Month: February 2012

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Reading Round-Up: February 2012

Reading is my oldest and favorite hobby.  I literally can’t remember a time in my life when I didn’t love to curl up with a good book.  Here are my reads for February, 2012…

Birds of a Feather, by Jacqueline Winspear (Maisie Dobbs #2) – I always love reading the second book in a mystery series, because I think it is really the first chance the reader has to tell whether the series will be good or not.  The first book is always lots of backstory, introducing characters and settings and future multi-book plotlines.  After all that, it’s very hard to make the mystery exciting and compelling, too.  So while I liked Maisie Dobbs very much, I was anxious to see how Birds of a Feather would shake out.  I’m pleased to report that it was great!  Maisie and her assistant Billy are able to sink their teeth right into the main mystery, from the very first chapter.  And it’s a doozie – they are hired to track down a missing heiress, but soon find themselves in the midst of a string of murders… and wondering whether the young woman they are searching for is the next victim or the killer.  There are a couple of interesting side plots about Maisie’s relationship with her father, and some tough stuff Billy goes through with his old war injuries.

Betsy-Tacy, by Maud Hart Lovelace (Betsy-Tacy #1) – I don’t know how I have been missing these books all my life!  I thought I was hip to most of the good vintage children’s classic literature, but I had never heard of Betsy-Tacy before reading Katie’s blog and hearing her rave about the series.  These stories about five-year-old Betsy Ray and her friend Tacy Kelly, and the adventures they have thanks to Betsy’s imagination, are simply adorable.  I loved my first visit with Betsy and Tacy in Deep Valley, Minnesota!

The Social Animal, by David Brooks – I have been a fan of David Brooks’ writing since I was assigned to read Bobos in Paradise back in college.  We might be of opposite political persuasions, but I love reading his meticulously researched and wittily written columns and books.  The Social Animal, which examines human socialization and achievement in the early 21st century, was fascinating and funny.  Win!

The Kitchen Counter Cooking School, by Kathleen Flinn – This one took me just a few hours to read.  Kathleen Flinn, a recent culinary school graduate, was adrift and looking for her next project one day when she found herself stalking a woman in the supermarket.  Flinn was fascinated by the woman’s buying choices – everything in a box!  She was buying “meals” – pot roast, mac ‘n cheese, fettucini Alfredo – but all in boxes.  Flinn finally approached the woman and gave her a crash course in home cooking.  That chance encounter sparked Flinn’s “chefternal” instinct and she put together a course to teach nine women, all of whom were “from the box” cooks, to cook creatively and joyfully.  Flinn taught her students that cooking from scratch was healthier and cheaper, and that it could be just as easy as buying shelf-stable goods.  Over the course of the summer, Flinn’s students gained friendships and lost their fear of the kitchen.  Great quick and inspiring read!  I’m not afraid of the kitchen and I love buying ingredients for a fresh and healthy meal, so I wouldn’t have been in Flinn’s target group… but she definitely inspired me to get into the kitchen and play with food as much as possible, and to be more mindful of using my leftovers and finishing up all those greens I buy each week!

The Palace of Illusions, by Chitra Bannerjee Divakaruni – I decided to read this book solely because of the gorgeous cover.  I’m attracted to all things gold and sparkly, and apparently books are no exception.  The Palace of Illusions is a re-imagining of the Indian epic “The Mahabharata,” told from the perspective of Draupadi, or Panchaali as she is called in this book, one of the female characters.  I’m not at all familiar with the original epic – had never even heard of it before; it’s just not part of the vernacular I grew up with.  So I don’t know how faithful Divakaruni was to the original epic, although some Goodreads reviewers who knew the original story said that she was quite faithful, only taking liberties with a couple of plot points (but in my mind, those plot points – Panchaali’s relationship with Krishna and her secret attraction to Karna – were kind of important).  Regardless, it was a great story, easy to follow even if you didn’t know the original epic, and very well-written.  I enjoyed it!

