Sophia.  I have decided to take some time off and enjoy being a mom.  Wow, there are so many things that they do not tell you in the books that you read about "What to Expect".  One serious question is timing it with the seasons.  Next time I have a baby, I will make sure that it is SUMMER/SPRING so we can enjoy some sunshine.  It rains a lot in The Netherlands and you are often inside in the Fall/Winter (Cabin FEVER).  But seriously, I would not change a thing.  Motherhood is an awesome privilege.  So what have I been up to?  Well, besides getting in the groove with being a parent and learning to speak her language, I have been surfing a lot on the net.  It is amazing what is out there!  A lot of really interesting people and ideas.

Right now, I am into researching Personality Types and Best Career Choices. Okay, I know I am not going back to work right now but when I do, what is the path that I want to take?  Seems like a worthwhile pursuit while I have some time on my hands.  I have been researching psychology, coaching, counseling to name a few.  Other cool sites that I am into are design blogs (with a  mom twist) like this one: /http://www.designmom.com/ 

Ok, now for the reason for the title of my blog.  It is an especially dreary day today and I made some awesome cauliflower soup from www.finecooking.com (if I may say so myself) and there is nothing more satisfying right now than to look outside in the pouring rain and enjoy homemade cauliflower soup with good 'ole Farmer's Dutch Cheese mixed in.  I call this comfort food at its best.  Did I mention, while I am eating my tasty lunch, Sophia is propped in her chair and staring at me from her little throne.  Rain, let it rain -- as I have my soup & sweet smiles from our cooing daughter...what more do you need?