Adventures in Gastronomy

Today is Saturday and it’s Paris Gay Pride Day. Nearly half a million people are expected to converge upon the city streets for the parade (which, very conveniently, passes only a block away).

The weather is supposed to be ideal so I will wear my Human Rights Campaign tank top with the peace symbol, heart symbol and 1970’s happy face (peace, love and happiness…get it?).

Let’s see…what has gone on since I last posted? We made it to the hammam only to find that it was welcoming only women on that day. We may try again tomorrow. Instead, we walked through the Jardin des Plantes, then along rue Mouffetard, then down to some street by a cafe Hemingway used to frequent. It was too pricey, so we ate a block away at another cafe where I had the most incredible creme brulée I’ve had in my life.

A few blocks away we went to the top of the Tour Montparnasse (59 floors…outside roof deck). From up that high you can see how “white” the city is architecturally. Colorwise, it’s quite similar to the appearance of San Francisco from the top of Twin Peaks — except in Paris, it’s actually pretty. (San Francisco consists of a drab grid pattern throughout, whereas Paris is a complex maze of streets.)

We then shopped along St Germain des Prés before returning home, freshening up, and heading out for a romantic dinner in le Marais. The restaurant was called le Gai Moulin and was amazing – the best restaurant meal of our trip. The owner/host was this terrific flamboyant gay man who ended our dining experience by kissing Mike on both cheeks then running away from us saying, “Oh, wait! I have a gift for you.” He handed us two postcards for the restaurant….one was simply a postcard of his face. I love it.

That night, we explored yet another of Paris’s bars. It was a unique experience near the Opera (Bastille).

Friday was a lazy day. I slept late while MIke went out with Mark to gather fresh ingredients for that night’s dinner. After assisting with housecleaning, Mike and I went to the tip of the Ile St Louis and sat along the river. When we returned, we did a few last-minute things to help Mark before the dinner guests arrived.

In all there were 8 of us. I had met three of them before when Mark prepared a fantastic meal in October (Christophe, Didiier, and Bruno). This time around he also invited two other men (who brought their 6 month old twins). The table setting was impeccable and I will post pictures later today….PROMISE.

The meal started off with a cold tomato soup accompanied by bread and wine. That was followed by the main course of chicken, tomato and pasta (my description makes it sounds typical, but it was anything but). If you knew Mark, you’d know what I mean.

The main course was followed by a lovely presentation of various cheeses (and bread), as well as a green salad.

Dessert, oh dessert, was the most fabulous peach custard pie I’ve ever had. OK, it was the only peach custard pie I’ve ever had. I normally hate pie, but this pie was delicious. Fortunately, he made two of them and the group only consumed one. This means that we all have an entire pie to share over the next 24 hours. I’m most pleased.

I will try to post one more time before we head off to Amsterdam on Monday. And since my camera’s memory chip is full, I expect that the new posting will also include photos. Without tooting my own horn (a skill I wish I possessed), I think these photos came out better than the ones I took last year. Perhaps it’s because I incorporated more people in them (last year I tended to focus on buildings only), but also because I may have mastered the complexities of the camera a bit more.

Toodles!

June 24th, 2006
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 2 Comments

MMM – ít’s now 10:15AM and I’m eating my Kellogs Oat Bran Cereal (avec chocolat, of course) and realizing that I’m blogging much more than I did on my last trip. Despite my last trip being planned as relaxing…this one most certainly exceeds the relaxation quotient. I guess that’s because, this time, I’ve got the luxury of more time (and, thanks to Ben and Brad last year, I have already tackled most of the major destinations).

Let’s see…what happened on Wednedsay? Afer breakfast and blog updating Mike and I spent time finalizing the Amsterdam plans. Then we walked through the Mariais to the Jewish Street (Rue de Rosiers, or something like that) and had lunch…Jewish style.

We then walked down this peculiar little street filled with el cheapo jewelry shops (think hundreds of Claire’s Boutiques from your local mall, but on a charming narrow Parisian village street).