Betsy-Tacy and Tib, by Maud Hart Lovelace (Betsy-Tacy #2) – The second book about friends Betsy, Tacy and Tib takes place in 1900.  The girls are eight years old and their world is starting to expand.  Although they have their moments of getting into trouble – usually over the protests of the sensible Tib – they are best friends making the most of every day.

Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill, by Maud Hart Lovelace (Betsy-Tacy #3) – In the third Betsy-Tacy book, the girls fall in love with the King of Spain and decide to write him a letter.  (Well, Betsy and Tacy are in love, and Tib just likes to do what they do so she goes along with it.)  They decide to “have a Queen” for the summer, but get into a big fight with Betsy’s sister Julia and Tacy’s sister Katie, who also want to have a Queen.  Betsy, Tacy and Tib end up wandering over the Big Hill behind their houses and down to Little Syria to solicit votes for Tib as Queen, where they learn about another culture and make some wonderful friends.

At Home in Mitford, by Jan Karon (Mitford #1) – Things were getting a little intense for awhile this month and I really needed some escapist reading (more escapist than usual, that is).  I decided to check out the first book in a series about Father Tim, Episcopal priest in a small southern town, as a way to soothe my exhausted and overactive brain.  It definitely worked.  Father Tim spends his time visiting little old ladies, courting his next-door neighbor (who is an author and illustrator of children’s books starring her cat, natch), and ministering to the town homeless guy, who has a cottage and quotes Thoreau.  Oh, and he helps solve a jewel heist and saves the criminal’s soul.  Bad stuff does happen in Mitford – people get sick and kids are abandoned – but it’s mostly just a sleepy, idyllic place.  Not the most intellectually stimulating book I’ve ever read, but Mitford worked for what I wanted it to do.  I’ll be continuing to read the series, but I’m saving the next book for the next time I get overwhelmed.

Paris to the Past: Traveling Through French History by Train, by Ina Caro – This nonfiction book has been on my TBR for some time now.  I love what the back cover says – it’s a book about love.  While ostensibly a book about history, art and architecture, love shines through on every page.  It’s obvious that Ina Caro truly loves France – its history, people and food – and Paris, and the husband who travels “through time” alongside her.  Ina and Bob have been visiting France for decades, traveling “chronologically” through its history, visiting cathedrals and castles from the oldest to those inhabited by Napoleon.  In this book, Ina shares her favorite historical journeys – chronologically, of course – within an hour or two’s journey from Paris by train.  Her interest in history tends toward the gossipy, so she glosses over bloodshed and battles and devotes far more energy to divulging juicy details of courtesans’ plotting and queens’ love affairs.  Works for me!  I was afraid that Paris to the Past might be a bit dry, but it never was – it was just a fascinating, fun, informative and chatty journey through French history (with your new smart best friend who also happens to have an iron stomach, an enviable metabolism and a great memory).  Can’t recommend this one highly enough!

The 19th Wife, by David Ebershoff – I was fascinated by the news reports of raids on a modern-day polygamist sect a few years ago, so this book caught my attention immediately while I was browsing in an airport bookshop, and I put it on hold at my library as soon as possible.  It’s actually a story of two 19th wives – one Ann Eliza Young, the infamous 19th wife of Brigham Young, second Prophet of the Mormon Church (who apparently is a real historical figure; I’m not Mormon and had never heard of her, but I’ll probably look into her story to see how much in this book was true and how much was fictionalized); and one BeckyLyn Scott, wife #19 of a deceased modern-day polygamist, who awaits trial for his murder.  The story alternates between Ann Eliza’s tale of how she became a plural wife and how she escaped the lifestyle, and the tale of BeckyLyn’s estranged son, Jordan, who becomes convinced that BeckyLyn is innocent of his father’s murder and sets out on a dangerous quest to find the real killer.  I picked up the book because I was interested in reading the Ann Eliza parts, but I found Jordan’s story actually more compelling.  It’s not one I’d recommend to everyone, but if you like historical novels and/or murder mysteries and you don’t mind some disturbing content and strong language, check this one out.