At then we found ourselves on (or near) the Grandes Boulevards – an area I hadn’t seen it before. As the name sounds, it was a wide boulevard filled with shops – at this end, mostly low-end types of shops and American fast food restaurants (Pizza Hut, KFC, McDonalds). As we progressed in the direction of the Opera, things improved dramatically. We witnessed a mini parade of sorts in preparation for the Fete de Musique (please excuse my lack of accent marks). I’ll write more of the fete later.

After Mike bought some clothes at Benneton and some chocolate as Maison du Chocolate, we walked by the Royal British Embassy and unknowingly walked into a barricaded area with a small crowd of well-to-do people dressed to the nines. Shortly thereafter, the police offered to escort us out. Somebody important must have been there are as we soon realized the entire block was packed with police officers.

Anyway, after being shunned by royalty, we walked along the Champs Elysses toward the Tuillieries where we sat in the hedge maze thing close to the Louvre and lounged about…my head on his lap.

We walked back the Mark’s apartment picking up ingredients for that evenings dinner: fresh mozzarella bufala, fresh basil, tomatoes on the vine, a baguette, and salmon quiche.

After dinner and some Will and Grace on DVD, we ventured into the city for the Fete de Musique. WOW! What an event. Apparently, the whole country celebrates the summer solstice by partying. Music is playing everywhere and it’s as if the entire city comes out to drink and dance and have fun in the streets (think Mardi Gras without the boobies and beads).

In the Marias, nightclubs blasted music from speakers onto the street and entire neighborhoods became street parties with no room to walk or move. It’s no exaggeration that when I say the music on the streets (block after block, might add) was so loud that you could not hear each other speak. I’m talking night club loud. And all of these street festivals were in residential areas with apartments directly above.

My friend, Marin, lived in Paris for a few years and warned me how loud it was. I was expecting some violinists on streets corners and some such tranquility. But it’s actually like Studio 54 all over the place….well past 1AM (and people still work the next day). This would NEVER fly in Boston with all of the NIMBY’s bitching about the noise (even only one day per year). But I still think it’s a concept Boston should implement.

I ended up having a glass of wine and a glass ofchampage (and some ice cream) before heading home. We had intended to go back out the the bars but got caught up in a DVD and got lazy. Perhaps tonight.

Today we may head to a traditional hammam at a nearby mosque. I’m not so sure how comfortable I am with the idea, but I’m sure it will leave me some stories to tell here tomorrow.

June 22nd, 2006
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 5 Comments

Tuesday was fun. After being lazy all morning (jet lag alert), Mike and I ventured out toward the Pantheon, had lunch along what ever boulevard leads from the Pantheon to Luxembourg Gardens, then sat amongst the throngs of tourists in the garden.

Then we walked alng Boulevard St. Germain to see if we could find little gifts for our mothers. Neither of us purchased anything, but the Armani/Casa store had a lovely little dresser for only $13,600 Euros. I think we’ll keep looking. We both love our mom’s….but I think that’s too much.

From St. Germain, we walked onto Ile de la cite, then past the Hotel de Ville, before shopping along Rue Rivol (I believe that’s where we shopped…it’s were H&M, We, Bazaar de Hotel de Ville, Zara and other shops are. Mike succeeded in buying himself some fine shirts. I needed a new watch but avoided contact with all customer service people because buying a watvh would require showing them my hands and fingers which now appear like I’ve got full on lepresy.

We venture further into the Marias where we went into book shops and trendy gay clothing stores (more for the fun since neither of us is really trendy). Though, I must admit that the french love their synthetic fibers. Unfortunately, my fingers have no sensation at the moment so I couldn’t enjoy the smoothness of the items on the racks.

Around 10PM we headed out to dinner at a Morrocan place with Mark on Ile St Louis. Very good food. Then Mark retired to the apartment and Mike and I headed out to the Bear’s Den. There was an outdoor patio (packed) and inside bar (a handful of people…but the floor plan was small – not much larger than a decent sized bedrooms). Mike then directed me down some stairs which literally brought us to a space that felt like a cave with stone walls and rough arched ceilings (and a little video screen showing fat, hairy men fooling around. Another set of stairs brought us down to an even lower level of the basement where there were virtually no lights – just the occasional moans, groans and roars you’d expect to hear in a natural bear habitat.

We then went to bar called Riiado(?) which had little shower booths where twinky little men in speeedos would dance…but there were no dancers. THe place was PACKED and there was no AC so we lasted one drink before retiring home.

OH, Karn, Mike and I did take some pictures of us on one of the bridges crossing the Seine and once I feel technically motivated, I will post that – along with the others – here.

We also decided what we’re going to do for the last days of our trip before heading to London: Amsterdam. After pricing trips to Aix-en-Provence, Bruges, Nantes, Bordeau, Loire Valley, and other places, it seems that renting a car and heading to Amsterdam is the way to go. On the plus side, we’ll have to drive the Belgium so I can add yet another country to my list: France, Belgium, Netherlands and United Kingdom. YAY.

OK –  I’m not sure what’s up for today, Mike is still sleeping. After reserving the car and hotels for Amsterdam, I suspect we’ll go the Grandes Boulevards….maybe the catacombs. Most definitely we’ll end up at a sidewalk cafe since that’s about all you can do in Paris.

Au revoir!

June 21st, 2006
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 4 Comments

Here it is, day three in Paris and I’m finally blogging. Things are going very well; the weather is cooperating fabulously, Mike doesn’t want to kill me yet (unless he’s hiding it well), and Mark is being the most gracious host.

We left Boston at 6:45PM on Saturday. I wasn’t able to sleep on the flight so I managed to watch King Kong and The Incredibles in their entirety (I also didn’t take as much Ativan as I normally do to control my restlessness).

Upon arriving at the airport RER (commuter rail station) I soon realized that all of my praise for Parisian public transit efficiency was completely unfounded. There was only one agent available to sell tickets to a line that drifted out of the ticketing area and into the main terminal space. It took nearly an hour for us to get a ticket (and I get so imptatient).

We finally boarded (an express, at least) train into Paris – getting of at St. Michel (Notre Dame). I love getting out of the train here, walking up the stairs and having Notre Dame Cathedral right around the corner.

Mark welcomed us with open arms and a lovely table full of croissant, fresh pastries and fresh-squeezed orange juice. Shortly thereafter we were on the subway heading to the American Cathedral (which is by the Champs Elysses) to pick up the spare key to his apartment. We took the subway back the Marais and walked it’s streets taking in the sights.

Mike and Mark took naps that afternoon and I went down to the eastern tip of Ile St. Louis where the local gay boys hang out nearly nekkid and watch the boats go by (I was not one of the nearly nekkid, I must add). After about an hour and a half of reading and resting, I got up to return to Mark’s. On the way there, I ran into Mike and Mark (up from their naps and ready for dinner).

We went to a local creperie on Ile St. Louis before all going to Open Cafe – a little gay bar in the Marais. We tried hooking Mark up with this handsome fellow – but we all chickened out on approaching him to assist Mark. However, when we were leaving, the gentleman literally walked into me. So, I was the only one to get physical and verbal contact with him. Mark was tres jealous.

I finally got to sleep after 48 hours (YIKES) on Sunday night. I slept until noon on Monday before Mike and I began exploring Paris by foot. We spent some time in the Marais (again) and went to the Centre Pompidou (modern art museum). The lobby felt like my junior high school gymnasium – but the upper levels were interesting – mostly because of the views they afforded of Paris. As you took the glass tubed escalators up along the exterior of the building, you could see the steeples of distant churches appear (including Sacre Cour) and then the Eiffel Tour. However, only two floors of this gigantic museum were open that day. We did get to “enjoy” a little performance art video about Joan Collins and Dynasty, though.

After sitting by the Fountain Igor Stravinsky and the nearby run-down Saint Merri Church, we grabbed some food and sat on a bench in Place de Vosges to restfor an hour or so before heading to the market for groceries.