Betsy and Tacy Go Downtown, by Maud Hart Lovelace (Betsy-Tacy #4) – The fourth book in the Betsy-Tacy series was just as cute and sweet as the previous three.  Betsy, Tacy and Tib are now twelve years old and are discovering new pursuits every day.  Some involve boys!  (Regular ones this time; not the King of Spain again.)  As always, the girls have fascinating adventures – Tib rides in a horseless carriage for the first time; new friend Winona takes them all to the theatre, and Betsy gets permission to visit the new library downtown and begins to harbor dreams of becoming a writer.  Loved this one even more than the first three, and I can’t wait to dig into the fifth book in the series!

I had such fun reading through this month!  I started February on a tear and read steadily through mid-month, when I slowed down a bit.  But I can honestly say I enjoyed each book I read this month.  Finally discovering the Betsy-Tacy series, thanks to Katie, was the bookish highlight of my month for sure.  How did I not know about these books before?  LOVE.  I’m not sure if Deep Valley will ever supplant Avonlea in my heart, but I do love it there.  The rest of the month was spent delving into cultures that are unfamiliar to me, and enjoying some fascinating nonfiction.  A good month indeed!

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Sister Lit

Sister Lit World Headquarters: the Jane Austen Centre, Bath, UK

Last month I read The Weird Sisters, a debut novel by Eleanor Brown.  In many ways, it followed a formula.  Sisters butt heads but love each other at the same time.  (Well, to be honest, the Andreas sisters of The Weird Sisters did more head-butting… metaphorical, of course… than loving.  But there was some loving.)  As I was reading The Weird Sisters, I started to think a lot about that literary sub-genre that I fondly call “sister lit.”

Sister lit – the primary example of which, in my mind, is Little Women – seems to be everywhere.  Anyone with an appetite for family sagas likes to read about the heart-warming and often heart-wrenching relationship between sisters.  I expect that there are plenty of women out there who say to themselves, “Oh, I’m definitely Jo.  And my sister is Amy.”  Or amend that as you will.

I can’t relate to this.  You see, I don’t have a sister.  Despite repeated requests – ahem, Mom – all I got was a brother.  Now, don’t get me wrong – I love my brother.  He’s a smart, funny guy and we have a lot in common (although he does some things – like shark diving – that you couldn’t pay me enough to try).  He loves to read, travel, ski and make sarcastic comments, all hobbies that we share.  And, as an added bonus, he never stole my clothes.  I may have borrowed his flannel shirts on occasion, though.  (So soft!  Sorry, bro.)

But I’ll admit I’ve always been a little bit jealous of people who have sisters – especially when they are also best friends.  I’ve come close to that relationship; I joined a sorority full of smart, funny women; made some extremely close female friends at every stage of my life; and married a guy with two lovely sisters that I adore.  As much as I cherish my sisters-in-law, sorority sisters, and girlfriends, I know I am never going to get to experience what it’s like to have a biological sister.  (Good and bad stuff alike.)  That doesn’t mean that I don’t enjoy and appreciate books like Little Women or The Weird Sisters, or the opportunity to live vicariously through them.

In fact, sometimes I think that maybe I enjoy those books more as a result of not having a sister – because diving into the relationships between Jane and Lizzy Bennet of Pride and Prejudice… or Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy of Little Women… or Rose, Bean and Cordy of The Weird Sisters… gives me the opportunity to see what life is like inside the head of a woman who has been given the gift of a sister.  But I sometimes do wonder if sister lit books would resonate differently with me if I had a sister and could draw on that relationship to inform my reading.  Alas, I’ll never know.

If only I could find a good grown-up book (and no, The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe doesn’t count) about siblings of the opposite sex.  Maybe I’ll write one.  Dan, you have been warned.

Do you have a sister?  Do you enjoy “sister lit” more because you have that real-life relationship to draw upon?

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Cornwall, Part IV: Exploring St. Ives

We’re winding down our time in Cornwall, but before we leave I’d like to spend a little time exploring St. Ives with you.  On our last full day in Cornwall – which happened to be my birthday – hubby and I decided to stick close to home and spend a low-key day enjoying our surroundings.  We spent the morning checking out the cool modern art in the Tate St. Ives and while modern art usually isn’t my favorite, I really enjoyed the bright splashes of color and texture on the canvasses there.  After our dose of culture, we wandered around town and looked into the shops and alleys, then fortified ourselves with tea and scones at a cafe overlooking the harbor.  Hey, it’s my birthday – I can eat scones for lunch if I want!

As you can see, St. Ives is situated around a small harbor.  These boats were floating most of the time, but every day they would drain the harbor and the boats would lie beached until the water came back.  During that time kids and dogs would run around on the wet sand while the fishermen did their work on the piers.  Seeing the fishing boats sitting on solid ground was such a different and unique view – we couldn’t get enough staring at the rows of boats neatly lined up on the harbor floor.

So cool!  The bright pops of color on the boats against the taupe sand were such fun.  I’ll be blowing up at least one St. Ives picture for my house.

After wandering around town, we decided to venture out and walk a bit of the South West Coast Path just outside of town.  We checked out some beautiful views less than 10 minutes’ walk from the main drag of St. Ives.

Lovely.  I loved the dramatic waves crashing against the rock faces of the cliffs.  Like a painting.

Finally we found a flat rock and just sat down and enjoyed the view for awhile.  The Cornish coastline reminds me a great deal of northern California.  I felt like we were on a mistier, cooler version of our Point Reyes hike from 2009.  And if you know me well, you know I can’t resist a good view like this.  I was happy to sit there and drink it in for an hour.  In that moment, all I wanted for my 30th birthday was to teleport everyone I loved to St. Ives so they could see it too.  Since I couldn’t (I tried), you get this picture.  It doesn’t do justice to the wild beauty of Cornwall, but it’s the best I can do.

After meandering along the cliffs a bit more, we headed back to the B&B, where the sweet managers had left a wonderful bottle of Malbec in our room as a birthday present.  (Thanks, Tony and Carol!)  We savored it while looking at the stunning view from our room, then dressed up and walked back into town for a fabulous dinner and local Cornish wine.  Altogether, it was as perfect as days can get.  I couldn’t think of anywhere else I’d rather have turned 30!

All good things must come to an end, and this is the end of our time in Cornwall (for now, anyway – we’ll be back for sure).  Check back next Friday to find out where we went next on our epic road trip through southern England!

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Staying Warm

I was a little bit surprised by my first winter in D.C.  I moved down here because I thought it would be warm.  And it is – most of the year.  I can run outside and hubby can grill almost all year ’round.  But winter still exists here.  We get our occasional Snowmaggeddons that make national news (which is hilarious to me – it’s SNOW, folks) but mostly it’s a long, grey, chilly stretch of days leading from the bonanza of Christmas to the beginning of allergy season.

But I like winter.  I honestly do; it may come from having grown up in a place where winter arrived with a vengeance and stayed for months.  You had to learn to accept it, even embrace it, or you were destined to be miserable for long stretches of the year.  (There’s a well-known joke that there are four seasons in upstate New York: almost winter, winter, still winter, and construction.  I wish I knew who to attribute that to – I heard it from my brother.)  That’s why we ski and skate and build igloos.  You need to do something to pass the time and stay warm.  Of course it’s not as bad in D.C., but it’s still winter, and I’m still trying to stay warm.

Here’s what’s keeping me warm this winter:

~Tea!  Of course!  Especially Mariage Freres Bolero and Rouge Bourbon Vanille from R’s stash (thanks, R!) and Etoile de France from my own.

~Smartwool socks.  They are the warmest, cuddliest socks ever made and they keep my feet completely dry and toasty on winter hikes with hubby.  Bonus points because my freakishly tiny feet fit into a kids’ size medium.  Half price, BOO-YAH!

~Downton Abbey.  Hubby and I are watching on Blu-Ray and LOVING Season 2!  I look forward all day to nights wrapped up in a blanket, nestled next to hubby on the couch, watching the Crawleys’ dramatic lives unfold.