OK – I’m getting sidetracked but this simply must e said: the french love their chocolate. It’s in everything, I swear. My croissants? chocolate. Milk? chocolate. They even take our standard cereals and add chocolate. Frosted Flakes….avec chocolat. Special K…avec chocolat. I purchased Kellogs All Bran…avec chocolat. I’m in constipation heaven – but ít’s all worth it.

Last night we all went to dinner in the Latin Quarter at a place called the American Diner (an English menu and setting) before settling in and watching “Out on the Town”. Mike and I had intended to head out to a bar (The Bear Den) but were too tired.

Oh – speaking of things nocturnal….it’s day light here until nearly 11PM! It’s dusk around 10:30, but you can still see blue sky. It doesn’t get 100% dark until just after 11PM, though! YAY

Of course, none of this is helping with my jet lag.

Now it is Tuesday and we’re needing to figure out what to do. More importantly, we need to figure out what to do next week before we head up to London. We’ve got Monday thru Thursday to entertain ourselves somehow…somewhere. Mark offered to let us stay at his place and go out on day trips (or overnight trips). He’s so sweet.

And that’s where we stand now. I’ve taken a few photos so far – but not enough to warrant posting. I hope to post more regularly now that I’m settled.

I’m on vacation and too lazy to check for typos so what you see is what you get. Mwah!

June 20th, 2006
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 5 Comments

I checked in with my doctor this morning because, now that the rash is gone, I’m shedding. Seriously – I rub my torso and flakes of flesh fill the room like snow. It’s like Ally Sheedy’s dandruff snow storm from the Breakfast Club..except it’s my skin. Even worse, my hands are pealing like I soaked them in boiling water, developed blisters, and are now healing.

Lovely.

The doctor said it’s because my skin suffered major trauma from the rash and that it feels it needs to replace itself. So…I get to look forward to this continuing for the next week or so. Over the past week it’s been on my arms and shoulders. Then came the hands. And now it’s at my elbows and just starting on my legs. I guarantee there will be a 1/2 inch layer of dead skin under my seat when I disembark the plane after 7 hours tomorrow.

Oh, and I packed last night and it all didn’t fit. I’m going to have to SERIOUSLY reconsider what I constitute as necessities. I’ve already taken people’s advice about the electric toothbrush and beard trimmer. Based on the uncertainty of where we’ll be going after the first week in Paris, I’m even more perplexed. Will we go south (more shorts weather) or west or north (cooler and damper)?

I’m thinking I’m not going to bring any “night” clothes. It’s not like I plan to go to any of the hippest clubs in the city. And the fact that I use the word “hip” clearly proves that I wouldn’t fit in anyway.

So, it looks like this just may be my last daily posting until early July. I’m planning on periodically blogging from Paris (and random other unknown destinations throughout Europe) over the next two and a half weeks. But I suspect the entries won’t be daily (though I’ll try to be frequent…so keep reading). I’ll even have photos (perhaps even of my lepresy, if you ask politely).

June 16th, 2006
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 3 Comments

Oh, the drama. Mike and I leave for Paris in two days. Throughout the planning process there were concerns whether he weould be attending Oxford this summer (because of some work issues on his end). For example, despite discussing this trip as far back as February, we never ordered plane tickets until a month before the trip.

Even since then, it seems that one week he’s going to Oxford, the next week he’s not. Under either condition, we agreed that we’d go to Paris as a vacation no matter what. As of yesterday, the plan seemed final: We go to Paris on Saturday and stay for a week. He’d go to Oxford and I’d stay in Paris a few extra days then meet him in England. After a few days in Oxford, I’d spend the rest of my trip with him in London. I’d fly home and he’d take the train to Oxford and continue his studies. At other times in the planning process we considered incorporating Amsterdam into the mix. But things finally seemed, well, final.

Then…last night at nearly 10:30PM I heard from Mike. His boss offered him a substantial amount of money (on top of his normal salary) to NOT go to Oxford for the summer. Basically, Mike would change his flight and return with me at the end of the 2.5 weeks and work the rest of the summer. He could then go to Oxford again next summer to study. In the meantime, he could take a class at Harvard that would count toward his credits.