~The prospect of curling up with a good book always warms me up.  Next month I have plans to revisit some old favorites, like the Emily of New Moon series by L.M. Montgomery, Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons, and I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith.  And I’m sure I’ll spend at least one winter afternoon under a blanket with a cup of tea and Pride and Prejudice.  It’s basically a winter must for me.

How are you staying warm this winter?

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SUITE FRANCAISE

Amazing… spectacular… breath-taking… monumental… no, I give up.  I just can’t think of enough superlatives to describe Suite Francaise.  Irene Nemirovsky’s final work is, even in its unfinished form, one of the most important books of the twentieth century.  I’d feel that way even if I didn’t know the author’s remarkable story, but having some context in which to place the book makes it that much more marvelous.

Irene Nemirovsky intended Suite Francaise to be a literary symphony composed of five novellas and modeled after Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony.  Tragically, she was only able to complete two of her intended five parts – and those in rough draft form, although rarely have I met a more polished draft.  Before she was able to complete her masterwork, Nemirovsky, a Ukranian-born Jew living in France, was arrested by the Nazis and died in Auschwitz.  She wrote the first two sections of her work as she was living them – the first part, “Storm in June,” depicts the June 1940 Paris evacuation, in which Nemirovsky and her family took part.  The second novella, “Dolce,” concerns life in a small French village under Nazi occupation.  Both novellas start quietly and build up to dramatic conclusions.  The truly remarkable thing about Suite Francaise is that Nemirovsky “held a mirror up to France,” as the French prologue reads, showing life in wartime France with great empathy but without glossing over truth.  Many of the characters are unsympathetic, yes.  But that’s reality.  In a crisis, we’d all like to think that we’d be heroes and heroines, but the fact of the matter is that heroics are often cast aside in favor of the rather stronger self-preservation instinct.  Nemirovsky tells it like it is, but somehow without judging her characters.  And the reader understands that as much as we might want to judge Madame Pericand, Corte, Hubert or any of the other characters, odds are we’d behave in exactly the same way in their position.  Nemirovksy’s extraordinary empathy even extends to the German soldiers in “Dolce,” some of whom she portrays as cruel, but others of whom she depicts as young, talented, with their lives and potentials tragically wasted by a war they did not start and in which they are only doing a job.  The fact that Nemirovsky was able to find the grace and courage to not judge German soldiers as a group and to paint them as individuals and not a collective, many-headed monster, is incredible.   That’s what makes Suite Francaise so amazing – Irene Nemirovsky lived in the pages of her book, yet somehow remains above it all, dealing with her characters fairly, honestly, and kindly even when she is eviscerating them for their human failings.

The third part of the book helps to place Nemirovsky’s work in context with the times.  It presents her plans for the three remaining novellas, which she was never able to write, as well as her correspondence prior to her arrest and her husband’s correspondence in his attempt to have her returned to her family after she was stolen from them.  The book concludes with the prologue from the French edition, which explains the historical significance of the book and the story of its publication: Nemirovsky’s ten-year-old daughter took the manuscript with her into hiding, believing it was a diary, and kept it for sixty-four years before she was able to bring herself to read it.  When she finally opened the book and realized it was an unfinished masterwork, she published it immediately.  As a result, we have a ten-year-old with extraordinary presence of mind to thank for preserving one of the most important pieces of French literature.  It’s tragic that this book ever had occasion to be written, but it is transcendent in its beauty.

Suite Francaise, by Irene Nemirovsky (not an affiliate link)

(Image Source)

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Cornwall, Part III: Hiking the South West Coast Path

Land’s End is one of the most beautiful places in Great Britain.  It’s also touristy and expensive.  While we were researching our trip, Hubby and I heard mixed reviews on Land’s End – that it was a must-see, but also irritatingly commercialized.  When we mentioned to the managers of our B&B that we were planning to see Land’s End, they suggested that we park a mile away, at Sennen Cove, and walk.  The primary selling point was that the parking at Sennen Cove was about a tenth of the cost of the parking at Land’s End.  That alone convinced us that it was the right plan!  But the walk ended up being a lovely mile along the cliffs looking out on stunning views of the Cornish coast.  Win.