Now he’s got a day to decide what to do (go to Oxford or take the lump-sum money). It’s like Deal or No Deal without the sexy babes with briefcases. Where’s Howie Mandell?

Now I’m concerned about what this will mean for our trip. As it was originally planned, we had places to stay in Paris and Oxford. Without the Oxford dormitory, we’ll need to stay in a hotel for a minimum of 7 nights. EEK! That was an expense I’d not planned on…and an expense that will alter this trip substantially. I suspect that Mike and I will be working desperately this evening to come up with a plan (if he accepts the monetary offer).

Perhaps we’d rent a car and go to the south of France? Cannes? Nice? Aix-en-Provence? Or maybe take the train to Amsterdam? Since London is so expensive, maybe we should avoid it altogether? OI VEY! – I’ve never been a good one with stress. I always plan things with such detail; similar to my spreadsheet of previous sexual experiences, I create them for vacations, too. At this rate, this spreadsheet is going to contain dozens of workbooks for all the different scenarios that have played out since planning began! Now we’ve got less than 48 hours to sort things out before we leave.

Oh, and to top it all off, I got jury duty notification yesterday. Super. And instead of the courthouses within walking distance of my apartment, they’re sending me to freaking Roxbury District Court. I have really bad luck with jury duty. Not only do I get called every three years like clock-work, I was called into a murder trial once (a horrible 2 weeks).

I’m trying to be zen right now…but it’s a bit difficult.

June 15th, 2006
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 7 Comments

This is the latest I’ve ever gone without turning on the air-conditioning. It’s been such a bizarre (wet and cold) spring that I’ve not needed it yet. And as my trip to Paris has become closer, I’ve set this silly goal in my head that I want to avoid using it until I return from the trip.

Until now that has been fine. But starting tomorrow, the humidity is supposed to start and by Friday temperatures will be in the 80’s and humid. I think I’m going to have to cave in and turn it on.

I’m still impressed I’ve gone this long. I must be getting older. In years past, I never used heat and was always hot in the winter. This winter, I found things unbearably cold at times (and it wasn’t “that” cold of a winter). And now that it is air-conditioning season, I’m still not hot enough to warrant it. In no time, I’m going to become one of those people with a cardigan sweater on all summer. Ugh – I never wanted to be that person

Can you picture it? Me, a cardigan, Flonase, Kleenex, and a whiny complaint about everything from politics to the weather: “It’s not the heat, it’s the humidity.”

June 14th, 2006
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 8 Comments

Unlike last year when I went to Paris with just a (very over-stuffed) bookbag, I’m realizing that I will have to actually pack luggage this time around. This 2.5 week vacation is making me realize I will need to pack much more than I had initially expected.

It’s odd, because I’m probably packing just about the same quantity of clothing (since I’ll have access to washing machines). But now the extra time there is making me realize the little things I need to include – and they’re just adding up.

For example, last time I just didn’t shave while I was there. There’s no way I can avoid shaving for two and a half weeks so this means I need to bring my beard trimmer…and it’s charger. Last time I just brought my electric Sonic toothbrush. This time, I’ll need to bring the charger. Same goes for my iPod (actual MP3 player plus charger and cord) and digital camera (camera, batteries, wires to connect to computer, blank discs to save photos to).

I’ll need nail clippers this time around. And don’t forget the additional drugs (Flonase, Ativan, aspirin, multi-vitamins, Airborne). And Mike and I will probably partake of the nightlife in both Paris and London (something I didn’t do last time) which means additional “night time” clothes and shoes.

A longer trip also means I’ll need more reading materials (books, magazines).

Finally, Mark (who we’ll be staying with) has shipped some items to me (from American companies) that he wants me to bring to Paris for him (saves him shipping charges). Add in my passport, guide books, euros, pounds, clothes, snack foods and water for the flight and I’m going to be bursting at the seams with “stuff”.

I used to think I was such a simple guy. I think I was wrong.