The path from Sennen Cove to Lands End is part of the South West Coast Path, a 650 mile (give or take) path that runs around the entire peninsula encompassing both Devon and Cornwall.  Plenty of people make trips out of hiking the entire thing – that’s a dream for someday, when I have a LOT more time on my hands.  For now, hubby and I contented ourselves with hiking small stretches of the Coast Path and drinking in the gorgeous views.

About halfway between Sennen and Land’s End, we stopped to pose for some self-portraits.  Obviously.

St. Ives and the surrounding areas were a haven for artists.  The town of St. Ives had several cute art galleries featuring local art and crafts.  You can see why – the scenery in this part of England is just spectacular.  As we made our way from Sennen to Land’s End, we happened upon a painter doing a lovely oil painting of Land’s End.  If I had thought the paint would dry in time, I’d have tried to see if he would sell!

Honestly, I didn’t find Land’s End all that commercial… but that might have been due to the fact that I didn’t pay for parking, take the “required” picture in front of a sign with the mileage to Washington, D.C., or visit the cafe or gift shop.  We just wandered there over the cliffs, checked out the views, and then wandered back.  In my opinion, that was definitely the way to go!  On our way back to Sennen, the sun came out and the afternoon turned glorious.  We were actually thrilled that it was overcast up to that point, because the sun would’ve been in our eyes heading to Land’s End, but was behind us on the way back to Sennen.  We took our time over that mile, enjoying the craggy coastline, the brilliant blue water and the sunny skies overhead.

Finally, we found ourselves ambling down the hill and back into Sennen.  Although the walk was only about a mile each way, it was fairly strenuous – lots of climbing up and down.  But we don’t mind a bit of exercise – especially when it comes with these views!  Outrageous.  If you’re making plans to head for Land’s End at some point in the future, I’d definitely encourage you to avoid the colossal parking fees and enjoy a mile stroll (to-and-from) over the cliffs between Land’s End and Sennen Cove.

Next week we’re sticking around our home base in Cornwall, St. Ives.  Check back on Friday for shots of the town and more South West Coast Path!

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Bean Chili with Quinoa

All right, all right, I know I’m about a week and a half late with this one.  You’re all shaking your heads – yes, you, I see you – saying “Where was this recipe for Superbowl Sunday?”  Yeah, sorry about that.  I was behind with recipes.  But the good news is twofold: (1) it’s still cold out, so you have plenty of opportunities to eat chili before spring sets in; and (2) this is a really good way to use up extra quinoa.  Because I know you always have extra quinoa lying around!  (No?  Just me?)  Actually, this is a great pantry dinner for those meals you have to put together when it’s been awhile since you made it to the grocery store and you’re looking for something healthy.  You could easily do canned beans with this, or you could use some Slow Cooker Beans for extra deliciousness.  Either way, this protein-packed entree is definitely going to be one of my staples from now until spring.  Enjoy!

Bean Chili with Quinoa

1/2 onion, diced
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 batch Slow Cooker Beans (or sub two cans of black beans)
1 cup cooked quinoa
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon coriander
salt and pepper to taste
cilantro, grated cheddar and/or plain Greek yogurt for optional garnish

  • In a large cast-iron pot over medium heat, warm olive oil until shimmering.  Add onion and saute until golden.
  • Add beans, quinoa, and tomatoes and stir to combine.
  • Add spices, salt and pepper and taste.  Adjust seasonings as necessary.
  • Simmer over medium-low heat for 30 minutes, then serve with “fixins.”

Source: Covered In Flour

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Paris On My Mind

In a couple of months, my parents are headed to Europe.  It will be my mom’s first time back since she was a little girl, and my dad’s first time ever.  They’re headed to Paris for a few days, then off on a cruise that departs from Barcelona and makes stops in Naples, Rome, Florence/Tuscany, Nice and Marseille.  I can’t even begin to describe how jealous I am – even though I was just in my beloved England a few months ago myself.  A few weeks ago the parental units visited and I was able to share some of my favorite places and activities in Paris and Provence (where they plan to day-trip).  I loaded them up with my Rick Steves guidebooks and French phrasebook, and I’ve been day-dreaming about Paris ever since.  And even though I have a different idea taking hold for 2012 travel, oh, how I would love to go back to Paris.

Favorite Paris moments and memories–

1.  “Rue Cler picnics” for breakfast under the Eiffel Tower – wedge of Brie, demi-baguette, pint of strawbs from Les Halles, cafe creme from Rousillon, blue skies overhead and green grass underfoot and La Tour casting its shadow over us.

2.  A French footballer dazzling the crowd with complicated tricks just outside Sacre-Cour, to the tune of… wait for it… French r&b.

3.  Sniffing tea leaves to my heart’s content while a dashing and patient Mariage Freres employee took box after box down from the wall in the awe-inspiring but cozy flagship store in the heart of the Marais.  He never mocked my broken French and he was able to decipher my incoherent mumblings to figure out the ultimate perfect tea for my tastes – Etoile de France.

4.  Shivering like a leaf in a September breeze but being unwilling to sacrifice even one drop of the remarkable salted caramel ice cream from Berthillon on Ile Saint-Louis.

5.  Breezing into Oliviers & Co. and tossing off a “Je regarde!” and then hiding my face so the clerk wouldn’t see how proud I was of my rudimentary French-speaking abilities.

6.  Cafe-sitting… cafe-sitting… cafe-sitting.  Le Petit Cler was our favorite.  We munched escargots, sipped kir royale, and debated whether we should try out the gelato shop next door (that was churning out dozens of happy customers with dripping cones) or track down a pint of Berthillon.

7.  Old men meandering down the street, snacking on the end of a fresh baguette in a paper sleeve.  Did their wives expect delivery of an unblemished loaf?  If so, they were sure to be disappointed.

8.  Monet paintings taking up my entire field of vision at the Musee l’Orangerie.

9.  The sounds and textures of the foods – crisp corners of flaky, buttery croissant and the snap-snap-snap of delicate macaron shells as I bit into them, ever anxious to get to the jammy middle layer.

10.  Ordering bottles of Chorey-les-Beaune and conjuring up vivid images of the village itself, which hubby and I had just biked through only days before.

Have you been to Paris?  What did you love most?

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This Week I’m Loving…

~My wooden “read” sign from William Dohman, available here.  I keep it in the seating alcove in my bedroom, and it makes me smile every time I look up from my book to see it sitting there on my shelf, reminding me of my favorite hobby (like I could ever forget).

~Cruising TripAdvisor.  An idea for 2012 travel is slowly crystallizing.  I’ve run it by hubby and he likes it too.  We’re not quite ready to buy plane tickets, but we’re getting close.  Spoiler alert: it involves Europe.  (Well, obviously.  I’m still acclimating to the idea that I’m a grownup and I can go to Europe if I want to.)  And it’s a country neither of us has visited yet.  So that rules out England, Scotland, Wales, France and Germany.  Let the guessing commence.

~The fact that I can finally run again!  I’ve had a pretty painful ankle issue for the past few weeks, but a combination of rest and an ankle brace has finally worked its magic and I’m back to pounding the pavement, including in the inaugural “Run Your Heart Out 5K” in Reston, Virginia yesterday.  I’m going slowly, and not very far – I’m trying to avoid aggravating it.  Being injured is no fun at all.

~Earl Grey Creme from Teavana and Blueberry Vanilla Cream from Culinary Teas – the perfect delicious way to start each morning off.  And for evenings, Rouge Bourbon Vanille from Mariage Freres (thanks, R!) or Gingerbread Rooibos from Capital Teas.