June 13th, 2006
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 8 Comments

Following doctor’s orders, I took it easy this weekend. Mike came over Friday night and I brought him out to dinner to thank him for taking care of me while I was all pitiful and sick last week (who am I kidding…the last month). I took Mark (Veselka Slut’s) advice and brought him to Ivy, on Temple Street.

It’s a newish (6 months) Italian tapas restaurant and the food was quite good. We started with an incredible salad-for-two, then had scallops with prosciutto, some sort of panceta and futina (sp?) dumplings, caprece salad things, some mashed potatoes with truffle oil and finished it all off with some gelato. It didn’t look like much food, but we both left quite full.

We spent the rest of the evening snuggling on the sofa watching movies on our new favorite channel: Retroplex. It’s got different them nights (last week we saw Sid & Nancy, Before Sunrise and 54 when it was known as IndiePlex). This week we watched Lenny (with Dustin Hoffman…about Lenny Bruce). What a great film!

Saturday was Boston Pride Day. After breakfast at Theo’s Cozy Corner (in the North End) we ended up returning to my place and reading (skipping the rain-drenched parade and festivities). Starving, we decided to head to Newbury Street around 4PM to get wraps/burittos. My friend, Bobby, messaged me and and encouraged us to go to The Alley (bar…literally in an alley) so we obliged and did our part to celebrate Pride with our peeps.

Oddly enough, there was this middle-aged (late 40’s or 50’s) housewife type lady milling about by herself (wearing a cardigan sweater, her purse over one arm and a drink in the other). Mike and I thought she was the sweetest little PFLAG mom until we were chatting with Bobby and his friend, Lex, and she came up behind Lex and started grinding her ass into him. Apparently, she was just some sassy broad who randomly discovered it was Gay Pride Day while running errands and decided to join in the festivities by following the masses to a gay bar.

Mike and I then headed to a party on Jones Hill (Dorchester) being hosted by his friend, Matt. It was an odd little party – reminiscent of the kind you attend in high school and college. There was losts of alcohol, skinny blonde and brunette girls screaming when a good song came on (and demanding they play Cher and Madonna), and some dancing – which I dutifully avoided. It was fun, though – and we ended up home before 11PM (so I could get my rest).

After breakfast with Mike’s mom on Sunday, I went home and began searching more earnestly for hotels in London for the few nights we’ll need lodging. I was simultaneously chatting with somebody from London and he said they are in the midst of a hot-spell. So, I’ve decided I should focus my search on a hotel with air-conditioning (a rare luxury over there). I’ve found a few places in our price range, but the reviews on TripAdviser aren’t stellar. UGH. Any advice?

*Sorry Karyn – I know you hate that word

June 12th, 2006
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 4 Comments

I do, in fact. But first, here’s where I’ve been (in red, how inappropriate):

create your own visited states map or check out these Google Hacks.

YAY – so far I’ve covered 54% of the country…I guess that’s not bad considering the enormous size of this continent. Though, I must admit that aside from 2 or 3 of those remaining states, I really have no desire to spend any time in them (hell, there are a bunch I’ve already been to that I feel no need to return to again).

That site also has a map that does countries. Sadly, at the end of my upcoming trip I’ll still have only visited 3 other countries (Canada, France, England). I guess I’ll need to work on that.

Ono an unrelated note, my iPod is playing some kick-ass music this morning: Jakpot (by Tribe), Sympathy for the Devil (Rolling Stones) and currently Trout (Nenah Cherry and Michael Stipe). Oh, how I loved that song.

Speaking of music….the Boston Globe on-line yesterday had this section on bad cover songs. There was, of course, Pat Boone’s heavy metal covers album and William Shatner’s spoken word version of “Lucy in the Sky”….but there was a swing album by Paul Anka listed and I actually liked the covers on that one. Songs included “It’s My Life”, “Everybody Hurts”, “Wonderwall”, “Blackhole Sun”, “Smells Like Teen Sprit” (swing version!!!!!), “It’s a Sin”, and “Lovecats”. I may just buy it. You should check it out – there are samples on Amazon.
 

June 9th, 2006
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 4 Comments