~The song “Letter Never Sent,” by R.E.M.  I’m always loving R.E.M.  This week I’m listening to this one on repeat, the version from “Live at the Olympia.”  I particularly love the beginning: “It’s been pretty simple so far.  Vacation in Athens is calling me.  Knock, knock, knock on wood.”  So good to go back to the old favorites.

~Lavender hand creme from Cornwall Soap Box in St. Ives, England.  The winter air is drying out the backs of my hands something fierce, but this hand creme is the perfect antidote.  Silky smooth, not greasy, and smells divine.  I’m trying to ration because I have no idea when I’ll be back to Cornwall to buy more.  Luckily I also have a tube of delicious Oliviers & Co. organic hand creme that R bought for me in NYC.  Mmmmmm, lucky me!

What are you loving this week?

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Cornwall, Part II: St. Michael’s Mount and the Minack Theatre

Back to Cornwall!  We woke up on our first morning ready to do some sightseeing – after tea, of course.  We knew that we wanted to go to St. Michael’s Mount, a historic monastery that became a family home for many generations, which is set on a hill in the middle of a small cove.  When the tide is out, you can walk to the “island” via a stone causeway… but beware the tide coming in while you’re on the island!  You might find yourself swimming back to the mainland.

We walked over the causeway and yes, we did manage to make it back to shore before the tide came in.  But not before checking out the inside of the castle (which boasted ancient weapons, stained glass, a family chapel and a snapshot of Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall posing with the family on a visit a few years ago)…

We checked out the beautiful gardens.  Cornwall is almost a unique climate in England – much warmer than the rest of the country, and we even saw palm trees!  That’s right, palm trees in England.  Wonders never cease!  The gardens at St. Michael’s Mount were lovely and well-tended.

We finished our morning at St. Michael’s Mount by climbing up to the top of the castle and checking out the view.  Hubby was impressed by the defensibility of the castle and all the cannons.  I liked the spare, elegant black-and-white Cornish flag and the views out to sea.

On our way to our next destination, we made a quick stop at the Merry Maidens stone circle.  We’re turning into stone circle afficianados, apparently – what with visiting Castlerigg up in the Lake District in 2008, and Avebury and Stonehenge already on this trip.  And I swear I saw a mini stone circle in Easton Cross the night before our Dartmoor hike, outside a nursery school.  (Do English children play with stone circles the way American children play with teepees?  This fascinates me.)

Next we hit the Minack Theatre, which came highly recommended by our B&Bers.  (We mostly just did what they told us to do for our three days in Cornwall and it worked out beautifully.  Atlantic Heights B&B, if you’re ever in Cornwall – I can’t say enough good things about them!)  The Minack Theatre is situated above Porthcurno Beach, a stunning white-sand cove.  We arrived as the sun was breaking through the clouds and setting up a glorious afternoon, and we discovered that the sea in Cornwall is Caribbean blue.  I was expecting steely grey and instead found this.  Perfection.

The landscapers had planted the theatre with a bevy of blossoms, but I was particularly fascinated by these cacti that looked like roses.  Anyone know what they are?  I so want a cactus rosebush for my backyard.

You must be wondering about this theatre.  A few decades ago, a local theatre maven decided to build a theatre into the side of a cliff.  For realses.  They perform mostly Shakespeare in this outdoor space, although they do a few other plays as well.  Can you imagine seeing A Midsummer Night’s Dream on a sparkling Cornish evening from one of these seats, overlooking Porthcurno?  And now I will proceed to spend the rest of my life plotting ways to make that dream happen.

Carved into the “seats” are names of plays that the theatre has seen.  Plenty of Shakespeare, as you can see, but plenty else to tempt a hopeless theatre junkie like me!  (Sadly, it was the off-season, so there were no plays to be seen.)

Lastly, a view of the stage.  Is this not the most ravishing “backstage” you’ve ever seen?  I hopped up onstage and recited a little bit of Helena’s “O Spite” monologue from Midsummer.  (Took second place for me in my high school’s Shakespeare competition.)  Oh, yes, I am so dying to get back there to see a performance!

Stay tuned next Friday, because there are more Cornish explorations to come!